November 12th, 2003:

Well, for the first time ever, a page on a site I run is being slashdotted.

MySQL was the only thing to go. It didn’t crash, it just ran out of connections since Apache was maxxing out at 150 and MySQL only had 30. I upped MySQL to allow 150 as well and everything seems to be holding up okay.

Lesson learned. I think.

Update (2003-11-13 10:03am): A link to the slashdot article on Gizmodo could mean even more traffic today

In my recent post regarding dSLRs I talked about the Canon 300D / Digital Rebel and its forced metering and focusing modes. After more research I’d like to clear it up for you a bit.

First, it’s important to mention what a focus modes and metering modes are.

A focus mode is HOW the camera AUTO focuses. There are really, today, three types. First, there is OneShot. This means the camera focuses and stays there. Then there is AI Servo. This means the camera focuses and then constantly adjusts the focus on that object using programmed intelligence keeping the object in focus as it moves. Finally, the is AI Focus. This is basically a combination of the two. It starts off in OneShot. Then, if it senses movement, it switches to AI Servo until the object stops moving.

A metering mode is how the camera AUTO meters. Again, there are three basic types. Evaluative/Matrix, Center-Weighted, and Spot/Partial. Evaluative metering is when the camera looks at many different aspects of the image including distance, light intensity in many different regions, overall light intensity, etc. It takes all of these pieces of data and compares it against a "database" of known exposure data to determine exactly how the image should be exposed. This is most camera’s AUTO mode. Center-Weighted metering is when the average intensity of light is used to determine exposure. It’s called Center-Weighted because the center of the image generally accounts for more of the calculation (usually 60%) than the rest of the image (which is usally 40%). Spot or Partial metering is when the light intensity of a very small area in the center of the camera is used. This is generally for advanced use.

The 300D has many shooting modes broke into two categories: Basic and Creative. In the Creative category you have your standards: Aperature Priority, Shutter Priority, Manual and one additional called AI-DEP which is where the camera chooses aperature based on a calculation to ensure that all the objects in the focus points will be sharp. The Basic modes are things like Night, Sports, Portrait, Macro, Outdoors, etc. There is also an AUTO mode which does everything for you.

Here’s how the camera works. The metering mode and AI Focus mode cannot be changed. They are linked to the shooting modes mentioned above. The metering mode is Evaluative for ALL modes except Manual, which is set to Center-Weighted. Additionally, with the press of a button, all the Creative modes can be changed to Partial or Spot metering mode. The focusing mode is AI Focus for ALL creative modes as well as Auto mode. The focusing mode is OneShot for ALL the basic modes except Sports, which is linked to AI Servo. In ALL cases, manual focus is possible.

Now, with that being said, most users who would use Center-Weighted metering will most likely prefer Manual mode anyway. They may also prefer some of the other Creative modes, but certainly not any of the Basic modes. And, with the available Spot meter (which is much more useful than Center-Weighted, in my opinion) in all Creative modes, this shouldn’t be a problem. As far as the focus goes, AI Focus should be pretty good in all situations where a user would want Auto Focus. It may be a bit slow for the sports photographers, as it doesn’t jump straight into AI Servo mode. But, in many cases, a sports photographer is likely to use Evaluative metering anyway, so they may as well go ahead and choose the "Sports" basic mode. Being forced into OneShot mode in most of the other Basic settings should also not be much of a problem as, as long as the user is using those settings for what they intended, the focus mode is the most correct anyway. The only possible problem is in manual mode. In many cases, manual mode users would prefer the OneShot focus mode. Whether AI Focus is capable of keeping it in that mode to my liking can only be determined with use. Nothing, however, is more annoying that having the auto focus move on you, simply because you recomposed the shot.

Taking all of that into consideration, looking at image comparisons, lens prices, and the state of the market currently, the Canon 300D may very well be my next camera.

We’ll see.

When I own a digital camera, I do my best not to look too closely at any of the new products or reviews, otherwise, I’m likely to want to upgrade which can get quite expensive. However, since I am now without a camera, and looking to buy a new one (thanks to all of the fine folks donating to my camera fundraiser), I’ve been looking around.

Ugh.

First and foremost, I can get what I had: the Nikon D100. It’s a great camera. It was fast, easy to use, and very versatile. However, the absolute cheapest price I can find on them is $1,399. And that’s just for the body. I’d still have to fork over another $1,000 to get enough lenses to match with the available focal lengths I had before. Canon has a new SLR out as well. It’s very powerful and most camera stores have long waiting lists to get one: the Canon EOS 300D / Digital Rebel. Rock bottom priceon these is $789 without a lens. However, for about $900 it can be had with a new lens that Canon has made specifically for this camera. However, to reach the same focal lengths I had before, I’d still need to spend another $400 for a second lens. So, in total, that makes the Canon about $1,000 cheaper.

But there’s a lot more to consider. Nikon is WELL known for its wide angle lenses. And Canon is, of course, well know for its telephoto lens (the next time you’re at a sporting event, look at the color of the lenses on the cameras in use. Nikon doesn’t make a white lens). For me, that’s almost a no brainer. I usually shoot well below 100mm… so in that case, I should buy a Nikon. Addtionally, the one piece of camera equipment the theives didn’t get is my film camera body. A Nikon N90s. And the lenses mix and match between the two bodies perfectly. Yet another reason to go with Nikon. The Canon is also annoying because of the software imposed limits it places on the user. Clearly, this is a move by Canon to make enough people consider the 10D over this camera. For instance, while the camerea is capable of many metering and focusing modes, each of them is hard coded to a shooting mode (aperature priority, etc). So, instead of letting me choose how I want to shoot, how I want to meter, and how I want to focus all at once, I have to do it as a package. That’s silly and quite possibly very limiting, depending on how you shoot. (I’ve written more on this topic after further research.)

For that much money $2500+tax, there are LOTS of other options, however. I could buy a nice, small, simple digital camera and save the hardcore work for my film camera. Of course, that means I’d still have to buy lenses for the film camera, but, many good digital cameras can be had for under $1000. The best choice seems to be the Minolta A1. But, of course, I’ll never buy Minolta again. However, supposedly, this camera is a great improvement over the dImage 7 I owned at the beginning of this year. It’s much faster, has many more features, and can be found for about $750. The biggest problem I have with it is the lens. Most reviewers claim that the lens is one of the best they’ve seen on a prosumer digital camera. And I must admit, it is quite good. However, its the same lens that was on the dImage 7. And I know that lens like the back of my hand. There is one small problem. At its widest focal length (35mm (35mm equiv.)) there is a large amount of distortion on the top-left hand corner of the image. Enough to be VERY annoying. Enough to make me have to correct by stretching and cropping the top corner of every image I take with it. And I really hate electronic viewfinders anyway.

Other options include the FujiFilm S7000 (for which I cannot find a review or any prices other than MSRP), and the Nikon Coolpix 5700. The Nikon seems like a great camera and can be had for $725. But I really hate electronic viewfinders.

Of course, I need to ignore the electronic viewfinder problem. Because, its better than running a giant LCD all the time and TONS better than having a non-TTL viewfinder.

A final option is the Sony DSC-F828. But it’s not out yet, has an MSRP of $1,200 and I’m sure that’ll stick until the crowds die down.

So… that leaves me staring at the Nikon D100 again. Of course, at that price, I could consider the Canon 10D which goes for as low as $1,250 but, I’ll need lenses. And my film body won’t work with them. So I’ll either need a new film body ($300 for the cheapy Canon) or two sets of lenses.

So… like I said way up there: Ugh.

Maybe I need to stop thinking so big. I can get a good featurful 3.3MP (not 5MP or 6MP like the above cameras) with a 3x lens (not 7x or 8x like the above configurations) and lots of manual controls for $300. It’s not as featurful, as rugged, or as flexible. But it’s small, and cheap, and takes great images. Of course, I’m talking about the Canon A70. I’ve always wanted a smaller, more portable, cram it in your back pocket kind of camera anyway.