Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips
Neocamera has published a review of the Nikon Coopix S610.
The Nikon Coolpix S610 turns in average performance for a modern ultra-compact. As with most recent high-resolution digital cameras, certain aspects can be good but inevitably design trade-offs start showing.
On August 26, 2008, Canon announced the EOS 50D and shook things up a bit by breaking their traditional 18-month refreshment cycle for the amateur model lineup. Every xxD model since the 10D had been released at 18-month intervals until the 50D, which came in just 12 short months after the Canon EOS 40D.
With the announcement, the Canon 50D brought two big headline features – 15.1 megapixels and an ISO equivalent of 12,800. Since the introduction of the Canon Rebel XTi a couple of years back, the xxD series has lagged behind the lower-end Rebel series in terms of the number of megapixels found on the sensor (e.g., XTi w/ 10MP vs. 30D w/ 8MP; XSi w/ 12MP vs. 40D w/ 10MP). This is no longer the case with the 50D. Instead of just matching the resolution of the latest Rebel camera, the 50D jumped out in front by a somewhat sizeable margin.
The Canon 50D is available in three different kits, all of which are available at Amazon.com and a number of other camera retailers:
Canon 50D Kit with 28-135mm IS Lens
Canon 50D Kit with 18-200mm IS Lens
While the grumblings of many photographers have grown louder and louder in the image quality vs. megapixel debate, camera manufacturers continue to put more and more pixels onto these tiny sensors. The Canon 50D is no exception to this debate and has been criticized by many since it was first announced for simply having too many pixels.
So, is the Canon 50D a worth successor to the 40D? Does Canon regain the edge over the Nikon D300 with more megapixels and greater sensitivity? Is the 50D a must-have camera? Keep reading to find out my thoughts on Canon 50D and how it stacks up against the competition. [Read more…]
Camera Labs has reviewed the Canon 5D Mark II.
Canon’s EOS 5D Mark II is a powerful and feature-packed DSLR that represents a significant upgrade over the original 5D, and a tough rival in the growing ‘affordable’ full-frame market.
For the latest news and reviews on the 5D Mark II, be sure to stay tuned to Photography Bay’s Canon 5D Mark II Reviews and Resources.
Steve’s Digicams has posted a review of the Canon 50D.
The combination of speed and performance makes this the perfect camera for the enthusiast or anyone looking to upgrade from an entry-level dSLR.
For the latest news and reviews, check out Photography Bay’s Canon 50D Reviews and Resources.
Here’s a good Sunday morning read.
Thomas Hawk did an online customer service chat with “Carol” at Wolf Camera regarding the shipping status of his pre-ordered Canon 5D Mark II. He didn’t let’em off easy with his questions and elicited some funny responses from Carol re: Apple vs. Microsoft; Canon vs. Nikon; and Sausage vs. Bacon.
Zacuto has been in the photography new headlines several times since the announcement of their accessories for the Canon 5D Mark II and Nikon D90, which are specifically geared and the video capabilities of these cameras. (See this post for more.)
Now, Zacuto has put together a shootout of a number of video cameras, including the Canon 5D Mark II and the Nikon D90. Check out the video and the press release below.
Zacuto’s Great Camera Shootout ’08 from Steve Weiss, Zacuto USA on Vimeo.
Chicago, IL – DECEMBER 12, 2008 – When DP Joe Stunzi came to Chicago to test all of the new HD cameras on the market against each other, he initially had hopes of making a short video using the new Canon 5D Mark II. However, Zacuto’s Steve Weiss, Jens Bogehegn & Scott Lynch decided that another 5D MKII fluff piece is not what was needed. “We needed to see the 5DMKII in relation to other cameras”, says Steve Weiss. So the “Great Camera Shootout of ’08” was born. In this video you will hear Joe, Steve, Jens & Scott discuss what they liked and disliked about each of the HD cameras and DOF adapters. “This test is really for independent filmmakers and web cinematographers who are creating content with the look and feel of a 35mm motion picture.” In this video you will see a same shot comparison of: 35mm motion picture, RED, EX3, HVX200, HPX170, HPX3000, Sony EX3, Nikon D90, Canon 5D Mark II, Letus35 Ultimate and Elite DOF adapters, RedRock Micro and more. Follow a discussion by four filmmakers ranging in age from 18-46. They discuss what’s best. You won’t believe the conclusions. Read Specifications of Shoot at zacuto.zenfolio.com/p82280286/h1429ae6c#h1429ae6c and watch the video at www.zacutovideo.com.
I finally got my hands on the Canon 5D Mark II. My first image with the camera was manually focused – in the dark. And when I say dark, I mean the “I can’t see the buttons” kind of dark. And, yes, it’s a little soft on the focus, primarily because I could barely see the subject and maybe a little camera shake mixed in as well.
This image isn’t intended to show off image quality or anything other than the capability of this camera to transform a very dark scene into something with some potential perhaps – a proof of concept, if you will.
Canon 5D Mark II and 50mm f/1.4 USM @ f/1.4, 1/15s, ISO 25,600 – JPEG – Straight Out of Camera
The lone light source was a small night light on the other side of the room.
Is there some noise? Sure, plenty of it. Could I ever use something like these lighting conditions? Sure, for the right situation and use. Will I use this every day? No way, but it’s nice to know it’s there if the going gets tough – especially considering the advantage I would have if I shot RAW and implemented some noise reduction software, like Noise Ninja, into my workflow.
The Canon 5D Mark II has better low light sensitivity than my own eyes. I couldn’t see anywhere near the amount of the detail produced by this image.
To give you an idea of how sensitive the 5D Mark II is at ISO 25,600, here’s a short video taken with the Flip MinoHD just a couple minutes later showing off the light source and the subject under the same conditions. This was much closer to my own eyes’ capabilities.
As a final caveat, Large JPEGs crest the 20MB file size limit on Flickr.
Expect lots more coverage of the Canon 5D Mark II here at Photography Bay. In the mean time, check out the Canon 5D Mark II Reviews and Resources for the latest and greatest on this killer camera.
Cameras.co.uk has published a review of the Sony Cyber-shot T500.
The HD quality movies and touch sensitive screen are more likely to be the selling points than the picture quality.
Megapixel.net has posted a review of the Olympus E-520.
While the marriage of simplicity and complexity in the E-520 may not be an entirely smooth one, it’s one that makes the snapper a very attractive camera for the transitional photographer who wants to leave point-and-shoot land behind but not lose sight of its shores entirely.
For the latest news and reviews, see Photography Bay’s Olympus E-520 Reviews and Resources.
PopPhoto has published its review of the Canon 5D Mark II.
It takes a great full-frame DSLR, the original 5D (Pop Photo’s 2005 Camera of the Year), boosts damn near everything, adds high-definition video capture, and turns in an overall performance that makes it a virtual steal (or at least as close as a steal comes in this price bracket).
For the latest news and reviews on the 5D Mark II, be sure to stay tuned to Photography Bay’s Canon 5D Mark II Reviews and Resources.