• 24.5 megapixel in a 35.9 x 24 mm CMOS sensor
• 16-bit EXPEED system
• 5.0 frames-per-second in it’s full size mode, and 7 frames-per-second in a cropped 10 megapixel mode (I guess they want to encourage people who need the extra 2 frames-per-second to purchase the D3)
• ISO 50-6400, which I’m guessing means that, like the Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III (highest ISO is 3200), this dSLR is not intended for low light situations as with the D3 is. There doesn’t seem to be any mention of any higher ISO range such as 12,800 or 25,600.
• Same 3 inch 922,000 LCD
• Live View
• 12ms startup time with a 41ms shutter lag
• Dual Compact Flash slots capable of 35MB/second write times

For pictures of the Nikon Pro magazine and how the D3x stacks up against the Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III, click in to read more.

Comparison of Nikon D3x and Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III

As always, this comparison is only a comparison based on specifications. Colors, performance, ergonomics, and other features are subjective and can’t quite be measured without bias.

Conclusion

Nikon definitely doesn’t disappoint with their high resolution D3x. The D3 was aimed at photojournalist, wedding photographers and sports photographer, much like the D2h and D2hs was. The D3x is aimed at those who need higher resolution such as studio and landscape photographers. This is not to say the D3x can’t be used for photojournalism, wedding photography, and/or sports photography. I’m pretty sure a number of wedding photographers will pick up a D3x to complement their D3.

Canon has certainly fell a bit further behind with their 1Ds Mark III compared to the (yet-to-be-released) D3x. Things such as the outdated, crappy 3.0 LCD screen with a laughable 230,000 pixel and maximum ISO of 3200. The D3x has the same ISO levels (performance will be another thing to be seen) as the Canon EOS 1D Mark III, a 10 megapixel dSLR. I certainly like the D3/D3x’s dual Compact Flash slots, but I can see the advantages of having a Compact Flash slot and a SD/SDHC slot as a) if you are shooting in situations where your memory card can be confiscated, at least with the SD/SDHC, it’s not as easily noticed; b) SD/SDHC has attained (and in some cases surpassed) Compact Flash speeds; and c) more laptops are more likely to have a SD/SDHC built in reader than a built-in Compact Flash reader.

I’ve always liked how Nikon has offered a “cropped” mode, first introduced in the D2x, and has remained in the D3, and now also seen in the D3x. By allowing the photographer to switch to a lower megapixel selection, they can attain extra frames-per-second.

One thing of interest is that the HD video feature first introduced in the D90 does not appear in the new D3x. Does Nikon not feel it’s ready for the pros? So us Canon shooters will now continue to wait and see what is in store with the Canon EOS 1D/1Ds Mark IV. Kudos Nikon, you certainly are listening to your users.

© Engadget.com

© Engadget.com

• Full frame with 21.1 MP, certainly quite a bit of megapixels
• EOS Integrated Cleaning System
• Digic 4 with 14 bit A/D conversion
• Max JPEG sizes of 5616 x 3744
• 9-point TTL CMOS AF sensor with 6 “Invisible Assist points” (a bit disappointing that they didn’t roll the 45 point AF sensor into the new 5D Mark II)
• ISO 100-6400 with 50, 12800, and 25,600 with expansion (YES!)
• 3.0″ TFT LCD with 920,000 pixels
• Live View with 30 fps
• Movie recording capabilities of 1920 x 1080 at 30 fps
• No built in flash (I’m sure a lot of people are disappointed given that Nikon did it in the D700)
• 3.9 frames-per-second continuous burst for 78 frames (310 with UDMA card)

So Canon has certainly heard Nikon’s challenge (but not apparently heard it loud enough), but is this enough to win back some of the pro who switched? I’m not sure. Some of the biggest draw back for photographers who shoot in low light (wedding photography) and/or sports (and the likes) is the weak auto focus (seems like the same exact AF as the 5D) and weak frame rate (3.9). Certainly for landscape photography, 9 auto focus points is usually fine. Also being able to shoot at ISO 25,600 is certainly very, very appealing. I’m not as impressed as I thought I would be and at this point, I don’t think I would purchase the new 5D Mark II. But once we start seeing some actual production model images, who knows. A lot of us are still waiting for a 1D series that actually works right, perhaps this is one of the reasons why it has the older generation auto focus? Read more about the 5D Mark II with sample videos and specs at DPReview.com. You can also read Canon’s press release here.

Also a new Canon EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM lens was released.

Comparison Chart

Looking at the side-by-side comparison, the 5D Mark II certainly looks promising, but can it compete or even beat the Nikon D700? It’s got more megapixels, which isn’t always a good thing. The viewfinder is bigger, which is always nice, but it’s still not quite like the 1Ds Mark III and D3. It can do video, which I’m not sure is a good thing. Only time will tell.

The new Nikon D90 has some nice impressive features that is certainly an improvement over the D80. Canon has yet to release a mid entry level SLR to combat the D80 and now the D90. The Canon EOS 1000D/XS is posied to battle Nikon’s D40, the XTi and XSi fights against the D60, but doesn’t quite hold up to the D80 and now that gap further continues. Some notable features of the D90:

• 12.9 megapixels
• a new 3D tracking mode
• ISO 200-3200 with 100 and 6400 with boost
• Active D-Lighting
• 4.5 frames-per-second
• 3 inch LCD with 902,000 pixel
• Expeed
• Live View

The U.S. price is yet to be set, but most likely will be priced at about what the D80 was selling new.

Want to see a comparison of the Nikon D90 versus the newly released Canon EOS 50D?

Comparison Chart of Nikon D90 and Canon EOS 50D

Very interesting comparison don’t you think? The Canon EOS 50D is certainly the better camera based on specs, but it is also about $400-$500 more expensive. One of the coolest new feature of the Nikon D90 is the movie mode which is making SLRs more like point-and-shoot cameras. I personally don’t think it’s a good idea to lose sight of the purpose of a SLR, take pictures and do it well. By craming more features that the core purpose (camcorder on a camera), I think this will lead to a jack-of-all-trades-good-in-none issue.

• 12.1 MP Full Frame (FX) 23.9 x 36mm CMOS sensor with EXPEED
• ISO 200-6400 with 12,800 and 25,600 (as options)
• 5 frames-a-second (FPS) with 8 FPS with the optional MB-D10 battery pack
• 3 inch 920,000 pixel LCD display
• 51-point AF system
• Dust Reduction System (which the D3 doesn’t have)
• Pop-up flash

The new Nikon D700 is certainly a beast. If the low noise performance is anything like the D3, I’m sure people will be scooping the Nikon D700 up like hot cakes at almost $3000 a pop. This certainly would be a great backup wedding or sports body to the Nikon D3. The Nikon D700 is definitely missing a very useful option that it’s bigger brother, the D3, has: dual CF cards. Looks like that option is still only available on the flagship professional model. I’m hoping the new Canon EOS 1D Mark IIIn will replace the second slot SD/SDHC with a CF slot like the D3. Check out this comparison shot from DPReview of the Nikon D700 versus the Nikon D3.

Now all that is left is, what does Canon have in store for the new Canon EOS 5D Mark II?

Lens Review

Nikkor AF 50mm f/1.8D

product

Nikon’s sharpest lens in a small and affordable package!

This lens is absolutely sharp! The images I get from using this lens are nothing short of phenomenal. The brokeh result is also amazing!

I had a bit of reservations getting the 50mm originally because I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with a prime lens, 50mm no less. I had been accustomed to using my zoom lens (Nikkor AF 28-105mm f/3.5-5.6D) and was spoiled by variable focal adjustment. It took a bit getting used to the fact that I actually had to physically move versus just moving the lens to get what I wanted framed in the shot. But the quality and the shots I can get with this lens, I hardly even use my 28-105mm anymore, only when I can’t get closer or further away to an object or person.

About all the reviews I read online about the construction of this lens is true, the quality isn’t entirely there. It’s primary make up is plastic, which has an advantage of making it extremely light, but unfortunately cheap feeling also. The major thing I don’t like is that this isn’t an internal focus (IF) lens, which means the front element moves in or out for focus. I’m also afraid of people trying to adjust the focal length of the lens using the focus ring and not realizing: (1) it is a prime lens and (2) the focus is set on auto and if someone turns the focus ring hard enough, they can break the focus ring.

The auto focus of the 50mm is reasonably fast, not as quick, nimble, and quiet as the Nikkor AF-S 500mm f/4D, but definitely faster than my Nikkor 28-105mm. It’s not quiet when focusing either because of no on board focusing motors; it depends on the camera’s focus screw. This also makes the lens not usable in AF mode on any Nikon cameras that don’t have the focus screw such as the new D40.

Having a maximum aperture of 1.8 is amazing. I’m able to hand hold in low light conditions and actually get decent shots without having to use the flash. Recently I was playing with my Dad’s Canon 5D with his Canon EF IS 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 lens versus my D100 with the 50mm f/1.8D. My dad’s 5D wasn’t able to take any pictures without the SpeedLight. Granted that his 28-135mm lens is probably not quite the best lens or even comparable due to the discrepancy in maximum apertures, but I was expecting to at least get some decent shots. It was a living room with the windows open on a slightly overcast day. I have never been a fan of flash photography, I know it is necessary in some cases, but I wish to avoid it as much as possible and this lens lets me accomplish that.

I purchased this lens from BeachCamera.com and would highly recommend them for many reasons, the main ones being: fast shipping, lowest price, and best warranty. The lens cost me $126.90 (I chose 3-5 day shipping was why it was so expensive) and arrived in 3 days. And because BeachCamera.com is an authorized Nikon dealer, you get an automatic 5 year warranty extension to the normal 1 year buying from non-authorized dealers.

I think everyone should have this lens in their collection, Nikon doesn’t make many other f/1.8 lens. I almost regret not getting the Nikkor AF-S 50mm f/1.4D lens, but the price difference and the performance difference didn’t justify one another. If you have ~$300 to spare, get the f/1.4D, but if you’re on a budget, get the f/1.8D, you won’t regret it.

Also see: http://www.bui4ever.com/2006/11/16/nikkor_50mm_f18d_part_1.php

These are merely a few samples. For more pictures, please visit the gallery.

My rating: 4.5 stars

I’ve have always been vaguely interested in photography. Not hard to imagine when your parents own a photo shop so you practically grow up around everything photography. But growing up, I didn’t like shooting pictures or being in pictures. I had this funny habit of never smiling whene my picture was taken.
As I got older, I begin to appreciate shooting pictures. This interest grew rapidly during my car modification days. I wanted a way to keep track of the modifications with before and after pictures. At this point, I was really only interested in point-and-shoot as I did not fully appreciate and understand the need of single-reflex-lens cameras, or commonly known as SLR cameras. I did manage to get good pictures from my Sony CyberShot DSC-P71, a 3.1 mega pixel point-and-shoot camera. It was funny too because it took me almost three to four months after having the camera before I learned how to actually shoot decent night photos without the flash. I was pulling out my hair trying to figure out why all my night photos were dark and blurry.

It wasn’t until my friend, who got a Canon EOS 10D SLR camera, showed me how to better use my Sony CyberShot camera. At the time my friends and I all thought our friend was crazy spending a $1000+ on a camera with no lens. I never imagined ever even considering spending that kind of cash for any camera.

So I kept taking pictures of my car, my friend’s cars at various locations trying to get that one “money-shot” that I could post up on the forums and wow everyone with my little point-and-shoot camera.

My First Time With The Nikon D100 SLR

The first time I got a chance to lay my hands on an actual SLR and use it was my dad’s Nikon D100 that he used for shooting portraits. It made my little dinky Sony CyberShot look like nothing compared to the size of the Nikon D100. The reason I was even borrowing the Nikon D100 was I was hoping to get some extraordinary shots of New York, where Andrea and I were going for her birthday. Before taking the camera, I should have thoroughly read the book on how to use it, but unfortunately my dad forgot to include the manual when he let me borrow the camera. I figured how hard could it be to use…boy was I wrong! The SLRs have so many configurable options that one could easily get overwhelmed. The multitude of available options is great for varying situations, but is fustrating when you want to just take pictures.

I never did quite figure out how to use my dad’s Nikon during the New York trip, but I did surprisingly got some decent shots. Most of the shots were shot in manual mode (which I didn’t know squat about anything to even be shooting in that mode). There are shots where I had set the camera to aperture prioritythinking the “A” on the command dial means auto (doh!). For the life of me I couldn’t figure out why some of the shots seemed so dark, now that I look at it, my f-stop was set to 13 for daylight and nighttime shots. No wonder I couldn’t shoot anything at night… The only reason I was able to even get a decent shot of Time Square was because it was so damn bright there, f13 would probably have been what the D100 would have chosen anyways.

Some of the main things I really liked about using the SLR is: 1) the ability to capture so much of a picture and zoom in so tight to a picture that normal little point-and-shoots aren’t able to achieve. This made me appreciate how nice it is to have optical zoom versus digital zoom. 2) The fast shutter speed. I was literally snapping everything I could see and frame. It was great! With my Sony CyberShot, I would take a picture, have to wait until that picture processes and then take another one. Quite slow