Dan Allen Cameras & Lenses

Cameras & Lenses

Here is a tabular history of the cameras and lenses that I have owned. My progression looks like this:

Dan Allen's Camera and Lens History

     Canon EF                July 9, 1974 to 1981
     Minox 35EL              1978 to 1981
     Leica M2                1981
     Canon New F-1           1982
     Leica R3                1983
     Canon EOS 650           Mar 1987 to Dec 1988
     Nikon N8008             Nov  9, 1988 to Nov 1989
     Canon EOS RT            Dec 1989 to Jan 1991
     Canon T90               May  7, 1990 to Jan 1991
     Nikon N6006             Nov 27, 1990 to Mar 1992
     Canon EOS Elan          Dec 24, 1991 to the present (a film camera if needed)
     Canon EOS-1N            May 16, 1998 to Aug 15, 2002
     Kodak DC-280            Dec  6, 1999 to Jun 23, 2001
     Pentax 6x7 II           Mar 20, 2000 to Aug 15, 2002
     Kodak DC-4800           Mar  7, 2001 to Nov  1, 2003
     Canon PowerShot G3      Nov  6, 2002 to Apr 12, 2009
     Nikon D70               Apr 29, 2004 to May 30, 2008
     Canon PowerShot S410    Apr 12, 2005 to May  8, 2005
     Canon PowerShot S500    May 27, 2005 to Sep 10, 2007
     Nikon D200              Nov 14, 2006 to May 30, 2008
     Canon PowerShot SD870   Sep 11, 2007 to Apr 21, 2009
     Apple iPhone            Feb 27, 2008 to Sep  8, 2010 (retired)
     Canon EOS 40D           Jun 19, 2008 to the present (still use it once in a while)
     Panasonic Lumix TZ5     Apr 22, 2009 to Dec 27, 2009 (retired)
     Panasonic Lumix ZS3     Dec 30, 2009 to Jul  5, 2012 (retired)
     Apple iPhone 4          Sep  8, 2010 to Oct 15, 2011 (retired)
     Nikon FM2               Aug  2, 2011 to the present (my father's film camera)
     Apple iPhone 4S         Oct 15, 2011 to Sep 23, 2014 (retired)
     Panasonic Lumix ZS10    Jul 23, 2012 to Dec 12, 2016 (dust on the sensor precludes using it any more)
     GoPro Hero 3 Black Ed   Mar 28, 2014 to the present (the worst UI of any modern product; I hate using it!)
     Apple iPhone 6          Sep 23, 2014 to Feb 22, 2018 (retired)
     Nikon W300              Dec 25, 2017 to the present (batteries often dead, rarely used)
     Apple iPhone 7 Plus     Feb 22, 2018 to Sep 24, 2019 (still use it rarely)
     Nikon D3400             Jul  8, 2018 to the present (great images, small viewfinder)
     Apple iPhone 11 Pro     Sep 24, 2019 to the present (most used)
     Canon EOS R             May  4, 2021 to the present (excellent colors, beautiful large viewfinder & screen)
 
     15mm f/2.8 Fisheye      Canon FD - 1974 to 1981
     15mm f/2.8 Fisheye      Canon EF - Jan 11, 2000 to Aug 15, 2002
     24mm f/2.8              Canon FD - 1974 to 1981
     28mm f/2.8              Canon FD - 2: 1974; May 7, 1990 to Jan 1991
     28mm f/2.8 Elmarit      Leica R  - 1983
     35mm f/1.8 G            Nikon AF-S DX - May 5, 2020 to present
     35mm f/1.8 IS Macro STM Canon RF - Dec 24, 2021 to present
     35mm f/2.0 Summicron    Leica M  - 1981
     35mm f/2.8              Canon FD - 1982
     45mm f/2.8 TS-E         Canon EF - May 14, 1998 to Aug 15, 2002
     50mm f/1.4              Canon FD - 2: 1982; May 7, 1990 to Jan 1991
     50mm f/1.4 Summilux     Leica M  - 1981
     50mm f/1.4 D            Nikon AF - April 29, 2004 to May 30, 2008
     50mm f/1.8              Canon EF - 2: 1987-1988; Jul 1, 1992 to present
     50mm f/1.8              Nikon AI - 2011 to present
     50mm f/1.8 STM          Canon RF - May 4, 2021 to present
     50mm f/3.5 Macro        Canon FD - 1974 to 1981
     55mm f/4.0              Pentax 67 - Mar 30, 2000 to Aug 15, 2002
     60mm f/2.8 Micro        Nikon AF - Nov 27, 1990 to 1992
     60mm f/2.8 Macro        Canon EF-S - 2008 to present (Jun 19, 2008?)
     85mm f/1.2 L            Canon FD - May 7, 1990 to Jan 1991
     85mm f/1.8 USM          Canon EF - May 16, 1998 to present (AF died 8/2016)
     85mm f/1.8              Nikon AF - 2: Nov 9, 1988 to 1989; Mar 19, 1991 to 1992
     85mm f/1.8              Canon FD - 1974 to 1981
     85mm f/2.8 PC Micro     Nikon AI - Aug 30, 2005 to May 30, 2008 (stops down to f/45!)
     90mm f/2.0 Summicron    Leica R  - 1983
     90mm f/2.8 Elmar        Leica M  - 1981
    100mm f/2.0 USM          Canon EF - Apr 14, 1992 to 1998
    100mm f/2.8              Canon FD - 1974 to 1975
    105mm f/2.4              Pentax 67 - Mar 20, 2000 to Aug 15, 2002
    135mm f/2.0 L USM        Canon EF - April 27, 2021 to present
    300mm f/2.8 L USM        Canon EF - 2: Mar 9, 1999 to Aug 15, 2002; Jun 10, 2024 to present (flourite!)
    300mm f/4.0 ED-IF        Nikon AF - May 8, 1989 to 1992
    300mm f/5.6              Canon FD - 1982
    450mm f/8                Soligor FD - 1974 to 1981
    500mm f/8 Mirror         Tamron FD - 1988 to 1990
  12-24mm f/4.0 G ED         Nikon AF-S DX - Nov 7, 2006 to May 30, 2008
  17-35mm f/2.8 L USM        Canon EF - May 4, 2000 to Aug 15, 2002
  17-55mm f/2.8 USM          Canon EF-S - Jun 19, 2008 to present
  18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR      Nikon AF-P DX - Jul 18, 2018 to present
  18-70mm f/3.5-4.5 G ED     Nikon AF-S DX - Apr 29, 2004 to May 30, 2008
 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 G ED VR  Nikon AF-S DX - 2006 to May 30, 2008
  20-35mm f/3.5-4.5 USM      Canon EF - Jul 11, 1996 to May 26, 2000
  24-50mm f/3.3-4.5          Nikon AF - Nov 9, 1988 to 1992
 24-105mm f/4.0 L IS USM     Canon RF - May 4, 2021 to present
  28-70mm f/2.8 L USM        Canon EF - May 17, 2000 to Aug 15, 2002
  28-70mm f/3.5-4.5 II       Canon EF - Dec 21, 1989 to Jan 1991
  28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 USM      Canon EF - Dec 24, 1991 to present
  35-70mm f/3.3-4.5          Nikon AF - Dec 1, 1990 to 1992
 35-105mm f/3.5-4.5          Canon EF - Dec 1989 to Jan 1991
 35-135mm f/3.5-4.5          Nikon AF - May 8, 1989 to 1992
 50-135mm f/3.5              Canon FD - May 30, 1990 to Jan 1991
 50-135mm f/3.5              Nikon AI - 2011 to present
 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED VR II  Nikon AF-S DX - Jul 18, 2018 to present
 55-250mm f/4.5-5.6 IS       Canon EF-S - Jun 19, 2008 to present
 70-200mm f/2.8L USM         Canon EF - Jun 29, 1996 to Aug 15, 2002
 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 D ED     Nikon AF - Apr 29, 2004 to May 30, 2008
 75-300mm f/4.5-5.6          Nikon AF - Dec 1, 1990 to 1992
100-300mm f/5.6 L            Canon EF - 2: 1989 to 1991; Apr 30, 2021 to present (flourite!)
100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS         Canon RF - May 20, 2022 to present


Camera and Lens Usage by Year

From most to least used, by year:

Shots Taken 1999
 135 : Kodak DC 280

Shots Taken 2000
1398 : Kodak DC 280

Shots Taken 2001
2914 : Kodak DC 4800

Shots Taken 2002
1906 : Kodak DC 4800
 387 : Canon G3

Shots Taken 2003
2910 : Canon G3

Shots Taken 2004
2910 : Canon G3
1031 : Nikon AF-S DX 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED
 456 : Nikon AF 70-300mm f/4-5.6D ED
 133 : Nikon AF 50mm f/1.4D

Shots Taken 2005
1615 : Nikon AF-S DX 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED
 554 : Canon G3
 318 : Nikon AF 70-300mm f/4-5.6D ED
 281 : Nikon AF-S DX VR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED
 165 : Nikon PC Micro 85mm f/2.8D
  39 : Nikon AF 50mm f/1.4D

Shots Taken 2006
2532 : Nikon AF-S DX VR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED
 156 : Canon G3
 140 : Nikon AF 50mm f/1.4D
  84 : Nikon AF 70-300mm f/4-5.6D ED
  75 : Nikon AF-S DX 12-24mm f/4G IF-ED
  48 : Nikon PC Micro 85mm f/2.8D
   3 : Nikon AF-S DX 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED

Shots Taken 2007
1926 : Canon SD870
1094 : Nikon AF-S DX VR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED
 892 : Nikon AF-S DX 12-24mm f/4G IF-ED
 416 : Nikon AF-S DX 17-55mm f/2.8G IF-ED
 402 : Canon G3
 173 : Nikon AF-S DX 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED
 110 : Nikon AF 70-300mm f/4-5.6D ED
  86 : Nikon AF 50mm f/1.4D
  50 : Nikon PC Micro 85mm f/2.8D

Shots Taken 2008
3853 : Canon SD870
 909 : Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS
 832 : Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM
 654 : Apple iPhone
 448 : Nikon AF-S DX 17-55mm f/2.8G IF-ED
 210 : Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM
 170 : Nikon AF-S DX 12-24mm f/4G IF-ED
  53 : Canon EF 50mm f/1.8
  50 : Nikon AF-S DX VR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED
  43 : Nikon AF 70-300mm f/4-5.6D ED
  31 : Canon EF 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 USM
  14 : Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM
   1 : Nikon AF 50mm f/1.4D
   1 : Nikon PC Micro 85mm f/2.8D

Shots Taken 2009
6000 : Panasonic TZ5
 415 : Apple iPhone
 411 : Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM
 382 : Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS
 133 : Canon SD870
  66 : Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM
  36 : Panasonic ZS3

Shots Taken 2010
3724 : Panasonic ZS3
1213 : Apple iPhone 4
 466 : Apple iPhone
 223 : Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS
 201 : Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM
  45 : Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM
  15 : Canon EF 50mm f/1.8

Shots Taken 2011
2795 : Panasonic ZS3
2601 : Apple iPhone 4
1089 : Apple iPhone 4S
  45 : Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS
  41 : Canon EF 50mm f/1.8
  31 : Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM
   4 : Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM

Shots Taken 2012
4184 : Apple iPhone 4S
3662 : Panasonic ZS10
1022 : Panasonic ZS3
 132 : Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS
  34 : Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM
   4 : Canon EF 50mm f/1.8

Shots Taken 2013
2892 : Apple iPhone 4S
1679 : Panasonic ZS10
 233 : Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM
 103 : Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS

Shots Taken 2014
2340 : Apple iPhone 4S
1065 : Panasonic ZS10
 661 : Apple iPhone 6
  13 : Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS
   9 : Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM
   1 : Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM

Shots Taken 2015
2642 : Apple iPhone 6
 655 : Panasonic ZS10
 186 : Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS
  63 : Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM
  45 : Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM
   9 : Canon EF 50mm f/1.8
   4 : Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM
   1 : Canon EF 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 USM

Shots Taken 2016
2571 : Apple iPhone 6
 705 : Panasonic ZS10
 696 : Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS
 130 : Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM
  21 : Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM
  18 : Canon EF 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 USM
  13 : Canon EF 50mm f/1.8
   7 : Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM

Shots Taken 2017
2790 : Apple iPhone 6
 326 : Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS
  99 : Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM
  93 : Nikon W300
   9 : Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM
   9 : Canon EF 50mm f/1.8

Shots Taken 2018
2436 : Apple iPhone 7 Plus
1026 : Nikon AF-S DX 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED VR II
 550 : Nikon W300
 488 : Nikon AF-P DX 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR
 144 : Apple iPhone 6
  23 : Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS
  10 : Apple iPad Air
   8 : Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM

Shots Taken 2019
1960 : Apple iPhone 11 Pro
1696 : Apple iPhone 7 Plus
 365 : Nikon AF-P DX 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR
 121 : Nikon W300
  47 : Nikon AF-S DX 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED VR II
  39 : Apple iPad Pro
  18 : Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM
   2 : Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM

Shots Taken 2020
2665 : Apple iPhone 11 Pro
 163 : Nikon AF-S DX 35mm f/1.8G
 112 : Nikon AF-S DX 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED VR II
  50 : Nikon AF-P DX 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G
  39 : Nikon W300
  16 : Apple iPhone 7 Plus
   4 : Apple iPad Pro

Shots Taken 2021
2003 : Apple iPhone 11 Pro
 557 : Canon RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM
 182 : Nikon AF-P DX 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G
  73 : Nikon AF-S DX 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED VR II
  52 : Canon RF 50mm f/1.8 STM
  42 : Nikon W300
  31 : Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro IS STM
  27 : Canon EF 135mm f/2L USM
  26 : Canon EF 100-300mm f/5.6L
  23 : Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM
  21 : Nikon AF-S DX 35mm f/1.8G
  16 : Apple iPhone 7 Plus
  10 : Apple iPad Pro
  10 : Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS
   1 : Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM

Shots Taken 2022
1672 : Apple iPhone 11 Pro
 301 : Canon RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM
 166 : Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro IS STM
  92 : Canon RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM
  69 : Nikon AF-S DX 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED VR II
  39 : Nikon W300
  27 : Canon EF 135mm f/2L USM
  17 : Canon EF 100-300mm f/5.6L
   8 : Nikon AF-S DX 35mm f/1.8G
   6 : Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS
   4 : Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM
   3 : Canon RF 50mm f/1.8 STM

Shots Taken 2023
1656 : Apple iPhone 11 Pro
 541 : Canon RF 24-105mm f4L IS USM
 466 : Nikon AF-P DX 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G
 270 : Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro IS STM
 239 : Canon RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM
 130 : Canon EF 135mm f/2L USM
  70 : Canon RF 50mm f/1.8 STM
  60 : Canon EF 100-300mm f/5.6L
  22 : Nikon W300
   7 : Nikon AF-S DX 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED VR II
   4 : Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM
   1 : Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM

Shots Taken 2024
1190 : Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro IS STM
 816 : Apple iPhone 11 Pro
 338 : Canon RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM
 284 : Canon RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM
 124 : Nikon W300
  89 : AF-P DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G
  86 : Canon RF 50mm f/1.8 STM
  36 : Canon EF 135mm f/2L USM
  26 : Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM
  21 : Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM
  12 : Canon EF 100-300mm f/5.6L
  11 : Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L USM
   6 : Nikon AF-S DX 35mm f/1.8G

Note to self - these stats generated by:
  cd ~/Docs/Picts/Digital
  ls 2024*/iPhone11_* | wc
  ls 2024*/NikonW* | wc
  exiftool 2024*/NikonD* | grep 'Lens ID' | topten -c
  exiftool 2024*/Canon* | grep 'Lens ID' | topten -c

Camera Reflections

August 6, 2024 Thoughts

Years ago I had a New Canon F-1 for a year. It is probably the best built camera I have ever owned. It was amazing. I only had it for a year because it was so expensive I really could not afford it while I was at college, so I had to sell it.

For that one year, I had a camera outfit with these three lenses:

In retrospect, for what I like to do, that was a great set of three lenses! A 35mm for seeing the world, a fast 50mm for portraits, and a 300mm for wildlife, boats, and airplanes. It was a great trio, and at the time, they were all very affordable. None were the top in their category, yet they served well. None were big or heavy either.

In the spirit of that, I am now really enjoying my RF lenses:

They are a joy to use. The RF 35 is compact, and is a natural for walking about and seeing the world. I really like the 35mm focal length. It can be used for portraits - especially group portraits - and it can be used for macro shots of flowers, and small tech objects. It is very versatile, and is my most used lens this year.

Compared to my old FD 35mm, the RF 35/1.8 has many improvements: it is faster (f/1.8 vs f/2.8), has a maximum magnification of 0.5 rather than 0.13, and with its IS can be hand held down to half a second! However, it is quite a bit larger and heavier (305 grams vs 165 grams.) Overall, the RF lens is a very nice upgrade as a successor to the FD 35.

The RF 50mm f/1.8 is so small, and it delivers terrific image quality when shooting at f/5.6-8. I could do without it now that I know how versatile the RF 35 is.

The RF 24-105 is heavy. Picture quality is quite good. The range is useful, but I had it to do over, I would follow Ken Rockwell's advice and get the RF 24-240 instead, for its longer range.

The RF 100-400 continues to impress. Not only is the lens small and light for what it is, but the results are gorgeous. It does have 1 UD element and 1 aspheric element, which formerly would have given it an L rating. It is slow, but with moderate ISO values it is fine for normal sunny days handheld due to its image stabilization (IS) feature. I do not think a 70-200 lens would be very fun to use after using this, because 300-400mm is so much better than 200mm for so many subjects.

The FD 300mm f/5.6 weighed 635 grams, and the new RF 100-400? It weighs exactly 635 grams too! The FD was a stop faster, while the RF has a full telephoto zoom range, and a UD element as well, so it is a great successor.

This month I bought on eBay a used Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L USM for $1400. What a beautiful lens! I have not got a chance to use it much yet, but it is so large and heavy that it makes the RF 100-400mm really look that much more amazing.

In fact, I could get by quite well with just two lenses:

Wide, macro, and fast in the 35mm, and a nice lightweight and useful telephoto zoom for the rest. Having said that, I would like to do more portraiture with my EF 135mm f/2L, and perhaps that would be my third lens.

Photo Viewing
I do my serious photo reviewing and editing on my Apple iMac 27". Its display is remarkable, with 5120 x 2880 pixels. My iPhone 11 Pro images are 4032 x 3024 pixels, so they are not very sharp on this screen. My Canon EOS R images are 6720 x 4480 pixels, so they look nice and crisp on this screen. A Canon EOS R5 has 8192 x 5464 pixels, so that would give more room for zooming & cropping, while a Hasselblad X2D 100C would have 11656 x 8742 pixels. Now we're talking!

Until Apple upgrades the iMac 27" - perhaps an iMac 30" with an M4 Pro? - I am content with my Intel iMac 27".

Feb 3, 2023 Thoughts

I now have a decent EOS R system, with four native RF lenses: I have a lot to learn about using the EOS R properly. The focus was often poor, but I reset the camera and I am using Servo autofocus more and things are improving. The EF 135mm f/2.0L has turned in some beautiful shots recently, as well as the RF 35mm f/1.8 IS Macro.

I do not want to like the RF 100-400 due to its being so slow, but it turns in such nice results! It is small and light, and I think it really does an excellent job.

My iPhone 11 Pro continues to get used the most due to its always being with me, and it often gets better closeup photos than my Macro lenses. I have yet to great a great photo with my EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro, but I need to work more with it.

July 8, 2021 Thoughts

Tomorrow will be 47 years since I bought my first camera, a Canon EF. It was a great camera. A few months ago I bought into Canon's new mirrorless system, buying a Canon EOS R. I got two RF lenses: an RF 50mm f/1.8 STM, and the RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM. The 24-105 is really a terrific lens. I also got the EF/RF adapter, so I can use my eight EF lenses.

I was really quite saddened earlier this year when I learned of great lenses being discontinued, such as the EF 135mm f/2.0L USM, so I bought one. The EF 300mm f/2.8L IS is also gone, and the Nikon AF-S 200mm f/2, both phenomenal lenses. No modern replacements have been announced, which might mean the era of fast large glass is also over. The EF and AF-S worlds are dying. Sigh.

So I am moving into the mirrorless age. I will need a long-tele at some point, perhaps the RF 100-500mm, but I can use another recent aquisition, a used EF 100-300mm f/5.6L in the meantime.

November 30, 2019 Thoughts

On my recent trip to Germany, I took 233 pictures with my new Nikon D3400. Only 25 of these were with the long zoom, the other 208 being with the 27-83mm. (These are 35mm equivalents.) I took 1,101 pictures with my new iPhone 11 Pro.

The Nikon photos are better when there is a lot of light, but the iPhone 11 Pro is terrific in low-light now, and while its three cameras offer 14mm f/2.4, 26mm f/1.8, and 52mm f/2.0, it can also digitally zoom to 270mm. There is a lot of noise in the zoomed shots. The ultra-wide 14mm is not very sharp outside of the center. The 26mm and 52mm however are really quite good. I wish the iPhone had an optical 300mm rather than the 14mm.

The handwriting is on the wall for DSLRs as smartphone cameras get better and better. The crux of the issue is that DSLRs are too big and cumbersome. Canon & Nikon need to make a small multi-lens camera that blows away the iPhone. 12 megapixels are not enough for me. The Nikon's 24 megapixel images look a lot sharper on my 5K monitor. My dream would be a camera with 24mm f/2.0, 50mm f/1.4, 100mm f/2.0, and 300mm f/5.6.

July 18, 2018 Thoughts

For once in my life I decided to try and take a budget approach. After reading Ken Rockwell's pages about cameras, I decided to get back into Nikon, so today I got for $698 a Nikon D3400 with two zoom lenses for my trip to Australia. The Nikon AF-S DX 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED VR II is so small and light for an 82-300mm zoom. It will be great for wildlife. The Nikon AF-P DX 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR is a 27-82mm with great macro capabilities, an all-arounder.

The 6000 x 4000 pixel (24 megapixel) images are nice!

2017 Thoughts

I have enjoyed using different kinds of cameras over the years. I think the best quality camera gear ever made was Canon in the early 1980s, with their F-1n and T-90 cameras, and FD lenses. Their mid-1970s FL-F lenses were phenomenal: the FL-F 300mm f/5.6 FLOURITE and FL-F 500mm f/5.6 FLOURITE were so solid.

If I could have a cost no-object current system, I'd have:

That is a $17,350 camera outfit! However, this is too expensive for my real needs, so I am considering a different outfit:

That is $2,905 out of pocket, or a total of $4,700. Perhaps still too much, but better. This would upgrade my 8 year old EOS 40D camera nicely, but adding 3 more EF-S lenses that will not work with a full-frame body like the 5D may not be the best route. If I don't plan to do much video work, then many of these lenses are not needed. The EF-S 10-18, EF-S 24mm, EF 50/f1.8 STM, and EF-S 18-135 lenses offer silent focusing which is useful for video work. Utilizing what I already have leaves a modestly upgraded outfit:

This requires an outlay of only $1,350 and I have the basics covered, to wit:


The rest of this web page is here for historical context. It was written in 2001-2003.

Canon PowerShot G3 - 4 megapixel camera

Digital Camera Recommendations

By Dan Allen

Background

I have been a photographer since 1974. I have owned many different Canon, Nikon, and Leica cameras. I have been using computers since 1975. Having digital photos has been something that I have wanted for many years, but the number one problem for me has been image quality. Digital cameras for the first many years were terrible. They are now in the decent to interesting range. Soon they will dominate film, and then film will be only part of history, like reel-to-reel and cassette tape recorders are now.

In 1999 I owned an amazing Canon EOS-1n system with the following lenses:

I also had a Pentax 6x7 II for scenics and other work that requires large negatives. (2 1/4" x 2 3/4") I had both the standard 105mm f/2.4 and the 55mm f/4 lenses.

But I do not shoot film anymore! I sold the Canon outfit and the 6x7 in August of 2002, and I've gone digital.

Canon CanoScan FS-2710 film scanner - works with Macs and PCs.  Price: $700.

Scanners

I have two flat bed scanners (a Canon FB630U and a HP ScanJet 5p) and a Canon CanoScan FS-2710 35mm film scanner. This last scanner allows me to scan in 35mm slides and negatives at 2710 pixels per inch, much better than the 600-1200 pixels per inch that the flatbed scanners allow. More importantly slide scanners support a wider gamma range (range of film densities) so they keep a larger gradient of tones.
Note: pixels per inch (PPI), lines per inch (LPI), and dots per inch (DPI) are sometimes treated the same, but othertimes they are very different. See this article for more info. A line of resolution generally requires 2X the number of pixels.

Example: Kodachrome delivers 4000 lines of resolution vertically in 24mm, the height of a 35mm slide.

4000 lines / 24mm = 166 lines / mm resolution
166 lines / mm * 2 pixels / line = 333 pixels / mm required to scan for printing
333 pixels / mm * 25.4 mm / inch = 8466 pixels / inch required to scan a slide accurately

Kodachrome 25, the finest slide film every made?  It gave over 4000 lines of resolution. Note:Kodachrome 25 was discontinued in December 2001.

Do you want to see a large 1494 x 1024 pixel JPEG (256KB) which gives you a taste of what a slide scanner can achieve? Click here. (It is a picture of the Endeavour replica ship that I took with my EOS-1 and EF 300mm f/2.8L.) The actual uncompressed image with 36-bit color is a file over 50 MB in size!
2016 Note: now – decades later – a 1494 x 1024 pixel image seems tiny. How times change...

Click here for more information on how to process and publish digital photos.

What to look for in a digital camera

Here are the things I look for in a digital camera: If you want to learn a whole lot about digital cameras, the best site is http://www.dpreview.com/, but here is a shorter summary of what I have learned.

My First Digital Camera

Kodak DC-280 2 megapixel camera After considering digital, I eventually bought a 2 megapixel (MP) camera, a Kodak DC-280. I paid $750 in December of 1999. When they stopped making it in early 2001 they sold for $350. How does it stack up to my five points?

All in all, the DC-280 was a great start for me in digital photography. It used serial or USB cables and worked with Macs or PCs.

My Second Digital Camera

Kodak DC-4800 3.1 megapixel camera My second digital camera was the champagne colored Kodak DC-4800. I paid $500 after a $100 Kodak rebate. Let's see how it stacked up:

Summary

The DC-4800 was better than the already decent DC-280 in every way. For $500, it was the best buy on the market and the camera to beat. For an in-depth look at the DC-4800, click here. The camera has now been discontinued and no new Kodak camera has the wide angle lens and range of features that this does. Kodak is out of the digital camera game for me.

My Third Digital Camera

Canon PowerShot G3 - 4 megapixel camera In November of 2002 I got a new camera. The DC-4800 was great, but I wanted a stronger flash, better close up photography, an intervalometer, panoramic photo stiching, a faster lens, and higher quality photos. All of this and more came in Canon's third generation Canon PowerShot G3, a 4 megapixel camera. Let's see how it does.

Pro Gear

If money is no object, buy a Canon EOS-1Ds ($9,000). Here is how it compares:

Canon EOS-1Ds w/EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM.  Price: $9,000


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Created:  12 Jun 2001
Modified: 21 Sep 2024