Lens to Body Auto Focus Calibration

Spent the entire afternoon working on camera stuff. Focus calibrating all my lenses to be exact. And testing for lens performance issues. No lens is perfect of course, so its a matter of knowing how your lenses perform for a given body so you can squeeze every last bit of image quality out of it in every shooting situation.

And speaking of image quality, my Tamron 28-75mm 2.8 XR Di is actually quite a good lens. It performed horrendously on the 400D body and now it seems its down to AF calibration, which this not present on the 400D but present on the new Canon EOS 50D.

I found out that with the exception of the EF 50mm 1.4, all my other lenses need AF calibration. Most required between 5 to 10 steps of adjustment BACKWARDS. Does this mean it was front focusing? I'm not sure.

In my lens testing I found out to my pleasant surprise that the Canon EF 70-200mm 2.8 IS (my copy at least and my 2nd copy at that) at f2.8, 148mm as shown on the EXIF data is about as sharp as my Sigma 150mm 2.8 EX Macro HSM at f8.0. So thats very good consolation to me, especially since my 1st copy of the Canon was horrendous and clearly defective.

The Tarmon 17-50mm 2.8, which is another lens I own now performs up to expectations. AF calibrated with my brand new Canon EOS 50D, it now gives pretty good IQ, well worth the price I paid for this lens and IQ-wise, very much comparable to Canon L lenses costing several times more. Until Canon comes out with decent L lenses in this focal range which matches the image quality of the Nikkor 14-24mm 2.8 Nano coated lens, I will NOT be buying a wide angle L lens. Its just not worth it. The Nikkor in question by the way, absolutely trounces the Canon EF 16-35mm 2.8 Mark II. The Nikkor wide angle zoom even outforms Canon's EF 14mm 2.8 prime lens, which was a recent addition to Canon's lens lineup. Absolutely embarrasing for Canon in my opinion. Its time Canon lifted their game.

Anyways back to AF calibration...When AF calibrating your zoom lenses with your SLR body, make sure you calibrate the AF at the focal length that you will most likely use the lens at. Each Lens' focus performance vis-a-vis your camera body can vary at different focal lengths. And until camera manufacturers implement lens to body AF calibration at different focal lengths and different apertures for EACH lens you calibrate, you will just have to do this.

AF calibration at different apertures is important especially for highly expensive but what I would call "focus defective" L lenses that Canon currently churns out. One prime example (no pun intended) is the Canon EF 50mm 1.2 Mark II. Built without a floating lens element, focus actually shifts when you stop down to take the shot. Absolutely unacceptable for a lens costing so much. Canon really is shooting themselves in the foot by offering this supposedly top quality lens at a top quality price with a known and proven defect. A defect which strikes at the heart for which people buy this lens for - Image Quality. Real stupidity if you ask me. But that's another story for another day.

Well back to my AF calibration, all is now done and I'll be looking forward to some great landscapes and natural scenery to shoot this coming week. Look out for more postings when I get back.

Christmas Carols on a Rainy Night.

It was a good time catching up with friends and making some new ones. Also took my brand new Canon EOS 50D camera on its 2nd social outing today (the 1st was a wedding of a colleague) . Anyways, it was a good chance to try out the flash metering system, which I must comment is a whole lot better that the 400D.

It was a rainy night, had been raining the whole day. After dinner and Christmas carols, we went out to the neighbourhood to watch the houses of neighbours who had decorated their properties with lights and moving dolls. Some of them with mechnical movements depicted scenes of the birth of Jesus.


The really fun thing however, besides taking photos of food and people and basically giving the camera a good try out, was the fact that I could take the camera out in the light rain and basically give this semi weather sealed camera a good try out. I also then hone my skills in handling myself and this camera at night, in the dark and in the rain.



We sure had a good time with the food and company. Plus I got to chat with a budding photographer who had just got his first external flash. Gave him a few tips on how to use bounce flash and how to avoid shadows below the eyes. .... use a catch light.

Friends & The Passion of Photography

Ran into a friend and fellow photographer today while out on lunch. We had a good few minutes chatting and what a refreshing chat it was. We caught up on what each other was doing in areas of our lives and especially on what we've been learning in photography and the paid jobs we've had the opportunity to do and how we got those jobs and how much we change and so on... basically sharing business know-how and sharing about our lives.

You'll understanding why I found that chat so refreshing when I put things into perspective. You see, last week I had a really bad experience with a fellow photographer and friend, whom I have known for a few years. But lately, he'd become dodgy and basically keeps to himself especially when it comes to a lot of the freelance work he does. His attitude seems changed and he now "keeps all the cards close to his chest" so to speak. While on the other hand I have always kept him in the loop concerning a lot of the shoots I do and what I've learnt out of them.

Whats more, while I'm basically straight talking and share a lot of my results from the photography and camera tests that I do and I often lament the equipment that I use and complain where I feel they are lacking, this photography friend of mine seems unable to accept what I say and even called me a "fanboy" the other day. Which seems strange because while I often complain about things I find in brands other that the one I normally use, I often give hell to the brand of camera that I do use when I find that something is amiss. Simply because I like to have high expectations.

I think that when you share what you know with people who are likewise open and forthcoming like yourself, one gains from the other people's experience and knowledge and other people gain from yours. I feel like a fool when people just take and don't share anything in return. So that's why when I met my friend today, the conversation was so so refreshing. Unlike getting questions and queries dodged from that other guy, this friend of mine was really nice forthcoming and told me straight up what he knew.

Most of us are not dumb, we weren't born yesterday. We are kinda able to tell if someone is being upfront or dodgy. While I can smell a rat when there's one. I can also smell the roses when they are around. The roses is what makes photography interesting, fresh, and helps keep my creativity. I guess the lesson I've learnt is for me is to find and keep the right kind of friends and colleagues. The ones that help you maintain your passion.

Brilliant Video on the Nikon D3x

This is BRILLIANT. Absolutely brilliant. You have to watch this. It had me laughing so hard, I haven't laughed so much on a subject like this before. MUST WATCH.

HERE.

Skyhigh Dinner

A few weeks ago, we had a gathering of photography club members at Skyhigh restaurant. It was a thank you, the first of its kind since the club was started. For many of us it was a long overdue gesture to show appreciation for the many dozens of hours many of us put in in supporting the club, its activities, and also offering a free service to the many clubs, societies and official university activities.

The bill for the dinner was of course taken up by the club's coffers.... so needless to say, we ordered up a riot....



And where the club members go.... the gear gets brought along too:


Feeling the ambience:



By the way, except the first photo, the all shown here are taken with the new Canon G10. Incidentally, it was the smallest camera there that night, wasn't an SLR and the one with the highest mega-pixels. Of course, the G10 also offers excellent image quality for a camera with a sensor its size.


Did I already mention these were taken with a G10?


I love my new little camera.
...

Best Business Practices for Photographers

A free online e-book has been put up by Amazon on AmazonOnlineReader. Entitled, "Best Business Practices for Photographers." It helps photographers fine-tune their business and shows them what they should be focusing their attention on. It even includes a chapter on how to balance your life with your passion for photography and how to make it all work with you.

The e-book is even searchable. You can search it or simply read it from cover to cover. I hope to spend some time reading it soon and I'm sure there's much to learn from this book.

The D3x - Priced beyond market reality?

Well, Nikon's newly announced D3x digital SLR camera is really causing a storm on the internet. With its US$8000 price tag, people like Nikon expert Thom Hogan, all-round photography expert and ex-CEO of IT companies Michael Reichmann and photography clown and maverick Ken Rockwell are all basically saying the US$8000 price tag is out of touch with reality.

Nikon is trying to be like Canon to milk the market with a US$8000 cam. Problem is they are a couple of years too late. Tough luck.

Having said that, here are the Nikon D3x sample pics from Nikon.

They look really good. I'm not just talking about the exposure and color rendition... but look at the corners and edges.... there's almost no distortion or corner softness to speak off.

Canon better be coming out with some good lenses to do some justice to the new 5D Mark II. That new lens plant better be churning out good glass next year and Canon's QC had better be up to scratch cos we're getting our bums kicked here. Nikon's overall market share grew by 333%.... gosh. I wonder if Canon lost market share....

Thought I'll post this before the Canon 5D Mark II Becomes Available...

Here's me trying it out at an exclusive launch back in October 2008... pretty ZZZzz now.... so going to sleep.

And here's another with the Canon EF 200mm f2.0 L IS Lens. According to Chuck Westfall of Canon USA, it has an advanced IS that can be left on while on a tripod. The IS even compensates for mirror bounce. In terms of image quality, this is possibly Canon's BEST Lens bar none. An altogether fabulous lens I must say.

Canon G10 - Excellent Camera... but make sure yours is free from defects...

Already bought your new Canon G10 or thinking of acquiring one soon? The new Canon G10 is an excellent all round pocket sized camera which offers great built and functions. But just make sure you don't get a lemon. Canon quality control quite frankly is not up to standard. Especially lately with the rush to manufacture enough cameras to satisfy demand, some lapses in QC is bound to occur. Read my opinion on Canon Camera Quality Control below in the previous post. In this post however, I'll show you what I found in two Canon G10 cameras which I bought from a large local camera dealer. I'll also show you what to look out for when your buying your new Canon G10.

This is what I found On the 1st Canon G10
Defective Imaging Sensor....

The first picture above is the "complete picture" while the second is the 100% crop. The cropped image is the upper left side of the frame which clearly shows a defect in the sensor. This line occurs at the same place in every frame.

I'm surprised Canon QC let this sensor be put into a camera in the first place. It really goes to show their level of quality control or lack thereof. Lets face it, Canon makes great imaging sensors but this one should never have left the the Fab plant.

On the 2nd Canon G10, we find...

Blurry Viewfinder

This defect occurs as a blurry horizontal line across the viewfinder slightly above the middle line. The blurry band gets bigger as you zoom in using the optical zoom switch located below the shutter release. Again I'm suprised Canon quality control didn't pick it up. Did they even look through the finder before passing it in QC? ...assuming there was some if any QC to begin with.


The G10 Still Trounces the Competition

Manufacturing defects aside, the new Canon G10 continues a long line of the very successful Canon G Series of Powershot cameras. With the latest iteration, the G10 in my opinion beats the competition not just in terms of overall image quality but also for built quality and feature set. Competition takes the form of the Nikon P6000 and the Panasonic Lumix LX3.

The Canon G10 is definitely a good all round pocket camera. My own shooting experience concures with the reviews. Moreover I really enjoy using my new G10. Its got good camera controls, is solidly built and gives exceptional image quality, especially at base ISO (ISO 80).

Learn to check for manufacturing defects though and buy from a reputable dealer who will let you swap defective cameras and you should be fine. Most of all, get to know you Canon G10 in order to get the most out of it. The terrific images you get from it will be worth your time.

For in depth reviews and feature for feature comparisons and discussions and more test shots and sample photos, see dpreview.com & Dcresource.com.

Dans-Imaging

Customer Centered Quality Control CCQC - The Canon Approach

When we think of Quality Control (QC), we usually think it refers to a manufacturer taking steps to ensure products produced perform according to specification or are otherwise up to standard before they leave the factory. QC is also performed to identify faulty products or batches of products so they can be fixed before it reaches the customer.

Canon on the other hand, seems to think that QC is too expensive or time consuming and therefore leaves it to the Customer to do the testing. And if the customer does find something wrong with their product, let customer service and the local Canon repair facility deal with it. Say for every quantity of 100 L lenses Canon sells, say on 10 customers identify problems, only those 10 lenses get fixed or replaced. Canon saves lots of money by not having to do any QC at all. Makes sense doesn't it?

I suspect Canon simply calibrates its machinery to run a batch of say 20,000 of their EF 70-200mm f2.8 L IS USM lenses and after checking that the first few lenses are produced okay, they let 'em run. Canon has publicly said that to control costs, they produce enough of their lenses for 1 year's supply.

When I first read about problems with their professional lenses here , and here. I thought that it must be rare. Authors of those posts must be blowing things out of proportion. I can't be that bad, or can it?

While Nikon powers on with its string of successes with success as defined in giving customers what they want, Canon has gone on by giving us mediocre bodies (poor 9pt AF, poorer built) and more mega-pixels with correspondingly more noise.

And what do I have by way of proof that Canon really has no effective QC or no QC at all? Over the next few days, I'll be doing a write up of tests done on a brand new out of the box Canon EF 70-200mm 2.8 L IS USM lens and the brand new Canon G10. Both of which I bought. There'll be advice on how to test lenses and what to look out for. Stay tuned.