Topic: Back after a long hiatus (Read 12500 times)

graeme · « **Reply #20 on:** January 10, 2015, 01:31:24 pm »

Quote from: Rhossydd on January 10, 2015, 12:28:43 pm

Welcome backActually not a lot has really changed. The curve of improvements had already started to level off by 2007. People still obsess about numbers and start fights about which kit is best, but there's not a huge amount to get excited about if you have a sense of history.
There are still people who regard the original 1Ds as a 'classic' and have an affection for it's characteristics despite is unfashionably low mp count now. I still go back to my 1Dii files and find them excellent.

For me the highlights of the last 7 years are roughly;
Lightroom has raised the bar for RAW conversion significantly. Go back and run your old raws through it and you may be pleasantly surprised how much more you can get out of them.
Self cleaning DSLR sensors. This really is the one great thing that has arrived for most digital cameras.
Really capable compacts like the Sony RX100 arrived a few years back.

Don't know anything about the Sony but I'll echo Rhossyd's comments about Lightroom & self cleaning sensors and add the refinement of Live View to his list.

Have fun.

graeme

ErikKaffehr · « **Reply #21 on:** January 10, 2015, 03:02:51 pm »

Nice to see you back!

Best regards
Erik

Slobodan Blagojevic · « **Reply #22 on:** January 10, 2015, 03:13:32 pm »

Luckily for you, Jonathan , you live in a Canon ecosystem, where not much has changed since you left the field. As matter of fact, I think Canon learned of your army tour and decided to slow down its R&D to a crawl, awaiting your return.

Jonathan Wienke · « **Reply #23 on:** January 11, 2015, 01:23:41 am »

Quote from: Slobodan Blagojevic on January 10, 2015, 03:13:32 pm

Luckily for you, Jonathan , you live in a Canon ecosystem, where not much has changed since you left the field. As matter of fact, I think Canon learned of your army tour and decided to slow down its R&D to a crawl, awaiting your return.

So I'm only 2 generations behind the state of the art now? Sweet!

RSL · « **Reply #24 on:** January 11, 2015, 08:29:09 am »

Let's face it: what's in your head is what matters -- not the state of the art in camera manufacture.

Eric Myrvaagnes · « **Reply #25 on:** January 11, 2015, 03:36:12 pm »

Quote from: RSL on January 11, 2015, 08:29:09 am

Let's face it: what's in your head is what matters -- not the state of the art in camera manufacture.

Absolutely.

Back in film days I once suddenly realized that of the half dozen cameras I owned and used regularly at that time, not one had been manufactured within the previous 25 years.

Justinr · « **Reply #26 on:** January 11, 2015, 07:40:23 pm »

Quote from: RSL on January 11, 2015, 08:29:09 am

Let's face it: what's in your head is what matters -- not the state of the art in camera manufacture.

I think that there are two ways of looking at that.

The development of digital cameras has extended what may be achieved, encouraging ideas to take shape in your head that would have been dismissed a decade ago. The increase in low light level capability and the control of noise are two areas in particular that allow a greater vision if you like, so we can be thankful for progress.

On the other hand I get the distinct impression that manufacturers are now running up against the law of diminishing returns with ever greater investment resulting in smaller gains. The reduction in camera sales also means that there is less to invest anyway, so I think we are now on a plateau rather than a rapidly ascending slope of improvement. This will mean that the pressure to constantly update will hopefully ease off.

BernardLanguillier · « **Reply #27 on:** January 12, 2015, 01:08:16 am »

Welcome back Sir!

Cheers,
Bernard

Jonathan Wienke · « **Reply #28 on:** January 12, 2015, 09:38:59 pm »

Thank you all.

I have no plans to upgrade my cameras anytime soon. I'm well aware of their technical limitations, but I don't feel like those limits are so onerous that they are keeping me from doing what I want artistically. If I started making some money shooting I might get another body just for reliability purposes--the cameras I have are ~10 years old and have considerable use. But for now they seem to work fine, so I will continue to use them until they die.

Ray · « **Reply #29 on:** January 13, 2015, 10:13:14 am »

Crikey! They might never die. I've never owned a camera that has died, in my 50 years of photography.

Eric Myrvaagnes · « **Reply #30 on:** January 13, 2015, 12:02:26 pm »

Quote from: Ray on January 13, 2015, 10:13:14 am

Crikey! They might never die. I've never owned a camera that has died, in my 50 years of photography.

I actually managed to kill a couple of cameras back in film days (out of a couple dozen), but it wasn't easy!

Isaac · « **Reply #31 on:** January 13, 2015, 04:09:45 pm »

Quote from: Ray on January 13, 2015, 10:13:14 am

They might never die.

A camera with 21,000+ exposures over 3 years; making exposures every ~15 ~20 seconds for focus stacks, for 45 minutes, without touching the camera body: result - over-heating; result - some kind-of short circuit that drains battery charge within 7 or 8 hours.

Since then I simply take the battery out of the camera when not in use. That has been less inconvenient than I would have supposed, but for multi-day hikes I will need more batteries.

Rhossydd · « **Reply #32 on:** January 13, 2015, 04:27:30 pm »

Quote from: Isaac on January 13, 2015, 04:09:45 pm

A camera with 21,000+ exposures over 3 years; making exposures every ~15 ~20 seconds for focus stacks, for 45 minutes

That would be considered pretty light usage for one of the Canon EOS1Dxx series cameras that Jonathan owns.
These are designed to take really serious professional punishment, high frame rates, sustained all day use etc etc. Ever seen a professional sports photographer in action ?

I know one pro that wore out a EOS1Ds shutter in just over three years, the shutter count was over 600k frames when it failed. Ironically because it was used in a blimp it looked outwardly mint.

Rhossydd · « **Reply #33 on:** January 13, 2015, 04:48:45 pm »

Quote from: Isaac on January 13, 2015, 04:38:28 pm

It seemed pretty light usage to me ;-(

Are you talking about a 1D series camera ?

Rhossydd · « **Reply #34 on:** January 13, 2015, 05:02:44 pm »

Quote from: Isaac on January 13, 2015, 04:53:36 pm

No.

Pretty pointless comment then.

Jonathan Wienke · « **Reply #35 on:** January 13, 2015, 10:12:23 pm »

Any Canon camera should be able to handle 21000 exposures without dying.

My 1D-II currently has 66,329 exposures on the odometer and is going strong. But I can't seem to find any utility that will read the odometer of the 1Ds. Apparently it's too old. I used to have one, so I know it's possible, but I can't find it any more. Anyone have any ideas?

BernardLanguillier · « **Reply #36 on:** January 14, 2015, 12:19:51 am »

Quote from: Jonathan Wienke on January 13, 2015, 10:12:23 pm

Any Canon camera should be able to handle 21000 exposures without dying.

My 1D-II currently has 66,329 exposures on the odometer and is going strong. But I can't seem to find any utility that will read the odometer of the 1Ds. Apparently it's too old. I used to have one, so I know it's possible, but I can't find it any more. Anyone have any ideas?

This may help? http://www.camerashuttercount.com/

Cheers,
Bernard

Rhossydd · « **Reply #37 on:** January 14, 2015, 03:24:27 am »

Quote from: Isaac on January 13, 2015, 06:55:01 pm

Do you mean to say that Ray has only ever owned "Canon EOS1Dxx series cameras" ?

Pay attention, this thread is discussing Jonathan's welcome return, what changes have happened in the last seven years and whether Jonathan's Canon 1 series cameras will still cut the mustard.

stamper · « **Reply #38 on:** January 14, 2015, 03:35:45 am »

Quote from: Rhossydd on January 14, 2015, 03:24:27 am

Pay attention, this thread is discussing Jonathan's welcome return, what changes have happened in the last seven years and whether Jonathan's Canon 1 series cameras will still cut the mustard.

I doubt that this will happen. Isaac's intention to be in the thread is to act like a bull in a china shop.

Isaac · « **Reply #39 on:** January 14, 2015, 12:25:08 pm »

Quote from: Rhossydd on January 14, 2015, 03:24:27 am

Pay attention, this thread is discussing Jonathan's welcome return, what changes have happened in the last seven years and whether Jonathan's Canon 1 series cameras will still cut the mustard.

As you know, Ray in his inimitable way chose to make more general comments to which I chose to reply.

What a storm! What a teacup!

Author Topic: Back after a long hiatus (Read 12500 times)

graeme