The Camera Store Blog Posts

Nikon D800E Field Test with Nick Devlin

Jordan.Drake — Tue, 15 May 2012 04:34:41 +0000

Chris Niccolls and Nick Devlin compare the D800E to the Pentax 645D.

While shooting the D800 vs. 5D Mk III video series, Chris and I realized that we hadn't addressed one of the D800's key strengths, which was landscape photography. We were already struggling with the amount of shooting required for the three part D800 vs. 5D Mk III series but it seemed important to take a look at landscape work, which along with macro photography demands as much resolution as possible.

Fortunately, when the first batch of D800Es arrived, one of the first recipients was Nick Devlin, a good friend of the store and a fantastic landscape shooter. He has been shooting with a Pentax 645D for the last couple years, so we were excited to hear his thoughts on how the D800E compared. Nick graciously agreed to fly out to shoot a video with us, and the results are in the video seen here.

The weather was our major hurdle with this shoot. There was light rain at the start of the shoot, which didn't faze Chris and Nick, with their weather sealed cameras, but I was concerned with how my Panasonic AF100 would withstand the moisture. Fortunately, we didn't run into any issues, which was good, because the rain bag I brought didn't fit my camera when all the audio recording equipment was attached. Eventually the rain turned into snow, which was blowing directly into our lenses. You can see snow on my lens in a few shots. Chris and Nick proved themselves very adept with a lens cloth.

This shoot was my first test of the new SLR Magic HyperPrimes on my Panasonic AF100. These are very bright manual focus lenses for Micro 4/3 and NEX cameras, which have stepless aperture rings, a great feature for filmmakers. I brought along the 12mm F1.6, and 50mm F0.95 lenses. I found myself primarily using the 12mm, as I tend to shoot wide for run and and gun style shoots like this one. It was nice to be able to reduce my depth of field a bit, which is rare in an ultrawide lens and the colour and contrast was very nice. I was a bit less enamoured with the 50mm, as I didn't need the insanely bright F0.95 aperture, and the lens flare was very prominent. Next time I try the lens, I'll bring a hood.

For Nick's kit, along with the D800E he brought the Nikkor 70-200 F2.8 II, 16-35mm F4 VR, 85mm F1.8G, and 35mm F1.4G. He also brought along the Zeiss 21mm F2.8. For his 645D, Chris used the Pentax 55mm F2.8, 25mm F4, and 200mm F4 lenses.

I was surprised with the results of our shoot. I expected amazing resolution from the D800E due to the earlier test with the D800, but I was expecting issues with moire to appear frequently. However, our attempts to capture moire in the wilds of Alberta were totally unsuccessful. As expected the resolution was almost identical to the Pentax 645D. I've attached a RAW files from each camera for you to download and analyse. Chris and I look forward to hearing your thoughts on our YouTube Channel and Facebook page.

Faces & Places Photo Contest

Evelyn.Drake — Thu, 10 May 2012 18:36:09 +0000

Enter our Faces & Places Photo Contest on Facebook!

Upload your best photo of a cool place or an interesting face on Facebook!

Your assignment:

Upload your best photo of a place, or a face.
You can submit as many photos as you like.
Invite your friends.
Be friendly, vote on your favourite photos.
The deadline for entries is Midnight, May 19 2012.

Prizes:
The winner will receive a Pentax RZ10 compact digital camera with case! Our panel of judges will select the winner and we will also award prizes to the honorable mention entries for each category.

We are also currently running the Bow Valley SPCA Photo Contest until June 15th, 2012.

May is Canon Month!

Evelyn.Drake — Wed, 09 May 2012 17:48:25 +0000

May is Canon Month with great rebates and special promos!

May is Canon Month with great rebates and special promos including:

Free Lens Pen w/ cloth with any Canon Lens Purchase*
Free Video Starter Kit Tripod w/bag & Camcorder Bag with Canon Video Camera Purchase*
Free Essentials Kit 7”tripod/memory wallet/lcd & lens cloth with any Canon DSLR or Powershot Purchase*

* Free items will be offered with purchases listed above while supplies last until May. 31st, 2012

We also have Canon Speedlite Accessory Kits Avaialble at Great Prices!

The Canon 200SR Accessory kit for $399.75 includes:

Canon Speedlite 430EX II Flash
Canon LP-E6 Rechargeable Lithium Ion Battery
Canon 200SR Medium DSLR Shoulder Bag

The Canon 100SR Accessory kit for $299.74 includes:

Canon Speedlite 320EX Flash
Canon LP-E8 Rechargeable Lithium Ion Battery
Canon 100SR Small DSLR Shoulder Bag

Special Events:

May 19th, 2012 - Meet a Canon Rep!
Canon Canada Rep Russell Brown will be at The Camera Store on Saturday May 19th to answer all your Canon Specific Questions!

May 25th & May 26th - Free Canon DSLR Maintenance/Cleaning Clinic
All Appointments are Now Full - Email: evelyn@thecamerastore.com to be added to the waiting list.
Canon technician Michel Losier will be performing free 15 minute maintenance/cleaning appointments for Canon DSLR camera gear in-store. Take advantage of this rare opportunity to have your Canon DSLR camera or accessories cleaned and inspected by a professional Canon technician.

Adobe CS6 is coming soon.

manager — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 19:29:38 +0000

Adobe CS6 is coming soon. Don’t miss this limited-time offer to upgrade at current prices.

Adobe is running a special upgrade offer for Creative Suite users. Upgrade to CS 5.5 by May 6th and receive the CS 6 upgrade for free. It's the last chance for CS 2 users to upgrade, after May 6th CS 2 users will have to pay the full suite price.

See the attached PDF for further details.

Blog File:

Adobe CS Upgrade Promo PDF

Nikon D3200 Announced

Evelyn.Drake — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 18:39:19 +0000

Nikon has just announced the D3200, an entry-level DSLR.

The new Nikon D3200 was just announced which is an entry-level DSLR featuring a 24.2 MP DX-format CMOS sensor, sensor that excels in any light, EXPEED 3 image-processing for fast operation and creative in-camera effects, Full HD (1080p) movie recording, in-camera tutorials and much more. What does this mean for you? Simply stunning photos and videos in any setting. And now, with Nikon's optional Wireless Mobile Adapter, you can share those masterpieces instantly with your Smartphone or tablet.

Offical Nikon Press Release

The Nikon D3200 will also be available in red.

D800 vs Medium Format with Roth and Ramberg

Evelyn.Drake — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 14:38:08 +0000

How does the Nikon D800 compare to the medium format Hasselblad H4D-40?

With its groundbreaking image quality for a 35mm digital camera, the Nikon D800 has been compared to digital medium format camera systems. To look into these comparisons The Camera Store's Chris Niccolls went out with Michelle Ramberg and Dale Roth better known in the photograpgy world as Roth and Ramberg to compare the D800 to a Hasselblad, widely considered the best digital cameras ever produced.

See how the D800 stacks up against the Hasselblad H4D-40 in this extensive test.

Special Thanks to Dale Roth, Michelle Ramberg, London Barbers, Mark Langridge and the talented crew that made this shoot possible.

Please note that YouTube compression may make it difficult to see small differences in image quality. Trust Dale and Michelle.

Shot and Edited by Jordan Drake
Filmed on a Panasonic AF100

Nikon J1 Radio Ad

manager — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 22:21:16 +0000

tcsj1ad2.mp3

Here's our latest radio ad for the Nikon J1.

Press the play button above to hear our latest radio ad for the Nikon J1 that was featured on X92.9 in Calgary. You can also check out our TV Commercial on our Youtube Channel.

The Nikon J1 is designed for your very mobile lifestyle with the freedom to create and express as never before with interchangable lenses. Highly compact and portable, the Nikon 1 J1 goes everywhere you go. It also comes in a great selection of colours - yes, including Pink!

Canon 5D Mark III vs. Nikon D800 Part 2 with Mike Drew

Evelyn.Drake — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 16:53:34 +0000

For the second part of our D800 vs 5D Mk III shootout, we went out with photojournalist Mike Drew to shoot a horse cutting competition.

For the second part of our D800 vs 5D Mk III shootout, we went out with photojournalist Mike Drew to shoot a horse cutting competition. Mike and The Camera Store's Chris Niccolls take a look at how these two cameras can handle fast action in extremely low light. We also see how the JPEG processing compares to the RAW files.

Special thanks to Mike Drew and Candice Edwards.
Shot and Edited by Jordan Drake
Filmed on the Panasonic AF100

Introducing the new Panasonic LUMIX DMC-GF5

Evelyn.Drake — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 19:39:02 +0000

New Ultra Compact Digital Interchangeable Lens System Camera LUMIX GF5 for Unlimited Artistic Expression

"Panasonic unveils new digital interchangeable lens system camera LUMIX DMC-GF5 for the latest member of LUMIX G Micro System. Designed in sophisticated profile of ultra-compact body, the new DMC-GF5 features higher image quality even in high sensitivity. In addition to the basic features desired for the DSLR cameras including quick, accurate auto focus system, DMC-GF5 features a host of options that makes photography even more artistic yet easy – enjoyable enough for users stepped up from digital compact cameras. Complying with Micro Four Thirds standard, a wide range of interchangeable lenses is offered to expand photographic experience even wider at higher level of photo quality.

New 12.1-Megapixel Live MOS Sensor and Venus Engine True Picture Quality

The DMC-GF5 is a stylish camera in compact size but the fundamental performance as a digital interchangeable lens system camera is excellent. DMC-GF5 incorporates newly developed 12.1-megapixel Live MOS which features high sensitivity signal processing. Optimization of on-chip filter realizes image recording with even higher sensitivity at max. ISO12800 (extended). Both photodiode circuit and readout circuit are also optimized to minimize noise generation through processing to readout. Furthermore, newly added NR circuit completes Panasonic's excellent noise reduction system that thoroughly removes noise left at final processing stage."

Read the official press release and specifications from Panasonic Global.

Introducing the new Canon EOS 60Da for Astronomy Enthusiasts

Evelyn.Drake — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 15:59:24 +0000

This new DSLR caters to astronomers and hobbyists.

Canon just released the Canon EOS 60Da that is optimized for astronomy photography. This DSLR caters to astronomers and hobbyists who enjoy capturing the beauty of the night sky by offering a modified infrared filter and a low-noise sensor with heightened hydrogen-alpha sensitivity. These modifications allow the camera to capture magnificent photographs of “red hydrogen emission” nebulae and other cosmic phenomena.

Read the official press release from Canon Canada