PHOTOGRAPHY BLOG

You may be curious that why I acquired a 24/2.8 prime lens while I already have the 24-105/4 and 16-35 II both cover the 24mm focal length. That is because 24/2.8 is a tiny and good performer at a focal length most important to my style, particularly for quick snap in events.

Here is the story - my wife find herself interested in photography, she has tried the 400D & 17-85 combo (see also Canon EOS 400D Combo for Everyday Snaps) and complained that is just too much for her, she want something lighter and easier, I think she is referring to a point & shoot compact camera. After a second thought, I am not going to acquire a new toy for her, I decided to have a light prime for the 400D, such as 24/2.8, 28/1.8 & 35/2 and 50/1.8 (we have also considered the EF-S 18-55 which is light zoom lens, however, it is still too complex for my wife, we want something fixed and easier, it is also not fast enough for indoor environment).

I finally picked a 24/2.8 for its overall performance across apertures (even wide open at f/2.8), it outperforms my 24-105/4 and 16-35 II at 24mm. 24/2.8 actually held up very well to the much expensive 24/1.4 L in color and sharpness departments …. see full article.

I have been a 5D shooter since almost the day it came out. I simply love the full frame, and never looked back at the 20D, XT and 300D I had before that.

I always preferred Nikon bodies though, and was hoping someone would release a D200 body with a 5D sensor in it.

Well, that didn’t quite happen, but the new D3 had me intrigued since the day it was announced.

Last week I saw an ad on a public forum where an established member was selling an essentially brand new D3 for a very good price, so I jumped on it. I figured the way it’s backordered everywhere, if I don’t like it I won’t have any problems reselling it for the same or even a higher price.

So the D3 arrived, and the first thing I did was to put it up against my 5D to see what the hoopla is all about. I only have a 50mm 1.8 and 35mm 2.0 Nikkors, so I compared those with 50mm 1.4 and 35mm 2.0 Canons.

1. Handling and build quality

Well, there’s no contest here. While 5D is nice, it feels like a snail and 2 generations behind the D3. One thing though, although I much prefer the resolut and snappy shutter action on the D3 than the kla-chunk of the one on 5D, the D3 shutter is a lot louder.

2. Autofocus in good light.

Again, no contest. D3 will just snap in place. With a 50mm 1.8, 19 out of 20 shots will be spot-on, with 1 maybe slightly off. With the 5D and a 50mm 1.4 at f/1.8, around 10 out of 20 will be spot-on, with another 5-6 slightly off and 3-4 quite a bit OOF.

And this is all with the screw driven 50mm 1.8. Can’t wait to try some of the AF-S models.

3. Autofocus in low light.

The 5D is actually slightly better here. The center point will lock on things in low light that the D3 has a problem with, and will hunt quite a bit. 40D smokes them both in this regard.

See Full Article.

Does anyone really expect that a 21.1-megapixel camera would not handily outperform a 12.1-megapixel camera in terms of resolution? Field shooting today in multiple trials leaves no doubt, but there is considerably more to the story than just resolution. Stay tuned for a body-to-body comparison of the Nikon D3 with the Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III (the resolution aspect).

Some will cry “foul!” that comparing the two cameras is wrong because of the mismatched resolution, but it’s just as reasonable as comparing a DX sensor camera to a full-frame camera as I did in D2x vs EOS (still highly instructive even if those cameras aren’t on your shopping list). For anyone considering a full-frame digital camera, The D3 and 1DsM3 are the two contenders, and there are numerous aspects to “performance” beyond resolution. Anyway, one is free to not read anything that disrupts cherished cognitive commitments.

I’ve now made three different A/B field comparisons between the 12.1MP Nikon D3 and 21.1MP Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III. In all three cases, the results seen are highly consistent, with the 1DsM3 showing higher resolving power.

The Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III is the resolution champ. Does anyone really expect that a 21.1-megapixel camera would not handily outperform a 12.1-megapixel camera in terms of resolution? Field shooting today in multiple trials leaves no doubt, but there is considerably more to the story than just resolution.

See Full Article.