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Copyright 2010 Thom Hogan


Welcome to just one of the sites of photographer and writer Thom Hogan.
On this site you'll find extensive information about Nikon F-mount photographic equipment and support for all of Thom's Nikon-related books. Click on the Nikon tab at the top of the screen to see an expanded table of contents for the Nikon section.

Thom's Site for
Mirrorless Cameras

(Nikon 1, Olympus & Panasonic m4/3, Sony NEX, Samsung NX, and more): sansmirror.com

twitter
Major announcements on Twitter @bythom.


Thom's Google+ Profile.

hash tags: #bythom, #sansmirror 


Last update: 25 Jan 2012


Recent & Popular


A fuller list of articles on this site can be found by clicking on the Nikon tab at the top of the page.

Cameras
(also see Reviews, below)
2011 Trend

Nikon D4 Introduction
Coolpix P7100 Review
Samsung TL500 Review
Fujifilm X100 Review
Sony HX9V Review
Nikon Coolpix P300 Review
Olympus XZ-1 Review
Ricoh GXR Review
GF1, EPL1, NX100, NEX5
G12, P7000, versus LX-5
The Camera Redefined
Current Nikon DSLRs

Lens Reviews/Articles
mirrorless lens database
Sigma 150-500mm
Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G
Nikkor 55-300mm DX
Nikkor Exotic Telephotos
Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8
Nikkor 200mm f/2
Nikkor 500mm f/4
Nikkor 400mm f/2.8
Nikkor Review Preview
m4/3 Lenses
Sigma 30mm f/1.4

Nikon 35mm f/2D
Nikkor 35mm f/1.8DX
Nikkor 200-400mm
Nikkor 80-200mm
Nikkor 70-200mm II
Nikkor 85mm f/1.4D
Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G
Sigma 50mm f/1.4
Sigma 55-200mm
Tamron 55-200mm
Nikkor 16-85mm DX
Nikkor 18-105mm DX
Rational Lens Choices
Nikon Lens Naming

Technique
Focus Subtleties
Should Do But Don't
QAD Macro

All About VR
What Matters Most?
Getting DNGed
Hyperfocal Hype
Blame the Equipment
In Thom's Bag
Weighty Advice
Shoot Less
Quick and Dirty Color
Sensor Cleaning
How Big Can You Print?
Film to Digital Transition
How to Get Better

General Articles
Top 10 of the Decade
2011 Predictions
The Big Trip
26 Concise Reviews
Tip of the Iceberg

Weeks
Risk
State of the Camera
Software Week
Lens Week
Workflow Week
You Week
How Week

Site Visitor Comments
Earthquake Thoughts
User Feature Requests
User Weather Experiences
User Repair Experiences
User Desert Island Lenses

Workshop Blogs
South Africa One
South Africa Two
Botswana One
Botswana Two
Wrapup


Camera Reviews


Nikon Digital SLR
Nikon D40 & D40x
Nikon D50
Nikon D60
Nikon D70 & D70s
Nikon D80
Nikon D90
Nikon D100
Nikon D200
Nikon D300
Nikon D700
Nikon D3000
Nikon D3100
Nikon D5000
Nikon D5100
Nikon D7000
Nikon D1, D1h, & D1x
Nikon D2h
Nikon D2x & D2xs
Nikon D3
Nikon D3s
Nikon D3x

Other Maker Digital
Kodak Pro 14n
Fujifilm S2 Pro
Fujifilm S3 Pro
Fujifilm S5 Pro
Olympus E-P1
Panasonic GF1
Canon S90

Nikon Film SLR
Nikon N65
Nikon N75
Nikon N80
Nikon N90s
Nikon F100
Nikon F5
Nikon F6


Waiting for Nikon List


The following items are ones that serious Nikon shooters have been patiently waiting for (a basic month count from when it went on my list is in parenthesis after each item).

Capture NX3 (22)
D700 followup (16)
D300s followup (4)

Small High Res FX body (37)
Nikon 1 for enthusiasts (3)
17-35mm f/2.8 redesign (38)
28mm f/2G AF-S (or faster) (41)
80-400mm f/4-5.6G AF-S VR (42)
300mm f/4G AF-S VR (44)
400mm f/5.6G AF-S VR (44)
Any DX wide angle prime (50)
35-135mm f/2.8G AF-S DX VR (44)
200mm Micro-Nikkor AF-S VR (50)
Complete cycle of f/4 zooms (22)
Complete set of Nikon 1 lenses developed (4)
Post AI-S extension tubes (154+)

It seems only fair to apply the same standards to myself, so:

Revised Flash Guide (57)
Web site redesign (44)
26 Lens Reviews (35)
General Photo Book (20)
Teaching Points Book (10)




 

In the Air, Three. In the discussion about my first In the Air image this year, someone asked about shooting at night from planes. That's not easy, as you're dealing with basically black landscapes versus visible lighting. The higher you get, the more it becomes about patterns of lights, but the less light that actually gets to you (light falls off with distance). So most of the time you're restricted to shots that are not that far off the ground, and then shutter speeds become an issue. After reading and responding to that comment in the discussion, I looked through my files for something that was appropriate to a continued discussion, and found this shot. It was taken early one morning on approach to O'Hare with an LX-5 at ISO 3200 and 1/80 second (lens wide open). It's barely saveable. First, the 1/80 second shutter speed puts motion into the near lights that I had to adjust for in post processing. Second, ISO 3200 on the LX-5 is really pushing what it can do. I had a lot of noise to deal with and was fighting between sharpening and noise reduction to get a presentable image, even at reduced size. And this isn't actually "night," but dawn, where there is some ambient light. So use this image as a marker point: you'd need one of several things to do better. The big ones are: (1) more ambient light; (2) higher ISO or a camera that does ISO 3200 better than the LX-5; or (3) higher shutter speed, which requires #2 or a very fast lens. The higher you fly, the more you need the first two. The further from sunrise or sunset you are, the more you need the first two. Discussion of this image on Google+.


Quick Links & Comments
News and commentary of interest to Nikon and Nikon F-mount users

Tokina Updates 11-16mm
Jan
25 (news)--The Tokina 11-16mm gets a refresh with slight optical change (new aspherical element), new lens coating, and an internal focus motor. The AT-X 116 Pro DX II will be available in late March.

Discontinued in Japan
Jan
25 (news)--New regulations in Japan, along with the end of life cycle itself, have prompted Nikon to stop selling the D300s and D700 there, and these models have been moved to the Discontinued camera list on the Nikon Japan sites.

Given next week's big camera trade show in Japan, don't be surprised if new models get announced. Nikon isn't likely to leave a huge gap between the D7000 and D4 open for very long.

Snap Results
Jan
24 (commentary)--This commentary appears on both sites.

At the point where I had 1500 responses to my How Far We've Come survey (which happened in a few hours) I decided to take a peak at the results.

First, some background stats. 44% of respondents owned one DSLR, while 51% owned two or more (95% owned at least one DSLR). 24% of the respondents owned at least one mirrorless camera. This biases the results a bit, as it implies that many of the people taking the survey don't have experience with mirrorless. Nevertheless, I was going after people's impressions, not what they've discovered in shooting. The survey takers are a group that shoots a lot of images, though. Over 50% said they've taken more than a 1000 images in a single month some time in the last couple of years. Indeed, 14% of those said they had a month where they took more 10,000 images. I'm not sure I have had such a month in the last couple of years.

So here are the breakdowns of the head-to-head comparisons:

  • 2002: 89% chose V1 (mirrorless), 11% chose D100 (DSLR)
  • 2003: 92% chose E-P3 (mirrorless), 8% chose E-1 (DSLR)
  • 2004: 96% chose NEX-7 (mirrorless), 4% chose Maxxum 7D (DSLR)
  • 2007: 64% chose V1 (mirrorless), 36% chose D80 (DSLR)
  • 2009: 83% chose D90 (DSLR), 17% chose V1 (mirrorless)

My comments in the article seem to be validated by the results (even though this wasn't a scientifically accurate poll, especially since I gave my answer before surveying): most of us would have indeed chosen a V1 over a D100 if we had been offered one in 2002. And it seems like most of you think that the high-consumer V1 mirrorless is about equivalent to the high-consumer DSLR of about 2008 (four years ago).

I'll leave you to make of that what you wish. My original article was intended to provoke people to really think about where we are versus where we've been.

Sensor Madness
Jan 24
(commentary)--It seems like every time that someone announces a non-Bayer sensor the Internet gets all abuzz with hyperbole and overfed expectations. The latest Sony story got picked up on 14 RSS feeds I monitor (and rising).

Sony's announcement was about an RGBW sensor. The W is "no filter." Besides the fact that it's a bit of a replay of the Kodak Monochrome arrangement announced a couple of years back, you don't abandon Bayer without having other implications. While a non-filtered photosite does give you more luminance data, that only helps when it doesn't clip ;~). In bright situations, it's likely to clip. Indeed, if you set your W exposure so it doesn't clip, then you have trouble with color, where there will be more noise (chroma noise, the worst kind).

Others were excited because they thought Sony's announcement would impact serious cameras. Not likely. What most didn't notice (because they got summaries of English translations) is that this new sensor is attempting to give 1.4 micron photosite performance in a 1.1 micron photosite. In other words, camera phones and compact camera sensors with more pixels, but "same" image quality. Only problem is, it won't be same image quality for reasons noted above.

Sensor progress is relatively constant. We get small gains in efficiency, read noise, light gates, photosite isolation, well capacity, microlenses, or any of the other elements that already exist in our sensors as we've got a huge number of organizations iterating those things.

To get a big bump instead of the small steps forward we're used to, I think it's going to take one of the disruptive technologies lurking in the background: quantum dots, full color photosites, light field microlenses, or perhaps moving from silicon to another more expensive and harder to work with material. Don't worry, you'll know it when it happens, as we'll likely make a bigger than D3 step forward when it occurs.

Let me flip that to another context more relevant to this site: what if the D4 is simply equivalent to the D3s sensor with 15% more resolution? In other words, very equivalent results, but a marginal move forward in number of pixels. That's the level of change we typically see in sensors in a two-to-four year stretch. Not a bad change at all, but not the over hyped type of change that gets stirred up every time we have a "new sensor design" announced on the Web.

How Far We've Come
Jan
23 (commentary)--This commentary appears on both sites.

I've been struck lately by the polarization in attitude about mirrorless cameras. There's one group that thinks they're the best things since sliced bread. There's another group that thinks they're simply not good enough and should be avoided like the plague.

I have a simple test to see whether you actually believe what you think you believe.

Let's teleport back to 2002. I'm going to offer you a free D100 with its then available lenses or a free Nikon V1 with its now available lenses plus FT1 adapter. I'm pretty confident that you'll pick the V1. It has faster and better AF, faster frame rates, better metering, 4 million more pixels, better high ISO capability, and a host of other improvements. Personally, I'd pick the V1.

Okay, fair enough, that was ten years ago, how about fast forwarding five years to 2007. Now I'll offer you a free D80 or a free V1. I'm still pretty confident that you'd take the V1. Okay, let's move a bit more forward, to 2009. You can have a free V1, D5000, or D90. Finally the choice gets a little more difficult, though I suspect that your answers would polarize towards the V1 and D90. (Let's check that. Here's a survey you can take to see if you agree.)

So here's a question: if today's smallest sensor mirrorless camera is better than all but the pro DSLRs of a few years ago, why would anyone construe them as being "not good enough?" Were the millions of DSLRs sold that year also not good enough? ;~)

We can play this same game with other brands, by the way. In 2003 I can offer you an Olympus E-1 or an E-P3; which do you take? It's a little tougher question, as the E-1 is a higher-end specification DSLR and the E-P3 is a rangefinder-style mirrorless. But if image quality is your game, I'm pretty sure you'll pick the E-P3.

If you're a Sony user, try this: we'll go back to 2004 and I'll offer you a Maxxum 7D or a NEX-7. I'm thinking most of you are going to pick the NEX-7.

I use the Nikon V1 versus D100 as my primary example in my testing for a reason: right now it's the only 10-year comparison where we have true DSLR versus DSLR-like mirrorless. But we're going to get more of these in the next few years, and I suspect the answer will remain the same.

So now I have to remind you that many pros were using and getting published with a D100 back in 2002. Has the image quality at your favorite magazine gone up significantly in 10 years? No, though they are now able to publish shots taken in lighting that their photographers couldn't shoot in 10 years ago. Would that have been true with a V1 ten years ago? Yes, I think it would have allowed shots you couldn't really take with a D100. Therefore a pro would have picked the V1, I think. (Ironically, both the D100 and V1 user would have had problems with truly wide angle lens options. Hey, Nikon, a lot of us use your equipment because of how great Nikon wide angle lenses are; where are the DX and CX wide primes?)

So just how bad are the mirrorless cameras? Uh, not bad at all, which has been my point for three years now.

DSLRs are now 16mp or more, with "a lot more pixels" coming right at our event horizon. We have shoot-in-the-dark pro models, plus more-pixels-than-most-actually-use prosumer and consumer models, all with more features than anyone really uses. If you had asked me back in 2002 what was the ultimate set of specifications and quality I needed in a DSLR, we're now passing that definition. For a lot of my shooting, the V1 is actually enough, and that's probably true of a lot of you, too. It's the same for m4/3 or NEX or NX or any of the other mirrorless cameras, too.

Don't get me wrong, I'll take any additional bit of quality, performance, or comfort I can get, but when I fail at something photographically today, it almost never is my camera that's the problem.

Note to camera manufacturers: You still don't get it, do you? One of the reasons why the mirrorless cameras are getting more popular is because they are as competent as DSLRs but are smaller and lighter--they're less trouble to carry. When a DSLR user decides it's time to upgrade and they have a choice of same-old-big-beast and a competent smaller choice, a lot of them are picking the smaller choice. Even more would do that if you'd just design the darned things for a serious user in the first place. That doesn't mean you have to stop building those entry models (GF3, E-PM1, J1, C3), it just means you need to make sure you have the upper end ready, too. The popularity of the NEX-7 and the likely popularity of the upcoming Fujifilm X-Pro1 and Olympus OM-D ought to get your attention. But just in case they don't: make more and better serious mirrorless cameras, please. I'm looking at you Nikon.

Just a Reminder--I remove all articles from this home page, usually once a week (on Monday mornings when I update). Previous week's articles are placed on the Archived 2011 link, below, as well as articles from earlier weeks in the year.

Archived Front Page News and Articles
Sansmirror news and views
Archived 2012 byThom comments and news
Archived 2011 byThom comments and news
Archived 2010 byThom comments and news
Archived 2009 byThom comments and news
Archived 2008 byThom comments and news
Archived 2007 byThom comments and news
Archived pre-2007 byThom comments and news
Nikon announcements summary 2001-2012

 
 

 

Books by Thom Hogan


byThom Press offers the most complete and detailed books for virtually every film SLR and digital SLR Nikon has produced.

Digital SLR Complete Guide eBooks + To Go Guide + Printed Option
Nikon D7000
Nikon D5000
Nikon D5100
Nikon D80
Nikon D90
Nikon D300 & D300s, 3rd Ed
Nikon D700, 2nd Ed
Nikon D3, D3s, D3x, 2nd Ed

Digital SLR Complete Guide eBooks
Nikon D40 and D40x, 2nd Ed
Nikon D50
Nikon D60
Nikon D70/D70s, 2nd Ed
Nikon D1 Series, 3rd Ed
Nikon D100, 3rd Ed
Nikon D200
Nikon D2h/D2hs, 2nd Ed
Nikon D2x/D2xs, 2nd Ed
Fujifilm S2 Pro
Fujifilm S5 Pro
To order updates, click here.

35mm Film SLR eBooks
Nikon N65
Nikon N75
Nikon N80

Nikon F100
Nikon F5

Nikon F6

Other Books
Nikon Field Guide out of print
Nikon Flash Guide out of print

Note: We ship books once a week, on Wednesdays. All orders received by close of business Tuesday ship the following Wednesday.

Errata pages for books are at www.bythom.com/XXguideerrata.htm where XX is the camera model (e.g., D100, D1, S2, etc.)

Other Photography Books
I Recommend



Thom's Lists


The following are lists I've compiled using B&H's Wish List facility for products I recommend:

recommended D7000 accessories
recommended D5100 accessories
starter DX lens list
low light DX lens list
top m4/3 lenses
flash accessories

I'll be adding more recommended products lists as I get time. There are two attributes in each of these lists: (1) these are products that I've used and recommend; and (2) these products share some relationship, usually "best of the bunch." Obviously, I could make huge long lists of everything that fits a particular category, but I'm trying to keep these lists short and to the point. You'll find these things in my gear kit, and for good reason.

Also be sure to read my short notes in the wishlist itself. While B&H's database is quite limited in terms of the size of the note I can add, I've tried to put a useful note with every entry.



Caring and Sharing


Two Percent to Charity. This site contributes a minimum of 2% of its annual sales to non-profit organizations. Primary recipients for each year I've been doing this:

2004 recipient--Galen Rowell National Trails Trust Fund at American Hiking Society. This fund continues to provide small yearly grants to trail associations.

2005 recipients--Bird Migration and Wolf Tracking programs at Denali Institute. Big City Mountaineers.

2006 recipient--NANPA Foundation (scholarships for future nature photographers).

2007 recipients--Big City Mountaineers. Masai Mara carnivore monitoring station (Michigan State Univ Dept of Zoology).

2008 recipients--Masai Mara carnivore monitoring station.

2009 recipient--Donald E. Agostino Scholarship at Indiana University School of Telecommunications.

2010 recipient--Young Playwright's Lab. School children write plays that are then produced and staged professionally.

2011 recipients--Japanese Red Cross and Young Playwright's Lab.

We try to reduce our energy and consumable usage. We use local production for both printing and disc creation, use virtual proofing instead of hard proofs, and recycle all packaging materials. We use on-demand techniques for most products to keep from creating unwanted inventory. We continue to look at how best to mitigate the remainder of our carbon footprint.


Founding Member: NANPA
Lifetime Member: AHS
Member: PMA
Member: EP
Member: NPS

What Thom's Actually Using


Compact: Nikon V1 instead of compact

IR: Canon G11 IR converted

Mirrorless: Olympus E-P3 (primary lenses: 9-18mm, 12mm, 14-42mm, 45mm, 100-300mm)

Nikon DX DSLR: D7000 (primary lenses: Tokina 11-16mm, Sigma 17-50mm, Nikon 70-200mm or 70-300mm)

Nikon FX DSLR: D3s and D3x (primary lenses: 14-24mm, 24-70mm, 70-200mm, 200-400mm, 400mm Nikkors) (SB-700/900 flashes with PocketWizards)

Video: Canon XA10, Sony FS100u, GoPro HD

Support: RRS Versa Series 2 tripod, RRS heads and pano equipment

Note: I obviously use other equipment, as I'm constantly comparing and testing. However, what appears above is what you'll find I'm carrying on assignment and when working for clients.

 

 


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