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A bit of fun: Hitler’s reaction to new Adobe Creative Cloud model

Ivan Ivancic — Thu, 09 May 2013 21:31:59 +0000

And now something different for relaxation: you have probably heard about new lease policy Adobe has in mind for its future products…. It’s making the headlines all over the web. There will be no more perpetual licensing, but instead you’ll have to lease the software and subscribe to the Creative Cloud. Youtube user EvilEdison made a funny video over famous Hitler bunker scene pointing out to negatives of such approach… take a look at the video yourself, I bet it will make you smile.

Canon Powershot N review

Ivan Ivancic — Thu, 02 May 2013 21:22:08 +0000

Canon Powershot N is a somewhat unusual camera at the first glance. It consists of lens in the front, a touch-screen at the back and that’s it. There is no grip and very few buttons. Compact camera market is disappearing a bit by bit every day and manufacturers are trying everything they can to keep customers. This can seen by ultra-zoom flood in the last two or three years and many advanced models like Sony RX100, Nikon Coolpix A and many others. With Powershot N, Canon tried a bit different approach, making it different than almost any other camera on the market.

CANON POWERSHOT N SPECIFICATIONS:

Announced: 2013.
Type: Compact
Dimensions: 79 x 60 x 29 mm
Weight: 195 g
Sensor: CMOS 12MP (4000 x 3000 pixels)
Lens: 5 – 40mm (28-224 in 35mm), F/3-5.9, optical image stabilization
ISO range: 80 – 6,400
Dust and moisture protection: No
Flash: No
LCD screen: 2.8″, 461,000 dots, tilt up to 90°
Memory card: Micro SD
Battery: Li-Ion NB-9L
Video: 1920 x 1080 (24fps), 1280 x 720 (30fps), 640 x 480 (30, 120fps), 320 x 240 (240fps)
Connectors: USB 2.0

CONSTRUCTION AND HANDLING

Canon has decided to try something new with this model and I think it succeeded. Minimalistic design makes this camera very attractive and stands out in the crowd among other traditionally designed compact cameras. Sales figures will show if it is a good concept, but I think it is very good Canon tried unorthodox approach to design. After all, compact cameras lose a bit of market share every day due to smart phones becoming quite advanced image takers.

Powershot N is built from nice and quality plastic. LCD has a firm tilt mechanism. Only basic functions buttons are available. Zoom is controlled via rotating ring around the lens. I didn’t like this solution since it is hard to obtain a grip at the ring anywhere but top and bottom side where it has detents. Shutter is also operated with a ring around the lens, but I found it easier to use touch-LCD interface.

I am used to any large(ish) camera with proper grip and buttons, so holding and operating Powershot N posed a bit of a challenge for me. Probably the best way to use it is holding the camera in front with both hands and take shots via touch LCD. With LCD open, I couldn’t find a natural way to hold it firmly, operate zoom at the front and LCD above… but maybe I just have a mindset fixed at ergonomically shaped DSLR cameras. Amateur users who are the target audience for this model will probably like it as is.

LCD

Canon Powershot N has a 2.8 inch LCD with tilt option. Sadly, it goes only 90° upward and I believe it would be much more useful if it could rotate to 180° for self-portrait shots. Viewing angles are very good as is the resolution and colors.

MENU AND DISPLAYS

All the options on this camera are adjusted using touch-screen interface. Major settings like WB, drive mode, ISO etc are set using quick menu. Main menu is similar to that of any other Powershot model. Touch screen is very sensitive and allows easy usage.

There is no option to turn digital zoom off, so I often accidentally went beyond optical and into “bad” digital magnification range, but I don’t think this will bother most buyers.

FLASH

Canon Powershot N does not have a traditional flash unit. This is somehow expected due to small camera size, but my opinion is there should have been one built-in. This way, Powershot N has limitations for low light use. There is a little LED light at the upper left corner, but its range is 90cm which is way too short for anything than close person shot.

Sigma USB dock demo video released

Ivan Ivancic — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 16:20:34 +0000

Sigma recently released a demo video showing software of the late USB lens docking station in action. This dock is a very special product as it will allow users to adjust focus if there is a need for it (usually there is). Almost all modern DSLR cameras have the option to adjust AF accuracy, but often only as a single setting for every lens. This is a problem with zoom lenses since most tend to missfocus by different degree depending where in the zoom or focus range they are. Sigma USB dock will allow to set AF compensation at up to 4 focal lengths and at 4 different focus positions independently. There is also an option to adjust optical stabilization , focus limiter and AF speed. Click “continue reading” to view video:

The USB dock will be in sale early May for around $ 60.

The Sigma USB dock is compatible with the following lenses:

35mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art
30mm F1.4 DC HSM | Art
17-70mm F2.8-4 DC MACRO OS HSM | Contemporary
17-70mm F2.8-4 DC MARO HSM | Contemporary
120-300mm F2.8 DG OS HSM | Sports
18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM

Canon Powershot SX270HS & SX280HS review

Ivan Ivancic — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 19:30:31 +0000

It seems Canon found a perfect formula for best selling compact ultra zoom camera. Powershot SX260HS is currently best selling digital camera on Amazon and has 4.5 out of 5 stars rating from 670 customer reviews. But it’s one year old and that’s a usual product life for a compact digicam, so Canon recently announced two new models: Powershot SX270HS and SX280HS and I used them for the last week.

These cameras have actually completely identical specifications: 20x optical zoom, 12MP sensor and Full HD video, making the addition of GPS and Wi-Fi the only detail to differentiate SX280 from its cheaper sibling, the SX270. Canon already did something similar with its full-frame EOS 6D and i think it’s a smart move. GPS and Wi-Fi are functions that can be regarded as essential for some users but completely irrelevant to others. In this way, you can save a penny buying a cheaper model without it.

GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS

Announced: 2013.
Type: Compact ultrazoom
Dimensions: 106 x 63 x 33 mm
Weight: 233 g
Sensor: BSI-CMOS 12MP (4000 x 3000 pixels)
Lens: 4.5 – 90mm (25-500 in 35mm), F/3.5-6.8, optical image stabilization
ISO range: 80 – 6,400
Dust and moisture protection: No
Flash: Pop-up flash
LCD screen: 3″, 461,000 dots, fixed
Memory card: SDHC
Battery: Li-Ion NB-6L
Video: 1920 x 1080, 1280 x 720, 640 x 480 (all @30fps)
Connectors: USB 2.0, mini HDMI

CONSTRUCTION AND HANDLING

The design is modern, but I wouldn’t call these cameras especially pretty. Both cameras are available in several colors. Build quality is excellent. There are no creaks and body materials look nice. All the buttons feel solid. Mode dial has a firm feel when rotated which will prevent unwanted accidental mode change.

LCD

LCD unit has a 3 inch diagonal and 461,000 dots. It is sharp with vibrant and pleasing colors. Viewing angles are excellent; amongst the best I’ve seen in a compact camera and allow framing at almost 180 degrees. LCD doesn’t have tilt option nor is touch-capable.

MENU AND DISPLAYS

Menu system is similar to other Powershot cameras; relatively easy to navigate, but not as nice or logical like the one on EOS models. Basically, once you set up the camera after buying it, there will be no reason to enter main menu because all of the major settings are adjusted via quick menu followed by “Func.Set.” button press.

There is no live histogram in recording mode, but it’s available in playback.

LIGHT METERING

Canon SX270 and SX280 have rather pleasing evaluative light metering mode (the one most used). Under direct sunlight bright parts of the image can appear overexposed but that can be avoided simply by using EV compensation at -2/3 or -1 at extreme cases or by switching to center or spot metering for very bright subjects (like the swan pic in samples at the end of the review).

CANON SX 270 & SX280 FLASH

A small pop-up flash with range of only 3.5m is present – good enough for family use.

CANON SX 270 & SX280 LENS

The lens has a big 20x optical zoom (25-500 in 35mm equivalent). The camera is only 3cm thick (barely above an inch) so this is pretty impressive result. Optically, it’s surprisingly good – sharp at all zoom settings and with a strong resistance to chromatic abberations (something that’s often a problem on similar ultra zoom lenses).

The lens has a two-speed zoom, but the zoom lever has no distinctive feel which speed is used so it requires a little practice to master gradual zoom tehnique.

Below are the examples of viewing angles at minimum and maximum optical zoom.

SENSOR AND IMAGE QUALITY

The BSI-CMOS (Back Side Illuminated CMOS) sensor has 12 megapixels and native 4:3 shooting ratio (4000 x 3000 pixels). Other shooting ratios are also available in quick menu – 16:9: 3:2 and 1:1. I am especially happy Canon kept the MP count at conservative 12 megapixels what helps to keep noise at normal level. Other manafacturers (Sony lol) still try to keep megapixel race alive and offer 18-20 megapixel models in compact camera niche what results in lower image quality.

Images are really excellent al low ISO settings. Colors can be very vibrant and nice when using some of the “My colors” options. I especially like “Positive film” which made shooting flowers around the town quite a pleasing experience. But most of everything, I was surprised of the level of details at base ISO 80. You can almost count all the spears in the grass in some images – this is not something i expected from a consumer compact ultra zoom camera.

Sadly, as the ISO goes up, so does the noise (reduction). Already at ISO 400, you can see the NR blurring effect, so I recommend to keep ISO below that for ultimate image quality. The good thing is that SX270 and SX280 still have rather usable higher ISO’s. Yes, there is NR blur and artifacts, but it’s better than most similar competitors. I took a few shots even at ISO 3200 which could be quite usable for Facebook or small prints. They are still far from any basic DSLR or mirrorless, but are quite good for such a small sensor.

ISO SAMPLES: 80 100 200 400 800 1600 3200 6400

Also, the irritating bug (feature?) found on some other Powershot models like S110 or G15 is present on these two models. Any time you choose exposure longer than a second, ISO is fixed at ISO 80 what might be a limit for night photography.

A surprise out of clear blue sky: Sigma announces 18-35mm F/1.8 lens!

Ivan Ivancic — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 09:55:52 +0000

While the big two (Canon & Nikon) successfully pursue the image of boring traditional companies, others like Sigma try to be inventive and gain a piece of market for themselves. Today, Sigma announced a new extraordinary lens: the 18-35mm F/1.8 DC HSM for APS-C sized sensors. Yes, this is not a typo; this zoom lens has constant F/1.8 aperture. As far as I know, no other photography lens has such aperture, the closest being Olympus with the two of their F/2 zoom lenses.

Main specifications:

Format size: APS-C
Focal length: 18-35mm (27-52mm in 35mm eq.)
Image stabilization: No
Aperture: F/1.8 – F/16
Number of blades: 9
Elements/groups: 17/12
Full time manual focus: Yes
Motor type: ultrasonic
Weight: 810g
Dimensions: 79 x 122 mm
Filter thread: 72mm

Since full frame cameras got quite more affordable lately (6D and D600) I was almost sure this is the first nail in “pro-level” APS-C camera coffin, but Sigma proved me wrong. The new 18-35 has an equivalent of 27-52mm FOV and F/2.7 depth of field, making it a bit better than full-frame constant F/2.8 zooms. This will most certainly breathe a new life into APS-C cameras and probably stop some users from switching to full-frame. Sigma has realized there are a lot of Nikon D300/D7000 and Canon EOS 7D users who want to buy top quality native APS-C glass for their cameras. Canon and Nikon won’t produce such lenses on purpose in order differentiate pro-level products from consumer ones, and make you pay premium for full frame bodies. Others like Sigma, Olympus or Fuji do not have such issues and are willing to offer top quality glass for cropped sensors.

You might tend to think there’s no point with this lens: it’s big and heavy, so you might as well buy FF body and corresponding 24-70 lens. Well, not exactly. Top level APS-C bodies (D300, D7100, 7D) have vastly superior AF systems than cheap full frame bodies like Nikon D600 and Canon EOS 6D and are therefore not appropriate for sport, wildlife or any action shooters. To get really good AF with wide frame coverage you’ll need to buy 5D mark III or D800 which are way more expensive than APS-C body + Sigma F/1.8 combination.

The lens is compatible with the Sigma’s USB Dock, which will be available soon and will enable photographers to update lens firmware and adjust focus using their PC’s.

In 35mm equivalent, this lens gives you the 27-52mm field of view, and my guess is if it proves to be successful, Sigma might make a complimentary F/1.8 telephoto lens, probably in the 35-80 or 35-100mm range (what would be 50-150 in full frame terms).

The recommended price is not yet announced, as is the case of available mounts (probably standard Canon, Nikon, Sony and Pentax).

UPDATE: A Korean photo site has published first preview with samples… it looks splendid to me. Good job Sigma!

Canon EOS 6D review

Ivan Ivancic — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 12:50:42 +0000

Canon EOS 6D is a model in a relatively new market segment: affordable full-frame DSLR. It is by no way what one might call cheap camera, but compared to previous full-frame models it is significantly more affordable. There is only one direct competitor, the Nikon D600. They have quite a few differences between themselves, but more on that later. Overall, Canon 6D has the looks and feel similar to 60D model. In other words, it is smaller and lighter than 5D models (finally!) but shares many features like the menu system or the lack of pop-up flash.

GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS

Announced: 2012.
Type: DSLR
Dimensions: 145 x 111 x 71 mm
Weight: 770g (with battery)
Sensor: CMOS, 20 MP (5472 x 3648 pixels)
ISO range: Native 100 – 25,600, Extended 50 – 102,400
Image stabilization: No
Dust and moisture protection: Yes
Flashlight: hot-shoe
Continuous shooting: 4.5 fps
LCD screen: 3″, 1,040,000 dots, fixed
Memory card: SD, SDHC, SDXC (UHS-I support)
Battery: Li-Ion LP-E6
Video: 1920 x 1080 @ 30, 25, 24 fps, 1280 x 720 @ 60, 50, fps, 640×480 @ 30,25 fps
Connectors: USB 2.0, mini HDMI, 3,5mm mic input, N3 wired remote

CONSTRUCTION AND HANDLING

Canon EOS 6D is very well built. The frame is made from magnesium, and plastic used is excellent. The grip is extensively covered with rubber. From the first moment I held the camera, it just felt natural in my hand. Handgrip is well shaped and deep enough to allow confident and relaxed grip on the 6D, unlike Nikon D600 (which is way to shallow in my opinion). All the controls are easily reachable. Some might dislike the lack of joystick like the one on 5D and 1D series, but I guess it one of the things that lack in order to distinguish the camera from more expensive models.

The whole camera can be controlled with one hand: ISO, drive, playback and playback magnification are all on the right side of the camera. Even the main menu can be assigned to “SET” button and controlled single handedly. This way, you can control every aspect of the camera with only one hand while holding the umbrella in the other, drive a car, bicycle or simply stick your hand casually in the jeans pocket. None of the Nikon models can be controlled this way, so this is a big plus in my book.

Playback mode has several usual display options, but histogram cannot be shown when the image is magnified, therefore you can’t check for blown highlight on a specific zoomed part of an image like it’s possible on Nikon cameras.

One thing irritated me quite much: there is no exposure compensation in manual mode so using manual exposure with Auto ISO might result with underexposed images. There is a way around it using EV bracketing, but you will end up with twice more images and shorter battery life. Not all is lost though: I see no reason why Canon wouldn’t be able to implement it via firmware upgrade.

LCD, VIEWFINDER

LCD unit has 3 inch diagonal nad 1,040,000 dots. It is very detailed and bright enough for daylight use. Sadly, there’s no tilt option. It also gets smudged by nose and face very easy. There is no option to attach LCD cover like on Nikon D600.

Optical viewfinder is big and clear as expected. It is possible to change focus screens and Nikon doesn’t have this option.

Canon Powershot SX500IS review

Ivan Ivancic — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 13:50:54 +0000

Canon Powershot SX500IS is a small ultra zoom camera. Its 30x zoom lens covers the range of 24-720mm in 35mm equivalent and is paired to 16MP CCD sensor. SX500IS has a range of shooting modes including full manual controls over exposure and focus. Usually I don’t publish reviews of digital cameras of this price range, but this one attracted my attention, so here it is.

GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS

Announced: 2012.
Type: Ultrazoom
Dimensions: 104 x 70 x 80 mm
Weight: 341 g
Sensor: CCD 16MP (4608 x 3456 pixels)
Lens: 4.3 – 129mm (24-720 in 35mm), F/3.4-5.8, optical image stabilization
ISO range: 100 – 1,600
Dust and moisture protection: No
Flash: Pop-up flash
Continuous shooting: 0.8 fps
LCD screen: 3″, 461,000 dots, fixed, 4:3 ratio
Memory card: SDHC
Battery: Li-Ion NB-6L
Video: 1280 x 720 (25fps), 640 x 480
Connectors: USB 2.0, mini HDMI

CONSTRUCTION AND HANDLING

Canon SX500IS looks like a really small DSLR. It has a big lens up front and a pronounced and well shaped grip. It is easy to hold and operate due to large buttons on the back of the camera.

Build quality is also quite good. Plastic quality is good, and the metal lens barrel contibutes to the overall impressions. Battery and memory card compartment door is not flimsy. Tripod mount is made of metal.

LCD

LCD unit has a large 3 inch diagonal and 461,000 dots. Sharpness is decent but still far from best possible. Viewing angles could be much better. There is no viewfinder on this camera, nor an option to attach one.

MENU AND DISPLAYS

Menu system is similar to other Powershot cameras; relatively easy to navigate, but not as nice or logical like the one on EOS models. Major settings are adjusted via quick menu followed by “Func.Set.” button press.

LIGHT METERING

Canon SX500IS generally has a good light metering. I found it is needed to use EV compensation of -1/3 or -2/3 to reduce the chance of blown highlights when shooting high contrast scenes but besides that everything worked fine. In PASM modes, you can select between three usual light metering modes – evaluative, center and spot.

FLASH

A small pop-up flash with range of 5m is present – good enough for family use. SX500 allows the user to set the flash output up to +-2EV.

SENSOR

The sensor has 16 megapixels and native 4:3 shooting ratio (4608 x 3456 pixels). Other shooting ratios are also available in quick menu – 16:9: 3:2 and 1:1. Interestingly, it is not a CMOS sensor, but older CCD model. CMOS HS units are obviously reserved for more expensive models. I understand there have to be compromises in order to get the price lower, but why isn’t there a camera with this zoom range and body size paired to sensor like the one from G15? Such model might be quite interesting to many users.

Anyway, the sensor performance is as expected – plagued with noise reduction. Images are acceptable for casual tourist use, but this is far from quality delivered by more expensive Powershot models. ISO range goes from ISO 100 to 1600. I’d like to say base values are significantly better than the high ones, but it’s not the case. Even at ISO 100, details which most likely existed in images are smudged by noise reduction. Pitty.

Color reproduction is also not like I would have wanted it to be. There are several “My colors” presets for tweaking color response, but none of them actually gets really pleasant and strong saturation.

CANON SX500IS LENS

The lens has a huge 30x optical zoom, ranging from 24 to 720mm in 35mm equivalent. If such zoom range is a “must have” in your list and your wallet is thin, this is the camera to have. Aperture is F/3.4 on wide angle and falls down to F/5.8 at maximum zoom. This is to be expected from such long zoom but limits the use in low light.

The lens has optical image stabilization which works superbly. It is possible to get sharp images at maximum zoom even at 1/20 exposure (look at the pigeon sample below the review).

Overall lens quality is rather good. Sharpness looks fine in my opinion even at maximum zoom, but it’s the sensor and not the lens that sets ultimate limit of fine detail resolution; like I wrote in previous chapter, noise reduction is responsible for the lack of details in images. Light fall-off in corners is also well controlled and the only real downsides are noticeable chromatic aberrations. Since they can be very easily removed in post-process, the lens deserves my recommendations.

CANON SX500IS BATTERY

Canon SX500IS is delivered with a Li-Ion battery and external charger. It is strong enough for around 200 shots. If you don’t use flash and zoom much of the time, this can be extended to maybe 250 shots.

CANON SX500IS AUTOFOCUS AND CONTINUOUS SHOOTING

At 0.8 fps this camera is definitely not for sport or action shots. On the other side, buffer never fills up – I kept the shutter pressed for 60 consecutive shots and then got bored…

Auto focus speed is reasonable at wide angle (below a second in good light) but still takes up to 2 or 3 seconds fully zoomed. Also, it works faster when you select “Face detection” which focuses using all AF points rather than single AF point.

Macro goes down to 1cm, but at this distance you’ll have trouble lighting you subject.

AF assist lamp is also present. There is an option to automatically enlarge focused part of the image to check focus accuracy. If needed, full manual focus with distance scale is also available.

CONCLUSION

Canon SX500IS is definitely an interesting camera. It has excellent handling and a nice set of manual features for those who like to take control over image creation process. The 24-720mm optical zoom is the main reason you might want one; this is one of the most affordable ultra zoom cameras on the market. But keep in mind: image quality is good enough only for amateur use; aggressive noise reduction limits image quality to a large extent, and that’s a shame. I have provided a lot of image samples below so you can decide if it’s good enough for you.

PRO

Handling and design
Huge 24-720mm optical zoom
Image stabilization effectiveness in video and stills
Easy to operate

CONS

Overly aggressive noise reduction at all ISO settings
Not working with broken battery compartment
Average video quality

PHOTO EXAMPLES

ISO 100, F/8, 1/1600

ISO 200, F/4, 1/400

ISO 100, F/5.8, 1/125

ISO 125, F/5.6, 1/100

ISO 800, F/5.8, 1/400

ISO 800, F/4.5, 1/500

ISO 200, F/5.6, 1/200

ISO 640, F/5.8, 1/2500

ISO 100, F/4, 1/320

ISO 100, F/5.6, 1/125

ISO 1600, F/3.4, 1/40

ISO 400, F/5.8, 1/20

ISO 100, F/5.8, 1/200

ISO 160, F/5, 1/160

ISO 320, F/3.4, 1/30

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Canon EOS 100D & 700D preview

Ivan Ivancic — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 14:50:44 +0000

Canon has announced two new DLSR models – the 100D (Rebel SL1) and 700D (Rebel T5i). Both have 18 MP APS-C sensors, 9 focus points, Full HD video recording and all the usual Canon bells and whistles. So what’s new…? In one word – nothing. Specifications of the 700D are almost identical with the previous model (the 650D), and 100D differs from 700D with smaller body size and the lack of articulated LCD.

I had an opportunity to play with both cameras at today’s press conference and although they will most certainly be able to create wonderful images, there’s nothing about them to make anybody’s heart skip a beat. Canon keeps recycling the 18MP sensor unit for several years now, and I wonder how long it will be able to keep the pace with Sony.

Compared with 650D, new EOS 700D has real time preview of Creative filters and a mode dial that turns 360 degrees, something that most competitors had for years now.

I believe the Canon EOS 100D to be more interesting camera to the market because of its small dimensions. This is actually smallest Canon DSLR ever, but barely smaller and lighter than an old Olympus E-420 from 2008. 100D has 117 x 91 x 69mm dimensions and weighs 407g with battery, and Olympus had 130 x 91 x 53mm and 426g. Overall, Canon is by a small margin more compact, but the real question is what took so long to make it?

Honey, I shrunk the Rebel!

I won’t be far away from the truth if I conclude its sole reason of existence is to regain some of the market share lost to mirrorless cameras. The EOS M was a disappointment due to its unbelievably slow AF performance, and it seems Canon is unable to fix it, so they simply downsized a Rebel. However small, the camera is still much bigger than true mirrorless cameras and there are no proper small lenses for it. 40mm pancake is the only one which could make the 100D somewhat really small, but that’s it.

And for the end: I am sure both 100D and 700D will take great images in the hands of a skilled (or amateur) photographer, but my overall impressions can be condensed to just one word: Yawn.

Canon EOS 700D – Rebel T5i main specifications:

18MP APS-C CMOS sensor
18-55mm STM kit lens (improved live view/video AF)
14-bit DIGIC 5 processor
ISO 100-12,800 native, 25,600 expanded
5 fps burst
9-point AF, all sensors cross type
63 zone iFCL metering
1080 30p video recording, internal stereo microphone + 3.5mm input
1.04m dot 3:2 touch-sensitive articulated LCD (capacitative type, multi-touch support)

Canon EOS 100D – Rebel SL1 main specifications:

Weight only 407g (without lens)
18MP APS-C sensor with 14-bit DIGIC 5 processor
ISO 100-12800 (ISO 25600 extended)
4 fps burst
1080 30p video recording, mono microphone + stereo 3.5mm input
3-inch fixed capacitive touch-screen (from EOS M)
9 point AF (central sensor is cross-type)
Li-Ion battery

Nikon D5200 DSLR review

Ivan Ivancic — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 16:47:54 +0000

D5200 is second model in current Nikon DSLR lineup, just above D3200 and below the newly announced semi-pro D7100. In terms of features and especially size or ergonomics it is pretty much the same as both its predecessor the D5100 or the current base model D3200. Since I already published D3200 review and D5200 is rather similar camera, I will cover only the differences and overall user experience in this review.

Compared to its predecessor, the D5200 has a new 24 MP sensor, more advanced focus system with 39 AF points, 2016 pixel color sensitive metering sensor and stereo microphone for video recording. The Auto-ISO option is also upgraded and now allows automatic setting of minimum shutter speed based on the lens focal length – pretty important for zoom lens users. Movie aficionados will love the option of manual setting of shutter, aperture and ISO during movie recording. Everything else is practically the same as on D5100.

NIKON D5200 GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS

Announced: 2012.
Type: DSLR
Dimensions: 129 x 98 x 78 mm
Weight: 555 g
Sensor: CMOS 24MP (6000 x 4000 pixels)
Lens: Kit lens: 18-55 VR (28-82 in 35mm), F/3.5-5.6, optical stabilisation
ISO range: Native 100 – 6400, Extended 100 – 25,600
Dust and moisture protection: No
Flash unit: Pop-up flash, hot-shoe
Continuous shooting: 5 fps
LCD screen: 3″, 921,000 dots, articulated
Memory card: SDHC
Battery: Li-Ion EN-EL14
Video: 1920 x 1080 (60i, 30p, 24p), 1280 x 720, 640 x 480
Connectors: USB 2.0, mini HDMI, 3.5mm stereo microphone input, GPS connector

SENSOR AND IMAGE QUALITY

It is logical to assume the 24 megapixel sensor used is the same well known Sony unit, but Nikon stated it isn’t. To tell you the truth, I don’t care who developed it as long as it has good performance, and this one has them. Colors can really pop-out and high ISO noise is under control. For the most part, I can’t tell the difference between the image quality from D3200 and D5200. D5200 could have a slight edge in high ISO, but without having both cameras at the same time, it’s really hard to tell anything for sure.

LCD

LCD unit is fully articulated. It has a diagonal of 3″ and 921,000 dots. Sharpness and color reproduction are nice, but LCD has poor visibility in daylight, as you can see on the image on the left. All of the camera options are set via LCD interface and poor visibility might be a problem in some shooting situations.

AF PERFORMANCE

The D5200 doesn’t have an AF motor, so although you can use them, there is no support for auto focus with older Nikon lenses; only those with “G” designation can auto focus on this camera. Somehow I feel most buyers of this camera won’t ever remove the kit lens, but keep this in mind anyway.

AF system is very similar to the one in D7000. It has 39 AF points (9 of them cross type). AF points are very well spread across the frame and it’s easy to focus on something away from the center of the frame. This is very useful for vertical portraits or any shot involving main subject framed using rule of the thirds.

The sheer number of AF points is most usable in action shooting like sports or wildlife. With more pocus points the camera easier follows the subject as it moves. If you shoot a lot of action photos, this is a clear advantage over the cheaper D3200 model.

OVERALL HANDLING THOUGHTS

Nikon D5200 has a solid feel in hand. The grip is covered with rubber and all of the buttons are easy to reach. It would be nice if the vertical grip was available since D5200 sometimes felt a bit too small in my hand, but Nikon produces it only for more expensive models like D7000 and up.

The “Fn” button on the side is programmable (I used it as an ISO button) but there are no other possibilities besides it to have direct access to often used settings like WB, AF modes, file format etc. All of them are adjusted using quick menu on LCD. Novice users probably find that very appealing but anyone interested in quick adjustments via external controls will need to cash out for D7000 or the new D7100.

D5200 supports latest SDXC cards and has a Li-Ion battery strong enough for around 500-600 shots using optical viewfinder. On the left side there are USB 2.0 and mini HDMI connectors, as well as 3.5 microphone input and a special connector for external GPS module.

CONCLUSION

Nikon D5200 is a very nice camera overall. Image quality is excellent, but you might want to invest in a better lens. Kit lens is nowhere near bad but the excellent sensor in D5200 deserves more; 35mm F/1.8 G might be the best to start with (also very inexpensive). Handling is good as long as you don’t need very fast access to various settings since most of them are adjusted via LCD and require a lot of button pushes.

D5200 has three main advantages over D3200; articulated LCD, intervalometer and more advanced AF system which can make a difference for sports and wildlife shooters. If you think those features are not important to you, save the money and buy the cheaper D3200. Image quality and handling are the same and there’s no need to pay extra $ 300 for the features you will not use.

NIKON D5200 PRO:

Good image quality
AF system
Good Auto ISO implementation
Fast and responsive operation
Articulated LCD
Intervalometer built-in

NIKON D5200 CONS:

Low LCD visibility in daylight
Direct controls almost non-existant

NIKON D5200 PHOTO SAMPLES:

ISO 100, F/8, 1/350

ISO 100, F/8, 1/180

ISO 5600, F/3.5, 1/30

ISO 6400, F/5.3, 1/60

ISO 6400, F/3.8, 1/30

ISO 100, F/8, 1/350

ISO 100, F/8, 1/250

ISO 100, F/11, 1/250

ISO 100, F/11, 1/125

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National Geographic launches new Tumblr blog

Ivan Ivancic — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 12:15:29 +0000

National Geographic has launched a new blog called Found and hosted on Tumblr dedicated only to unknown photos from its vast archive. The man behind this project is William Bonner, a curator of National Geographic’s extensive archive located in the basement of the society’s headquarters in Washington, D.C.

After years spent in the archive, Bonner realized there is a vast number of interesting photos that never made it to the magazine pages and would remain completely unknown to public if no one bothered to resurrect them. National Geographic published a lot of books and even a fascinating 6-DVD set with all the magazine issues between 1888 and 2009, but they all comprise of already widely known and seen photos. “Found” blog offers a glimpse on what might otherwise never seen the daylight. New photos are added to the Found blog regularly and represent a fascinating overview of various cultures and locations.

An excerpt from “About”:

“FOUND is a curated collection of photography from the National Geographic archives. In honor of our 125th anniversary, we are showcasing photographs that reveal cultures and moments of the past. Many of these photos have never been published and are rarely seen by the public.”