Canon EOS 40D: The Wait is Over!

Canon has announced the new 40D, successor to the venerable 30D! Basically we’re getting a "1D MkIII mini" which is good news! Here’s the main points worth noting…

- 10 megapixels – While some folks don’t want more, I’m happy to take them as long as it’s not at the expense of image quality and more high iso noise

- AF improvement over the 30D – This remains to be seen, but any improvement in auto-focus are always welcome.

- Very clean high iso images… as clean as the MK3 from what I’ve seen so far

- 6.5fps (30D was 5fps) - Not something that bothers me one way or the other. 5fps was fast enough for me, but hey… I’ll take 6.5 fps if you’re offering it.

- 14 bit / Digic III processor… The 30D was 12 bit and used the Digic II processor, so hopefully we’ll get a dynamic range advantage here in addition to the better high iso noise.

- sRAW (makes a 2.5MP file) – I’m not convinced how useful this is gonna be, but it’s a start. I’d like to see the ability to set your RAW size in ¼ or 1/3 increments. Apparently that’s not possible with current technology due to the way the pixels capture information (something to do with binning for you technology nuts)

- Dust Reduction – If it’s the same system as in the XTi, it’s pretty much useless. From the reviews I’ve read, the XTi’s dust reduction does virtually nothing. In fact, one review said the sensor was dirtier after the dust reduction process.

- 3” LCD – Bigger is welcome, although watch yourself as prolonged use of the LCD will really eat your batteries.

- LCD Liveview – Tres cool! We can now focus using the LCD, same as you can on a point & shoot. I like it!

- Weatherproof – The battery door and storage compartment have had some additional weather sealing added. Again, a welcome addition.

- Battery BP511 – Same as the 30D and 20D. Big bonus. These batteries work great… no need to change what ain’t broke. I’m happy Canon has made the smart decision to stay with the BP511 and not force me to buy yet another battery!

As I said, the 40D looks to be a “Mk3-mini” when you go over the specs. I like my 30D, so the 40D will be a welcome addition to the fold. I’ve never needed the additional features the 1D series offers, and the 40D will deliver the same image quality as the 1D MkIII at a third of the price. That’s what I call good value! I’d rather have three 40D’s than one Mk3.
Frankly, with the rate at which new DSLR’s are coming out, I’m much happier staying up to date with the current offerings than trying to get additional years out of a 1D series because of the HUGE additional investment. This way, my clients always get the best available image quality, and I can be more competitive in the marketplace because I haven’t spent more money than necessary on gear that doesn't offer me any advantages I need.

Nikon D3 and D300… Big News from Nikon!

Nikon set the photography world on fire this past week with their announcements for the new D3 and D300 DSLR’s. With the D3, Nikon has finally ventured into the world of full frame digital, a long awaited and much anticipated event for Nikon shooters. The D300 is a welcome surprise as well. The successor to the D200, it ups the ante and sports the same new auto-focus system that the D3 has.

The D3’s full frame, FX format, 12 Megapixel CMOS sensor is the real big news with this new DSLR from Nikon. Until now, Canon has been the only real player in the “full frame” DSLR arena. The development of a full frame Nikon DSLR has been rumoured for some time and has been the subject of many a heated online discussion. Now that it’s here, not only has Nikon done FF, it’s reported to be VERY good at high iso, something the D200 and D2Xs were not. To tease us even further, the D3 has a high iso setting of 25, 600!

Initial reports are even indicating that it’s better than Canon’s new 1D MkIII at high iso, something that, if it’s true, will make big waves in the world of wedding and sports photographers.

The D3 sports some other impressive specs besides its new sensor. It’s the first DSLR to have dual CF cards slots. Canon’s 1D series have had dual slots for a while now, but they were a CF & SD combination. With the D3, we now have the ability to use two CF cards, which remain the preferred digital media of choice for professional photographers. Those SD cards are just too darn small!

Nikon set the photography world on fire this past week with their announcements for the new D3 and D300 DSLR’s. With the D3, Nikon has finally ventured into the world of full frame digital, a long awaited and much anticipated event for Nikon shooters. The D300 is a welcome surprise as well. The successor to the D200, it ups the ante and sports the same new auto-focus system that the D3 has.

The D3’s full frame, FX format, 12 Megapixel CMOS sensor is the real big news with this new DSLR from Nikon. Until now, Canon has been the only real player in the “full frame” DSLR arena. The development of a full frame Nikon DSLR has been rumoured for some time and has been the subject of many a heated online discussion. Now that it’s here, not only has Nikon done FF, it’s reported to be VERY good at high iso, something the D200 and D2Xs were not. To tease us even further, the D3 has a high iso setting of 25, 600!

Initial reports are even indicating that it’s better than Canon’s new 1D MkIII at high iso, something that, if it’s true, will make big waves in the world of wedding and sports photographers.

The D3 sports some other impressive specs besides its new sensor. It’s the first DSLR to have dual CF cards slots. Canon’s 1D series have had dual slots for a while now, but they were a CF & SD combination. With the D3, we now have the ability to use two CF cards, which remain the preferred digital media of choice for professional photographers. Those SD cards are just too darn small!

Also new with the D3, and shared with it’s little brother the D300, is a new 920,000 pixel LCD. Initial testers and those lucky enough to get a hands-on play have said this new LCD is nothing short of incredible. It’s sharp and vivid, in fact Nikon has coined the phrase “stunning” to describe it. Featuring a 170 degree angle of viewing, I think D3 and D300 users will be in for a real treat when they first see an image on this new LCD!

The Auto Focus system has gotten an up-grade too! For a while now, many thought the D2X’s auto-focus was the best out there, and then the 1D MkIII came along and trumped it. It may well be a short-lived victory however, as the new 51 point Multi-Cam 3500 in the D3 (and D300 suprisingly enough) is reputed to take the lead in AF once again.

It’s interesting to note that this is another first for Nikon. Previously, the D2 series had the best AF Nikon had to offer, and the D200 had a simpler version that was good, but not as good. Now the new D300 shares the same top-of-the-line AF system as the D3. A good day for shooters everywhere as this pushes advancements down the line and will put pressure on Canon and other manufacturers to improve their lower end models.

And then there’s Liveview, a new feature that allows the user to focus with the new 920,000 pixel LCD instead of through the viewfinder. There’s two modes… a tripod mode and a hand-held mode, which is apparently necessary due to the complexity of this type of focusing and its inability to deal with motion. Regardless, it’s always nice to see progressive technology being introduced.

The D3 sports a new processing engine called Expeed. It works with 12 and 14 bit information to process an image, and Nikon has hinted at better sharpness and CA control, as well as increased dynamic range. All in all, it will be interesting to see just who much more advanced the D3’s image files are than the previous generation.

To top of my list of things that interest me on the D3, is a bigger and sharper viewfinder, always a welcome addition to any camera. Big and bright is beautiful in the realm of viewfinders. While I don’t mind shooting with some of the lower-end models that sport smaller and dimmer viewfinders, the difference is always noticeable when I pick up a higher-end model and I can see again!

And oh yeah… lest I forget, there’s a new piece of software called Nikon ViewNX. Sound familiar? Nikon View was always a personal favourite of mine, and like many, I was disappointed when Nikon discontinued it. Well, now it’s back in a new incarnation, and from initial reports, it sounds like an improvement over the old View which can only be good news!

Stay tuned as I’ll be looking at the D300 next...

Canon DPP - Digital Photo Professional for RAW & JPG

I'm sure a lot of folks haven't even tried, or considered trying, Canon's DPP (Digital Photo Professional) software that comes bundled with Canon DSLR's. I know I didn't until a photographer friend I respect a lot told me that's what he is using to process most of his Canon CR2 RAW files.

So I decided to check it out, and I quickly decided it wasn't for me. Like most things in life, change isn't usually welcome. We get set in our ways and used to the way we do things. DPP seemed slow, and the interface didn't appeal to me.

Almost a year later, another conversation with my same friend had me deciding to try DPP again. This time I decided to give it a more thorough testing, and actually process an entire wedding with it. My initial reaction was similar to the first time I tried it... I didn't care for it. BUT, I forced myself to experiment some more and give it a fair shot. Boy am I glad I did!

What I soon found was that DPP is the fastest way to get the best looking results from my Canon files. Whether from my 20D, 30D, 40D, or XTi, DPP wins every time for image quality. I tested it again and again against other RAW processors including ACR, Bibble, and Capture One. DPP kept producing the best image files with the best color.

Skin tones are awesome with DPP... better than anything I've been able to get using any other RAW converter. And the workflow is actually very fast once you get your head wrapped around it. Now that I've gotten used to using DPP and developed my own workflow with it, I can fly through a wedding of 1,000 to 2,000 images faster with DPP than I could with ACR, Lightroom, Bibble, or Capture One.

AND I GET THE BEST COLORS, SKIN TONES, AND FILE QUALITY!

This is the biggie folks. DPP is giving me the best quality images I've yet to see from Canon files, and once I forced myself to give it a fair chance, my workflow is faster than ever using DPP.

Another plus using DPP is that you can get the same look from a CR2 RAW file as you would've got shooting in-camera jpgs. How many times have you fiddled and fiddled with a RAW image trying to get it to look like it would've had it been an in-camera jpg? I know I have many, many times. Not now.

DPP recognizes your in-camera settings when it loads the CR2 RAW files and will give you the same jpg as you would've got shooting jpg with your camera. This alone is awesome! No need to shoot RAW + Jpg anymore! Just shoot RAW and let DPP do your conversions, without any adjustment if you want it to look as you shot it in-camera, or with adjustments if you want to make corrections.

The other BIG thing I've just recently noticed with DPP, is that it gives you a degree of highlight recovery for jpgs, not just RAW CR2 files. As you know, jpgs hold up pretty well to basic adjustment and exposure increases, BUT they don't offer any degree of high-light recovery. That's a big reason why most of us professional photographers shoot RAW. We're not always perfect, and it's nice to have some high-light recovery latitude if you've made a boo-boo.

Until now that is... DPP will give you some high-light recovery with jpgs. From my experiences, it's not nearly as significant as the degree of high-light recovery you'll get from a CR2 RAW file, but it does give you some, which is better than none.

Try it for yourself. Shoot some jpg images with varying degrees of over-exposure. Open them up in DPP and see how much high-light recovery you can get. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

While I'm on the subject of high-light recovery, I should mention that it is the one area where DPP does not beat the rest. Adobe's Lightroom, from my observations, is currently the best at high-light recovery from RAW files. DPP is good, just not as good as Lightroom. I'd say DPP will give you a full stop to 1 1/2 stops of highlight recovery, depending on the image, whereas Lightroom will usually give you 1 1/2 to 2 stops, depending on the image.

So, if you aren't using DPP, give it a try. If you've tried it before, and decided against it as I had, try it again. Give it a good chance. You may just change your RAW workflow for the better. :-)

Best of all... it's free!

(Update: Read my latest article on Lightroom vs Canon DPP here.)