After a LOT of uncertainty, and flying accusations from both sides of the argument, I’ve decided to say it “officially”…

The D300 beats the snot out of the D200 for high ISO performance!

First, let’s see what both cameras do at ISO 3200:

(NOTE: In all comparisons, the D300 is on the left….)

YIKES! Maybe that’s why I never used my D200 at 3200…

Next, let’s see what the D300′s ISO “equals” on the D200. This should be interesting…

D300 3200 = D200 1600? Well, at first glance it appears that even the D200′s 1600 is worse than the D300′s 3200.

HOWEVER, if you view the original size screenshot HERE, you’ll notice that details are a tad bit sharper in the D200 image, although SUPERFINE details are gone in the D200 image whereas the D300 is almost able to get them. (the smallest text on the left-hand edge) But, let’s continue on down the chart and see where the NOISE of the two cameras will equal out:

Hmm, it looks like at D300 3200 VS D200 800, we have finally passed even noise levels. So that puts the D300 at maybe 1.5 EV less noise than the D200, but with not even 1 EV of more resolving power at high ISO…

Perfect, for me at least.

Now while I’m on the topic of D300 VS D200 ISO performance, let’s dispell a myth really quick:

The D300 only does ISO 100 via “LO 1″, while the D200 does ISO 100 native. You may ask, does this mean that the D300′s ISO 200 equals the noise level of the D200′s ISO 100? Or does the “LO 1″ notation mean that it is somehow degraded image quality in comparison to the D200′s ISO 100?

I’m tired of posting screenshots, so just take my word for it:

The D300 at ISO 200 does just as good as the D200 at ISO 100, with almost practically un-noticeably more noise and much more resolving power.

Here’s the tidbits I just can’t help posting:

The D300′s 12 MP resolves exactly the same as the 5D’s at low ISO. At high ISO, a difference is noticeable for sure, the 5D maintains detail like no tomorrow while the D300 needs to rely on noise reduction to achieve the same level of noise. BUT, at least it should be noted that the D300 can equal the 5D for noise at high ISO! If you’re going to make a 16×20 out of 3200 you’ll want to use a 5D, but if you shoot theater like I do and only ever sell 4×6 – 8×10′s, the D300 will do a fantastic job….

(Side note: I remember many many months ago, the talented Scott Robert made a 20×30 print from a 5D ISO 1600 image as a gift to one of his clients, and he actually had to *add* grain to make the print look natural… So, when I’m as big as Scott, remind me to get an FX Nikon!!!)

The D300 at ISO 3200 has almost as little noise as the D2Xs at ISO 400, and almost as much resolving power. WOW.

The D300 at ISO 6400 ALSO comes within a hair of matching the Canon 1D mk3 at 6400!!!! Wow!

And, lastly, it is with mixed emotion that I post *this* screenshot, since I know a boatload of people who own this camera:

You got it, that’s the D300 smoking the 40D for noise levels at 3200, though admittedly the 30D LOOKS less smudgey, even though I can’t really SEE any loss of detail in the D300 image. I’m betting that a little bump of the contras and clarity settings in Bridge / Lightroom and the D300 will look gorgeous…

Alright, that’s all folks!

LOL I want this book. Christmas is coming, heck, my birthday is coming too! Anybody?

Ahahahaha that is so genius of a title, why haven’t I thought of it before? It’s so ME…

=MATT=

Well everyone, it was nice knowing you all. But I think the world is about to end.

Nikon ACTUALLY is shipping enough D300′s to come very close to meeting demand!!! This is un-precedented, especially for Nikon, to have this many cameras shipping this quickly. Tiny unknown non-chain retailers are getting something like 30+ units in stock, as opposed to the dozen or so that one could have hoped for previously.

This is not just the word of mouth on the internet, either, in fact I talked to the Nikon rep last Tuesday in San Diego and he said Nikon was stepping up the delivery volume this time.

I’m so happy, this might just mean that I’ll be able to get one in time for my birthday in January! Woohoo!

Now all I have to do is, uh, well, come up with the money! Minor details… Anybody getting married? Hire me now while you can! My prices are going up in 2008!

=Matt=

…Ken Rockwell has some mad photography skillz:

http://www.kenrockwell.com/trips/2007-10-395/index.htm

I wish *I* had the time to go on a trip like that!

=Matt=

Only days after Sigma released it’s pair of uber cool, crop-sensor fisheye lenses that I was so excited about, Tokina has joined in the fun a little with their own latest DX idea:

Tokina 35mm f/2.8 DX Macro!

At $500 or so street price guess I won’t be able to pick up one any time soon as much as I’d like to, but it’s still a sweet lens and I’d totally want one for my oldschool type of macro photography! The long “reach” of my Sigma 150mm f/2.8 Macro is nice a lot of the time, especially when I want to REALLY isolate a subject and get some shallow, shallow DOF, but other times I’d like to still be able to get 1:1 macro but with a wider angle of view, and a little more play room closer up to the camera. The Nikon 60mm f/2.8 macro would have been ideal on 35mm film or FX digital, but I don’t plan on “upgrading” to that any time soon, especially not for nature photography, so this Tokina 35mm is an awesome option. And Tokina ATX PRO lenses are known for being dang sturdy, that’s for sure! My all-metal construction 17mm f/3.5 is a tank of a lens…

Yet another lens which Nikon and Canon don’t have a true equal for… Actually, if the optical quality is there I’ve got nothing wrong with buying a third party lens… Still, it’s lame that Nikon and Canon aren’t doing as much as Sigma / Tokina (and Tamron) are…

[EDIT] Wow, how did I miss this other lens, hidden underneath the Nikon ad on DPR? The oh-so-sweet 11-16mm f/2.8 DX!!!! NICE!!!!

11-16, hmm, at first glance it’s a little too close to the 10-17 fisheye zoom and the 12-24 ultra-wide zoom.

But then I realize, it’s ASPHERICAL 17mm equiv, and unlike the fisheye zoom it accepts filters, and unlike the 12-24, this one is f/2.8. Then there’s the fact that Tokina makes a 16-50 f/2.8, which would pair very nicely. Then there’s my Sigma 50-150 f/2.8 to complete the lineup, yum…

But, do I ever really USE that wide of a focal range? As popular as that range is these days, I find it really hard to compose a photo that DOESN’T have tons of wasted space. The lens is often SO wide that unless you really get in and get close and maybe distort perspective, you’re going to lose the subject in all the wide angle-ness…

Definitely another lens that is NOT going at the top of my list, that’s for sure. Right now I’m still too addicted to fast-apeture primes to think seriously about buying another zoom just yet…

=Matt=

Alright folks, this is it, things are starting to “happen” with the Nikon D3 and D300 that were announced almost 3 months ago…

People are claiming to OWN a D3 or D300 and are posting images from them.

People are claiming to have at least heard from the dealer where they’re on a waiting list, that their D3 / D300 is “on it’s way to the warehouse”…

MANY people have confirmed that in Japan an official “hit the shelves” date of Nov. 24th or so has been announced, with US release a few days around that. Nov. 28th has been mentioned a couple times for the US…

If you’re not already on a waiting list, it’ll probably be 2008 before you can own one, lol…

But, let the Nikon insanity begin!!!

For starters, I’ll be heading to the Escondido Calumet next Tuesday, Nov. 20th, to at least hold and fire the two cameras. Any other Nikon shooters / fans who are interested, I’m totally down for a “Nikon-con” of sorts. We’ll get together and riot in the streets and assault some poor un-suspecting Canon shooter, just for fun… Okay maybe we won’t, but you ge the idea. It will be fun. Nikon will be one step closer to being “on top”…

[rolls eyes as he saves up for a cheapo 20D to shoot theater with, after seeing how GORGEOUS Eric's ISO 1600 pics were with his 30D... Still can't understand how Canon managed to convince so many people that it's all about FF VS 1.6x, when it's actually all about crappy sensitivity technology VS Canon's amazing CMOS technology... Silly 5D, $2000 cameras are supposed to be fully pro featured!]

All in good fun, my friends, all in good fun…

=Matt=

No, don’t go taking your camera with you to the CAR dealership to trade in on that new vehicle you need to buy, I don’t think that will work…

What I mean is, what if selling off your old camera and upgrading to a new one could be just a single convenient, safe, secure transaction? What, not possible you say? Gotta deal with Ebay or Craigslist? (or Fred Miranda or Nikonians, for the super-savvy I guess…)

Bleah, in my opinion there are few things more annoying than trying to sell your used gear to some other private party, and having to deal with them wanting to haggle, then the Paypal fee or whatever, and then the UPS shipping, and worrying the whole time about whether or not they’ll try and rip you off somehow…

Well, no more! Behold, I give you the camera dealership you’ve always wanted, http://www.keh.com…

A couple bucks more expensive than Ebay, you say? A bit less than top dollar for your used gear, you complain?

Duh. Here’s why:

Purchasing security- Imagine the security of buying a brand new camera from a world-wide, trustworthy dealer like Amazon or Adorama. That’s what KEH has, pretty much. If they say a camera is in EX condition or better, you can be sure that it’ll look practically brand new, and DEFINITELY won’t have any hidden flaws that only manifest themself after a month of shooting. And no paypal fee, no dealing with cashier’s checks, no worrying if the camera will even get to you period, and no jacked-up shipping fee.

Selling security- You won’t have to worry about waiting for a check to clear before you ship, you won’t have to worry about an angry buyer coming back to you a month later because of an issue you never even knew the camera had…

Lastly, and the reason for this post: trade-in simplicity, plus a 10% discount- Yep, that’s right, you can get rid of the camera you’ve got and own the camera you want with as LITTLE complication as possible, and if simplicity and security weren’t enough to win you over, you get 10% off your purchase! Which if you ask me is a great deal, plain and simple. I dunno about you, but I have enough things to worry about in life, enough stuff to keep track of and stress out about. I’d rather let a dealer like KEH handle everything for me, and skip all the fees and nonsense that goes with trying to sell and buy used gear.

In fact, I’m definitely considering calling them up and getting rid of my old D70 in favor of a D300, that’s for sure! Wait a minute, I still want my D70 for IR modification, drat. Selling a perfectly good USA D70 only to buy another one in half a year doesn’t make too much sense… Hmm wait a minute, if I’m gonna crack open a D70 and tweak around with the sensor, I might as well do it with a grey market one, since any mistakes would probably put it “beyond economical repair” lol… And grey market D70′s are hitting $399 in EX condition! oooOOOOoooohhh, the plot thickens…

Now the final question involves a little math- I paid $485 for my 2nd D70, I’d probably get about $250-350 for it, I’d get $180 off a $1800 D300, and someday spend maybe $375 on a grey D70 to modify as an IR camera. Worth it in the short run? In the long run? Forgive me, I’m bad at math right now, too busy processing play photos like a madman while writing this post piecemeal…

=Matt=

Dang, Nikon / Canon / Pentax / Sony! Get with the program!

Sigma just released a 10mm f/2.8 EX DC HSM fisheye, and a 4.5mm f/2.8 EX DC HSM CIRCULAR FISHEYE!!!

This is one reason I just love Sigma. They innovate, and they don’t dawdle. Their marketing department doesn’t have a death-grip on cropped sensor camera lenses… (wink at Canon)

So far, COMPMLETELY un-rivaled by any name-brand lens, we have the Sigma 50-150 f/2.8 DC, the 30mm f/1.4 DC, and now the 4.5mm f/2.8 DC. And oh yeah, Tokina has a DX fisheye zoom (which I think I’d like to buy, as cool as circular fisheye is) and a 50-135 f/2.8. But Canon and Nikon, where are YOUR f/2.8 tele zooms for APS-C DSLR’s? Where are your fast-apeture primes? And I doubt we’ll EVER see a Nikon / Canon circular fisheye or fisheye zoom, sadly…

I just wish Nikon and Canon would get with the program and start releasing DX and EF-S lenses that real pros want.
Fast-apeture wide and mid-range primes, most importantly, a Nikon 17mm f/1.4 DX would really hit the spot, as would a 50-150 f/2.8 DX VR.

What will it take? Will Sigma have to come out with it’s own fast-apeture wide angle prime? Will they have to come out with an OS version of their already successful and awesome 50-150 f/2.8?

It’s going to be pretty ironic when I eventually have ZERO Nikon lenses… Oh wait I do want the 85mm f/1.4. Oh wait, it’s AF-D screw drive, nevermind, I want a silent wave motor update (equivalent to USM for you Canon shooters. That’s another area where Nikon needs to get with the program- AF-S updates to the fast-apeture primes. PLEASE! We can’t all afford those big fat pro bodies that focus lightning fast, we need more SWM!)

=Matt=

I only wish that I had the impact on the world of photography that some well-known pros have, because I’ve really got something to say this time…

Oh and I hope you’re sitting down when you read this, cause the 2nd part might be a bit of a shocker…

I’ll probably never be shopping at Samy’s anymore. In the past I’ve gone in because they’ve got an incredible selection, being a big chain store, especially when it comes to camera bags. Camera bag preference is one thing that is SO subjective that I cannot possibly imagine just ordering a bag online sight-unseen. Both of the camera bags I’ve bought were from Samy’s, actually.

They have this tactic however that has inclined me never to purchase there again, probably. Basically what happens is that they price all their merchandise at or just above MSRP, easily 20-30% over what you would pay from a reputable online dealer. Then, they try and win you over by offering about a 10% discount, usually saying “for you, we’ll make it this much, is that cool?” While I do understand that one can expect to pay a LITTLE more for the service and convenience of buying something in person, the Samy’s price hike is just plain huge, in fact it’s in-consistent with other local stores even… Off the top of my head, I paid $17.99 for a strap at ProPhoto Connection (which isn’t even a chain)and then paid $20.99 or something for another one at Samy’s. I also paid $200 for a camera bag at Samy’s, and then saw it for $169.95 at Calumet, right down the street almost. Mind you that $200 was marked down from Samy’s list price of $220, of course…

So, while you MIGHT be able to expect to pay the going price on the HOTTEST items, like the very newest DSLR bodies, I can’t recommend buying anything else there…

Next, (you’re sitting down, right?) I’m having some very frustrating focus issues with my new D200. The 85mm f/1.4 that I rented had some serious back-focusing, as well as the 70-200 VR I just rented and the Sigma 50-150 that I own. The 85mm f/1.4 back-focused so strongly that I couldn’t use it at all any closer than maybe 20-30 feet. My other lenses, as well as the 50mm f/1.4 that I tinkered with at Calumet today, have either no focusing errors, or they front-focus.

Given these irregularities, I’m not sure Nikon can even “fix” the problem, if there even IS a problem. Which prompts me to seriously consider another camera system, either Canon or Olympus. Which would be an incredible shame because Nikon bodies and the D200 (or better) in particular are by far the best-designed bodies out there, in my humble opinion.

However I’m not dumb enough to think that focus errors don’t exist with ALL camera companies. So any decisions, any “switches” will not be made without MUCH research and testing, to be sure.

My first order of business I guess will be to see if Nikon can make my D200 focus reliably. Then if not, I’ll be at Calumet in Encinitas on Nov. 20th to test out the new D300 and D3, and I’ll also have to rent or borrow some Canon / Olympus gear. The new Olympus E-3, with it’s “world’s fastest AF” and two f/2.0 zoom lenses is/are definitely begging to be test-driven…

Also, any Nikon shooters out there who wish to help me restore my faith, if you’ve got a fast apeture prime lens you’d like to let me test out, please let me know and let’s try and hang out ASAP! (I’ll buy you dinner?) I have another wedding in two weekends and I’m very tempted to rent something from the “other side of the fence”…

=Matt=