Canon and Nikon produce the best JPGs straight out of the box, Sony is crap and Fuji disappoints

APS-C EOS 80d Canon Eos 90d
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The never-Canon-friendly folks at The Camera Store TV did a non-scientific test to establish which brand produces the best JPG images out of the box, i.e. coming from the camera with no editing. On all cameras the standard setting (factory defaults) for JPG was used. The compared the Pentax K7D, Olympus Pen F, Nikon D500, Canon EOS 80D, Panasonic G85, iPhone 7+, and Fujifilm X-T2.

It’s obviously a test based on subjective perception, with no claims to be objective. However, it confirmed what I was thinking since long: Nikon and Canon have the best JPG engines, Sony one of the worst, and Fuji’s color rendition in JPG is over hyped and not that good (despite the sensor), especially not in landscape pictures. The Camera Store confirmed this. According to these guys, Nikon shoots the best JPGs out of the box, closely followed by Canon. I still think Canon is better than Nikon, especially when it comes to skin tones.

You see that having a camera with “wow-factor” specs is not enough. To build a good camera you have to take in account many factors. Nikon and Canon have more experience and know-how than all the others. That’s it.

Overall Results:

  1. Nikon
  2. Canon
  3. Panasonic
  4. Fujifilm
  5. Olympus
  6. Sony
  7. Pentax
  8. iPhone

Enjoy the video!

[via The Camera Store TV]

Canon EF 85mm F1.2 vs Sony 85mm F1.4 GM comparison

Ef 85mm
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Canon EF 85mm F1.2: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA

Gary Fong compares Canon’s tried and true EF 85mm F1.2 lens against Sony’s latest G Master 85mm F1.4 lens. The Sony 85mm F1.4 got a lot of press lately and it’s interesting to see how it compares to one of Canon’s most regarded lens.

Please note that there is a small typo in the video: the Canon images are shot at f/1.2 and not f/1.8. You can download all test shots from Gary Fong’s dropbox folder, and compare them by yourself.

[via Sony Alpha Rumors via PetaPixel]

Debunking a myth: why Sony’s full-frame mirrorless cameras aren’t what Sony wants you to believe

Size advantage? Sony A7R vs Canon EOS 5Ds R (right), both with a 85mm lens.
Size advantage? Sony A7R vs Canon EOS 5Ds R (right), both with a 85mm lens (image courtesy of Camera Size)

I came over a very interesting and educated article at PetaPixel. It’s about why Sony’s full frame pro mirrorless was a fatal mistake that can’t hold up to the promises.

The article analyses five of the apparent advantages a full-frame mirrorless camera is supposed to have for the professional photographer, and systematically debunks those myths. A full-frame mirrorless camera is supposed to have the advantage of

  • Compactness
  • Weight
  • In-Body Image Stabilization
  • You can adapt non-native lenses
  • Live Exposure Preview

Well, it’s not as easy as Sony tries to sell it. The supposed advantages fail to deliver in the real world.. In the conclusion the author says:

So we find ourselves returning for the last time to the original question: what is the point of professional grade FF mirrorless? It isn’t for the compactness (beyond shooting with just one pancake type lens), certainly not for the faster autofocus, not for faster frame rates, not for EVF/exposure preview, not for access to a high cost-performance lens habitat, not for manual focus peaking, not for the ergonomics, and almost universally not for the sake of adapting lenses.

When it comes to FF professional grade mirrorless, the answer is that there is little or no point. People are buying into it because it is an irrational fad. You end up having to buy lots of big and expensive lenses for the one tiny body, when it is preferable to have lots of smaller lenses for the one big body, since the total lens-body combination is the same anyway due to physics. In actual fact the lens-body combination makes professional grade FF mirrorless multi-lens packages larger overall. Read the article…

An article that’s definitely worth to be read before you waste your money for something that will turn out not to be what you expected and what you have been told. Better go for serious gear.

[via PetaPixel]