Archive for the ‘Digital SLR Cameras’ Category:
Canon EOS 1D C EOS Review
The 1D C offers a few different crop settings for capturing alternate viewpoints, as well — 4K video is recorded using an APS-H-sized portion of the sensor (this would provide a 1.3x crop factor, as compared to the 1.6x crop factor typically seen in APS-C sensor cameras). ” This viewpoint closely matches the industry-standard format and field of view see in traditional motion picture cameras.
Of course, the 1D C features many of the still photography features found in the 1D X — it has the dual DIGIC 5+ processors and standard ISO range of 100 – 51,200 for still photos, and can shoot at 12fps. There’s also an “ultra-fast” continuous shooting mode that can capture JPGs at 14 fps by keeping the mirror raised throughout shooting. While no one will be buying this camera for its still image performance alone, it’s good to know that it remains competitive with the 1D X.
Nikon D4 Professional DSLR Review
Professional DSLRs often appear to be more like finely tuned machines than cameras, much like a highly trained athlete compared to a casual gym-goer. The photographers who use these machines are under pressure to capture the defining moment of the event and send it back to the picture desk within minutes. Such time-sensitive demands mean the camera needs to be flawless in its performance, as missing the shot or getting it wrong isn’t an option.
Changing AF mode is now an easier process, requiring only a press of the AF switch, as used on the D7000. An indicator of the chosen mode is shown in the viewfinder by the pattern of AF points to allow you to change modes without moving it away from your eye.
In contrast to Canon’s latest AF system, 15 of the focus points have sensitivity at up to f/8, which means that even when using f/4 lenses with a 2x teleconverter, the AF system will still function effectively. For travelling photographers this means that more compact f/4 units can be carried, rather than the hefty f/2.8 lenses.
The metering system is the new 3D Color Matrix Metering III. It uses 91,000 pixels and offers more advanced scene recognition, and face detection that is claimed can detect even the ‘smallest’ faces in a scene. The new Kevlar/carbon-fibre shutter is tested up to 400,000 cycles with shutter speeds from 30-1/8000sec and up to 1/250sec flash sync.
Canon EOS 5D Mark III Review
The EOS 5D Mark III inherits the 63-zone iCFL metering system of the EOS 7D and the latest lower-end models. It may not come anywhere near the sophistication of the 100,000 pixel metering sensor of the EOS 1D X, but it remains an improvement over the ageing 35-zone TTL metering of the Mark II. The Mark III also shares the Partial, Centre-weighted and Spot metering options of the Mark II, but the Partial and Spot sizes have reduced from 8 to 6.2% and 3.5 to 1.5% respectively.
Shutter speeds remain between 1/8000 and 30 seconds with a Bulb option and a fastest flash-sync speed of 1/200, and the shutter block is still rated to 150,000 actuations; note Canon claims the block has been improved, but as I recall, the Mark II was rated to 150k too.
However in a surprise and very welcome move, Canon has finally equipped a non-1D series camera with decent exposure bracketing, so it’s out with the (frankly insulting) three-frame options of earlier models and in with three, five and seven frame exposure bracketing. HDR fanatics rejoice! And speaking of HDR, there’s also a new HDR mode which captures and combines three frames using a choice of five tone-mapped presets, while also considerately recording each frame separately in case you prefer to do your own processing later.
The Mark III also inherits the multiple exposure capabilities first seen on the 1D X, allowing it to combine up to nine separate frames into one, using a choice of four compositing options: Additive, Average, Bright and Dark. I’m really pleased to find Canon finally offering deep bracketing and multiple exposure capabilities on this line.
In terms of shooting modes, there’s the same PASM, Bulb and three Custom options as before, but the frankly out of place Creative Auto mode has now been removed and the Green Square Auto now upgraded to Auto+. The Auto+ mode may not feature the same degree of scene detection as the EOS 1D X due to its less sophisticated metering system, but it’s still a step-up over the 5D Mark II.
Like all EOS DSLRs, the 5D Mark III is also supplied with the EOS Utility, which supports full remote control of the camera using a PC or Mac.
The EOS 5D Mark III makes a raft of improvements to the best-selling 5D Mark II to become one of the most complete and well-balanced DSLRs around. The earlier 5D Mark II – not to mention the original 5D Mark I – were all about their big full-frame sensors, often at the cost of other features. This is what you were paying for and many other specifications from continuous shooting to autofocus were actually fairly modest; many owners were also disappointed to find the build and weather sealing were not as good as the price tag may have implied.
Pentax K-01 Review
The Pentax K-01 is a bold new camera from Pentax and is certainly different to anything else made by anyone else – and perhaps that’s what Marc Newson and Pentax intended with the design of this new camera. It’s also the first mirrorless camera ever to use a full Digital SLR lens mount, supporting existing Digital SLR lenses. This causes the camera size to be larger than most other mirrorless cameras as the distance from the sensor to the lens has to be the same as that of a traditional D/SLR camera.
The two red and green buttons on the top can be customised, with the red button defaulting to record video in any mode. The battery is a large Digital SLR sized battery with a rating of 1860mAh, so should offer good battery life. The camera does not feature and electronic viewfinder, but could support an optical viewfinder in the flash hot shoe. The cameras screen is used for live view and focusing appeared reasonably quick, although not as quick as the quickest mirrorless cameras available.
Nikon D800E Review
The Nikon D800E is a 36.3-megapixel full-frame DSLR, designed to fit the needs of professional studio and landscape photographers who need the greatest resolution possible—without the anti-aliasing effects of the parent model, the Nikon D800. The D800E optically corrects for the anti-aliasing filter, resulting in an identical light path with no anti-aliasing characteristics. This leaves the camera susceptible to a moire effect and discoloration when photographing repeating patterns, but it maintains the maximum possible resolution of the mammoth image sensor.