Scott's Photo Blog

My Old Friend is Gone - Will You Be My New Friend?

Last week, after our too-brief time together, I had to return the beloved Canon EOS 1D Mark III I had on loan as an evaluation unit.

Parting was all sorrow, no sweet.

Most users and reviewers love the Mark III, although some  have complained of focusing problems, especially in auto servo mode in bright and hot conditions. I used the camera on some hot days in Florida, and had no problems.

Nor did I have any other problems. For me, the Mark III was flawless - it handled like a dream, it was built like a tank, and it took great pictures. The focusing was the best I've ever seen.  The noise control was superb - I took very usable pictures in 3,200 on many occasions. The color depth was phenomenal - some of my shots had an almost three dimensional quality to them.

I've never driven a Ferrari or piloted a Concorde, but now I've used the top-of-the-line in at least one category: digital SLRs.  Ah, it's good to live large.

I love my Canon 40D, but now that I've returned to it, it feels like one of those disposable cameras you get at the drugstore. (OK, maybe not that bad. The 40D is still a great camera. But after you've shot with the apex of DSLRs, anything else is a step down).

In any case, I'm totally depressed about losing my (my!) Mark III and I need all the cheering up I can get.

Wanna help?  Please come "friend" me on MySpace page. I just joined, and I although I'm thrilled to have nine friends already, some of my peers have over 10,000! I feel like a loser!

So, if you'd like to be my MySpace friend, come visit my page and join the circle of love.

Speaking of my MySpace page,  I was thrilled to see that The Digital Photography Show listener Denise left me a comment there. She said that after listening to our interview with iStockPhoto, she started shooting for them, and is now doing really well selling oodles of pictures a month.  You go, Denise. I love when listeners achieve their photo dreams.

If you're a MySpace user, and want to read my thoughts on the service as a whole, you can check out my comments here.

 

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all the mom's who visit this page.

There's no greater responsibility than the raising of children, and no greater reward than that of doing it well.

Thanks for all that you do.

About this image: This was a grab shot from a Photowalk in Bethesda. How cute was this girl? The lighting was really drab, but that's why we have Photoshop. Plus, I used Nik Software Color Efex Pro 3.0 to pretty it up a bit. If you haven't used it yet, trust me: Color Efex Pro will transform the way you process your pictures. It's that good.

Great Summer Photo Ops

If you haven't planned your summer vacation yet - and want some ideas on where you can go for great picture taking - Pop Photo has come to the rescue with their article "15 Amazing Summer Vacation Photo Ops" by Kathleen Davis.

The list is helpfully divided into three categories - landscape, city and beach - each of which has five suggestions (see, it really does work out to 15!).

Of course, the photos that accompany the article are so terrific  they'll make you despair of ever getting similar results. But take it as a challenge, instead! And think of the great excuse you'll have to go to cool  places like Seattle, Boston, and, my favorite, Coney Island!

See you on the Cyclone!

The Great D300 Comes Down in Price (at least in a bundle).

If you've been hankering for the much beloved Nikon D300, and would like to get one with a very handy walking-around lens, the price of the Nikon D300 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED-IF AF-S VR DX Nikkor Zoom Lens has really come down.

If you check out that link, you'll see that Amazon has it listed from a number of vendors for between $2,230 and $2,239.  That's a nice discount from the original asking price of around $2,539, or from the $2,500ish you'd spend buying the lens and body separately. 

This isn't the fastest lens you'll ever buy, but the zoom range is extraordinary.  It gets a pretty-good rating of 7.7 from FredMiranda.com, which is understandable given the compromises of a zoom like this (speed, sharpness, some chromatic aberration). The last two of these issues are fixable in your image editor, so they wouldn't be a deal-breaker for me.

BTW: The camera link above will take you to Amazon.com's buying page. You'll have a few vendors from which to choose. They tend to rotate in position. If I were you, I'd buy it from Adorama.  They're pretty reputable. If they're not the default choice, you'll find them in a box on the left.

Looking for an Entry-Level DSLR?

If you've been considering a DSLR, but want to get in on the cheap, CNET just published a round-up of five of their entry-level DSLR reviews.

CNET's smart and sassy Lori Grunin writes:

Remember when it was common to drop $500 to $700 on a nice digital point-and-shoot? These days, with the same money, you can pick up a digital SLR camera. These aren't professional models or the very best that current technology has to offer, but for the photo enthusiast on a budget--or even the avid family photographer--they can be a big leap forward. With larger sensors and generally faster performance than snapshot models offer, these cameras provide plenty of tools to photographers who prefer a camera with more than one button. And if you save your pennies, you can increase their flexibility and image quality in the future with additional lens and accessory purchases

She's right! The highest-ranked, and second- or third-highest priced camera on the list (depending on where you buy it) is the Canon Rebel XTi. I wish Lori had included the latest version of that camera, the Canon Rebel XSi, since it looks like a very nice upgrade, but at a price of around $900, it was probably a little expensive to be considered a starter-DSLR, huh?

Meanwhile, can anyone explain how Canon names their cameras? Wouldn't you think the XSi would come before the XTi in Canon's lineup, and not after?  Is alphabetical order that hard to follow?

A Ray of Light in a Dark Month

It's been a tough couple of weeks for The Digital Photography Show. A series of hacker attacks has totally screwed up our site, making it impossible for us to upload new shows.

This is depressing for many reasons, not the least of which is because it's kept us from sharing the great interview we did with Jessica Claire back on April 1st.  Sorry, Jessica!

Every time we think the TPN servers are operational again, it turns out they're not. Bummer.

Many of you have sent us nice "where are you guys?" emails, which we really appreciate. Knowing you miss us means a lot.

We also got a nice shout-out today from Scott Kelby. He did a wonderful compilation of his "Top Fives," which includes lists like "My Five Top Photoshop Plug-Ins," "Five Great Instructional Photography Books," and "Five Accessories I Recommend for Outdoor Photographers."  It's really great reading, especially his list of "Five Podcasts I Totally Dig."

We'd love to attach some special significance to our being #1 in that list, but we'll concede that the order is probably random (drat!).

Still, to be in the top five - or even the top 100 - of the Kelbinator's favorite podcasts is really special to me.  Scott was one of the first people I ever wanted to have on the show - and I remember thinking "Oh, we'll never get him. He's much too important to come on a dinky little

CNET Pimps xTrain

Michael and I have raved on-air about xTrain's HDR class with Ben Wilmore; today the course was featured on CNET's home page, which will give it a lot more exposure. Good on them, I say. The course is really a comprehensive and inspiring way to learn about HDR.

If you want to take the class, remember to use the discount code "DPS" to save 15% on all of xTrain's offerings.

My First Semi-Embarrassing Attempts at HDR

As we talked about on the 88th episode of The Digital Photography Show, I recently began my first foray into the wonderful world of HDR. 

A number of things spurred me to try my hand at this new way of processing my images: the urgings of my co-host Michael, the terrific examples of show-friend Jeff Revell, and an inspirational email from listener Laurence W.

I'm also fortunate enough to to have an account with xTrain, which has a fantastic online training course taught by Ben Wilmore. After watching that class, and downloading Photomatix's software, I was ready to tackle my first HDRs. How did they turn out? Here's one; follow the jump to see more.

My Love Affair with the Canon EOS 1D Mark III

Don’t tell my family, but I’ve fallen in love with a camera : Canon EOS 1D Mark III.

It’s embarrassing, really. I’m going to try and tell you why I’m smitten, but as you probably know, love is a hard emotion to put into works.  

Have you ever tried to explain why you loved someone? Was it his sense of humor? , Her crooked smile? The way she sipped her drink?

Describing love using words is like painting the Mona Lisa with eye shadow – you’re bound to fall short. 

In the following paragraphs, I’m going to try and tell you what I most appreciate about this camera.  But I know I’ll disappoint. So, I start this review with a disclaimer:

I don’t have the words to express just how fantastically responsive, immediately intuitive or powerfully built this powerhouse of a camera is. Nor have I the technical expertise to say why it’s pictures come out so rich and three-dimensional. All I can say is this camera feels more “right” in my hands than any other camera I’ve ever used, and that the pictures it takes are phenomenal.

With that out of the way, here of some of the things that have made me fall so hard. You can read them after the break.