Cameracraft magazine – Taking your practical photography further

Author: David Kilpatrick

  • Sony 70-400mm vs Minolta 400mm f/4.5

    Gustav Kiburg has done an extensive test between these two lenses, posted in a Dyxum.com forum thread:
    http://www.dyxum.com/dforum/comparision-test-sony-70-400-vsminolta-400mm-f4_topic46212.html
    It’s well worth checking out.
    – DK

  • Kelso Races – D5000 freehand with 70-300mm VR

    The wind noise has made filming with the D5000 almost impossible for the last few days, because it has been very windy. Simple as that. So I devised a popshield or wind sock for the tiny microphone by cutting a piece of red nyloop fabric from a pad which once belonged in the bottom of a lens case. Then the 70-300mm lens arrived, so I tried this combination on a race when the light was reasonable and it was not raining.

    Technically, it’s not a good idea to pan with action when holding a lens of this size at arms’ length in order to see the framing on a rear screen. However, I had already experimented with a monopod and found that didn’t work – my pans tended to skew the horizon too easily – and for this clip, I did not want to use a tripod. I wanted to see what the VR did, and how well it worked with a fixed focus set on the fence before starting.

    – DK

  • Nikon D5000 first day – quick HD vid

    True to promise, the Nikon D5000 did become available on May 1st in the UK, and my review camera turned up mid-day in time to be photographed and have its battery charged. Taking it out on my walk to the post (regrettably, to send in large sums of VAT and tax…) the sun came out though it was a very cold and windy day. With the sun, the breeze dropped to a reasonable level and on the way back I was struck by the motion of the trees, leaves and flowers.
    (more…)

  • Nikon D5000 HD video – May Day evening

    True to promise, the Nikon D5000 did become available on May 1st in the UK, and my review camera turned up mid-day in time to be photographed and have its battery charged. Taking it out on my walk to the post (regrettably, to send in large sums of VAT and tax…) the sun came out though it was a very cold and windy day. With the sun, the breeze dropped to a reasonable level and on the way back I was struck by the motion of the trees, leaves and flowers.

    (more…)

  • Canon EOS 500D video HD example

    My first tests with the Canon EOS 500D were posted on cameracraft.online, but given the number of search engines now flagging up this site for Canon 500D searches, I’m putting this post here as well.
    This is an edited selection, shot in a mixture of 1080 and 720 modes, assembled using iMovie and written as a 720p final project for YouTube. Please feel free to link directly to the YouTube vid or to this page.
    (more…)

  • Canon EOS 500D video test

    The clip originally shown here has been replaced by an edited selection, shot in a mixture of 1080 and 720 modes, assembled using iMovie and written as a 720p final project for YouTube. Don’t mean to cause confusion, some visitors may have linked to this post already, and I do not want to add another post. Please feel free to link directly to the YouTube vid or to this page.

    (more…)

  • Sony and Zeiss renew co-operation agreement

    OBERKOCHEN/Germany, 15.04.2009.
    Carl Zeiss today announced that its Camera Lens Division will extend their successful collaboration with Sony Corporation for a further 5 years. Taking full advantages of their competence both companies agreed to cooperate even closer in developing and commercializing new imaging devices in the future.
    (more…)

  • Nikon D5000 – HDvid, articulated screen

    Nikon has announced a May 1st launch for a competitor to the Canon EOS 500D, in their D5000. This camera has the first articulated screen (only 230,000 pixels) to be designed by Nikon. See:
    http://www.cameracraft.online/2009/04/14/nikon-d5000-live-view-hdv-articulated-screen/
    (more…)

  • Canon EOS 500D – video plus 15.1 megapixels

    Canon has announced a consumer level EOS 500D camera, with 1080p resolution video limited to 20 frames per second, and 15.1 megapixels but a maximum shooting rate of 3.4 frames per second:
    http://www.cameracraft.online/2009/03/25/canon-eos-500d-151-mp-plus-hd-video/
    This continues the trend for all new DSLRs to have HD movie shooting in addition to live view modes, something which Sony to date shows no sign of catching up on. However, the obvious compromises present in the 500D would be criticised harshly if they were to have appeared first in a Sony model, so this is good news. Canon has made it acceptable for others to follow with 20fps instead of the required 24fps, and still claim true 1080p video.
    – DK

  • Tamron's new 60mm f/2 1:1 macro

    Tamron Co., Ltd (Mr. Morio Ono, President), a comprehensive manufacturer of optical products with its head office in Saitama City, has announced the development of the SP AF60mm F/2.0 Di II LD (IF) MACRO 1:1 (Model G005), a life-size macro lens designed exclusively for digital SLR cameras with APS-C size image sensors* that offers a fast maximum aperture of F/2.0. (Text here is directly from their press announcement).
    (more…)