Photography Bay

Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips

Zacuto’s Great Camera Shootout

By

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.

 

Canon 5D Mark II . . . In the Dark

By

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.

Olympus EVOLT E-520 Review at Megapixel.net

By

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.

Canon 5D Mark II Review at PopPhoto

By

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.

Rumor: Nikon D400 at 14.8 Megapixels

By

Sure as tomorrow is coming, a Nikon D400 will come . . . some day.  When?  I can’t say for sure.  I’d wager that PMA 2009 (in March) would be a good place to announce it.  Frankly, I’m surprised that we haven’t seen more rumors on this camera lately.  As far as DSLRs go, it’s the next big thing for Nikon.

Nikon Rumors is reporting some rumored specs of the Nikon D400 (at a price tag of $2000) from an anonymous source, which are as follows:

  • New 14.8 megapixel DX format CMOS sensor effective 14.3 megapixel
  • Self-cleaning sensor unit (low-pass filter vibration)
  • ISO 100 – 6400 (with boost up to ISO 25600 and down to ISO 50)
  • 14-bit A/D conversion
  • Movie capture at up to 1080p 24 fps with stereo sound
  • Nikon EXPEED Plus image processor 30% faster than previous EXPEED image processor
  • Super fast operation (power-up 13 ms, shutter lag 40 ms, black-out 90 ms)
  • Kevlar / carbon fibre composite shutter with 200,000 exposure durability
  • Multi-CAM3500DX Auto Focus sensor (51-point, 15 cross-type, more vertical coverage)
  • Auto-focus tracking by color (using information from 1005-pixel AE sensor)
  • Auto-focus calibration (fine-tuning) now available (fixed body or up to 20 separate lens settings)
  • Vignetting control in-camera
  • Automatic chromatic aberration correction
  • Custom image parameters now support brightness as well as contrast
  • Seven frames per second continuous shooting (nine frames per second with battery pack)
  • 3.0? 922,000 pixel LCD monitor
  • Live View with either phase detect (mirror up/down) or contrast-detect AF, face detection
  • ‘Active D-Lighting’ (adjusts metering as well as applying D-Lighting curve)
  • Detailed ‘Control Panel’ type display on LCD monitor, changes color in darkness
  • Buttons sealed against moisture
  • Same ultra-fast startup and shutter lag as D700
  • Scene Recognition System (uses AE sensor, AF sensor)
  • Picture Control image parameter presets
  • UDMA compatible single CF card slot
  • Virtual horizon indicates if camera is level (like an aircraft cockpit display)
  • Extensive in-camera retouching
  • HDMI HD video output
  • Magnesium alloy body with connections and buttons sealed against moisture

[via NR] Plausible?

I think so.  These specs seem like a solid response to both the Canon 50D and Canon 5D Mark II.  Given the bargain price of the Canon 50D, however, I’m not too sure how bad it will hurt the 50D.  $2000 is a bit of a magic number for prosumer DSLRs and it may be enough to sway those Nikonians looking to switch to the 5D Mark II if these specs and price point turns out to be true.

For now, stay tuned to Photography Bay’s Nikon D400 coverage for the latest news and rumors.

Canon 5D Mark II Review by Ken Rockwell

By

Ken Rockwell has published his impressions of the Canon 5D Mark II:

Any image defects you see are most likely due to your own lack of expertise, and you had better have some extraordinarily good lenses to take advantage of the resolution.

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.

Fujifilm Finepix F60fd Review at PhotographyBLOG

By

PhotographyBLOG has posted a review of the Fujifilm Finepix F60fd.

As the F60fd uses the same sensor as the F50fd, the image quality is still unfortunately the same too, with noise appearing at ISO 400 and the faster speeds of 800-6400 not worth using at all, slightly soft images (which you can’t change in-camera) and a below average macro mode.