40 Reasons why you don’t need 18mp

In February 2010, Canon released the EOS 550D with an 18 megapixel sensor, HD video and a $900 price tag. Will Canon tell the folks lining up to buy this camera how much extra work it will add to their simple lives? And how much pain it will bring to their photo hobby? Not likely.

The Nikon D40 was released late in 2006 and remained on the market until late 2009. Three years in production is a long time in the land of digital, where 18 months is about the average life of a camera body. What was so special about the D40? For once, there’s a simple answer: the D40 set a new standard for entry-level DSLRs in terms of size, cost, build quality and performance.

In a nutshell, the D40 was affordable, weighs less than 500g and can make great photos. Build quality is better than you’d expect from an all-plastic body and a dinky 18-55mm kit lens – after two years and 50,000 shutter actuations, there isn’t a scratch on my D40’s body or the LCD, and everything still works with crisp enthusiasm.

 D40, D59, D80 size comparison. Photo courtesy of Thom Hogan http://www.bythom.com/D40REVIEW.htm

Pentax K-x: Background

I’d really looked forward to getting my hands on this camera. The reviews had been tantalising. Imaging Resource said: ‘the Pentax Kx has enormous value, thanks to its remarkable image and print quality, fine build, and class-leading burst speed, all combining to make one impressive digital SLR camera.’ http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/KX/KXA.HTM .

The boys at DP Review were no less effusive: ‘Pentax has managed to squeeze what is … an impressive feature set … image quality, especially in low light, is the best we have seen so far in the entry-level bracket of the DSLR market … compared to the closest rivals, [the K-x sells at a] very attractive price point.’

So it was a genuine surprise when the first test camera fell short on these fronts:

1. Exposure was wayward (often too dark) in AV and P modes.
2. Highlights blew out too

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Kodak Brownie Starlet - by Silvio Tanaka

What is the oldest piece of camera gear that you still use today?

Last week I posted a list of popular digital cameras and photography gear that our readers are currently buying. It’s an interesting snapshot of new (ish) cameras and gear that people are buying now – but what about that gear that people have had for a while but are still using?

I think back to my trusty old 50mm f/1.8 lens that was the first lens that I bought for my first Canon DSLR.

While I’ve actually updated this lens (I now have the f/1.4 also) I still actually use the older f/1.8 lens semi-regularly, mainly because it’s so light and cheap – I don’t mind taking a

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Litepanel MicroPro photographic lighting grabbed my attention when I walked into a Canon Pro day late last year. An off camera light that didn’t heat up, used AA batteries but didn’t drain them in minutes, is easy to carry around and relatively small…

The compact little unit that is the MicroPro is very easy to stow in my camera bag and lightweight enough to mount on my hot shoe should I want to. It has a neat little (Included) swivel bracket that sits between your hot shoe and the MicroPro unit itself. It is a well designed product that is easy to use – it’s on or off with a rotating dial to control how much light you want in-between.. from 100% to 0… It will run for about 6 hours if you keep it down low and if you crank it, you’re going to get about 1.5 hours out of it – these are factory figures, my garlic wasn’t going to sit there for an hour and a half!

I didn't have a model, I got creative with Garlic...

All shot with Canon 5DMk2 / 24-70 f/2.8L

Garlic – 1/160th @ f/4.5 (ISO 400) – Light just out of frame
Roses – 1/60th @ f/2.8 (ISO 400) – Light about a foot above subject
Ugly Bloke – 1/20th @ f/6.3 (I was mucking about!) (ISO400) – Light about 2? away

Here’s a review of the Think Tank Photo “Shape Shifter” camera bag by Jeroen Berkenbosch who is from Huizen, Netherlands and currently studying journalism with a minor in photography..

Like many photographers, I’ve developed an addiction for camera bags. Some of the bags I own are for wandering about in an urban environment (mainly in or near Amsterdam), others are for storage at home or hiking in Holland’s small patches of woods and heaths.

However, I didn’t own a bag that allowed me to take my MacBook as well as my camera gear (and several other bits an pieces like lunch, an external hard drive, a first aid kit etcetera) with me. As a result, I regularly used one of my normal backpacks as a substitute. I stuck my laptop in its sleeve and stuffed it along with some of my camera equipment, fairly unprotected and completely organized, in my backpack. Needless to say this just didn’t work.

So I was on the market for a new bag to feed my addiction. And that’s where the Think Tank Photo (TTP) Shape Shifter comes into play. But oh, the bag does so much more than I expected it to do!

The fully loaded Shape Shifter. This was just a test to see how much gear it could hold. I wouldn’t recommend carrying this much on a daily base.

Specifications

Expanded configuration accommodates:

• Laptop up to 17″, plus computer accessories
• Two Pro DSLR bodies
• 16-35, 24-70 and 70-200 (or similar) lenses
• Two strobes

Size expanded:

• 32W, 51H, 18D cm (12.5″, 20″, 7″)

Size compressed:

• 32W, 51H, 8D cm (12.5″, 20″, 3″)

Weight when empty:

• 1.73 kg (3.75 lbs)