I went to the 1Dx product launch yesterday in KL Convention Centre. The special thing about this launch is that the 1Dx was launched simultaneously with Japan and most of the rest of the world. The camera’s specs is amazing. I’m sure you can glean all the pictures and details online, so you don’t need me to repeat them here. But what I would like to highlight are two very important points:

1. The 1Dx trumphs the 1D Mark IV in terms of sensor size (APC-H vs full frame), speed (10 fps vs 12/14 fps), resolution (16 vs 18 MP) and maximum ISO (102400 vs 204800).
2. The 1Dx replaces the 1Ds Mark III directly, but the 1D Mark IV line will still continue (!!)

Which begs the question, WHY? Wouldn’t that cannibalize the sale of the 1D Mark IV? I asked Canon Malaysia’s Director of Imaging Communication Products Division Mr Simon Wong exactly this, and he replied that the price of the 1D will be marked down. Logical move, but in every sense, the 1Dx can already replace the 1D, so why confuse the users?

I have a confession to make. I have been bitten by the full frame (FF) bug. But that is hardly news to you huh? So what makes a full frame different from my own 40D? The most enticing reward of going FF is the amazing bokeh that you get. Some purist are against bokeh, but bokeh is a great way of producing very pleasing portraits, a very good way to isolate your subject from the background.

I had a chance to play with a Canon EOS 5D before, the original version, not the Mark II version. You might have noticed this in my previous post; the picture was taken with a 5D. The first thing I immediately notice is the built of the buttons and dials. It’s kinda hard to explain, but the sound of the shutter press is very soft, yet very solid and assuring. And the sound of the shutter flapping against the camera body exudes class and confidence. Sure, it’s not exactly fast. At only about 3 fps, it is the same as my previous 350D. A machine gun shooter will likely avoid this camera. But a 5D is designed for a different class of photographer. The slow thinking photographer, the landscape artist, or the macro freak. It will have a slight disadvantage when shooting weddings and sports.

Canon EOS 5D, with the EF 50 mm f1.8 II attached

The screen is a reminiscence of the 350D; small and uninspiring. Even the menus are similar. That is to be expected, both the camera uses DIGIC II.

Small screen eh? Reminds me of the 350D

Other than that, the other controls are similar to the 40D. The spinning dial at the back, the (still awkward) power-on dial, the multi-directional panning button, and the top panel.

Top panel like the xxD EOS series. Looks more pro compared to on-screen menu!

It shares so many similarities with the 40D, even their batteries are interchangeable!

So how does the image look like? I only have one measly EF lens to mount on this baby, the indispensable (and cheap) EF 50 mm f1.8II. But that lens is enough to bring out the best bokeh for the buck you would care to drool over. Check this out:

Hui Yan as my 5D model

If you check the EXIF, the aperture was only at f/2! PHEW!!

I did not do further testings, but it is a well known fact that this camera also handles noise extremely well!

*sigh* ….. have to wait 20 years for prices of FF cameras to drop to affordable level then only can buy ….

This, a digital camera, worth almost RM1,500 a pop! In reality I owe her this since her birthday last year, so it’s well overdue actually!

This is the camera, the new Canon Powershot S90.

Canon Powershot S90

Remember when I mentioned that I wanted to buy a PnS? I wasn’t kidding!

Why did I choose this camera? Well there is a lot of reasons actually. For one thing, I must confess, that I am a huge Canon fanboy. And another thing, being a techie that I am, I know for sure that I am getting top quality pictures with this baby. On papers the camera boasts some incredible numbers:

• 10 megapixel sensors (and not just any sensors. It’s the sensor used in its much larger brother the G11. The size of the sensor is the biggest among point-and-shooters among its class, which should translate to lower noise)
• 28 mm – 105 mm equivalent IS (image stabilized) lens
• Fast f2.0 – 4.9 aperture. (Faster than my EF-S 17-55 f2.8 IS at 28 mm!)
• RAW shooting! (Yay~!)
• 3.0 inch LCD screen, 461,000 pixels. Not exactly the high resolution screen found in newer DSLR’s, but good enough.

The rest of the advertised features (dual-noise removal, DIGIC IV smile detection, scene detection etc) are merely marketing gimmicks.

First impressions and ergonomics

3 inch screen, enough for most shooting conditions, except in strong sunlight

Pick the camera up and you will know that this is not just another point-and-shooter. It weights quite heftily in your hand (197 grams, the official figure, including card and battery) and for a camera this size, it sure feels solid. There is no noticeable grip for my hand when holding this camera, and it takes a conscious effort to hand-hold it securely. Fortunately you can always wrap the camera’s lanyard around your wrist to prevent it from swinging out of your grip.

Being small (no bigger than an IXUS) the grip was rather insecure. But being small is exactly what my wife wants!

In operation

This is where the camera stands out. The S90 distance itself from the competitors with a rather unique way of interacting with the camera; using a front ring system. It works similar to how you would operate an aperture or zoom ring of an old SLR camera. You turn on a ribbed ring to change settings, like exposure, zoom or aperture, depending on the mode of operation that you are in. And yes, the function of the ring is customizable.

There are the usual “up-down-left-right” buttons that doubles as the secondary ring dial behind the camera. What I do not like about the secondary ring is that it turns far too easily. I have set the secondary dial to adjust the ISO values, and I often find myself accidentally knocking the ISO value off when operating the camera.

Notice the ring around the lens

Sample pictures

Enough talk. Let’s get to some real world scenario, the camera in action. As mentioned, the reason this camera is so different is the sensor. It’s big, and the lens is bright, so taking pictures in the dark will not be an issue. And I am glad to say focusing in the dark does not pose a challenge at all for this baby! I know of some DSLR that still hunts (searches forever without getting a focus lock) in the dark.

It focuses properly in the dark, but will the picture turn out noisy? I would be lying to myself and to everyone else if I said that the picture are noise-free at high ISO. This is, after all, still not a full fledged DSLR! I’ll let you see some sample pictures:

Hui Yan and mommy, ISO 3200

How does it looked like zoomed in?

100% crop. Details are lost around the hair

Another picture taken at maximum ISO:

Care for a cuppa? ISO 3200

Here is a detailed view:

100% crop, again details are lost

Another picture …..

Jonker Street, ISO 800, perfectly use-able! Only processed in Canon DPP

Detailed view:

Some noises are there, but only if you pixel peep

Did I mention that this baby also takes pictures in exposure brackets? Yes, this means I can do HDR with this camera, albeit a bit slower. The maximum in can go between frames is about 1 second. And the maximum EV it can go for exposure bracketing is only ±1 EV, a total of 3 shots. But combining with RAW file format, it does wonders!

HDR was combined with Photoshop and Photomatix

Another thing that I noticed is that this camera tends to overexpose its shots when encountering a tricky shot. The shot below was shot using P mode, 0 EV:

Overexposed is the norm, it seems

I find that for these situations, I must always remember to dial down the EV to compensate:

Have to dial down the exposure a bit

Personally I am impressed with this baby! Its ability to still take decent pictures in the dark is one of its major selling point. If I were to complain, it would definitely be the rather dismal performance of the battery. After only about 3 hours of shooting, the battery complains of tiredness.

All in all, a very good camera. The advantage it has sometimes even outweighs a DSLR (small size, light, shoots video). Being small it is also very stealthy, I can take discreet pictures without the guard shooing us away, something that always happen to me when I use the DSLR.

See more pictures taken with this little camera at Kit Yan’s field trip.

Remember my Wira that I have converted to NGV over a year ago? Yes, over a year ago. I keep a record of how much I have traveled and the amount that I refueled so that I can gauge how much I have used and how much I saved compared to using petrol. I wanted to know when I will get a return of investment on the NGV kit that costs me RM 3200. Guess what? It has returned two days ago! From now on, every refueling that we do is an income! How cool is that?

But then again, it is rather unfair to do this kind of calculation. One must remember that since I have converted the Wira to NGV, we made a conscious effort to drive the Wira more often that the Altis. If I have not converted to NGV, all our trips to Sagil would have been on the Altis instead.

Yesterday and today I am off. I need to clear more than 10 days of annual leaves, and they will be burned if I did not finish them by the end of this year. So yesterday I drove all the way to Canon Service Centre at Peremba Square to have my sensor and lens cleaned. I must say, that they really did a great job at it. It was completed in less than the promised 30 minutes. And everything was as good as new! The only thing annoying about the place was that they did not display their latest camera equipments in their showroom. They only have office equipments. Kinda disappointing. But it’s a blessing in disguise; the poison on display would have killed me instantly! =P

Saw this guy with a 40D and a 50D, and a myriads of L lenses there too. He was having his equipment checked, overheard his conversation with the Canon guy that his 580EX II tend to overexpose. Damn, seems this is not an isolated case, some of my friends have their 580EX overexposing every shots too!

Whoaaa…. talk about efficiency! In less than 24 hour since I have spread the news of my intention to sell the camera, the camera is sold!

Sold the entire thing for RM1100 to a nice gentleman who came all the way from Shah Alam. I hope the camera finds a good place to stay now.

I am now officially camera-less. Except for the camera phone, I don’t have any cameras at home, not even a decent point-and-shooter!

Well at least now I have money to buy milk powder for the kids. That can last me for, oh, 3 months!

Yes it’s true, I am planning to sell off my trusty old 350D. It’s been with me through thick and thin, through a lot of adventure to a lot of trips. I blame it on “technological refresh” that forces me to upgrade my camera to catch up with my skill. I hate to admit it, but I have outgrown my camera. This is a good thing really. It means that I have learnt a lot from this camera, and I need to move on.

Yes, that also means that I want to upgrade my camera. I have not got my hands on any cameras yet, but the 40D looks very possible. Again, nothing is solid yet. I am just throwing news out, just to test the water. Anyway here is what the spec of my camera looks like:

Canon 350D with EF-S 18-55 kit lens with box, charger, original softwares, cables, manual, neck-strip, 2 original NB-2LH batteries and original Canon battery grip BG-E3. Perfect working condition 8/10. No more warranty. Would like to sell it as a set for RM1350. Free camera bag, 8 GB card and UV filter for kitlens. Price is negotiable. COD in Seri Kembangan.

I attach in here a very rough picture of the camera, for lack of a proper camera to take its own picture:

My old camera

Selling off with the grip

It's in perfect working condition

Please excuse the lousy photos. It was taken with my camera phone.

*Sigh …* what to do? Need the money for my kid’s milk powder and diapers….

Update: The camera has been sold barely 24 hours after I have posted it online.

I have acquired the top of the range lens (currently) for the Canon’s cropped body despite every cell with a sense of financial intelligence in my body protesting against it. It’s a bloody expensive lens, and I’m still paying it with my blood and sweat. It’s a really painful purchase which still resonance till now.

For such an expensive toy, this better be worth it. And is it worth it? A resounding YES, I’m relieved to say this. No, I’m not saying this just to make myself happy. It is that good. A lot of forumers has contacted me asking for my personal opinions on this lens. So I thought I had better write all my thoughts down rather than to repeat myself over and over again.

For a 17-55 mm on a 1.6 x body, it is equivalent to the 27 mm – 88 mm on a full frame body. Not a wide angle lens, neither is it a telephoto. This is considered a standard 3 x zoom that caters for roughly 85% of all the general pictures that you take. That said, this lens is not really a good lens if you’re into wildlife photography, sports, structure and landscape. If any of that category seems to be ALL the types that you need, you can now skip this write-up and consider spending 30 minutes of your life reading Lord of The Rings instead.

I consider this lens as the best lens for a walkabout. That includes close proximity events (weddings comes to mind), portraits and family shots. I had this lens on during my walkabout for the last Independance Day shots that I took here.

If you have done your homework correctly before embarking on this read, you should have known by now that the closest contender to this lens is the Tamron 17-50 F/2.8. And let me tell you, this is the one truly capable contender to this lens, according to the research that I have done so far over the internet. The Tamron is by far sharper, and gives more contrasty picture, and better flare resistant than the Canon. It is also almost 3 times cheaper. If those criterias are important to you, and you are budget conscious, please do yourself a favour and save some cash. The Tamron is still a worthy piece of glass. Read a comparison between the two lenses here.

(Hehehe …. 5 paragraphs and I still have not disclosed why I choose the Canon! Hehehe ….. wait lar, wait, on the way, on the way!)

The Image Stabilizer

What? Still reading? You’re not convinced yet? Okay then. Image Stabilizer on paper promises 3 stops stabilization. In practise, it does work. Check this out, smooth waterfall picture at just 1/6 of a second, handheld!

1/6 of a second, HANDHELD! (I know you Sony and Pentax users are probably laughing at us by now)

The other thing that wins over the Tamron is the USM focusing. It’s very fast and accurate even in low lights condition. I have not the Tamron, so I really do not know the difference. But this has been highlighted many times over the internet community. Being a Canon lens, it would naturally benefit from the circuitry between the lens and the body, thus faster focusing is achieved, as expected. Most of my focusing are spot on. No qualms there.

And of course, the f 2.8 aperture is a godsend! Very low light photography is now possible. Although it cannot beat the EF 50 mm f1.8 lens in terms of the diameter of the hole, it still produces good bokeh, another plus point for portrait photography.

77 mm filter thread size means expensive filters too

Lovely bokeh produced by the lens

Other minor plus points includes the better body build quality. And the quiet FTM focusing (Tamron is reported to be noisy, so is my kitlens and my EF 50 f1.8). And the extra 5 mm compared to the Tamron might matter in some rare cases.

Note to self: Need to post some pictures of Image Stabilizer in action, also comparing this lens with the 50 mm f1.8 lens and the kit lens, the only other two lenses that I have.

See more pictures of this lens here.