nf3996
17th of December 2003 (Wed), 10:15
I have a Canon EOS D30 and I am contemplating upgrading to a 1D. I’d really like a full-frame sensor as I use wide-angle lenses a lot, but I don’t think I’ll ever be able to afford (or justify) a 1Ds, so a 1D with its 1.3x magnification would get me nearer to my ideal than the D30 with its 1.6x. Added to this, the recent price falls on the 1D make it begin to appear more affordable than a few months ago. And if I wait until the much-rumoured 1D successor appears, then perhaps prices of used models will fall even further.
For some background, here’s the type of photography I do. In colour, mostly landscapes, often in pretty bad weather. I’ve used 35mm slide film for years and will continue to do so (in my EOS 1V film body – similar to the 1D in layout) alongside my digital SLR. I like looking at slides projected large – they provide a sense of space, reality and impact that I don’t see in a print or a scanned image viewed on a monitor. In black and white I shoot a mixed bag, but quite a lot of street scenes and architecture around London, on negative film either with a rangefinder or an SLR.
Sports and portraits don’t figure in any of my photography, and I rarely use flash. Speed of focus and frame rate/buffer capacity are not issues as I usually focus manually and most of my subjects are pretty static. My need is much more for lenses at the wide-angle end than for telephoto, hence the desire for a body with as near a full-frame sensor as possible.
A comparison of prints I have produced from D30 large/fine JPEGs (and some RAW) and those scanned from slide film (on an Epson FilmScan 200) convinces me that for prints the digital SLR route is the one to follow. More immediate results, less work necessary in PhotoShop, sharper and ‘cleaner’ images - plus more enjoyment en route, an important factor. I only have an A4 printer (Canon i950), but printed at 300dpi the superiority of the D30 images (interpolated up) is apparent even at that size.
If I were to upgrade to a 1D, would I gain anything more in image quality at A4? At what size does the quality of an image from a 4MP sensor appear noticeably better than that from a 3MP sensor? And is there any difference in the output from a CMOS sensor or a CCD?
Or should I hang on the D30 until it wears out, by which time Canon might have introduced a cheaper (than the 1Ds) full-frame model, with a higher quality sensor than the D30, and I could then use my wide-angle lenses with their full angles of view?
I’d appreciate the views of others who have also considered or taken this step.
For some background, here’s the type of photography I do. In colour, mostly landscapes, often in pretty bad weather. I’ve used 35mm slide film for years and will continue to do so (in my EOS 1V film body – similar to the 1D in layout) alongside my digital SLR. I like looking at slides projected large – they provide a sense of space, reality and impact that I don’t see in a print or a scanned image viewed on a monitor. In black and white I shoot a mixed bag, but quite a lot of street scenes and architecture around London, on negative film either with a rangefinder or an SLR.
Sports and portraits don’t figure in any of my photography, and I rarely use flash. Speed of focus and frame rate/buffer capacity are not issues as I usually focus manually and most of my subjects are pretty static. My need is much more for lenses at the wide-angle end than for telephoto, hence the desire for a body with as near a full-frame sensor as possible.
A comparison of prints I have produced from D30 large/fine JPEGs (and some RAW) and those scanned from slide film (on an Epson FilmScan 200) convinces me that for prints the digital SLR route is the one to follow. More immediate results, less work necessary in PhotoShop, sharper and ‘cleaner’ images - plus more enjoyment en route, an important factor. I only have an A4 printer (Canon i950), but printed at 300dpi the superiority of the D30 images (interpolated up) is apparent even at that size.
If I were to upgrade to a 1D, would I gain anything more in image quality at A4? At what size does the quality of an image from a 4MP sensor appear noticeably better than that from a 3MP sensor? And is there any difference in the output from a CMOS sensor or a CCD?
Or should I hang on the D30 until it wears out, by which time Canon might have introduced a cheaper (than the 1Ds) full-frame model, with a higher quality sensor than the D30, and I could then use my wide-angle lenses with their full angles of view?
I’d appreciate the views of others who have also considered or taken this step.