Welcome to Michael's blog. Michael Andrew, (aka Michael The Maven) is a freelance producer, photography instructor, tech innovator, and when needed, disaster aid specialist. Disclaimer: Michael is a participant in Bhphoto & Amazon affiliate programs that provides an advertising commission if you purchase through links on this website.
Im now under the opinion that certain camera manufacturers are intentionally trickling out specs through rumor sites. https://www.fujirumors.com has done a great job getting the details out to the public and it looks like the final specs are confirmed before next weeks official announcement!
Using the new Usability scoring system I proposed a few videos ago, the Nikon D780 feels very intuitive and mostly easy to use. There were only a few glaring omissions and thoughts I had on its improvement.
Methodology - Each Camera Starts at a Base Score of 65 and I then add and subtract points based on a set of criteria (that I am still figuring out) but will be transparent as to how I get those points here - How I score: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJ334yshxpk&t=3s
(Methodology Update:
Start at 65
Plain Tilty Monitors Get +2 instead of +1
I have also removed digital level as most cameras have them, so the score remains largely the same)
Titly Monitor: +2
Touch Sensitive Monitor For Shooting: +2
Touch Monitor for Menus: +2
Deep Grip: +2
Power Switch Around Shutter: +1
2 Card Slots: +2
Customizable Buttons (.5 Its Each)- +1.5
Customizable Quick Menu: +2
Locking Dials +1 x 3 = 3
Charge in Camera +1
Good Eye AF: +2
Peaking +1
Zebras +1
With the R5's Developmental Announcement, one of the most common questions Ive been getting is about the 8K video and how much it will be limited or cropped. In this video I will go over what we now either know or can infer based on images or the tool of inference crunching data. We do not know which 8K standard the R5 will shoot, but using the pythagorean theorem and reverse engineering the aspect rations / resolutions of the 2 standards at 16:9 we can make some pretty good guesses. There will be some negatives however.....
Being that I am the only one on Youtube who reviews usability, and at the suggestion of a subscriber, I have devised my own camera usability score methodology. Here is how it works:
Touch Menus +2
Homongenous Menu Systems )(Like Sony) -2
Buffer Lockout 1, or -2 depending on length after full burst.
Ergonomics
Ergonomic Grip
Eye Relief +1
Pinched Finger with certain lenses -2
Joystick (in addition to directional pad)
Other duplicate controls +2
Power around Shutter +1
Functional Bonuses
2 Card Slots +2
Each Fully Customizable button = 1/2
Customizable Quick Menus +2
Locking Mode Dial / ISO Button / Drive (+1 each)
Lock Feature +1
Charge Battery In Camera +1
Performance Bonuses / Make Camera Easier To Use
Good Eye Af +2
Peaking Focus +1
Zebras +1
Digital Level +1
Penalties
Left Eye Problem Worth -3, Gets "R" Designation
Short Battery Life, -1, -2 depending on battery
Front facing monitor that conflicts with other feature -1
No Back Button Focus Abilities -1
I would love to have your feedback as to what I should add or score differently. Once I have all the variables, Ill post it all on a google document!
With the Canon 90Ds release I have received what feels like 100s of emails, comments, posts and questions about how lenses that were sharp enough on the Canon 70D or 80D were sharper than what they were on the 90D, and that many users wanted to go back to the those older cameras. There was also a lot of confusion about wether the format of the lens had any role, so I wanted to answer these questions specifically exploring the role of pixel pitch vs format and how they relate to image sharpness.
Also: Youtube compresses the images we use in the video, so what you see will be different than what I saw on my computer, but there are a few really important take aways in this video:
1. It has much more to do with lens sharpness than format. When we use a crop camera compared to a full frame camera with nearly identical pixel pitch, same prime lens, they perform similarly.
2.Older & Zooms are not as sharp as Newer & Primes.
3. If your lens is sharp enough, high resolution sensors will produce more detail than lower resolving lenses.
4. If your lens is not sharp enough, using a lower resolution sensor (larger pixel pitch) will product sharper images due to diffraction limits.
Enjoy!
Thanks to our sponsor Lensprotogo.com for allowing me to try out the Sony A7Riv and 24mm f1.4 G-Master Lens.
Now that the megapixel war is over, camera companies will have to find new ways to compete with each other and especially against their nemesis; smartphones. When we take a look at how easily smartphones have dominated the photography industry recently, we should consider all of the advantages they have as fertile ground for camera companies to look at. Smart phones have a huge usability advantage: connectivity to the internet. Sure we can connect with our cameras to our smartphones, but that just creates extra steps and often isn't seamless, no to mention how slow it is. My suggestion: but 5g connectivity into a camera. Why? Upload speeds would eliminate many tedious processes for photographers.
There have been tons of speculation about the rumored 8K specs mentioned on the upcoming EOS R5. I initially thought this could only be a time-lapse feature or other gimmicky kind of thing. It turns out Canon executives have already specifically said 8K video is coming to the EOS R line up, and they said so in 2019! In todays video I break down and analyze what many of their quotes likely mean, and why the first 2 R mount cameras wont hold a candle to whats coming. Also some great analysis from Andrew Reid from EOSHD about the pixel read in different frame rates and formats. Taking all these things into consideration, true 8K video appears to be coming soon to an EOS R camera. It might be the R5, it might be something else, but it appears canon definitely has it in its plans.
A special thanks to canonrumors.com, EOShd.com and imaging-resource.com for pulling all o this information together. The interview on imaging resource is really incredible. Read it if you have the time!
The Nikon D780 Crash Course is now in production.These productions usually take about 3-5 weeks to finish from the time the youtube video is posted.
The Course will include:
- General Photography Basics Crash Course, including exposure, lighting and composition lessons.
- Advanced Nikon D780 Techniques including real world shooting for:
- Portraits
- Landscapes
- Sports Shooting
- Introduction to Strobe Shooting
- Time Lapse
- HDR
- Focus Stacking
- Full Video Shooting Crash Course including different types of video shooting, Vlogging, Narrative Storytelling, Documentary,& Interview
- In Depth Menu Section and Features
- Michael's Philosophy of Use Lessons
- Sensor Cleaning and Care
....and much, much more!
If you would like to be notified when it is available for purchase, please let us know in the comments section!
Kind of a cool premise, but also a little boring (I fell asleep! never a good sign). Without going into too much detail I felt there was a disconnect between her supposed will and desire to carry those plans out. One moment she is sloppy and inexperienced, the next capable, and it took me out of it. Felt like the Jr High version of Atomic Blonde.
Canonrumors.com has leaked some very high rated specs on rumored EOS R5 and R6 cameras, and the details are JUICY. The R5 has a CR3 rating which is usually very reliable, and the R6 is a CR 2.5, feels like it is missing some specs, but likely will find out soon.
If these rumors are true, Canon is finally bringing the fight to Sony and Nikon. It looks like 2020 is going to be an even better year than anticipated.
In addition to the specs themselves, Ill point out which ones would be class leading, and from the looks of it, many of these are game changers!
