Digital-SLR Reviews

After years of being a very faithful Sony user (I still like Sony and their products) I finally did the big leap, as in my mind the technology is finally there ... I bought a Canon EOS-1Ds 11.1 Megapixel camera body. Out of necessity I had to buy a set of EF lenses as well. I spent this years toy budget on just one purchase, but then THIS IS NOT TOY!

My last Sony was a F828 and before that a P10. The F828 is a great consumer product for the price, but it actually made me do the leap as good as it is, as it brought back my spirit for creating a REALLY good picture. I started to spend so much time to get to the right photo spot at the right time, that I did not want to have a lack of functionality then. I used to do a lot of photography 20 years ago on film, but returned as a point and shoot fotographer when digital came about. To say it with fellow countryman 'Arnie' - "I'm back."

First I need to say that all Amazon partnershops performed and delivered flawlessly, my special mention goes to Adorama Camera. I would usually be worried to spend so much money on the web, but Amazon takes that away.

Now to the 'beast' itself the EOS-1Ds body. I will not go into all the functional details, as to my mind they are all correct as stated. The camera is great to hold and work with total confidence. But at first - big disappointment. I was unable to concentrate on working with a professional camera. I was too used to point and shoot and expected the camera to do it all for me. Well, it does not. You need to know or learn photography for this one. It is now four weeks and 2500 pictures later and finally there is only one reason for a photo not to be perfect - ME!

Biggest difference to other products is the film-size 24x36 CCD and the ability to set the ASA film sensitivity up to 1250 on the fly rather than having to change film. Not always is a tripod at hand or the photo subject would wait until you set it up and then hold still for a 2 second exposure. I could not ask the helicopter pilot to stop the vibration during a dawn flight over the Las Vegas Strip. Setting to ASA1250 shortened exposure time to s/50. The picture noise that you get as a consequence is dramatically reduced by the noise reduction feature and much less than the grain of a high-sensitivity film.

Cautions and recommendations: Learning how to clean the sensor from dust and dirt without damaging it is essential. This camera is VERY heavy you will need a strong tripod to hold it. Buy a second battery, even so the charging is quick and it usually lasts for two normal days of use. Using a CF card reader is easier than buying a Firwire attachment for your PC. Use 2GB high-speed Compactflash for convenience, it will give you 400 pictures in JPG. Feel free to send me questions, which I will answer as much as I can.

I have shot 35mm for 30 years and paid for the best prints from the best labs and they just can't compare with high end digital prints. The detail goes way beyond 35mm and easily challenges medium format. I am still learning color manipulation on the computer and occasionally I get better color from a Velvia slide - which I am now shooting with the same Canon lenses and a 1v body - but overall it is becoming increasingly clear that film is as dead as video tape and vinyl records. I traded up to the 1Ds from a D60, which also produced prints much better than 35mm. The drawback to the D60 was a poor autofocus and a less than full frame sensor, which limits the use of wide angle lenses for landscape photos. The 1Ds solves those problems and potentially makes larger format cameras obsolete at the same time.

The only problem I have found is that the 45 sensor autofocus setting does not work with a very wide angle (16mm or 15mm fisheye) lens. For some reason, it won't focus at infinity. Switching to the center only focus sensor solves the problem. The 1v and Elan 7 do the same thing.

Our rep brought an EOS-1Ds into the lab for us to look at last week. I'm still pouring over the test bench and outdoor images with my jaw on the floor. I'll never be able to afford this beauty, but if we see the technology of the 1Ds make it into the prosumer market, I'll make the jump. Many of the so-called limitations of digital photography have been directly addressed in the design of the 1Ds.

For example, the small physical dimensions of consumer camera CCDs have limited the performance of many cameras. It's nearly impossible to collect and focus light onto a small CCD with inexpensive optics. Canon uses a larger size CCD in the 1Ds. That upgrade, plus having the CCD house 11 megapixels makes this camera instantly competitive with 35 mm film. Note, I'm not yet ready to say it's the equivalent, but it's so close now that the few advantages of film have much less leverage now. The future is here and it is now. If only I had 8 grand in my pocket...

I didn't have enough time with the 1Ds to get to know all of the bells and whistles, but did find it easy enough to use by just trusting my intuition. I'm looking at the nice collection of Canon 35 mm lenses I already own (which will fit the 1Ds) and my palms are sweating. Maybe I could sell a few of the toys I don't use much and eat macaroni and cheese for a few years?

Canon's EOS-1D-Mark-II -Best Performer of the Decade..
Reviewer: Jim Wilson (fau@bellsouth.net) Boca Raton, Florida, USA, June 3rd, 2004/9pm

Canon's EOS-1D-Mark-II -Best Performer of the Decade.....

This mini-review will give some initial impressions with the first week of use and testing. I was one of the early users of the DCS-560 Canon/Kodak cameras, which was great camera for its time however at $25m a copy. Looking at this new Mark-II with its feature set, pixel count, image quality, speed, in camera processing parameters, 8+ fps.... the list goes on and on... what a performer. This digital camera has almost everything for a broad range of uses. With 8.2MP sensor and using LizardTech's PrintPro to up-size the image 250% produces huge images which would challenge the best medium format digital backs. The images are pure, clean, crisp, and accurate. If you're a RAW shooter the included software will give all the post imaging adjusting one can imagine. Many of my assignments have good or controlled lighting therefore I'm quite happy with in-camera processing. I go with +1 or +2 ticks on the sharpening, and +1 on the color so the skin tones are more towards tan. This heavy duty camera, literally heavy, is such a wonderful piece to work with, its worth the extra size and weight. When one combines this camera with Canon's line of "L" series lenses, this gives the user an incredible feeling of confidence when on assignment, whether taking pictures of products, food, science, fashion, engineering, construction, or action sports for NCAA events. This camera also re-defines quality low-light imaging. An ISO of 1600 produces images with very good results, and images at 3200 are surprisingly sharp, which until today was unheard of. ISOs of 50 through 1250 produce clean noise-free, or near-noise-free beautiful images.

As to image sizes, when shooting in JPEG mode, the user may change the JPEG compression settings from numeric values from 1-10, as with Photoshop when saving images. I set the JPEG value to 10 which produces file size of about 6 million bytes +/- 1 million bytes, depending on image detail and light level; low light, high ISO will result in higher image sizes. Therefor with a 2GB data card expect 330 image capacity. Using the FireWire interface, downloads average 5.5MB images at the rate of about 10 per minute.

As an opinion, in the future several items Canon could work on to improve this already beautiful masterpiece:

1. Use a full 24mmx36mm imager
2. Increase pixel dimensions to 3600x5400 pixels
3. Increase near-noiseless ISO's to 6400
4. Decrease camera weight and size
5. Change battery system to Lithium-Ion.
6. Provide an extra-bright 3" diagonal LDC display.
7. Oh why not, ...lets ask for 12 fps.

James L Wilson, Prof., Principles.of.Digital.Photography and.Post.Image.Processing Florida.Atlantic.University Boca.Raton.Campus Operating.Entity.BocaDigital.LLC. Quality.Digital.Imaging Post.Office.Box.520 Boca.Raton.Florida.USA.33429 Internet.E.Mail.Address For.Faculty.and.Students.mail.use: FAU@bellsouth.net For.Other.Business.mail.please.use: BocaDigital@bellsouth.net Desk.561.416.1110 SecureFax.561.892.2681

Comments: It is important to read the included documentation so that one can utilize (some of) the large feature-set. Its worth the effort since the features provided solve most of the photographer's needs.

Professor Jim Wilson, "Principles of Digital Photography"

I have owned a Canon TX and Canon 650 film cameras. I was always very happy with my Canon film cameras. I bought the 10d thinking that I was finally able to get a digital replacement for my old Canon film cameras.

I have now owned my 10d for over a year. The picture quality is only fair. It often selects ISO 100 and gives me fuzzy pictures. The white balance is extremely poor compared with the film cameras. The "full automatic" mode does a poor job of focus and white balance. The "creative" modes are similar to the film cameras but don't seem to work so very well. I am just having a terrible time trying to get the settings right to get good pictures! After a year of trying I am extremely frustrated with it.

Finally, the print pictures I get from it are _always_ too dark. It seems I need to post-process EVERY PICTURE in photoshop to get the gamut correct, or brighten/enhance/correct the photos to make them look right. Argh!

It's all probably user error, but I never had these problems with my old film cameras. If I could easily get PhotoCDs made I would go back to film immediately!

Ahh, the $1500 magic number. I couldn't resist, and finally succumbed to digital. I've been shooting for 20 years with medium format cameras, old rangefinders, and classic manual Nikon lenses on my old Nikkormat. For some time, I was certain that digital couldn't approach the qualities of film.

I thought they'd never achieve the film effects that I got so easily with my traditional camera, like flaring highlights, shallow focus, atmospheric low-light stuff, skin tones, etc.. The digital images looked hi hi-rez video stillls, especially highlights- they looked like buzzy video.

Well, the 10D does all these things, and does them better than film. I believe in the long run it does them cheaper, and it definitely does them faster, as I'm not scanning for 3 hours a night. The first lens I bought was a 35mm f2, and it's been fantastic. With the 1.6 focal length multiplier, it's similar to having a classic 50/1.4 on your film SLR. Very nice out-of-focus effects. With the 35/2 mounted and the camera on ISO 800, you'd have a hard time convincing me that any 800 spead film could come even close the images I've gotten. With a fast lens, the low light capability of this camera is astounding. But that's just one of the good things. Having different ISO films in different cameras, or chanding film mid-roll, I am so not missing that hassle. There's no shutter lag to speak of. The build quality is very good.

The engineering and interface design are absolutely first rate. If you've used older manual cameras and have a good understand of photography, you will be amazed at how intuitive the controls are. All the most often-used settings are right there under your fingertips- white balance, focus zones and servo behavior, drive rate, ISO settings and metering patterns. No matter what you're fiddling with or how deep into the menus you are, the shutter release puts you right back into shooting mode immediately. The control wheels on the top and back do just the things you'd expect them to in a given exposure mode, and they do it with a precision and certainty that left me never wanting to go back to my old cameras. (This is nothing new for anyone used to even a Canon Rebel G, but it's sobering for a classic camera user.) Choose exact shutter speeds or f-stops, or tweak exposure by half or third stops right there as you look through the viewfinder.

I've seen talk on the web about softness in the images. Personally I'm pleased with it. You can always sharpen more later, and as they are straight from the camera, there are no aliasing artifacts at all. I believe the antialising filter is the source of this "softness". When you zoom into details, it looks more like a film image than a pixel-based digital image. How could anyone complain about that? Tight details like eye highlights- these look like organic details, not jaggy pixels. With over 3000 pixels across, I don't know what more people would want: you have to zoom in very tight to see this, so I don't know what people are expecting. At 8X10, prints look plenty sharp to me.

What else . . . the metering is very good. Backlit subjects in front of windows are handled perfectly. The skin tones are just gorgeous. The flare control and color fidelity of the Canon lenses is very very good, and I'm using the cheap stuff. The L series is certainly better still if you're well heeled.

The dynamic range is still definitely not as wide as that of film- maybe close to slide film, but any negative film on a bright sunny day still kicks the -- out of digital in terms the brightest and darkest tones it can capture. The 10D is light years ahead of snapshot-type digital cameras in this regard.

If I had one big gripe it would have to be the myopic feeling of looking through the viewfinder- a result of the CMOS chip being smaller than a standard 35mm frame. The optics of the viewfinder are still built for 35, just masked off for the smaller sensor size, so you sort of get the impression of looking down a long hallway at the image. If you've ever picked up a Canon EOS film camera, (or the new EOS 1Ds with its full frame chip) the big, glorious presentation is pretty impressive by comparison. That, coupled with the 1.6X focal length multiplication is such a waste of a lens capability- you're only getting the center 60% of the lens's image. (By the way, that one review in here that talks about multiplying or dividing the image resolution by 1.6 or whatever- it's complete cockamamie. It's the focal length of the lens that's multiplied. The resolution of the camera has nothing to do with it.) The whole 1.6X thing is a royal pain, and I'll be glad when full frame chips are cheap enough and the world can step back up and stop doing all the conversion stuff.

Otherwise- its easily the best DSLR out there right now.

This camera is everything I desired in a digital camera and so much more. While other kids played baseball and football I grew up with a Pentax MX strapped around my neck. Photography was and is my passion. This camera allows me the expression I always dreamed of. Combined with Adobe Photoshop, this is the best camera/darkroom setup I've ever worked with!

This camera was the best investment in my photography that I could have imagined. Without the cost and concern of film and processing, I was free to make as many photos as I wanted, and to adjust the settings to learn about the effect of such control. With my EOS lenses, my existing investment was prolonged. I have printed and posted much of my work, and the quality has met or exceeded local labs.

The D30 is a great camera and takes outstanding photos. I will put it up against my friend's Nikon any day and his camera cost much more. The battery life on the D30 is amazing as I expected the same life as that on the Nikon. Instead, the battery on the D30 just keeps shooting after the Nikon is dead. This is not to knock the Nikon as it is one of the premier cameras around and is a true professional camera, but the Canon will match it picture for picture for less money. Either camera will make you a very happy photographer. I regularly use a Canon EOS 35mm. camera so the transition to the digial is very easy as the controls are so similar. The fact that I can use my Canon image stabilized lenses makes it even better. The D30 does call for one of the EX flash units, so that will add to the cost; however, the on-camera flash also works well . Picture quality is outstanding. I have had no problem with the software, but I generally download all pictures to my computer and do any adjusting, etc. with Photoshop. Hookup to the computer by way of USB is a snap and downloading is fast.

If you want the ultimate in digital photography, the Canon D30 is the ticket as of December 2000 -- especially if you already own Canon EOS lenses, because they're completely compatible. Canon won't call this a "Pro" camera, because it's not as weather-tight as pro models, but the body is rugged and the output is first-rate.

The D30 has enough features for professional photographers, yet a novice can get great looking pictures from the start. As you learn more about the camera and its capabilities, your images really start to shine.

Want to experiment with long-exposure photography? Go right ahead! Feedback is instant. No more waiting for processing. No more developing costs. Want to blow up your photo to 8x12 inches? No problem. With a little massaging via Adobe Photoshop (tm) and/or Genuine Fractals (tm), even poster-sized prints look great, using photo paper and a photo-quality inkjet printer. Software to get you going, including Photoshop LE, is included.

The D30 accepts IBM Microdrives (1 gigabite of storage in the camera!) as well as compact flash. The included 16 meg flash card is enough to test the camera, but you'll really want to get something bigger, right away. The D30 offers a variety of image compression options -- including the Raw format, which allows the most flexibility and avoids jpeg artifacts. The wide variety of storage options means freedom to shoot at will and experiment. An included cable allows you to connect your camera to your computer's USB port and download images at will.

As I said, all Canon EOS lenses will work with the D30, but there is one difference to consider. Because the CMOS chip is smaller than a 35mm negative, the field of view is different. For example, a 100 mm lens on an EOS film camera works like a 160 mm lens on the D30. They call it a 1.6x multiplier effect, but what it means is that long-distance shooting is easier, and to get wide angle shots, you have to get a REALLY wide lens. For example, a 14mm aspherical wide angle results in a 22mm wide angle shot on the D30.

When the D30 was first released in the Fall of 2000, the demand was far beyond what Canon could produce... in the United States and around the World. As of this writing, the cameras are still in short supply, but well worth the effort and the investment. Kudos to Amazon for adding the D30 to their digital photography offerings.

I purchased this camera about 6 months ago, it's a great camera and I haven't had 1 problem with it. I bought a few accessories..EX420 Flash, Canon 75-300 lens (there least expensive one, USM & IS wasn't an issue me)
lt's fast in auto focus. Purchased the battery grip also. Camera looks good, the grip helps with vert. shots and you have a slot for a second battery. Bought after market battery for $9.99 instead of $49.99 for OEM (look @ EBAY for batteries). If you purchase this camera you'll be very satisfied!

I upgraded from my 4-yr old Kodak DC-260 digital to the Canon Digital Rebel in October, 2003 and am glad I convinced myself to do so dispite the $1000 price tag. This is an absolutely outstanding, high-quality camera that can be used by any novice in fully automatic point-and-shoot mode as well as in several other user-selectable priority modes that provide the advanced user with professional level control capabilities. Picture quality is outstanding, and the auto-focus and auto-exposure are the best I have experienced. Although it has a thousand buttons and controls, I found even the advanced features relatively easy to learn and use after reading the detailed owners manual. It also comes with a lot of great software; I especially like Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0 which costs over $80 when purchased separately. Definately order the camera with the optional Canon 18-55MM zoom lens which is perfectly suited to the camera, and a type-II compact flash card of at least 256 MB (I have a very fast 512 MB SimpleTech type-II CF card that works perfectly with this camera and holds over 150 shots at max resolution). After two months of use I have no negative comments about this camera -- its fantastic.

If you've been using a digital point-and-shoot for a while and you want to upgrade, you couldn't do any better than this camera. If you can operate a high-end P&S camera, you can operate the Digital Rebel. Simply choose your shooting mode (i.e. closeup, landscape, portrait, sports, etc.), press the shutter button halfway down to autofocus, then press the button all the way down. First you'll notice how fast the autofocus function is: you won't have to worry about missing shots. Then you'll see the photos, and you'll be amazed. If you use the "Large/Fine" setting, you'll have files which easily be printed at 16"x20" without any discernible loss of quality ... try doing THAT with the photos from your 3MP point compact.

But wait, there's more.

You CAN use this camera as a fancy point-and-shoot... or, if you invest a little time and study, you can get creative. The Digital Rebel allows you to control aperature, shutter speed, ISO settings, white balance, autofocus points, etc. It also allows you to use any Canon EF (autofocus) lens -- over sixty at last count. Telephoto lenses, wide-angle lenses, macro lenses which allow extreme closeups ... you're limited only by your imagination, and your accessory budget.

If you already own a film SLR and want to go digital, you're going to love this baby... especially if you own a Canon autofocus SLR. You'll be able to use your old lenses, flashes, and filters, and you'll be saving money on film and developing. Professionals may want to spend the extra $600 or so for the Canon 60D; it allows a bit more flexibility with light metering and has a more sturdy magnesium body which will better withstand the rigors of photojournalism ... but this is more than enough camera for anybody who isn't going to be using it to earn their daily bread.

One last bit of advice: get this one fast. Based on the buzz it's generated in various photo magazines, I'm guessing that the Digital Rebel will be flying off the shelves. Buy now before you get stuck in backorder purgatory.

I purchased this camera about 6 months ago, it's a great camera and I haven't had 1 problem with it. I bought a few accessories..EX420 Flash, Canon 75-300 lens (there least expensive one, USM & IS wasn't an issue me)
lt's fast in auto focus. Purchased the battery grip also. Camera looks good, the grip helps with vert. shots and you have a slot for a second battery. Bought after market battery for $9.99 instead of $49.99 for OEM (look @ EBAY for batteries). If you purchase this camera you'll be very satisfied!

I upgraded from my 4-yr old Kodak DC-260 digital to the Canon Digital Rebel in October, 2003 and am glad I convinced myself to do so dispite the $1000 price tag. This is an absolutely outstanding, high-quality camera that can be used by any novice in fully automatic point-and-shoot mode as well as in several other user-selectable priority modes that provide the advanced user with professional level control capabilities. Picture quality is outstanding, and the auto-focus and auto-exposure are the best I have experienced. Although it has a thousand buttons and controls, I found even the advanced features relatively easy to learn and use after reading the detailed owners manual. It also comes with a lot of great software; I especially like Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0 which costs over $80 when purchased separately. Definately order the camera with the optional Canon 18-55MM zoom lens which is perfectly suited to the camera, and a type-II compact flash card of at least 256 MB (I have a very fast 512 MB SimpleTech type-II CF card that works perfectly with this camera and holds over 150 shots at max resolution). After two months of use I have no negative comments about this camera -- its fantastic.

If you've been using a digital point-and-shoot for a while and you want to upgrade, you couldn't do any better than this camera. If you can operate a high-end P&S camera, you can operate the Digital Rebel. Simply choose your shooting mode (i.e. closeup, landscape, portrait, sports, etc.), press the shutter button halfway down to autofocus, then press the button all the way down. First you'll notice how fast the autofocus function is: you won't have to worry about missing shots. Then you'll see the photos, and you'll be amazed. If you use the "Large/Fine" setting, you'll have files which easily be printed at 16"x20" without any discernible loss of quality ... try doing THAT with the photos from your 3MP point compact.

But wait, there's more.

You CAN use this camera as a fancy point-and-shoot... or, if you invest a little time and study, you can get creative. The Digital Rebel allows you to control aperature, shutter speed, ISO settings, white balance, autofocus points, etc. It also allows you to use any Canon EF (autofocus) lens -- over sixty at last count. Telephoto lenses, wide-angle lenses, macro lenses which allow extreme closeups ... you're limited only by your imagination, and your accessory budget.

If you already own a film SLR and want to go digital, you're going to love this baby... especially if you own a Canon autofocus SLR. You'll be able to use your old lenses, flashes, and filters, and you'll be saving money on film and developing. Professionals may want to spend the extra $600 or so for the Canon 60D; it allows a bit more flexibility with light metering and has a more sturdy magnesium body which will better withstand the rigors of photojournalism ... but this is more than enough camera for anybody who isn't going to be using it to earn their daily bread.

One last bit of advice: get this one fast. Based on the buzz it's generated in various photo magazines, I'm guessing that the Digital Rebel will be flying off the shelves. Buy now before you get stuck in backorder purgatory.