Which do you find the most interesting announcement? Nikon D800 - Canon IS lenses - Voigtlander 17.5mm f/0.95.

http://www.dpreview.com/previews/nikonD800/

http://www.43rumors.com/hot-voigtlander-announces-the-new-amazing-17-5mm-f0-95-lens/

http://www.dpreview.com/news/2012/02/07/Canon_24-70mm_F2p8_II_24mm_f2p8_IS_28mm_f2p8_IS

Lots of gear announcements this morning.

• The D800 with 36MP sensor, AA and non AA versions, finally surfaces
• New IS Canon lenses.
• And somewhat of a surprise, a Voigtlander 17.5mm f0.95 lens for m4/3.

So which would you find the most interesting?

Certainly if you are a studio photographer the Nikon will be very appealing. Think of all the advantages of this over medium format cameras and backs. Price, speed, lens selection to name just three. If an advertising, commercial or social photographer was thinking of upgrading to a higher MP camera then their choice just got a little wider. If thats what I was doing I would have my pre-order in now. Looks a very nice camera and slightly smaller and lighter than the D700 (plus of course another 24MP!!)

The Canon lenses will be of interest if you use Canon cameras and want an image stabilised 24mm and 28mm f/2.8 lens. As Dpreview said "We're just not entirely sure who they're for" and that sums it up for me.

Certainly the most interesting of the three as far as I'm concerned is the Voigtlander. Seems it will be a 35mm equivalent (35mm / FF) version of their ultra fast and amazing 25mm f/0.95. So stick one of these on your m4/3 camera and feel like a low-light god. Its not really a lens for me as I'm much more interested in how a lens works at f/8 than f0.95, but I got some spectacular results with the 25mm and I would imagine this will be no different.

A while ago I would have had my order in for the Nikon and the Voigtlander before even posting this, but things change. Incidentally a new camera did arrive yesterday, an Olympus E-PL3 and another one will be arriving soon, a refurbished E-P2, so as you can see I have somewhat different priorities these days.

Still two out of the three announcements look very interesting and I'm sure will generate a great deal of enthusiasm and excitement amongst many photographers. 

We have just one major announcement left. The Olympus OM-D is due to finally be confirmed tomorrow. Though quite what is left to say, I'm not sure. This must hold some record as the most leaked camera ever. However its certainly the one that floats my boat and I will be enthralled I'm sure, tomorrow morning. In the meantime here's yet more pictures from Andrea at m4/3rumors who is rapidly becoming the internets "leak king". Long may he flourish, though I would remind him Olympus apparently have some dodgy friends!!

http://www.43rumors.com/ft5-new-images-and-sensor-info-announcement-on-2am-london-time-follow-us-live/

Canons big announcement.

 

"Historic global announcement" from Canon on November 3rd.

Suggestions?

"We're buying Nikon."

"Nikons buying us."

"We've finally designed a camera that doesn't look like the 1980's."

"We have finally decided to make a mirrorless camera for all you girls and teenagers out there"

"We're changing our name to Canony"

"We really don't have anything historic to announce, in fact we don't have anything major to announce whatsoever, so we've come up with this scheme to get you all thinking about us again. We will announce something very minor, but it will get you all thinking, "Hey what is Canon up to?" and the internet forums will be rife with speculation, which is the point of the exercise anyway"

"None of the above" 

UPDATE

I should have noticed, but didn't, that the launch is in Hollywood. Hint, Hint!!

"Nikon speaks out about compact system camera"

From Amateur Photographer (UK)
Nikon speaks out about compact system camera news - Amateur Photographer - news, camera reviews, lens reviews, camera equipment guides, photography courses, competitions, photography forums
Via Mirrorless Rumors
Mirrorless Rumors | Blog | Nikon says mirrorlress is taking away market from compact cameras, not from DSLR's.

"The success of compact system camera sales is taking away from the compact camera market, not from digital SLRs, according to Simon Iddon, Product Manager for DX DSLR at Nikon UK, and has not had an impact on the company's DSLR sales.

In an interview with AP Iddon said that Nikon currently has a complete line-up and does not need to fill any gaps in its product range with a compact system offering. 'We have all points covered' Iddon told AP 'with a complete range of cameras from entry level to professional, and plenty of great compact cameras too.' Iddon says that the compact system camera market will not divert sales from the DSLRs, because 'if you want a DSLR you want what a DSLR stands for' and that isn't a compact system camera.

James Banfield, also of Nikon UK, commented that some of the companies that have been particularly successful in the compact system market have had to spend a lot of money to achieve that success. 'I think in some cases marketing spend has out-stripped sales revenue,' he remarked.

These comments come at a time of heightened speculation about Nikon's intensions in the CSC market and the size of sensor the company might use. While Iddon's remarks certainly do not rule Nikon in or out of the compact system camera arena, they might suggest that an announcement is not as imminent as some believe and others would like."

My favourite bit is "if you want a DSLR you want what a DSLR stands for"  Last time I checked it was Digital Single Lens Reflex, but I'm not sure thats what was meant.

As with the Canon comments earlier - http://soundimageplus.blogspot.com/2011/03/canon-doesnt-need-compact-system-camera.html theres a sly dig at the companies who make CSC's, and its very much another case of we don't need it, we're doing alright with what we have and the basic underlying unstated premise that these other companies only came up with CSC's because they can't compete with us.

However it does seem that for the time being at least, for whatever reasons, Nikon and Canon won't be offering us anything new on this front.

Making Panasonic colours more like Canon??

http://www.eoshd.com/content/599-Tips-and-tricks-for-making-Panasonic-look-more-like-Canon

Much as I like the EOSHD site and indeed I have it listed here as a site you might enjoy, this is a mysterious post. Trying to make the output from a Panasonic GH2 camera look more like that from a Canon DSLR is a jaw-dropping concept as far as I am concerned. My initial reaction was WHY ON EARTH WOULD YOU WANT TO DO THAT!!!!! Andrew must be using very different Canon cameras to the ones I've used. 

I read with incredulity - 

"Panasonic's colour science is very technically correct but not as emotionally satisfying as Canon's, here's how to change that.

I've always preferred the more cinematic colour on Canon DSLRs. The 5D Mark II pleased me with it's vivid rich tones, the 7D gives a beautifully warm image, very cinematic and the 600D also does a better job with colour overall than the GH2."

Even more perplexing is his solution, which is to use the Nostalgic preset with a bit of tweaking. I looked at the date, and no it wasn't published on April 1st. So I guess he's serious. He is talking primarily about video and jpgs, but even so. Anyone who has read anything here will know that I bang on and on about Canon cameras and my opinion about what I see as dull, uninspiring colour.

It just goes to show how different peoples tastes and perceptions are. Have a look and see what you think. It is an excellent site, and this is only one in a series of excellent articles. 

Right now I'm off to try his suggestion - you never know!!!!

 

"Canon doesn't need compact system camera"

Interview with the head of Canon consumer imaging in Europe, in the UK magazine Amateur Photographer.

http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/news/Canon_doesnt_need_compact_system_camera_news_306394.html


A Quote - 
"The manufacturers that have introduced micro Four Thirds and mirrorless systems have been those that have failed to make a success of their mainstream digital SLR offerings, according to Rainer."


From my interpretation of this it seems Canon think:-
Mirrorless systems were only introduced because other companies can't compete with them.
Mirrorless as a concept is unimportant, its the size of the camera that counts.
They are doing fine with their current cameras, so why do they need to bother.
They seem to think that if they just make their DSLR's smaller that will be what the market wants.


This from a company that has now released four different versions of the same camera, with the same sensor in various different bodies. 550D, 600D, 60D, 7D. They must really like this sensor! Canon are just serving up what they have done for years. Nothing exciting, nothing innovative. Undeniably good value, but nothing to get excited about. Whether this product conservatism will keep them in their dominant position, who knows.

2011 Predictions

Its a new year, and time to make a few predictions for 2011. Total speculation, since I have no insider knowledge, and with a few fantasy / wish list items masquerading as "possibilities". One day this terrible weather, dull and cold, might disappear and I could actually get out and take some pictures. Writing about cameras is fun, but I'd rather be using them.

NIKON

For what seems like years there's been speculation about a D700 upgrade. Basically people want the D3X sensor in a D700 type body. There's rumours of a D800 or D900 doing this and I can see it happening. The D3X is 2 yrs + old and Nikon probably feel that they can "allow" that sensor, or something like it, into a more enthusiast level (cheaper) camera. It will of cause get bought by professionals, who are as reluctant to pay high prices as anybody else.

The D300 is also getting somewhat old. It seems obvious that the D7000 sensor will get added to a higher end body & we'll get an upgrade. D400?

A D4 is due also. I would imagine slightly more pixels - 16MP? - with better video and the same high ISO performance as the D3, maybe not as good as the D3S. 

The rumour about Nikon and mirrorless, is for a small, interchangeable camera with a sensor somewhere between a compact camera and m4/3. They will introduce it, probably because they feel they should, but their heart won't be in it. Despite rumours to the contrary DSLR's aren't going anywhere for a while. With companies like Samsung and Olympus dropping out out of that field, Nikon have even less competition than before. Systems like m4/3 are very popular in the far east but the huge US and European markets are much more DSLR orientated and likely to remain so for some time. The DSLR isn't dead and likely to remain the dominant camera in these markets for years to come.

On lenses I'm no Nikon expert so I'm not going to attempt any predictions other than a new 24-70mm f/2.8 with VR.

CANON

A 1Ds Mk IV is due. Canon are currently behind Nikon in the MP race, so expect a pixel hike. The rumours are for a 32MP full frame sensor. Expect upgraded video also. I Imagine they will keep the same body shape.

At some point in the year a 600D is due, if Canon follow their usual timetable. However the 550D was such a well-specified camera its difficult to see where they can go. Would they add more MP's and make their low-end enthusiast camera have more than the 7D or 60D? I can't see that happening. So if no more MP's, there's not much point in upgrading. 

I can't see Canon only releasing one camera in the year, so will we see a 5D Mk III earlier than expected? If they follow the timetable it should be appearing at the end of the year, but maybe it will be announced late summer. I see this as a camera concentrating on video. My guess is that it will be the best specified video DSLR they can come up with. Slightly more MP's, maybe 25MP, to equal the D3X, articulated screen, raw output for video etc. 5D Mk II's are getting used to make movies and TV programmes so its logical to go in that direction.

My off the wall prediction is for some designed for video lenses for the continuous AF they will introduce in both the 1ds Mk III and 5D Mk III. How many and what type, I don't know, but I think Canon see themselves as the "inventors" of DSLR video and I think they are probably ticked off at people saying the Panasonic GH2 is a better camera for video. 2011 is the year they show the world that Canon is the leader in that field.

A mirrorless Canon? Everything I read and see tells me not. I don't think they believe in it and they are so far behind, they will have to get a lot of lenses on the market very quickly. The EIS system? Sounds total fantasy land me. A 22MP m4/3 size sensor, with ultra-fast small primes? Sounds great, and who wouldn't want it, but apart from the first rumour back in September everything has gone quiet. This obviously means it will announced next week!! 

SONY

OK, here's a real stick your neck prediction. Sony are a company that are big enough to try something daring and just shrug it off if it fails. They have a large range of DSLR's and will probably upgrade a few of them. They will also expand the NEX system and add more lenses, probably smaller than what they have. 

However I believe that the big news will come at the high end. I think they still want to be a player in the full-frame pro market. The A900 and A850 weren't the cameras to achieve this, so what do they do? I think they will go in another direction. My prediction is that they will go for a monster! A full-frame 32MP pellicle-mirror, EVF, full HD video with continous AF, raw output, hybrid stills / video camera. This will be an attempt to take out Nikon and Canon in one go, as they will price it at something like £3000. It will be their attempt to grab the pro / high end enthusiast market. It may also be a radical design, Sony have no qualms about that, and may look like the offspring of a DSLR and a video camera. They will also introduce a range of high-end video friendly lenses, designed with Zeiss, which will be phenomenally expensive.

So this is my (first) outrageous prediction for 2011. Read on for the second.

PANASONIC

The GH2 and GF1 are recently announced, so what will Panasonic announce? Well I see a 25mm f/1.4 and a "pro" zoom. Maybe the 12-75mm F/2.8 thats been talked about, which could explain the lack of a wide-angle prime so far. 

However, I see the big news as a collaboration with Leica on a GF1 follow-up. Despite both companies talking down their association, I see it as in both their interests to continue this. This camera will be primarily made by Panasonic, with design input from Leica. I believe it will have retro aspects but be modern. However in Leica tradition it will look uncluttered and simple. It will take the Panasonic EVF and have an optional optical viewfinder. To go with it there will a small number of Leica MF primes with a m4/3 mount. These will of course be very expensive and be outside of the current Panasonic range. 

So the second outrageous prediction, though I will admit this is bordering very closely on personal wish fulfillment!!

LEICA

See above. More S2 lenses - possibly an X2 announcement - dealing with all the criticisms of the X1. Some M-lens revamps. 

OLYMPUS

My initial thoughts on Olympus were "I haven't got a clue" On thinking about it more I came up with "I still haven't got a clue!" E-PL2, and E-P3 are obvious, with minor improvements. More lenses, including a 12mm prime. Apart from that I really can't see where they can go. They need something radical. A mirrorless vehicle for the 4/3 lens range is possible, but they don't want to hurt E-5 sales. Maybe a quiet year for Olympus.

PENTAX

I think they will build on the success of the K-5 and the 645D. A new mid-range camera is probably on the cards.

There are very strong rumours about a mirrorless camera. I think this may happen, and may be a vehicle for their existing range of small and pancake lenses. I don't think they will join m4/3 but will go their own way like Samsung and Sony. If they do announce something, and do remember Pentax aren't the fastest in this regard, then I think it will be an APS-C camera. I don't think it will be super small in order to accommodate their existing lenses, and may be designed to resemble their heritage cameras. Spotmatic or MZ series possibly?

SAMSUNG

We already know that its NX all the way. I see more cameras and lenses next year, with a Sony like strategy to include a camera at every conceivable price point. Maybe a new sensor with more MP's. A high-end compact could also appear.

FUJI


Fuji obviously have everything tied up with the X100. I see no more DSLR's from them. Everything depends on how good the X100 actually is and whether there is an appetite for this kind of retro styled compact in the mass market. If it remains a niche market then it may be heading for collectable status in a few years time. At its price point it has to be really good, otherwise it will sink without trace.

SIGMA


Is the SD1 with its 15MP (In real terms) Foveon sensor too late or is it going to blow everything else away. We will see. Probably neither. Always destined to be a niche product I think, though they do have an amazing lens range for it!!


I think 2011 will be the year that Sigma start producing lenses for the mirrorless / e.v.i.l systems. With the growth in this market, can they afford to ignore it? Maybe a few lenses to start with for m4/3 and Sony NEX.

RICOH


I assume we'll see more modules for the GXR. 




So there it is, my predictions for 2011. If these all come true, I'm off down the bookies for 2012!


David

Canon 60D

Its new gear day!


The canon 60D was announced today . I was interested in the articulated screen but RRP of £1099!!!!!!!!! This is £100 less than the current price for a new 7D. I checked - its not April Fools Day. Might as well be. Its certainly Canon Fools Day. 

Severn Valley

On my way to meet a client I was able to stop off at one of my favourite places. The River Severn is Englands longest river. In the stretch between Bewdley and Bridgnorth it has the Severn Valley Railway running alongside it. This is a section of few roads and limited access and the only way of seeing it is by foot or on the train.





I've always thought it a place where time stands still, and it looks much the same as it would  have 100 years ago. Its a quiet place with only a few walkers and fishermen visiting it.





I didn't have long there and wasn't able to go very far. I concentrated mostly on photographing the bales of hay in a field, and shot several panoramas.





I had the Canon 7D with me in full "I've got a big camera so I'm a serious photographer" mode complete with battery grip. For this short walk I used a 28mm f1.8 lens which is a nice lens for the panoramas and a 55-200 zoom. Still haven't got round to getting the 18-135mm zoom which is apparently in short supply here in the UK. I'm waiting for it to come into stock again.


I would have liked to spend longer there and will timetable a longer trip in the near future. However it was an enjoyable hour.





Words - D
Images - D & A

Buy or Hire?

Sometimes its difficult to get to see and try out certain cameras and lenses you might be interested in. There are also situations where for a certain job or a certain special trip you identify that a particular lens or piece of equipment would be very useful. You might just want to spend some time trying something out for a while to see if it works for you. So what alternatives are available?


If you're lucky you have an accommodating friend who will let you borrow something for a while. If not the other options are to either buy the item and sell it later or hire it. A while ago we did some work for a science education video and this required producing some macro shots. In order to accomplish this I bought the Canon MP-E 65mm 1-5X Macro Lens. This is a monster of a lens and difficult to get to grips with. 

By buying it I was able to spend a while learning to use it, use it for the job and then re-sell it a few weeks later at a slight loss. There was no advantage in hiring it as hire charges are very expensive.


To give an idea of how much hire charges are.
A Canon 5D Mk II camera costs £470 for a weeks hire. This is cheaper per day than a daily rate which is £117:50. Lenses can vary from £75:20 per week (£18:80 per day) for a Canon 50mm f1.4 to £352:50 per week (£77:00 per day) for a Canon 600mm F4. 


If you fancied trying out or using a Nikon D3X for a week this would cost £635:50. In all cases you have to pick up the equipment from the hire shop and leave a security deposit equivalent to the full replacement value. So in the case of a D3X a deposit of around £4800 is required.


By buying a piece of equipment you obviously have time to get to know it, to use it as and when you want and to decide, if you're trying it out, if its something you want to keep. At this current time because of the economic situation, prices on new equipment are not dropping over time at anywhere near the same amount as they did before. I bought a Canon 5D MkII for just over £2000 in December 2008. The current new price, from a reputable dealer, is just less than £1700. Not a huge drop. This means that prices for well looked after second hand copies will still be high. So even if you keep a camera for a while and then decide to sell it, you're not going to make a huge loss. In certain cases prices have risen, so you can end up with your camera or lens being worth more than you paid for it.


I regard this loss that I make on a piece of equipment as a "hire fee" I regard this as the cost of being able to use that equipment over a period of time. As demonstrated in the figures above, that is substantially cheaper that hiring it from a company. This does mean however that you need the funds to be able to buy the equipment in the first place, and that you can cope with having a large amount of money tied up in equipment. 


If you are able to do it, it does work very well. As a full-time photographer I can have a fluid and flexible stock of cameras and lenses, taking advantage of new products, at a relatively low ongoing cost. When I buy a camera or lens I have this in mind. Its not a situation whereby I'm going have that piece of equipment for years and years until it stops working or breaks. When I pay for something I'm not writing off that money as gone for ever. I expect to recoup a substantial amount of that back. I'm careful to check out the best prices and also look for special deals and good second hand items. For example if I buy a camera I will generally buy a kit. If the kit includes a lens that I don't want I'll sell this on ebay. Lenses in kits are generally cheaper than buying them on their own and you can often reduce the cost of a camera by selling off the kit lens that comes with it.


When I sell items on ebay people often comment on their good condition and often express surprise as to why I'm selling it so soon. There's still a difference between those who buy a piece of photographic equipment and assume they will own it for ever and those who take a much more flexible approach. Its an approach that we take with other things. Its rare that we buy a car and drive it until it rusts away and then buy another. Until recently our homes were seen equally as investments as well as places to live. Its rare that we would would ever consider a microwave or fridge freezer as an "investment" and ever imagine we would recoup our money on it, but photographic equipment, if looked after well and bought judiciously can hold its value over time. The shorter the time between buying and selling the less money is lost. While a Leica lens may be around for a long time, the same may not be true for a mid-level DSLR which can go from being state-of-the-art to obsolete in a very short space of time. My wonderful Zeiss 50mm f2 Planar will, I suspect be here for a while. However my Canon 550D, which I do like very much at the moment, will probably last only as long as the arrival of the 600D. 


It wasn't like this with film cameras which I tended to keep for years. But those days are gone, Digital is completely different with the sensor in the camera. If I was keeping digital cameras the length of time that I kept film cameras I'd still be using an Olympus E-10 with its 3.97MP sensor. A fine camera for its time, but not particularly useful now. So as to what I might be using in a years time, I have no idea. However I'd be very surprised if it looked much like what's sitting on the shelf currently.


D

Canon Landscape

Canon 5D 

Over the years we had a number of Canon DSLR's. While appreciating their all round capabilities we have never used them very much for landscape.


Canon 350D


The large heavy "pro" models are somewhat difficult to carry for any length of time. The memory of taking a 1DS MkII plus 3 lenses up to the summit of a very steep sea cliff is still with me.


Canon 1DS Mk II

We have used many of the cheaper cameras as backups and usually tried them for landscape work. This has often been unsatisfactory, as up to the 500D we have generally found the images from these cameras to produce slightly soft results.



Canon 400D


The 500D was an improvement, and seemed to have both brighter colour straight out of the camera and more bite to the images.



Canon 500D

We liked both the 5D and 5D Mk II, and the full-frame sensor produced excellent results. The Mk II seemed like it could almost be the perfect camera, but was somewhat hampered by its noisy shadow area performance even at low ISO's.



Canon 5D Mk II


Both the 7D and 550D are the best yet in terms of all round image quality. The 18MP sensor produces excellent images at low ISO's. The 550D is also a very light camera and provided we don't carry heavy lenses is very usable as a landscape camera.



Canon 550D



Canon 7D


Many Landscape Photographers use Canon's as a matter of choice. One of our favourite photographers David Clapp is a long term Canon user and he gets superb results. And certainly we are pleased with the images posted here, though many needed a fair amount of work to make them representative of the reality. We are certainly very impressed with the 550D as a portable high quality camera and our somewhat ambivalent attitude may be becoming more positive. It is a camera that we have been very enthusiastic about ever since we got it. 


We haven't done much testing of the 7D as a landscape camera, mainly because of the weight, but have seen nothing from the results so far that indicate that its any better than the 550D. Since for landscape work we don't need the 7D's speed and all-round responsiveness, the 550D will be fine.


So we have a mellowing attitude towards the brand in general. 


Now if they would like to work on a mirrorless AF version of their old rangefinder designs with the 7D/550D sensor with some small light fast lenses..............

Words - A

Images - D & A

Canon 7D Samyang 14mm f2.8 lens

For the first time in days we were able to work in sunlight! Yesterday saw a break in the humid grey gloom that has been covering us for what seems an eternity. Top of the list for a real world trial was the Canon 7D fitted with the Samyang 14mm f2.8. 

Samyang are a South Korean company who make CCTV lenses plus a few camera lenses. These include a few mirror lenses and some converted telescope lenses. They have recently come out with an 8mm fisheye, an 85mm f1.4 and this lens, a 14mm f2.8. All are manual focus lenses that cover full frame.


One of the most attractive things about these lenses is their price. This lens is available on ebay, which seems to be the easiest way to get hold of them, for £300. This compares to Canons AF 14mm f2.8 which costs £1,900 or thereabouts.The Nikon AF version costs around £1100. So a substantial saving.


So what's it like? Well its heavy, big and very solidly made. It has an aperture ring, and a huge exposed bulbous lens element. Its not possible to use filters on this lens, and care is needed to make sure the element doesn't get damaged.


On the Canon 7D the lens scale is way out. The infinity mark is way beyond infinity. On a manual focus lens there's really no excuse for this. So unless you're prepared to do a lot of research and establish where infinity actually is, the lens markings are useless. This makes zone focusing out of the question. 





In practice we used live view and the image magnifier to focus. As with many super wide angles this lens is difficult to focus at small apertures and we found ourselves on most occasions opening the lens up to f2.8, focusing and then stopping down again. 








The results, in terms of sharpness, were impressive. However there's a considerable amount of barrel distortion, and if you want to use this lens for architecture then you'll have to make some post-shooting adjustments. We used the warp tool in Photoshop as a "quick fix" and it worked pretty well. 


Image below is uncorrected so you can get an idea as to what its like.





The results are sharp and with surprisingly little CA. Using it on a cropped sensor avoids some softish edges on full frame, and personally we find this 22.5mm equivalent more useful than 14mm. Real wide-angle fans will love the full-frame possibilities though. Plus the wide maximum aperture of the lens enables some nice effects.





Overall its a useful lens if you can put up with the difficulties in using it. We bought it in a Nikon mount to use, via adapters, on m4/3 and our Canons. On all cameras it will be used mainly for video. 


Bottom line is its certainly value for money, and way better in terms of image quality than you would imagine from the price. 














D & A

Video DSLR rigs - isn't this missing the point?

I do realise that people are using are using these cameras for different things. Movie and TV professionals have seen the video enabled DSLR as giving them the benefit of high quality sensors that were previously only available with specialised expensive gear. For them the recording device is only part of the story. However there seems to be a notion taking root that you aren't doing it properly unless your DSLR video rig looks like this.







Believe it or not thats a Panasonic GH1 lurking under there. 


At the Focus on Imaging show earlier this year I had a look at some of this gear and even tried it out. Personally I could only just about lift some of it. I found that carrying one of the hand holding rigs on a Canon 7D for only a few minutes was incredibly tiring and painful. I tried out a Steadicam Merlin and that was both incredibly difficult to carry for any length of time as well as being impossible (for me) to balance.


I'm a photographer who happens to have 3 cameras that will shoot full HD video. I've looked at the results on an HD TV and my footage is indistinguishable, in terms of  quality, from that broadcast by the BBC etc.


This is great right?? Well yes in that I have the capacity to shoot video at a quality that compares with, dare I say it?, Hollywood movies. But then again no, because the camera is merely the starting point of this process. 


So what is the point of having something like this at my disposal?


Canon apparently video enabled the 5DMKII to provide a high quality option for photojournalists who were working as photographers but were also now expected to contribute video as well for their magazine and newspaper clients. By all accounts they were somewhat surprised by the take up, the reviews of the quality and the fact that this got taken very seriously by the video industry.


Vincent Laforets Reverie made a lot of people sit up and take notice. I watched it and thought great. But I was perhaps more impressed by the work of Dan Chung a photographer working for the Guardian newspaper here in the UK. He began to produce a series of videos from the far east using the 5DMKII. This is the first I saw. A Night in Bejing. The possibilities of this intrigued me. A camera, lenses, a tripod, a decent microphone and its possible to make short documentary films. To me this is the wonder of DSLR video. When the Panasonic GH1 came out, things got even smaller. To this day I'm still astounded what this camera can do.


So from a professional point of view, video became a part of what I could offer. We (my company and colleagues) see the ability to shoot HD video, relatively unobtrusively and without huge amounts of gear, as an advantage. We now use Canon DSLR's and GH1's to shoot weddings and other commercial work.


So to me the advantage of video enabled still cameras is to be able to create moving images by using gear I would own anyway for stills photography. With a minimal extra cost, tripod with fluid head, external microphone, and a lot of time learning to edit, its possible to produce a very high quality end product. Ultimately the quality of the content is down to imagination and skill. You don't need fancy gear and an elaborate rig to create something that an audience will appreciate. In my view whether I will be engaged with a movie or video has everything to do with what's going on in front of the camera and nothing to do with what the cameras doing.


While appreciating something like the famous end of series episode of House shot on 5DMKII's, I will never be involved in shooting something like that. Nor will the vast majority of people who buy these cameras. What these cameras do is provide me with a wonderful tool for my own projects and work. I'm not going to "pimp" my camera with various bolt on rigs that I can't even carry, nor do I feel the need to do so. Its the simplicity I like. 

Canon 7D softness?

As a 7D owner for all of a week, I saw a lot of posts on internet forums about a perceived "softness" of images from the camera.


Heres a few samples. 

Can't say that I have any complaints.