EYES ON THE SCENE 1: CANON XTi/L LENS PRICING AND THE NEW SIGMA SD-14

Well, as expected, Canon did indeed announce that they will be releasing a new digital slr, the 10.1 megapixel Rebel XTi (400D outside the US). They claim to have been able to produce a 10 megapixel camera with noise levels similar to their 8 megapixel counterparts. I don't think I've been disappointed, image-quality wise, with any of Canon's recent offerings, and I see no reason to expect anything different. Having used the 8 megapixel Rebel XT, I was very impressed with the resolution, noise, and image quality, but not happy with its ergonomics. The XTi looks to be in the same body as the XT, so I expect more or less the same thing...great image quality, lousy (to me) ergonomics. Here in the US, the XTi is expected to sell for $799 body only, or $899 with kit lens. Very competitive pricing, clearly targeted at undercutting the competition. I wouldn't be surprised if Nikon, and Sony make adjustments to the final prices on the D80, and the A100.

Even more exciting than the XTi itself are the new lenses Canon is releasing. The 50mm f/1.2L, and the 70-200mm f/4L IS. Canon's L lenses are top-notch, and I am sure they will be optical stunners. What I don't like are the expected street prices of $1500 for the 50mm, and $1200 for the 70-200mm. I think the 50mm price is too high, but it's a specialized optic so Canon can charge whatever they want. I'm happy I picked up my Nikkor 50mm f/1.2 AIS for $100! But that's an exception, the Nikkor usually goes for around $350-400 on the used market. In the case of the 70-200mm f/4L IS, $1200 is not far off from the price of the 70-200mm f/2.8L IS at $1500 or so. Why would anyone choose the f/4 over the f/2.8 with such a small price difference, when the f/2.8 is so much more versatile? It is my hope that actual street prices will be lower once these lenses hit the streets.

Today, Sigma Corporation announced that they will be revealing a Sigma SD14 on September 26 at Photokina with a teaser on the official Sigma site. Now this is exciting news to me! First of all, many have doubted that Sigma would even be releasing any more cameras, period! The Sigma SD9, and SD10 were both highly-acclaimed, but are both now a bit long in the tooth. Having used an SD10 myself, I must say that the Foveon chip is no joke. The camera produced some of the best files I've worked with, and the pixel-level sharpness is among the best I've ever seen. I have large prints here from the SD10 that I still find hard to believe came out of a 3.34 mp sensor. The Foveon chip is special, and it is for real. The camera was far from perfect, however. Battery life was bad, AF was average, image noise at iso200 and above was pretty bad, and being locked to Sigma only lenses was limiting. The camera itself was pretty quirky, at times refusing to write to my cf cards. I'll have more to say on the Sigma SD10 at a later date. No specs have been given on the SD14, although folks are already speculating a near 5 megapixel (probably 14mp based on Sigma's foveon conversion) camera. The 3.34 (Foveon) megapixels on previous Sigma DSLRs were definitely a match for 6-8 megapixel Bayer sensors in my opinion. A substantial increase in resolution on the SD-14 would be a killer for high resolution work. I hope they will come through. These are exciting days indeed, and just when I thought I was done with the gear lust. Ah well...

EVENT PHOTOGRAPHY AND FIRST SHOTS WITH THE NIKON D2H

I've always been a big advocate of shooting public events. They are a good venue from which you can build up your chops. The atmosphere is usually lively, hectic, and even a little crazy. The crowds gather around, the photographers jockey for position.

The photo above was taken this past Saturday at J&R Music World's live, free concert, one of many given throughout the summer at City Hall Park in downtown Manhattan. J&R is the large, and popular electronics, computer, and music store, a famous establishment here in New York City.

The musician in the photo is Mike Stern, a world renowned jazz guitarist whose impressive resume includes an A-list of some of the world's finest (mostly jazz) musicians. Just a few of the notables Mr. Stern has played with include Blood, Sweat, & Tears, Jaco Pastorius, Stan Getz, Michael Brecker, and of course, the legendary Miles Davis. Mike played with electric fury, and a masterful command of his instrument. I must say I greatly enjoyed the show!

What I enjoyed more, however, was getting to shoot the show up close with a newly acquired Nikon D2H. The D2H is the 4.1 megapixel digital slr that has been the workhorse for working Nikon pros over the past couple of years. I had just picked up the D2H (used) from a private party before heading down to the show, never even used one before. But thanks to the superb ergonomics on Nikon's cameras, I was able to flow smoothly with the D2H based on my past experience with the D200, D1X, and D1H. Why would I want a 4 megapixel camera in this day and age? Well, when I was shooting Canon, the 4 megapixel EOS 1D was always one of my favorite cameras. Indeed, it is among my top five favorite cameras of all time. I loved the image quality, and file size from the 1D. From all accounts, the D2H is Nikon's equivalent.

The camera was a joy to handle, smooth as silk in its operation, and fast as a shark! Indeed, out of a few dozen shots, only two or three were really out of focus.
Image quality wise, well, I'm still making an assessment on that. Keep in mind, what looks great on a small web photo does not always translate that way on a full-sized image. Also keep in mind that every camera needs time for the user to realize its full potential. I'll have more to say about the D2H's image quality at a later date.

Back to event photography, if you get the chance to shoot an event...do it! No one expects event photos to be the most artsy or technically perfect masterpieces. It's all about capturing the moment, and cameras like the D2H are perfect for the job.

SPOTTING THE 30D/D30 AND THOUGHTS ON A NEW CANON

The above image is no joke. It was spotted at a local, large-chain electronics shop (BB). As you can see in the above photo, the camera being advertised was the current 8.2 mp EOS 30D, but the camera actually on display is the original 3 megapixel EOS D30!!

I knew something like this was bound to happen with the 30D/D30 naming schema, but not this way! And how did BB end up with a five year old, discontinued camera on their display? My guess is that some clever thief bought the 30D, and returned it, putting a D30 in the box. Either the store never caught on, or they did, and decided to display the D30, figuring no one would know the difference. And to be quite frank, most folks who shop there probably wouldn't! I hate to think anyone got swindled, but that dash of humor made my day. I think it's time for a new Canon!

Speaking of new Canons, the rumors on the forums indicate that there will be a new Rebel XTi, 10.1 megapixel digital slr. I can actually confirm that my sources also mentioned an XTi, so the name coincides with what the forum folks are talking about. As for the specifics, I don't know. My guys couldn't tell me anything about megapixels or features, just that the Canon rep mentioned an "XTi."

A few months back I wrote about why Canon may have released an 8 megapixel 30D, much to the disappointment of the Canonites who were expecting a 10mp camera to compete with the D200. The gist of it is that the 8mp's of the 30D were optimal for the sensor, and anything greater than 8mp's would disrupt the sales of the Canon 5D.

Well, I believe that was indeed true then, but the digital market moves so rapidly that now, just five months after I wrote that, Canon has so much heat from the competition, that I believe they will have to make a move soon. At that time, there was only the D200 to worry about. Now, not only do you have the still very hot D200, you have Nikon coming out with the 10.2mp D80 soon. Sony also released their 10.2mp A100. Canon no doubt has something in the wings on the digital slr front, and hopefully, we will see this during Photokina.

I feel the 8 megapixels of the 30D/20D/XT are optimal for many reasons, and that Canon does not need to produce higher resolution on the APS-C chip solely for image quality. But they will increase the megapixels for one reason: business. This is a game my friends, a very serious game, and it involves big money. People want higher megapixels even if most folks never exploit its full potential. Heck, I still enjoy files from my 4 and 5 megapixel cameras. But yes, this is a game of high stakes, and Canon will produce. This should be a fun digital season...

THOUGHTS ON THE NEW NIKON D80

When I first saw the teaser for the new D80, I was amused. They were basically saying,'new Nikon digital slr in 20 days.' Many people thought it was Nikon's way of stealing the thunder from the recently released Sony A100, and indeed, I know a few people who held out to see what Nikon had to offer.

When I first saw the images of the D80 floating around the net, I must admit I was not all that excited. It seemed a lot of people felt the same way. From those photos on the net, the camera looked 'chinzy' or 'cheesy' to me, almost like (pardon me) a 'girly-man' camera. Perhaps the Sony A100 at under $1000 did steal the show. There was very little of the hysteria that accompanied the D200's announcement. It is quite apparent that 10.2 megapixels is becoming the new standard. It will become what six megapixel sensors have been for a long time. The D80 is expected to be competitively priced at $999 USD for the body only, or $1299 with the 18-135mm kit lens.

Recently, I was able to look over the D80 closer through photos from a Nikon released press kit, not generally available for public consumption. Don't worry, there are no secrets in there, but the camera did look better to me. From the photos, the back of the camera looked quite a bit like the D200. With the optional grip, the camera should feel pretty good for folks who like a little bulk on their cameras. This is already one area where the D80 has an improvement over the D70/D70s. Nikon made no grip for the older D70/D70s, and many folks had to resort to buying clumsy aftermarket contraptions. This time they listened to the people.

The two lenses being released with the D80 looked pretty good too. The 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6G ED-IF AF-S lens should be a good all-arounder, and if it matched the performance of my old 18-70mm AF-S kit lens, I'd be happy with it. The 70-300mm f/4-5.6G ED-IF AF-S VR lens looks like a nice telephoto zoom. The press kit stated the lens had "a nine blade rounded diaphragm opening, out-of-focus elements appear more natural." That's Nikon's way of saying the lens will have nice bokeh.

The images from the D80 on Nikon's brochure looked very nice (as they always do), but as an available light shooter, I noticed that there were no low-light, high iso sample images. I believe there was a night shot in there, if I recall correctly, but shot at low iso. If they could improve on this area, even a little, from the D200, I could live with it.

You can read all the specs of the Nikon D80 on Nikon's website. The camera seems to be an overall improvement over the D70/D70s, a classic 'people's' camera. But ironically, there are some downgrades in my opinion. The D80 doesn't have the D70's 1/8000 shutter speed, it doesn't have the D70's 1/500 flash sync speed. It probably doesn't matter to many people, but if it matters to you, that's something to consider. I will have more to say on the D80 in the future; I do not plan on getting one, but I am sure some of my comrades will. Stay tuned.

Photo: Taken with the Fuji F11 Zoom, iso800

THE D200 MID-YEAR REPORT

After months of speculation, and then a big build-up, Nikon released the D200 on December 15, 2005 with much fanfare. I was one of the fortunate few who received a D200 in December. Seven months later, the camera is still a hot commodity, and still in short supply in certain spots, but generally available if you look around. We have learned so much about the camera, and what it can, and can't do in the past one hundred plus days. This is my personal breakdown of the D200:

BUILD (A): For the price, you cannot get a better built body. Of course, if you buy used, you can get a D1X, D2H or the Canon EOS 1D. But for a new camera at this price, the D200 wins hands down. Some people say it's like a digital F100. In many ways it is. It feels a bit less solid to me than the F100, and I think that's due to the inclusion of the built in flash, but I love the flash so I'm not complaining.

FEATURES (A+): You can read the specs on the D200 by going to the official Nikon site. What I like are the ability to choose ISOs in 1/3 increments, the multi-spot metering, and the high customization of the camera. It's even got a nifty (if gimmicky) multiple exposure mode! That's a feature that used to be included on select film cameras. Not neccessary in today's Photoshop world, but nice to have if only for fun, and creativity.

AUTO-FOCUS (A-): The D200 focuses very fast, and sure, even in low light. I am pretty much a portrait, and street shooter, so the D200's AF capabilities are more than adequate for my needs. However, according to an article on the "RG" pro sport forum site (do a Google search), the D200 did not do as well as the older EOS 20D when it came to shooting indoor, available light basketball. Here's a quote from that article, "More importantly, we've shot the D200 and 20D side-by-side for available light basketball over several weekends this winter, and the 20D is by far the better camera for this purpose. Not only were the ISO 800 through ISO 3200 frames massively cleaner and more usable, the percentage of in-focus frames was signficantly higher. In fact, we've ruled out using the D200 for this sort of assigment again." That is not a quote from me, but from a well respected sports photographer. Of course, I have seen some great sports images from the D200, so your mileage may very.

COLORS: The D200 produces very nice colors with beautiful tonality. On the default setting colors may look a little muted, just like the majority of digital cameras out there. Skin tones can be very beautiful, but like many other digital cameras, I've found that the D200 has a tendency to bleed the reds, especially in the shadows of caucasian, and Asian skin tones. Be careful with your lighting, and exposure here.

DYNAMIC RANGE: Like I said, this is not a lab review so I can't tell you how many stops of DR the D200 has. All I can say is that the camera seems to have quite a bit more DR than the D70/D70s with less clipping of the highlights, perhaps two stops better. I was impressed with the dynamic range performance of the D200.

RESOLUTION (A-/B+): The D200 is no doubt a high resolution camera. However, I cannot say that its resolution blew me away when I first looked at the files. I do not feel that I am seeing much more resolution than I saw with my EOS 20D, when I had that camera. This likely has to do with the 20D's pixel-level sharpness, which is very good, and the D200's, which I'd rate as good. The acuity of the D200's files are good, but not as good as the D2X or Canon 5D, two top double-digit megapixel slrs. Perhaps the D200 has a stronger AA filter, I am not sure. I know there is not a world of difference between an eight or ten megapixel camera, but I expected a little better. I was a Canon shooter for a long time, but this is not Canon bias. For instance, when I used the Canon 1Ds (11mp) Classic, I was disappointed with the amount of noise I saw. But with the 1Ds, although I saw a ton of noise, I saw a ton of detail as well. I cannot say the same with the D200, or more accurately stated, comparable details from the D200 are not as obvious. Don't get me wrong, you can get great detail from the D200 with a good lens, and careful processing. Remember this statement: good lenses, and good processing are the key to unlocking the detail, and resolution from the D200.

LOW-LIGHT, HIGH ISO (B-/C): Please remember that I am basing this on my personal style of shooting. When I say "low-light, high-iso" I don't mean putting your camera on a tripod, and shooting the night at iso 100! Nor do I mean shooting ISO 1600 during bright daytime conditions. That's not my definition. Since I do a lot available light work I need a camera that gives me the ability to shoot handheld in low-light, dark conditions with iso 1600 or 3200, and do it with confidence. Quite frankly, the D200 is good up to iso 800. Images can get quite noisy at speeds above iso 800, in really low-light conditions. Details can get mushy if you leave the in-camera noise reduction on. You can still get good detail at those high isos if lighting is adequate, and you process carefully. I prefer the noise reduction off as it further reduces detail. You can use Noise Ninja or Neat Image to reduce the noise, although that is not my personal preference. I have shot with both the EOS 20D, and 5D under the conditions I've mentioned, and can say honestly that the high iso performance of those two cameras are superior to the D200. Still, if you need it in a pinch, you can get good to decent results with the D200 if there is a decent amount of light to work with. In the Nikon line, the D200 is probably behind the D2Hs, and D50 for low-light work, in my experience. The folks who don't get what all the fuss with high iso performance is about, well, they probably don't need it. All I can tell you is for weddings, candids, and intimate shots, you cannot do without good low-light, high iso performance. Yes, I know how grainy even iso400 film was, but since this is no longer the film era, we can, and we do expect better from our digital cameras.

IMAGE QUALITY (A-/B+): Despite the slightly disappointing resolution, and high iso performance, the D200's image quality is really excellent at low isos (100-400), and I was impressed overall with the 13x19 prints I have made from the camera. The ability to print to A3 without interpolation is greatly welcomed, and the extra megapixels come in handy for cropping.

CONCLUSION: Nikon set the world on fire again with the introduction of the D200, just as they did way back in 1999 with the introduction of the D1. The D200 was probably the most highly anticipated camera of 2005, eclipsing even the EOS 5D. It is still one of the hottest cameras on the market right now. The D200 is no doubt, a very powerful, and versatile camera, but after the initial excitement of its release, we now know what its strengths, and weaknesses are. The camera requires a bit of a learning curve to get the best out of it. Those expecting a 10mp camera with the D70's "sharp out of camera" image quality were disappointed. Folks complained of "soft" images from the D200. Based on straight out of camera shots, the D200 files do look softer than we've come to expect from Nikon, especially when you consider that the D200 uses a ccd chip, normally thought of as offering sharper captures out of camera than the cmos chip. Let's face it, you and I may know the quality the D200 is capable of, but you have to admit, the general concensus from around the net is that the D200 produces soft images straight out of camera. Now you just cannot assume that everyone who says this is a newbie or doesn't know what they're doing.

Nikon users, after years of poking fun at the 'soft' Canon CMOS images got the surprise of a lifetime when they were presented with the softest 'Canon' yet...from Nikon!! But all joking aside, there is more to the D200 files than what comes straight out of camera. I have noticed in using the 1Ds, 5D, and D200, that once you get to the double-digit megapixel league, you must pay closer attention to your lenses, technique, and processing. Image shake is also much more noticeable. I have printed incredibly sharp, and vivid 13x19 shots from the D200, so I know it's not 'soft.' You really have to take time to learn this camera. Once you do, you too will be amazed at the quality you get from the D200. So is the D200 for you? If you have a D70, and never print above 11x14, I'd say no. If you are a Canon 20D/30D shooter, I'd say no. If you need a camera that will give you slightly better than 8mp files (iso 100-400), and you print large (13x19 and above), I'd say yes. If you need more room to crop your images, yes. If you are just a gear freak, I'd say no, but we both know the answer will be YES!! In conclusion, the D200 is not the be-all, end all camera we had hoped it would be, but considering its price, its build quality, and feature set, it is one of the best cameras available as of this writing. Just hold the camera in your hands for a few minutes, and you will fall in love. Let's face it: you want one!

Overall Rating (A): The D200 is without a doubt a class A camera. The camera is capable of very good to excellent image quality, but requires a little work getting there, especially if you're new to it. The power of the D200 comes from the package as a whole, and here the camera body itself scores a little stronger than image quality alone. The build, features, and layout inspires confidence, and encourages the owner to go out there and shoot. That in itself is the mark of a great camera.

Sammy's Memorable Quote (SMQ): "Nikon users, after years of poking fun at the 'soft' Canon CMOS images got the surprise of a lifetime when they were presented with the softest 'Canon' yet...from Nikon" -SC

Photo: Nikon D200 with 50mm f/1.2 AIS Nikkor
Photo Notes: © Sam Charupakorn, taken with Nikon D1X/50mm f/1.8 AF Nikkor

SONY ALPHA A100 FIRST IMPRESSIONS

The recently released 10.2 megapixel Sony A100 Alpha digital slr is the first child of the Sony-Konica Minolta merger. When I first heard about this a couple of months back, I was quite happy to see the specs. The industry needed something like this to shake things up, bring in competition, and drive prices down, all good things for us consumers.

I played with one briefly at a 'friendly' local Circuit City electronics store. The fact that there was already one on display, and one in stock at this early stage shows the marketing, and distribution power of Sony. I'm sure many of you remember the D200 debacle of waiting for the cameras to show up for sale, and the months of backorder. The A100 is already a hot seller, according to all documented reports. It is the first 10 megapixel slr for under $1000. The Nikon D80, announced yesterday (August 9, 2006) is the second.

The camera does indeed have the mold, and shape of the Konica Minolta 5D as folks have been saying. It feels a wee bit beefier, but it was very much like the KM 5D, a camera which I have experience with. The camera offers an 'improved' image stabilization function, and an anti-dust system built in. This is something I'd like to see from Canon, and Nikon.

I cannot say anything about autofocus or image quality since I did not get a chance to test it. In fact, the camera wasn't even powered to the ac adapter as the other cameras were in Circuit City.

I have to admit, the gear freak in me wanted one, but not enough to break the bank for money I don't have. Still, I'm glad it's on the market, and I hope Sony will continue to support, and expand its digital slr division. The A100 will allow the Konica Minolta legacy to live on through its devotees, and its lenses. And if it succeeds in sales, it should also be a wake up call to Canon, and Nikon, that we the consumers expect more for our money. Bravo to Sony!

Photo Notes: Baby CP, Sony Ericsson S710a