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#1
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The ZLRs I own
I thought I would post something germain to the topic of this newsgroup. First the Sony F828: The BIGGY with this camera for people who are thinking of getting it is probably the "purple fringing" (sometimes, I think, incorrectly called ca). The first thing I noticed when I got the camera is that the fringing isn't a big problem except under specific conditions. Those conditions a If you take a picture of a tree line with a VERY bright sky above and behind it, you WILL get fringing unless you under-expose. The fact that I can "make it go away" most of the time by under exposing tells me it is definately NOT chromatic aberation from the lens, it is fringing from the sensor. Thats the bad news. The good news is, it can mostly be avoided by framing/exposing so as NOT to put the sensor into a situation where you have fine detail that is VERY brightly back lit. The second biggest complaint is high noise at anything over ISO 100. The bad news is: REVIEWERS ARE CORRECT!. There is NO good news on this front. Does it take good pictures? YES. At ISO 100 or lower it does a GREAT job and I can't fault it for speed, clarity, color, contrast, or saturation. I use the camera with color set to "REAL", contrast and sharpness set to the neutral setting. If you use the Constant Auto Focus, there is very little lag in this camera and you can get into the rythm of using it to capture the frame just the way you want it. MORE BAD NEWS: The camera seems to take about a week and a half to save a RAW file. In actual practice it takes about 10 to 12 seconds to save a RAW file, but that can seem like a week and makes it unusable for sports/action photography. Overall, this is a lot LESS camera than it should have been for a thousand dollars (US $999) If the Sony F-717 could shoot RAW it would be a better camera than the 828 even though its only 5MP. -- Larry Lynch Mystic, Ct. |
#2
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I have the 828 and a D70.
The 828 is slower to start up, has more shutter delay and takes longer than it should to write any kind of file but RAW is worse of all. However after doing alot of comparison shooting with this camera image quality for RAW and TIFF is not that much better than jpeg: cyan blues are a little more accurate in RAW but not too much else. The camera is slow to handle and the EVF makes tracking and trying to capture fast moving objects a matter of luck. Purple fringing is a rare issue and easily gotten rid of. I cannot recall any image that I have made where I thought it ruined the image. Noise at much above ISO 200 is real but how objectionable depends on the image; easily disguised with Photoshop in most images anyway. I have made multiple comparison shots as different ISOs and I am not sure what users expect when you turn the gain up that high on any digital sensor. For average shooting, despite the limits, I would rate overall image and lens quality as often stellar, seldom disappointing. The 828 is definitely not fast handling and should not be purchased if you have the fantasy of shooting high ISO digital images. The D70: handles like an SLR, fast to start up, writes files nearly as fast as you can shoot, particularly with RAW files for which Nikon wisely uses a compressed format. Moire is a constant problem on any image that has detailed areas of linear, small stroke texture. I take alot of pictures of birds and many cannot be printed larger than snapshot size because of moire visible where there are expanses of light or neutral feathers. Purple fringing also is easily seen in high contrast images. Noise is obvious above ISO 200 but not as ugly as the 828 at top ISOs. Reviewers who downplay the real problems with the D70 are lying to you or oblivious. The D70 is all but useless shooting in jpeg with image quality that is no better or worse than most mid-level P&S cameras even if you are using your very best Nikon glass. However if you shoot RAW, are adept at Photoshop and do not print images larger that 8.5x11 you can coax great images out of the D70. In fact it can be addicting. For what it is, I love the 828 despite its foibles. I agree the 828 is seriously overpriced. I use my D70 constantly, more than the 828, but cannot help but wish it were better because it should and could be. Put it this way: I do not regret buying the 828 but I wish I had waited for the next generation Nikon dSLR. |
#3
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[Larry:]
I thought I would post something germain to the topic of this newsgroup. First the Sony F828 The Sony F828 is an EVF camera, not a reflex camera, and thus is off-topic in a group supposedly dealing with reflex cameras such as ZLRs. Because of its aspect, which for untrained eyes may resemble that of reflex camera, some people fraudulently refer to the Sony F828 and other EVF cameras as ZLRs and thus as reflex cameras. The acronym "ZLR", one should remember, stands for "Zomm-Lens-Reflex" cameras, a subset of SLRs, or "Single-Lens-Reflex" cameras. Reflex cameras in general are characterized by far superior image quality and features, and much higher prices, than EVFs. However, this newsgroup is fully commited to spread, support and further the marketing fraud that EVFs are ZLRs or reflex cameras. Anyone who buys an EVF thinking that it is a reflex camera, or even an association of customers, might consider the civil and even criminal liability of anyone directly or indirectly involved in furthering this fraud, even without the apparent purpose of achieving personal gain. Whatever may be the case, the fact remains that this newsgroup became, assuming that it was not from the start, a source of intentional misinformation intended to make customers believe that they are buying a reflex camera while they are buying merely an EVF camera. A crooked resource on the internet. Wish you all good luck! Julio. |
#4
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"J.S.Pitanga" wrote in message news I own a Panasonic DMC FZ-20 5mp 12x zoom digital ZLR camera and because of that I can post to this group and talk about it as much as I like. I really enjoy using this type of ZLR camera. It's the best in its class. What type of ZLR camera do you own? |
#5
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"Ken" wrote in message
.. . "J.S.Pitanga" wrote in message news What type of ZLR camera do you own? I would suspect he doesn't Ken, at least not by his definition. All he is intent on is destroying this NG. The ZLR I own is a Nikon CP8800 and BTW it also has an EVF. Kind regards, Leo |
#6
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Larry wrote:
I thought I would post something germain to the topic of this newsgroup. Thanks, Larry. Between myself and my wife the ZLRs we have are the Nikon Coolpix 5700 and 8400, and the Panasonic FZ20. We both started with Nikon, a Coolpix 900 in my case and the 990 for my wife. - the 5700 has been my main camera for a couple of years. I do like the extended telephoto, and having the electronic reflex to the EVF allowed a much better taking posture for me of the camera to the face rather than at arm's length. These days I need reading glasses, so changing glasses just to take a photo eliminated that, and provided a much better view in sunlight. OK, so there are some low-light issues, but taking three photos to get one good one if needed costs nothing. - when my wife needed a long zoom camera, image stabilisation had just appeared. We looked at the various offerings and concluded that the Panasonic FZ20 was the best value. The CF cards and AA batteries of the Canon S1 IS would have fitted in better with our existing kit, by Cecilia wanted a step up from the 3MP of the Nikon 990 to the 5MP of the Panasonic. The camera hasn't been used a lot in anger as yet, but has produced some good pictures. The image stabilisation works very well, and the manual focussing is excellent too. - The Nikon 8400 has 24mm wide-angle built in. I analysed the pictures I took with the 5700 on a trip to Prague, and found that many were at the wide-angle end. I had a tiny 24mm adapter for the Coolpix 990, but I didn't want the bulk of the equivalent adapter for the 5700. The flash coverage on the 8400 is excellent, making it an excellent camera for indoors. So today, on a short trip I take the Nikon 8400 and Cecilia takes her Panasonic FZ20. I don't know what I will do on longer trips where I want the telephoto of my 5700 and the wide-angle of the 8400. I may even take both! Cheers, David |
#7
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#8
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David J Taylor commented courteously ...
Between myself and my wife the ZLRs we have are the Nikon Coolpix 5700 and 8400, and the Panasonic FZ20. We both started with Nikon, a Coolpix 900 in my case and the 990 for my wife. Hi, David. I, too, have a Nikon 5700, you may have seen my rants and pleas for help with flash exposure problems on rec.photo.digital. Do you, perchance, take flash pictures in museum settings with your 5700, either with the built-in Speedlight or an external flash? If Yes, how are your results. Thanks. -- ATM, aka Jerry |
#9
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"Leo R." wrote in message ... "Ken" wrote in message .. . "J.S.Pitanga" wrote in message news What type of ZLR camera do you own? I would suspect he doesn't Ken, at least not by his definition. All he is intent on is destroying this NG. His definition does not count and he is not smart enough to destroy this group. The ZLR I own is a Nikon CP8800 and BTW it also has an EVF. I was looking at one last night at the camera store. Nice camera! |
#10
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All Things Mopar wrote:
David J Taylor commented courteously ... Between myself and my wife the ZLRs we have are the Nikon Coolpix 5700 and 8400, and the Panasonic FZ20. We both started with Nikon, a Coolpix 900 in my case and the 990 for my wife. Hi, David. I, too, have a Nikon 5700, you may have seen my rants and pleas for help with flash exposure problems on rec.photo.digital. Do you, perchance, take flash pictures in museum settings with your 5700, either with the built-in Speedlight or an external flash? If Yes, how are your results. Thanks. Jerry, I must admit that the small built-in flash on these cameras has its limitations. With my own photography, when inside museums etc. I usually try and use the natural lighting, even if that means having to prop the camera on an object for support. (I carry neither a tripod nor an external flashgun). I've just bought a "pod" support to try out! http://www.thepod.ca/home.html The flash I do use is restricted to objects at a fairly constant distance, i.e. not with great range between front and back like a car close-up. The fall off of light with distance is rather rapid - although you can use bounce flash if the ceiling is low enough. I have found that you need to keep the front of the camera clear of obstructions. If the flash sensor or the lamp itself is obstructed you can get odd exposures. Although I've only had it a short while, the flash on the 8400 seems a little better - it covers all of the 24mm field of view - although that might mean in your case getting an overall impression of the room rather than a detailed close-up of a single vehicle. At least with digital you get the chance to checkout the results and try again. Cheers, David |
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