Photography Bay

Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips

Leica X1 Hands-On Review

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The Leica X1 is a compact camera with a fixed lens and an APS-C sized sensor. The camera has the largest sensor in it’s class, dwarfing Micro Four Thirds and the Sigma Foveon. I received some personal hands-on time with the camera. While I wasn’t able to put a card in to take samples (I handled a prototype) the short experience with the camera was overall quite positive and, in fact, it may very well be a camera that will put more pressure on other companies to start really developing their technology to do just the same thing.

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Leica M9 Hands-On Review

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Since the announcement of the Leica M9, there has been much interest in the powerful but little camera. The main reason for this is the full frame sensor in such a small body. I had the pleasure and opportunity to finally fondle the Leica M9. I previously brought up the issue of really needing a rangefinder for street photography, and while I have not solved that question yet, I can tell you that the M9 has characteristics that surely can help with doing such things even at close range. However, it is not perfect. [Read more…]

Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DG OS Lens Hands-on Review

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The Sigma 70-300mm F4-5.6 DG OS lens is a consumer-oriented lens and is available for Canon, Nikon, Sony, Pentax and Sigma DSLRs. This lens is one that is relatively compact for its abilities. It feels very light in your hands and should be very enjoyable for amateurs, enthusiasts, etc. Granted, the lens is not an EX (Sigma’s top of the line) and it surely shows it. I received some brief hands-on time with the lens and was able to judge the Canon version’s abilities vs. something like my much older Canon 80-200mm F2.8 L.

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Manfrotto 190XB Tripod and 486RC2 Head Review

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Manfrotto 190XB Tripod and 486RC2 Head

The Manfrotto 190XB is a 3-section aluminum tripod that carries a reasonable price tag around $130.  The Manfrotto 486RC2 tripod head is a ball head with a quick release plate that runs about $75.  The 190XB and 486RC2 is an everyman’s kind of combo.  It’s not as light as the Gitzo Traveler 6x carbon fiber tripod; however, it gets the job done almost as smoothly. [Read more…]

Hands-On: Canon 7D and 100mm F2.8 L Macro Hybrid IS

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Canon 7D and 100mm F2.8 L Macro Hybrid IS

After some personal fondling time with the Canon 7D and 100mm F2.8 L Macro Hybrid IS lens at Pepcom, I expect that those who pre-ordered the camera will likely not be disappointed – so long as the image quality lives up to the expectations once we see results from a production model.

Right off the bat, it’s clear that the 7D adds a bit of twist in terms of buttons, which may require a bit of a learning curve if you’re used to the 5D Mk II and 50D. However, the buttons are all laid out very well and it just takes a bit more memorization.

On the lens front, the 100mm Macro lens takes some very amazing photos and doubles as an excellent portrait lens, albeit a bit long when paired with the 7D’s APS-C sensor. How does it stack up against the Nikon D300s, a camera that wasn’t too far away from it (as Canon and Nikon always seem to be placed right across from one another at events)?  Keep on reading for more of my hands-on report on the Canon 7D.

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Crumpler 8 Million Dollar Home Review

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Cool, Tough, Trendy are the three words I first used when describing this bag to photographer friend of mine looking for a new bag to take with him on trips that he could also utilize for other purposes, and this bag fills that requirement perfectly.

The Crumpler 8 Million Dollar Home is plenty big for a large kit, but also small enough and disguised enough to carry around without shouting to the world that you are a photographer. The bag has a small handle on its top and a large and comfortable shoulder strap that is big enough to be worn across the chest for extra comfort and security. The stitching throughout the bag is sturdy and it appears it could hold quite a load of equipment without worry. [Read more…]

Canon 5D Mark II vs. Nikon D700 In-Depth ISO Comparison

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In my prior quick and dirty comparison of the Canon 5D Mark II and Nikon D700, we looked at some sample images taken from these two cameras and relied largely on each camera’s autofocus and built-in metering with very little manual tinkering by me.  The prior comparison also featured 100% crops from each camera at its native resolution.

Based on reader feedback, I’ve gone back to the drawing board for a second, more in-depth comparison of each camera’s image quality and ISO range. [Read more…]

Studio Impressions Hands-On with the Nikon D3X

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Studio Impressions Blog has posted a short hands-on account of time spent with a pre-production Nikon D3X along with some JPEG sample images.

Even though the camera was a pre-production model I was extremely impressed with both the camera and lens. As you will see with the images I have posted the clarity, sharpness, dynamic range is exceptional.

Stay tuned to Photography Bay’s Nikon D3X Reviews and Resources for the latest.

Canon 18-200mm IS Lens Review at DP Review

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DP Review has posted a review of the new Canon 18-200mm IS lens, which we’ve all be waiting to hear more about.  Unsurprisingly, it didn’t receive the coveted “Highly Recommended” badge from DP Review.  The reviewers were only able to “Recommend” the lens with reservations, noting that it’s “a general purpose solution which allows the photographer not to worry about fiddling around changing lenses when out traveling, but which makes inevitable optical compromises to achieve this goal.”