November 11 - Beatles Record Label

November 11 - Beatles Record Label, originally uploaded by Jesse_Laird.

Hi. Remember me?

After 15 years of shooting Canon EF (the first SLR I purchased was a Canon A2 in about 1994), I decided to switch sides. Each Canon (the A2, then a Rebel XT, then the 40D) was better than before. But I couldn't nail the focus, especially in low light. At the OneLight workshop in Seattle, we were shining flashlights so that us Canon shooters could AF. And despites Zack's eloquent lectures about avoiding GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome), I couldn't help myself. Each 3cm focus error pushed me closer and closer to the door of Pro Photo Supply in Portland.

So I was thrilled to go out today, try and dig up some subjects, and learn a new rig. This tree caught my eye, and it seemed like hundreds of these bright green apples were the only thing left on the tree. I think the Beatles had an Apple record label. At least, that's what I was thinking of on this shot.

I wanted to call out one particular apple on this christmas-tree like sea of globes.

As I hoped, the excellent Nikon AF nailed it. NAILED it. Not a challenging subject, though -- and plenty of light. Used DOF preview as I setup this shot.

I'll jump into my likes and dislikes about the switch:

LIKES:

-AF so far has lived up to the reputation. I believe this camera shares the AF module with even the current top-of-the-line D3.
-Ergonomics of the body (weight, location of major controls) is comfortable.
-Nice chunky rubber/metal feel
-I can use ANY lens they ever made? Seriously? I've got a box of lonely FD glass, and wish Canon had done something similar
-The Nikon 50mm 1.8 is sharp, fast focusing, and built better than the Canon 50mm 1.8.
-Amazed by the difference in how a 50mm lens looks.
-The focus points and grid appear and disappear completely when off. It's like magic!
-$12 plastic LCD protector is a cool design feature -- I've always envied Nikon shooters for this.
-round eyepiece reminds me of the F4s I lusted after so many years ago. Looks pro!

DISLIKES
-Canon provides excellent software with even their low-end bodies. Nikon provides neutered software that is SLOW. There's a reason I am posting this at 1am the day after I took the photo. Seriously! I've lost most of my major RAW adjustments that Canon gave me in Digital Photo Professional, on a camera body that was 1/3 the price of this one.
-Battery door of 40d is nicer mechanically. Canon has a retainer tab that holds the battery in, independent of door closure. And a spring to eject the battery
-CF door of 40d is nicer mechanically.
-why is overexposure shown by arrow to the left, and underexposure on the right? There is an option to switch, but I don't understand the logic on the default
-Maybe I'll get used to it, but Canon did a great job of showing nearly all critical settings on the top LCD. From what I can tell, I have to either click the info button, or change settings to read the current ISO, exposure compensation, etc. It's 2009, Nikon. People study UI design these days.

Will Flickr let this all post? Let's see.....in 5, 4, 3, 2......