Nikon D4 Vs. Canon EOS 1D X

October 10, 2023January 4, 2012 by Dan Carr

Just a few days before CES 2012 and the specs for the Nikon D4 have been accidentally leaked on a website (reported but not named by Nikon Rumors). They also published a photo of the new Nikon D4. Given that we already know all about the Canon 1D X we can now take a proper look at latest and greatest from the big two. While the D4 will be the second of the two to be unveiled, it will in fact be available in stores in February compared to late March for the 1D X. Amazon actually has the D4 …

Canon EOS-1D X Tech Note: No AF with f8 Lenses

October 12, 2023October 19, 2011 by Dan Carr

I wanted make a brief post to mention this information that was pointed out to me by my friend Colby Brown. It used to be the case that only Canon 1-series cameras could focus with lenses with a minimum aperture of f8. It was a feature that set them apart and above the rest of the lineup, albeit only the center AF point worked. Now Canon doesn’t manufacture any lenses that have such a small minimum aperture natively but there are plenty of ways to get there by using extenders. The newly announced Canon EOS-1D X (their new flagship!) DOES …

Fuji X10 Vs. X100

October 12, 2023August 30, 2011 by Dan Carr

The Fuji x100 is a phenomenally successful camera, even 6 months after it hit store shelves it’s still in short supply. I reviewed it myself and fell in love with it but the price tag isn’t for everyone, neither is the fixed 24mm prime lens. In September 2011 Fujifilm announced the X10 which addresses both of these considerations so I figured I would write up a comparison to help people choose between the two. At first glance they look fairly similar as both are based around the same rear screen and controls and a similar magnesium chassis but in fact …

Fuji x100 Full Review Including Firmware Update Impressions

October 12, 2023June 27, 2011 by Dan Carr

Boy has this been a long time coming! We first learned about the Fuji x100 way back in September 2010 where it was shown in prototype form at Photokina. The internet was instantly ablaze with hands on impressions (as much as you can get from a prototype) and forums were full of excited people in love with Fuji’s classic design. An astute move by Fuji’s marketing department capitalized on peoples desire and the official x100 page gradually leaked a series of in-depth preview articles discussing every aspect of the camera over the next 8 months. By the time they actually …

Canon T3i – Video Digital Zoom Function

October 10, 2023March 31, 2011 by Dan Carr

In Feb. 2011 Canon launched the Rebel T3i. Occasionally consumer level products offer a sneak peek at something which may filter up to pro gear in a more refined manner. The T3i, or 600D depending on where you live has one such interesting feature. The feature in question is called Video Digital Zoom. Now before you all yell BLEUGH …. digital zoom sucks… bare with me. Yes in general digital zoom does suck so this feature comes with some caveats. Unfortunately Canon has not provided any information on exactly how they are implementing this zoom mode so there is a …

Canon T3i Vs. T3 (600D Vs.1100D) Which one is for you ?

October 10, 2023February 7, 2011 by Dan Carr

It’s not very often that Canon announces multiple SLR cameras on the same day, and even rarer that the two place next to each other in the product lineup. Canon just announced (FEB 2011) the new T3i and T3 DSLRS, also called the 600D and 1100D depending on whether you are in N.America or Europe. For the rest of the article I will refer to them using the N.American nomenclature of T3i and T3 but the European models are just the same! The consumer DSLR market has become incredibly competitive over the last few years especially with Sony flexing their …

5dMKII bit rate hack! Magic lantern firmware update.

October 20, 2023December 6, 2010 by Dan Carr

Fans and users of the Canon 5dMKII will probably remember Tramm Hudson’s incredible firmware update that he created LONG before Canon did to allow for various additional features like audio meters, zebra stripes and a feature to disable the auto audio gain. Well ever since Canon’s own 24p firmware update that also included manual audio control, all has been quiet from Tramm and his Magic Lantern firmware. Until today! Tramm has just released a new version of his firmware and this time it follows in a similar direction to the popular Panasonic GH1 bit rate hack. Essentially it allows you …

Canon 5d MKIII speculation

October 20, 2023November 24, 2010 by Dan Carr

Ok lets have some fun this week! What would you like to see from Canon in the 5d MKIII ? I asked myself this question and this is what I came up with. There’s no doubt that the 5D MKII was a revolutionary camera both in terms of it’s video capabilities and also it’s full frame still image quality at a much more affordable price than then 1DS MKIII. I have no official information on 1DS sales figures but it’s pretty safe to assume they took a huge hit with the 5D MKII’s introduction, to the point where the ever …

A date with the Leica M9

October 20, 2023November 8, 2010 by Dan Carr

Last week I wrote about my experiences with the Leica X1. While I was down in Vancouver I also had the opportunity to have a more extended test period with the Leica M9. 50mm Summicron on the left with a 35mm Summilux on the M9 First a bit of a history lesson. The M7 and MP were the last of the film rangefinders and the first digital Leica , the M8, was introduced in 2006 with a 10.3MP 1.3 crop sensor. An incremental improvement was made in 2008 with the M8.2 which still employed the same 10MP sensor but with …

Impressions of the Leica X1

October 10, 2023November 1, 2010 by Dan Carr

The X1 was launched by Leica alongside the M9 back in September 2009 and a new all black version was displayed at Photokina this year, set to ship within the next month. For those unfamiliar with this camera there are a few stand out features that immediately set this camera apart from other compacts. Firstly Leica have managed to squeeze a 12MP APS-C sized sensor into the diminutive X1 body which is an impressive achievement and immediately gives it an advantage over most other compact cameras. Secondly the X1 features a fixed 24mm Leica Elmarit lens. Elmarit in Leica land …

Nikon D7000 Vs.Canon 60D Vs. Canon 7D

October 10, 2023September 16, 2010 by Dan Carr

Hot on the heels of Canon’s 60D announcement, Nikon has today revealed the successor to the popular D90 consumer DSLR, the D7000. Both of these cameras have made some considerable improvements on their predecessors and consumers these days are really starting to see higher end features trickle down into the lower end bodies. Last week I wrote an article comparing the Canon 7d with the 60D which was very popular and designed to give the Canon shooters a few pointers as to which might be the best camera for them. This week it’s going to be a Nikon Vs. Canon …

Camera choice, thoughts from an over crowded camera bag.

September 12, 2023February 6, 2010 by Dan Carr

I’m in the lucky position right now to have all three of Canons latest cameras sitting here in front of me. I have been using the 5dMKII since January last year , I purchased a 7d in August and just over two weeks ago I picked up the new Canon 1dMKIV. Whilst I’m not going to do exhaustive comparative testing between all the cameras (I simply don’t have the time to do this and plenty of websites out there will do this anyway) I thought I should collect together some of the thoughts I have had whilst using these cameras. …