Digital Camera Information

Here is a positive review of the Canon 40D by www.e-fotografija.si with some of the pictures taken in a nightclub by Žiga Intihar as the reviewer. The low light performance was taken in a nightclub and looks like everyone was having a great time.

His writes: “To summarize – Canon made a big step forward in just about every area - image quality, usability, ergonomics and features. The only thing that’s lacking, compared to the Canon EOS 5D, is a full frame sensor. In every other respect, the 40D is as good or better than the 5D.”

For the full review click here.

Here is an interesting review by Prophotohome.com where the review is interactive based. They review different features of the camera with each entry.

The first entry is the AI Servo Autofocus performance where they write:

“From the very first time we saw the specs for this camera we were impressed by what was being offered for the money. Just a few years ago 6.5 fps would have been considered more than enough for serious sports photography. It is weather sealed to boot. Could we really have a serious sports camera for $1,299? It immediately occurred to us that we would indeed have to do the running test on this camera to see how it compares to the 1D MKIII and 1D MKII.”

For the full review, it can be found here

Although reviews of the Canon 40D are still in development - Roland Lim in his blog called “The World According to Roland” has already published his.

In his review, he compares the new Canon 40D to his old Canon 20D. The Canon 20D is almost identical to the 30D and does give a fair comparison.

He writes: “Personally, I think Canon has done a good job with the 40D and has upgraded and added many new useful features. Image quality wise, I don’t think there is any significant differences between the 40D and 30D/20D. There is little difference in real resolution between a 10MP and 8MP sensor. In my opinion, Canon has managed to maintain the high ISO noise level while increasing the mega pixel count. However, there was no major breakthrough in technology and the 40D is not lower in high ISO noise than the 20D or 30D. I have previously done some high ISO test comparing the 40D to 20D.

Overall, I think the 40D provide a nice feature upgrade over the 20D and 30D and at an attractive price. Whether it is worthwhile for you to upgrade to the 40D is something only you can decide for yourself. For me, I am really happy with the 40D. However, my 20D is still working fine and can still take great photos. So I will be keeping my 20D as a 2nd and spare body.”

In summary, the Canon 40D is a great camera and has maintained its silky smooth noise free high ISO images whilst increasing its resolution from 8 to 10 mega pixel.

Source

Photozone.de has an excellent review on the Sigma AF 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5 DC lens which is one of many standard zooms available for Nikon DSLR users. Compared to the rest of the gang it offers a relatively long zoom range (~ 4 x ratios) combined with a relatively large max. aperture at 17mm.

They write: “The Sigma AF 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5 DC is a very good standard zoom and a viable alternative to the Nikon offerings in this range. Generally it is capable to produce very sharp results although the corner performance leaves a bit to be desired at 17mm at large aperture settings. The vignetting level could also be a bit better here but most competitors don’t offer an f/2.8 settings anyway and from f/4 it follows the mainstream. The level of distortions is about typical for a standard zoom whereas chromatic aberrations (color shadows) are comparatively low. The build quality is very fine for a lens in this price league.”

Source

www.DigitalCamerainfo.com has an excellent head on comparison between the Nikon D200 and the Canon EOS 5D. Although they did not give their own recommended conclusion, they did highlight the advantages and disadvantage of each camera.

Here is the their conclusion

“We elected to debut our Head-to-Head review format with a comparison of the Nikon D200 and Canon EOS 5D - the latest designs by the two premiere DSLR manufacturers. Again, we chose the Canon EOS 5D and not the EOS 30D because the 30D internals are over a year and a half old, while the 5D much more accurately illustrates where Canon is in their developmental progression. In comparing these cameras, many core differences between Nikon and Canon’s approach becomes apparent. Canon has directed their efforts towards developing and engineering the camera’s internal components – manufacturing most of their own parts, particularly their sensors, and concentrating on high ISO performance, dynamic range, and obviously high resolution. Nikon on the other hand, has focused more on furthering the general design of the camera – engineering fast, reliable autofocus, flexible metering, logical control layout, and advanced flash capabilities. Both the D200 and EOS 5D have a lot to offer consumers: high resolution, strong dynamic range, fast internal processors, and extensive control at price points that would have been impossible just a year or two ago. However, neither presents a perfect camera.

These two models stand to represent the leading DSLR manufacturers and indicate that professional-level quality is now accessible to general consumers. Nikon has voiced that they will remain with APS-sized sensors, alluding to less expensive models than Canons counterparts; while Canon will continue to develop their full-frame designs and at least for the time being, offer an advantage at high sensitivities. Although there is a significant degree of differentiation in these two particular models and each manufacturer’s current design ideology, both represent remarkable breakthroughs in their own right that continue to force the rest of the industry to play catch-up.”

My bet is the more affordable Nikon D200. Click here for the full review

Jeff Keller from Dcresource has an excellent review on the much anticipated Canon 30D. Although the Canon 30D is an upgraded 20D, the improvements are not as large as the Nikon D200 is to the Nikon D100. Beside the softer images and a less bright LCD, the Canon 30D still gets a top rating from Jeff. Here’s a conclusion of his review.

“The Canon EOS-30D is an excellent midrange digital SLR. While it’s new features aren’t exciting enough to get this 20D owner to run out and upgrade, those who are moving up from point-and-shoot or entry-level D-SLRs should definitely give the 30D a look.

As always, I strongly recommend trying the EOS-30D and its competitors before you drop the big bucks on a digital SLR! “

Click here for the full review.

Phil Askey, the owner of Dpreview has completed his indepth report on the Canon 5D. A 12 megapixel, full frame CMOs sensor in a compact Digital SLR camera body.

He has given the camera a “Highly Recommended”, the highest rating on his reviews. His overall conclusion of the camera is as follows:

“A lower-priced full-frame digital SLR was a logical step for Canon, the only thing we weren’t sure of was how that camera would look when it arrived. Up until now if you wanted a Canon mount full frame camera you would go for the EOS-1Ds / Mark II or the now discontinued Kodak Pro SLR/c. Since the advent of the digital SLR many photographers have been looking forward to the day they could (afford to) buy a body with a full frame sensor which would mark the ‘complete transition’ of 35 mm photography into digital.

For everyone else however it’s a hard decision. If the EOS 5D had been introduced a couple of years ago before the availability of designed-for-digital ultra-wide angle zoom lenses it could easily have walked away with a clear lead against ‘cropped sensor’ models. However there are many photographers quite happy with the results they get from their current cameras, only history will tell if the EOS 5D is the start of a full frame revolution or simply the first of a new niche format.”

Highly Recommended

For the full indepth review visit here