Monthly Archive for January, 2008

I don’t want to turn this blog into a place where you can find digital camera feature comparisons, but since Google is sending quite a few people towards my Canon 450D vs. Nikon D60 article, I might quickly mention that Sony has announced two new entry-level DSLRs that could be an interesting alternative to the “big two”: the Sony Alpha A300 and Sony Alpha A350. Priced at $800 and $900 with a 18-70mm kit lens, respectively, they compete head-to-head with the 450D and the D60.

One has to wonder, however, at Sony’s marketing strategy. The two models are basically the same camera, the A300 being lower resolution (10MP instead of 14MP) and faster (3fps instead of 2fps). Every other specification seems to be exactly identical.

Personally, I would have no doubts and go for the A300 every day, saving $100, and you know how much I value megapixels: 10 looks plenty to me. But won’t two products which are so similar tend to confuse most buyers? Add to the mix the A200, which costs $100 less but does not have either Live View or a tiltable LCD, and the potential for confusion increases. I would personally be content with having to choose only between the A200 and the A300, but maybe Sony just wanted to one-up Canon in the silly megapixel race.

In anticipation of PMA 2008, the big names in digital photography, Canon and Nikon, just announced new additions to their line of DSLRs, with a new entry-level model each: to the 450D (a.k.a. Digital Rebel XSi) announcement from the Canon front, Nikon responded with the D60. Let’s see how they stack up against each other, by comparing specifications in a totally unscientific and subjective way. I will try to focus on the differences that really matter in practice, according to my judgment, brushing away briefly the megapixels issue.

The Canon has a 12 megapixel sensor, the Nikon only has 10. If you think this makes any difference, think again. The difference in linear dimensions is only about 10% (4272 vs. 3872 pixels) and 10MP is already plenty resolution for printing at sizes most people consider reasonable. People who print larger are not going to use an entry-level DSLR anyway.

Both cameras are sold in a kit version that includes a good 18-55mm zoom lens with an anti-shake system. Canon calls its system IS (Image Stabilization), whereas Nikon calls it VR (Vibration Reduction), but it’s just the same thing. This feature alone, combined with high ISO sensitivity, makes it possible to shoot hand-held in situations that would have required the use of a tripod previously. This is also a feature that is entirely implemented inside the lens, so you don’t need a new body to exploit it, just a new lens with IS/VR.

Both cameras have auto-ISO (sensitivity). This is very important, as it allows you to shoot in situations where the lighting is going to change dramatically between shots. Set the camera to P (Program mode) or A (Aperture priority) and auto-ISO and shoot away without adjusting sensitivity when going from brightly lit areas to darker ones. Reportedly, Canon’s auto-ISO setting only covers the 100-400 ISO range, which is somewhat limited. The D60’s sensitivity can also be set as high as 3200 ISO, probably owing to the lesser pixel density. The Canon can only go as far as 1600. It’s hard to say whether this makes any difference in practice, as ISO 3200 might produce images so noisy, or so dull from excessive noise reduction, to make it almost unusable in practice.

The D60 has Active D-Lighting. This is the same feature that is available on the D300 and the D3. As Ken Rockwell says: “This feature automatically identifies highlight areas that will be lost, and does its best to bring them under control. It works, and it works automatically.” If what matters to you, in photography, is getting good tonal rendition and great shadow/highlight balance, then this is the feature that could tilt the balance in Nikon’s favor.

The Canon has Live View, meaning that you can view the image in the rear LCD while composing, just like people are used to be doing with a point&shoot camera. This can be useful in some situations, but it’s hard to say how often this will be used by the amateur who is the typical target market for this range of cameras. The Canon also has a larger (3″ vs. 2.5″) LCD, even though both screens only comprise 230,000 pixels. Too bad the D60 doesn’t sport the gorgeous 920,000 pixels screen of the D300.

The Nikon does not have a focusing motor in the camera body, meaning you can only use newer AF-S (Silent Wave Motor) lenses with it. This is not a big deal if you only have AF-S lenses or are going to buy new ones anyway, since all new Nikon lenses are AF-S, but older AF and AI lenses will have to be focused manually, so watch out.

There are many other elements that could be compared between the two, but these are the most relevant ones, in my opinion. Both are probably very good cameras and you won’t be disappointed with either one. Personally, I would go with the Nikon because of the higher auto-ISO range and the Active D-Lighting, but that’s just me. You might be a big fan of composing and reviewing using the LCD, so the larger screen and the Live View feature of the Canon will certainly appeal to you.

I can’t certainly say more about this comparison without having tried both cameras personally. If you want to help me do this, you can click on this affiliate link and buy some stuff on Amazon.com. They will give me a small percentage of the sale, which I will put away in my small cache dedicated to buying photo gear. Every little cent helps .

Last weekend was foggy and the kid had a slight fever, so we ended up staying at home for most of the time. Having some time on my hands I resolved to do some macro shooting of a collection of old coins that is owned by a friend of mine.

For the occasion, I built myself a very fancy and professional small macro studio, using expensive materials and high-end design… well, almost.

Thanks to this Strobist post for the basic idea. I don’t have a pair of flashlights, but the spotlights I used were pretty much up to the task at hand. I should probably use more powerful lamps next time, though.

I also have to thank Davide for lending me his Canon 400D (Digital Rebel XTi) with the 28-135mm zoom. Even though it’s not a macro lens, I could focus close enough and, even with some cropping, thanks to the 10MP sensor, the final images had plenty of resolution.

So much resolution indeed that I ended up rescaling them by 50% before uploading them to this Flickr set. In doing this I noticed I had uploaded my 1,000th picture to Flickr, which is in itself a milestone to celebrate. Next milestone is having 50,000 views. For this I need about 3,400 more views, so I invite all my readers to have a look at my stream.