Messages

256

Software & Accessories / Re: Laptops for photo editing and other use

« on: April 20, 2012, 01:54:48 PM »

As for PCs you can definitely not go by specs alone, because quality varies wildly. From my personal experience I can highly recommend both Lenovo and Sony laptops, with the latter being somewhat limited in battery live, but SONY VAIO F-Series actually being my favourites.

257

Third Party Manufacturers / Re: Have you considered joining the dark side?...

« on: April 20, 2012, 01:46:48 PM »

Count me in on that. I also prefer to read about actual real life experiences and results by real photographers instead of some marketing people trying to manipulate the market in more or less complete ignorance of what is actually possible with the products they write about.

258

Site Information / Re: Hide troll button

« on: April 20, 2012, 01:42:18 PM »

Don't you think that a DeTroll button would disect entire thread conversations? I am not sure I would want this, although I am also getting fed up with way the forum has become less focused on photography, while adding more focus on issues like product comparisons, tests and such with a focus on a certain testing site praising Nikon, where we already know their results are not balanced at all.

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EOS Bodies / Re: New Extensive Firmware for the Canon EOS 7D? [CR1]

« on: April 20, 2012, 01:31:39 PM »

Don't complain before the Firmware Fairy has arrived. In case this rumour proves true, this is way better than buying a new body to get new features, isn't it?

260

Third Party Manufacturers / Re: Have you considered joining the dark side?...

« on: April 20, 2012, 01:09:02 PM »

Why would we not call it the dark side? Canon's long L lenses are white, Nikon's are black. That is not to say one is better than the other, they just use different colours. The Star Wars reference is simply for fun. Don't you like Darth Vader? That's my favourite character in those movies, although it's not a goody two-shoes character by any stretch of the imagination. So I don't think there are any bad vibes in our light or dark sides of photography.

261

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Why so much trust in DXO.

« on: April 20, 2012, 12:57:57 PM »

Sorry, but British and American weight standards are much like those in antiquity: Anyone can come up with their own weights and anything like a common measurement such as the yard is mere coincidence  . That does not make much sense to me with current societies facing globalization.

I would be in favour of coming up with an international standard for power plugs. Let's use the ones from Jordania, being fully compliant with the simplified European plug design. 

262

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Why so much trust in DXO.

« on: April 20, 2012, 12:45:26 PM »

Indeed much of the standardization such as SI metrics do originate in France. Nevertheless this should not be construed to give DXO any credibility beyond that, which they have built themselves.

263

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Why so much trust in DXO.

« on: April 20, 2012, 12:28:35 PM »

+1 for the comment about French companies. They do have a distinct business culture as does any other country here in Europe.

264

Third Party Manufacturers / Re: Have you considered joining the dark side?...

« on: April 20, 2012, 11:53:03 AM »

I don't think brand loyalty is such a bad thing.

In many industries it is simply impossible to find trustworthy product comparisons, because one or another vendor is doing more business with the people doing the testing, thus resulting in a bias governed simply by the amount of money spend by a vendor to endear themselves. That is a simple factor and completely ruins any hopes by naive consumers that for example the next car of the year maybe something better than the rest. I trust more in the experiences of colleagues and friends actually using Canon, Nikon or Sony gear than I have faith in many of the self-styled independent test providers.

265

EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Why so much trust in DXO.

« on: April 20, 2012, 11:44:42 AM »

Quite frankly I don't trust any claim by DXO that certain sensors or lenses are better than others. It looks to me like their results are fabricated more than they are measured. It does not help that their results do not compare well with other published test results or the reality found by many photographers. I also have severe doubts to their claims of being trustworthy. They are a company out to make money. This has nothing to do with providing trustworthy tests, better examples of which can be found at DPReview.

266

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

« on: April 20, 2012, 11:08:41 AM »

@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.

267

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

« on: April 20, 2012, 10:55:16 AM »

Oh, come on. Why did you mention DXO in this thread? 

268

Third Party Manufacturers / Re: Have you considered joining the dark side?...

« on: April 20, 2012, 10:42:24 AM »

Actually I have never considered switching to Nikon, although some of my friends are Nikonians. I rather wait for Canon's 200-400mm instead of adding a second system with different menus and controls only to use one lens (although that is one tempting lens). Regarding the D800 and it's extra MPs I simply don't need that for what I do.

269

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

« on: April 20, 2012, 10:28:25 AM »

Many thanks to DP Review for doing some really useful testing.

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EOS Bodies - For Stills / Re: Why so much trust in DXO.

« on: April 20, 2012, 10:24:16 AM »

This is certainly not a conspiracy, but DXO is simply performing their tests to give you the end results shown. You cannot expect them to spend a lot of effort in testing without a solid business reason being involved somewhere.