ADCOM WEB CAMERA DRIVER

This is a handheld shot with the D700 and Tamron 28-300VC lens, 38mm, 1/10s F5.6 ISO3200, converted with dcraw using the -H0 and -w flags to disable the automatic exposure-adjustment in dcraw and to force it to use the camera white-balance if available. This lowers the exposure but helps to avoid the "washed-out" look and streak-noise that shows up when the raw-converter software automatically pushes dark shots. With dcraw -H values > 1 have to be used to rescue blown highlights, at the cost of another 3/4 stop of exposure.

...these shots that I took along the D.C. waterfront at oh midnight handheld with the D700 and the Tamron 28-700VC, which was really the first combination that I felt comfortable shooting handheld around the clock (though it is still too noisy for me to just shoot *anything* handheld and get a good shot) really raises the question of whether this camera is "too much" or "not enough". It is clearly overkill for any shot that can be taken fairly-easily with a p&s or a subframe. It just costs too damm much for that kind of shooting. It is however clearly the best value in terms of a DSLR. The camera is not too big & heavy to carry, it is not an $8k camera body like the D3x or 5Dmk2 or 3, it's much cleaner than the A700 and it doesn't have more resolution than I need, like a 5DMk2 or some other 20MP+ camera (meaning that the files are reasonable to store and work with in PP). It focuses very reliably in low light but the 51pAF mode is slow, that's all there is to it. So in the same mode which gives me impeccable AF accuracy I can't snap-shoot it (which I can do easily even with an A200). For the type of shots that I *would* "snap-shoot, the camera is overkill, for the most part, it's only going to give you a decent ISO6400 vs a decent ISO3200 (5D), ISO1600 (40D, 30D) or ISO800 (A200). The 5D is probably a better all around deal (at a lower cost) but the 5D cannot hang with the D700. I'm not even considering the streak-noise issue at this time, but the 5D can streak worse in the shadows and clearly it doesn't have the buttery-smooth color transitions and high dynamic-range of the D700 (or even the D300). It is a great camera but you will make some real sacrifices to buy one. You have to really want to take a lot of low-light shots handheld for this camera to make sense. If that is not the case, the 5D is probably the better buy. It focuses well enough in low light and is much faster on top of that and is clean enough to get most shots in decent light fairly easily. You can of course shoot the D700 in single-point mode like the 5D (I always shoot it with just the center x point) and maybe that will speed it up but it will never make the camera cheaper. This camera costs real money. You buy one, you have just put $2k or more into your bag, not to mention the lenses that you need to go with it. Any day of the week I can take most of the same shots with an A200 at 1/4 of the cost and a fairly-good portion of them with a G9 at 1/5th the cost not to mention a lot less bulk and weight. So what do you do with this camera? Buy one and eat the cost and performance hit and deal with it? Or buy cheaper, slower, noisier cameras and save this one for those really "hard to reach" shots? It's not a simple choice.

I damaged my P&S camera this summer, so I'd been humming an hahing about a replacement for several weeks. Unfortunately, I did not see a DSLR set-up I liked below $1,100 (and I'm still not geeky enough to be bothered carrying all that weight. around). I drooled awhile over the Sony NEX5N (small/mirrorless), but by the time I'd met my preferences that too was going to be $1000 or more (and these mirrorless cameras DO feel odd in your hands, whatever you say).

After lots more homework (and lamenting all the life-decisions that restrict my budget!), my conclusion was the Sony DSC-HX100V super-zoom (yes - I know this compromise may cost me a little picture quality - particularly fringing in the corners), but for me, at the moment, the versatility and convenience (in addition to the lighter weight and lower price tag) were more important. I looked at competitor brands (Canon, Nikon, Panasonic) etc., which all produce good cameras within this price-range, but the Sony had the best picture quality, highest review ratings, and simply staggering levels of customer satisfaction (even from DSLR users).

Sunday was its first day out of the box. This and the attached pictures are all SOOC, hand-held(!), taken from the same spot, using full-i-auto (no user intervention whatsoever), during a hazy-sunshine, late afternoon dog-walk in the woods. I can already see that this zoom lens and image processor are nothing short of f***ing awesome! If I take this camera with me, I'm going to get some much-improved quality (lower noise) on future 'in the dark' pictures too. I haven't given up on my little Olympus yet - most of the time it still works, so I'll continue to carry it with me.