Art and Soul

First, movement effects. All CMOS sensors of this sort suffer from a "rolling shutter" effect, which can make quick movement turn things into Jell-O. Nikon said they have made it better than in early cameras, but the D3s is not immune. I also included a quick panning shot, since no one actually films by shaking the camera violently from side to side.

Second, people want to see what ISO 102,400 video can do. So here it is. Watch as I move the camera away from the light sources and the night sky (which was as black as NYC skies ever get) becomes like late afternoon.

Second, people wanted to see even LOWER light video. Well, here you go. Watch the night sky become day as it creeps up to ISO 102,400.

There are a lot more still photos to come next week, but here is a quick one taken at ISO 12,800, f/1.4, 1/60th of a second (which is approximately 1/50th candlelight)

If you have any specific questions about the camera you want the full review to address, let me know!

To be entered into the drawing for the Yellowstone Photo Expedition with Canon sweepstakes, you need to do your Wish Listing by 11:59:59 pm Pacific Time on November 15 (you can read up on all the rules here).

Entering the sweepstakes is easy peasy: just create a new Wish List or add something to an existing Wish List. After adding an item, be sure to click the Enter Sweepstakes button that appears, looking a bit like this:

If you miss out on this week's sweepstakes, there are still four more weeks of prizes coming up, including a heavenly high-def package that includes a 55-inch LG HDTV and a surprise during the final week.

--Agen G.N. Schmitz

There is a lot of media there, but I hope to bring a slightly different perspective as someone who makes more than 99 percent of their money from actually using cameras. The biggest perspective difference is that as an enthusiast, gear is a reward, part of the reason why you go to work in the morning. As a professional, it's a liability, and purchases are made with not-fun things like "bottom line" and "amortization" in mind. If I could do what I do with $5 of gear, that would be great. So photo gear has to not just be shiny and new, but actually make the job of photography easier or better.

9:07: Leaving for the Expo, coffee in hand.

9:31: The crosstown bus to the Javits center in the morning of PhotoPlus is one of life's worst experiences, so I'm taking a cab. He tried to swideswipe two cars that angered him, including a cop. It's morning in NYC!

9:44: Inside. PhotoPlus is giving journalists a lot more free swag this year, with a slim Lowepro backpack filled with stuff. You can't buy me off! By the way, have I mentioned that PhotoPlus is God's greatest gift to mankind?

10:15: My first stop was to the Nikon D3s and new 70-200mm VR II. Both of the items these update are already excellent performers. Does it matter now that they're MORE excellent? Initial impressions are surprisingly, perhaps. The ISO on the Nikon D3 was so good that I could shoot stills and video in the indoor light of Javits Center at f/18. And while I couldn't perform any rigorous tests of the 70-200, it focuses blisteringly fast, acting much more like the $5,000 200mm f/2 than the old 70-200 (which, itself, is pretty fast).

Here is the Nikon D3s at ISO 51,200. Very glad I already have my pre-order in:

Download the full version here!

The Wifi at Javits is slow, so 1080p files will come later, but here is an iPhone-optimized clip from the Canon 7D and 200mm f/2.

For the second year in a row, Panasonic has no presence at the show. It's even more puzzling this year since they have some of the year's most talked-about cameras, such as the GF1.

UPDATE with full res movies!

Here is a 720p video from the D3s taken at ISO 6400. (25 MB)

And here is the full 1080p movie of Lynette with the 7D and 200mm f/2. (105MB) Lynette is a photographer herself, and you can see her work here.

Canon has released the newest iteration of their sports-centered camera line, the 1D Mark IV. Like the newly announced Nikon D3s, it crosses the ISO 100,000 barrier with a noisy "three stops above what we recommend mode," with a recommended range that goes up to ISO 12,800. It does this with smaller pixels than the D3s, since it is a 16 megapixel sensor to the D3s's 12, and it is the smaller 1.3x crop APS-H sensor that the 1D, 1DII, and 1DIII are featured.

I have to admit I'm surprised that they kept the APS-H sensor. Obviously they are confident in the noise qualities of the chip, and sports photographers often want to get a bit more reach out of their lenses, but after all these years it feels like an unsupported format. We have many lenses made for 1.6x APS-C, countless lenses made for 35mm-size cameras, but there has never been an APS-H optimized lens. Many Canon wedding shooters, who were hoping for a D3 equivalent camera, are going to be shaking their heads tonight. (But that's OK, they can cry over their startlingly good array of prime lenses)

The 1D Mark IV offers 1080P video, in contrast to the D3's smaller 720P. News organizations trying to consolidate around a standard may take that into account, and Canon is billing this as a "multimedia machine."

There is an entirely new AF system for the camera, a necessity since the 1d Mark III's had so much controversy. Probably no one can explain that better than sports shooter Rob Galbraith, who caused most of the commotion in the first place.

You can wrap the major changes up into "Crazy-high ISO and video," and Canon has hired Vincent Laforet to shoot some samples showing what it can do. A wise choice, since Laforet made the 5D Mark II video possibilities apparent with his video "Reverie," which was shot on his own dime.

Otherwise it seems fairly little has changed, with upgrades to the viewfinder, LCD, and slight changes to the body. Shooters used to the 1DIII and 1DSIII should be able to pick this up and feel comfortable right away. I'll write more about the showdown between this and fellow ISO 100,000+ camera the D3s when I try them both on Thursday.