Enticing the Light

I Don’t Care Much about Comparing Lenses

Miserere — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 04:15:10 +0000

by Miserere

If you’ve frequented any camera forum for even the shortest period of time you will have undoubtedly come across many posts were members are comparing the benefits of one lens vs another. In many cases they do this hypothetically (or theoretically) because they’ve never actually used any of the lenses they’re comparing. Sometimes, a lucky member will happen to have two or more lenses of similar specs from different manufacturers and they will post photos of brick walls, resolution charts, and 100% crops at different apertures in an attempt to discern which lens is the best.

I admit I do enjoy reading these comparisons, if only to maliciously pick out flaws in the testing procedure or simply enjoy the ensuing rows between owners of either lens. Nonetheless, I admire the dedication of these users and I believe their efforts are not totally wasted and they do provide a service to other photographers who don’t have the opportunity to go to a store and test these lenses themselves. The only thing is, I can never bring myself to do it when I have similar lenses in my own hands.

I once had in my possession 4 of the best macro lenses ever manufactured:

Vivitar Series 1 90mm f/2.5 (dubbed the Bokina, for its superlative bokeh and because it was manufactured by Tokina)
Lester-A. Dine 105mm f/2.8 (manufactured by Kiron and the same optical formula as the fabled Vivitar Series 1 version)
Tamron 90mm f/2.8 SP LD Di
Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX DG

I had the opportunity to make internet forum history by testing these lenses at the same time, pitting them against each other and against resolution charts, photographing the same leaf with each of them and showing 100% crops at different apertures. In the end I would, hopefully, select a winner and sales of that lens would soar while prices of the other 3 on eBay would plummet. Alas, I missed my one chance at fame. Do you know why? Because I just didn’t care.

It was clear I couldn’t keep all of them—three had to go. You might think I would have performed some stringent testing on each of them in order to decide which one to keep, but the selection process was much simpler than that. You see, macro lenses tend to be optimised for sharpness, because that’s their job, and these particular macro lenses have a brilliant reputation, so they must all be extremely good lenses, and more importantly, they are in all probability much better at being macro lenses than I am at being a macro photographer. How did I make my choice, then?

Should I pick this one...	...or this one?

I wanted an AF lens for versatility; for macro I focus by body movement and don’t need AF, but I wanted to use the lens as a long portrait optic too, and for that I preferred AF. This requirement excluded the Vivitar and Lester-A.Dine and left only the Tamron and Sigma in the running.There you go, in one fell swoop I had halved my choices! Next thing I did was mount each of the two remaining lenses on the camera and went around the house and balcony taking random photos of stuff close up; while doing so I paid more attention to the handling of each lens than to the pictures I was taking. Once I got bored with photographing the patterns in my rug, I headed off to the computer to compare the pictures. I could see no appreciable difference between them. None whatsoever. OK, so sometimes I thought the Sigma looked a little cooler in tone, but I wouldn’t have bet on it, and that’s something that gets corrected in postprocessing anyway. As far as sharpness was concerned, they could have been the same lens.

Handling was similar for both, as was weight and size…hmmm…difficult decision… So how did I eventually decide? I kept the lens whose focal length better fit into my prime lens set up. I already had a 77mm AF prime, which was close to the Tamron’s 90mm focal length, so I kept the Sigma 105mm. It was that simple.

Choosing lenses is more often a matter of being practical rather than scientifically precise. Of course, the price you pay for being practical is giving up everlasting fame on the camera forums.

Note: Links in this article might be to one of our affiliate stores. Purchases made from our affiliates through these links will benefit Enticing the Light at no extra cost to you.

Ansel Adams is Rubbish

Miserere — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 13:33:06 +0000

by Miserere

But as we all know, one man’s rubbish is another man’s treasure. In this case, it’s Rick Norsigian’s treasure. Some 10 years ago he bought a bunch of photographic plates at a garage sale for $45…after haggling down from the $70 asking price. Turns out these plates are some of Ansel Adams’s thought-to-be long lost plates that perished in a fire that consumed the photographer’s darkroom in 1937. In total, Mr Norsigian has 65 plates, which have now been valued at $200 million. That’s not a typo.

See more photos from this stash in this CNN slideshow.

On the flip side, Ansel Adams’s grandson, Matthew Adams, doesn’t think they’re his grandfather’s photographs; neither does Bill Turnage, managing director of the Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust, who is seeking legal counsel and might sue Mr Norsigian for using a copyrighted name for commercial purposes. Read more here.

UPDATE 2010/07/30: KTVU in Oakland, California, say they’ve found the real photographer behind the mysterious plates: Uncle Earl. You just can’t make this stuff up, can you?

Making Photographs

NASA ISS Images – Some Great Images from Space

Peter Zack — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 12:34:01 +0000

by Peter Zack

Shot of the Space Shuttle taken from the ISS. Nikon D3s

From a recent Nikon press release, they are enjoying bragging about some wonderful images taken on the International Space Station (ISS). There are some great shots though, so do have a look at the Nikon Press release: D3s at ISS. Scroll down to see some of the images and click on them to enlarge.

If you’d like to explore more of this photography, have a look at NASA’s site here: NASA ISS Site.

Earth and the NASA Space Shuttle taken from the International Space Station (ISS)

Cheers and good shooting –Peter Zack

Weddings Can Be Funny Too! Wedding Photographer Fails

Peter Zack — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 17:38:20 +0000

by Peter Zack

Some days, things are going just right. Some days they aren’t. Especially if your backup camera is over your shoulder and this happens. Not too sure I’d be very happy with the videographer if I was the photographer. It’s funny but I really feel for the guy.

Wedding Photographer Fail – Watch more Funny Videos

Some day an author should compile a book of wedding photography nightmares. I have a couple that would make the book!

Just for fun, a few more. not necessarily the photographers fault but they are worth sharing.

Then you’re the best man and the party last night went a little too long…

Never trust a woman in a red dress, Especially when she’s trying to upstage the bride!

Laughter is the best medicine. Remember to always wear suspenders! (this one’s too long, not much new after 45 seconds)

Brings a whole new meaning to the Expression “Taking the Plunge”.
Seems to be a warning here that water and weddings don’t mix well.

Cheers and good shooting – Peter Zack
I hope at least better shooting than this!

Have a look at the links below and if you purchase through one of our affiliate stores, it helps us keep EtL running. Thanks for reading and your support.

Purchase from Amazon.com
Purchase from Amazon.co.uk
Purchase from B&H
Purchase from Adorama

Note: Links in this article might be to one of our affiliate stores. Purchases made from our affiliates through these links will benefit Enticing the Light at no extra cost to you.

The Secrets of Grand Central Terminal, Part 2

Miserere — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 04:15:29 +0000

by Sean Leahy

During a recent vacation, I was visiting some family in North Carolina for a few days on my way up to New York City for a photography work shop and to visit some friends. While sharing some prints I had made from my last trip to New York City and Grand Central Terminal, my aunt revealed that she worked for the company hired to restore the ceiling in Grand Central, and she was one of the project managers. It reminded me to call my contact at the MTA to see if I could get another special tour while I was in town.

“You’re not going to believe this,” predicted the voice on the cell phone, “but it just so happens that I have a special tour already booked on Wednesday for a photographer from some newspaper in England. If you want, you can tag along.” I said Wednesday would be perfect and confirmed the arrangements.

I emerged from the subway at Grand Central Terminal Wednesday morning a few minutes early, so I decided to get a coffee and make one last check of my gear. I know how my host for the day operates—once we get going, there’s no stopping or going back. I was traveling lighter than usual. Whatever I brought with me was going to be on my back until late that night, so I left my 70-200mm zoom and fish-eye lenses at the hotel. I knew from prior experience at GCT that the long lens had limited value and the fish-eye was an unlikely creative choice for what I expected to see… but what was I going to see?

When I got to the Station Master’s Office, I found out that the itinerary for the day revolved around the same places I had photographed on my last tour of the terminal. “No problem,” I thought, “I can go back and try to get some of the shots that didn’t turn out, or some of the things I missed. Maybe I’ll see the same things in a different way. At least I know what I’m in for this time.” But (to my delight) the other photographer didn’t show. So I convinced my guide to show me something new. And new I got.

“I’m going to take you to a part of the terminal that has never been photographed before. It’s been there the whole time, but it’s also new. You’ll be the first photographer to go in there.” I was lead through a series of doors, elevators and three different security checkpoints, until we arrived at Grand Central’s new (and unfinished) Operations Control Center. I pulled out my tripod and my trusty Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 and took a few long exposures at f/16. Next I was lead through another set of security checkpoints and up a flight of stairs to what, I’m told, the press like to call the “War Room” (much to the dismay of the officials at the MTA, who prefer “Situation Room”).

From these locations, the MTA has communication with every train on the line and a view of every switch and from here can manage all public relations with the media. Sometime this month, as I understand it, there is supposed to be a Discovery Channel feature on Grand Central’s new OCC.

Along the way we took a detour and climbed up behind the clock that faces 42nd Street. It is the world’s largest example of Tiffany glass and it is linked directly, via satellite, to the atomic clock at the Naval Observatory in Bethesda, Maryland. I was told I’d have to go through some pretty tight places to get up there, so I left my camera bag and tripod behind and carried only my camera and a couple of lenses. Through an opening in the wall, not deep enough to be a closet, much less a hallway, an unusual door opened to a dusty space of concrete and brickwork dating back to the early beginnings of the building. It was warm and dark, lit only by a couple of tungsten light bulbs. We climbed up a couple of simple steel ladders, clearly fabricated for this location, through a crawl space, over some large pipes (of unknown purpose), and up another ladder.

We finally arrived at the platform supporting the gear-works of the clock behind the clock face, and I got right to work; but I soon ran into a problem: There was a lot of light coming in from the clock face, relative to the lack of light from where I was standing, and I wanted to get more detail out of the gears that ran the clock. I didn’t have my tripod, so HDR was out. I didn’t bring my hot shoe flash, and although my camera has a built-in flash, it casts a shadow on the floor when using it with my Sigma 10-20mm lens. Solution: I turned the camera upside down and shot with the onboard flash. It worked perfectly! I climbed back down from the gear platform and nodded to my guide that I was ready to move on.

“Wait.” He said, “I have one more thing to show you. Here’s what you’re going to do. I’m going to open this window, and you’re going to hold your camera outside—now, be very careful! Do not drop your camera—You’re going to turn your camera around and shoot backwards and up at the clock.” So I wedged myself into position, stuck my arm out of the window (camera strap wrapped three times around my wrist), and took a few stabs at it. In retrospect, I wish I had brought my fish-eye… Maybe next time.

After our trip through some of the more secure areas of the terminal building, I was taken down to the train platforms to get a few shots of the train and sign pictured at the top of this article. It is hot and humid on the terminal platforms, and very noisy. The day was wearing on, and I knew that my host needed to return to other functions, so I set about finding my locations and angles quickly. Sweat was already dripping down my face as I began setting up my tripod. The train and platform were to be briefly unoccupied, allowing me just enough time to get a few clear shots. To maximize DoF I used f/20 with a 2 sec. timer, MLU and a cable release. (Incidentally, the sign in that photo was backlit, so I used a couple of pocket-sized flashlights to “light-paint” the sign and balance the exposure.)

After I finished on the platform, we couldn’t think of anything more to go look at, and it was time for my escort to get back to work. But I still had about an hour left before I needed to move on to my next appointment. So I decided to get a few more shots of that famous ceiling. The flag that has hung above the information booth in the center of the concourse since 9/11 had been removed (something to do with some sort of promotion, I was told) so I was able to get a clear shot of the whole ceiling.

I stand by my statement in my last article, that you could spend a couple of weeks photographing in Grand Central Terminal alone and never run out of subject material. As I’m taking the opportunity now to review my photos from this and previous adventures into Grand Central, I realize there are still quite a few shot I want to go back and get. I guess that leaves me something to do next time!

More images from my forays into GCT can be found here.

Sean Leahy is a vagabond musician and photographer who employs both as reason and means for traveling the world. Follow him on his blog, 43mm2creativity.

All photos: ©Sean Leahy.

Vote for us by clicking on the button below!

Note: Links in this article might be to one of our affiliate stores. Purchases made from our affiliates through these links will benefit Enticing the Light at no extra cost to you.

How to Photograph Fireworks Reminder

Master Enticer — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 21:00:18 +0000

by Miserere

Given the upcoming festivities in the USA, I thought it would be a good time to remind people of our Fireworks Photography Tutorial. Fireworks are a lot easier to photograph than people think, and plenty of fun once you know what you’re doing.

Just don’t take your dog with you.

Ever wondered what different firework displays are called? Check out this article to find out.

Vote for us by clicking on the button below!

Facebook – Not the Place to Store Your Photos

Peter Zack — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 03:50:10 +0000

by Peter Zack

Facebook is a great place to share your photos, just don't think of it as your storage space.

The Washington Post reports the pros and cons of using Facebook for storing your photos. I’m astonished that people would consider this as a storage media versus using your own computer hard drive or a secure off-site online storage company (“cloud computing”). The article implies that people are uploading their photos to Facebook (FB) and then deleting the original files, not realizing that FB is reducing the photo size significantly from the original. I just tested an image that was 4600 pixels on the long side and 6MB. After uploading it to FB and then copying it off the site, it came back as 720 pixels and 38.9 KB! A small sample of the original.

There are other reasons to not use this site for photo sharing, and it’s often discussed how photos are taken off the site without permission and used in ads or for other purposes. One such story is that of the husband who didn’t realize he was searching for hot singles! There’s a few good tips in that article about changing your user settings if you are on FB; and who isn’t these days?

So back to the Washington Post report. A few statistics from the article:

65 percent of people sharing pictures online are doing so using Facebook.
Nearly 40% of households with digital cameras no longer print out their pictures.
Photo printing is estimated to drop by 30% by 2013 from 2008.
Estimates of 124 billion photos are on pace to be shared through social networks that year (2013).
Facebook size limit is 720 pixels, not sufficient for a good quality 4×6 print.
Fewer than 30% of people surveyed knew that photos on social-networking sites are stored at a decreased resolution.
With 400 million users uploading 3 billion photos a month, Facebook has become the largest photo-sharing site on the Web by far.

So if you want to share your photos, of course be careful what you share and always save the originals on a secure storage media and not only on a social network. It might also be a good idea to watermark or sign any images that you feel are important and you don’t want someone to use without permission.

Cheers and good shooting – Peter Zack

Vote for us by clicking on the button below!

Is It Time to Abandon the ISO Scale?

Peter Zack — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 04:50:33 +0000

by Peter Zack

I pose this question for a couple of reasons: The ISO scale is 1) misleading and 2) misunderstood. I would be surprised if manufacturers pushed to adopt a new scale though. More is better, right? If brand X can shoot at ISO 6400 and Brand Y can shoot at ISO 12,800, then Brand Y must be, like, 6400 times better or something. Right? Nope it’s only 1 stop. The ISO scale was developed in the film days and as far as I’m aware, the fastest film available (other than maybe some specialized scientific films) was Kodak T Max at 3200. Digital sensors have far exceeded that today.

Aaron Johnson's What the Duck http://www.whattheduck.net/

While not exactly on point, I think the cartoon sums up part of what I feel is a misleading issue. The cartoon does make light of the technical understanding of ISO. Have you ever read the WiKi article on that subject? Even my eyes glaze over. I am willing to bet that a lot of shooters (I’m guilty of this) have set the camera at ISO 4000, thinking they gained a lot of sensitivity but not as much noise as 6400 gives them. Well not really. That’s only 1/3 of a stop and they really gained very little in shutter speed, just lost some detail and increased the noise a bit. The 1/3 boost in shutter speed certainly isn’t going to make much difference in freezing the action in low light. Other choices, a tripod, faster aperture, adding a flash or more light etc, shot at a lower ISO, would create much better photos in many situations.

From here on I’ll drop the ISO part, assuming you know what I’m talking about.

The scale makes no sense with today’s sensors and the ones coming in the future. We already have cameras that can shoot above 100,000. Who knows where they will be 2,3, 4+ years from now. Shooters at all levels of experience may not understand the sensitivity steps, make the wrong choice in a hurry, or get a little hoodwinked at how much extra latitude you get from 6400 to 12,800 because the number sounds so much bigger than it really is. Think in terms of salary: If you make $51,200 a year and the boss offers you a new job at $102,400, that’s a huge leap. Your entire life just changed. Well that’s how we think; we don’t see that it’s just one stop faster.

The Nikon D3s can shoot at ISO102,400 which one site loudly proclaimed has, 'Night Vision' and 'ISO 102,400. Yeah, that's a six-digit ISO.'

Is one full stop a big deal? Sure it is, shooters go nuts to buy a lens that is 1 stop faster. Also, the scale is exponential. So 200 is twice as sensitive as 100 and 400 is 4 times as sensitive as 100. In terms of what you can do with that 1 stop, It means you could shoot at 1/60th at 1600 and 1/125th at 3200 and get the same exposure results. That could be the difference between stopping the action and not while taking family photos indoors. In my thinking though, if the scale was more straightforward, people would understand better what they gained when going from 3200 to 6400. Sometimes, that one stop and added noise might not be worth the trade-off for a faster shutter speed.

I’d suggest a new scale that really reflects the steps and gain as you turn up the dial. Plus the smaller numbers would be much easier to display in the viewfinder. This way, you can better understand the advantage and relationship with the other 2 parameters, shutter speed and aperture. This would really benefit new buyers, people who have never shot film or who moved from a point and shoot to a DSLR for the first time and never really considered ISO before.

My hope is that some day, sensors will natively go below 100. I really miss how incredible Kodachrome 25 was. So I suggest the scale start at 1 which would equal 100 now and consider the possibility of even lower sensitivities. Then if we get ISO’s below 1 (100) the scale would show a negative. Further, the scale would need to be similar to the aperture scale. for half and 1/3 settings.

Maybe something like this, reflecting 1/3 and 1/2 adjustments:
ISO 12, 25, 50, 64, 80, 100 = -2, -1, 0, 0.3, 0.7, 1.0
ISO 100-200 = 1.0, 1.3, 1.5, 1.7, 2.0
ISO 200-400 = 2.0, 2.3, 2.5, 2.7, 3.0
ISO 400-800 = 3.0, 3.3, 3.5, 3.7, 4.0
ISO 800-1600 = 4.0, 4.3, 4.5, 4.7, 5.0

So then your basic scale is 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 etc. If 100 = 1, then 102,400 would equal 10. We’ll call it the EtL scale. Simple and straightforward. Fractional steps would directly correspond to 1/2 or 1/3 step adjustments to your shutter speeds. I think a much less confusing and more logical way to display your shooting information in the viewfinder. You instantly realize that you’ve only gained a stop and may be better to open the lens up a stop, or decrease the shutter speed when you can, to get a cleaner image.

Cheers and good shooting. –Peter Zack

Vote for us by clicking on the button below!

No related posts.

Review – Pentax K-x Part 3: Conclusions

Peter Zack — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 04:05:43 +0000

by Peter Zack

In the 2nd section we had a more detailed look at the features and performance of the Pentax K-x. In this final part, we’ll offer some conclusions about the camera. I’d like to mention that if you use one of the affiliate links at the bottom of the article to purchase from one of our site supporters, it helps us keep the site running and we greatly appreciate your help. There’s no cost to you!

I waited a bit to post this section because I really wanted to use the camera a lot before giving some final thoughts. I’ve used it for fun and for some weddings, shooting over 5000 frames. I wouldn’t use this as a primary camera in that roll but it served a purpose. It clearly can track a moving object in low light (or any light) better than previous models. It also offers much better images at ISO 1600 and 3200 in poor light. ISO 6400 is decent and usable for less critical photos but maybe not for photos that will be enlarged a lot or sold. I will say though in reasonable to good light, the images are quite clean and even ISO 12,800 is very usable. Overall there’s no banding and chroma noise is fairly well controlled. Luminescence noise is fairly fine grained and not too objectionable.

We often measure image results at high ISO’s in poor light. You may want to use your camera in good light for greater DoF (small apertures), say for macro shooting. Or to capture fast action shots. In light like this, ISO 6400 is very good and ISO 12,800 is also very usable.

**Pentax K-x High ISO Test Images**

ISO 12,800	ISO 6400

Below are links to several additional test images.
This set of test images are in good diffused sunlight.

ISO 100
ISO 400
ISO 800
ISO 1600
ISO 3200
ISO 6400
ISO 12,800

This set of test images are in darker conditions.
ISO 100
ISO 1600
ISO 3200
ISO 6400
ISO 12,800

Exposure:

Is generally very good. The camera does have a tendency to clip highlights in bright scenes and high contrast situations. With many cameras I’ve tested or shot with, this seems to be the normal metering setup when the manufacturer wants to promote good high ISO abilities. A slightly overexposed image in low light at ISO1600 > will have a lot less noise. So consider a scene with someone wearing a white shirt and black pants in direct sun. If you used multi-point metering, the shirt is going to loose some detail and be partly blown out. In situations where this could happen, I found setting the Ev comp at -1/3 was a good way to go. Otherwise I found the metering to be very good and gave results that need very little adjusting.

Nit Picks:

Overall my only complaints are the SR (anti-shake). This is a minor one and mostly just getting used to the camera. It seems to lock on slower and you have to watch the icon in the display more. Once engaged, it works well with some limits. It’s not as good as other Pentax models, so don’t count on getting motion free shots at very slow shutter speeds. I first thought there was something wrong with the camera I had. I was getting the occasional soft or blurry image. It’s more a combination of the 2 items, not waiting long enough and expecting the 3-4 stops a body like the K-7 or K20D can offer. It’s more like 2 stops in my opinion.

Personal note: The comment above begs a comment on anti shake systems though. Even though I know better, I’ve gotten lazy with how I shoot and handle a camera, pushing shots to shutter speeds that are too slow. Not using a tripod or camera support when it’s really required, not holding the camera in a good technical way. They are great assistants but not a panacea. Good shooting techniques will always improve your (and mine) shots. So getting used to this camera’s slightly different SR was a good reminder to be more careful.

My other complaint is the memory card, Format feature in the menu. As a matter of routine, I’ll download anything on the memory cards after each shoot. Then return the card to the camera. Double check the card in the camera for files and the new images that were put on the storage hard drive. Once done, I’ll format the card in the camera for the next shoot. To me the format feature is important to avoid corrupted files. It should not be done with the computer but with the camera. It takes 12 button pushes or turns of the e-dial to complete this process. Format is on the 4th page of the 3rd menu and the 5th item on that page. This is a setting that should not be buried in the menus. Otherwise the menu layout is good and well laid out.

Video:

I never really talked about video. It records at 1280×720 pixels at a cinematic 24 frames per second. Limited to a max of 4GB clips at 5.8 MB/sec (720p), 1.7 MB/sec (VGA). I assume they limited the length (approx 11 minutes) to avoid the sensor heating up too much. I took several videos of varying length and had no issues with sensor heat. It does a fine job and produces a good ‘consumer quality’ HD video. The microphone is very sensitive and you have to be careful when handling the body, you’ll pick up clicks and bumps when moving the body around. otherwise the sound quality is fairly good for a small in camera mic. I do wish there was some way to plug in even a mono mic. I think that’s a missing feature that should have been added. Then again, this is an entry level camera even if it can play well against the big boys.

Starting the video mode is a bit ‘clunky’ (normal with DSLR’s) with the camera focusing the scene and flipping the mirror up and down, then up again ready to shoot. It takes about 3-4 seconds to get started the first time. Having aperture control is nice on a DSLR for video though. using a wide angled lens and stopped down a bit, you may not need to focus manually much. Focusing with the screen isn’t second nature but possible. It exposes well but a touch slow to adjust when transitioning from a bright to darker situation. SR is a great addition to DSLR video and I found it really made a difference when walking around. Not quite a steady-cam but with good technique, you can move around and get nice jitter free results. Overall a fun feature and well implemented.

Bulb Setting:

One other note that is a little quirky. When you look at the mode dial (seen in part 1 of this review), there is no “B” setting. At first I thought this was a strange oversight. Maybe they just didn’t have enough room on the dial for the extra setting but it’s there. Put the camera in manual mode and turn the shutter speed down past 30 seconds. A great big “Bulb” will show up on the rear LCD. You will also notice that the ISO stops at 1600. They have limited the bulb setting to a max of ISO1600. It’s not an issue because most people that will use this setting will most likely put the camera at ISO100 for the cleanest images. You certainly don’t want noise in your star trails.

Conclusions:

I compared the camera to other Pentax models and a Nikon D40. It’s a very capable camera. Much better high ISO ability than the D40 and faster focus. Much easier menus and faster to make adjustments to common critical settings. In fact I’ve come to like the fast access to the settings found with the Info button. You can very quickly change things like focus tracking, etc. The control pad buttons allow nearly instant changes to ISO, AF points etc.

If you read comments on this body, the most common complaint seems to be the lack of AF points. As described earlier, the screen scribe marks to show you where the AF points are in a general way. I found that this worked just fine. It was easy to use both the center point and the other side points. I found that I rarely missed the focus. The only time this might be tough to use is in very dimly lit conditions where even seeing the scribe marks on the screen will be tough to see, because they are fine and black. I don’t think this is a serious issue but would have liked to have at least the center AF point light up in the viewfinder.

Given the price point, this camera deserves the high praise and “class leading” designation most reviews have stated. Image quality is very good with well metered and exposed images. Good dynamic range and naturally rendered colour. Very fast focus lock that tracks well. Video quality is very good and a nice additional feature. Having the various scene settings, allows the point and shoot users to easily move up with familiar features. Then plenty of choices for creative control mode settings. Very good detail at high ISO’s to 3200. Quite usable at 6400 and even 12,800.

It’s a nicely constructed body with a good solid feel and a very small size. For it’s very small size, it has just the right number of ‘hard’ buttons, a good LCD and an impressive feature set. Ergonomics are generally good and with the exception of missing the DOF as a hard button and the green button being a little awkward for a larger hand, it’s easy to hold and adjust the controls. The viewfinder is nice and bright. Overall the camera responds quickly. Also with 4.7 Fps and good tracking AF, you can capture most fast moving situations quite easily. At the price point and feature set, this is probably the camera to beat against it’s competition and should be given serious consideration in the sub $700 price range.

Pros and Cons

Cons:

Green Button difficult to activate for bigger hands.
No AF LED’s in veiwfinder.
Menu resets to first page on exit and should reopen on last page viewed.
SD Card format feature buried too deep in the menu.
Should have accessory grip available as an option even if only for spares storage.
Bright or direct sun makes viewing VF data difficult. Data display could be brighter
Mode dial detents need to be more defined or add K-7 lock to avoid accidental changes
Optical preview should be seperate button and not menu driven
AF in Live View a bit slow and not well suited for faster moving subjects.(but they all are)
ISO limits in video may result in underexposed videos
High contrast scenes may show some blown portions (clipping)
Auto White Balance good but not always accurate in mixed light.
No HDMI-connector

Pros:

Very good and easily understood manual. Although it could use a better index.
Easy user interface and menus
Simple and straightforward button layout
Fast shutter mechanism and excellent Fps.
Very good AF in most light sources.
AWB is greatly improved over previous models. Very good adjustments with indoor light
Good detail and color in still images. Good quality 720p video output.
Good image quality in low light, very good retention of fine detail at high ISOs
Solid feel and build quality, quick and responsive operation
11-point AF system with flexible AF-point selection
Improved and reliable flash exposure
Very good battery life with quality batteries
Good viewfinder and easily readable LCD in most light (except noted above).
Good white balance options and wide adjustability.
Distortion and chromatic aberration correction for selected DA lenses.
Choice of Raw formats (DNG, PEF)
Digital filters, in-camera editing and HDR
In body anti-shake that works with legacy lenses (although not to the level of K-7)
Value for the bargain price.

Cheers and good shooting. –Peter Zack

Purchase the Pentax K-x from Amazon.com
Purchase the Pentax K-x from Amazon.co.uk
Purchase the Pentax K-x from B&H
Purchase the Pentax K-x from Adorama

Note: Links in this article might be to one of our affiliate stores. Purchases made from our affiliates through these links will benefit Enticing the Light at no extra cost to you.

Review – Samsung NX10, Part 2: Using the Camera

Miserere — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 17:30:44 +0000

Size comparison: Samsung NX10 vs Olympus E-PL1.

by Miserere

⇐ Part 1: First Impressions

Note: The camera and accessories tested in this review were loaned to EtL by B&H Photo & Video store. To thank them for their generosity and allow us to receive more products for review, please consider purchasing your camera equipment through our affiliate B&H link (also found on the right sidebar). Thanks!

Samsung NX10 New Firmware: v1.15

On May 20^th, when I was nearly finished with writing this article, Samsung released an update to the original firmware. You can find it here, under the ‘DOWNLOAD’ tab, then scroll down to ‘FIRMWARE’. You’ll have to enter your camera’s serial number before you can download it. Instructions in English of how to update the firmware are given here.

The Shooting Experience

While the Olympus E-PL1 forced me to think ahead and plan what settings I would be shooting with, the Samsung NX10 is the complete opposite. Thanks to its many direct access buttons I can quickly change many parameters almost on the fly. The finger wheel also makes adjusting the aperture (in Av) or shutter speed (in Tv) easy as pie. Manual mode requires holding down the EV comp. button and moving the wheel to change aperture; the wheel by itself controls shutter speed. It’s also very comfortable to hold and carry around; I haven’t attached a shoulder strap to it as it’s easier and more convenient to just use a wrist strap borrowed from my P&S.

I thought I’d mention this comfort issue upfront and get it off my chest. The Olympus E-PL1 was much more comfortable to carry around than my DSLR, but I lost some functionality. With the NX10 I have the same ease of transport as with the E-PL1, while losing practically no DSLR features.

Is that a Mini DSLR in My Pocket, or Am I Just Happy to Be Taking Photos?

One thing that separates the expensive cameras from the cheaper entry-level ones is the number of functions accessible without menu diving. Following is a table of the main camera settings one is likely to play with on a regular basis, indicating in each case how they are accessed on the NX10:

**How functions are accessed on the Samsung NX10**
Function	Button/Dial	Fn Menu	Diving Menu
Aperture	X
Shutter Speed	X
ISO	X
Metering Mode	X
AF Mode	X
EV Comp.	X
Exposure and/or Focus Lock	X
White Balance	X
Drive Mode	X
DoF Preview	X
Focus Point Placement	X
Picture Wizard	X
File Size		X
File Type		X
AF Area		X
Flash		X
Colour Space		X
Smart Range		X
Optical Stabilisation (if not on lens)		X
AF Priority			X
Bracketing	X
AF Lamp On/Off			X
Sensor Cleaning (if not set for startup)			X

As you can tell from this table, you have direct and easy access to many parameters, just like you would on most DSLRs. To end this section I’ll mention the ON/OFF switch, which is located as a ring around the shutter release button, making it accessible and quick to use. It’s got a solid detent and I’ve yet to turn the camera on or off by accident; it’s much better than the button found on most P&S’s (or the inconveniently placed lever on some DSLRs).

Speed in Usage

The camera is very responsive while shooting, it is less so while playing back what you just shot. If you have autoreview enabled, the photo you just took will show up immediately; if you don’t have it enabled, and hit the review button after you’ve taken the shot, you’ll have to wait until the camera has finished copying the data to card before it will show it. And like I said in Part 1, the camera is slow writing to card and/or has a small buffer. This will be less of a problem if you shoot JPEGs, but can be annoying if you shoot RAW or RAW+JPEG. Either way, you’re only going to get 3fps for the first second, then it slows down to tortoise pace. Not a problem for me because I never shoot at maximum fps, but the number-crunching photographers out have been warned.

Other than these issues caused by the small buffer, the camera is responsive and moves through menus and options as fast as you can press buttons. And because of all the external buttons, it’s fast to change most immediately needed settings like EV Comp., aperture, shutter speed, AF point position, etc.

The Strange Case of the Shutter Lag that Wasn’t, Part 2

In Part 1 I mentioned how I thought there was some shutter lag because of the sound the shutter made, but after some testing I found there wasn’t. Well, it turns out I was wrong, and right. Bear with me. After some weeks of shooting I found myself confused because I could swear I had missed certain shots due to shutter lag. Let me explain that I am very aware of when I release the shutter when doing street photography, waiting for the perfect moment to do so. Capturing a brief, fleeting instant is very important to me. With my DSLR I am generally on the money, but I found some photographs taken with the NX10 were off; to be more precise, they were late, never early.

Instead of using a stopwatch, I decided to run a test on the street. I positioned myself perpendicular to a road where cars pass by at around 30mph. In front of me on the opposite side of the street was a sign, whose pole I used for this test. First I used the screen to take a photo of a few cars just as they passed in front of the pole, then I held the camera at waist level and did the same but looking directly at the cars. Browsing through the pictures cleared everything up.

This is what’s happening, as far as I can tell: Light is hitting the sensor all the time, forming an image; the image you see on the screen is the product of processing the electrical signals detected by the sensor, and this processing takes time. How long? I don’t know for sure, but I do know we want it to be very, very short, of the order of milliseconds, because we want as little delay as possible between real life, and life on the rear screen. When you press the shutter release on the Samsung NX10, you don’t record the image that’s on the screen at that moment, but rather the image that’s hitting the sensor at that moment. If the image processing time is short, there will be practically no difference between the two, but the processing time on the NX10 is long enough that there is a difference. Not much, but enough for me to have lost some photos because I took them an instant too late when judging the moment by the screen. The reason I was getting some photos right on time was because I do a lot of shooting from the hip, judging the moment to release the shutter with my own eyes, not using the camera’s screen.

Decisive Moment shot. 55mm, 1/400s, f/6.3, ISO 100

How will this affect you? I don’t know. For still subjects, it’s no big deal; even for moving people it’s generally not a problem, and I’ve captured plenty of smiles and facial expressions without any issues. But when I know I have a split second to take a shot, I look directly at my subject, not at the screen. Hopefully Samsung will speed up image processing in the next iteration of this camera, and might even be able to do it via a firmware upgrade. For a real-world case study, see the photo on the right (click for larger); I knew the dog would be jumping off the pier and was ready with the camera prefocused and the shot framed. When the dog jumped I was watching the scene on the rear screen and still managed to get him in mid air. I should have followed my own advice and looked past the camera at the scene directly, but the outcome was still what I wanted: The dog in mid-air trying to grab the frisbee.

AMOLED Screen

Coming off the Olympus E-PL1 (review) this is like a breath of fresh air. The AMOLED is big, bright and beautiful, not to mention crisp. This type of display (Active-Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Liode) has several advantages over traditional LCDs: Thinner, lighter, stronger, much lower power consumption, faster refresh rates, and offering better image quality. They’re even cheaper! At least in small sizes, but the next few years will see the appearance of AMOLED TVs, which will be even thinner than the thinnest flat TVs around today. AMOLED screens can even be flexible, so the applications are limitless. Before you doze off, I’ll finish this section by pointing out that Samsung is heavily invested in the development of AMOLED technology, which it began using on its mobile phones, and plans to use on tablet PCs (now that there are touch-sensitive AMOLED surfaces) and TVs.

Now to the part you’re interested in: performance. The AMOLED screen has an extremely wide angle of view (practically 180°), and neither colour nor contrast shift with viewing angle. It’s also bright and works well in sunshine. For those of you who shoot while wearing polarised glasses, the good news is that it’s not polarised like camera LCDs typically are (the image “disappears” if you rotate the LCD to take a vertical photo), but rather each RGB colour pixel has a different polarisation, so as you turn the display the hue changes, but the display never disappears. If you never shoot with polarised glasses, forget I even mentioned this.

In short: The screen is a joy to use and top of its class.

EVF

The electronic viewfinder pales in comparison to the AMOLED screen, despite it being quite decent for an EVF. It’s not as large as that in the Panasonic G2, but not as minuscule as those found in bridge cameras. It does suffer from colour shifts every now and again; on the bright side the refresh rate is high so there is no banding when panning the camera. The information displayed in the EVF mirrors that of the LCD, including optional grid lines and live histogram, with the only difference being everything is larger, thus taking up more screen space—if I’m using the EVF frequently, I’ll set the info display to empty (only the focus zone appears). Shooting mode, aperture, shutter speed, EV comp, number of remaining shots and battery level are always displayed, but below the frame so they don’t take space away from your field of view.

Auto ISO

First of all, it’s not available in Manual mode! Samsung, please enable this with a firmware upgrade. Second of all, it’s very optimistic, and in low light I often found myself with blurry photos because when using Av the camera would select too slow a shutter speed. The lens has optical stabilisation, and I have steady hands, yet the shutter speed chosen was still too low (because the ISO was too low). Now I only shoot Auto ISO in Tv so I can set an appropriate shutter speed. If shooting Av I’ll just set the ISO manually.

Next ISO issue: You can only set it in full stop increments! So that’s 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600 and 3200. I’m not kidding. I thought only cameras from 4 years ago worked like this. Another firmware fix for Samsung’s list. And it’s not like the camera isn’t capable of 1/2 or 1/3 stop increments, because in Auto ISO it will use intermediate values—this is a bad programming issue.

Auto White Balance

I had written a couple of unhappy paragraphs here, but before going to press Samsung released firmware v1.15, and one of the issues they addressed was Auto WB. I am now happy to report that Auto WB works very well. The issues with the original firmware were mainly in tungsten light, the bane of all digital cameras, but now images come out with a slight yellow tinge to add character and let you know the light was warm, but not enough to make you grimace.

Menus

Instead of scrolling vertically through endless pages, Samsung has adopted a horizontal style, so there are 3 “camera” menus, 1 “user” menu and 3 “settings” menus. Each menu takes up 1 screen with a maximum of 6 items. To change menus you use the left/right keys and to select an item within each menu you use the up/down. To change an item you press OK and to go back you press MENU. It’s easy and quick, and thanks to the many-pixeled AMOLED screen, all labels are very easy to read.

If you’ve done you math, you will have figured out that there are 7 menu screens with a maximum of 6 items each, totalling 42 possible settings to change (at most). That’s not a lot! The Olympus E-PL1 probably had that many options in its first screen alone. The exact number is actually 37 settings. I don’t know if Samsung were trying to keep it simple (reeeeeeal simple) or if they just got bored of programming the menus, but either way they need to get back to work and add more settings with a firmware upgrade. Maybe they can add them to an “advanced” menu that only appears if you set it up to, so as not to frighten newbies, but there are functions missing on this camera that need to be addressed and will need menu entries for that.

Battery Life

Sorry people, but I don’t have a number for you; what I can say is that it’s shorter than I would like. It hasn’t lasted me a full day of shooting on the few occasions I’ve had that much time, so make sure you purchase an extra battery when you buy this camera.

Scene Modes

As an advanced photographer (if you don’t mind me calling myself that) I cringe at the thought of scene modes, but as a camera reviewer, I understand their need. There is a segment of the camera buying population (a large segment) that have no interest in learning anything about photography and want every camera to work as a point and shoot. To those people God gave scene modes. Let’s see how Samsung has integrated them into the NX10.

The Mode dial includes the requisite PASM and video modes, plus Night, Portrait and Landscape modes, on top of which there are the SCENE and SMART modes. In every mode but SMART, you can shoot in RAW, which is nice. In SMART mode, as you might guess, the camera will attempt to guess what you’re shooting and apply appropriate settings. The SCENE mode lets you choose from a number of different scene modes accessed via the Fn button; the scenes available are: Beauty Shot (portrait), Children, Close Up, Text, Sunset, Dawn (because it’s so different to Sunset), Backlight (first time I think I’ve seen this one), Fireworks, and Beach and Snow (you only get both in Antarctica!). When choosing a mode some limitations are placed on certain settings, while others are chosen for you. For example, in Children or Portrait mode the only autofocus setting available is face detection. In Close Up mode there is no face detection available…and strangely enough there is no flash available either! On the other hand, Backlight will pop the flash up automatically. I’m thinking there should be a Stadium scene that prohibits flash, that way we could avoid all those people who use their flashes when shooting a sports pitch from the stands in automatic mode.

A last note: In most scene modes the camera automatically adjusts its focus as you move it around, like many P&S’s do; when you half-press the shutter it will still autofocus, but I suspect it prefocuses in order to speed up picture taking.

Exposure

Consistently good! If and when I use EV comp it’s for artistic purposes or to control for backlighting. I suppose the camera could be a bit smarter with backlighting, but I almost always use center-weighted metering and instinctively add EV compensation in those situations, so I haven’t tested how well (or poorly) the camera deals with backlighting in matrix metering mode. In any case, having a live histogram available in both rear screen and EVF means there’s no excuse for messing up the exposure.

The Kit Lens

Currently in the United States the only lens available for the NX10 is the 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 with optical stabilisation. Not a bad lens at all, and balances OK on the camera for two-hand operation, but makes the combination feel a bit lens-heavy when shooting with one hand. The inner barrel of the lens extends while zooming to the long end and the rubber-ribbed zoom ring gets a bit tight when it reaches 35mm. The focus ring doesn’t turn during autofocus, but to use it to focus manually you need to engage the AF/MF switch on the lens. I’ll add that the feel of the focus ring is like plastic turning on plastic; there is none of that nice feel the Olympus micro-4/3 lenses have. The front element of the lens doesn’t rotate during zooming or focusing, which is handy when using polarizing filters. The lens also has a stabilisation switch, should you wish to disengage this function.

Manual Focus

I will slap Samsung on the wrist for this. When focusing manually the screen will show a magnified view of the scene; the problem is that it’s only a 2x magnification, which might be fine at longer focal lengths but is woefully insufficient when shooting wide angle if your subject is further than a few feet away. Just like the Olympus micro-4/3 cameras do, there needs to be a selectable option of magnifications. Since Samsung is starting from scratch, I would suggest the following: 2x, 5x, 10x and 15x. As of mid May 2010, firmware v1.15 is available, which allows magnification with any lens mounted via an adapter (although I have not been able to test this because I haven’t received the adapter yet).

Autofocus

55mm, f/5.6, 1/400s, ISO 400

I think Samsung scored big in this department, and I hope the autofocus engineers get a nice Christmas bonus this year. How quick is the autofocus? Faster than a speeding squirrel! See the photo on the right; this little fellow jumped into the path at the park, I knelt down and was able to autofocus and take the shot before he ran away. He was still for just an instant, then he was gone, leaving me impressed that I got the shot once it came up on the rear screen.

22mm, f/5.6, 1/50s, ISO 100

I tried out AF-C (continuous autofocus) on moving traffic standing next to a busy street. I tracked cyclists as they approached me and try to snap them as they passed by me; this way the AF-C would have to keep focus from 20m or so down to 3-4m. If we ignore the way too slow shutter speed (that’s user error), the AF-C worked very well; not as good as a high-end AF-C on a Canon DSLR, but far and away better than the Olympus E-PL1.

55mm, f/5.6, 1/125s, ISO 200

How about the accuracy of the focusing area? Samsung allows you to choose from 4 different sizes (all of them square), with the smallest being truly spot-focusing. You can see in the photo of the baseball player through the wire fence that the camera locked on the player, not the fence. I took a few shots, with my methodology being to first focus on the fence, then focus on the player to take the shot. Every time the camera locked on the player without hesitation, showing how accurate the focusing area is.

18mm, f/8, 1/180s, ISO 100

My last comment on the autofocus is about the location of the focusing square. You can move the square almost anywhere on the screen (the extreme edges are excluded) which makes composition so much easier, especially with still subjects. Although given how quickly you can access the AF area location function (press the OK button and then use the arrows to move it around, or press the green button to return it to the center), you can, with some practice, use it on non-stationary subjects too. In the flower photo I noticed the fly as it landed, then quickly moved the AF area so it was on the fly with the composition I wanted, and then I took the shot with a narrow DoF and without the need to focus then recompose. Not only does focus+recompose take time, it will most likely lead to focusing errors when focusing on subjects that are close to the camera.

The Form Factor

It looks like a miniature DSLR, why? I don’t know. DSLRs look the way they look because there is a big prism above the mirror that’s between the lens and the sensor; that prism, and its associated viewfinder are the hump on top of DSLRs—form follows function. MILCs (Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens Cameras) don’t have prisms, or mirrors, so why give them the same shape as a camera that does? And why does the viewfinder have to be on top of the lens? If it’s an EVF it can be anywhere, like somewhere ergonomically more efficient…the left-hand side of the camera! Whether you’re a right- or left-eyed photographer, the far left is a better place for it. It wasn’t until I took up photography that I began to think of nose reduction surgery, and if I ever thought rangefinders were attractive it’s because their viewfinders are where they ought to be: IN THE TOP-LEFT CORNER.

Real World Shooting™

The NX10 does not get in the way, and it’s a pleasure to shoot with. Yes, I’m annoyed by the lack of 1/3 stop steps in manual ISO setting and a few other things, but in general I find myself enjoying the shooting experience a great deal. For street photography it surpasses my DSLR by far, and I don’t know how I’ll be able to go back to it. While the NX10 doesn’t have a swivelling screen, the wide angle of view of the AMOLED means I can still compose with the screen almost edge on, which is something I do a lot—with my DSLR I have to guess where I’m pointing, but with this camera I know fairly accurately where that is. Also, thanks to its light weight and small size, it makes shooting at awkward angles a lot easier, and that’s something I do a lot too.

With my DSLR I use a lot of manual focusing, simply because most scenes are here and gone and there’s no time to autofocus. With the NX10′s fast autofocus and easily selectable AF area I find myself using autofocus a lot more. And not only is it fast, it’s accurate. Even the AF-C mode is usable (unlike on the Olympus E-PL1), although it’s still not as good as on most DSLRs. All in all, the autofocus on the NX10 gets an A+ from me.

Another thing that makes shooting easier and quicker is all the direct access buttons on the camera body. Being able to access ISO, AF mode, metering mode and AF point location immediately (and set EV comp with the finger dial) makes a difference when scene you’re shooting changes quickly and you want the camera to respond just as fast.

In case you can’t tell, I’m liking the NX10 a lot. But is the image quality up to the level of its ergonomics? Find out in Part 3!

Please consider purchasing the Samsung NX10 from B&H. We’ll get a small commission and you’ll get our eternal gratitude.

Note: Links in this article might be to one of our affiliate stores. Purchases made from our affiliates through these links will benefit Enticing the Light at no extra cost to you.