Fearless Forecasting

Nikon guru Thom Hogan as issued his 2010 predictions. Although it’s entitled “2010 Nikon Predictions” it pretty much covers the waterfront. Always interesting and provocative, read it here. Note the sidebar about micro 4/3. By the bye, I am off for T Day so no more posts until next weekend. Have a happy holiday.

Workflow Best Practices

On November 11th, the American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP) launched dpBestflow, the initiative funded by the Library of Congress through its National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program. ASMP was awarded funds in August of 2007 for the Digital Photography Best Practices and Workflow (dpBestflow) project. dpBestflow is the result of two years of extensive research that has produced the dpBestflow.org website and two new books, Digital Photography Best Practices and Workflow Handbook: A Guide to Staying Ahead of the Workflow Curve (Anderson/Russotti, Focal Press 2009) and The DAM Book: Digital Asset Management for Photographers (Krogh, O’Reilly Media, 2009). The project is pretty comprehensive and perhaps a bit much for most of us, but there are some good ideas. You can download a free PDF here to get an idea of what the project is all about.

Going Global

I forget that when I write something here it can be seen around the world. I guess I still think no one is reading this. Today I got a comment from someone in Asia. Since I could not read the characters (I think they were Chinese) I rejected it. Once rejected a comment cannot be accepted. I apologize to this reader, please resend your comment. I am still stunned by the global reach of the Internet.

Some Pet

Just watch here.

Samsung NX

While it may seem as though everyone has played their cards when it comes to interchangeable lens compacts, there is still a wildcard in the deck. Samsung first announced the NX this past March and may actually introduce the real thing as early as December. From the pictures that I have seen Samsung has taken the safe route and designed a camera that looks like a DSLR.

From what I have been able to glean from the Internet rumor mills here’s what the NX will look like when it’s finally released.

Mount: Proprietary

Sensor: APS-C CMOS 14.6 mega pixels

Body: Polycarbonate sealed against dust and moisture

Image stabilization: Optical Image Stabilization system (OIS)

Image Formats: JPEG, DNG, JPEG-DNG

Video: Full HD 1080p/30fps

Audio: Built-in real stereo

Focus system: Contrast Autofocus with 16 AF areas, face detection and tracking mode, manual focus (focus by wire)

Shutter: Mechanical, bulb, 30s-1/6000, 4.5fps

Sensitivity: ISO 100-3200 (50-6400)

Viewfinder: Electronic Viewfinder 1080p/260Hz, 100% coverage, 1X magnification

Display: 3″, 921.000 dots

Flash: Pop-up

Storage media: SD/SDHC

So should you wait or go with Ricoh/Olympus/Panasonic? Here are some of my thoughts.

While I want a DMD, the Samsung doesn’t quite do it for me, at least not at this stage. Another proprietary mount system means a paucity of lenses to begin with. It also means a certain inflexibility unless the system can take adapters. While the specs say that the body is weather sealed, there appears to be a speaker or mic on the top of the body rather than on the side. The camera is very well spec’d and certain features are very appealing including the OIS, EVF, display and HD video capability. That said, any potential buyer would be well advised to wait for the reviews since this is an entirely new system. The same could be said of the new Ricoh system. Finally, how will the NX be priced? At $999 it’s a pretty good deal, but at $1999 not so much.

So, if you’ve got to have that DMD within the next six months, stick with micro four thirds. Either the GF1 or the E-P2 would make a fine traveling companion.

Now Somebody’s Thinking

One of the drawbacks of the Panasonic GF1 is that it is a bit hard to mount on a tripod, especially with a larger lens attached. So, yesterday Panasonic introduced the DMW-TA1 Tripod Adaptor pictured above. And, we never even asked for it. Panasonic is looking more and more like my kind of camera company.

Ain’t Technology Grand

Up until Sigma shocked the photographic world with the introduction of the DP1 on September 26, 2006 there was no such thing as a “serious” compact. By that I mean a camera about the size of a compact with a large sensor and top notch optics. Although the DP1 had fantastic image quality, it was poorly reviewed. Nevertheless, it was a true breakthrough and a harbinger of great things to come.


One of drawbacks of first generation Decisive Moment Digitals (DMD) was their fixed focal length optics. Unless the manufacturer was very careful to pair the correct focal length and f stop, potential customers would be disappointed. Another drawback of the early fixed focal length lens DMDs was their lack of flexibility. Photographers coming from DSLRs would soon chaff under the single lens constraint. Then Panasonic and Olympus announced the development of the Micro Four Thirds mount. By removing the mirror box they could produce a compact camera that could use interchangeable lenses.

The introduction of the Panasonic G1 on September 12, 2008 was a truly defining moment. It was the first digital compact that could mount a system of interchangeable lenses. Although its design was “safe”, mimicking a DSLR, the micro 4/3 system had tremendous flexibility. Within months, third parties began to introduce adapters that would allow a mind boggling array of older lenses to be used with the G1.

In the short period since the announcement of the G1, four additional micro 4/3 cameras have been released or announced and Ricoh has unveiled a completely different approach to an interchangeable lens system. The DP1 has been joined by the DP2 and the Leica X1 will debut in January. Samsung is set to introduce the NX very soon, perhaps as early as December. After so many years of DSLRs it is refreshing to see so many new approaches by smaller players making it to market. And it is heartening to see the market responding so well. As of this writing, the Panasonic GF1/20mm kit is universally backordered. The Lumix 20mm f/1.7 lens has achieved cult status in a very short period of time and is in very short supply. The video capable sibling of the G1, the GH1 has also been on backorder at various times.

It is also exciting to see how much discussion each of these cameras has engendered in the photographic community. The Ricoh system, in particular, has generated a lot of debate. At this juncture one should be mindful that this type of camera is in its infancy. We really have no idea where this will take us in the coming years so enjoy the ride. It’s a great time to be a photographer.

Luddites?

Editor’s Note: The following is an uncensored version of a comment posted on The Online Photographer.

Up until recently I used to think photographers were a fairly creative and visionary bunch. That opinion is beginning to change after reading some of the knee jerk dismissals following the announcement of the Ricoh GRX. Somewhat the same phenomena has followed the release of the Sigma DP1 and DP2, as well as some of the micro 4/3 models. Some of these folks are apparently having a very difficult time embracing new technologies and approaches to photography. Others suffer from “Goldilocks Syndrome”; it’s not the right focal length, it’s too slow, it can’t autofocus at the speed light, it’s images have too much noise, it’s too big (or too small) and so on.

It’s understandable that each one of us has our own vision of the perfect camera. Nevertheless, let’s not let that keep us from a rational evaluation of new equipment and designs that do not meet our perfect paradigm. It’s like the single person who spends their life trying to find the perfect spouse and winds up alone.

Some of the comments concerning the GRX are particularly good examples of this kind of thinking. They show a complete lack of vision and foresight. The GRX is the most creative design of a digital camera that any of us have seen. It is a giant step towards a truly modular design. It offers the ability to perfectly pair sensors and optics in a completely sealed module. As some other commentators have noted, I see a world of possibilities. Don’t judge the GRX by what it is, but what it could be and what it represents. Depending on Ricoh’s willingness to partner, I could envision dedicated lens units and those that are merely a sensor matched to a mount. And why stop with photography? How about video and other optical applications?

If you insist on a digital version of a 50 year-old camera design go for it. It’s only a matter of money. I prefer seeing what a 21^st century camera could be. Like any passionate person I will read the reviews and study the sample images. Then I will make a judgment. But for now, the GRX is a pretty cool idea.

Ricoh GRX

Photo by DPReview

Today Ricoh unveiled a digital system camera, the GRX. Instead of a fixed, in-body sensor, the GRX uses interchangeable slide mount lens units. Each unit is a sealed module containing both the optics and the sensor. The first two lens units are the A12 50 mm F2.5 MACRO paired with a APS-C CMOS sensor with 12.30 megapixels and the S10 24-72 mm F2.5-4.4 VC which uses a 10 megapixel 1/1.7-inch CCD sensor.

Read about the Ricoh GRX at DPReview here and watch the video at The Online Photographer here. Frankly, the pace of small camera development is breathtaking.

Leica X1 Image Quality

I have written on many occasions that I love the concept of micro 4/3. Unfortunately, to date the execution of the concept by Olympus and Panasonic has missed the mark. Therefore, I have looking at alternatives and recently spent some time examining a selection of X1 images that have been posted on the Web at various sites. I believe that, after ergonomics/usability, a camera is really about image quality. After looking at several images in Lightroom, my first impression is that the X1’s image quality is very good indeed.

Methodology

I downloaded each image from a link to the original file. Although JPEGs, files ranged in size from 3.3 to 7.3 MB. Each image was then imported to Lightroom 3 (beta) for examination. Examination was conducted on an iMac with a 20” monitor calibrated using ColorVision’s Spyder 2 Express.

Noise

Every digital Leica that I gave owned has been plagued by noise problems, even at slightly elevated ISOs. With the X1, however, Leica seems to have solved that problem. At ISO 400 an 8x10 print is absolutely gorgeous even with the fixed lens wide open (f/2.8). At ISO 800 noise is virtually nonexistent, even at a 100% crop. Images shot at ISO 1600 have no chroma noise and nearly no visible noise at the point of focus. Off the focus point there is pleasant, fine-grained luminance noise. Somehow, the Sorcerers of Solms have given the X1 night vision, similar to my D700. Even at ISO 3200 there is very little chroma noise. Luminance noise is more pronounced, but still pleasant. Sort of like a slightly finer grained Tri-X. That’s in pitch darkness. Add a bit of light and it gets even better.

Chromatic Aberration/Purple Fringing

Some chromatic aberration is visible at a 3:1 crop, but by then the image is pixilated anyway. Purple fringing is minimal and could be easily removed with some post-processing.

I am not ignorant of the fact that the Leica X1 will set you back $1,995, some serious coin for a compact camera. Add the viewfinder and the handgrip and you are over $2,500. If, however, you can pay the freight, the X1 looks like a real winner.

Little Camera, Big Sensor

Here are a few items that may be of interest to you. First, in this article, PDN's Dan Havlik discusses in detail the two main problems designing little cameras with big sensors: autofocus and noise. From Dan’s article it appears that Panasonic has misjudged the pro market for the GF1. It makes interesting reading in light of next three items.

Second, Mike Johnston of The Online Photographer has published the first part of his two part article on the Olympus E-P1 and the Panasonic GF1. Read it here.

Third, Olympus has released its second entry in to the LC/BS market, the E-P2. DPReview has a report here.

Finally, DPReview has released some sample images from Leica’s new X1. You can view them here. From what I have seen the X1 has great image quality.

I have not had any time to digest all this news, I am just bringing it to you attention. Go forth and read.

Canon Owners Get Their Zeiss On (2)

Canon owners can finally get their mitts on the finest 35mm lens made, the Distagon T* 2/35. I love mine. Go here to find out all about how to get yours. And, I want a full report.