dSLR Dad

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.

PDN Gear Guide has published their review of the 24.6-Megapixel Sony Alpha DSLR-A900 Camera:

It was little over a year ago that Sony introduced its first DSLR to graze the pro market—the prosumer-oriented 12.2-megapixel A700 which was distinguished as being the company’s first to use a CMOS sensor—albeit of the smaller, standard APS size. Though that camera wasn’t bad as a first entry, it could no way predict the stunning image quality that would come from the 35mm-sized 24.5-megapixel CMOS sensor in the studio-worthy A900. In our testing, the A900 showed that it could produce some of the finest quality images from a DSLR at low ISOs in moderate to good lighting. While this image quality—particularly the A900’s off-the-charts dynamic range—make it a great choice for studio photographers where lighting and shooting conditions can be controlled, its limited range rules out other types of photography. In particular, the camera’s disappointing noise levels at ISO 800-1600 and its unacceptably noisy images at ISO 3200+ make the A900 kind of a one-trick pony. If you’re studio photographer on a budget—and who isn’t these days?—this high-res full frame monster could be for you. But if you’re looking for something more flexible, the comparably priced full-frame cameras from Canon and Nikon are better options.

You can read the entire review at PDN Gear Guide.

LetsGoDigital has published their review of the Nikon D700 12.1MP dSLR Camera:

At the time I called the D300 a smaller version of the D3, but the Nikon D700 is really worthy of that name. This is an honor indeed because the professional Nikon D3 is a fabulous DSLR camera. In any case, until the D3x was introduced, it was Canon’s top model ever. The Nikon D700 easily fits in this line of superb DSLR cameras. I wasn’t able to find a lot of disadvantages of this camera, it’s like looking for a needle in a haystack…

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Digital Photography Review has been pretty busy.  After releasing their abbreviated 41-page review of Canon EOS 5D Mark II, they have now turned their sights on the $7,999 FX Full-Frame Nikon D3x:

When we reviewed the Nikon D3 in April last year we said that it was ‘possibly the most compelling, capable and well-rounded professional digital SLR ever made’ and that an (at the time non-existent) D3X ‘would have quite a job to do to better the D3′. The D3x eventually became reality in December. We’ve had one for just over a month now and after thousands of sample shots both in the studio and out in the wild you would think we should be able to confidently answer the question if the ‘X’ variant is capable of bettering the original D3.

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Shutterbug Magazine has published their review of the 24.6-Megapixel Sony Alpha DSLR-A900 Camera:

Considering the price ($5000 less than the 24.5-megapixel Nikon D3X), the Sony A900 offers excellent value in terms of resolution, versatility, and speed (for a 24.6-megapixel model) as well as the benefits provided by the stabilizer, Intelligent Preview, and full-frame sensor. This camera is not lacking a single important feature and it’s particularly competent in terms of autofocus and off-camera flash photography. In my estimation, the A900 will meet the needs of virtually any photo enthusiast as well as some professional photographers. Even so, it’s relatively uncomplicated and very convenient to operate.

You can read the entire review at Shutterbug.net.  It seems like their ‘final thought’ doesn’t quite say what they originally wanted it to, what to you think?

Digital Photography Review has published their typically-epic review of the 21-Megapixel Canon EOS 5D Mark II:

While there are still other cameras in its class with marginally higher resolution, marginally better high ISO performance, more advanced AF, faster performance, better weather sealing and more solid build quality – and the Sony A900’s built-in anti-shake remains unique in the full frame arena – the 5D Mark II is certainly one of the best value for money propositions on the market for image quality – especially in RAW, where you really can see the benefit of all 21 million pixels. Canon has also wisely made only minor tweaks to the external interface, so that 5D users can jump right in and feel at home. Looking at the package as a whole the EOS 5D Mark II seems hard to beat.

We have always placed a heavy emphasis on image quality, and all other things aside this means the 5D Mark II has to receive our highest rating. When you consider the price of the EOS-1Ds Mark III, the 5D Mark II seems like quite a bargain. In our review of the original 5D we said ‘only history will tell if the EOS 5D is the start of a full frame revolution or simply the first of a new niche format’. Now we have to wait to see if the 5D Mark II (and the Nikon D90) are the start of the convergence of high end video and still photography cameras. But even if you never shoot video, and consider Live View to be a pointless novelty, the EOS 5D Mark II has an awful lot to recommend it to the serious photographer.

You can read the entire in-depth review at dPreview.  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.

Professional Photographer Dave Black has published part 1 of his review of the FX Full-Frame Nikon D3x:

Okay, let’s get started on a new year of Workshops at the Ranch and what better topic to discuss than the NEW Nikon D3x. Yes, I bought one and it is amazing! This may not be the camera for everyone, but it is definitely the camera for those who’s work revolves around the studio portrait, but, I believe the D3x has much more to offer than just the ultimate in portrait quality. For those who shoot landscapes, or macro details, or anything that is lit with strobes or Speedlights, or if the commercial/advertising market is your goal, then the Nikon D3x may be the camera for you. During the past 10 years I have pushed myself to increase my photographic skill level and subject matter, thus broaden my client base. While my first 20 years of business was dominated by sports photojournalism imagery alone I now have clients where my photography outside of athletics is generating income. And while fine studio portraiture is not a direction I want to pursue, subjects that involve location lighting, landscapes, and Lightpainting, and the commercial/advertising market place is clearly something I see as both exciting and beneficial, and I believe the Nikon D3X is the megapixel camera to further my career and carry my work to a higher level of excellence.

You can read the entire article at Dave Black Photography.