DP | @ekhoophotography

You know what's the best things about presents when you receive them? It's not the value. It's the abso-freaking-surprise when it's something you really, really want and that the person went through great lengths to research (blog, twitter, social, whatever) what you really want. So, from the bestest brother ever, I get this awesome little thing of black plastic and magnesium alloy.

It's so awesome but the most hilarious thing is my mom going "like are you sure you're gonna buy this camera expert a camera? It's not even a Canon. It's a Panasonic! He's already got enough cameras (ahem)!" A small camera, just what I need. This is OMG Awesome. Yeah, so Canon, if you're listening, I want an EF-S mount (EF with adapter) body the same size as the GF1. APS-C Sensor and HD Video.

It's finally launched. Unfortunately not full-frame but otherwise, a rocking camera body I can't afford anyways! Okay, wait, I have to clarify that. Purchase it, I can but need it I do not. Hmm, that came out rather Yoda-esque. Pretty happy with my 5D Mark II. Next on the list is a H4N audio recorder and a Red Rock Micro Video DSLR rig! And plus my 7D

Rob Galbraith has a good preview here and of course you have to watch Vincent Laforet's Nocturne video.

And in case Vincent's blog has been flogged by too many people, here's the embedded link from Vimeo:

Nocturne from Vincent Laforet on Vimeo.

A few friends asked me if they should get Canon's newest DSLR* 7D. The thing is that camera is as big and heavy as the 5D Mark II. Nothing wrong with that. I use my 5D Mark II with the BG-E6 grip, making the camera the same size and weight as a 1D series. The problem is that these friends aren't dedicated photographers plus they have kids and lugging a few kilos of equipment around is a bit difficult. The video mode is great feature for them though since they usually take small clips of their kids and not having to lug the camcorder around is a good thing.

If you look can Canon's US line-up shown below you can see that Canon has opened up their line-up a bit more, i.e. more tiers plus also to match Nikon in terms of the D300 & D300S. The Malaysian price conversion factor is roughly 3.85-3.9 times the US price.

You'll see the price ranges like this: Tier 1: $6999 and $3999 (1-Series). Tier 2: $2699 (5D Mark II), Tier 3: $1699 (7D), Tier 4: $1199, Tier 5: $700-900 (xxxD series/Rebels) and Tier 6: $599 (xxxxD series/Rebels).

So which tier has no video yet? The 1-Series of course and video is going there of course but that's out of this discussion. Next is the EOS-50D. While only a year old, it lacks video, and comes with a sensor that's not much better than the 40D. The thing is that the 500D actually trumps the 50D in the sense that it has the same sensor but has 1080 and 720 video! So of course if you're looking for a camera that ergonomically better than the 500D (that's the only reason why I won't get the xxxD series, but the 7D is a bit over your budget (or size & weight limits), then you're actually looking at the 50D. No video you say! Of course, so I think a 60D is definitely coming from the tier above. The only question is when? I mean Canon has a problem in terms of if they just dump video into the 60D, it's gonna look like the 500D. Well, they can but they might need to cut the price a bit then. Oh well, my 7D's coming when my 40D turns 3 in 6 months. Joy!


* The term DSLR or Digital SLR is a bit overused now considering the fact that most SLRs sold today are digital anyway. Just a pet peeve of mine that now every model has a "D" in there somewhere. 5D, 500D, D300, etc.

Yeah, this is a late posting. Was busy yesterday with an AsukaBook production plus and bunch of other things.
Of the recent releases from Canon, two are the most interesting; the 7D and the new 100mm macro lens. They still don't have a Panansonic TZ-7 equivalent so I'll still be picking that up in October. The EOS-7D adds two important elements, a better AF system and a built-in master flash commander (ala Nikon). The 60FPS 720P video also rocks. I'll probably get the 7D as a second body in Feb, once my 40D reaches it's 3-year cycle. I've got other photo things to get first which are more important. Not sure how the image quality will stack up with such a dense sensor.

I'm loving the smooth images that have a 3D-feel and the depth that my 5D Mark II produces... I might get a second body as well! However, my biggest want is a better flash than the 580EX II.

For previews of the 7D, you can drop by one of these sites:

DPReview

Rob Galbraith

Imaging Resource

Digital Camera Info

The digital camera industry today is churning out point & shoot cameras like no tomorrow. There are new models released by major manufacturers almost every six months. The real deal is that I find them so boring. Tweak here, tweak there. Raise the megapixel count or put in this silly feature. Nothing really appeals to me despite that I've been looking for a small camera since Chinese new Year this year. That means in the last six months, I've not found something that I really like.

What could I want in a small camera? My DSLRs churn out amazing image quality and superb full HD movies. Actually, I want a camera I can carry with me 24x7. So what's the current toss-up? Canon's SX200IS and Panasonic's TZ7 (ZS3). At this time, the TZ7 is a strong contender and I'm about 90% sure of getting it. Until of course recently, Panasonic just unveiled a bunch of new compacts. The FX60 looks strong as well. Since Canon usually releases around the third week of August and that's not very far away, I'll give myself another month before I jump into the fray

Wanted to post this earlier but time did not permit. Anyways, when we went on a Saturday, traffic to mid-valley mall was clear despite the heavy rain and there was ample parking. Touted as the Malaysia equivalent of Photokina or Photo Marketing Association (PMA) show, DCIM or Digital Camera, Imaging and Media show was a let-down. Some people wondered why Sony was absent. I don't consider Sony a digital camera player still (sorry, my bias!) despite them buying Konica-Minolta. Most of the display consisted of everyday products like memory cards, light boxes, printers and all that. One part of the area just had prints from magazine contests and a few other local photographers. They didn't even have prints from Malaysia's most awarded photographer! Anyways, even the Canon or Nikon booth was just a glorified display area with cameras for everyone to play with. No 500D or 270EX flash, nothing new like radio poppers or the new pocket wizard. The only thing there was a lot of were underweight, leggy women. Yup, the whole show seemed to revolve around the models. There was a model search and every day, a model parade will be held and more. People seemed to be coming for that, all equipped with ladders and all. All very ho-hum for me. I think they should have called in the Digital Camera and Model show.

Oh, well, just have three photos to share. So disappointing generally that my Mark II stayed in my Think Tank most of the time.

Fully pumped up (and out due to having a bad night yesterday and catching very little sleep) about the shoot tomorrow! Yes!! Looks like I need to figure out the video mode in a jiffy... 8Gb Sandisk Extreme IV cards standing by!

Time to head over to have a lip-smacking dim-sum breakfast, pick-up a new camera body and settle-in a roast goose dinner before the flight home? Crazy? Ambitious? I don't know yet as Canon Malaysia hasn't announced anything about availability here. Echo Photo & Audio has a nice price... let's hope Canon Malaysia doesn't disappoint otherwise, it'll be another Canon gastronomical adventure in HK. In case you didn't know, I got my EOS-40D in HK last year. The 5D Mark II sells at HK$19,500... it's about RM9,000. A full RM4,000 less than what the 5D launched at three years back!

Thanks Roland for the head's up!