Digital Photography Tips and Techniques

DPReview got some juicy details of the new Canon EOS 450D, aka Rebel XSi. It has many first time features on the entry level Canon DSLR, such as Secure Digital (SD) format flash card, spot metering (4% at center), verification data (original decision data), highlight tone priority (“expose-to-the-right”), ISO in viewfinder, custom settings menu (My Menu), high ISO noise reduction (NR), etc.

With its low price of $800 (body only) and the nice set of features, the new Canon EOS 450D/Rebel XSi will put some pressure on Nikon’s aging D80. Since D80 has been out for more than a year now, I’d imagine the successor to D80 will be out soon (want some rumors?).

Read more details of Canon EOS 450D:

• Press release and specifications (DPReview)
• Hands on (DPReview)

Nikon’s flagship Digital SLR camera is reviewed by Bjørn Rørslett. Read it here. This is a great review that is totally different compared to the typical DPReview reviews. It has a comparison of DX vs. FX sensor format using Nikon D300 and D3 I found very interesting.

Sigma recently updated its 18-200mm super zoom lens to be D40/D40x friendly with a built-in auto focus motor. The press release states,

Sigma Corporation is pleased to announce the launch of the new 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 DC for Nikon. This high zoom ratio lens, designed exclusively for digital SLR cameras, covers wide angle to telephoto focal lengths. The built-in motor is capable of autofocusing with all Nikon DSLR cameras. Two SLD (Special Low Dispersion) lenses and two Aspherical glass elements provide excellent correction for all types of aberration. Sigma’s super multi-layer coating reduces flare and ghosting and provides high image quality throughout the zoom range. The compact and lightweight construction of 70mm (2.8″) in diameter, 75.6mm (3.0″) in length and 395g (13.9oz) makes it ideal for field work. This lens has a minimum focusing distance of 45cm (17.7″) and a maximum magnification of 1:4.4. An inner focusing system also eliminates front lens rotation, making this lens particularly suitable for using the petal lens hood and circular polarizing filters. A zoom lock switch mechanism is provided to prevent the lens from creeping due to its own weight.

This is apparently not a professional grade lens (lack of the EX label), but it should a good candidate for people who are looking for a light weight super zoom intended for walk-around and travel lens. For people who wants more reach, the Tamron AF18-250mm F/3.5-6.3 Di-II LD Aspherical (IF) Macro, which also has a built-in AF motor and is D40/D40x friendly, is also worth considering.

Sigma actually has four different 18-200mm zoom lenses. If you are confused by the Sigma’s lens offerings, you may want to check out its complete lens line-up.

Like always, most people seem to be very happy about their Nikon D300 but there are some that are not. Here is a collection reviews of the Nikon D300 digital SLR.

• Nikon D300 hands on preview by DPReview
• Nikon D300 Preview/Review by Imaging Resources
• Nikon D300 Preview and Comparison vs. D200 by Digital Review
• Nikon D300 hands-on review by DigitalRev
• Nikon D300 review by Camera Labs
• Nikon D300 review by Digital Camera Resource Page (DCRP)
• Nikon D300 review by Ken Rockwell
• Nikon D300 Camera Test by PopPhoto
• Nikon D3 and D300 first impressions by e-Photographia
• Nikon D300 first look review by e-Photozine

This list will be continuously updated as more reviews come out. Last updated: December 14, 2007.

Nikon announced the introduction of the AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR, a new DX-NIKKOR zoom lens with built-in Silent Wave Motor (SWM) and Vibration Reduction (VR). This is the update to the original non-VR version. This lens is for people just getting started with Nikon digital SLR camera. It may get bundled as a “kit lens” with Nikon digital SLR cameras in the future.

Certainly this is a welcome update to the consumer grade lens. For people not familiar with vibration reduction (VR) or image stabilization (IS) in Canon’s term, the VR function helps to minimizes the chance of getting blurry images caused by camera shake, providing the ability to shoot at shutter speeds much slower (up to three stops, or 8 times, with this lens) than would otherwise be possible. This is especially helpful for handhold shooting in low light situations such as dusk or at night, or poorly lit interiors. It is also helpful when shooting from a vibrating platform such as a moving boat or vehicle. Unlike in-camera VR available in many other DSLRs, in-lens VR like this also produces a stable viewfinder image. This makes framing and composition much more comfortable and accurate. Read More…

Perhaps you have heard about the well known photographers who have been using the professional Nikon D3. Evidently that is part of the Nikon’s grassroots marketing strategy. Rob Galbraith has a collection of full resolution D3 photos at various ISO settings from 200 to 25600 (insane!) taken by professional photographers and shows you how capable the Nikon D3 is. His overall impression on the high ISO performance comparison between the D3 and Canon 1D Mark III:

… while there are differences in the appearance of image graininess - Canon’s grain pattern is tighter - there’s no doubt that the D3 produces a less noisy, higher quality file at ISO 3200 and beyond. This is an incredible achievement on Nikon’s part.

However, it appears the Canon EOS 1D Mark III still shines, perhaps due to its resolution advantage:

On the other hand, EOS-1D Mark III files at any ISO - especially CR2s processed through Canon’s Digital Photo Professional - are generally slightly crisper and more detailed …

I am happy to see a Canon vs. Nikon duel like this. This is market force at its best. Consumers will benefit.

If you are in the market for a new or used lens, the following lens databases may be useful.

Canon mount:

The Lens Database

Canon EOS SLR camera system lenses

Minolta Sony:

Minolta Sony alpha lens database

Konica Minolta official product site

Nikon mount:

Official Nikon Imaging current lens product pageNikon Lens information (serial numbers, specifications, accessories, and summary)

Nikkor Autofocus lenses database

Pentax K-Mount:

Pentax K-Mount Page

Non-specific:

Lens database at photodoto

I am trying to create a one-stop lens database collections for all SLR cameras. Please let me know if you know a good lens database not listed above.

Nikon has posted some new D300 sample photos. It used to have only two samples a while ago. The maximum ISO setting on the new samples is ISO 400. However you should have plenty of high ISO (unofficial) samples to check out.