Digital Photography

Well, most of us don't actually shoot brick walls for fun or profit, so I decided to be slightly more thorough with my testing of Nikon's 24-70mm f/2.8G. Here was my method: Use it for 20 months on countless assignments, take nearly 200,000 photos with it, and grind it down from overuse until it began to fall apart in my hands, the rubber zoom ring falling off, and then the lens breaking entirely. So I know a few things about this lens.

When the 24-70 came out, it was overshadowed by the more shocking announcements of the Nikon D3 and the 14-24mm f/2.8. Whereas the 14-24 seemed to break the laws of physics, 24-70 is a fairly pedestrian range, and it may have seemed like catch-up to Canon's, which was released in 2002.

This is unfortunate. The 14-24 is amazing, and helped win me a major award, but let's face it -- on a full-frame sensor, it's a novelty lens with insane perspective distortion, and with a heavy, fragile front element. 24-70mm, though, is a range where the actual work gets done, where you can take photos that are more about the scene and less about wide-angle distortion or extreme telephoto compression. On a DX camera, it acts like a 36mm-105mm. That's a range that lens-makers deliberately make anymore, but it makes for a fantastic range for portraits, from full-body to head-and-shoulders.

So, if the range is useful, how is the lens itself? Darned well one of the best lenses I have ever used, absolutely astonishing for a zoom. Let's get into why.

For samples, here are hundreds of images I've taken with the 24-70.

The Bad: (I'm listing this first, because the good list is way too long.)

•It's a big, heavy beast. Slimmer and longer than the 28-70 it replaced, it's still something that instantly will cause wrist strain if you hold a camera with one hand. It's too big to be well-balanced on cameras like the D700 without an integrated vertical grip, so either a big camera or attaching a separate grip is recommended.

•Barrel distortion at 24mm, particularly when close-focusing. It's not awful, but is definitely noticeable. If you're shooting architecture or you really are into brick walls, you'll need some software to straighten out your lines.

Also, I'm not the only person who's had the rubber zoom-ring problem, though I've only heard of it from among seriously heavy users.

The Good:

Focus acquisition: Holy cow. This of course depends on the camera you're using and your technique, but with the excellent system of the D3 as a baseline, this lens focuses more quickly and accurately than anything else I've used except exotic, extremely expensive telephotos like the 200mm f/2. The focus locks immediately and is deadly accurate. The error rate even in challenging conditions for me is well under one percent.

Color: I have never even given a serious thought to lens color transmission before using the 24-70. For me, either a lens was bad and turned your images muddy or yellow or it worked right. But right from the first picture, and across a number of different cameras, the color of photos taken with the 24-70 has been vibrant and accurate.

Build quality: Admittedly, began to stick on me -- after I'd banged it into hundreds of walls, tossed it into my bag countless times, shot in the cold, in ludicrous humidity, on the beach, and done everything you're never supposed to do with expensive gear. It's a tank.

Sharpness: Very, very sharp, even wide-open. Certainly enough for the D3's 12-megapixel sensor, and stopped down it should match even the megapixel monster that is the D3X

When you put lens sharpness and focus acquisition together, you get something that you can't see in lab tests -- your images of challenging scenes will tend to be sharper than any other similar lens I've used. The Nikon 17-55 is pretty good, but the 24-70 schools it in accuracy. Whether this lens will make your pictures better is up to you and your composition, but it will definitely make them sharper and more colorful.

The final word is this: I don't like zooms. They're too big, they're not light-sensitive enough, and they don't have the depth-of-field control I crave. But I cannot ever let this lens out of my bag.

This is important for a few reasons: first, one of the things that has gotten users really excited about video on the 5D is the crazy shallow depth-of-field you can get with exotic Canon lenses like the 85mm f/1.2. But since the camera set the aperture automatically, the sorts of convolutions users had to go through to get that wide-open look was almost comical. By releasing a dedicated firmware update, Canon has said "Look, we're serious about video."

Is that true across the board, and should it matter? Most DSLR video right now is aimed squarely at casual, consumer use, and that could be the right idea. Even Canon's own 500D, which also features 1080P HD video, works only at 20 fps, which isn't suitable for most professional work. Nikon, which was first to the market with the D90, and has supplemented that with the entry-level D5000, right now is limited to lower-resolution 720P. It may be unconventional cameras like the GH1 that begin to work best on the video level by taking out a lot of the "camera guts." Video focusing on these models ranges from paltry to none at all, and focusing HD video is hard work, because higher resolution shows mistakes. If there's any surprises that watching HD television brings, it's how often camera operators even for the biggest shows don't always nail the focus perfectly in tricky situations.

Should it matter? Will DSLRs ever really make waves in professional video use? I'm not sure of the extent. Yes, you can do great things with these cameras. Chase Jarvis made a slick promo video of and with the D90, and lots of people have been doing great things with the 5D. Partially, though, all of this creative energy is coming from the novelty, and partially it's coming because dSLRS tend to have sensors that work better in low light than traditional video cameras, allowing people to do more with less. But in the end, the form of a camera that's perfect to take pictures with all day and the form of a camera that's perfect to take video footage with all day are very different. There will be considerable convergence toward the middle for people to do hybrid work, but other people will soon find that photos do not instantly become more interesting when you add video, and vice-versa. But it's a nice tool to have in a pinch.

The real winners from all this, though, have got to be computer makers. For years most people have considered their computers to be basically good enough, fast enough for their daily needs. Well, that three-year-old computer that serves perfectly well for e-mail, web surfing, and even casual photo processing is probably wholly unsuited for editing 1080P video without banging your head against the wall, an issue DSLR and video camera users alike will face.

Now, "compact dSLR" is essentially the reverse of "jumbo shrimp." At more than a pound-and-a-half, it's no pocket camera, especially when you add heavy professional lenses. But Pentax, who is more committed to the 1.5x APS-C format than any other maker, has a line-up of interesting and lightweight prime lenses designed for the format, including a range of great autofocus pancake lenses.

This camera will no doubt be a welcome addition for Pentax users, but in an age where most extremely avid photographers in wealthy markets already have a DSLR, will it cause many to switch? That will remain to be seen -- the market is still looking for improvements in movie-mode implementation, for one -- but it seems that the strongest possible market will be for photographers who want to carry their camera everywhere, and need a camera that's not only strong enough to take it, but light enough to avoid wrist and back strain.

We will update more when the camera is actually, you know, released.

UPDATE: And here it is, in all its not-ginormous, rugged glory. In keeping with the "small-but-powerful" ethos of the body, the K7 comes with two weather-resistant kit lenses, the 18-55mm f/3.5-5.5 and the 50-200mm f/4-5.6. Spec-wise, these are virtually identical to the same slow, inexpensive kit lenses every other maker has. But most other kit lenses look like they'll snap in half if you look at them funny, while these complete the image that finally there is a light, small set-up that photographers can use in a heavy rain.

Other key specs: 14.6 megapixels. Supposedly speedier, more accurate autofocus. New mechanisms for improved dust reduction, anti-shake and metering. 720p video recording -- with an external microphone input. Three-inch, high-resolution LCD screen. And a built-in High-Dynamic Range overlay. MSRP is $1299.95, though street will be somewhat lower.

I've never owned a digiframe. Personally it's a novelty that just never clicked with me, and correspondingly I have an external drive that is packed to the gills with images of friends and family, and vacations and trips I've taken. That leads me to Mom.

The eventual question that comes from her is what's going on, and where are the pictures? I tell her that I'm going/have been here and there and am doing X, Y and Z. Most of this is pretty much Latin to her, but pictures, those are universal. I've tried sending her digital copies and links to sites where she can view them, but that's never going to be terribly successful with founding members like herself of  pre-computer generation. I vaguely recall a glimmer of hope when I heard last year of T-Mobile's network integrated Cameo Digiframe. It's basically a frame with a phone number that updates with images and picture messages that you send it, or via memory card. Then I saw the price: $100 for the hardware and $9.99/month for the line. Uh, no. My Mom doesn't even have a cell phone for emergencies. But wait, just in time for Mother's Day it would seem that T-Mobile has gotten the hint.

According to a post on Engadget this morning, T-Mobile has dropped its prices to $40 for the frame and a monthly fee of $1.99. Now that's a little bit different, now isn't it. For a measly $24/year Mom can be clued in visually everything that is going on with me or anyone else for that matter. Who knows, after she vicariously becomes an expert in wireless technology she may even break down and accept a cell phone for the glove compartment. All kidding aside this is actually a pretty cool and affordable idea for anyone, especially Moms, who want to effortlessly keep up with other's lives.

A few things about the Cameo. It unfortunately is only available through a physical visit to a T-Mobile store, but there are no contract obligations, it comes with unlimited message capability, can hold up to 500 standard sized images, allows for the blocking of individual senders and does not take up one of your allowed accounts if you have a family plan. All in all pretty nice. Mom is going to like it and I think I may too since I may just get one for myself as well.

Want to read more about T-Mobile's Cameo Digiframe? ZDNet did a nice review of it yesterday. Check it out for more details.

--Tom Milnes

Do you recall those nostalgic days of Norman Rockwell like memories captured forever by Dad with that ever-present camera of his? Yeah, me neither. Back in the olden days I remember home video, of any kind, much less HD recording was simply too expensive for most people to dive into. Well, things have definitely changed since then. In fact consumer HD camcorders are fast becoming down right cheap. A few weeks ago I noted a few variants made in the form of clutch purses, aimed at women by DXG priced right at $130. And now another low cost manufacturer, Genius, is doing something very similar, but in pistol grip form with their G-Shot HD520 Camcorder.

As with every model in this new low-end high-end class of HD camcorder, we are not talking top of the line quality here, but for the price--$140 in the case of the HD520--we are talking a pretty good bargain for most folks in the market. The selling point of the HD520 feature wise are its ability to take 720p footage as well as capture 11 megapixel still shots. That's not too shabby for the cost of a fairly tame night on the town for two. Sounds like every new, and newly poor parent's dream; a cheap tool to capture the memories. That isn't much of a Norman Rockwell attitude, but it is realistic.

Check out the HD520s key features below. You can also check out a little more detail at its product page on the Genius site and can read the camcorder's press release via a posting on Engadget.

Key Features:

• 5MP digital video camera, record at (30fps/1280 x 720P) and output to HD TV via the included HDMI cable
• Maximum image resolution up to 11 MP by interpolation.
• 5X digital zoom, allows you to zoom in and out during video recording
• Face Detection, track and detect faces accurately.
• The ALC chip can sense sound from various distances.
• 2.5" LTPS color display.
• EIS prevents any hand shaking when taking videos.
• Supports high-capacity SD card up to 8GB.
• Motion Detection.
• Li-ion rechargeable battery.

--Tom Milnes

A little over a month ago I reported on the Eyeborg Project, an attempt by one-eyed Canadian filmmaker Rob Spence and his team to develop and embed a wireless video camera and a transmitter into a prosthetic eye. The plan is then to put that eye in Spence's empty right eye socket, and record the world from a perspective that's never been seen before, via video streamed wirelessly to a computer.

The project is run on a shoestring so progress has been limited, but it was recently reported by Newscientist.com that it did succeed in what might be seen as a first step towards its goal by placing a working red LED in Spence's eye prosthetic. Of course this is very far from a working prototype of a camera in that same space, and succeeds more in making him look like a T800 on a mission to change the past than anything else. What it also does though is show that the Eyeborg Project team is capable of placing a working electronic device, complete with power source, into the eye socket. This looked somewhat in question in a video on the Eyeborg site that showed a circuit board that would presumably be in Spence's eye, smoking when current was run through it.

According to Spence a similar LED may be fitted alongside the camera in the final Eyeborg prosthetic if the battery can spare enough power, to provide "aesthetic value as well as additional light for filming." Those kinds of aesthetics would certainly do a number on any quest the filmmaker has for capturing candid responses from this new perspective, but this is only the beginning of the project. In the long-run the project could lay serious groundwork for future worn technologies, as well as provide the building blocks of a guaranteed winner at pretty much any Halloween party.

~Tom Milnes

As 'gadget heads' it's a given that specs are going to be first and foremost in our minds when it comes to making a buying decision on our toys, but there are certainly other considerations beyond price, speed, processing power, OS and the like to take a look at. For one, how green are the manufacturing processes we are encouraging when we lay down cash for the latest must-have gizmos?

Granted, for the majority of us this line of questioning might never pop into our heads, but in a world where products are less expensive than ever, resulting in a flood of discarded electronics hitting the landfills, dumps, and hopefully recycling centers every year, it should be something that we give at least a little consideration to. Thankfully Greenpeace continues to take the lead on this, publishing the eleventh edition of its quarterly 'Guide to Greener Electonics' report last month. In it the top 17 manufacturers of personal computers, mobile phones, TV's and games consoles are ranked according to their policies on toxic chemicals, recycling and climate change. Leading the way as it did in the last report is Nokia, with its comprehensive voluntary take-back program and reduced levels of manufacturing based toxic pollutants. Similarly, continuing to bring up the rear is Nintendo, with a "pitiful" showing regarding e-waste, among other criteria. All the other big names are there too, mixed up in the middle. Regardless of their standing all could stand to improve their processes and we to be aware of that. It just takes a second to check out the findings of the guide, either through synopsis or a downloaded report featuring promises made, kept and broken, etc. Obviously we will never base our buying decisions strictly on a rating system such as this, but it is another piece of information that deserves consideration before making a buying decision, so take a look.

--Tom Milnes

As someone with a stack of 1 - 2GB cards of various formats spread between a variety of devices, honestly I can't imagine what having a 2TB card would be like, or what it would cost for that matter. Hopefully though you and I both may get some insight into this fairly soon though, as Pretec has just announced its first SDXC format card.

The Secure Digital Extended Capacity (SDXC) format was only just announced to be in the latter stages of development at this year's CES. Part of that announcement was the format's 2 terabyte upper size limit and transfer speeds up 104MB/sec (eventually perhaps as high as 300MB/sec). This of course means that the Pretec card's 32MB storage/50MB per second transfer speed shows that there is a lot of room for improvement, which is more than okay since I don't believe that there are any devices in existence yet that are compatible with the format. So, with this in mind the question I suppose has to be why go to the effort to put out a measly 32GB card that can't be used on any device? Well, I suppose it simply doesn't hurt to be first to the party and to show device manufacturers that these mega cards are really going to happen. Look for more information in the months to come on other card manufacturers trying their hand at raising the SDXC bar and hopefully devices supporting the format. And if you missed the announcement for the new format at CES take a look at the press release for it below.

SDXC SIGNALS NEW GENERATION OF REMOVABLE MEMORY
WITH UP TO 2 TERABYTES OF STORAGE

SDXC Memory Cards Provide Consumers with Massive Storage,
Incredible Speed in Familiar, De Facto Standard

LAS VEGAS – CES Booth South 3 #31277 – Jan. 7, 2009 – The next-generation SDXC (eXtended Capacity) memory card specification, announced today at the 2009 International CES, dramatically improves consumers' digital lifestyles by providing the portable storage and speed needed to store weeks of high-definition video, years of photo collections and months of music to mobile phones, cameras and camcorders, and other consumer electronic devices. The new SDXC specification provides up to 2 terabytes storage capacity and accelerates SD interface read/write speeds to 104 megabytes per second this year, with a road map to 300 megabytes per second.

The SDXC specification, developed by the SD Association, leapfrogs memory card interface speeds while retaining the world-leading SD interface. Specifications for the open standard will be released in the first quarter of 2009. SDHC, Embedded SD and SDIO specifications will also benefit from the new SD interface speeds.

"SDXC combines a higher capacity roadmap with faster transfer speeds as a means to exploit NAND flash memory technology as a compelling choice for portable memory storage and interoperability," said Joseph Unsworth, research director, NAND Flash Semiconductors, at Gartner. "With industry support, SDXC presents manufacturers with the opportunity to kindle consumer demand for more advanced handset features and functionality in consumer electronics behind the ubiquitous SD interface."

Turning mobile phones into media centers
SDXC allows users to enjoy more from their mobile phones. Larger capacity and faster transfer speeds allow for expanded entertainment and data storage. A 2TB SDXC memory card can store 100 HD movies, 60 hours of HD recording or 17,000 fine-grade photos.

"With SDXC, consumers can quickly download higher quality content to their phones, including games, video and music – giving consumers a richer media and content experience," said James Taylor, president of the SD Association. "The SD interface already has proven itself valuable in mobile phones. Now, SDXC memory card capabilities will spur further handset sophistication and boost consumer content demand."

Shooting pictures at the speed of life
SDXC is also the first memory card specification to provide 2TB storage without hindering the high-speed performance necessary for high-end photography. It will provide maximum speeds even when the SDXC specification achieves its maximum 2TB storage capacity.

"SDXC is a large-capacity card that can store more than 4,000 RAW images, which is the uncompressed mode professionals use, and 17,000 of the fine-mode most consumers use. That capacity, combined with the exFAT file system, increases movie recording time and reduces starting time to improve photo-capturing opportunities," said Shigeto Kanda, general manager at Canon. "Improvements in interface speed allow further increases in continuous shooting speed and higher resolution movie recordings. As a memory card well suited to small-sized user-friendly digital cameras, the SDXC specification will help consumers realize the full potential of our cameras."

SDXC will enable camcorders to provide longer, professional level HD video recording with a small form factor.

The SDXC specification uses Microsoft's exFAT file system to support its large capacity and interoperability in a broad range of PCs, consumer electronics and mobile phones. The exFAT system was designed for increased compatibility with flash media, from portability of data to interoperability with multiple platforms and devices on removable media.

"The SD Association is committed to answering and anticipating consumer demand for easy-to-use memory card storage that is interoperable in any device with a matching SD slot," Taylor said. "The SDXC card gives consumers a new, yet familiar, high-performance card that will be used in hundreds of manufacturers' device offerings."

--Tom Milnes

There is something about press releases without accompanying images that drives me crazy. Not all of them of course, that would be too many to count. No, just the ones that have me reaching for my wallet even though the product could be little more than a ghost. The one that is toying with me at the moment is one from Sakar International, the parent company of camera manufacturer Vivitar.

Although Vivitar has been making photography equipment for over 70 years, it is really not a big deal that they are far from a household name. A Canon or Nikon they are not. Generally speaking their stuff is fairly middle-of-the-road, set at a low to middle ground price range. That is a place a lot of manufacturers set up shop, but there is at least one thing that Vivitar offers -- part of the reason for the press release -- that very few, if any, other manufacturers do, a decent and affordable underwater digital camera. Their newest model, reportedly available this spring, is the Vivitar V8400P. Here are a few specs on it:

• Mid-grade camera
• High resolution 8 megapixel underwater camera
• 2.4" LCD display
• Waterproof up to 30 feet
• 8x digital zoom lens with image stabilization support
• 32mb internal storage with SD/SDHC memory card support up to 8GB maximum
• Shockproof and drop-resistant body
• Full length video capture mode
• $129.95

These bullet points are pretty much all the information that is available, and most of it was revealed earlier in the year at CES. The image above is actually of Vivitar's earlier VIVICAM-6200W 6.0 MegaPixel model. That model is a few years old and has generally seen pretty favorable reviews which has me hoping that Vivitar has used it as a blueprint for the V8400P, while adding a more powerful digital zoom, more storage capacity and more megapixels. Price is the other factor with the V8400P. At $130 it is very affordable in its class as anyone who has picked up a 24-36 exposure disposable camera while on holiday knows. These same people could also tell you that as unforgiving as underwater photography is, in most cases having the ability to wipe the slate, or in this case an 8GB SD card, clean and start over again is probably the most important feature an amateur to mid level photographer can have in the water.

--Tom Milnes