Monthly Archives: April 2011

April 13, 2011 · 12:02 am

Don’t Be a Casualty of the Great Megapixel War


After a brief respite, the Great Megapixel War is back in full swing. It seems camera manufacturers are upping their cameras’ megapixel ratings on almost a monthly, if not weekly, basis.  Unfortunately, there are other factors far more important than the number of megapixels crammed on that camera’s sensor, and most digital camera purchasers don’t have a clue what those factors are.  To illustrate my point please allow me to relate the following story:

I started using 35 mm cameras well over forty years ago, starting with a Petri 7s Rangefinder I saved up for and purchased when I was around fourteen or so.  I’ve been using SLR cameras since 1974, when I received on Christmas morning a really nifty Canon TLb.  Both cameras taught me a lot about photography, as did my all-time favorite book on photography The Honeywell Pentax Way by the late, great Herbert Keppler.  Because I was so enamored from such an early age with the 35 mm format, I delayed going to a digital SLR (DSLR) until someone came along with a (relatively) affordable “Full-Frame” version, meaning a sensor approximating the size of a 35 mm frame.  I was overjoyed when my old friends at Canon did just that with their breakthrough camera the Canon EOS 5D back in 2005.  When I finally got my 5D, my trusty old Canon EOS 10S was reverently and lovingly placed into semi-retirement, but still stands ready for those times when I want to revert back to 35 mm photography.

Alas, there are times when it’s just too darned inconvenient, cumbersome, or obvious to lug around such a huge camera and assorted lenses.  This is especially true when traveling abroad or in areas where thieves covet such gear.  I’m thinking specifically here places such as Rome, Athens, Barcelona, and Paris, where professional thieves working in packs can strip you practically down to your underwear in seconds.  Thus, I found myself just over a year ago in the market for a small travel zoom that I could take with me into areas or situations where a large, bulky DSLR just isn’t practical.

So it was in the early Spring of 2009 that I started shopping around for small camera that would give me at least acceptable pictures—not on par with my DSLR, of course, but at least something that would produce pictures I wouldn’t be embarrassed to show.  There were several competing cameras in the travel zoom category by then, including some rather nifty examples from my beloved Canon.  Indeed, many of these cameras offered 12 megapixels or more.  But being the photographic enthusiast that I am, I knew that megapixels do not necessarily equate to resolution, which is far more important.  Also, a higher megapixel rating often goes hand-in-hand with reduced low-light performance.  Obviously more pixels means smaller pixels for a sensor of any give size, and the smaller the pixel the more susceptible that pixel is to digital noise.  More digital noise means you have to lower the ISO setting of the camera to compensate.

After tossing aside megapixel considerations, I fixated on what is probably the most important yet also most neglected camera component—the lens.  Anyone who takes travel shots which, by definition, are landscape-centric, will tell you that wide angle performance is much more important than telephoto considerations.  My personal magic number for this is 24, which means I want a lens that gives me the 35 mm equivalent of at least a 24 mm lens.  If I can get below that magic number then all the better.  If I can’t, I want to get as close to that number as possible.  That means 28 mm or narrower just doesn’t do it for me.

Well, that magic number of mine immediately disqualified all the usual suspects. Canon, Nikon, and Sony started out at 28 mm to 38 mm on the wide side.  That left me looking at Panasonic, a brand I had never even considered before.  The Panasonic models closest to my magic number were the Lumix DMC-ZS1 and DMC-ZS3.  Both came equipped with the same Leica-manufactured 12X  4.1 mm to 49.2 mm zoom lens,.  For the size sensor in the ZS1 and ZS3, that worked out to the 35 mm equivalent of a 25 mm on the wide angle side zooming out to an incredible 300 mm on the telephoto side.  It was also the fastest lens of the bunch, f3.3 to f4.9 depending on the level of zoom.  Between the two, the ZS3 had the larger, higher-resolution LCD screen.  A large, bright LCD is essential in direct sunlight, so I sprang for the higher cost and happily left the store with my ZS3 even though it effectively had “only” 10.1 megapixels.  I was later vindicated in that decision when DPReview rated image quality for the ZS1/ZS3 line, both for daylight and low-light situations, above offerings from Canon, Olympus, and Samsung, and on par with the Sony H20.  If you glance at the specifications for the cameras tested, you will notice that the ZS1/ZS3 also happened to have the lowest megapixel ratings of the entire bunch.

That Spring, during a 54-day cruise, I went head-to-head against fellow passengers with DSLRs and equipment costing ten times or more what I spent on my diminutive Panasonic.  During a shipboard photo competition in which there were three categories, that little ZS3 produced 8 x 10 photographs that took first place in landscapes and third place in people.  Not bad.

Just a few months later Panasonic upgraded the ZS line with the ZS5, ZS6 (only available at Costco), and ZS7.  The sensor was now packed with 12.1 megapixels.  I wouldn’t have bit on this new line for the increased megapixel rating, but I did covet the manual modes this new line offered.  I was concerned that the smaller, more densely packed pixels would degrade low-light performance, but Panasonic managed to somewhat mitigate that problem by upgrading their Venus processing engine.  So, after due consideration I went ahead and purchased the ZS6, but only because of the increased control over aperture, shutter speed, and the ability to go into full manual mode when needed.

Sure enough, ISO performance slipped a little. Whereas I will push the ZS3 to ISO 400 with confidence, I find myself limiting the ZS6 to no more than ISO 200 unless I really have no choice.  And if I know I’m going into a low-light situation, as I did when I took these shots of Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, I revert to using the tried-and-true ZS3 if I don’t have access to my much more capable EOS 5D.

Now Panasonic has yet another new ZS line, the ZS8 and ZS10 with a new Leica 16X zoom that starts out at the 35 mm equivalent of 24 mm (they finally hit my magic number) and zooming out to an incredible 384 mm.  This new line also comes with a mind-boggling 14.1 megapixels crammed once again onto a sensor measuring only 6.13 mm across, 4.6 mm high, and 7.8 mm when measured diagonally.  This is known as a 1/2.33” sensor, and it’s smaller than the nail on your pinky finger. The internal processing engine remained pretty much the same with enhancements geared toward video capability, so I just knew there were going to be problems.  No way was I going to fall for this one.  And, boy, was I right.  The first review is in and CNET’s findings are not encouraging.  Even in good, bright light the pictures are coming out “soft” and there is observable “noise” at even ISO 100.  Image quality has dropped to the point that CNET advises against making prints any larger that 8×10, whereas I’ve had exceptional results with prints as large as 16×20 with my first-generation ZS3.

What a shame. Yet another senseless, tragic casualty of war . . . the Great Megapixel War.

2 Comments

Filed under Photography

April 12, 2011 · 9:49 am

Coming In May—The $114 Kindle 3 . . .


. . . but there’s a catch.

The price of a Kindle 3 WiFi is $139, and that’s pretty much the norm anywhere you shop.  The only deviation I’ve ever seen was a slightly lower price about a month ago at a BJ’s Wholesale Club in Dania Beach, Florida, at $136.

Now comes word that sometime next month you’ll be able to purchase a brand new Kindle 3 for the low, low price of $114.  Sounds good.  But there’s no such thing as a free lunch and, apparently in the world of Jeff Bezos, there’s no such thing as a free $25 discount.  So, what exactly do you give up for that quarter of a C-note?

Surprisingly, not much.  When the Kindle 3 goes into sleep mode, the display shows a portrait of a famous author of the past on what many jokingly call, “The Dead Author Screensaver.”  With the lower priced version, you’ll instead get promotional offers from Amazon and advertisements from other corporations.  According to this Publishers Weekly article, Buick, Olay, and Visa have already queued up for this latest advertising medium.

Additionally, Amazon will have a new Kindle 3 app and website called AdMash to go along with this little scheme.  Using AdMash, owners of the reduced price Kindle 3 WiFi will be able to vote for their favorite ads and give Amazon feedback as to which ads people want cluttering up their screen when their device is sleeping.  Apparently, all future ads will eventually be screened using data derived from AdMash users.

So, if $139 was still a little steep for your wallet, and if you can stand to look at an ad or two when you’re not using your Kindle, this just might be the opportunity for which you’ve been waiting.  Just click here to pre-order an ad-sponsored Kindle 3 WiFi.

But whatever you do, don’t forget to load up that new Kindle 3 WiFi with a copy of that critically acclaimed murder mystery Decisions using only $2.99 of that $25 I just saved you.  After all, what good is that new Kindle 3 WiFi if there’s nothing on it that’s fun to read?

Comments Off on Coming In May—The $114 Kindle 3 . . .

Filed under eReaders, Giveaways

April 11, 2011 · 12:01 am

127 Hours vs. Nordwand (Movie Reviews)


Here’s a neat little experiment—a double movie review.  Both of the following deal with similar themes:  Mountaineering, man versus the cruel vagaries of nature, and man’s innate drive to survive against impossible odds.  The first is 127 Hours, for which James Franco’s performance garnered a nomination for Best Actor at this year’s Academy Awards.  The second is Nordwand (North Face), a film about which you’ve probably never heard.  And that’s really unfortunate, because in a head-to-head analysis 127 Hours in my opinion falls far short in a comparison of the two films.

127 Hours

Drama (Based on a true story), U.S., 2010, 94 minutes, directed by Danny Boyle

Medium:  Netflix Blu-Ray (Available on DVD)

Rating:  3.5 (5-point system)

Versus

Nordwand (North Face)

Foreign Drama (Based on a true story), German, 2008, 121 minutes, directed by Philipp Stölzl

Medium:  Netflix Streaming (Available on DVD)

Rating:  5.0 (5-point system)

First up, 127 hours:

James Franco plays real-life mountaineer Aron Ralston, a cocksure loner who likes to pit himself against nature on his weekend jaunts into the wilderness.

While rappelling into a crevasse, Ralston falls and dislodges a large boulder.  His right arm is pinned between the boulder and a solid rock wall, trapping the young adventure seeker whose only gear and supplies include a cheap knife, a multi-function tool similar to a Leatherman, a flashlight, rope, a little food and even less water, a video camera, and absolutely no communication with the outside world.

For five days Ralston tries everything he can think of to free himself, including one very clever scene in which he rigs a makeshift pulley system.  Eventually he realizes there is no escape . . . at least none that includes retaining his right arm.  By then his knife is so dulled from chipping away at the boulder that the blade will not even penetrate his skin.  The only equipment still offering any chance of escape are the pliers and wire cutter built into his multi-function tool.  It’s a gruesome yet inspiring moment when a dehydrated and hallucinating Ralston begins the slow, excruciated job of self-amputation and devising his escape from the crevasse.

Unfortunately, at least for me, Ralston’s character comes off as an extremely well-prepared and physically capable outdoorsman with one near-fatal flaw—he’s so confident in his abilities that he neglects the cardinal rules of survival:  Don’t travel alone, and always leave word where you’re going.  As such, it was fairly hard for me to stomach his initial arrogance and, later, to muster very much sympathy for his plight.  Eventually, however, Franco’s performance won me over and in the end I did start to root for the character he portrayed.

Alas the film is flawed.  Franco’s performance, while good to borderline great, was not in my opinion truly Oscar-worthy.  And, even at a short 92 minutes, the film still seemed overly long.  That’s never a good sign.

Next, Nordwand (North Face):

So hungry was I for a more satisfying real-life outdoor adventure film after watching 127 Hours that I almost immediately went to my Netflix streaming queue to retrieve a film I had placed there over a month before.  That film was Nordwand, a German word that translates to North Face.  If you know anything about mountaineering, or if you’re a fan of Rodney William Whitaker’s outstanding 1972 spy thriller The Eiger Sanction (written under the pseudonym Trevanian), the title alone will send shivers down your spine.  And isn’t that the reaction you expect from such a story?  When one mentions, “The North Face,” those in the know immediately think of the infamous North Face of the magnificent Swiss Alp the Eiger, a climb that has claimed the lives of no less than 64 mountaineers since the first serious attempt made in 1935 on what would become known as, “The last great problem of the Alps.”

Nordwand details the true-life 1936 attempt to climb the North Face of the Eiger mounted by German climbers Andreas Hinterstoisser (Florian Lukas) and Toni Kurz ( Benno Fürmann), who in mid-climb would later joined forces with Austrians Willy Angerer (Simon Schwarz) and Edi Rainer (Georg Friedrich).  Kurz is the reluctant climber who considers the Eiger’s North Face far too dangerous.  Kurz’s childhood friend and current mountain climbing companion Hinterstoisser disagrees, and Hinterstoisser eventually badgers Kurz into taking up a challenge many consider sure suicide.  Also pressuring Kurz is former childhood sweetheart Luise (Johanna Wokalek), who views documenting their attempt as her breakout ticket in photo journalism.

Kurz and Hinterstoisser soon find themselves encamped at the base of the Eiger, having arrived by bicycle, living in a tent, near penniless, and surviving on barley soup made over a campfire.  Meanwhile spectators, the press, and even Luise party in grand fashion and formal clothing, gorging on gourmet food and swilling fine wine at the nearby luxury hotel.  The dichotomy between the high-living death-watchers situated on the overlooking hill and the various encamped, glory-seeking climbing parties below is both stunning and demoralizing.

Kurz and Hinterstoisser begin their arduous climb before sunrise early one morning.  Austrians Angerer and Rainer start out shortly after, vowing to catch and then pass the Germans as each team vie to be the first to conquer the North Face.  Eventually the Austrians link up with the German team after Hinterstoisser discovers a brilliant but technically very difficult traverse that reveals to the four climbers the one route that had eluded everyone who made the North Face attempt before them.  Unfortunately, the team makes a decision that later proves disastrous when they remove and take with them the ropes Hinterstoisser used to traverse the most dangerous and unforgiving portion of the mountain.  From that moment on the team’s fate is sealed.

Disaster strikes high on the sheer rock when, first, Angerer is struck by a falling rock dislodged by a climber above and receives a severe concussion, and then when the weather turns the North Face into an ice-shrouded death chute for which the climbers are ill-prepared and unequipped.  From then on it’s a battle for their very lives as they reverse course just shy of their goal, the dead weight of the injured Angerer strung among the three remaining able-bodied climbers.  They decide their only hope for survival lies in reaching the Eigerwand Viewpoint, a tunnel railway station scenic lookout some 9,396 feet up the side of the 13,025-foot tall Eiger.

The climbing scenes in Nordwand are as stunning and breathtaking as the scenic locations in which they were shot.  By the end of the movie you can almost feel the stinging frostbite on your exposed face and hands, the sharp pain of overexerted muscles and sinews, the overwhelming fatigue of five nearly sleepless night encampments tethered to an icy cliff, and the dull, pounding headache of oxygen deprivation.  This movie truly has everything that 127 Hours lacks, from superb acting to heart-pounding action and flawless direction.  And whereas 92 minutes seemed a tad too long for 127 Hours, the 121 minutes of Nordwand will leave the viewer amazed at just how fast two hours can pass.

This is truly a must-see cinematic event.

Interesting Side Note:  You’ll recall that I earlier mentioned one of my favorite spy thrillers (actually a very clever parody of the genre), The Eiger Sanction.  Please don’t confuse this magnificent novel with the rather tepid 1975 film adaptation starring Clint Eastwood.  If you’ve not read this book, I would highly recommend that you do so after viewing Nordwand.  The climbing scenes from Trevanian’s novel were obviously patterned almost piton-for-piton from the 1935 Hinterstoisser/Kurz assault on the Eiger, clear down to the concussed climber and the sudden, catastrophic, mid-Summer ice storm.  You’ll be amazed at the similarities, and Trevanian’s descriptions are even more effective than even the brilliant Nordwand at putting the reader up on the North Face, the last great problem of the Alps.

2 Comments

Filed under Movies