APS-C Semi-Pro Bodies

Posted on February 22, 2013 by Chuck_Maas

Top-end 1.5x or 1.6x crop-sensor bodies from Canon and Nikon (like the 7D and D300S respectively) have been immensely popular with wildlife photographers who almost always benefit from a little extra reach.  But each of these models has gone a long time without an upgrade (both came to market in mid-2009), leading many to wonder whether or not they will eventually have successors.

This week a spec list for the rumored Canon 7D Mark II popped up with predictions of an August 2013 release.  The features certainly look attractive, though the suggested price creep to roughly $2,200 is less welcome.  Nikon, on the other hand, formally announced the D7100 two days ago, not a replacement for the D300S per se, but with a lot of very attractive features, among them a sensor without an anti-aliasing filter.  DPReview’s Hands-on Preview provides a thorough rundown, while Thom Hogan adds additional insight and commentary in his Feb. 22 post here.  This perhaps raises more questions than provides answers, especially for Nikon.  The D7100 is very well appointed for a $1,200 camera body; what might a D400 offer without eating into FX (full frame) territory?  On the Canon side, if the 7D2 sensor really measures up, I can see it being extremely popular with nature photographers.  For both brands though, improved sensors continue to demand more of lenses and critical users will derive the best results from careful optics choices.

For both Canon and Nikon the emphasis of late has been on full frame sensors, like the recently released entry level 6D and D600.  We’ll have to wait and see whether semi-pro APS-C bodies will continue to be made available.  For a concise Canon and Nikon body timelines consult Keith Cooper’s site (scroll to the bottom).

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Hungry Traveler

Posted on February 20, 2013 by Chuck_Maas

They’re still here—in even larger flocks now—moving from food source to food source.  And there seem to be plenty of berries left around town so they’re not having to work too hard to find sustenance.

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Sign of the Times

Posted on February 6, 2013 by Chuck_Maas

If there’s any doubt that images made with smartphones have gained legitimacy on a much broader scale, here are some indicators:  use on front covers of national magazines; acceptance by a major stock agency; and Really Right Stuff building an iPhone 5 case with a beveled edge designed to fit in a tiny clamp with dovetail base that fits in an Arca-Swiss-style ballhead.

This is much more than pure popularity on a mass scale.  The cameras built into late-model cell phones are capable of some remarkable results when used methodically with good composition practices.  And more than ever the realization is sinking in that not every image has to be suitable for fine art printing in dimensions that measure in feet rather than inches.  If anything, it seems we’ve circled back around to recognizing again that there are many intended purposes for images, and some are perfectly acceptable for a number of categories—including publication—even if their physical size isn’t very large.

Don’t expect cell phones to replace specialized equipment (like fast telephoto lenses and bodies with extreme high-ISO capability) for sports and wildlife anytime soon, but there’s no doubt technology will continue to improve capabilities on many fronts.

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Inflation

Posted on February 5, 2013 by Chuck_Maas

Along with the general economic pressures of the last four years, there’s been a steep increase in the cost of certain photographic tools, particularly at the high end.  Take the Canon EF 500/4L IS telephoto, for example, one of Canon’s most popular “big white lenses”—often the first major telephoto acquisition for a serious bird/small mammal shooter already invested in that brand.  Just a few years ago this lens new could be purchased for somewhere in the $5,500-$6,500 range, depending on currency fluctuations.  Now the series II version of the lens (admittedly with fairly dramatic improvements in materials, lens coatings, and image stabilization capability) retails for $10,499, and you’ll find few if any discounts.  There are plenty of other examples, and it’s not just the Canon brand; Nikon recently announced a new autofocus 800/5.6 telephoto (replacing the previous manual focus model which had been discontinued for some time) that will set you back about $17,900, when and if you can find it!

Are there cogent explanations for this price escalation?  Sure, lots of them:  relatively small numbers of these specialized models are manufactured for a very niche market, exotic materials are costly, recent natural disasters caused major disruptions, currency exchange rates, and more.  But whatever the reason, the blunt reality is that it’s now a lot harder for aspiring photographers to take that next big step to acquiring a particular piece of equipment designed to improve the chances of success with small, sensitive subjects. On the other hand, the combination of improvements in lenses like the new EF 500/4L IS II make them truly remarkable…among the finest long focal length imaging instruments ever available.  And if there’s a silver lining, it’s that the sky-high prices of the new models will help preserve the value of carefully-used comparable older models.  One has to try to see the bright side.

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Waxwings

Posted on January 31, 2013 by Chuck_Maas

The colorful and loquacious Bohemian waxwings are here as usual in the Anchorage area winging about in large flocks foraging for food.  If you happen to be close by as they descend on an opportune mountain ash tree with clusters of hanging red berries you’ll also be enveloped in their incessant communal chattering.  They seldom seem to stay in one place very long, moving frenetically from one berry bunch to another, and any sudden noise or movement will spook the whole flock.

There’s a slight twist to the available pickings this year.  Southcentral Alaska saw freezing temperatures and snow in late September, before many of the mountain ash had dropped their leaves, and about half the trees around town are still covered with dead brown foliage.  The berries are there of course and the birds still come to feed, but it’s a little harder to observe their activity.

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Alternative Big Glass

Posted on December 18, 2012 by Chuck_Maas

I’ve long been a proponent of using the same brand of lenses as your camera body (or bodies), for both practical and aesthetic reasons.  But there are limits to this philosophy including availability of the lens you need for a specific task, and budget.  The latter has become a much bigger factor due to the recent large price increases on lenses caused by currency values and market forces.  Especially with new long lenses—supertelephotos in excess of 400mm—cost has become all but prohibitive.

If you want to make good images of birds and small mammals on a regular basis you need a fairly long focal length lens; 500mm is generally considered a reasonable threshold.  600mm and 800mm lenses make closing that distance gap even easier, but again the cost goes up commensurately.  So what might be some reasonable alternatives?

One is Sigma’s 50-500mm f4.5~6.3 APO DG OS HSM (how’s that for a name!) in either Canon or Nikon mount.  Not only is this lens a relative bargain (currently on sale too), but it gets high marks by some very respected shooters (see Arthur Morris’ Birds as Art Bulletin #426).  It’s not reasonable to expect a sub-$2000 lens to perform exactly like a $10,000-plus lens, but the 500mm focal length—even at a reduced maximum aperture—might make the difference between getting certain shots or not getting any at all.

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DxOMark Explained

Posted on December 17, 2012 by Chuck_Maas

While the print (or other display medium) is the rightful end product of our imaging efforts and deserves the emphasis of most of our artistic energies, tools help us accomplish that objective.  Without decent craft there’s much less chance of producing fine art.  And some of us maintain a certain appreciation for high quality tools themselves.  Whatever your bent, having some technical knowledge can help one make better choices.

With that in mind, Michael Reichmann has published a very informative article by Peter van den Hamer on the Luminous Landscape website that undertakes an analysis of DxOMark’s Camera Sensor benchmarks.  Warning:  if you’re squeamish about technical stuff don’t go here…the article is very long and involved.  But there’s some pretty interesting info too, not the least of which is the reminder that these sensor benchmarks relate only to noise-related image quality; resolution and lens sharpness are another matter entirely and are covered elsewhere.

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October Moon

Posted on December 17, 2012 by Chuck_Maas

The full moon can be a magnetic subject, especially when combined with interesting foreground elements.  This one rising over a ridgeline of the Santa Lucia mountains of California near the end of October dramatically silhouetted the upper branches of a huge sycamore tree growing along a creek.

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Software Transitions

Posted on November 24, 2012 by Chuck_Maas

Things change in business and industry all the time.  Some changes have little or no impact on personal/professional activities while others can (at least potentially) become a direct hit.

Nik Software has gained a sterling reputation in the image editing field and has found a big niche in many photographer’s workflow.  Not long ago Nik was acquired by Google.  This isn’t necessarily either a good or a bad thing (we’ll have to wait and see which part of the Nik product sphere receives continued development and support), but it can have consequences, the first of which may be that if you use NIK products now, you need to transfer the customer information you provided Nik to Google in order to continue to receive technical support and upgrade information.  Here’s a link to help make that happen if you’re so inclined.  December 7, 2012 is the deadline.

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The Elusive “Travel Camera”

Posted on October 26, 2012 by Chuck_Maas

We’ve all wished for it—that perfect little camera that’s so compact and light weight that one could effortlessly carry it all the time, regardless of circumstances—and when the time came to use it the features would more than cover all the creative possibilities you had in mind and the quality of the result would satisfy any requirement.  It’s a lovely dream, but it’s not likely to happen.

Of course there are lots of reasons for this.  First and foremost, the range of potential images is far too broad for any one photographic tool to cover all of them; the question really boils down to establishing priorities and making compromises.  There’s no doubt great images can be made with modest, even simple, equipment, but no one camera/lens combination is going to work well for every subject.

I’ve been using a Canon PowerShot G1 X for a while.  It packs a lot of capability into a pretty small package and I’ve made some very nice images with it, but I wouldn’t call it the ideal “travel camera.”  Too many rough edges and quirky settings for my taste, though I’m sure if I used it more often the operation would become smoother.  But for the moment it’s the best tool I have for the purpose.

What features do I consider essential in this category?  Top of the list is a sensor capable of high quality, publishable, RAW files.  Some sort of a viewfinder is important too; I just don’t care for composing with a camera held at arm’s length all the time.  That’s one of the downfalls of the G1 X—it has an optical finder, but it’s rudimentary at best.  It does have an articulating LCD though, and that’s very handy for making shots from low or awkward angles.  The lens is pretty good too…a modest zoom that could be a little wider; but again, everything is a compromise.

Actually the number of very capable small cameras has exploded in the last couple of years and weighing up which model and/or which system might best suit one’s particular needs has become a lot more challenging, but that’s a good thing because there really is a lot more choice.  Take Sony’s new Cyber-shot  RX1 for example.  This genuinely compact camera has a 24MP full-frame sensor that records in 14-bit RAW through a fast f/2.0 35mm Zeiss lens!  Granted, the lens is fixed—you only get one focal length to work with—and if you want a viewfinder you have to pay extra (a lot extra), so the tool has limitations, including price…a rather mind-boggling $2,800!  Only time will tell how well the results defend the high cost of admission.

In the meantime, as the tools continue to improve, an unlimited number of photo opportunities await, and having a camera with you (almost any camera) is better than not having one at all.

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