Messages

31

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: DXOMark website - mistake and careless on their part...

« on: May 15, 2012, 04:58:59 AM »

Where's the smite button when you need it?

32

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: 5DMKIII - User mistake results in photo brilliance!

« on: April 29, 2012, 03:58:03 PM »

shooting at the top of the cage for most shots

How does one go about shooting over the top of the cage? Is there a ledge on the outside of the cage, do you have to use a ladder? I have a friend who trains 5 MMA fighters and wants me to photograph the fights. I've never been to a fight, so I'm not sure what to expect.

Also, what lens are you using?

33

EOS Bodies / Re: One area the 5D3 beats the D800...

« on: April 20, 2012, 09:14:54 PM »

I think your setup might have some weird scaling issue. Try a different browser too.

Ok, tried using Firefox instead of Safari... Much Much less noticeable, barely perceptible instead of in your face... the 5D3 still looks cleanest, but by a much smaller margin.

34

EOS Bodies / Re: One area the 5D3 beats the D800...

« on: April 20, 2012, 03:52:53 PM »

It seems the 5D3 beats the D800 (and the 5D2) in it's anti-aliasing. You'll notice the 5D3 image is just about perfect, the 5D2, D800 and the A900 all show problems, phantom vertical or horizontal lines that seem to cut through the pattern. Red arrows show the problem areas. 

 The image is from DPR's RAW image comparisons. It's not quite visible on the D800 at the reduced resolution on this site, however if you download the image you should be able to see it clearer at full size. 

 You can also go to DPR's page here and move the selected area to the pinwheel directly below the + in the center of the frame. You can of course compare how other cameras perform against the 5D3 on this same test.

Are you sure it's not something with your browser or graphics card or the downsampled image you posted here?

I don't see any of that at all when I go to the DPR page. And it looks like line skipped downsampling in your sample posted.

Not saying that the 5D3 doesn't do some things better than the D800, it does, color moire-free video and fps at FF just to name two. But I don't see what you point arrows at above.

What type of computer equipment are you viewing it on? I can see it crystal clear on my 27" iMac.

35

EOS Bodies / Re: One area the 5D3 beats the D800...

« on: April 20, 2012, 12:24:51 PM »

@V8Beast: I only wrote that because of the other thread, where posters either enjoy complaining about DXO blatantly manipulating test results or being blind believers in whatever results DXO reports, as if this was any kind of rational behaviour.

  I'm one who believes Dxo's tests aren't biased at all. They are what they are, and they're used to help optimize DxO's software. Every test has a strict set of criteria, and the results are what they came up with while adhering to that criteria. The fact that the results are converted to a scoring system (also using a fixed formula) is public service, they are under no obligation to actually share their test results, but they do, and we should be thankful. 

  Do their results miss some features that also help improve picture quality, like Canon's stellar anti-aliasing filter, it appears so. One thing is for certain, Nikon's sensors excel in areas that most influence DxO's rating system, and seeing as how DxO's system has remained consistent over the last several generations of cameras, I don't think they're Nikon biased... if anything I would say Nikon has optimized it's sensors using DxO's criteria and equipment.

  The one other area that people often bring up to dismiss DxO's testing is the fact that Canon's 70-200 v2 scored lower than v1. I write this off to be nothing more than normal sample variations.  DxO might have received a stellar copy of the v1 lens they originally tested... that skewed it's numbers higher than the average v1 lens. They might also have received a sub par v2. They did say that v1 had only a slight edge in resolution, and that v2 handled chromatic aberration better. Frankly, I think the absence of chromatic aberration has a much bigger impact on the final quality of an image than a minuscule difference in resolving power. I think the test's were fair and accurate (on the basis of an individual copy of the lens tested). Would it get me to purchase a v1 over the v2? No. Reduced chromatic aberration is more important to me than absolute resolving power. DxO's testing is only as accurate as the individual sample they tested.

36

EOS Bodies / One area the 5D3 beats the D800...

« on: April 20, 2012, 10:12:05 AM »

It seems the 5D3 beats the D800 (and the 5D2) in it's anti-aliasing. You'll notice the 5D3 image is just about perfect, the 5D2, D800 and the A900 all show problems, phantom vertical or horizontal lines that seem to cut through the pattern. Red arrows show the problem areas. 

 The image is from DPR's RAW image comparisons. It's not quite visible on the D800 at the reduced resolution on this site, however if you download the image you should be able to see it clearer at full size. 

 You can also go to DPR's page here and move the selected area to the pinwheel directly below the + in the center of the frame. You can of course compare how other cameras perform against the 5D3 on this same test.

37

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: DX0 Mark Canon 5D MkIII Review

« on: April 19, 2012, 10:50:23 AM »

And your arguments regarding the DX0 Mark tests, bias etc. If the shoe was on the other foot, you lot would be putting the boot into Nikon and praising DX0 Mark for their testing techniques.

  Exactly, I don't believe the results are biased at all... the data isn't collected for the purpose of giving sensor reviews, that's just a byproduct. The data is collected to form a basis of the camera sensor performance, so that DxO's software can try to exact the very best image quality from the known limits of the sensor. The RAW files the Nikons produce exhibit much less sensor noise, it has been said that Nikon cooks it RAW files to compensate for sensor noise, where as, Canon does not. This could be why the RAW tests seem to favor Nikon so heavily in DR at low ISOs.

That said, even my conservative estimates for the 5D3's DxoMark score were way off.

This is what I'm expecting, for the 5D3 vs D800

Overall Score - 84 ( Actual Score - 81)

Color Depth - 24 bits  (Actual Score - 24 bits) one of three, I'm on fire!!!

Dynamic Range - 12.4  Evs  (Actual Score - 11.7)

Low-Light ISO - 3200  (Actual Score - 2293)

I am actually disappointed that Canon hadn't made more strides in sensor performance in 4 years, don't get me wrong, it's still a great camera, but I was expecting four years of sensor development to yield more, and I was not expecting to lose ground in DR as compared to the 5DMk2.

38

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Theory about the slow painful release of the 5D MIII

« on: April 14, 2012, 04:54:16 AM »

  No. The light leek is an issue that wouldn't present itself in normal use, and slipped by. There is no way that Canon would release a flagship product, and start full scale production, unless they thought they had a solid product. Selling a beta stage product, as a final release, is a sure way to lose the trust of your customer base. Things do slip by on occasion, and did here. 

  No company can ever know precisely what they'll need to produce for a consumer product. The best they can do is estimate. Take the iPhone for example, no matter how high they estimate initial demand... they've always been caught woefully short.

  Original iPhone released 3Q 2007 - Sold      270,000 units 3Q (The original Jesus phone)
  iPhone 3G        released 3Q 2008 - Sold      717,000 units 3Q (More than double the original sales)
  iPhone 3GS      released 3Q 2009 - Sold   5,200,000 units 3Q (More than 7x the 3G sales)
  iPhone 4          released 3Q 2010 - Sold   8,400,000 units 3Q (3.2 million more than 3GS)
  iPhone 4S        released 3Q 2011 - Sold 20,300,000 units 3Q (More than double the iPhone 4)
 
  Seeing as how Canon kept the specs and release of the 5D3 under wraps until almost the last minute, it's quite possible that they were a little low in their estimate. They probably figured that the lack of extra megapixels, and the increase in price, would have kept sale a little lower than they turned out. That said, I don't think they vastly underestimated demand, if they had - you would see a lot of people trying to sell them for more than they paid. This is not the case, although if the recall/hold lasts more than a couple of weeks, you may see more people trying to sell them at a profit.

Cheers,
Wrathwilde

39

EOS Bodies / Re: Why so long on the DXOMark and DPReviews?

« on: April 13, 2012, 11:41:41 AM »

To quote DxO's site: "Here is just a sample of our current customers:..." with a picture of Nikon's image below it.  I think it is fair to say that they have ties to camera and lens manufacturers because they are expressly advertising these businesses as their customers on their site.  Paste the link in a browser and look for yourself.  This isn't conjecture nor is it conspiracy theory; it is fact.

EDIT:
I created a PDF of the website.  See the attached.  Opening the page sometimes defaults to their Home page.

  Wrong. It means that several large companies find enough value in DxOMark products and services that they are willing to purchase them, and Nikon happens to be one of many. It's not advertising for Nikon, it's advertising for DxOMark. A lot of large companies list who their customers are, so what? It provides a reassurance for other companies who are looking at purchasing their equipment and services, and therefore further establishes their legitimacy. It doesn't make DxOMark beholden to Nikon in any way.

  A customer is a customer, either they find value in your products and services, or they don't. Nikon currently finds that DxoMark's equipment and procedures are helpful in their quest to make better sensors. If anything this makes Nikon beholden to DxOMark, not the other way around.

40

EOS Bodies / Re: Canon EOS 5D Mark III Recall?

« on: April 12, 2012, 03:47:19 PM »

My best friend's sister's boyfriend's brother's girlfriend heard from this guy who knows this kid who's going with the girl who saw the 5D3's light leak at 31 Flavors last night. I guess it's pretty serious.

Why can't I applaud you for a Ferris Bueller reference?

41

EOS Bodies / Re: Why so long on the DXOMark and DPReviews?

« on: April 12, 2012, 02:49:23 PM »

I defended DXO some time ago just because they publish their testing procedures first and then follow them when testing. But I think you will also admit, that when there is a place for some speculation it will always happen. When only one copy (even if production one) was tested, then someone always can ask questions:
1. Was it the only copy they had?
2. If no didn't they "carefully" selected one "special" copy for testing purposes?
3. If they publish tests of only one copy of gear, doesn't it open space for such speculations as above?
4. Do they have any interest in such behaviour if they are sponsored by one producent?

I don't say they do it like described above. But as far as there is a reason to speculate, people will ask questions and doubt.

  Personally I'd be suspect of any site that cherry picked to find the best possible sample to test, or tested several and only published the best performer. This is the reason that the most reputable sites test units acquired from the retail channel, and not cherry picked units from the manufacture.

  I'd also be suspect of any test site that would bow to pressure from end users to redo their tests. Now, if the manufacture claimed that the results were far different than their own in house testing, and contacted them about the possibility that the lens they tested might be defective... and paid for them to acquire another sample, then sure, they should be willing to retest. That said, they are under no obligation to do so. 

  Sure you can speculate they got a bad copy, suggesting that their credibility is shot because a lens didn't test well is a different matter. 

Lastly, no, they are not sponsored by any Camera or Lens company

From their website -

We test commercial products: in other words, we buy or rent lenses and cameras from the very same retailers that consumers use. When we do test pre-production models (when commercial products are not yet available), we clearly indicate this on our site, and we retest those models when they become commercially available. 

Finally, DxOMark has no ties to or interests of any sort with camera or lens manufacturers, which means that we are completely independent from them.

edit - That and DxOMark has probably figured out that 99.9% of people posting comments have absolutely zero credibility or experience in testing sensors and/or lenses, and are just butt-hurt that the Camera/Lens that they purchased (or planned to purchase) didn't score as high as they believed it should. That and the posters just can't accept that their beloved product isn't the greatest thing since sliced sex on buttered buns.

42

EOS Bodies / Re: Why so long on the DXOMark and DPReviews?

« on: April 12, 2012, 10:55:14 AM »

I lost quite a bit of faith in DXOMark after they tested the 70-200 f/2.8 IS II and found it to be significantly worse than the v1 in terms of resolution, and refused the possibility of a subaverage sample.

Their sensor tests may still be good, though.

 

 They said the v2 "offers slightly less resolution" but tests better on chromatic aberration. I fail to see how that qualifies as "significantly worse". Also, "These 2 lenses are very similar in term of transmission, distortion and vignetting", again hardly a condemning review.

  The tests are what they are, and the results speak for themselves. Just because you're not happy with how the test turned out, or think they may have got a sub-average sample is irrelevant. The test was done with a final production sample. They put the sensor or lens through their specific testing procedures, and those are the results they got... end of story. The v1 production unit they tested was better than the v2. Sure it was probably a fluke, but if you were upgrading, there is also the possibility that your v2 could score worse than your v1. Production samples vary, it's a fact of life.

  That said, I think Nikon tests better because Nikon actually uses DXOMark equipment to test their sensors, and probably uses that data to determine what's working and what's not in terms of DR, color depth, and ISO. Not that they tune their sensors to beat the test, but use the test's to determine which of their sensor designs should produce the best real world results. 

  In no way do I think DxO favors one brand over another, the fact that Nikon is a customer doesn't influence their DxO scores, as the scores aren't a matter of subjective bias. The scores are based on a rigid set of criteria. Nikon scores well because they use the same equipment and methods to test their sensors... then use that data to improve their sensors.

43

EOS Bodies / 1D X RAW Images Available Now...

« on: April 08, 2012, 02:48:13 PM »

Here they are. The 12800 looks pretty amazing.

#53 is at 3200
#54 is at 6400
#63 is at 12800

44

Third Party Manufacturers / Light Leaks, do Nikon bodies suffer from this too?

« on: April 08, 2012, 10:18:41 AM »

Just wondering if anybody here also owns a Nikon body, and if they behave similarly. Not looking for a fight, or a Nikon is better thread, just wondering. I'll still be picking up a 5D3 or 1D X, I just haven't decided which yet.

45

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Canon 5D Mark III vs Canon 5D Mark II Noise article

« on: April 05, 2012, 02:10:51 AM »

It would help if you linked the article.