Nikon AF-S 14-24mm f/2.8 ED Nikkor Zoom Lens Review

This is for all of you wide angle dSLR Dads. Photozone has just reviewed Nikon’s brand new full frame, 14-24mm f/2.8G ED AF-S Nikkor Wide Angle Zoom Lens (available at Amazon, and B&H Photo). And it seems like Photozone (which is a great site by the way) liked it:

The Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8G ED N is a phenomenal lens. It is the sharpest ultra-wide angle lens tested to date. The resolution figures are simply stunning and unprecedented

Olympus E3 Field Review by The Luminous Landscape

Douglas Brown over at the Luminous Landscape has posted a field review of the Olympus Evolt E-3 dSLR (Available at Amazon and B&H Photo):

When you look back at the standout photos you’ve taken in a year most of the major thought process and effort that went into them had very little to do with the technology of photography. Joss Stone starts vamping at a press event, turns and shoots a look over her shoulder that’s pure, delicious trouble, then sticks her tongue out at you, and believe me you aren’t thinking shadow noise, sensor size, or dumping your current system because some other maker’s camera would be able to shoot the images 1 frame per second faster. You’ve got that camera up to your eye, unconsciously moving slightly to keep distracting background elements out of the way, while simultaneously thumbing the focus point over the eyes, firing a burst then zooming in closer for a second one (because closer is always better). You are running on muscle memory.

In too many of these kind of photographic moments the E3 stumbles over itself. Awkward positioning of major controls, buttons that are small or flush with the camera surface making it difficult to positively locate them,

Canon 1D Mark III Review by Lawrence Ripsher

Lawrence Ripsher has posted a review of the Canon EOS 1D Mark III (Amazon, B&H Photo) on his Photo Journal Blog.

I’ve been the owner of a 1D Mk3 since early December 2007 and this review comes about a month in after many thousands of actuations. For those of you who are not familiar with my background, I have shot Canon for some time now (having transitioned over from Nikon) and shoot a variety of subjects including sports, portraiture, street and what I call narrative photography. For examples of my work, you can click on the galleries to the left (or simply follow this review).

The Canon EOS 1D Mark III has had quite a ride. Released as part of Canon’s 20 year EOS anniversary strategy it was both highly anticipated and widely applauded when it was announced. From the outset it has arguably generated more noise (of the vocal kind) than any other camera in the market today, with the possibly exception of the Nikon D3. Leading the emotionally charged opinions on the camera have been photographers from all walks – some highly respected professionals, some skilled amateurs, some hopeful hobbyists and typically, an even greater number of users who have never touched this particular camera. The 1D has been heralded as everything – from the greatest sports and photojournalism camera in the world today, to a huge disappoint and failure. Even in the already emotional and divided world of camera equipment forums, the Canon 1D Mark III has shown an extreme example of split opinion.

Nikon D3 and D300 Reviewed from the Canon Perspective

This is the kind of ‘review’ I love to bring to you dSLR Dads. Michael Reichmann has posted his detailed insight into the Nikon D3 and Nikon D300 over at the Luminous Landscape. What makes this article completely different and refreshing from all of the others is the focus on how these cameras compare from the Canon perspective. He also makes it perfectly clear that this is not a typical test report with an abundance of side-by-side comparisons at ISO 3200 with 100% crops. That really doesn’t matter. What does matter is how does a photographer use these new tools for photography.

In this essay I look at the new Nikon D3 and D300 though the eyes (mine) of someone who has been shooting with Canon cameras for the past 8 years. Prior to 1999 I used Nikons, shoot film, and used them to make a living in photography for some 30 years. I also used (and still do) Hasselblads and Leicas, and as a magazine reviewer have probably tested and shot with almost every major camera system available since the mid-1960’s. But for several decades prior to the advent of digital, Nikons were my 35mm tool of choice…..

Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS Lens Test Report

Canon announced their new EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS lens back on August 20, 2007 along with new EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens (Amazon, B&H Photo). It is not yet shipping, but Klaus Schroiff over at PhotoZone.de has already picked up a sample for review.<

 

Technically the Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS is a tiny lens with a great performance potential. The resolution is very good across the range. Chromatic aberrations are basically a non-issue. The level of distortions remain moderate. The most obvious flaw is….. read the rest of this entry>>

Nikon D3 Digital Camera Reviewed by Bjorn

Bjørn Rørslett,Professional Nature Photographer, PhD. Member of NN (Norwegian Nature Photographers) and BioFoto (Association of Nature Photographers in Norway) has just posted his review of the Nikon D3 (order one at Amazon and B&H Photo).

Every one waited for Nikon to move up to the next level of digital sensor size, the “full-sized” FX or 35mm-like solution. Years went by and seemingly nothing happened. We admired Nikon’s clever ergonomic solutions and at least some of us ogled the high-ISO performance of the competition with a little envy. Then, Nikon struck back with a camera advertised to “defy the limitations” no less.

The D3 is not only a 35mm-frame camera, it is so much more and with high-ISO performance unheard and undreamt of as well. With a blazing firing rate up to 9 fps(FX)/11 fps(DX), this is a sports and action shooter’s dream camera come true. But what can it achieve for other fields of photography?…Read the rest of this entry>>

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Test Report / Review

Is it better than the Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM Lens through the same range?

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PhotoZone puts Canon’s latest entry level EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens (Amazon and B&H Photo) through the test, and the results are impressive for a kit lens:

The Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS is the next generation budget “kit” lens for Canon EOS APS-C DSLRs. It is a long awaited and, frankly, urgently needed successor for the rather mediocre EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II which was not able to convince anymore ever since the release of EOS 20D. However, Canon did not only improve the optical design – they also added an image stabilizer, changed the finish and introduced circular aperture blades for a better bokeh (out-of-focus blur)…..<continue>

Review Roundup: Canon EOS 40D dSLR

Nikon’s been getting a lot of the press recently, but Canon has new cameras too. The new 40D was announced the same time, but has been shipping since early fall. With that, I present you dSLR Dad’s with all the information you need to justify spending more money.

dPreview’s Sony Alpha DSLR-A700 Review

Digital Photography Review has posted their review of the 12 MegaPixel Sony Alpha A700 12.24MP dSLR Camera.

The Alpha 700 was introduced as a complementary model to the Alpha 100; aimed more at the serious amateur and semi-professional photographer it enters a segment of the market which is buzzing with new models (EOS 40D, D300 and E-3). The A700 clearly has a lot of Minolta DNA

Review Roundup: Nikon D300

The Nikon D300 dSLR has been out in the wild for some time (shipping now at Amazon). For all you dSLR Dad’s out there who are looking for one more bit of information to justify that purchase, here you go:

Nikkor AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8G ED Review

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I love this site. If you have never visited PhotoZone, head over there now. They have posted their review of the new Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8G ED AF-S Nikkor Zoom Lens (available at Amazon and B&H Photo). Nikon announced this lens earlier this fall along with the D3 and D300.

The Nikkor AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8G ED exceeds the already very good performance of its predecessor. The center quality is nothing short of outstanding matching or beating the resolution of a 10mp APS-C sensor.

Popular Photography Test of the Nikon D300

Popular Photography Magazine has released their review of the new Nikon D300 dSLR (available at Amazon). Let’s just say that they liked it:

…But what (Nikon has) on the inside pushed the D300 to new performance records in the Pop Photo Lab:

• It’s the first DSLR to earn an Excellent image quality rating from ISO 200 all the way up to ISO 3200.
• It sports the fastest (and most sophisticated) AF we’ve tested so far.