For a long time since their last DSLR model, the well-regarded S5 Pro, Fujifilm has been quiet on cameras bigger than its compact point-and-shoot ones. It seemed like they’ve given up on the upper end of the digital camera market but apparently they’ve been working on something. And what a something it turned out to be. Announced at photography trade show Photokina 2010, Fujifilm’s FinePix X100 has become one of Click Here To Read More
Three months ago, I was able to acquire a used Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II in very good condition. To a hobbyist who as been using semi-professional DSLRs (40D and 20D), the professional-grade 1Ds Mark II was a strange beast, both familiar and strange. During that time, I’ve used it as my everyday camera and have used it on photowalks, a running event, a studio shoot and even a couple of weddings. I have become quite comfortable with its controls and have explored its capabilities. And what a fine camera it is.
A quick-release plate (or QR plate) is the part of a camera tripod that is directly attached to the bottom of the camera. It allows the camera to be quickly attached to, and removed from, a tripod.The QR plate is simply a piece of metal or plastic screwed into the bottom of the camera and will have rubber or cork-like pads on top to grip the bottom of the camera. Many tripods come with a QR plate of some sort, and only differ in the way that the QR actually attaches to the tripod itself. An L-plate or L-Bracket as it’s also called, is basically two QR plates stuck together in an L-shape. This article reviews a Really Right Stuff B57L L-plate and shows how it’s used.
Professional-grade DSLR camera bodies have a certain mystique to most photographers. They are supposed to chock-full of features, have instant-lock autofocus, a bazillion autofocus points, blazingly-fast shooting speed and virtually indestructible. More than any other kind of DSLR, being seen with a pro body in public gives the impression that one is a professional photographer. Their single-digit model names (for Canon and Nikon, anyway) inspires awe in the wielders of lesser models. There are already several reviews done by photography experts elsewhere on the net: Digital Photography Review, Luminous Landscape, and The-Digital-Picture.com have extensive reviews of the Canon 1Ds Mk II. This post will be about my experience with a pro-level 1Ds Mk II as an amateur who has been using semi-professional level Canon DSLRs for the past three years. So what’s the fuss about pro bodies? Let’s find out!
