Best DSLR under $1000

You may be aware from my earlier post Nikon D5100 vs Canon T3i and 60D that the Canon 60D is my favorite camera under $1000 followed closely by the new Nikon D5100 and Canon T3i.

I have just found out that B&H Photo Video (a highly reputable Camera and Video store in New York) are giving away a free gift with these DSLR cameras. The gift is a software package from Red Giant that is worth $494.95. This is a special software bundle exclusive to B&H.

The Red Giant B&H Video Production Software Bundle includes all these awesome tools: Continue reading →

Standard

June 9, 2011 by PhotoKen

Best SD cards

I used to use Sandisk Extreme memory cards exclusively but I have started using Transcend SD cards more often.

What I’m finding is they work great.

I have used a Transcend 16GB Class 10 SDHC a lot in the last few months and they have worked perfectly. I take a lot of RAW image files and jpgs without problems.

I would recommend you go with the Class 10 version especially if you take a lot of video. I have captured a lot of HD video on my Canon 60D onto these cards with zero dropped frames. Not bad at all for a fairly budget option.

In my upcoming DSLR training course I mention the importance of extra memory cards for a number of scenarios.

Amazon.com just lowered the price of the Transcend 16GB Class 10 SDHC to $27.20. At that price it’s a no-brainer to have Continue reading →

Standard

May 25, 2011 by PhotoKen

Canon ISO Noise

On Canon EOS cameras lower ISO settings have less noise.

The situation with Video noise is a little different to what you expect. ISO 160 has lower noise than ISO 100 (the lowest setting). In fact it has been found that the order for lowest noise to highest is:

160, 320, 640, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1250, 125, 250, 500, 1000, 1600, 2500, 2000, 3200, 4000, 5000, 6400

Tecnicolor.com mentioned this and it has been confirmed by user tests (for example http://vimeo.com/23082874 and http://vimeo.com/10473734 ).

Is this true for Photographs?

I did a test of the ISO noise of a Canon 60D Continue reading →

Video

May 15, 2011 by PhotoKen

Canon 60D HD Video test on Custom Slider – UPDATED

Still loving my Canon 60D – the video quality is impressive.
I did some HD video test shots with 720P@60fps on a custom slider.
Adding smooth movement definitely adds a professional look to your DSLR video.
You can pay upwards of $1000 for good camera sliders but you can get fairly good movement with cheaper and DIY versions.
I created my custom slider using rails from a storage rack and some rollerblade bearings but after wards found some better options on amazon.com.

UPDATE: NOT HAPPY WITH CHEAP NON-BEARING SLIDERS Continue reading →