Canon 1Ds review

http://www.fredmiranda.com/1Ds_review/index.html

Looks exciting.

So when are you dumping that el cheapo D60 of yours

hehehe. Even I would not pay $8K for a camera, unless I relied on its features to make a living. I'm waiting for the successor for the D60.

I think I'm with you on that one. When or if they upgrade the D60 to a full frame sensor, I'll probably reach for my creditcard. It's really not the resolution that's the deciding factor. I can't quite justify spending the $$ for a D60 setup that does not have a proper wideangle lens, and I figured either a full frame chip or a wideangle lens designed for the smaller chip will be out soon.

I hate that I'll have to sell my D60 setup, if I buy a new camera. I'm quite content with 6MP now. Wideangle with a 14mm isn't that bad, actually. It isn't the equipment that is limiting me right now, so I'll continue to use it until I feel that I've hit its limit.

Or, I'll get bored one day and feel the need to burn some cash.

It isn't the equipment that is limiting me right now, so I'll continue to use it until I feel that I've hit its limit.

Amen brotha'

I've got a LOT to learn as well and I'm way behind...

Cheers

James

There is a big advantage to a really wideangle lens. Especially if you shoot in water that's not clear blue. There is a big difference between using a 15mm lens being really close to the subject and a 22mm and have that much extra water in between.

I just got an e-mail from Doug Seifert, who says that he has one on order. I hope he gets a housing made so we can see how it performs underwater.

Correct me if I'm wrong but doesn't the 14mm still yield approximately a 90 deg view with the 1.5x focal length. A Nikonos 15mm u/w only has a 94 degree view.

I'm not sure what the angles are. The way I look at it: when you have a 1.5x focal length multiplier, you have to shoot from 1.5x further away from the subject to get the same shot. For very wideangle lenses, there's some distortion so I not sure this is percisely true, but I think it's close.

Sort of, but not quite Herb. Lens selection and use for DSLR's is really confusing.

I try to explain it this way:

Because of the smaller sensor, a DSLR essentially shoots through the center of the lens.

There's a pretty good graphic of how this works in Fred Miranda's 1Ds review. The camera isn't magnifying anything and it's not actually changing the focal length. It's in fact "cropping" out the center of what the wideangle lens would shoot.

So, the 14mm lens for example. If the lens is designed to focus at 9 inches, it will still focus at nine inches. You just apply the above 1.5x crop factor to get the actual "35mm equivalent" which is in this case 21mm.

So you are using the center portion of a very wideangle lens to achieve a 21mm lens. All else is the same.

So what is the angle of coverage for a 21mm lens? It's probably pretty close to that of a 20mm lens, so I'm sure that info can be found on the web.

Cheers

James

A Nikon 20mm gives you 94 degrees, the same as a Nikonos 15mm u/w. This has always been an advantage of housed cameras over amph. My coming over from a Nik V makes this a good match for me personally, although I haven't purchased my 14mm yet.

A quick Google search turned up this reference , they claim a 110 degree picture angle.

A Nikon 20mm gives you 94 degrees, the same as a Nikonos 15mm u/w. This has always been an advantage of housed cameras over amph. My coming over from a Nik V makes this a good match for me personally, although I haven't purchased my 14mm yet.

The 14mm can be a disappointing purchase as the loss at the edges is unacceptable whilst using apatures below and including f8. The amount of light you require to light a scene has to be thought about too. The 16mm Nikon lens is the better choice and produces nice under & over shots

Don't forget when comparing lens coverage... the format size is smaller in digital than 35mmand therefore the coverage offered by the lens changes in proprtion. So unless you are shooting with a Contax you need to check it out.

All of Eric and my wideangle shots are taken with the 14mm Sigma EX lens. Since the camera only uses the center of the lens, the edges and corners are pretty sharp. I have some shots around here at f4 and f5.6, let's see...

These are not the best shots, but this was my FIRST dive with a housed SLR:

http://www.reefpix.org/s2samples/wideangle/

Cheers

James

It would seem to me that the 1.5x crop would help to eliminate the lack of sharpness around the edges since the camera's sensor is only seeing the sharpest portion. The Nikon 14mm should yield approximately 90 degrees. I was comparing it earlier to a Nikonos 15mm underwater lens Nikon USA, that delivers 94 degrees, not that much different. The Nikonos 15mm has been the industry standard for years and still considered, by many, to be the best method to shoot underwater wide angle as opposed to a housed camera and dome port.

The 15mm lens that herbko is referring to, at 110 degrees, is the Nikkor 15mm, not the Nikonos