Turn of the Screw

When Canon launched the EOS system with its new EF lens mount in 1987, it was a clean break with past tech. The "Electro Optical System" severed the mechanical linkages between the camera body and lens. The aperture was electro-mechanically actuated, and the focusing was handled by a motor in the lens body itself.

Similarly, when Olympus put out its first DSLR, the E-1, the Four Thirds system represented a clean break from its prior film SLR legacy. All the lenses were from a clean sheet of paper.

The other DSLR makers in the first decade of this millennium were attempting to bridge a gap to prior technology. Nikon, Pentax, and Sony all offered cameras with focus motors in the camera body which operated the lens focus via a screw drive.

I was reminded of this yesterday when I had the Sony a700 out for a walk with the 18-200mm zoom lens on it.

I'd been hoping for birds or squirrels, but when I went to shoot some flowers close-up, the whirring as the focus motor spun the lens all the way to the other extreme seemed interminable...

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Great Deals Await!

So, for doing a comparison test for the blog... and also because I love playing with different cameras ...I got the Sony a700 and a Sony 16-50mm f/2.8 zoom lens from KEH for $290, combined.

That's a rugged, weather resistant, pro-grade camera and lens for under three bills. Roberts/Used Photo Pro, locally, had a 16-80mm F3.5-4.5 ZA Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* for a hundred bucks. It was in "Good" condition, basically the equivalent to BGN (bargain) at KEH because the rubber focusing and zoom rings were somewhat faded and there was visible wear on the lens barrel, but it's functionally just fine, and it's premium glass that sold for nearly a grand back when it came out.

Then the other day I saw that Roberts had an 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 zoom with caps and hood for $89.

That's a pro-grade APS-C DSLR body, and three zoom lenses, two of them rather high-end, all for less than the cost of the cheapest kit DSLR at Walmart.

Singin' in the Rain

After the LCD display on the top panel, the next two pro camera features I mentioned in my list were a rugged, usually metal body, and weather sealing.

When normal folks would buy that boxed Nikon D3000 or Canon Rebel kit from Walmart or Best Buy, it represented a chunk of change. Especially back in the late '00s, when their only other experience with digital cameras had been a $150-$250 point-'n'-shoot, that $500 to $1000 DSLR kit that they purchased to document their big trip to Europe or their kid's first season of Little League was a luxury item and tended to be treated as such.

On the other hand, working photogs... especially photojournalists, wildlife and sports photographers, et cetera ...treated their cameras like the working tools they were. The body needed to be rugged enough to take a beating, and the weather sealing had to be up to shrugging off the elements.

I stumbled on a leaf-covered sidewalk and faceplanted right on top of this Canon EOS-1D Mark IV

If a camera will stand up to the sidelines of an NFL game or deal with a NatGeo expedition into the Amazon, I figure it's more than up to wandering around my Broad Ripple neighborhood.

I'll note that this is all for naught if not paired with a comparable lens. The Olympus E-5 and the Zuiko Digital 14-35mm f/2 Pro lens are both known for being quite weather-resistant.

DSLR Pics: Vintage Triumphs with the Canon EOS 40D

I was getting lunch at Fat Dan's the other day when a gaggle of Triumph motorcycles pulled up over at Yat's, so I ambled over for a closer look.

The 40D was wearing the excellent EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS zoom lens, which is probably the best glass Canon made for their crop-sensor DSLRs.

I'd been shooting moving cars and the camera was set to Program Mode with the ISO set to 200 despite the fact that it was a sunny day, in order to keep shutter speeds reasonably quick.

Between the good glass and the 10MP CMOS APS-C sensor, the photos are pretty reasonably detailed.

DSLR Pics: Squirrel snapshots with the Canon EOS Rebel T1i

These were taken with the Canon Rebel T1i and an EF 28-200mm f/3.5-5.6 zoom lens while walking to lunch back in February of 2019.

The lack of image stabilization on the lens and the overcast day meant having to shoot close to wide open, even with all the reflected sky light coming off the snow acting as a sort of bounce fill.

The character of the bokeh on this isn't exactly what I'd call smooth and creamy, but it's not as jarring as the stuff that occasionally comes from its 28-200mm f/3.5-5.6G Nikon equivalent.

DSLR Photos: First pics from the new D300

KEH had a Nikon D300 in EXC condition for $79 and, rather than let my D300S substitute for one in my "Class of 2008 Prosumer Shootout", went ahead and sprang for it. It arrived the other day and I charged the battery, put a card in it, popped the excellent 17-55mm f/2.8G DX zoom lens on it, and took it out for a spin.

The 17-55/2.8 is a monster lens but really delivers great results. The 26-83mm equivalent focal length is good for most around-the-neighborhood shooting situations and the f/2.8 maximum aperture all the way out to the long end means it's a pretty fair short portrait lens in a pinch.

As Zed noted in an online discussion, at the time the D300 was definitely the big dog in this class of cameras, easily outselling its crop-sensor competition from Canon, Pentax, Olympus, and Sony.

For a camera that was released towards the end of 2007, it still holds up quite well. You could still do work with this thing, no problem.