dSLR Dad

Neutral Day has published an in-depth review of the full-frame Canon EOS 5D Mark II dSLR camera:

The 5D Mark II, naturally offers much more than this, but these are what grabbed my attention, in part because of what the competition was offering. Nikon had been producing its well received D700 for a short time with a 12 megapixel sensor, better AF system, and no HD video, while Sony had only just announced its own full frame offering, the Sony A900, with a whopping 24 megapixels, but no live view, no video, and a less sophisticated AF than the D700. (more…)

Phil Holland has published his detailed review of the Canon EOS 5D Mark II Full-Frame dSLR:

Much like many of you I’ve been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Canon 5D Mark II. Many things intrigued me and excited me about the camera, but the points that stood out to me personally were: Higher quality/range ISO, increase of resolution, full 1080p video support.

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Peter Burian has published an excellent field test report of the Nikon D700 Full-Frame FX dSLR Camera:

During long-term testing, the Nikon D700 exceeded my expectations in responsiveness and versatility as well. The full-frame sensor was ideal for wide angle photography even with the AF-S 24-120mm VR zoom (with image stabilizer.) While some similarly-priced full-frame DSLRs do provide higher resolution, (more…)

Photography Blog has posted their review of of the FX Full-Frame Nikon D3x:

It’s fair to say from our findings that the Nikon D3x is pretty much a re-badged D3 with twice the pixel count but a slower continuous shooting speed; therefore the D3 remains alongside it as a valued component of the range in its own right. (more…)

Popular Photography Magazine has published their review of the FX Full-Frame Nikon D3x:

As we pointed out in our Hands On last month (February 2009), raising the pixel count involves some tradeoffs. Not just for Nikon, but for the other powerhouses in this category, the Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III ($6,550, street, body only) and Sony Alpha 900 ($3,000, street, body only).

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Photographer Nick Devlin has published his field report of the Canon EOS 5D Mark II dSLR.  What follows are his impressions after a January, 2009 Expedition to the Antarctic:

The 5D Mark II is a hard camera to review. On one hand, it betters its predecessors in every respect and pushes the envelope of 35mm photography to new bounds at a relatively accessible price.  On the other hand, it is not the photographic second coming that its pre-release hype and anticipation suggested.  Given that the original 5D brought full-frame to the masses, the messianic metaphor isn’t altogether misplaced.  With this camera, Canon offers us mere mortals elevation into the exalted air of 20+ Megapixels – previously the terrain of MF backs and the über-pricey 1DsIII.  This is heady stuff, even in the era of camera-a-minute advancements and galloping Megapixel counts. (more…)

B&H Photo has the Canon EOS 5D Mark II dSLR camera body in stock and shipping.  Please note, that unlike other retailers, it is selling at it’s correct Street Price of $2,699.95.  If you were hoping to order the 5D Mark II and EF 24-105mm f/4L lens kit, you’re are going to have to wait, it is still listed on back order.

Professional Sports Photographer Dave Black has published part 2 of his review on the FX Full-Frame Nikon D3x:

Hi and welcome to this packed edition of Workshop at the Ranch featuring Part II of the NEW Nikon D3X review. I felt the readers of Workshop at the Ranch might want some additional images and commentary on this remarkable piece of equipment. This month’s images are a wide variety ranging from the studio, to climbing along the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, to indoor sports using the D3X with arena strobe lighting and remote camera work. With Nikon D3X Part I somewhat behind us, let’s review a few things I mentioned last month and then move on to some new pictures.

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Michael Reichmann, creator of the The Luminous Landscape, has published his review of the 24.5-Megapixel Nikon D3x after using it during a January Expedition to the Antarctic:

I am convinced that by just about any measure (except price) this is the most outstanding 35mm format DSLR yet. Build quality, image quality – you name it. No, it’s not the fastest shooting, and no it doesn’t have cleanest high ISO capability of any Nikon – its sister the D3 wears that crown. But other than with these specialized capabilities there’s hardly a camera on the market that can touch the Nikon D3x in overall goodness – except when it comes to price.

Did I mention price? At US $8,000, and a lot more in many other countries, the D3x is the most expensive DSLR on the market by far, and is only exceeded in price by medium format cameras and backs. I’ll have more to say about the price issue shortly, as well as my field experience with the D3x in Antarctica, but first let’s digress into a discussion of digital camera size.

You can read the entire review at The Luminous Landscape. You can also find more dSLR Dad articles about the Nikon D3x here.  For those dSLR Dads who read Chris Sanderson’s struggles in using the Canon 5D Mark II while also down in the Antartic, you can now see where complete weather sealing has it’s benefits.

Chris Sanderson has documented his impressions of trying to use a Canon EOS 5D Mark II to capture HD video while on an Expedition to the Antarctic in January:

Let’s be clear at the outset – the video files from the Canon 5D MkII are very good and very useable, as has been shown by many examples posted on the web. I don’t think anyone needs confirmation at this stage that the Canon 5D MkII produces very good stills and good HD video. Rather, for me the question was whether this camera could be used successfully to cover both stills and video in the field. The answer is ‘maybe...’. Know the limitations of the camera and possibly discover your own – as I did.

Certainly the camera is highly competent for stills. For video it’s a bit of a stretch. A stretch both for the camera and the operator. This then is not really a review but more of a story of one person’s experience with the camera on location using it as the primary capture device to record both stills and video on a trip to Antarctica in January 2009.

You can read the entire story at The Luminous Landscape.  As always, you can find more reviews about the Canon EOS 5D Mark II in the dSLR Dad Resource Guide.  All dSLR Dad articles on the 5D MarkII can be found here.