Cameras :: Tech-Weblog.biz - Cool Tech Gadgets, Gizmos and more funky geek stuff

Finally got my Nikon AF-S 18-200

2006-08-05T17:02:10+01:00

Just when you thought you can never get what you want it - there's an option and you have to take it in the minute...

Happened to me yesterday when I actually just wanted to by a cleaning towel for my lenes ( Sigma 18-50 f2.8 ) - just for fun I asked the shop here in SF (Discount Cameras) and they had it...

The Nikon AF-S 18-200 lens
with image stabilzer... announced in October 2005 - I am waiting for it since Jan 2006... 8 Months and no delivery...

of course there are some people on ebay that are selling this thing for way over 1000$ - and yet some of them MUST be japanese or couterfeit models...

In any case- I shelled out $1300 yesterday to get my hands IMMEDIATELY on this thing and loved to pay a 20% premium that probably the dealer earned (hehe - not really like the name "discount camera" ...) but hey - I got my US model, 5 yrs US warranty, could INSPECT and TEST-SHOT everything...

And here I am - only 8 months after waiting for this device I travelled San Francisco yesterday and I am AMAZED from this lens , compared to the prev. Tamron 28-300 lens this is SO MUCH faster, SO MUCH clearer... can't believe it... and I tought the Tamrom was already a great lens...

Nikon D200 Wins Camera Grand Prix 2006 Award

2006-05-22T11:39:20+01:00

After having my D200 for some time now, this is really not surprisign to me :-)

Nikon D200 Wins Camera Grand Prix 2006 Award - PhotographyBLOG

The Nikon D200 is definately the most advanced Digital SLR currently available on the market... go and get it!

Digital Retouche Portfolios

2006-03-29T09:38:16+01:00

Some really great digital retouche portfolios to show the puzzling difference between real shots and the retouched result

Portfolio Site - showing amazing results of the retouch. Check these wrinkels getting removed

Digital Pablo

DigitalRetouch.net - shaping , beauty/hair, Manipulation - you name it - find EVERY sample on this page

Stretchmark mania

Glamour photo retouching portfolio

another great one

Find more at the diet blog

Canon EOS30D official

2006-02-22T11:37:55+01:00

Now it's official ... Canon EOS 30D is announced... but compared to the Nikon D200 I am NOT impressed by the specs...

Nikon confirm D200 Banding Problems

2006-02-11T21:01:53+01:00

Nikon confirm D200 Banding Problems ... well I hope those are fixed when I finally get mine.

Nikon D200 community site

2006-02-07T19:59:56+01:00

I just came across the Nikon-D200.com | A community site that stresses that it's not affiliated with Nikon... currently this looks like just like an RSS aggregator site for everything that has the keyword D200 in it...

Nikon D200 sample gallery

2006-01-12T12:19:30+01:00

Also I just came across a nice Nikon D200 sample gallery

Sigma lense troubles with Nikon D200

2006-01-12T12:17:47+01:00

I just heard and read that there seem to be electric functional troubles between the great Sigma lenses and the new Nikon D200 and that it's unclear wether Nikon or Sigma need to fix it. :-/

The conflict occurs when the 'AF-ON' button is pressed on the rear of the camera. It doesn't affect auto-focusing when using the shutter release button.

Source: http://imageering.blogspot.com/

According to this press release it's Sigma's fault:

We have determined that this problem is caused by a firmware "bug" in our HSM equipped lenses.

We deeply regret any inconvenience this may cause our customers who own D200 cameras and we are committed to correcting this situation. We will start updating the firmware of these lenses free of charge in the near future.

Source: DPREVIEW

Furthermore a lot of shops told me I still have to wait until march for the D200... too bad...

some more news on the D200

D200 a new classic
D200 superior to 5d

Nikon D200

2006-01-11T01:44:03+01:00

While I was waiting for Canon's 20d successor to be available hopefully in March or even later, I noticed yesterday that Nikon has a new semi-profession flagship out with the D200 ...

now that's a rocking-cool device... and while Canon-lens owners might hesitate to switch to Nikon I could return my loanes Canon 300d + lenses to my good friend Robert ...

apart from some cool specs you can read in the datasheets and other reviews I like some slight differences as major pro's for the D200:

the Nikon D200 is available now
has the 2.5" LCD screen I want on my DSLR
has a nice ISO automatic mode for limiting the max. timing mode
D200 is fast, smooth and quiet
the Nikon D200 has another LCD for settings on the top surface. Three king buttons for compression mode (QUAL), WB, and ISO on the left.
it has an option to store the Raw (even compressed Raw) in combination with a JPG version for faster browsing and distribution of the shots while still retaining the original raw shots... love this feature... I found myself shooting in both modes all the time just to make sure I have my favorite on the drive...
the ISO setting is ALWAYS displayable in the viewer... finally :-) that's what canon doesn't seem to be able to accomplish
it seems like it would be fair to describe the D200 as a 'compact D2X' - which is the MK1D pro cam equivalent at Canon
you can program the system to do what I've been wanting for years: a one-push magnification that's high enough to see sharpness ... When you play this trick the D200 is smart enough to zoom in on the chosen focus point, even if it was off center. Brilliant! This saves you from having to scroll to the side to check your focus! It's so smart it even knows the AF point chosen in modes where the D200 gets to pick itself.

Some reviews I enjoyed just now are

KenRockwell - this guy has a passion for this cam and I get the feeling if you read his experiences you'll love it just as I do
Ken's comparison of D200 to the Canon EOS 5D and 20D - the EOS 5D - one sweet thing I'm thinking about for 2 months now compared to the D200 .. there can be only one for me :-)

Canon Ixus E18 repair guide

2005-11-21T22:11:46+01:00

Having my new Ixus SD500 / 750 broken with zoom outside I got an E18 error.... dammit...

I found that there are

a lot of Canon Repair Manuals on eBay, as well as
a dedicated E18 repair tutorial on a website in english AND german

There they told that repair costs could be EUR 260 or more... so I think I'll need to buy a new cam anyway, but a fried will try one of those guides I hope...

Canon Ixus 750 - SD550 7.1MP

2005-09-25T10:25:44+01:00

finally I got myself the new Canon SD550 7.1MP yesterday (called Ixus 750 in europe)

What an evolution compared to my last Canon cam (SD-40) ! ... lightning fast operating system - 60 FPS movies at 640×480 ... shocking fast on/off switching and shooting... 2 pics per second - as long as my SD 2 GB 133x performance-speed SD memory will reach :-)

tons of cool photo and colour effects that let you forget time when playing with them... definately a perfect power gadget birthday present...

This cam was made for my next years of digital photographing...

Read the full review here

London on Canon EOS300D and Canon EF 75-300 f/4-5.6 IS USM

2004-08-17T21:57:14+01:00

Vacation finally... a trip to london...

click thru to Amazon for a really comprehensive product and feature description - I didn't even see such a great presentation at Canon's site itself :-)

A nice review is here that also compares the Canon EOS 300D vs. Canon EOS 10D

Advantages are highlighted with a green background. Reading some of the discussion on our EOS 300D forum there seem to be a lot of people torn between the 300D and the 10D. My advice is to look down the list of advantages the 10D has and then ask yourself if (a) you can live without them and (b) if they are worth the extra $600.

with the EOS300D and the new tele Canon EF 75-300 f/4-5.6 IS USM
the trip will be even more fun...

It is equipped with an Image Stabilizer (IS) function that let you capture photos that would otherwise be blurred due to camera movement, greatly expanding the range of handheld-camera photography and we decided to take this over the non-IS version.
another review is here

whenever I cannot get a hold on the new cam because my wife wants it, I guess I will have to stick with my good old Canon Powershot S40 - older, but rellay not too bad for the normal quick shots... altough I wouldn't have a problem with the successor S60

:-)

Digital IXUS i

2003-11-22T16:47:22+01:00

Canon's Digital IXUS i is a sexy appliance, don't you think?

One of Canon's smallest 4.0 megapixel cameras - Ultra-chic and compact, the Digital IXUS i combines superb design and innovation - a designer collection!