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[captive]

well it woulnd't be my main camera, it'd be a backup to a DSLR. So it'd be replacing my Panasonic TZ7. Nice HD video, lovely zoom, but its still a compact which means terrible low light capability and rubbish AF speed

the GF1 and EP1/2 are anything but terrible in low light/high ISO.

 

[mrklaw]

the GF1 and EP1/2 are anything but terrible in low light/high ISO.

I was referring to my TZ7/compacts in general. Which do

 

[captive]

I was referring to my TZ7/compacts in general. Which do

oh, my bad i cant read, i just woke up. :lol

 

[Great King Bowser]

Hmm. Appears I need to compose more research.

My purchase is reliant on my friend buying my 350D anyway, so probably won't be until the new year. Hopefully there'll be some decent deals.

 

[Relix]

Just bought this:

$250 at Costco. Panasonic Zs3. Case and 2GB SD included.

Good purchase?

 

[captive]

Is dpreview.com acting weird for anyone else?
It's asking me to login even just going to dpreview.com. Tried it on several PC's.

 

[mrkgoo]

Is dpreview.com acting weird for anyone else?
It's asking me to login even just going to dpreview.com. Tried it on several PC's.

I'm on my iPhone. It's asking me to secure login. Screw that.

 

[Rentahamster]

Smells like phishing.

 

[captive]

yea, weird it, definitely not normal.

Fixed. Wasn't phishing.

All,

Earlier you may have visited the site and seen a login box. This was an error due to a file replication failure in our web cluster, it's now been resolved.

Thanks for your understanding.

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1000&thread=33971339

 

[nitewulf]

but they had one with the zoom on and that just didn't look very practical. I guess thats where the compacts really win - with really compact long zooms. Eg my TZ7 has 10 or 12x optical which is really handy (but then its unresponsive..)

the way i see it to not use it inside my pocket, but rather use the strap to hang it on my neck. my 40D + 17-55mm f/2.8 is probably 5-6lbs...you don't want that on your neck. neither is hanging by my shoulder any good for street photo, i have to swing it forward...you lose time, its just not fun.

the gf1 + 20mm pancake is light and easy.

 

[Rentahamster]

Fixed. Wasn't phishing.

That's what they WANT you to think!

 

[XiaNaphryz]

So Philip Bloom visited recently to consult on some DSLRs and put up an interesting post on his visit and the footage he took:

His Lucasfilm visit

I had, at this point, never seen my work projected on a really good projector before so this was going to be a real test of the cameras. Rick and Mike wanted to see how well the footage held up on the big screen. They had shot some stuff and weren’t happy with what they were getting. So they converted my edit into an MXF to play through Avid and I sat down to watch the edit.

I was nervous. Never having seen my work on a big screen as good as this, but also George Lucas came in to watch and also the legendary sound designer Ben Burtt. My heart was racing. I watched as the edit played and they loved it. My favourite moment was when the star timelapse came on and Ben Burtt said “Hey, now, hang on!!” This was a very quick ungraded draft edit knocked together from a crappy grey day as a test, not supposed to be shown as an example of my work! Then Quentin Tarantino came in as he was due to talk at a screening of “Inglorious Basterds” and George said to Quentin, come see this. Quentin waxed lyrical, calling it Epic and William Wylersesque and was shocked it was shot on a DSLR. He had no idea you could shoot HD video on them or they were so good. I love George Lucas and Quentin Tarantino, so to have my work screened to them was pretty special to me.

Rick, Mike and I also watched some of my other work on the big screen. “Venice’s People”, “San Francisco’s People”, “Cherry Blossom Girl” and “Sofia’s People”. They all looked incredibly good on the big screen. Better than I could ever have imagined. We watched everything in the Stag theatre at the ranch too. Probably one of the best screens in the world. 40 foot screen and it looked incredible.

Mike and Rick were over the moon. They didn’t know how well these cameras would hold up on the big screen and it passed with flying colours. Lots of swear words of incredulity were used!

80% of the footage was shot on the 5DmkII at 30p, then conformed to 23.98p in Cinema tools, effectively causing a slight slowdown but as no sync was used this was fine. All the timelapses were done on the 7D apart from the first star one. Some shots of the mist on the lake were done on the 7D too in 23.98p mode. I found them indistinguishable in the edit. Picture profile was Neutral, sharpness all the way down, contrast all the way down and saturation down one notch on both cameras.

During the day I also went through the cameras with Mike and Rick on how to get the best out of them. Rick has my 7D training dvd so already knew a lot. I went through all the Zacuto gear with him. He particularly was impressed with the Tactical Shooter with Z-Finder. We also used the Marshall monitor and Miller DS20 Solo (and of course the Glidetrack)

The next day we shot with the Sony EX3, Letus Ultimate, relay and Nanoflash recording at 280mbs. Testing out this combination for the big screen too and it also looked pretty good! Although we did a lot less filming with this combo as it was the DSLRs that we really wanted to see how well they stood up.

So why were we shooting with these cameras and why is Lucasfilm’s producer Rick McCallum interested in them?

First off Lucasfilm has been at the forefront of digital technology. They were instrumental in getting a 24p Sony HD camera to use for some shots in Episode 1 of Star Wars and shot episode 2 & 3 entirely digitally. So being ahead of the pack has always been something they do. Pushing the reluctant industry forward kicking and screaming!

Rick and Mike had seen what these cameras were capable of and wanted to really know just how much you could push them. They had seen mine and others work online but really wanted to see how well they performed projected. The joy of these guys is they have a great attitude. If it looks great on the big screen then that is the most important thing. Not codecs, limitations, bit rates etc…all those are very important but the most important thing by far for them is how it actually looks and it passed with flying colours. That is what they really care about.

Talking of flying, that is a big reason why I was there. Lucasfilm had just finished principle photography on “Red Tails”, a WWII film about an African American fighter squadron. They filmed this in Prague and needed to film pick ups early next year. Much of this was going to be intimate in cockpit stuff and flying shots. They shot the movie on the Sony F35 but this is a beast and utterly impractical for the cockpit stuff. Hence the Canon DSLRs. They were also looking at new ways to shoot the much anticipated “Star Wars” live action TV series. So they wanted to see how well the 7D and 5DmkII stood up with this in mind. Not necessarily shooting on these cameras but you never know, with a few mods and tweaks and the ability to connect that Nanoflash up to the 5dmkII or 7D…

And here's one of the videos Philip shot and edited from his visit.

Below is my polished edit of my film of Skywalker Ranch that I did on the plane home, not the rough cut that was shown. It’s a very gentle piece that captures the feel of the grounds. Mostly shot on the 5DmkII, conformed to 24p as it was non sync and the timelapse was all done with stills.

 

[alterno69]

So i bought this camera for my wife as a christmas present but i'm having second thoughts about it, i'm in Mexico and this particular model(ST45) was $290 USD, i also checked the new dual screen model from samsung which was sexy as hell and also records HD video i think, the one goes for $400 USD. Should i keep the one i bought or exchange it for the dual screen one? I do would like a HD recording device even if it's just a digital camera, anyone has any first hand experience with either model?
This is the model i bought

This is the one i'm considering

What do you guys think?

 

[Tf53]

So i bought this camera for my wife as a christmas present but i'm having second thoughts about it, i'm in Mexico and this particular model(ST45) was $290 USD, i also checked the new dual screen model from samsung which was sexy as hell and also records HD video i think, the one goes for $400 USD. Should i keep the one i bought or exchange it for the dual screen one? I do would like a HD recording device even if it's just a digital camera, anyone has any first hand experience with either model?
This is the model i bought

This is the one i'm considering

What do you guys think?

Does she have a Myspace profile?

 

[alterno69]

Not sure why that's important but no, only facebook and no i'm not giving any more info away lol.

 

[aidan]

Not sure why that's important but no, only facebook and no i'm not giving any more info away lol.

He's kidding. A screen like that, on the front of the camera, is designed to take self shots. Emo kids on Myspace like to take self shots of themselves in front of their toothpaste spattered mirrors.

 

[alterno69]

I get it lol, is not the dual screen i'm interested in but the video recording capabilities actually, so any advice on that front? Would you make the jump from the model i bought or just keep it.

 

[Zyzyxxz]

I get it lol, is not the dual screen i'm interested in but the video recording capabilities actually, so any advice on that front? Would you make the jump from the model i bought or just keep it.

the video recording qualities probably suck. Just because it says its HD recording doesn't mean the picture quality will be good.

Just means you will probably get a shitty video with the resolution of 1280x720p

 

[zhenming]

video on small p&s cams are such a marketing gimmick like the mp race. still. if youre talking about video on the canon 5d mkii then thats a whole other story...

 

[XiaNaphryz]

video on small p&s cams are such a marketing gimmick like the mp race. still. if youre talking about video on the canon 5d mkii then thats a whole another story...

Did you read the link and watch the vid I posted above on Philip's recent 5D adventure?

 

[NYR]

Argh.

Nikon D90 or Nikon D5000?

I really like the new features of the D5000 but hate the screen. It's awful, I am really unhappy with it, would love it was high-res and a bit bigger.

Also, does the D90 have an accelerometer to auto rotate the screen when reviewing/looking at pics?

 

[aidan]

For all your Nikon-heads. A guy dropped his Canon Rebel XT while skydiving and it survived a 3,000 foot drop with little more than a few bumps and bruises:

A photographer strapped a Canon Rebel XT to his helmet while skydiving, but instead of capturing some great airborne shots, it fell off his helmet and plummeted 3,000 feet to the ground. Unbelievably, it survived.

[...]

Photos show that the camera is remarkably intact—the viewfinder is still functional, both the camera body and lens are pretty much fine. Not that we recommend you heave your DSLR out of a low-flying plane, but it's nice to know that if you do, there's a chance it'll be just fine.

Souce

And people complain about the build quality on entry level DSLRs!

 

[N2_]

Argh.

Nikon D90 or Nikon D5000?

I really like the new features of the D5000 but hate the screen. It's awful, I am really unhappy with it, would love it was high-res and a bit bigger.

Also, does the D90 have an accelerometer to auto rotate the screen when reviewing/looking at pics?

D90 for sure. Get the better of the two and you wont regret it, unless your wallet says otherwise

 

[mrkgoo]

For all your Nikon-heads. A guy dropped his Canon Rebel XT while skydiving and it survived a 3,000 foot drop with little more than a few bumps and bruises:

Souce

And people complain about the build quality on entry level DSLRs!

Looks like it landed in some mud, but still a great story. Reminds me of the GameBoy that survived that fire or bomb or something.

And all the fools who obsess over their gear when it tips laying on the carpet (me). Actually, I dropped my 70-200F4L face first as it fell from my bag. Enough force to drill the lens cap into the thread (stripping bits of the thread on the cap). The thread on the lens and the rest of it were totally fine.

 

[NYR]

D90 for sure. Get the better of the two and you wont regret it, unless your wallet says otherwise

No, money isn't the issue, my only issue with going with a D90 is the fact that it came out almost 18 months ago. I am worried that the replacement is less then 6 months away...and the D5000 has most of the features of the D90, but also has new features like target follow focus and the accelerometer.

I don't know, such a dumb thing to worry about, but it does concern me that the camera is pretty old now...

 

[teiresias]

No, money isn't the issue, my only issue with going with a D90 is the fact that it came out almost 18 months ago. I am worried that the replacement is less then 6 months away...and the D5000 has most of the features of the D90, but also has new features like target follow focus and the accelerometer.

I don't know, such a dumb thing to worry about, but it does concern me that the camera is pretty old now...

Yeah also have to dig into the menus via the LCD to change anything on the D5000. The D90 has alot more discrete controls on accessible buttons and dials than the D5000 and a far better viewfinder as well (IMO anyway). I thought the D90 had some kind of 3D tracking/follow focus? Maybe I'm wrong on that, but I'm more of a center focus and recompose kind of guy, particularly with shallow DOF shots.

 

[Zyzyxxz]

No, money isn't the issue, my only issue with going with a D90 is the fact that it came out almost 18 months ago. I am worried that the replacement is less then 6 months away...and the D5000 has most of the features of the D90, but also has new features like target follow focus and the accelerometer.

I don't know, such a dumb thing to worry about, but it does concern me that the camera is pretty old now...

The accelerometer seems more like a novelty feature.

I would just get the D90, the D5000 is just a super D40 with a D90 sensor but it stuck with limited controls on the outside. I find it annoying to go through the menu alot on my D40 so with a D5000 with more features I'd think it'd be worse.

 

[mrkgoo]

The accelerometer seems more like a novelty feature.

I would just get the D90, the D5000 is just a super D40 with a D90 sensor but it stuck with limited controls on the outside. I find it annoying to go through the menu alot on my D40 so with a D5000 with more features I'd think it'd be worse.

Acceleromter is actually very useful. It can automatically tell the camera if a photo is taken in portrait orientation so it can inform the rotation metadata flag.

Also, on 7D it has a built in level using the accelerometer.

 

[zhenming]

if you guys really want to know the sensor on the d5000 is a little better than on the d90. im serious.

 

[Rentahamster]

if you guys really want to know the sensor on the d5000 is a little better than on the d90. im serious.

Oh? dxo says they're about the same.

http://www.dxomark.com/index.php/eng/Image-Quality-Database/Compare-cameras/%28appareil1%29/320|0/%28appareil2%29/294|0/%28onglet%29/0/%28brand%29/Nikon/%28brand2%29/Nikon

I've never used a D5000, so I don't have any real world pics to judge, though.

 

[zhenming]

the high iso seems a bit better. I used a d5000 vs a d90 back to back too bad i dont have any same subject photos for comparison....

 

[Hcoregamer00]

Souce

And people complain about the build quality on entry level DSLRs!

Damn, I wonder if my XSi is has the same build quality.

It warms my heart to read things about the XSi's image quality being better than 40D and below. Hopefully it also has the same amazing build quality as that camera.

 

[123rl]

I know it's the world's oldest piece of non-news but I just bought a Canon 50mmf1.8 lens and I love it. The lens is unbelievably sharp, has amazing low-light capabilities at f1.8, and I can't believe a £90 lens could look so good! All of these photos were taken without a flash in very low-light situations - and the camera was hand-held at 800 ISO or below This lens is amazing!

I know they're only small but I don't like flooding the topic with large images - bigger ones available at my Flickr page:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/22123367@N00/

 

[NYR]

Thanks for the reply guys.

Just got back from Best Buy. Played around with the D90. Of course, the store demo is completely f'ed up. The LCD and viewfinder were super dark, the guy told me it is broken. It is a sexy beast, though, LCD is drool worthy.

I also held the D5000, it feels great in my hands. The screen is not as bad as I thought. I've used the D60 before, and it is much improved.

The weight is a pretty big difference between the D5000 and D90, but I'm 99% sure that is because of the lens - D5000 had a 18-55 mm and the D90 had a 15-105 mm.

Still stuck in a tough spot. If anything I gained out of this trip to Best Buy, it's that the 5000 is not terrible, and I'll be happy with either.

Will continue to play @ stores while the sales reps give me dirty looks. Will make my decision on Sunday.

 

[Joe]

Which would be a better lens for low-light images of fast moving objects?

1. f/3.5-5.6G VR
2. f/4-5.6G VR

 

[mrkgoo]

Which would be a better lens for low-light images of fast moving objects?

1. f/3.5-5.6G VR
2. f/4-5.6G VR

Depends - if you want to freeze images in motion, or if you want blurred in motion shots.

To get frozen images, you need to have a fast shutter. To achieve this, you ned a lens that lets in more light. In this case, the first lens you mention will let in more light, but ONLY at the wide end, and only by 1/3 of a stop (basically, only allow a fraction faster shutter).

The VR means nothing for freezing a moving subject, but will allow you to go to a lower shutter speed without introducing camera shake.

The specs you list for those lenses are not worth much on their own. There're no set rules for anything. For your purpose, you basically need a lens with as wide as possible a maximum aperture (represented by the f/x value). The f/x value is a reciprocal, basically meaning the smaller the number, the wider the maximum aperture. It of course means little without know what you are trying to photograph, the focal length, etc.

 

[Joe]

Thanks a lot

 

[mrkgoo]

Thanks a lot

TO summarise, I would suspect neither lens would be what you require, but again, it really depends on what you are shooting and what lenses you are specifically referring to as to how useful each would be.

 

[Zombie James]

What does everyone feel is the best entry-level DSLR available? I don't care so much about video recoding and other extras, i'm just looking for the best image quality. Does the Rebel XS still hold up or have better cameras come along?

 

[BlueTsunami]

What does everyone feel is the best entry-level DSLR available? I don't care so much about video recoding and other extras, i'm just looking for the best image quality. Does the Rebel XS still hold up or have better cameras come along?

I shoot with a Rebel XT which is like two generations behind the XS and its perfectly fine. I believe the XS has slightly better ISO performance and features. All I know is that with the right lens (f/1.4) I'm able to shoot at 1/60s Shutter speed at ISO800-1600 in bad indoor lighting.

 

[mrkgoo]

What does everyone feel is the best entry-level DSLR available? I don't care so much about video recoding and other extras, i'm just looking for the best image quality. Does the Rebel XS still hold up or have better cameras come along?

I'm not sure there is a 'best' regarding image quality. So many factors determine IQ, and also differ depending on . I tend to think you get what you pay for, the question is whatyou are willing to pay for.

 

[The_Inquisitor]

I know it's the world's oldest piece of non-news but I just bought a Canon 50mmf1.8 lens and I love it. The lens is unbelievably sharp, has amazing low-light capabilities at f1.8, and I can't believe a £90 lens could look so good! All of these photos were taken without a flash in very low-light situations - and the camera was hand-held at 800 ISO or below This lens is amazing!

I know they're only small but I don't like flooding the topic with large images - bigger ones available at my Flickr page:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/22123367@N00/

Just got the same lens. However I have a question. I took a picture of our front door with lights and every time I took a shot, green dots littered the center of the door as if they were some reflections of the lights. I had my ISO at 1600. Is this just the sensor being oversensitive?

Also serious question. I am in need of a cheap good quality macro lens. Any recommendations for my Canon XS? Thanks!

 

[mrkgoo]

Just got the same lens. However I have a question. I took a picture of our front door with lights and every time I took a shot, green dots littered the center of the door as if they were some reflections of the lights. I had my ISO at 1600. Is this just the sensor being oversensitive?

Also serious question. I am in need of a cheap good quality macro lens. Any recommendations for my Canon XS? Thanks!

Post an example of what you mean. Dots? As in pixel size? Or larger?

Also, what do you want to take with your macro lens? What is cheap?

 

[The_Inquisitor]

Post an example of what you mean. Dots? As in pixel size? Or larger?

Also, what do you want to take with your macro lens? What is cheap?

I want to take photos of Indian Head Pennies to start for my dad. After that I would like to do some nature work. I was hoping less than 300. I will load a shot in a second of what I mean. Thanks for the help!

Edit: Realized it was a little out of focus when I saw it full size. Whoops! The green dots in the middle of the door do not exist!

 

[mrkgoo]

I want to take photos of Indian Head Pennies to start for my dad. After that I would like to do some nature work. I was hoping less than 300. I will load a shot in a second of what I mean. Thanks for the help!

Edit: Realized it was a little out of focus when I saw it full size. Whoops! The green dots in the middle of the door do not exist!

Looks like flare - as you said internal reflections on the glass in the lens.

Do you have a filter on your lens? Which lens are you using?

 

[The_Inquisitor]

Looks like flare - as you said internal reflections on the glass in the lens.

Do you have a filter on your lens? Which lens are you using?

I used a 50mm 1.8 II with a TIFFEN 52mm filter. I noticed I am getting a crapload of lens flare in normal pictures too.

 

[Zyzyxxz]

I used a 50mm 1.8 II with a TIFFEN 52mm filter. I noticed I am getting a crapload of lens flare in normal pictures too.

probably the filter?

What kind is it?

 

[The_Inquisitor]

probably the filter?

What kind is it?

Box says TIFFEN 52MM UV protector

 

[superfly]

Just picked up this badboy:

Anyone got some tips for best snaps?

 

[BlueTsunami]

Just picked up this badboy:

Anyone got some tips for best snaps?

f/8 and be there
http://toplproject.wordpress.com/2008/06/12/f8-and-be-there-and-4-other-classic-photography-rules/