Viktors Rotanovs » Photography

Canon 50D, or Truth About Dpreview

viktors — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 00:49:13 +0000

I like DPReview. I thought after Amazon bought it it will become more corporate, but it looks it’s still as biased as it used to be:

Nikon D90 – described as photographer’s camera
Canon 50D – highly recommended, just

Let’s get things straight. None of D90 features are very different to Canon 50D, but there are several quite important differences:

	Nikon D90	Canon 50D
Viewfinder magnification	0.94x	0.95x
Histogram in live view	None	RGB
Live view	Slow mode only (contrast-detect)	2 modes (contrast detect and phase detect)
Focus points	11 focus points (1 cross-type sensors)	9-point TTL CMOS sensor, all cross-type for lenses of F5.6 or faster
Lens correction	Chromatic aberrations	Vignetting, distortion and chromatic aberrations
Viewfinder dioptric adjustment	–2.0 to +1.0	-3.0 to +1.0

As you can see, these 2 cameras are not even in the same class, although the price difference is very small – around $250.

So, after weighting all pros and cons, I chose Canon 50D, and I must say it’s an excellent camera. Photographic experience is totally different than it used to be with my old Canon 350D.

Viewfinder probably as good as it can get with 1.6x crop factor
Super-sharp, super-bright 640×480 LCD – you can re-shoot bad photos without having to check them on a computer first
Live view for precise focusing – I couldn’t imagine the camera is still shaking a lot when my hands are rock sturdy after making “stabilization exhale”. Perhaps this technique works for old cameras, but 15MP requires to do things by the book: use a tripod, or a stabilized lens. Apparently IS lens are even more important for getting sharp picture than good glass.
Live view for black and white photography – all picture styles work also in live view. You can start training your eye for B/W without having to download to a computer.
Focusing is great – success rate a lot bigger now. New auto-focus system totally rocks.
Superb menu – very logical and easy to use now. Almost Apple of cameras.

Best Nature Photography 2007

viktors — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 23:55:42 +0000

Some time ago I was asked if super-expensive ($5k+) lens make any sense for creative photography, given the fact that the most famous photographers of the past were using relatively simple equipment. Fortunately, NatureScapes.net has announced 2007 Images of the Year awards, and pictures speak better than words.

Have a look at the list of cameras and lenses used by winners:

Birds category – Canon EOS 20D + 500mm f/4; Canon EOS 1D MkII + 300mm f/2.8 L IS + 1.4X Teleconverter; Canon EOS 1D MkII + 500mm f/4 IS + 2X Teleconverter
Wildlife – Nikon D2x + micro Nikkor AF-S VR 105mm; Nikon D2x + 200-400mm f/4 VR; Canon EOS 1Ds MarkII + EF 500mm f/4.5L
Landscapes – Canon 1Ds MkII + Canon 300mm f/2.8; Canon EOS 20D + Canon 17-40mm; Canon EOS 40D + Canon 10-22mm
Flora & Macro – Canon 30D + Canon 100mm macro; Canon 40D + Tamron 180mm; Nikon D200 + Sigma 150mm f/2.8 macro
Elements of Humankind – Nikon D2x + 35-70mm; Canon EOS 5D + Canon 16-35mm f/2.8; Canon EOS 5D + 70-200mm f/4L + 1.4X Teleconverter

As you might have imagined, bird photography is indeed very expensive.

Canon 40D vs Nikon D300

viktors — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 23:47:33 +0000

What a difficult choice—both leaders just released excellent prosumer models. Both dSLRs offer top-notch features like self-cleaning sensor units and low-noise CMOS sensors, the latter being exclusive Canon selling point for several years. But how do they compare now in key characteristics, after Nikon catched up with the competition?

	Canon 40D	Nikon D300
Megapixels	10.1 MP	12.3 MP
Sensor	CMOS, sensitivity up to ISO 1600, 14-bit A/D converter	CMOS, sensitivity up to ISO 3200, 14-bit A/D converter
TTL Auto-Focus	9 cross-type sensors	15 cross-type sensors
Live View Auto-Focus	Yes, turns off LCD while focusing	Yes, contrast detect (like on P&S cameras)
Viewfinder	Pentaprism, 95% frame coverage, 0.95x magnification, diopter adjustment: -3.0 to +1.0	Pentaprism, 100% frame coverage, 0.94x magnification, diopter adjustment: -2.0 to +1.0
LCD Monitor	3.0″, 320×240 pixels	3.0″, 640×480 pixels
B&H Price	$1,299.95 (~900 EUR)	$1,799.95 (~1250 EUR)

For pixel peepers, neither of those are interesting—the real winner is Pentax K10D, which has very light anti-alias filter and offers the best per-pixel sharpness and unique non-processed, completely photographic 3D look—check out some examples. At about $700, with image stabilisation built in, this camera can become a great choice for photographic geeks—imagine its potential after processing photos with DxO Optics v5.

Zoom Magazine – Free Issue

viktors — Sat, 04 Feb 2006 04:13:28 +0000

Dead or alive? I had the same question when browsing Zoom Magazine’s website – last issue mentioned there was dated January 1, 2005. Magazine features a lot of great works (you can see past issues free of charge after registration), so I was eager to know if magazine is still there and e-mailed them. They replied shortly thereafter that the magazine is still alive and I can receive free issue if I send them my postal address. So today is a great day – while checking my mailbox I noticed big pack there – surprise surprise it was super-printed, large-format Zoom Magazine January-February 2006 issue.

There was also a letter there offering subscriptions Zoom and five other magazines published by the same company from Milano, Italy - and the signature there was real (wow!), not one of these inkjet signatures you usually see on that kind of letters. Oddly enough the pack was sent from France, not from Italy. So, it’s nice Friday evening!

BetterPhoto.com Second Place, Again!

viktors — Sun, 23 Oct 2005 23:18:09 +0000

Another e-mail from Heather Young, nice as always:

Congratulations! You have won Second Place in the Travel & Place category of this month’s BetterPhoto photo contest!

Way to go! With over 20400 entries in the contest, it is a big honor to be selected among the winners.

They even make a press release for each winner, for consumption by local papers and radio stations.
So, here’s my photo and other September contest winners.

BetterPhoto Finalist, Second Time in a Row!

viktors — Sat, 22 Oct 2005 16:03:50 +0000

Another e-mail from BetterPhoto:

Congratulations… you have placed as a Finalist in this month’s BetterPhoto Contest! Over 20900 photos were entered into the competition; it is an honor to have your image selected among the top 877 Finalist photos.

Your Finalist photo: Catching Light to Shine at Night (#1253746)

See my photo or other finalists.

BetterPhoto Second Place!

viktors — Mon, 26 Sep 2005 19:45:42 +0000

My first award in the photo contest! More than a year passed since photography became my hobby, and it finally happened!
My photograph Woman in Black was chosen as one of 10 second place winners in the category “Travel & Place”. During this month, tens of thousands of photos were submitted to the contest – 23400 to be exact, so it’s a big pleasure to be among the winners.
You’re welcome to see all the winners or just my photo.

BetterPhoto Finalist!

viktors — Sun, 25 Sep 2005 00:40:44 +0000

Wow! What a day! Got this email:

Congratulations… you have placed as a Finalist in this month’s BetterPhoto Contest! Over 23900 photos were entered into the competition; it is an honor to have your image selected among the top 988 Finalist photos.

View The Photo

What’s interesting, this particular photo isn’t the best among photos I submitted to the contest last month (at least in my opinion) – see other contest entries.

Full text of e-mail follows:

Hi Viktors

Congratulations… you have placed as a Finalist in this month’s BetterPhoto Contest! Over 23900 photos were entered into the competition; it is an honor to have your image selected among the top 988 Finalist photos.

Your Finalist photo: Old Woman In Black (#1073943)

This image can be viewed – along with all of the Finalist images – at:
http://www.betterphoto.com/gallery/dynoGall2.asp?catID=7679

During the next few days, the judges select the top winning photos. If your image is selected as a winner, you will be emailed again.

Again, congratulations on placing as a Finalist – keep up the great work!

Heather Young
heather@betterphoto.com

Learn photography with Jim Miotke’s “BetterPhoto Guide to Digital Photography”
And the award-winning DVD – “Digital Photography Unleashed”
Get your autographed copies today at http://www.betterphoto.com

www.BetterPhoto.com
The better way to learn photography!
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