Wyofoto

	Landscape photographers arguably place more demands upon a camera than any other breed. We want images which are highly detailed and have superb tonality. Not only do we want this, we want the ability to make large prints. How large? For us, 13x19 inches is a good start. If we get a really fine photo 16x24 inches is not unreasonable. and for that once in a lifetime shot, 20x30 inches or larger is a possibility. For these reasons, landscape photographers have long chosen large format or medium format film cameras as their tool of choice. My favorite in the olden days of film was the Pentax 645N. Alas, the advent of high quality full frame digital cameras, that are the equal in image quality of medium format film, have led me to retire my trusty Pentax. Many novice landscape photographers and some old hands making the transition to the digital age have written, asking me the obvious question. What 35mm digital SLR camera should I buy? My thoughts, based on the technology available as of March 2008 follow.
Digital SLR Sensor Sizes Current main stream digital SLR sensors generally are one of two sizes APS-C or full frame. Full frame sensors are the same size as a traditional 35mm film frame, about 24mm x 36mm. The APS crop sensors are smaller. Canon cameras such as the EOS 40D use a 1.6x crop sensor. Nikon cameras such as the D300 use a 1.5x crop sensor. The crop factor gives a pseudo magnification effect. Lenses used on theses cameras appear to have a greater than actual focal length. Full frames sensors are more expensive to produce. All the cameras in this comparison that sell for less than $2000 use crop sensors. Full frame SLR's in general have bigger, brighter viewfinders. They also allow lenses to work the same as they did on conventional film SLR's. For a given number of pixels, say 12MP, they also tend to have less noise and image artifacts, especially at high ISO speeds. Several digital SLR's such as the Canon 1D and various Olympus camera use odd sensor sizes with a 1.3x or 2x crop factor. These cameras are not discussed in this article.
	Bargain Shopping with $575 in Hand At the low end, the truth is disturbing. For my money, consumer grade point and shoot digital cameras come up way short. The typical 6, 7 or 8 megapixel digicam can usually produce a reasonable 8x10 or 11x14 inch print, but that's it. Their tiny sensors are noisey and you are forever stuck with the one lens that came with the camera. Luckily for you the prices of entry level digital SLR's have fallen so low, you now can buy into a digital system for this small amount of money. The 6 megapixel offerings just don't cut it. It takes IMO about 8 high quality megapixels to make a good, detailed 13"x19" print. The Canon Rebel XT body is still widely available for about $400. Instead of getting the optically mediocre 18-55mm kit lens, spend just a little more and get the newer 18-55mm IS lens for about $175. It is optically far better than the old kit lens. Combining the body and lens, you have a good budget lanscape camera for about $575. There is no free lunch mind you. While this combination will yield surprisingly good images when properly used, you still have a slow shooting, wimpy plastic body, with a tunnel vision viewfinder. You also have a plastic mount, wobbly lens, which only performs well when shot close to f8.
$1000 with Big Dreams In my opinion it takes about 10 megapixels of high quality data from a digital SLR to make a truly excellent 13"x19" print. If everything is perfect, you can even push the size to 16"x24" with this much data. So where does this leave us? Two cameras in this range jump out at me, The Nikon D40X and the Canon Rebel XTI. Both are capable of producing very high quality images with the right glass. They both have very good image sensors and a focusing and exposure system that works well with stationary or slow moving objects.. The bodies are a bit plasticy but adequate. Looking out both viewfinders still resembles viewing the world through an old toilet paper tube, but that's the norm in this price range. I would not buy the kit lenses that go with these cameras. I would instead recommend the highly regarded Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 XRDi lens. It can be had for about $400, which keeps our purchase in the $1000 region. What about the Pentax K10D? A very nice body, it even has a good viewfinder, but the camera produces mediocre quality JPEG's. You have to shoot RAW to get quality images and not every one wants to do this. Also, I question Pentax's commitment to the digital SLR market. It's digital camera lenses are okay at best and Pentax could be a casualty in the industry shake up that I see as inevitable. I say all this as someone that used Pentax 35mm and MF cameras for 32 years.
	$2000 and Wanting More Do you want a camera that doesn't feel like a kazoo in your hands? Do you desire a viewfinder that is clear, large and bright? In this price range, these features become a possibilty. If you fear cleaning your sensor, and want to keep one lens on your camera for 95% of your landscape work, Sony has got a deal for you! Purchase a 12 megapixel Sony A700, together with a Sony/Zeiss 16-80mm vario sonnar lens, for about $2000 and you have a potent one lens landscape camera. It covers the 35mm equivalent focal length range of 24-120 mm, enough for most landscape shots. The A700 has a solid feeling magnesium alloy body with a first rate auto-focuing system. It also shoot 5 frames per second. This is enough for some action photography and close up wildlife work. The only catch here is Sony, as I write this doesn't make any super telephoto lenses. This makes this camera unsuitable for someone who wants to mix some serious wildlife or bird shooting with their landscape work. Some Sony/Zeiss super telephoto glass is promised by this fall, so things might change if this becomes reality. Want a great all purpose camera, which can produce very fine landscape images and do double duty for some serious wildlife and bird photography? Try the Canon 40D. It has a solid magnesium body, with a great viewfinder for an APS sensor camera. It can also, shoot at speeds approaching 6.5 frames per second. This is fast enough for most action work. It can be had with the excellent EOS 17-40mm f4 lens for under $1800 . As an added bonus, the 17-40mm lens, when stopped down to f11 works well on the full frame digital SLR that you might be in your future. Both of these cameras, when properly used can produce very good quality 16"x24" landscape prints..
$3000 and Feeling Like Ansel Do you dream of your own landscape masterpiece, hanging 20"x30" big, somewhere above the couch on your living room wall? One of these cameras, when used with proper technique, can help you get that print. When it was introduced in the fall of 2005, the EOS 5D was a breakthrough. The 12.7 MP darling was the first affordable full frame digital SLR. Not only that, it was the first one that didn't weigh as much as a medium format film camera. It could produce images that match in every way, the output of my trusty Pentax 645. In the spring of 2008, it's a landscape bargain. Together with the EOS 24-105mm L series lens, it can be had for $2750. This lens performs only okay at f4. However, stopped down to the f8 to f11 range, it can yield very fine results indeed. The only sub par thing about the 5D, is the 3 fps burst speed . This is too slow for any type of action work. At high ISO speeds, used in low light shooting, its' performance is stellar. The best this side of a Nikon D3. Do you want to mix some long distance wildlife or bird shooting with your landscape work? Then the 5D may not be for you. The Nikon D300 and it's APS size sensor may be a better choice. Its' tank like body, 12 MP sensor, 51 point autofocus and 6 fps speed may be just what you need. I have looked at ISO 100 test shots of the same still life, taken with the 5D and D300. At low ISO, with the proper lens, the D300 files are 98% the image quality of the 5D. Up to ISO 200 I'd have to say it's a dead heat IQ wise. It's autofocus bests the 5D easily on moving objects. The APS size sensors 1.5x crop factor, will also give you more reach with your big telephoto glass. So, team it with the superb Nikon 17-50mm f2.8 lens for about $3000 and you have a super landscape/wildlife all around camera.
	$5000 Flagship or Battleship? Some would say the ultimate 35mm digital SLR is the Canon 1DSMk3. It might be, but I think it's also way overpriced. Add to this the fact that I and many others think that most of Canon's wide angle glass can't live up the promise of a 21 MP sensor. Things are about to change. There's an 800 pound gorilla lurking in the back room. Sony has announced, an as yet unnamed, full frame 25MP flagship camera to be delivered "later in 2008". The prism housing in the prototypes looks kind of like the gun turret on the Von Bismark. Maybe it's a Zeiss prism lurking underneath! Couple this camera with the new superb Sony/Zeiss 24-70mm f2.8 lens and you have a very high resolution, compact landscape camera. Images captured by this battleship like machine should be capable of producing superb 20"x30" and larger prints. If rumors are true, both it and it's companion Zeiss 24-70mm zoom lens should be available together at a price of about $5000. We may soon be able to mark 2008 as the year Canon and Nikons near monopoly on the high end digital SLR market was finally broken. This is certainly a good thing for the demanding brotherhood of digital landscape photographers. We may be living as the old Chinese proverb says, in interesting times.