Wide Angle Lenses

By Richard M. Reyes

Wide Angle Lenses are very good at bringing your subject closer to you.  This is a bit different than shooting with macro lenses where you can fill the image with your subject.  For example, you can photograph a flower in a field.  This flower can be in the foreground and be your main subject.  The bonus is that because of the angle of view covered by the lens, you can see the fields, hills, farmhouse in the background.  In the same macro shot you may have just the flower fill the image.

Wide Angle Lens on DSLR
It is a different thought process when shooting with an ultra-wide lens.  The lens I have access to now is a Canon 10-22mm on a Canon crop-sensor camera body.  This is the lens that probably stays on the camera body the most.  It has an equivalent focal range of 16-35mm (for a 35mm camera or full-frame sensor).

Wide Angle Lens on Camera Phone
My favorite wide angle lens on a camera phone is still the Nokia Lumia 1020.  It has a 41MP (2/3") sensor with Carl Zeiss Optics with a constant aperture of f/2.2 and fixed 26mm lens.  It is a quirky device.  It was designed with such a high resolution  to avoid having to physically zoom-in.  The idea was you can crop the image and still have a usable image.  I never use the camera thinking that I would crop the image and "post-crop".

This camera reminds me of the Nikon 5000 ("pre-dslr" camera) which also had a 2/3" sensor and had crisp color and focus.  I think some people refer to them as bridge cameras.  

Canon 5D II to Nikon D750

By Richard M. Reyes

It has been a while since I have used a camera with a full-frame sensor.  To be exact, the last full-frame sensor camera I used was the Canon 5D Mark II (which went on sale in November 2008).  At the time, it was a great upgrade from the Canon 5D.  The single largest reason for me to upgrade was the automated sensor cleaning system.  Before this, it was mandatory to have a blower to remove any floating dust particles which plagued my Canon 5D.

Now, after a lot of research on the full-frame sensor that may be a good fit for me, I am looking into a Nikon D750.  I did look into the 5D Mark III and think it is a good camera.  I am not considering the 5D Mark IV within the scope of this article because of price considerations.

Before listing my reasons for the Nikon D750, listed below are the compelling reasons for the Canon 5D Mark III or Canon 5D Mark IV.  I think if the Canon 5D's below kept the autofocus feature of the Canon EOS 3 (film camera) which allowed the camera to focus on what the photographer was looking at then there would be less reasons to switch.

In general, I do find the color rendition of the DIGIC processors to be pleasing and up to this point my workflow has been optimized around Canon gear.

Canon 5D Mark III best features (Most of which are improvements over the 5D Mark II).  Note: This is not meant to be an exhaustive list, only the top features that are important to me:

1. Improved Autofocus 61 AF points (5D2 had 15) and can shoot at a higher ISO with less noise
2. Headphone Jack (for video this is essential to monitor sound)
3. Dual Card Slots (SD and CF)

Nikon D750 best features:
For me the deciding factors for this camera are:

1. Focus - The Nikon autofocus system - the ability to focus on "eyes" for people photos
2. Dynamic Range - Dynamic Range is an important factor for me.  Getting more highlights and shadows can benefit both color and black and white photography
3. Dual Card Slots (SD)

Since I am considering a solution that includes people photos then the Nikon D750 is a worthy option.

This article is not meant to be a Canon vs. Nikon as I have other Canon gear that will not be replaced.  Gear is gear and you can shoot with what you have.

References:
Canon Camera Museum. EOS 5D Mark II. Retrieved from http://global.canon/en/c-museum/product/dslr800.html

Canon Camera Museum. EOS 5D Mark III. Retrieved from http://global.canon/en/c-museum/product/dslr808.html

Canon Europe. Capturing the Image: Sensor Cleaning. Retrieved from http://cpn.canon-europe.com/content/education/infobank/capturing_the_image/sensor_cleaning.do

Nikon USA. D750. Retrieved from http://www.nikonusa.com/en/nikon-products/product/dslr-cameras/d750.html