Posts Tagged ‘DSLR’
Canon EOS-1D X Review
The Canon EOS-1D X is the latest in the company’s professional range of DSLRs. Its job is to replace both the sports-orientated 1D series and the high-resolution, studio-focused 1DS range of cameras. As is usual for upgrades in this class of camera, the changes are incremental and subtle but aim to raise the bar of what is possible.
The biggest specification change to the 1D X is its new sensor – an 18MP full-frame CMOS chip capable of shooting at 12 frames per second. This represents a big change over the 1D Mk IV (it represents a move away from the smaller APS-H format that Canon has previously used in its sports cameras), and a decrease in pixel count compared to the 1DS series. However, as Rick Berk, Technical Specialist in Canon USA’s Pro Engineering and Solutions Division says: ‘there’s more to image quality than just resolution.’
The move from APS-H up to full-frame is enabled by a sensor with faster data readout explains Chuck Westfall, Technical Advisor in Canon USA’s Pro Engineering and Solutions Division: ‘The new sensor has 16-channel, dual line readout, compared to 8-channel, single line designs in the previous generation of chips.’ This lets the company offer a large sensor (and the low-light capability that brings) for 1DS users, with the fast capture speeds that current 1D Mk IV users need. ‘It’s clear the time has come for the 1DX to replace the whole 1D series,’ says Westfall.
Under the skin, the big change is the more sophisticated metering sensor. A move from the 1D Mk IV’s sensor to a new 100,000 pixel unit affords the camera a much better understanding of the scene and this information is fed into the camera’s autofocus system to improve the quality of its AF tracking. This isn’t a new idea (Nikon’s sports cameras have done something similar for several generations), but it’s a sensible way of improving what’s already an impressive system.
The EOS-1D X will go on sale in Australia at roughly the same time it becomes available in the US (March 2012), but local pricing has yet to be announced. In North America the 1D X (body only) is priced at US$6800, not too far shy of the asking price for the soon-to-be-discontinued 1Ds Mark III (US$6999). So don’t be surprised if the new model retails here for around AU$9000.
Nikon D5100 Review
Nikon is naturally keen to build on the success of recent Nikon DSLRs, and the company understands that in order to compete in today’s competitive market an SLR has to be much more than just a camera. It must be a complete imaging system that allows images (or movies) to be captured in a range of styles and adjusted without having to connect to a computer.
A DSLR must encourage its users to experiment and educate them about their hobby. Since the advent of the compact system cameras, there’s also increasing pressure for DSLRs to be made smaller and more portable despite their incredible specification.
Excellent photo quality with a good noise profile, a streamlined shooting design for both photo and video, and a broad, practical feature set contribute to the Nikon D5100‘s strengths.
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Canon EOS 7D Review
Canon EOS 7D is a high-end DSLR camera features an all-new 18.0 Megapixel APS-C size CMOS sensor and Dual DIGIC 4 Image Processors, a new all cross-type 19-point AF system with improved AI Servo AF, ISO 100-6400 (expandable to 12,800), 8.0 fps continuous shooting, New iFCL Metering with 63-zone dual-layer metering system uses both focus and color information to provide accurate exposure even in difficult lighting, Full HD video at 30p (29.97 fps), 24p (23.976 fps) and 25p, a magnesium alloy body that is dust- and weather-resistant and a 3 inch LCD monitor with 920,000 dots (VGA resolution) with a viewing angle of 160°.
Canon EOS 7D Specifications
Body material Magnesium alloy
Sensor * • 22.3 x 14.9 mm CMOS sensor
• RGB Color Filter Array
• Built-in fixed low-pass filter (with self-cleaning unit)
• 19 million total pixels
• 18 million effective pixels
• 3:2 aspect ratio
Image processor * Dual DIGIC 4
A/D conversion 14 bit
Image Sizes ( Still) * RAW
• 5184 x 3456
• 3888 x 2592
• 2592 x 1728
JPEG
• 5184 x 3456
• 3456 x 2304
• 2592 x 1728
Image Sizes (Movie) 1920 x 1080 (29.97, 25, 23.976 fps)
1280 x 720 (59.94, 50 fps)
640 x 480 (59.94, 50 fps)
File formats (Still)
• JPEG (EXIF 2.21) – Fine / Normal
• RAW
• M-RAW
• S-RAW
• RAW + JPEG
• M-RAW + JPEG
• S-RAW + JPEG
File formats (Movie) MOV (Video: H.264, Sound: Linear PCM)
Lenses • Canon EF / EF-S lens mount
• 1.6x field of view crop
Dust reduction • EOS integrated cleaning system with fluorine coating
• Self-cleaning sensor unit (filter in front of sensor vibrates at high frequency at start-up and shutdown – can be disabled)
• Dust Delete Data – Data from a test shot is used to ‘map’ dust spots and can be later removed using Canon DPP Software
Auto focus* • TTL-CT-SIR CMOS sensor
• 19 cross-type AF points (f/2.8 at centre)
• Center point additionally sensitive with lenses of F2.8 or faster
• AF working range: -0.5 – 18 EV (at 23°C, ISO 100)
Focus modes • One shot AF
• AI Servo AF
• AI Focus AF
• Manual focus
AF point selection
• Auto : 19 point
• Manual : Single point/ Spot/ AF point Expansion/ Zone
avhub writes:
“The Canon 7D represents the new flagship in the company’s non-professional ‘APS’ format line-up and boasts a level of specifications that’s only bettered by the EOS-1D Mark III (or, more likely, its imminent replacement).”
qualitycamera writes:
“Made to be the tool of choice for serious photographers and semi-professionals, the Canon 7D features an all-new 18.0 Megapixel APS-C size CMOS sensor and Dual DIGIC 4 Image Processors, capturing tremendous images at up to ISO 12800 and speeds of up to 8 fps.”
Canon EOS 7D Video Review
Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III Review
Model Design / Appearance (9.0)
The Canon EOS-1D Mark III looks very much like the earlier 1D series cameras, with sloping contours and curves where many designers put edges. Functional and mechanical considerations, however, force some deviations from that ideal.
No one will mistake the Canon EOS-1D Mark III for a budget camera or a beginner’s choice. It’s huge. Nothing about the design is particularly decorative or ostentatious. It looks functional, durable, and perhaps imposing. The body is composed of a mix of graspable texture and smooth black matte surfaces.
Canon makes note of the particular effort put into dust and weather sealing on the Mark III. That’s a marked departure from the 5D, which is more like the 30D than the 1D in terms of construction quality and issues that influence durability.
Size / Portability (6.5)
The Canon EOS-1D Mark III is 6.1 x 6.2 x 3.1 inches and 40.7 ounces without its battery. With it, the unit tips the scale at 47.1 ounces, which is 2 ounces less than the EOS 1D Mark II n, Canon’s previous high-speed, high-resolution DSLR. The difference is the battery. The Mark III takes a lithium-ion power source, which weighs 8 ounces less than the Mark II n’s NiMH battery.
It is cameras this size that make photographers switch from shoulder bags to backpacks with little wheels on them. Wedding shooters may be interested in the Mark III, but they’ll be wise to get a lighter camera to use as a backup unit.
Handling Ability (9.25)
The Canon EOS-1D Mark III’s weight and size may make it hard for some photographers to use, particularly over long periods. Its grips are very comfortable, though, and the textured surfaces keep it from succumbing to gravity. The contoured grips are generous for both horizontal and vertical shooting, and the dual shutter release buttons complete the comfortable stance. The viewfinder is bright and comfortable, and it’s easy to see shooting data on the various displays.
The live preview function could help users get shots at odd angles – the occasional “Hail Mary,” for instance, or a situation where it’s possible to stick a camera over the side of a cliff, but not advisable to stick the photographer’s head out there with it.
Control Button / Dial Positioning / Size (9.0)
Canon has made great strides in controls with the Canon EOS-1D Mark III. In general, Canons have lost points for its controls and dials in DigitalCameraInfo.com reviews, but the Mark III addresses some of the complaints we’ve had. Canon finally put a four-way controller on the back of a pro DSLR. This allows the user to navigate around images magnified in playback, the live preview when it’s magnified, and the white balance tuning control, which is on a two-axis grid. The only thing the four-way control won’t do is the most obvious thing it should; it doesn’t allow the user to shift between autofocus points. (Well, it does a little – it activates the center point.) Why should Canon users have to use two dials to set the autofocus point?
In our First Impressions Review of the Mark III, we complained about the SET button in the middle of the Quick Control dial, noting we accidentally activated live preview a few times with it. The problem disappeared after a few hours of use – owners won’t have that problem. The Quick Control dial is an intuitive control, and it really is quick. Like the other dial and buttons, it is durable and has a responsive, positive action.
Canon added an ISO button to the Mark III. Earlier 1D’s had the user press two buttons simultaneously to access ISO, which was cumbersome. Some controls still have multiple functions, however – the user presses two buttons to activate Bracketing mode, and the function button cycles through controls for white balance, file format, and CF or SD media. Picture Styles, a collection of grouped image parameter settings, gets its own button. Picture Styles set contrast, saturation, sharpening, and so on, and is mostly relevant to JPEG shooters. It’s likely that the typical Canon EOS-1D Mark III user will shoot RAW, or will leave Picture Styles at one setting for all their shooting. It seems more like a menu item than a parameter that should have a dedicated button.
It’s great that all the buttons are “sticky” in the computer interface sense; the user hits them, but doesn’t have to hold them down to adjust a control. The user presses the ISO button once, releases it, and turns the control dial to set ISO. It just takes one finger, and there is nothing gymnastic about it. It’s much better than having to press and hold the button while the dial is turned to operate the control.
A range of controls can be customized, and users who operate the camera daily may tweak them. It’s a flexible, sensible system, and an improvement on previous Canon DSLRs.
Menu (8.5)
Canon EOS-1D Mark III menu settings are split into eight tabbed subgroups, so the frequently adjusted settings are quick to access, and the other ones are easy to find – or easy to avoid, for that matter. The Mark III also has a “My Menu” tab, which can be customized to show any six menu items for quick access.
Ease of Use (6.25)
Canon made the EOS-1D Mark III straightforward. The controls are where Canon users expect them to be; and really, no experienced photographer, loyal Canon user or not, would be puzzled for long when seeking out any major function. Two exceptions may be mirror lockup, which is buried in the menus, and AF point selection.
The routine for selecting AF points is clumsy. When 19 AF points are available (that’s the maximum, the user can’t select the “helper” points in between those), it takes two dials to navigate from the center point to one of the sides. The Quick Control dial switches from the center nine points to the nine points on either side, and the front control dial selects from the nine-point subset. Navigating to a point by pressing the four-way controller in its direction is much more intuitive and takes fewer steps.
On the other hand, the “sticky” buttons are a big advantage, and the Main menus are short and well organized. The Mark III offers good options for monitoring and changing exposure settings, and its lack of clutter is appealing.
Buy the Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III