How to photograph Christmas lights

David Hobby (from the Strobist blog) has added a timely article on photographing Christmas lights. Excellent article and no you don't have to have a fancy schmancy DSLR and $1500 lens to to do it. Very good read.

Forum Topic: Fuji F31fd vs SD800IS

Over at the Canon forums (dpreview.com) is another thread of some interest. The topic is the impressive high ISO performance of the Fuji F31fd (and F30) vs. the Image Stabilization capabilities of the SD800.

First off I tip my hat to Fuji; they introduced the first useable high ISO compact cameras in the market. The current low noise / high ISO compact models from Fuji are the F30 and the slightly newer F31fd (which is basically the same camera as the F30 but with Fuji's new Face Detection technology mixed in with it).

ISO settings have been a topic of interest in photography for years. They relate to how sensitive film or a digital sensor is to light. Higher ISO settings equal greater sensitivity which means in low light conditions you can use settings that allow a hand held shot with no flash vs. having to use a tripod or flash (or cough, cough, image stabilization).

The trade off is the quality of the picture. Low ISO settings generally mean a very smooth looking picture. Higher ISO settings mean more noise / grain. Digital SLR's have always been superior to noise (lack of) at Higher ISO settings vs. all other digital cams. The larger sensors and technology used with DSLR's allows for a very "clean" image at higher ISO settings. Until the Fuji's were released there was always a day and night difference when comparing compact cameras vs. DSLR's when it came to ISO settings over 400.

However, the 400 and 800 ISO settings on the Fuji’s are very usable and very comparable to that of lower end DSLR’s models. It’s an impressive feat and one that I hope pushes other manufactures (including Canon) to compete in. I’m hopeful (now that the megapixel war has slowed) that the new “must have” in digital camera technology is cleaner high ISO settings. If the SD800 had all it’s abilities with the clean ISO abilities of the Fuji – it would be a “supercamera” - a low-light marvel.

As it is the SD800 tries to compensate for its higher noise by the use of image stabilization. The IS does allow you to take low light shots but it compensates for camera movement while still using “slower” camera settings. The shortcoming to this technique is subject movement. Any movement made by the subject will be caught on film (or sensor) as a slight blur. So IS works great for static subjects and if you can get everyone to hold still; it also works very well for people shots. However cleaner, higher, ISO settings are still the preferred technology.

So it will be interesting to see what happens first, will manufactures like Canon work on cleaning up their higher ISO settings or will Fuji introduced future cameras with IS technology along with their impressive high ISO capabilities – hmmmm.

First Gallery

I have added my first "digital elph" gallery. It was from the Winter storm that hit us during the end of November / 1st day of December. Still using my "old" elph - the S230. Discovered the battery didn't last long in the cold temps (15 - 20 degrees), only got off about 20 shots before it gave me a battery warning.

I kept it warm by taking the battery out between shots and holding it in my hand while blowing warm air on it. Not ideal, but it kept it going longer. I'm curious how long the new elph will work in these type of conditions. All I have to do is buy it and then wait for another winter storm and cold weather to hit. I don't think I'm asking for too much.

The pics have been edited in PSP (paint shop pro). I don't do a lot of extreme editing but I do play with contrast and saturation settings which results in more details in darker areas, colors washing out and it generates additional darker spots / artifacts. This is all done for personal taste, it's not for everyone. I don't enjoy standard out of the box images from any camera. It's more fun to "create" the image during post processing.

SD700 or SD800?

Someone has posted this question in the dpreview.com Canon forums - good question, asked a lot these days. It's a shame Canon has to release cameras like this so close together. Pretty good read, turns to crap in the middle when the glass vs plastic lens conversations comes up, but good information overall.

My view - the SD800 is the way to go. The 28-105 lens of the SD800 vs the 35-140 lens of the SD700 is my biggest reason.

28 mm is rare on compact cameras, especially Canon's (hopefully we will see more of this range going forward). You can count on one hand the number of ultra-compact cameras that have a 28mm or wider opening. If you are indoors then space is usually tight and you might not be able to move back into a position to take a picture that includes everything you want to include. The fact that Canon has finally introduced this wide end on their Elph series is indeed a nice plus.

On the long end whether you are talking 105 or 140mm - neither are a significant "reach" in length. Under most circumstances you can typically walk (yes, I know, odd suggestion) to get closer to the subject manner you are taking a picture of. And if you can't, then most likely even the 140 mm reach of the SD700 won't be enough to "zoom" in.

So with the new wide reach, Digic III processor and Face detection technology (which I believe is a very usable feature) the SD800 IS takes the honors. This is all IMO of course;)

Ken Rockwell - a riddle wrapped in an enigma

Ken Rockwell is one of those pro photographers on the web that loves to share his opinions - and a lot of people listen. I do give him some credit because his reviews / opinions are a based a little more on the real word of photography. For instance, if a camera has a feature that he considers a gimmick or that he doesn't use for some reason, he tells you that (and why he finds the feature useless).

However, he tends to contradict himself in his reviews which leaves you wondering his motivation for some of the things he says. For example, The Casio EX-Z850 and Cannon SD700IS both were announced and released around the same time earlier this year.

Here's what he says about Canon:

"The Canon SD700 and SD800 are my favorite cameras to take everywhere. I keep my SD700 with me at all times. I'll tell you a secret: I have more fun with my SD700 than I do lugging my bigger cameras around, and the image quality is about the same."

and now the Casio:

"I bought one of these for myself and carry it everywhere."
"I prefer it to anything similar from Canon because it handles faster."

Uhhhm, huh? (scratching head)

So take what you will from Ken, again he does offer a different insight into his reviews, but just don't going trying to decipher which camera(s) he truly likes best.

Ken's 2006 Holiday Guide

Ken's Casio EX-Z850 review

Ken's website

CrunchGear SD900 review

"I remember years ago my friend would always upgrade to the latest Canon Powershot every time a new one came out and in fact, the difference in quality would always be noticeable. A few weeks ago I got my hands on a Canon Powershot SD900 Digital ELPH camera to play with and review. All I can say is this is one sweet camera to own."

Gizmondo SD800 vs T50 review

Gizmondo.com has posted a unique review of Canon's SD800 Elph vs Sony's Cybershot T50 - both with IS capabilities. It uses the review from three other review sites with their own short, sweet, to the freak'n point comments thrown in. Me like.