Friday November 27
 
13:37
 
Nikon D3S vs Canon EOS-1D Mark IV – high ISO compared

Note: Please don’t ask me for images.

1. Nikon’s approach to high ISO has changed with the D3S.

Until now, Nikon has always stopped high ISO before banding – horizontal lines – became apparent. As this publically available image from the D3S shows, banding is clearly evident at ISO 102400 on the D3S.

Of course ISO 102400 is an outrageaously high ISO. My point is simply this: Previously, when Nikon quoted it’s highest ISO – even the extended range “HI” values – you could rely on the images to be 99% banding free. That’s no longer the case.

2. Canon is improving at high ISO, but it can’t catch Nikon

Canon has for a long time allowed higher ISO images to contain banding which meant that its higher ISO images never approached Nikon’s. What’s different with the Mark IV, though, is that banding is far less intrusive.

That said, while banding has improved, noise on the D3S is still very intrusive at high ISO. The D3S, while it might not be able to eliminate the banding, makes a damn good effort at 102400 – as you can see above. The Canon at 102400 is dirty and grainy, even when the images are downsized.

I’m not saying the Canon is a bad camera – it’s not. Anyone taking photos for publication or for a paid assignment will never go as high as ISO 102400. However, the focus of the article is ISO, and Nikon is still ahead despite the banding.

It’s a much closer fight than the last iteration of cameras though – partly because Canon has gotten better, and partly because Nikon has allowed banding to creep in.

In a month you’ll be able to see all this for yourselves of course – the cameras will be publically available then.

Friday November 27
 
12:53
 
Oh my god!

Charge by weight, I tell you. Charge by weight.

Friday November 27
 
10:30
 
Black Friday

Does anyone else see the irony in “Black Friday Deals All Week“?

Thursday November 26
 
10:41
 
Dog-eye lens?

The Tokina 10-17mm f3.5-4.5 for Nikon – or “Tokina 10-17mm f/3.5-4.5 AT-X DX AF Fisheye Super Wide-Angle Lens for Nikon Digital SLR” as Amazon calls it! - is a really fun lens. I posted my Shibuya image here before, as well as a field of view comparison with the Panasonic Lumix 7-14mm F4 wide angle lens on the G1, but the other day in the park I found myself a doggy model:

I love that photo so much. The distortion is fantastic! Here are some more samples:

There wasn’t much light available so it was quite hard to get shots. You can see just how slow the shutter speed was here:

I didn’t expect to use the fisheye much, but it’s really enjoyable – and the great thing about the Tokina 10-17mm is that not only does it have a zoom making it more flexible to me than the Nikon 10.5mm (although the Nikon is f2.8), but it can apparently be used on full frame sensors also, which means I can continue to use the lens if/when I upgrade from the D90.

Ok, so on a full frame sensor only the end of the zoom range covers the whole sensor, but think about it: 10mm on a DX Nikon is 15mm. The lens of the zoom range 15-17mm works on a full frame sensor, which means I’ll get exactly the same wide angle of view. Cool.

Sorry, I’m not linking to full size samples of these images – I don’t want them to be reused elsewhere. Remember, these images are copyright.

Wednesday November 18
 
14:45
 
Somebody please tell me how to erase this!!

“Thank you too, Michael, I had a great time as well. I’m glad you enjoyed my OTHER pussy ;). I must admit, I haven’t had sex in a while, so getting mounted by such a strong and powerful man was a pleasant surprise after so many long months of abstinence. I hope this message doesn’t scare you off…”

“Oh no! Somebody please tell me how to erase this!! I wrote inside the wrong box! How embarrassing :(“