December 29th, 2008 , No Comments »
The Sony Alpha A900 has genereated a lot of interested since it’s introduction. A large full frame sensor and a competitive price make this an interesting camera.
In this post, I’ve collected a bunch of interesting and detailed reviews of the Sony A900. If you are not sure if you should by the camera, read those reviews and then you can make an informed decision.
Sony A900 review at imaging-resource.com
Sony A900 review at dpreview.com.
dpreview.com always has very good and detailed reviews. Definitely worth reading.
Sony A900 review at ephotozine.com
Studio comparision of Sony A900, Canon EOS 5D Mark II and Nikon D3X
Noise comparision of Sony A900, Canon EOS 5D Mark II and Nikon D3X by Michael Reichmann
Sony A900 review by Michael Reichmann
Comparision of Sony A900, Canon EOS 5D Mark II and Nikon D700
My personal conclusion: The A900 seems to be a great camera. If you are a Sony user and want a full frame camera, the A900 offers great image quality (up to ISO 800) at a reasonable price.
If you are a Canon user, I wouldn’t switch. The 5D Mark II is another great camera at an even better price and Canon offers much more lenses and other tools than Sony does at the moment.
Nikon users who want more than 20 MP have to pay (at the time of this writing) a lot more than Canon and Sony users. The D3X is a better camera in many ways (but lacking video and sensor cleaning) but the much higher prices makes it unattractive for many photographers. Maybe Nikon will introduce a lower priced 24 MP DSLR in 2009.
December 4th, 2008 , No Comments »
Michael Reichmann has published a very detailed review of the new Sony A900.
If you are considering buying this camera or just want to now what Sony’s first full frame DSLR has to offer, this very good and detailed report makes a very interesting read.
More information:
Sony A900 Field Review by Michael Reichmann
December 1st, 2008 , No Comments »
Now it’s really official. Nikon announced the 24.5 MP D3X.
Read this report by Rob Galbraith for a detailed overview of all it’s features:
http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/multi_page.asp?cid=7-9318-9761.
So far it looks quite impressive. Unfortunately the price is also pretty impressive 
The lack of a sensor cleaning systen as in the D300 and D700 is a disappointment. Beside that, for the landscape and studio photographer who shoot Nikon and want a lot of pixels, the D3X may be the perfect camera - if they want to spend 8.000 US $.
November 28th, 2008 , No Comments »
It seems that the new Nikon D3X is official now. It was announced in the Nikon Pro magazine.
The important specs so far seem to be:
- body like Nikon D3. AF and metering like D3
- 24.5 megapixel full frame sensor
- also with DX crope mode (10 megapixels and can shoot at 7 fps).
- ISO 100-1600, extendable down to 50 and up to 6400
See here for more information:
http://sebrogers.typepad.com/seb_rogers_blog/2008/11/official-nikon-d3x-specs-its-here-folks.html
So far this is mostly what was expected anyway. No surprises here. Nikon now also has a camera (after Canon and Sony) with more than 20 megapixels.
Tests will tell if the image quality is as good or better than in the Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III or Canon EOS 5D Mark II.
The new D3X will be of most interest to studio and landscape photographers. For wildlife and birds, in my opinion, the 12 MP of the D300, D700 and D3 are enough for most photographers.
Now, that Nikon has a complete camera linu-up, I think some more lenses would be great. Personally I would like to see something like the following:
4/16-35 and 4/50-200 VR: That would make a great and light pair for travel and landscape photography.
4/300 VR: (the current 4/300 does not offer VR).
4/200-500 VR: This has been on the wishlist of many nature and sport photographers. If Nikon would come up with such a lens before Canon, I am sure they could win over many professional photographers.
Let’s hope that Nikon will soon release some new lenses and maybe one or two from my wishlist above will be among them. A 4/200-500 VR could really make me think about switching to Nikon!
November 3rd, 2008 , No Comments »
The latest review of the Canon EOS 50D has caused a lot of discussion in many forums, especially the result that the high ISO performance seems to be worse than in the EOS 40D - and not better as Canon claimed.
Another problem seems to be the reduced per-pixel detail compared to cameras like the EOS 40D.
Maybe Canon really put too many megapixels in the camera and many of the current lenses are not good enough to deliver excellent results with the new EOS 50D.
Obviously, megapixels still sell best. From a photographers point of view, I think it would have been much better to use “only” 12 MP or maybe even stay with 10 MP and make high ISO values better than in the EOS 40D (which is not bad up to ISO 1.600, but improvements are definitely possible).
My dream camera would have been a 12 MP version which is really one stop better than the EOS 40D. A 12 MP camera might also have been able to shoot at 8 frames per second. If Canon would have allowed that camera to use AF up to f8, then this camera would have been a wildlife photographers dream.
But now, it seems that the new EOS 50D is a good camera but not a great camera.
So far I’ve not bought a 50D and I probably won’t buy one. Currently a EOS 40D is about 500 Euros cheaper. And the 40D is a wonderful camera.
If you don’t need the 15 MP of the 50D, I suggest to buy the 40D. For the current price, it’s the best prosumer camera Canon ever built.
October 25th, 2008 , No Comments »
I just came across a very interesting article by Michael Reichmann in which he writes about his experience with the new Canon G10 and the comparison with this medium format Hasselblad H2. The results are very interesting and the Canon G10 does very well.
He comes to the conclusion that the Canon G10 is a very good camera and delivers excellent image quality (at low ISO). Of course it’s not a replacement for medium format. As Michael says: “Each system has its place”.
Check out the whole article for more information:
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/kidding.shtml
October 14th, 2008 , No Comments »
If you are interested in Nikon’s new D90, you can now read two detailed reviews. If you want to read only one, I suggest to read dpreview’s review of the D90. At dpreview they always have some of the most detailed and best reviews of DSLR cameras.
Another interesting one is the review at photographyblog.
Overall, both reviews are very positive about the D90. But nothing else was expected from Nikon after all the great reviews their other cameras like the D3, D300 and D700 got.
October 2nd, 2008 , No Comments »
The version 2.6 of the free image editing software Gimp has been released.
Gimp is a powerful and free alternative to Adobe Photoshop. It does not support all of Photoshop’s features but is still capable of many advanced image manipulation tricks.
The biggest disadvantage is that Gimp does not yet support full 16bit editing, but the new Version already has a library (partly) integrated that supports 16bit editing, so future versions of Gimp will provide full 16bit support.
Unlike Photoshop it also runs on Linux. Versions for other operating systems (incl. Windows) are also avaialble.
More information:
Gimp homepage
September 30th, 2008 , 3 Comments »
Which Canon DSLR is right for bird and wildlife photography?
After answering the question for Nikon DSLRs, I want to focus on Canon digital SLR cameras today.
Here is an overview of the current Canon DSLR lineup:
Canon EOS 1000D
A nice camera with a very good image quality. But I don’t recommend it for serious wildlife and bird photography. The AF is not the best and it doesn’t provide the frame rate needed for action photography.
Canon EOS 450D
If you don’t want to spend a lot of money, the EOS 450D is not bad. I offers great image quality and the AF is better than with the 1000D. It’s not as robust as the 40D and 50D. If you can afford a more expensive camera, I suggest to get the 40D or 50D.
Canon EOS 40D
The camera I currently use. For the price I think the EOS 40D is one of the best cameras on the market. The autofocus is fast and accurate, at least with a fast lens like the Canon EF 4/500L. The frame rate of 6.5 frames per second is enough for most situations. The camera is lighter and smaller than an EOS 1D body which is great when you travel or hike long distances.
The only thing that many photographers don’t like is the fact that AF only works up to f5.6. That means with a 4/500 or 4/300 lens, you won’t have AF with a 2x extender.
With Canon cameras, AF up to f8 only works with the EOS 1D bodies.
Beside this I think the EOS 40D is a great camera for wildlife and bird photography and many photographers use it.
If you need more megapixel but want an otherwise pretty similar camera, I recommend the EOS 50D.
Canon EOS 50D
Everything I wrote about the EOS 40D is also true about the 50D. Great camera with some small improvements over the EOS 40D (like AF micro adjustments) and a huge increase in resolution from 10 megapixels to 15 megapixels. If you want the extra resolution go for the 50D.
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
The successor to the popular EOS 5D. The 5D Mark II can shoot only 3.9 fps which does not make it very useful for action photography. It also has a lower pixel densitiy than a EOS 50D, which means that you get less pixels per subject than with a 50D.
But the image quality of the 5D Mark II is a little better than the 50D, especially at higher ISO settings. If you don’t need the crop factor of the 50D and 3.9 fps are enough for you, the EOS 5D Mark II might be a good but more expensive alternative to the 50D. If you also shoot a lot of landscapes, the EOS 5D Mark II might be a better choice. If you can afford it, go for two bodies. The 50D of wildlife and the 5D Mark II for landscapes and macro work.
Canon EOS 1D Mark III
The EOS 1D Mark III has gotten a lot of bad press because of problems with it’s autofocus system. See this detailed report to get more information.
Quite a few people moved to Nikon because they were disappointed with the 1D Mark III. That said, there are also many photographers who get great results with the AF of the EOS 1D Mark III.
Beside the AF problems, this camera is great. The 1.3 crop factor is useful for shy animals and the 10 fps are perfect for action scenes. The camera has full weather sealing which is great in harsh landscapes like deserts, rain forests or at sea.
It also can autofocus at f8, which means you can use a 4/500 or 4/600 with a 2x extender and still have AF.
Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III
This is the big sister of the 1D Mark III. It has 21 megapixels of resulotion, but can only shoot a 5 fps. If you want a full frame camera and the 5fps are enough, the 1D has everything you need.
But I would advice to really look at the 5D Mark II if you want a full frame camera. It has the same resolution. The AF is slower and the 5D Mark II isn’t as robust as the EOS 1Ds Mark III, but it is a lot cheaper.
In my opinion, for most photographers it would be better to get the 5D Mark II and invest the money saved in a good lens.
Conclusion:
I don’t recommend getting the EOS 1000D. It’s a good camera for the money but it has too many limitations for serious bird and wildlife photography.
If 10 megapixels are enough I recommed the EOS 40D. I’ve been using this camera myself for about a year now and I really like it. Autofocus is fast, the 6.5 fps are great for action shoots and the image quality is very good, even up to ISO 1.600.
If you want more resolution, go for the EOS 50D.
The EOS 1D Mark III is a more professional version and if it hadn’t all those autofocus problems, I would highly recommend it and probably own it myself.
If you don’t need the features of the 1D Mark III I think the EOS 40D or 50D will be a good choice.
I expect an 1D Mark IV from Canon soon and I hope that model will not have the autofocus problems of the 1D Mark III.
Another alternative would be to get a used EOS 1D Mark IIN which has a better autofocus, but only 8 megapixel.
The full frame cameres EOS 5D and EOS 1Ds Mark III are great for landscape photography and if you need a lot of resulotion.
If you can afford it, it might be good to get two cameras. Sometimes having two cameras ready can be very helpful. And you have a backup on vacation if one model stops working or gets stolen.
A good combination would be to get a EOS 50D (or 40D) and a EOS 5D Mark II.
Professional sometimes use a EOS 1D Mark III for birds and wildlife and the EOS 1Ds Mark III for landscapes. This is a great combination (if you have a model without the AF problem) but also very expensive.
The lens is more important than the Camera. It’s better to have a EOS 40D with a Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM than a EOS 1Ds Mark III with just a Canon EF 300mm f/4L IS USM. The 300mm is just too short for most situations but would make a great addition to the 500mm lens.
September 23rd, 2008 , 1 Comment »
With the announcement of the Leica S2, Leica surprised the photography world.
Beside the much larger sensor (30×45mm, 37.5 megapixel), the introduction of an autofocus system is also new for Leica SLR cameras.
The new systems looks very interesting. I think it is necessary for Leica to set themselves apart from current DSLRs. Against cameras like the D3 or Canon pro DSLRs they probably have not much chance. And with the recent introduction of high quality wide angle lenses from Nikon (the wonderful 2.8/14-24) they loose their advantage here too.
But with a much larger sensor they may have a chance. Hopefully more lenses will be available soon. They will need a lot more lenses to make this system successful. At least a wide ange and standard zoom. And probably a longer telephoto lens.
So far the lenses are all primes (probably of very high quality as expected from Leica). The longest lens is a 180mm lens.
If the sensor delivers high quality and the lenses are good (which I expect) then I think this is great for landscape photographers and studio photography.
Existing Leica photographers may still want a digital version of the R9 to use their current collections of high quality Leica lenses. Maybe a digital R10 will follow.
It will be interesting to see how much the new system and the lenses will cost and if it is enough to help Leica survive.
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