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Dumb Things Camera Companies are Still Doing

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131–140 of 393 posts

Re: Dumb Things Camera Companies are Still Doing

#131
post #9

I'd add to the list geotagging. It is extremely useful to embed in the Exif the coordinates where the picture was taken.

This is one of my favorite features of the Nikon D500 - enable link to snapbridge (app on android/iOS), all photos are automatically geotagged, as long as you have the phone in range.

Re: Dumb Things Camera Companies are Still Doing

#132
post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's true an over years read many people that dropped their canon rebel and they were surprised it didn't shatter into a million pieces and often still worked as good as before. Some brought it to service centers just to be sure. I never dropped my camera though, but i do run into things a lot, doors, doorposts, fences and most of all tiny people. Though with a bit typical lens 70-200 or some people often bring, i…

> I never dropped my camera though, but i do run into things a lot, doors, doorposts, fences and most of all tiny people. Huh?

I'm not the most careful person with my camera gear. All my bodies and lenses have taken some blows here and there from, as i said, doorways, people, brick wall corners etc, flew through the car once, i just never let it slid from my hands on the ground or something.

Typical i have a shoulder or wrist strap, ads (no im not affiliated) peakdesigns' or blackrapids' straps and wrist bands

If any reading this still use the neckband with their cams, checkout black rapids systems or peak designs. It's so much more comfortable then 2+ kg dangling from your neck.

Re: Dumb Things Camera Companies are Still Doing

#133
post #9

I'd add to the list geotagging. It is extremely useful to embed in the Exif the coordinates where the picture was taken.

My first DSLR, a Nikon D5300 had this built-in. I don't think any Nikon has had it since, thanks to SnapBridge, which is junk. It doesn't geotag my D500 photos unless I've opened SnapBridge already on the phone, despite it being marketed as always on .

Which phone? Works fully automatically for me with Android. No need to ever open the app.

Re: Dumb Things Camera Companies are Still Doing

#134
post #95
post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've got the Blackmagic pocket. I'd say the main difference is being able to shoot raw video. It's just like butter in grading compared to 8bit video. And their colour science is good. I think we'll have h265 10bit video in most cameras (and mobile phones) pretty soon, and that will be a marked improvement in terms of colour and dynamic range of video footage. Some higher end Sony and Canon dSLR's shoot raw video, bu…

Wouldn't you think that's the global shutter of the camera? Raw definitely helps with pushing the image in colour grading, but I always thought the nice motion cadence on the BMPCC comes from the fact that the global shutter scans the entire image at once when capturing a frame, which makes it more filmic and less jittery than rolling shutter sensors which scan a series of parts of the image to create the frame.

The BMPCC has a rolling shutter. Some other Blackmagic cameras have global shutter. I don't personally think there is a huge difference unless you're doing fast camera movement`

I think the video quality is down to reasonably high dynamic range sensor, and RAW sequence capture, meaning you can actually access all that dynamic range

Re: Dumb Things Camera Companies are Still Doing

#135
post #123
post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What market? Smartphones and high end cameras aren't really comparable. They compete in the sense that they're both able to take pictures, but they don't compete across all possible dimensions. I mean, I could be wrong, but these don't look like substitute goods. Smartphones and crappy cameras certainly are, but not not smartphones and high-end cameras. But using cheaper parts does make cameras crappier, so doing so…

The companies historically creating cameras had a business model creating low to high end cameras. That's unravelling. Coping with quickly changing markets is hard. So even though smartphones and high end cameras aren't compatible and not substitute goods, the institution creating those cameras suffer with no good alternative as of yet. Hence the movement towards crappy high end cameras.

Yeah, I see it now. But then it ceases to be an issue of direct competition between high end cameras and smartphones and becomes an issue of shrinking economies of scale and scope e.g. raw material orders become smaller and lose previous supplier discounts and crappy camera designs which were "subproducts" of better designs are no longer feasible and thus all the cost falls on high-end designs instead of being split among several models.

Re: Dumb Things Camera Companies are Still Doing

#136
post #117
post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What market? Smartphones and high end cameras aren't really comparable. They compete in the sense that they're both able to take pictures, but they don't compete across all possible dimensions. I mean, I could be wrong, but these don't look like substitute goods. Smartphones and crappy cameras certainly are, but not not smartphones and high-end cameras. But using cheaper parts does make cameras crappier, so doing so…

but these don't look like substitute goods I know lots of people who used to carry DSLRs everywhere but who now only carry their iPhone.

I know about two of those people, but I attribute their change of heart more to a passing fad.

Re: Dumb Things Camera Companies are Still Doing

#137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At the time that was my deciding factor picking between canon rebel something vs nikon d80 (2006, when it was brand new). Photo quality-wise they were so well matched, until i read a review where the author said, the canon is plastic and the nikon metal and the metal makes you feel you have a real tool in your hands instead of toy. (also i'm not the most careful person metal stronger then plastic, typically)

Given that you're often hand holding a camera, being lighter is a significant advantage, it can often be the difference between a stable or a blurred shot. And good plastics are plastic in the traditional sense of the word: if you drop them, they'll absorb the force by deforming and then spring back into place. Metals deform permanently. In a car that's an advantage, you can just hammer it back into place. With a pre…

Elastic deformation is reversible with a release of the driving force, plastic deformation isn't.

Typical metals will have an elastic zone, where they act like springs, and a plastic zone, where they don't, and then they fracture. Brittle materials have a relatively small plastic zone, ductile materials will have a large one.

Re: Dumb Things Camera Companies are Still Doing

#138
post #42
post #2

Another thing I hate about a lot of recent camera hardware is the move toward cheap plastic, everywhere. I shoot pretty much only with old manual-focus lenses from days of yore. Most of my lenses are older than I am. They're all made of metal, built like a tank, and way easier to use. No fidgety UIs or menus to manipulate, perfectly calibrated infinity focus (slap the focus ring to the end until it stops and landscap…

Concerning arca mount, I would prefer the camera without it. I wouldn't want the extra bulk when using no mount. I'm not seeing the problem with screwing a mount plate on and leaving it there. If you really want it to be permanent, get some Super Glue. Modular design in camera equipment makes for compatibility, adaptability, reusability, etc. On this note, I am a professional photographer and have worked professional…

The Arca Swiss mount isn't even among the best quick-release plate systems, when it comes down to it. You could argue for a long plate back in the days when lenses were mostly unit-focus and the CG would shift; these days with just about everything being internal focus, a fully-captured plate is an immensely better solution than a dovetail plate (hopefully) captured with clamping pressure in one dimension.

As for the GP' complaint about plastics, it just shows that there's no experience there with minor dents requiring major repairs that would have been harmless bounces with a filled polycarbonate. Probably never dealt much with focus shifts or lens element alignment problems in severe heat or cold either. They use appropriate plastics on the pro-grade stuff where they use it because it's better, not because it's cheaper.

Re: Dumb Things Camera Companies are Still Doing

#139

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Given that you're often hand holding a camera, being lighter is a significant advantage, it can often be the difference between a stable or a blurred shot. And good plastics are plastic in the traditional sense of the word: if you drop them, they'll absorb the force by deforming and then spring back into place. Metals deform permanently. In a car that's an advantage, you can just hammer it back into place. With a pre…

A heavier camera can be steadier to hold, just by sheer mass. Micro shakes in muscles can make a light camera body move more.

Plus a heavier body can better balance a heavy telephoto lens.

Re: Dumb Things Camera Companies are Still Doing

#140
post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My point and shoot did that like 5-10 years ago. Crazy that DSLRs don't.

They do (or at least, my Canon EOS 7D mark 2 does). However, leaving the GPS switched on significantly reduces battery life.

Canon 5d IV here. I tend not to notice a significant issue with battery life when I have the GPS on (always). I do notice if use the live view mode though.
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