The Discerning Photographer » Equipment

Camera ‘Feature Clutter’: How to Avoid the Confusion

DiscerningPhotog — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 02:05:40 +0000

I received a phone call over the weekend from an old friend who is an amateur photographer, as well as a faithful reader of The Discerning Photographer. He was trying to puzzle his way through a technical camera question.

‘John’ had been out shooting his daughter’s track meets with his Nikon D7000 and a 70-200 mm lens and having a decent bit of success. But he was stumped by one of the nuances of the autofocus system.

John had been using back-button autofocus with his setup, something I have advocated for on this site for a long time. That part was going ok. But choosing his focus point had gotten complicated.

John asked me how I pick my autofocus point—which ‘wheel’ or ‘dial’ I used—while still performing my back-button autofocusing. Huh? Now I was confused. Finally, after about 5 minutes of conversation back and forth, I realized that John thought he should be performing this focus-point selection at the same time he was doing the actual autofocusing on the track meet! You’d need an extra thumb or finger to do this, and probably an extra brain as well!

I explained to John that I almost always use a single-point for focus, and that usually it’s the center point. Sometimes with track, when I know I’ll be shooting vertically, I’ll put that point up about halfway to the top of the vertical frame—where I think the face of the runner will be—for the focus. But I ‘set it and forget it,’ as the expression goes. Then I can concentrate on trying to actually capture a great photograph.

This immediately made sense to John, who seemed relieved to finally have such a simple answer.

What John was suffering from is a common problem in our modern times of techno-whizbang cameras and their accompanying markerting campaigns. I call it ‘feature clutter.’

This happens with lots of the technology we all buy these days, but camera equipment makers are some of the worst about this. An engineer figures out how to add a neat new feature to a camera—whether it’s needed or not—so it gets added. “39-point autofocus with hyperglide technology founded upon our patented reality-based 3 gigabit sensor.” The feature might be a true breakthrough. Or, equally possible, it might be just another feature, ladled on top of the already-overwhelming number of features, that the poor purchaser of this machine is expected to figure out. Whether the feature is fluff or foundation is never explained, since to do so would diminish the selling point of the feature. The user is left with nothing but confusion, when all he or she wanted was to shoot better photographs.

Autofocus points are a great example of this. Single point autofocus. Nine point, 39 point…it never stops. While the cameras can be set up in all of these modes, I don’t know any professional photographer that works this way. Like ‘Program’ mode, letting your camera have too much decision-making control over your results might just work, until the day, and the photograph, that it doesn’t work. Something that you want to achieve in the photograph—your truly unique vision at that moment—runs counter to the ‘accepted wisdom’ that the feature performs. You mash down the shutter and you get something besides your intended result. The moment is lost forever, all because you let the camera do the thinking for you.

So how to determine what’s truly important and what’s simply more ‘feature clutter’? I recommend starting with the basics: the things you need to understand to shoot good exposures, time after time.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

1.Develop a thorough understanding of ISO, Shutter Speed and Aperture: what they are, how they function, how to control them.

2.Learn to make good lens choices for each shooting situation you encounter regularly.

3.Shoot lots and lots of photographs.

4. Repeat Step 3.

Everything else is extra.

Over time, this will all make sense. Once you’re out doing the shooting, seeing what works and what doesn’t, what’s important will become obvious. You’ll figure out what you need to thoroughly understand, and what you won’t EVER need to understand. (I absolutely promise you, your DSLR contains features you will never, ever need to comprehend.)

Kick that ‘feature clutter’ to the curb, and good luck!

Hi, I’m Andrew Boyd, a.k.a. The Discerning Photographer, and I hope this post has been interesting and informative. Please leave me a comment about it, let me know what you’d like to see more of on the site! You can also sign up for email delivery of all future articles or my RSS feed. Or subscribe to our Facebook page or our Twitter feed. Thanks!–DiscerningPhotog

Photo Tripods: It’s All About Perspective

DiscerningPhotog — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 14:30:04 +0000

I do a lot of my landscape work on tripods: there’s simply no better way to set up and shoot when your exposures tend to be very, very long. I’ve written before about my beloved Leitz Tiltall tripod, a sturdy and rugged friend that has served me well for over 20 years (I’m only on my second one in that time period). It’s a great tripod and only about $100, and it’s been a trusted accessory for all of this time. But there are some things it simply can’t do.

I was reminded of this on a recent shooting trip. I was working along the brackish shoreline of Lake Pontchartrain when I came upon some truly fantastic cypress trees. Cypress are a native tree here that’s very happy in the swampy and brackish water of the area, and it’s capable of growing fantastically-shaped roots and ‘knees,’ root-like appendages that can spring up out of the ground near the trunk. Anyway, these cypress roots were amazing and even more complex due to some shoreline erosion that had washed and worn them away into strange shapes. Just my sort of thing.

But: this was all happening down very close to the ground and the waterline, much lower than my Tiltall can go. For the perspective I wanted, I needed a way to set up for my exposures much closer to the ground.

Luckily, back in the car just 10 minutes away, I had a second, cheaper little tripod that I keep for just such a situation. I originally bought it for backpacking but have since found it works great for this type of thing. It’s an inexpensive little Vanguard VS-86 tripod—nothing you could mount a big, heavy lens upon, but enough for an occasion like this.

I ran back to the car and got out the diminutive Vanguard. Working with a Canon 16-35 f2.8 zoom lens">Canon 16-35 f2.8 zoom lens on my Canon EOS Mark IV ">Canon Mark IV, I was able to get create the ‘monumental’ perspective that I wanted.

Tamron 70-200mm f2.8 Macro Lens Review

DiscerningPhotog — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:30:53 +0000

I get lots of email and comments from readers asking about what lens to buy—how to parse through all of the confusing hype around this fundamental issue. Many readers are on a budget and ask whether they really must buy the ‘name brand’ glass, or will an after-market lens work?

With that in mind, my friends over at Bennett’s Camera in New Orleans let me check out the Tamron 70-200mm f2.8 lens for a few days of shooting and evaluation. This article is the result. The lens is available in lens mounts for Canon, Nikon Pentax and Sony. Since I’m a Canon shooter, I decided to put the lens through its paces and also do a bit of comparison against my trusty Canon 70-200mm f2.8 lens.

As with all of my equipment reviews, this won’t be a ‘scientific’ evaluation, but rather an ‘out in the field’ test and impression from someone who shoots for a living. I’ll let you know what I really think of this piece of glass and whether you should consider it when making a purchase for this type of zoom.

FIRST THOUGHTS

First, the lens is a big, heavy piece of glass—it’s almost as heavy as my Canon version. The lens bayoneted onto my Canon EOS Mark IV smoothly. It also takes the same 77mm filters that the Canon uses. A nice feature is the bayonet lens hood that comes with the lens. (This is something you’d have to buy anyway if it wasn’t.) A soft case is also included, although I suspect if you have a decent camera bag you won’t be using this item.

OUT IN THE FIELD

The zoom function on the barrel feels smooth, no bumps or catches as I rack it from 70mm to 200mm. One thing that’s definitely superior is the close-focus capability on this Tamron lens—3.12 ft. compared to 4.6 ft. on the Canon.

The switch to manual focus is also easy: simply pull the front focusing barrel back towards the camera and you’re in manual focus mode.

THE AUTOFOCUS ISSUE

Let’s cut right to the chase: the BIG difference between this lens, priced at about $750, and the Canon version, costing $1450, is in the autofocus: there’s simply no comparison. If you’ve ever had the pleasure of autofocusing a modern professional telephoto lens like my Canon 70-200, you’ve experienced the almost-instantaneous and silent operation of its autofocus motors: you point your camera at something, hit the autofocus and zip!—it’s there. You hear almost nothing as the lens racks into perfect focus. They accomplish this with something they call an ‘Ultrasonic Motor’ technology—all of the zooming and focusing happens internally, and very, very quickly and quietly.

The Tamron reminds me of an older-generation focusing method: even though it is an internal-focusing lens, you can literally hear the elements cranking and grinding into focus. It’s not terribly slow, it’s simply that if you’ve experienced the other lens, this will seem interminable. 10 years ago, all autofocus lenses sounded and worked this way. But it’s no longer an up-to-date focusing solution. If you plan on using your camera/lens for sports, wildlife photography or anything else that requires lightning-fast autofocus, you’ll need to think long and hard before deciding to go the Tamron route.

Water droplets. The Tamron lens had difficulty focusing on things in its close-in 'macro' range. Even with my focus sensor positioned directly on this twig, I had to swtich to manual focus to render this sharply. (Copyright 2012 / Andrew Boyd)

That said, if you are a wedding or portrait or landscape shooter or just about anyone who isn’t planning on using the lens for a lot of action-based shooting, then this may work just fine for you.

On this red camellia flower against a green leafy background, the Tamron, top, actually produced a more pleasing and accurate rendition of the color present than the Canon lens, bottom. I didn't test this extensively but in at least this case the Tamron was superior. (Copyright 2012 / Andrew Boyd)

So it’s really a question of your priorities and plans. You pay big bucks for the latest focusing solutions in the current generation of Canon or Nikon professional 70-200mm lenses. If that’s not part of what you need for your photography, this lens represents an excellent value.

One other quick note: I found that the Tamron would not couple with my Canon 1.4x teleconverter. The Canon allows this hookup, which effectively turns the 70-200 into a 98-280mm lens (you lose 1 stop of light when you do this). For whatever reason, the connection between the Tamron and the extender does not work. I didn’t get to check this issue out on any of the other camera mounts that Tamron makes for this lens, so be careful and check this if it’s important to you.

Battery Tales: A Photographer’s Best Friend, Worst Enemy

DiscerningPhotog — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 16:04:50 +0000

The BeachTek DXA-SLR device allows me to use standard professional XLR audio connectors with my Canon EOS Mark IV camera, something that's vital in lots of situations. But being prepared for battery woes is part of the bargain. (Copyright 2011 / Andrew Boyd)

A TRUE STORY

As modern photographers using digital equipment, we live our lives dependent upon battery power: in your camera, in your strobe, in most of the essential accessories that we cart around. So having juice to run everything is not just important, it’s downright vital.

I was reminded of this fundamental truth late the other night, preparing to videotape a press conference with the head coach and players of the New Orleans Saints NFL football team following their win against the Detroit Lions. It was late—after 11 p.m.—when the press conference was to start, and I had just hurried down from our photo workroom where we were putting together the photo report from the game.

I shoot these quick little pressers with video using my beautiful Canon EOS Mark IV camera. It shoots incredible stills PLUS 1920 x 1080 HD video, but the audio capabilities on the camera are very limited—just a single audio mini jack. I need full XLR capability in this situation in order to take advantage of the mult box setup( which gives you the audio from the podium), so I have a great little BeachTek DXA-SLR device, which takes my one audio mini port and allows me to convert that to a dual XLR stereo device. The ONE potentially fatal problem with this accessory is the power source. It’s a single 9-volt battery, and the switch on the device is very easy to accidentally leave on, or switch on with the inadvertent brush of your arm.

In this case, I got down to the press conference roomwith only about 60 seconds to spare, and noticed that the ON/OFF switch had somehow been switched over to ‘ON’. With this device, switching over to ON means the unit is drawing power continuously, whether anything is running through it or not; my device was as dead as a doornail!

If you forget to turn this little switch off on the BeachTek device when you finish recording video, or if you brush into it and it turns on (really easy to do), the battery will drain right down to nothing. You, of course, won't discover this until the next time you pull it out to use it. (Copyright 2011 / Andrew Boyd)

Luckily, this wasn’t my first time out on the dance floor with this accessory. With seconds to spare, I frantically rummaged through my fanny pack and PRESTO!—pulled out a SPARE 9-volt battery. (Let’s just say I had been victimized before.)

I changed out the battery and was able to complete the shoot—the only thing that matters in the long run, no?

I’ve now added a small piece of gaffer’s tape over the ON/OFF switch. Hopefully, this will cut down on the unwanted battery drains in the future.

My Shoot brand digital remote cable release/intervalometer has a similar battery situation. There’s no ON/OFF switch on this otherwise wonderful and cheap knockoff of the ridiculously expensive Canon original. For this gear, I’ve trained myself to always turn one of the two AAA batteries around in the case when I’m not using it, effectively shutting it off.

My Shoot brand intervalometer and timer, a cheap but dependable knockoff of the original Canon product, has no ON/OFF switch. I turn one of the two AAA batteries around in its case to turn it on and off. (Copyright 2011 / Andrew Boyd)

So the takeaway on this little story is simple: plan for the worst (extra batteries, always!) and hope for the best. Expect bad things to happen, be prepared for when they do, and you won’t come back empty-handed.
Hi, I’m Andrew Boyd, a.k.a. The Discerning Photographer, and I hope this post has been interesting and informative. Please leave me a comment about it, let me know what you’d like to see more of on the site! You can also sign up for email delivery of all future articles or my RSS feed. Or subscribe to our Facebook page or our Twitter feed. Thanks!–DiscerningPhotog

Nikon J1 and Nikon V1 Camera Review: Is this new format right for you?

DiscerningPhotog — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 14:29:23 +0000

A New Format from Nikon

Thanks to my friends at Bennett’s Camera in New Orleans, I was able to ‘test-drive’ these two new Nikon offerings in the sub-DSLR camera category: the Nikon J1 and Nikon V1. Like all of my camera reviews, I’ll give you my best ‘gut reaction’ after taking the cameras out and shooting with them: what it was really like to use them. You won’t find any ‘bench test data’ here, only the feelings of someone who uses cameras every day to make a living. That said, let’s get started!

Only slightly bigger than point-n-shoot cameras but with real interchangeable lenses, I was intrigued by these new machines and how I might find them to use. Obviously, these cameras are Nikon’s answer to the Micro Four Thirds camera movement, like the Lumix line from Panasonic and the Pen brand from Olympus.

Because the cameras use an identical 10.1 MP CMOS sensor, I’ve shot all of my test images with the Nikon V1 camera for this article. Here are the main differences in the two models:

J1 is slightly smaller than the bulkier V1 (both are still very small!)

J1 has a built-in pop-up flash, while the V1 requires the separate SB-N5 flash unit;

J1 is a plastic body while the V1 is a magnesium alloy;

J1 has a 460K dot LCD back screen while the V1 is twice that at 920K

J1 uses the back screen for everything, the V1 has a built-in electronic viewfinder

J1 retails for $599.99, the V1 for $849.99

My first impression about these little cameras is purely aesthetic: these cameras are pretty! I mean this in the best possible sense: these are beautifully designed little machines. Nikon has done a great job with the body styling and as it turns out, the functionality.

The standard lens is a 10-30mm zoom. With a 2.7x magnification factor, your equivalent in a standard 35mm format would be about 28-80mm, a very nice basic zoom range. (Nikon also sells a telephoto lens for the cameras. It’s a 30-110mm zoom which translates into about a 80-300 mm lens for a very modest retail price of $249.99.)

Camera Controls

I found the basic camera controls on the body to be well laid-out and easy to navigate. Pressing ‘Menu’ takes you into the settings for the camera, which were well organized and easily deciphered. Pressing ‘Display’ gives you choices about how much information you wanted displayed on the rear screen while shooting. As with all digital cameras, the ‘Right Arrow’ button is your review for the images you’ve shot. No complaints with any of this setup.

But now let’s talk about the ‘Mode’ dial, top right, which has four options: Motion Snapshot Mode (a symbol that looks like a feather to me), Smart Photo Selector Mode (a camera icon with a + and – sign next to it), Still Image Mode and finally Movie Mode.

Movie Mode and Still Image Mode were exactly what you would expect them to be: you select one of these when you want to shoot video and stills, respectively. But I found the other two Modes were just plain goofy.

You ever feel like sometimes camera designers come up with a Solution in search of a Problem? That pretty much describes how I feel about these other two shooting modes. I’ll grant that they do exactly what they say they do, it’s just that neither of the things they do are things I would ever need or want a camera to do! See for yourself:

Here’s what the Nikon manual says about Motion Snapshot Mode:

“Choose Motion Snapshot Mode to record brief movie vignettes with your photographs. Each time the shutter is released, the cameras records a still image and about a second of movie footage. When the resulting ‘Motion Snapshot’ is viewed on the camera, the movie will play back in slow motion over approximately 2.5 seconds, followed by the still image.”

Huh?! Why in the world would I want to do that? It almost sounds like a bit of a video game, doesn’t it? But to dedicate an entire dedicated shooting mode to this bit of fluff? This looks like a Solution in search of a Problem.

Now lets look at the other goofy shooting mode: Smart Photo Selector Mode.

This is another weird one. Basically, Nikon suggests you put the camera in this mode if the best picture is going to be fleeting and hard to get, like a quick facial expression. In Smart Photo Selector Mode, when you press the shutter halfway down, the camera starts recording images to a buffer. Then, when you actually take the picture, it records that image plus a few more to the buffer for good measure. It then picks the best shot for you(!). You have the option of reviewing the choices and changing the one that’s saved. But gosh: wouldn’t it just be a whole lot better to learn to capture that fleeting moment yourself by developing the shooting chops to do that? Like I said, a Solution in search of a Problem.

Still Image Mode and Movie Mode do exactly what their names imply, and do it just fine.

I shot some photos with the V1 using the basic Program exposure mode, then some more images using full Manual exposure mode. As I expected, the camera did a perfectly decent job in Program mode in coming up with a usable exposure.

Manual exposure shooting was a bit more of a challenge initially. Once you go into the Menu settings and choose Manual exposure, the ring around the Multi Selector button on the back of the camera becomes your aperture adjustment. You shutter speed is controlled by the little rectangular bar located at the top right corner of the camera’s back: you use your thumb to push this spring-loaded bar up or down to change shutter speed.

What I really did not like: while changing the manual exposure, the display on the camera back always remained perfectly exposed! In other words, the display is a video-generated auto exposure, even when you’re in Manual mode, so you can’t see at all what result you would get with a given exposure without actually shooting the frame and doing a review. This is awkward and irritating, to say the least.

The V1 viewfinder and LCD screen remain perfectly exposed regardless of the manual exposure settings. Here the actual exposure is 2 stops under, but that's not reflected in the finder. (Copyright 2011 / Andrew Boyd)

Shooting Video

Movie shooting with the Nikon V1 was a joy. It’s simple: click the Mode dial over to the ‘Movie’ icon, and press the RED button on the top of the camera, located just to the right of the main shutter release button. The camera will shoot 1920 x 1080 video at both 60 and 30 frames per second. But the best part is the autofocus! It’s really quite superb in this little package. I shot some video of my elderly pooch, Genevieve, and you’ll see the camera do a pretty great job of keeping up with her doggy movements. The display on the back will show you the autofocus in real time as you shoot your movie. I liked this feature, very, very much. Downside: no external mic jack, which means I can’t improve upon the internal stereo microphone with my Sennheiser MKE400 Shotgun Mic. Maybe not a big deal for many people, but a definite minus for me.

Nikon V1 and Nikon J1 Camera Video Test from Andrew Boyd on Vimeo.

Conclusion

Overall impressions: these are nicely-designed, beautiful little cameras. I like the functionality of the V1 especially with its built-in viewfinder and magnesium alloy construction. My biggest concern, compared to the Micro Four Thirds models available from Olympus and Panasonic, is the sensor size: at only 10.1 MP and 13.2mm x 8.8mm, it’s at the small end for these formats. Image quality looks pretty nice, although I did not try to make prints off any of my shots. As a carry-along camera for the person that’s looking for a small form factor addition to his gear, you should definitely check these out.

Canon EOS-1D X DSLR Review: new top dog

DiscerningPhotog — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 23:38:10 +0000

The new Canon EOS-1D X camera, to be available for delivery in early 2012. (Photo by Canon, Inc.)

Here’s what all the whispers and rumors were about: Canon has officially announced the launch of a new top-of-the-line flagship camera, the Canon EOS-1D X. This camera replaces the current top model Canon EOS-1D Mark IV and advances the technological ball down the road in several important ways.

Since I don’t have the camera in hand to actually write a review, we’re going with what Canon is officially saying at this point. But here are the main points to consider, if you’re in need to a truly awesome, very expensive DSLR:

Full Frame Sensor—like the Canon 5D series, but better. This is a huge improvement. Up until now, it was not possible to get a full frame sensor in a camera that could shoot sports action. This camera has the big sensor, AND—

12 Frames per Second Motor Drive—12 frames is huge. That’s a LOT of frames if you’re a sports or action photographer. And with the full sensor, you’re looking at LOTS more available (read low light) information.

THREE On-Board Processors—this thing is a computer, after all, right? Well, it’s got TWO processors to handle the CMOS sensor work, and a THIRD processor to deal with the metering and focusing. Overall processor power is reported to be 17 TIMES faster than the Mark IV. Yowsirrr!!

Easier to Use (and Understand) Autofocus—the autofocus on the Mark IV, while very good, has always required an advanced degree to understand, in terms of all the variables one needed to consider in setting it up. The new camera reworks all of these considerations into 6 choices, explained in much plainer language.

ISO Range from 100 to 51,200. (Can be pushed two more stops with a custom setting.)

Video Improvements—the Canon 5d has been used to shoot movies and TV shows. This new camera will do the same thing, but better. Now with two compression options for the video and the ability to record up to 30 minutes of video without a break.

The back of the new Canon EOS-1D X. Similar to the Mark IV but with new toggle switches and functionality. (Photo by Canon, Inc.)

So this is going to be one helluva camera, whether you’re shooting stills or video. I don’t know a street price yet but it won’t come cheap! Stayed tuned for more as we learn more…

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Nikon Shooters: Another reason to buy now!

DiscerningPhotog — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 16:29:21 +0000

I wrote in a post the other day about the planned Nikon ‘Unilateral Pricing Policy’ and the effect it may have on finding any great deals on your Nikon gear, started October 16th. Well, now in a followup Comment to that article, Discerning Photographer reader ‘Bayou Bill’ reports the following:

“Two days ago I passed on Thom Hogan’s Oct 10 report that Nikon will soften the impact of standardized pricing by introducing new rebates in time for the holiday shopping season. Now Hogan is reporting that the flooding in Thailand may cause more damage to Nikon’s DSLR production than the Japan Earthquake did. The flooded Nikon plant in Thailand is where they manufacture the D3100, D5100, D7000, and D300s, and also some consumer lenses. Hogan is suggesting that anyone who wants a D7000 (which was in short supply even before the flooding) better grab one right now if they can find one, and suggests that the D3100 and D5100 might be in short supply by Christmas. This calls into question whether Nikon will go ahead with their rebate plans on these products, since there’s no point in offering rebates on products that aren’t available for people to buy. Details in Hogan’s Oct 13 Commentary.”

More headaches for our camera makers! Sorry to see this new development, but thought I’d better pass it along ASAP, in case you’re in the market for any of these camera bodies. Thanks, ‘Bayou Bill’ !

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Nikon and Canon set to announce new blockbuster cameras

DiscerningPhotog — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 04:14:38 +0000

According to the folks over at Canon Rumors and Nikon Rumors, respectively, we’re about to see new high-end DSLR camera bodies from both of these behemoths before the end of the month.

Specifically, a new Canon full-frame DSLR will be announced on October 18^th, with the Nikon D800, successor to the D700, to come about a week later.

Canon details: no one knows for sure, but the chat is this may be a successor to the top-of-the-line Canon EOS 1D Mark IV. Check out these rumored specs:

16-18mp image capture

Full Frame Sensor (gasp!) like the 5D, never seen on the top-of-the-line before

ISO 51,200 (say that again?!)

Dual Digic V processors

Crazy frame rates of 12-14fps

61 AF points

These are impressive specs, if they actually come through. This would be the ultimate sports camera. I love my Mark IV already, but these new specs are awesome to contemplate.

Then a week later (October 26^th is the rumored date), Nikon will debut the D800. Less is known about the specs for this new machine. Here’s what Petapixel is reporting:

36 MP image capture (!!??)

4 FPS motor drive

Shutter rated for 200K shots

1080/30 video

CF and SD card slots

Obviously this camera is aimed at a different market than the rumored Canon model. But 36 megapixels, combined with a decent lens, is a new frontier to consider.

Nice to see our two major Japanese manufacturers continue to impress and wow with their innovation and technological prowess!

I look forward to seeing what announcements are forthcoming in the next couple of weeks!

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Nikon Shooters: No More Sweet Deals!

DiscerningPhotog — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 03:05:18 +0000

PRICE ALERT!

According to PetaPixel and Nikon Rumors, Nikon is introducing a new Unilateral Pricing Policy on DSLR gear sold in the US that will take effect on October 16th. Saying that the policy is “designed to allow customers to make purchasing decisions based on service provided and not have to worry about hunting for a better price”, Nikon plans to withhold sales to any store caught pricing equipment below “national prices” that the company will set for each product.  Unilateral Policy is a method by which manufactures can control retail prices in the US. While forcing resellers to agree upon specific prices explicitly would constitute illegal price fixing, companies do have the right to refuse sales to any reseller caught selling products at prices below what the manufacturer wants.
What this means for you, the Nikon shooter, is that after October 16, there won’t be much difference, if any, in prices across the country, whether you’re shopping with a big discount chain or your local camera store, Theoretically, at least, this should be GREAT for the small stores out there, maybe not so great for the average bargain-hunting photographer.

The moral of the story: Hurry and place your orders today!

–thanks to Nikon Rumors and PetaPixel for this information

DSLR Camera Review: Nikon D5100 vs. Canon Rebel T3i, a.k.a. EOS 600D

DiscerningPhotog — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 08:30:36 +0000

Here’s another in my series comparing Nikon and Canon DSLR cameras. I’ve written comparisons of the Nikon D3100 vs. the Canon T1i and another article looking at the Nikon D7000 vs. the Canon 60D. I asked my good friend Chris Bennett, owner of Bennett’s Camera in New Orleans, for another good pair of consumer-level DSLRs to review, and this matchup was his pick.

The Nikon D5100 and Canon T3i fit perfectly in between my other two current reviews: more sophisticated than the entry-level T1i and D3100, but not as pricey as the 60D and D7000. Should you consider either of these cameras for your next DSLR purchase? We’ll try to answer that question here.

Like all of my camera reviews,I’ll try to keep everything in plain English. As someone who shoots cameras every day for a living, my goal is to eliminate as much techno-jargon as possible and give you a sense of what it’s like to actually get out and use both of these machines. I’ll go out and shoot both of them in Program Mode, switch to Full Manual Mode, then do a bit of video with both for you to compare. To top it off, I’ll come back into the studio and shoot a simple still life. Hopefully, when we’re finished you’ll know a good bit more about both of these options.

The view from the top: that's the Canon on the left, Nikon on the right. The cameras are about the same size but the Nikon 18-55 kit zoom lens is bigger than its Canon counterpart. (Copyright 2011 / Andrew Boyd)

THE TECHNICAL GIST

We’ll keep this short and sweet:

The D5100 has a 16.2 megapixel sensor; the T3i is about 10% bigger at 18 megapixels. (I’m not sure this is a difference that will be detectable, particularly with the 18-55mm kit zoom lenses that I’m testing with here.) The D5100 can shoot a motor drive burst at 4 frames-per-second compared to the T3i’s 3.7 fps. (Neither of these is nearly as fast as it sounds, should you try and point them at a fast-moving sporting event and get peak-action photos. You need at least 6 fps to capture that.) Although these photos make them appear to be the same size, in your hands, the Canon camera is slightly larger. (I have large hands so this becomes a factor for me.) Two things I like very much: both of these models have articulated rear LCD displays, meaning you can pivot them around to shoot (and see what you’re doing) with the camera up over your head and down below your feet. They also both have external microphone jacks, a TREMENDOUS feature if you plan on doing some serious video (you’ll definitely be using external mics if you want to shoot ‘real’ video.) Both can shoot 1920 x 1080 HD video in a variety of flavors. The Canon has an ISO range of 100-6400 with a 1-stop ‘boost’ possible; the Nikon has the same ISO range of 100-6400 but with 2 stops of extra ‘boost’ possible. Unlike the D7000, neither of these cameras is built on a metal body. (Unless you drop it, that’s actually not a big deal. These are sturdy machines.)

ERGONOMIC & AUTOFOCUS CONSIDERATIONS

If you’ve spent any time at all on my site, you’ve probably already read some of my preaching about the superiority of back-button autofocus. Without going into all the details again here, suffice it to say I think separating the focus and shutter release functions on a camera is an essential requirement for any serious DSLR shooter. And on this score, the Canon is way ahead, at least for me, because I’m a left-eyed shooter. The button that you program to dedicate for autofocus on the Canon is just to the right of the spot your thumb naturally finds; on the Nikon, it’s a smaller button, closer to the eyepiece and away from the spot your thumb wants to rest. The practical result is that I find my thumb ends up jammed in against my forehead as I try to focus with the Nikon. If you’re a normal person (that is, right-eyed shooter), this will be less of a problem for you.

MENU NAVIGATION

Let’s take a quick lookat how both cameras handle navigation through the myriad screens and options that you’re presented with when you purchase either of these bodies. Although both the Nikon and Canon will get you where you want to go through all of the choices for Image Quality, File Size, Autofocus options, Video options, etc., etc., I find the Canon approach is much easier to master.

The tabs on the Canon—just like in both of the other two Nikon/Canon reviews I’ve done—don’t scroll out of view. Every menu option on that particular tab is visible when you first open the tab. On the Nikon, the options can scroll right out of sight, making it much, much harder to find your way around. This is one thing I would really like to see Nikon address in their product line.

FINALLY, SOME EXAMPLES

With that out of the way,let’s go out into the field and shoot some photos! To start, I set both cameras on Program Mode, allowing the camera to select both the shutter speed and the aperture for the shot. The first two images are of the same sailboat heading back into harbor as a stiff wind kicks up.

You’ll notice quite a bit of difference in how the two cameras handle the scene. This was actually a surprise to me: in both of my other two Canon/Nikon reviews, the Canon camera shot a warmer version of the scene in each case, the Nikon a cooler, although I found more accurate, version. Here, the Nikon is warmer, but also flatter (lower contrast) than the Canon, which look bluish to my eye, but with better contrast.

The histograms tell the story: the Nikon is flat, with no real shadow or highlight tones. The Canon is lacking highlight tone but has a true black in it's rendering of the scene. Both are usable. (Copyright 2011 / Andrew Boyd)

Looking at a simple Levels histogram of another image from the same location reveals that the Nikon is indeed flatter: there’s not a solid shadow or highlight in this image. The Canon histogram is more full-range right out of the box. Keep in mind though, that either of these images will tone up fine in Photoshop or any other decent image editing software package you might be using.

Next I wanted to see how each camera would handle a backlit subject—something we all run into frequently while shooting.

Here’s what the two cameras produced, shooting up into this arbor framework with a brighter sky in the background. No adjustments have been made to the images at all—this is straight out of the camera. Although both of these are acceptable images, I find the Canon exposure to be a bit more balanced and useable. (I’ll have less work to do in Photoshop when my starting point is better.)

Next I went to full Manaul Mode to shoot this driftwood. The straight exposure didn’t give me enough ‘meat’ in my exposure: things looked a bit washed out and desaturated to my eye. Adjusting the manual setting, I was able to create these two images:

To my eye, these are virtually identical images. The Nikon is ISO 200, 1/320th @ f5.6; the Canon is ISO 200, 1/400th @ f4. Both are manual exposures and have had levels adjustments performed in Photoshop. (Copyright 2011 / Andrew Boyd)

This goes to show how much more artistic control you have when shooting manual mode. I find these two images almost indistinguishable. The only thing that would improve these shots would be a much better piece of glass mounted on either of these camera bodies.

VIDEO WITH THE D5100 & T3i

To shoot video,we first have to get into each camera’s respective ‘video mode,’ and the two machines handle this dance in different ways. With the Nikon, you simply slide a spring-loaded lever one time to enter ‘Live Mode,’ then press a dedicated button near the shutter release to shoot video. With the Canon, you must first switch the Function switch over to Video (the little camcorder icon), press the Live View button once to engage it, then press it again to start shooting video. This is a bit more cumbersome than the straightforward Nikon approach.

Activating video shooting with the Nikon D5100 is easy. From any of the camera modes, a quick slide of the video lever activates 'Live View,' then simply pushing the red 'Record' button begins video shooting. (Copyright 2011 / Andrew Boyd)

Now for a bit of video. It was windy and the little on-board mics that come built into these cameras were no match for the blow that was coming in with an approaching storm. But a color difference is apparent with the video as well. See which one you find most appealing:

Nikon D5100 vs. Canon T3i DSLR Video Quality Comparison from Andrew Boyd on Vimeo.

NOTE: If you do decide to get serious about video shooting with either of these cameras (or any DSLR, for that matter), external microphones are essential. The very first mic you should consider is the Sennheiser MKE 400 Shotgun Microphone. This is a GREAT little shotgun mic, built specifically for DSLR recording. It will give you wonderful results wherever you need decent quality overall audio. It does a decent job of audio interviews out on the street. And as mics go, it’s downright cheap at about $200.

Finally, I went back into my still life ‘studio’ for a couple of simple images. This is a great way to discern color and contrast differences in images without a lot of background distraction.

These both look pretty nice to my eye. I see a bit of contrast difference, with the bit of extra contrast in the Canon image exactly as we would expect to find, based upon our previous shots.

CONCLUSIONS

So what do you think? What do I think? I think these are both very nice cameras that offer a lot of value for the money. I love the articulated screens and external audio jacks. I won’t be shooting any sports with either of these at these motor drive speeds, but for most anything else, they’ll do fine. In fact, if you think you might be in the market for either a Canon 60D or Nikon D7000, you should go try these cheaper brethren out—they just might save you several hundred dollars!