Comments on: On the new Canon gear http://www.sauria.com/blog/2007/08/20/on-the-new-canon-gear/ Open Source, Modern Programming Languages, OS X, Photography, and ... Sun, 12 Oct 2008 01:03:35 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Jim http://www.sauria.com/blog/2007/08/20/on-the-new-canon-gear/#comment-6356 Jim Wed, 22 Aug 2007 20:14:25 +0000 http://www.sauria.com/blog/2007/08/20/on-the-new-canon-gear/#comment-6356 High speed sinc kills the bulk of your flash power: http://photonotes.org/articles/eos-flash/#fp On sunny days, a neutral grey filter allows you to to lower shutter speed so that you could use full-power non-FP flash, but that solution is a little cludgy. The fact that ISO 3200 is an expansion is your clue that it's an emuilation I believe. Meaning they just underexpose ISO 1600 and multiply all the resulting values by 2. Something as crude as that. You could do a better job by underexposing ISO 1600 yourself and then fixing things on your PC, but that can be a lot of work so expansion capability is a convenience thing. Having said that, the 40D's high ISO performnance should be much much better than a DRebel XT's Wide angle: Canon's 16-35mm II is new and improved, the 15mm fisheye and 24mm & 35mm 1.4's are great. Plus the new -s lenses are around now. Canon's doing better wide-angle-wise The 14mm 2.8 I is sort of terrible for the price. Let's hope the pricy new II is worth it. The existing 18-55mm kit lens is sort of terrible. Maybe that's why it's a kit-only lens. There's no reason why the news lens won't be similarly bad (or worse). Canon has had 4 stop IS units before, but this new one is cheaper to manufacture and has a Nikon-ish automatic panning detection, a first for Canon. High speed sinc kills the bulk of your flash power:
http://photonotes.org/articles/eos-flash/#fp
On sunny days, a neutral grey filter allows you to to lower shutter speed so that you could use full-power non-FP flash, but that solution is a little cludgy.

The fact that ISO 3200 is an expansion is your clue that it’s an emuilation I believe. Meaning they just underexpose ISO 1600 and multiply all the resulting values by 2. Something as crude as that. You could do a better job by underexposing ISO 1600 yourself and then fixing things on your PC, but that can be a lot of work so expansion capability is a convenience thing. Having said that, the 40D’s high ISO performnance should be much much better than a DRebel XT’s

Wide angle: Canon’s 16-35mm II is new and improved, the 15mm fisheye and 24mm & 35mm 1.4’s are great. Plus the new -s lenses are around now. Canon’s doing better wide-angle-wise The 14mm 2.8 I is sort of terrible for the price. Let’s hope the pricy new II is worth it.

The existing 18-55mm kit lens is sort of terrible. Maybe that’s why it’s a kit-only lens. There’s no reason why the news lens won’t be similarly bad (or worse). Canon has had 4 stop IS units before, but this new one is cheaper to manufacture and has a Nikon-ish automatic panning detection, a first for Canon.

]]> By: Ted Leung http://www.sauria.com/blog/2007/08/20/on-the-new-canon-gear/#comment-6355 Ted Leung Wed, 22 Aug 2007 18:54:32 +0000 http://www.sauria.com/blog/2007/08/20/on-the-new-canon-gear/#comment-6355 Sync speed with a 580EX is higher. The problem with that is you have to be on Canon wireless, so this doesn't help if your flashes are triggered by pocketwizards or you have a mix of flash bands. Oh, and 580's are not cheap. Apparently the original Canon 1D series had the electronic shutter as well, until Canon "improved" them. Sync speed with a 580EX is higher. The problem with that is you have to be on Canon wireless, so this doesn’t help if your flashes are triggered by pocketwizards or you have a mix of flash bands. Oh, and 580’s are not cheap.

Apparently the original Canon 1D series had the electronic shutter as well, until Canon “improved” them.

]]> By: rick http://www.sauria.com/blog/2007/08/20/on-the-new-canon-gear/#comment-6354 rick Wed, 22 Aug 2007 18:31:14 +0000 http://www.sauria.com/blog/2007/08/20/on-the-new-canon-gear/#comment-6354 BTW: you might want to check whether the synch speed with the high-end flash unit isn't higher. Nikon has an "FP" mode that (I think) pulses the flash at a high-speed in synch with the shutter - I can easily fill-flash at 1/2000+ in that mode. The older Nikon DSLR's (D70,D1x) used to have the electronic shutter as well - Hobby mentioned it was dropped because it didn't have the same service life - not sure why not though. BTW: you might want to check whether the synch speed with the high-end flash unit isn’t higher. Nikon has an “FP” mode that (I think) pulses the flash at a high-speed in synch with the shutter - I can easily fill-flash at 1/2000+ in that mode.
The older Nikon DSLR’s (D70,D1x) used to have the electronic shutter as well - Hobby mentioned it was dropped because it didn’t have the same service life - not sure why not though.

]]> By: rick gordon http://www.sauria.com/blog/2007/08/20/on-the-new-canon-gear/#comment-6347 rick gordon Tue, 21 Aug 2007 17:51:46 +0000 http://www.sauria.com/blog/2007/08/20/on-the-new-canon-gear/#comment-6347 a couple of months ago, I was looking seriously at the G7 and the Nikon P5000. Neither supported RAW, so anything was a compromise. At the time the Nikon flash compatibility with iTTL made it the choice, the G9 having RAW would have probably swayed me. I wonder how they're dealing with the noise coming off their small CCD? Now I just hope Nikon follows suit - they're due for a big announcement any day now... a couple of months ago, I was looking seriously at the G7 and the Nikon P5000. Neither supported RAW, so anything was a compromise. At the time the Nikon flash compatibility with iTTL made it the choice, the G9 having RAW would have probably swayed me. I wonder how they’re dealing with the noise coming off their small CCD?
Now I just hope Nikon follows suit - they’re due for a big announcement any day now…

]]> By: Ted Leung http://www.sauria.com/blog/2007/08/20/on-the-new-canon-gear/#comment-6343 Ted Leung Tue, 21 Aug 2007 04:50:57 +0000 http://www.sauria.com/blog/2007/08/20/on-the-new-canon-gear/#comment-6343 The multiplier is inconvenient, but manageable. Just think of the fits that all the Nikon folks will go through if there really is a D3 this week. Every Nikon digital, including their pro cameras, is a crop camera. And the pro 1D Mk III is a 1.3x crop as well. Full frame is the holy grail for gear oriented photographers, and eventually over time, it will come down in price. I'd like to get there myself someday, but since camera bodies are like computers, I know that time is on my side. Part of the reason (aside from cost) that I haven't been piling up L lenses is that I want to work more on developing my own style, which in turn will help me figure out what lenses will really be the most important ones for me. Part of me is thinking I might eventually go all primes some day. The multiplier is inconvenient, but manageable. Just think of the fits that all the Nikon folks will go through if there really is a D3 this week. Every Nikon digital, including their pro cameras, is a crop camera. And the pro 1D Mk III is a 1.3x crop as well.

Full frame is the holy grail for gear oriented photographers, and eventually over time, it will come down in price. I’d like to get there myself someday, but since camera bodies are like computers, I know that time is on my side. Part of the reason (aside from cost) that I haven’t been piling up L lenses is that I want to work more on developing my own style, which in turn will help me figure out what lenses will really be the most important ones for me. Part of me is thinking I might eventually go all primes some day.

]]> By: James Ward http://www.sauria.com/blog/2007/08/20/on-the-new-canon-gear/#comment-6342 James Ward Tue, 21 Aug 2007 04:32:39 +0000 http://www.sauria.com/blog/2007/08/20/on-the-new-canon-gear/#comment-6342 Thanks for the write-up Ted. I was checking out the 40D today. Is it silly of my to want a full-frame camera with the same small body as the XT/40D? Maybe with the new lenses I no longer need a full-frame camera. It would just be nice to use the pro series lenses without the multiplier. -James Thanks for the write-up Ted. I was checking out the 40D today. Is it silly of my to want a full-frame camera with the same small body as the XT/40D? Maybe with the new lenses I no longer need a full-frame camera. It would just be nice to use the pro series lenses without the multiplier.

-James

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