Autumn in NY

[RSO 34]

Although it was a cold and cloudy day today, I figured I would try out my new toy, a Canon 20D, to shoot the changing colors in town. We may be lamenting the fact that our NSXs in the Northeast are about to be tucked away until Spring but you have to admire the foliage show we get in this area.
http://photography.robertondrovic.com/gallery/261611/1/10310861

 

[Acura NsX Pilot]

Great pics Bob.....I was on a Bear Mountain drive today and will post a few of mine which are pale in camparison to your work. I have a question thou .... What differences do you notice right away from the old cam to the new one and your overall first impressions of the 20D

 

[Acura NsX Pilot]

Here are a few more I snapped up. There not perfect but here ya go.

 

[Acura NsX Pilot]

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[Acura NsX Pilot]

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[RSO 34]

What differences do you notice right away from the old cam to the new one and your overall first impressions of the 20D

The biggest difference, which I am not really fond of, is the fact that unless I am shooting in a "creative zone" I cannot choose the iso or shoot in Raw mode. Any auto setting results in the camera deciding the best iso between 100-400. I would prefer to leave the iso on one setting chosen by me but I guess I can get used to the camera changing it depending upon how lazy I am in using those zones.

The other difference is the need to use larger CF cards because of the storage requirements of an 8.3mp camera compared to my D60 which is a 6.3mp. I had not done the math before but the 30% increase in megapixels results in approximately 30% less photos on a card. A blank 1 gig card now estimates around 250 photos whereas my other camera estimates approximately 430. Also, because of the camera is choosing iso's in the auto zones you have less control over the number of shots because the faster the iso, the fewer the photos that will fit. At least B&H has great prices on the Lexar cards which have rebates through the end of this month. For example, a 1gig 80x is only $69 after the rebate.

I also like the new feature that allows me to shoot any compressed jpeg size simultaneously with a raw file. It takes up more space on the card but it is nice to have the option of working with a raw file while automatically having one that will work right out of the camera.

Probably the best new feature for me, especially with track shooting, is the continuous burst rate which I believe will let me run off approximately 23 continuous shots compared to 8 with my D60. I have not had the chance to try it out yet but that is a great increase for action photography.

I have only had it for a couple of days so I will need to play with it a lot more before I get a real handle on any differences to see a true comparison to my older one.

 

[RPM217]

Bob, beautiful pictures, boy your dog sure got big!!! Enjoy the new camera, hope that the Mrs is feeling better, she obviously let you out of the house this weekend!!!!

 

[thedon67]

Shhhh. She thinks Bob was moving the lawn.

 

[Acura NsX Pilot]

Shhhh. She thinks Bob was moving the lawn.

He must of just bought a new mower with silencer pipes also then..lol

 

[TonyD]

Bob,

Great pictures, but I will give the credit to mother nature
I'm stuck down at Fort Benning, GA til the end of the week, I don't think the trees turn color here, but I wish I had brought my camera with me as the sunsets have been beautiful almost every night
The storm clouds during a tornado watch last week were also a potential great picture. Oh well, maybe next time I will have the camera with me...

I am curious why you only made a 2megapixel jump instead of something like your brothers plans on upgrading to a 12.4 megapixel camera? I would have expected you to perhaps move up to the Canon EOS-1Ds or 1Ds Mark II...

 

[RSO 34]

I was looking to upgrade but keep the old body as a backup for certain shoots. When Canon releases the 1DsMarkII its street price will be around $8000. Even with all the money I spend on equipment that is too steep. I was thinking about getting it when it dropped below $5000 but that is at least 18 months away.

The problem with such an upgrade is the need to get many CF cards probably in the 4gig range because of the massive storage needs for files that large. Also, until photo web hosts are able to handle files like that I would not be able to upload full res shots. I think smugmug, for example, limits individual files to 8mb and if I do any photoshop editing and save the it to the best res my current shots all exceed 9mb with just the 20d.

The current price of the 20d made it a decent buy for me for my needs so I figured it would hold me over until the 1DsMarkII became "affordable." My D60 has been used for over 20,000 shots since I got it in March 2002 and at some point it will need an overhaul so it was getting to be time to a new body anyway.

 

[ondrovic]

The resolution of the sensor after 6MP or so is, most of the time, really very secondary to the quality of your glass (and your ability to compose well, focus properly, etc) ....

To truly approximate the resolution of something like a low speed Kodachrome, you're talking 24-30 MP anyway. For print sizes below 16x24 (with properly lit/exposed/focused subjects) you don't "need" that much resolution and the native image sizes are gonna be really huge.

Don't get sucked into the "my sensor has more mp's than yours" especially if you're shooting poorly lit subjects with consumer grade glass (or using *any* point -n- shoot camera)- you'll just end up with a larger, yet still mediocre, image.

Spend your money on pro glass first, even on a lower end camera.

 

[Nsx Service Girl]

Wow Bob, those are just gorgeous! I'm so envious. You know how it is here in Texas, it goes from HOT to Hot to HOT then to rainy, then all the leaves turn brown and fall off. Thank you for sharing
Susan

 

[RSO 34]

Here are some more shots as I practiced with the new camera on a clear evening a couple of hours ago.

 

[RSO 34]

Well the sun went down and the local colors could no longer be seen but the moonrise makes a nice autumn evening show as well.

 

[NSXLNT]

Bob, great shots. Tomorrow night you can get another of the moon, but at full eclipse.