Crepuscular cat and lone dandelionPERMALINK

If only my neighborhood cats were more effective doing what cats ought to do well: catching and eating gophers. It’s always a battle making sure the pumpkin vines survive to mature their fruit.

Crepuscular Cat
Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III + Leica 280/4 APO

Another one in my ongoing blur series, I like this valiant dandelion. Isn’t it ironic to make such an image with a 21MP camera and a world class lens? Yet to my eye the Leica 280/4 APO yields exceptional color rendition, and so is not to be prized solely for its outstanding sharpness.

 

Solo Soiré
Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III + Leica 280/4 APO

Rose by every other color
Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III + Leica 280/4 APO

 

Leaf’s 56 megapixel rotating sensor digital backPERMALINK

In the latest salvo in the medium format digital back wars, Leaf has announced it’s 56 megapixel AFi 10 digital back, with an interesting “twist”: the 56mm X 36mm sensor can be rotated horizontally or vertically (9288 X 6000) pixels.

The aspect ratio of this unusual format is a smidgen more (1.55) than that of 35mm film (1.5). While the rotating feature sounds great, PhaseOne’s 4:3 aspect ratio 53.9 X 40.4 sensor is probably more useful than the smaller rotating sensor for most shooting, and it avoids the extreme edges of the frame, where optical performance drops off. One can always crop a larger sensor to a smaller one in “post”. See also the PhaseOne and Hasselblad announcements. One has to wonder whether the small 6.0 micron pixels of the Leaf and PhaseOne offerings can maintain the quality level expected of medium format; such pixels sizes are 50% (area) of those of the Nikon D3! It seems doubtful. Perhaps the D3 will reign supreme even among the mediume format backs (on a per-pixel quality basis).

Apple’s me.com— FLAKY AND UNRELIABLEPERMALINK

Judging by all the gripes one sees online, Apple pushed the me.com launch out to make the iPhone date, with bug fixes to come later. My own usage has been frustrating enough. I’ve used mac.com for years for large password-protected downloads. This never failed. Now with me.com, the password protection facility is broken. Maybe Apple should rename the “service” to meaculpa.com. And today, Apple’s discussion forum servers were so overloaded that trying to post a message resulted in time-outs and failures multiple times.

D700/D3 mass vs shutter speedPERMALINK

One thing to keep in mind for those who frequently shoot handheld at low shutter speeds (1/4 - 1/60): is there a difference in “keeper” rate between smaller and lighter cameras and their larger brethren?

There are a number of reasons that a Nikon D3 might be able to manage a better success rate at low shutter speeds than the D700:

Greater mass means greater stability; any motion tends to be better damped better with a larger camera.

Ergonomics—with the larger body of the D3, I can wedge it against my shoulder naturally; with smaller camera bodies like the D700/D300/D70, I must contort my shoulder upwards—awkward, and quickly fatiguing. With the “shoulder wedge”, the camera is braced firmly against the shoulder/forehead/hands, making for terrific stability. A larger camera also balances better on some tripods when larger lenses are used.

Shutter and mirror—the D700 has a different shutter and mirror box than the D3. It’s likely that the D700 has different damping characteristics than the D3 (“shutter slap”). The “danger zone” for mirror slap is the 1/8 - 1/30 sec range, depending on the camera (see The Sharpest Image)

Excepting the ergonomics issue, these items are speculation. But my handheld shooting experience with the D3 suggests that I get more keepers than I ever have before. Would that be the same for the D700? Something to keep in mind if you are contemplating the D3 vs D700.

Nikon D700 NOW availablePERMALINK

The breakthrough (price and performance) Nikon D700 is now available at B&H Photo. Both the body only and 24-120 kit were in stock as of this morning. How does it compare to the Nikon D3? From every report from those lucky few who got advance cameras: identical image quality. So it is really a features issue: lower frame rates, single CF card slot, 95% viewfinder coverage vs 100%, and the anti-dust feature are the things most users will care about for features. But the best feature for many will be more compact and lighter body versus the bulky D3. Even so, the OpTech ProLoop strap is the first upgrade you should consider.

Get the Nikon D700 body-only at B&H Photo or get the D700 + 24-120mm kit at B&H Photo. Another good source for the D700 is through amazon.com.

My thoughts on the 24-120 VR kit lens: a sub-optimal pairing for image quality. The same stunning image quality can be expected from the D700 as the D3—why cripple the results with “ok” glass? The wide zoom range and VR of the 24-120 is certainly appealing as an all-around grab-shot lens and/or when switching lenses is problematic. But those interested in first-rate images from a zoom should be looking at the Nikon Nikon 24-70/2.8G and/or Nikon 14-24/2.8G, both of which represent the best of modern zoom lens design. At the long end, understand that the Nikon 70-200/2.8VR has poor performance at the long end. The downside to the quality 14-24G and 24-70G zooms is their substantial size and weight. The Zeiss ZF lenses offer a much more compact footprint along with outstanding image quality. See the index page or search page for more on Zeiss ZF lenses.

Trendsetter? Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3PERMALINK

The newly-announced Panasonic DMC-LX3 suggests the beginning of a long overdue correction of the more-megapixels trend, with “focus” going to other features that make the camera more useful for actual photography.

The LX3 announcement is striking in several ways:

Pixel count — For the first time I’m aware of, a press release explicitly acknowledges the quality issues of too many pixels in too small a sensor (and not just as a parenthetical note). The LX3 sensibly limits the resolution to 10.1 megapixels, in a relatively large sensor, and the electronics have been updated to improve pixel quality.

Wide angle lens — the world doesn’t need yet another 35-whatever point and shoot; true wide angle capability (24mm) has been almost non-existent in point and shoot cameras. The LX3 offers a 24-60mm zoom (equivalent) and even an 18mm equivalent add-on, perhaps the first in a camera this compact.

Fast f/2 lens — too many point and shoot cameras become useless at dusk or indoors for natural light shooting. The LX3 offers a 24-60mm zoom with f/2.0 - f/2.8 in that range. That is a major improvement over nearly all the point and shoot cameras out there, certainly ones of its compact size. To offer f/2.8 at the 60mm setting is a big plus (vs f/4 - f/5 with many compacts).

System camera — the LX3 offers a workable set of accessories. With a hot shoe, an 18mm add-on lens, a hot-shot-mounted optical viewfinder, and polarizer, neutral density and protection filters, this is the first stab at the “point and shoot system camera”.

LCD — the LX3 sports a 460,000 pixel screen, double (or more) the resolution commonly seen today. This is a non-trivial feature; with all imaging being done on the screen, a large, high resolution LCD is very, very enjoyable, and makes evaluating images easier.

In addition to these key features, the LX3 offers RAW file support, choice of cropping its 16:9 native format to 4:3 or 3:2 and a super macro capable of focusing to 1cm in front of the lens. Add in HD video recording, image leveling and the compulsory “moron modes” and the LX3 offers a compelling package for the photographer looking for a versatile but compact point and shoot. You can compare for yourself at dpreview, but it seems that the LX3 brings together a combination of useful features unmatched by any other camera.

Now if only Panasonic would really stretch and offer a monochrome sensor version, now that would be interesting!

Get the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 at amazon.com.

Sunflower season — Canon 1Ds Mark III + Leica 280 APOPERMALINK

I love watching sunflowers bloom and mature. They offer such exquisite detail, detail I’d love to capture on a 60MP back. But 21MP will do. Handheld at ISO 400 at 1/320 sec at f/4, there’s some decent detail here. The Leica 280mm f/4 APO-Telyt-R (eval) might be one of the very few actual diffraction-limited lenses, and it performs admirably on the Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III. However, the choice of lens adapter is crucial. So far, only the Novoflex adapter is up to snuff, and it’s unclear whether it will be robust over time. Get a Leica R to Canon EOS Novoflex lens adapter at B&H Photo.

Now that wild honeybees are all but extinct, ants have a role to play in pollination. I remember that in 1992-1994 or so, my sunflower heads would each be buzzing with a dozen or more honeybees. Now there might be a single honeybee for every 10 heads, or roughly 1000:1 fewer. And likely only because a beekeeper maintains hives within 1/4 mile or so of my garden. Could the human self-destructive dumping of billions of pounds of chemicals and pesticides into the environment share part of the blame?

One of my 200 or so sunflowers
Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III + Leica 280/4 APO

Actual pixels

Able to focus to 1:5, the 280/4 APO functions as a near-macro lens, with a very convenient working distance.

Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III + Leica 280/4 APO-Telyt-R @ f/4, handheld

I’m currently evaluating a well-used 280/4 APO, but if you’ve got the cash for a new one, get the Leica 280/4 APO at B&H Photo.

Available light — shooting the impossible with the Nikon D3PERMALINK

Today I shot an indoor play (children’s theatre) using the Nikon D3 and the wonderful (but heavy) Nikon AF-S 24-70 f/2.8G ED [specs]. Normally I shoot Zeiss ZF lenses, but in this case I needed the ability to rapidly change the field of view. Although I used f/2.8 for some shots, I needed f/4 and even f/8 for certain images. Get the Nikon 24-70 at B&H Photo.

NIkon D3 at ISO 6400 pushed 1 stop, click to see actual pixels

The lighting was consistent and even, but required ISO values 3200/6400/12800 and even 25600 for a few shots (even allowing the shutter speed to drop into the 1/40 sec range). The Nikon D3 can really handle jobs like this well. In the past, my choice would have been to shoot (other lenses) at f/1.4 and f/2 to obtain a decent shutter speed. At those apertures, depth of field is a challenge, focus errors become a problem, etc. The Nikon D3 makes shooting at high ISO values worthwhile. Get the Nikon D3 at B&H Photo. Or the Nikon D700.

There is noise, but it is not an objectionable noise, looking more like chunky film grain, although in really dark areas slight streaking can be observed. Click the image above to see examples. The 10" wide print I made had visible noise, but it was not at all objectionable.

One thing to keep in mind with high ISO shooting is that resolution is degraded by noise and also (in practice) by reduced depth of field, so there is little or nothing to be gained by shooting the 21MP Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III, which would have required ISO 3200, then “pushing ”images one or two or three stops in the RAW-file converter. The foregoing is at least a good theory, worth validating by research at some point.

Perhaps a Nikon D3f (“fast”) with only 6 fat-pixel megapixels would be a great camera for such situations; 6 megapixels can make very nice 24X16 prints for many types of subject matter.

Update on PhaseOne P45+ 39 megapixel Monochrome backPERMALINK

I’ve received some information from my local dealer on the PhaseOne medium format monochrome back.

• Standard functions should all work as expected. Standard processing features.
• Delivery: Within eight weeks.
• Value Added Three Year Warranty Kit: US$35,990
• Classic One Year Warranty Kit: US$32,990
• Available with or without the Schott IR Filter over sensor.
• Available in all current medium format mounts.
• Customer Order confirmation payment of 50% required with order. Balance upon delivery.

PhaseOne P45+ 39 megapixel medium format digital back

Celebrating female beauty: domai.comPERMALINK

Nudes have been part of photography forever it seems, with such masters as Edward Weston being one notable creative force in this area. Tastes change over time and with cultures and religions, with nudity being either celebrated or the cause for the ultimate penalty, and everything in-between.

Today’s nude photography ranges from the beautifully sensual and/or abstract to the shocking and disgusting. Without stepping into any of those minefields, I’ll just direct over-18 readers to Eolake Stobblehouse’s domai.com, which celebrates the female form as a natural and joyous expression of life.

Nikon PC-E 24mm f/3.5 in stock at B&HPERMALINK

The Nikon 24mm f/3.5 tilt/shift is now in stock at B&H Photo (as I write this). This lens still sells out quickly as Nikon has apparently not yet caught up with demand. Get your own 24/3.5 T/S at B&H Photo.

Recommended web site: TimGrey.comPERMALINK

A friend recommended Tim Grey’s web site, and after reading through it, I recommend checking out his blog and email list.

Lupine Betty and Wilma LED headlamp/bike lightsPERMALINK

Looking for the world’s best headlamp or bike light? Look no further than the LED-based Lupine Lighting Systems Wilma or the newer Betty. Betty features 7 top-grade LEDs matched to within 200° K with a blinding 1200 lumen output for 3 hours on a small LiIon pack. Perfect for outdoor nighttime photography or the Iditarod. Read my review of the Wilma.

PhaseOne P65+ “full frame” 60MP backPERMALINK

One millimeter or so shy of true “full frame” 645 format, the newly-announced late-2008-availabilty PhaseOne P65+ offers sixty (60) megapixels (8984 X 6732) along with 12.5 stops of dynamic range in a huge 53.9 x 40.4mm sensor, about 20% larger than previous medium format sensors (see pdf comparison).

All of this comes at the very reasonable price of roughly US$42,000 for back, body and lens (reasonable in comparison to existing medium format digital offerings). The PhaseOne back ought to make Hasselblad squirm, with 10 more megapixels, a 20% larger sensor, variable resolution, and a non-proprietary system.

While the H3D-II-50 is priced US$2000 lower, that is of little consequence in light of the overall system cost (additional lenses, etc). Image quality might be the defining factor in the end for some, and for that we’ll have to wait and see, but I’ll place my bet on PhaseOne, a company with customer-appreciative policies for upgrades and inter-operability with multiple camera platforms.

UV shows that Greek sculptures were not plain white marblePERMALINK

Wondering about useful (albeit specialized) applications for ultraviolet light?*** The July 2008 Smithsonian article True Colors reveals that unadorned white marble sculptures were nothing of the sort: Greek sculptures were painted in vivid color, and as the craft evolved, intricate detail.

Painted replica

*** The original color was revealed using ultraviolet light, “raking” a strong UV source over the sculptures, making fine patterns visible to the naked eye. It is unclear if actual UV photography was used. UV photography would require a specialty lens like the Coastal Optics 60/4 UV-VIS-IR, or the discontinued UV-Nikkor.

Nikon 24/3.5 tilt/shift first impressionsPERMALINK

Keeble & Shucat of Palo Alto, CA loaned me the Nikon 24mm f/3.5 Tilt/Shift lens today for a brief shoot. I do plan on expanding my 28mm Shift Lenses Review to include this lens (and renaming it accordingly).

Update: this lens is reviewed in more detail as part of diglloyd’s Advanced Photography (DAP).

Shift lenses are headed in the right direction, getting better and better. The Hartblei/Zeiss offerings out out of the reach of many (price) but Nikon’s current offerings include the 24 f/3.5, a 45mm f/2.8 and an 85mm f/2.8. Canon has a similar line. Discontinued are Nikon’s 28/4, 28/3.5 and 35/2.8 PC-Nikkors (no tilt). Schneider’s 28mm PC-Super-Angulon remains available for Nikon or Canon users. All of the latter lenses are “covered” in28mm Shift Lenses on DX frame.

Nikon D3 + 24mm f/3.5 tilt/shift @ f/8

The Nikon 24 T/S is a very nice handling lens and built to similar standards as the several-year old 85 f/2.8D PC-Micro-Nikkor. However, it now offers electronic aperture control, a boon for usability, but a disappointment for those of us who like to shoot Nikon lenses also on Canon via an adapter.

The good news is that optical performance is very high. Having used the Canon 24/3.5L T/S and the Olympus 24/3.5 shift (but not owning either at the moment) I can only hazard the following experience-based opinion: the Nikon offering appears to be the best yet available in the 24mm tilt/shift realm. Congratulations Nikon! A future in-depth report will have to speak to the details of this fine lens, but stitched images certainly are one good use of this lens, like this 19 megapixel example below.

Nikon D3 + 24mm f/3.5 tilt/shift @ f/8 , 19MP stitched image

Creative uses of tilt are fascinating. Here the lens tilt was used to isolate the subject, deliberately blurring the surrounding areas which would normally be sharp.

Nikon D3 + 24mm f/3.5 tilt/shift @ f/4 , tilt used

Nikon D3 + 24mm f/3.5 tilt/shift @ f/4 , tilt used

The bottom line for me is that when the budget cooperates, the Nikon 24 T/S is a lens I want to own. I expect that the 45mm and 85mm offerings will afford even better performance. Get your own 24/3.5 T/S at B&H Photo.

White balance for night scenesPERMALINK

Don’t even try to white balance something like this—use Daylight and leave it at that. In this case, the garish red is true to the eye; gel filters were placed over the up-lights for a special event, so white balancing would not be appropriate anyway. The blue sky is accurate as well. The church is lit by another light source, perhaps sodium vapor lamps. Correcting it would not match my perception, so I’d leave it alone, too, even if it were photographed by itself.

I’m on Hasselblad’s persona non grata listPERMALINK

I learned indirectly today (not through Hasselblad, which has never contacted me), that the review I wrote on the Hasselblad H3D-39 has earned me Hasselblad’s enmity.

I’ve got to call it like I see it, tell the truth, which is to say that not only was the H3D-39 I tested a flaky turd, but that a company that operates in this despicable way is one I will never do business with. I encourage you to ask around about the reliability of the H2/H3 system before even considering Hassleblad (that’s a hint based on what I’ve learned!). And think about what a closed (proprietary) system like Hasselblad’s means before you spend $40K on their medium format system. My advice: take your business to PhaseOne or another medium format vendor like Leaf, Sinar, etc.

Special offer — Zeiss ZF Lenses consultationPERMALINK

I really enjoy talking to interesting photographers, so on a trial basis I’m making the following offer: purchase my excellent Zeiss ZF Lenses review and we can arrange (via email) a 15-minute phone conversation to discuss your particular lens needs to help you decide—no additional charge, but with the understanding that you buy any lenses we discuss through the B&H sponsored links and/or amazon.com sponsored links (top right of this page—click on the B&H or amazon or apple graphics). Sponsored links do not affect your price—it’s a win-win. Get Zeiss ZF lenses at B&H Photo.

Zeiss ZF Lenses Review — 18/3.5 DISTAGONPERMALINK

The question: will the new Zeiss ZF 18mm f/3.5 Distagon be a free upgrade for existing Zeiss ZF Lenses readers. The short answer is “no”: the not-inexpensive 18mm must be purchased to assess it exhaustively, and assessing it and updating the review to my quality standards will take at least 50 hours. There will be a very reasonable upgrade price, somewhere in the $10 range, and the overall price might increase slightly. There will also be additions to the review for some of the existing ZF lenses. Expected final release date is late September 2008, depending on when the 18mm is actually available.

In the meantime, the review will soon be updated to include some comments from the Zeiss factory on expected optical behavior which will definitely be of interest to prospective purchasers. Get Zeiss ZF lenses at at B&H Photo

New recommendation: Bear Images of Palo AltoPERMALINK

Today brings a new addition to my Recommended Vendors page: Bear Images Photographic of Palo Alto, CA. If you aren’t local to the SF Bay Area or even the USA, Bear Images can still work with you on your high-end photographic needs, and can do on-site setup and configuration for you. Rentals too. Their retail store is worth visiting also; it’s jam-packed with all sorts of intriguing equipment you’ll rarely see in stock anywhere else.

Proprietor Jim Taskett is without a doubt a true expert, with deep knowledge of view cameras, medium format digital, tripods, lighting gear, computers, and much more. If you’re looking to set up a photography studio, digital workflow, or have special needs, contact Bear Images. Bear is also a PhaseOne dealer, see today’s blog entry on monochrome PhaseOne backs.

PhaseOne monochrome medium-format digital backPERMALINK

A bit less than a year ago I tried to arrange a group buy of a monochrome PhaseOne medium format digital back. If you were one of the interested parties, now is the time to act. PhaseOne is building some monochrome P45+ backs within the next two weeks, based on the 39 megapixel Kodak monochrome sensor. These backs are going to well-funded organizations that want them for specific applications—it’s happening. That’s the good news.

The bad news is that the 39 megapixels will cost you $872 per megapixel, or US$34,000 (with a 3 year warranty)—you supply the camera and lenses on top of that. Also unresolved are software issues (the aforementioned organizations will be writing their own special-purpose software). I’m awaiting an answer on how the PhaseOne RAW files can be converted into standard 16-bit TIF files.

If you are ready to buy one of these 39 megapixel monochrome backs, contact Jim Taskett at Bear Images.

Setting cost aside, I would love to own one of these backs ($34 from 1000 readers would do it!); they allow full-spectrum image capture from UV through infrared, offering tremendous creative potential, all without quality-degrading demosaicing (Bayer matrix). Sensitivity should be substantially higher than the equivalent color back, and resolution should be notably higher as well. In that sense, it might fairly be called a 60 megapixel back, though actual results will have to prove that theory out. The back can be used on a wide variety of camera systems, including view cameras, PhaseOne, Mamiya and Hasselblad 500 series.

Nikon D3 focusing mystery solved!PERMALINK

As regular diglloyd blog readers know, manual focus accuracy can be tricky, which gave me fits with the Nikon D3. Read about my findings, and how I finally resolved the problem.

Do Filters degrade image qualityPERMALINK

As I’ve begun to shoot more and more top-notch lenses, I’ve stopped using filters except when there is sand/dust and/or salt spray or similar hazards. Especially with stellar “glass” like the Zeiss ZF Lenses and Leica APO lenses and Coastal Optics 60/4 APO, my working assumption has been that quality filters probably have no discernible effect, but then again they aren’t going to help things either.

Note that by “filters’ I mean only the very best quality ones like the Schneider Optics B+W MRC line. Obviously, single-coated and/or primitive multi-coated filters are something I’m not going to entertain as an option, except in infrared, where single-coating is superior.

The scene below shows increased veiling flare and degradation of image contrast with the filter (mouse over and out). The problem with making a definitive conclusion: the filter wasn’t clean (but it wasn’t terribly dirty either). So I will have to re-shoot with a pristine filter to prove or disprove the question—but it’s obvious that a less than pristine filter does degrade image quality. The rollover below shows the results with and without the filter. Get filters at B&H Photo.

Mouse over and out to see with/without filter
(Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III + Coastal Optics 60/4 APO + B+W MRC filter)

To blur or not to blurPERMALINK

A friend of mine detests blurry images. Some of my favorites he dismisses as “not sharp.” We all have strong and different reactions to image rendition, and that’s good!

Here I share last night’s blurry images that I like because of the blur (they’re blurred in part because I shot with the Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III, which just can’t function in low light as well as the Nikon D3!). Check your premises about depth of field and ask yourself whether these images would improve by being sharp throughout the frame: would the mental imagery induced by viewing them sharpen or blur?

Donkey Duo
(All images: Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III + Leica 90mm f/2 APO-Summicron-R ASPH)

Fuzzball

Dry Up

Green Grounds

Play Time

Fee-based access to public lands in USAPERMALINK

Protect your right to access USA public lands with being nickled and dimed every day everywhere. Check out Western Slope No Fee.org, dedicated to reversing “fee creep” (a fee to enter, a fee to hike, a fee to pee) in our National Parks and forests, Bureau of Livestock Management (oops) lands, etc. Even the entrance fees have become ridiculous these days—$20 to enter Yosemite for example. Continue through to Death Valley: another $20 (buy the yearly Golden whatever pass). Why should I help pay for the dunces who want to eat pizza and crap in Yosemite valley and dump their sewage at the campground?

A good read: The Cloud Is FallingPERMALINK

Long, but worth reading, Vincent LaForet writes The Cloud is Falling at SportsShooter.com, a commentary on the newspaper and magazine industry.

Hasselblad’s 50 megapixel “full frame”PERMALINK

Hasselblad has announced their 50 megapixel H3D II (see the PDF system sheet). If it works as well as the H3D (see quirks and noise in my review), then I don’t want one. Besides I can’t afford a US$50,000 system (plus lenses and accessories), so I might as well head out to Whole Foods for my dinner of sour grapes.

Anyone who can afford $50K should be looking at PhaseOne and Mamiya and Leaf and Sinar before plunking down that kind of cash. It will be very surprising if other vendors don’t follow suit on resolution. The 50MP back doesn’t ship until 2009 (next year), so take your time while working that 2nd job.

Which brings me to Truth and Lies—for the advanced math experts here (3rd grade or higher), when does 100% equal 75%? (Answer: when marketing bozos get involved). Hasselblad calls the 48 X 36mm sensor “full frame”, but actual 645 film image area is 56 X 42mm, a full 36% larger. I have to scratch my head on that one. Maybe the same folks who sued monitor manufacturers on screen size claims can take up the medium format digital liars.

Were it really full-frame, the photosites would be 7 microns instead of the much more optically-demanding 6 microns. Several years ago, I concluded that the Nikon D2x 5.5-micron photosites were a serious challenge to optics, so 6 microns on medium format is good for serious giggles. Heck, the 21MP Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III has 6.4 micron pixels. Might its per-pixel quality actually be superior to the H3D II? Hence the need for heavy software enhancement aka Hasselblad’s DAC (Digital Auto Correction), a worthwhile trend nonetheless.

More significant than the marginal 50-39 = 11 additional megapixels over the previous offering (a meaningless 1.13X linearly when optical performance is factored in) is the fact that the system capabilities are being fleshed out with the HTS 1.5 tilt/shift adapter and the HVC View Camera Solution. Hasselblad has taken their digital system proprietary; the latter option at least opens things up to usage on a view camera, though not on another camera system, like Mamiya. Nor does it address the discomfiting fact that only a Hasselblad back works on the H3D II (no PhaseOne, etc).

Hasselblad H3D II with HTS 1.5 tilt/shift adapter and lens

Zeiss ZF 18mm f/3.5 Distagon MTF, Distortion, etcPERMALINK

MTF, distortion and vignetting data are now available in the Zeiss ZF 18mm f/3.5 Distagon datasheet. Unfortunately, the Zeiss-supplied charts are so low in resolution that the labels cannot be read; I’ve passed that comment on to Zeiss. Zeiss USA supplied me with some higher quality charts (below) than those found in the PDF. See also my June 25 comments on the announcement of this lens.

The MTF graphs (below) look quite promising. Performance appears to be optimal wide open at f/3.5. The graphs shows a classic Zeiss Distagon “bulge”, at the ~18mm mark, suggesting some field curvature. For a thorough discussion of this phenomenon and how to interpret it, see Zeiss ZF Lenses. It will be very interesting to see how the ZF 18/3.5 compares to Nikon’s 14-24/2.8 zoom, and rest assured that my evaluation will be thorough. In the meantime, why not order Zeiss ZF Lenses, because if you want the detailed “scoop” on this exciting new optic, that’s where it will land. Get Zeiss ZF lenses at B&H Photo.

Zeiss ZF 18mm f/3.5 Distagon MTF @ f/3.5
(10, 20, 40 lp/mm)

The strong astigmatism for fine details (40 lp/mm) bears investigation for real pictures when the evaluation lens arrives. In prior testing on resolution charts, such astigmatism can be readily seen. Less clear is how much it matters on “3D” images.

Zeiss ZF 18mm f/3.5 Distagon MTF @ f/8
(10, 20, 40 lp/mm)

On an absolute basis, vignetting (below) is strong at f/3.5—approximately 2+ stops, but quite acceptable at f/8 (<1 stop). Such things should be kept in perspective however; this is an 18mm lens, and a lens design must trade some aspects of optical performance for others.

Zeiss ZF 18mm f/3.5 Distagon vignetting at f/3.5 and f/8

Distortion looks well-controlled for a lens of this type, but the wave pattern means it might be more difficult to correct in software. This should be a concern only for full-frame cameras; the “wave” rises outside the “DX” sensor size.

Zeiss ZF 18mm f/3.5 Distagon distortion (infinity)

Hartblei/Zeiss 40mm, 80mm, 120mm Tilt/shift lensesPERMALINK

Looking for an incredible set of tilt/shift lenses for Nikon or Canon? Check out the Hartblei/Zeiss 40mm, 80mm, and 120mm tilt/shift offerings, available individually or as a set. But take a deep breath before looking at the price. Quality costs money of course. Hartblei tells us there will be a US dollar price, but it is unspecified as yet. Also see the 40/80/120 PDF information sheet.

Tilt lenses afford an opportunity to evade the ever-present problem of diffraction, by allowing the plane of focus to vary (tilt), instead of being parallel to the sensor. This means that an image could be made (for example) at f/4 with sharper front-to-back results than at f/16 with a lens that cannot tilt! View cameras have enjoyed such capabilities since the beginning of photography, but it’s sadly (mostly) lacking in DSLRs. See also my comments on technical excellence in Is 12 Megapixels Enough?.

It would be particularly interesting to test how these lenses compare to the new Nikon 24/45/85 tilt/shift offerings. But at US$12K or so for the Hartblei/Zeiss set (and US$5400 for the Nikon offerings), that seems challenging.

Lens tilted to change the plane of sharp focus

The 80mm, 120mm, 40mm tilt/shift offerings

An elegant solution, the improved non-prototype production lenses this fall will enjoy improved ergonomics (new lens barrel) along with the ability to mount the lens in the ballhead clamp (instead of the camera)—a big deal, since all that weight can place a big strain on the lens mount; these are heavy medium format lenses.

Functional and elegant mounting

Link to this blogPERMALINK

Please help this site grow! Link to this blog from your web site, or reference it anywhere you post comments in forums, etc. See details above.

Check out the blog indexPERMALINK

Check out the new diglloyd blog index, with every item from January 2006 included. It’s truly handy, just search in your browser and all sorts of stuff can be found, then click! I use it all the time now, since I can’t remember when I wrote something!

While you’re at it, subscribe to the RSS feed by clicking the FeedBurner link at the top of the page and/or the RSS symbol in your browser. Mac users can read feeds right in Apple Mail (Mac OS X 10.5).

Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III: 84 megapixelsPERMALINK

How much can a 21MP Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III image be enlarged? To test that theory, I “rezzed up” a highly detailed image using Genuine Fractals. Read about it in Good Pixels Go Big. Get the Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III at B&H Photo.

I want what the lens can deliver!PERMALINK

In my July 1 entry Is 12 Megapixels Enough?, I made the point that 12 megapixels is “way more than good enough” for the vast majority of users, even professionals. That’s certainly true, but when you shoot a lens like the Leica 90/2 APO-Summicron-R ASPH (or many Zeiss ZF lenses) on the 21 megapixel Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III, it does leave you wondering how deep the well really is.

What kind of image would a 40 megapixel DSLR yield with top glass, with improved sensor technology two years from now? It’s clear that 24 megapixels is on the horizon now (Sony, and maybe Nikon), but the next jump could be 30, 36 or even 42 megapixels. Twelve is enough for most purposes, but the idea of 40 megapixels for landscape and outdoor work is intriguing.Get filters at B&H Photo.

No fireworks pictures — Professional cameras prohibitedPERMALINK

Attending the 4th of July concert and fireworks show last night at Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, CA, I was denied entrance because my Nikon D3 was deemed a professional camera. I was forced to return to my car and go camera-less. An infuriating experience to be sure. Would a Nikon D700 or D60 have passed muster? I don’t know, but I don’t like the trend. Why isn’t there a full-frame rangefinder from Nikon with the D3 sensor?! It would look like a point and shoot.

Update: Shoreline Amphitheater is a private venue, and as far as I know, owners of private property (even for public events) have the right to place conditions on entry eg prohibiting professional cameras.

Spectral transmission graphsPERMALINK

I’ve added two filters to my UV/VIS/IR Spectral Transmission Graphs page: the Kenko DR 655 and the B+W 486 UV-IR cut. Get filters at B&H Photo.

Cleaning your filtersPERMALINK

I use filters less and less these days, excepting situations involving sand/dust, salt spray, rain and or other hazards, like ankle-biters (children). Get filters at B&H Photo.

So when I do use them, I like them to be pristine. When home, I use a special soap to clean them under warm water: Optisoap from OptiKem. It’s designed for contact lens wearers and leaves zero residue. Using it with warm water gently removes all particulate matter as well as grease and oil. Schneider Optics has its own suggestions on cleaning filters. Their suggestions are good for field use, but in my experience the Optisoap/warm water approach is better, with zero risk of scratching. You’ve got to love those amphoteric surfactants. Optisoap is hard to find online, but local optometrists often have it.

Update: you can order Optisoap directly from Optikem International in Denver, CO at (800) 525-1752 / (303) 936-1137. It’s $18.50 for a 1 quart bottle, which lasts a long time.

Natural fireworks — Aurora BorealisPERMALINK

Tonight, municipalities throughout the United States will be exploding their “bombs bursting in air”. But none of it compares to the natural stuff—I’ve added a few images to my Thelon Wilderness travel article.

Testing New memory and hard disksPERMALINK

You’ve just upgraded your (possibly new) computer to include more memory (RAM) and/or you’ve added hard disks, particularly external ones and possible RAIDed them for performance.

How do you know the memory works reliably? How do you know the disks are delivering the expected performance don’t have sporadic errors? Save yourself a lot of grief by testing before you go into “production”.

My experience has been that that the reliability of Apple’s memory is exceptionally high, so you can probably rest easy if all you’ve done is order Apple parts. But if you’ve installed 3rd-party RAM, particularly bargain-basement stuff, you should not assume that your experience will be trouble-free.

Memory testing: memory that might work fine at an ambient temperature of 80° F or below might suddenly turn flaky as things warm up. ECC memory might begin to report errors. Non-ECC memory will simply crash the machine when the bad area(s) are encountered, and even ECC memory will do so if more than one bit fails in a byte. To forestall such issues, diglloydTools offers a machine and memory stress test. Let that run for 24 hours before assuming a new configuration is reliable.

If you haven’t already seen it, read All About Mac Pro Memory for background, particularly the Memory Reliability section.

Hard disks — internal hard disks are generally more reliable than external ones; there is no extra cabling that can be damaged or pick up RF interference. But with multiple disks, RAID configurations, heat buildup, etc, both internal and external hard disks should be check for reliability and performance. I recently had ordered four Samsung 1TB hard disks. I could not obtain consistent RAID performance with the Samsungs, and I found that one of the four disks was a “dud”, always 10% slower than the other three. That’s a serious problem for a RAID; one sluggard disk will slow the whole RAID down and cause “hiccups” in performance.

The de-facto standard for testing RAID and hard disks on Mac OS is my very own DiskTester. Reliable and proven over years of use, DiskTester is THE tool to use for testing both performance and reliability. That’s why various Mac vendors use it to test their products, it’s why barefeats.com and amug.com use it, etc.

Leica 90/2 APO ASPH on Canon 1DsM3PERMALINK

Top-quality glass produces top-quality results when the technical details are dealt with—exploit your sensor!

With a 21MP Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III, forget the marginal EF 24-105 f/4L crapola zoom and put some real glass on it, like the Leica 90mm f/2 APO-Summicron-R ASPH (using an adapter). See the incredible detail possible when the optimal aperture (f/4 - f/5.6) is used with perfect focus, courtesy of Live View. There is no doubt that a 40 megapixel DSLR would feel at home with the Leica 90/2 APO ASPH. Get the Leica 90/2 APO ASPH at B&H Photo.

 

Tips on Fireworks PicturesPERMALINK

Here are some tips for fireworks that work for me. Serious student of fireworks will have more to offer, but this approach produced quite nice results for those of us with family obligations and/or “no tripods” restrictions at public events.

Tips:

• Shoot with a high-quality “prime” lens (not a zoom). I recommend the Zeiss ZF 50/2 Makro-Planar or 35/2 Distagon, which offer superb wide-open performance.
• Experiment with shutter speeds and apertures for interesting effect. Start with 1/125 @ f/4. Check you image histograms to verify you are not “blowing out” the highlights.
• Set your camera to Daylight white balance.
• Hand-holding is OK, and allows you to move around for more creative options (remember that blur will be streaks of light—interesting stuff). Use a tripod if you have a specific composition in mind.
• Try double-exposures and/or merging photos (Nikon cameras have this built-in).
• “Drag” the camera; deliberately move it during the exposure.

Don”t forget the people walking around with glow sticks!

 

 

Nikon D3 firmware updatePERMALINK

I’ve updated my Nikon D3’s firmware successfully, downloading it from Nikon USA. I’ll report on any glitches that I might encounter.

But the main glitch is that Nikon US has inexplicably chose a confusing approach in distributing the update, choosing StuffIt (SIT) format instead of the perfectly fine (and built-in) ZIP or DMG format that Mac OS X has supported for years now (Windows users are treated to an EXE, thus opening a new vector for viruses to spread). On my system, the SIT file yielded a “can’t unstuff” error message that prompted me to go to the Stuffit site, register to get a newer version, etc. What a hassle. It turns out that the error message was erroneous, and I was able to “unstuff” without downloading a new StuffIt Expander.

Bottom line: the KISS principle applies here (Keep It Simple, Stupid). A ZIP file which expands to the two binary files will do just fine.

Is 12 megapixels enough?PERMALINK

The new Nikon D700 offers “only” 12 megapixels, allegedly with the same image quality as the D3. Is that enough, or must we long for more (and more)? Get the Nikon D700 at B&H Photo.

The conventional game of more pixels is over (or should be). Only a tiny fraction of photographers actually need more than 12 megapixels, even for 24X16" prints, a size beyond which most users are unlikely to ever go. No coffee-table photography book is going to look better going beyond 12 top-quality megapixels. The “way more than good enough” resolution+pixel quality barrier has now been crossed at a reasonable price point.

Pixel quality has a huge bearing on perceived image quality. The D700 will offer the highest pixel quality on the market. A technically excellent Nikon D700 image made with top-quality optics just isn’t going to afford many limitations to the vast, vast majority of shooters out there—even professionals—when those 12 million pixels of very low noise with highly accurate color and smooth tonal gradations are viewed or printed. We humans perceive all of those things—not just “resolution”.

Technical excellence (perfect focus, careful selection of aperture, etc) is required to exploit even a 12-megapixel sensor. Hone your skills today, starting with The Sharpest Image.

Many subjects can benefit from higher resolution (for really large prints), but most of what we respond to in a photograph is not about absolute detail; it’s about capturing the mood or moment, the realism of the original scene, accurate or pleasing color, etc. For example, my recent sunflower pictures would not benefit from more than 12 megapixels; they’re about motion, shape and form, and color.

Setting the resolution issue aside, how do we actually make photographs successfully? The fact that I can shoot the Nikon D700 or D3 at ISO 1600 or ISO 3200 knowing that the results will not just be usable, but of excellent quality is a major advantage which encourages greater exploration. Future developments will eliminate other nagging issues: depth of field, bayer-pattern interpolation issues, dynamic range, lens aberrations, stitching, etc. All of these will become the camera’s job to fix. This is what I mean by “the conventional game is over”: the market needs to move to solving these issues which now limit image quality more than resolution. And we have yet to see a monochrome sensor DSLR (D3m?), which would offer sensational quality in a 12MP sensor.

Don’t get me wrong—I’d love to have a 24MP Nikon D3x or a 36MP Nikon D4 as a specialized tool, but exploiting such cameras to their limits will be very challenging, and of dubious value for a wide variety of subjects. Yes, if the same pixel quality could be achieved at 36MP we would all be delighted, but that’s unlikely to happen soon. For that matter, exploiting such cameras will demand lenses that are diffraction limited by f/2.8, also unlikely to happen anytime soon.

Wither Canon? The EOS 1Ds Mark III stakes out the high-resolution area, albeit at a very high price. My guess is that Canon will produce a 16-17MP EOS 5D Mark III. That would be a reasonable compromise, but most photographers would be better served by seeing pixel quality raised as high as possible at the same resolution as the existing 5D.