It does, but that's besides the point. It's reasonably public knowledge what I do for a living, for those who really care. But go ahead and do whatever it takes in your opinion to "properly convert the 14 bit image to 12 bit", and then compare. Because that's what the D300 does, too.
Stunnaz wrote:
I also have a 400D and will sell it once I receive my 40D. I don't think 400D prices will fluctuate that much on Ebay between now and October. You should just keep the 400D until you have your 40D in hand.
I don't use XTi much, prefer 5D I own. Much better camera and results, XTi just for long telephoto.
Shipping dates are estimated based on information from the suppliers. In my business our product lines change in the spring and fall. Usually the companies will tell us when the product is supposed to ship and when we can expect delivery. It is not written in stone but it is usually close. It is impossible to guarantee delivery of a product that you don't have in stock and Amazon's information to you is based on several things.
1. The estimated date of receiving product from Canon according to what they have been told.
2. The number of orders ahead of you that they have to process. (This could change depending on how many people cancel their pre-orders prior to delivery from Canon.) You could possibly get it sooner.
There is also the chance of backorders where they order 1000 units and only receive say 400. This could cause a delay but I am sure they would notify you ahead of time in the event you wanted to cancel your order.
I honestly would not worry too much about it. From the response I have read in some of the forums there are probably alot of people that have cancelled their orders since the Nikon announcement which could push up your delivery date.
I preordered a 40D from Amazon August 20. My order states delivery October 1 to October 3. I do a lot of ordering from Amazon and find their orders usually arrive several days early.
I'm probably going to expose my ignorance here but anyway...
Isn't one of the main advantages of a 14 bit file out of the camera the editing headroom? If you've got a perfectly exposed image well printed, the difference between a 12 and a 14 bit file is going to be fairly marginal most (not all) of the time; but with 14 bits you can tweak the levels and instead of the histogram looking like the manhattan skyline and the image starting to posterize, you still have some nice tonal gradients because you had more information at the outset. This would seem a fairly major advantage to me.
40D appeared in most camera stores in Hong Kong today (much quicker than anticipated).
Initial impressions from taking a couple of snaps with the camera today -
1) feels a bit more solid than the 30D
2) button placement quite comfortable for my hands, including the new AF button
3) 3" screen is lovely, but have not been able to confirm its brightness and color accuracy
4) AI servo seems to be able to hold focus on static objects rather well (i.e. not too much going back and forth)
5) Indoors/halogen light, I asked my friend to walk slowly from 5m to 2m to test the 40D's center point ai servo. both photos taken not too sharp, but not too different from 30D performance...this will certainly require more hands-on testing.
6) Shutter seems quieter than predecessor.
Samples are already available on dpreview.
Oh street price is US$1150 from a big-box retailer - probably 5% less at specialist stores. Immediate availability.
I will be in China in November - probably in HK, but definitely in Nanjing and Shanghai. Will I be able to show up in town and find a good deal or do you have some special locations for me? I've been to mainland many times but not to purchase camera gear. I'm going to get the 40D, and I figure I was going to wait until the initial sales to get some good reviews, and if I can save $150 by buying it in China I might. Are there warranty issues if I buy it there and bring it back to the States?
dalek53 wrote:
I'm probably going to expose my ignorance here but anyway...
Isn't one of the main advantages of a 14 bit file out of the camera the editing headroom? If you've got a perfectly exposed image well printed, the difference between a 12 and a 14 bit file is going to be fairly marginal most (not all) of the time; but with 14 bits you can tweak the levels and instead of the histogram looking like the manhattan skyline and the image starting to posterize, you still have some nice tonal gradients because you had more information at the outset. This would seem a fairly major advantage to me.
Yes, this is correct. However, the difference is less than one may think; typically you see a difference between 8 and 16 bit -- here we talk 12 and 14... Also, it's yet to be seen how much of the two bits is actual signal and not noise. Just as you can pack an 8 bit image into 16 bits without gaining anything, same can apply for 12 vs. 14.
For commodity gear such as Canon stuff, you're better off just getting it from B&H in NY - prices are not that different anyway. You should only buy niche camera gear (i.e. vintage gear, Leicas, MF stuff) in Hong Kong where prices are still meaningfully cheaper.
Mainland China is a totally different market from Hong Kong for stuff like cameras (more expensive, less selection, sales taxes, etc..) and should be avoided unless they get their acts together better.
Getting a camera in Hong Kong is very similar to the US - there are the big box retailers (e.g. Broadway, Fortress) with outlets at every subway stop and sell the same stuff at prices less than 5% apart, and then there are mom+pop stores (e.g. DCFever, Photo Scientific) that are a bit more expensive but are friendlier+more knowledgeable. And then there are the places that specialize in ripping off tourists by charging 50% more - they tend to be on the main drag on Nathan Road and should be avoided.
If you happen to be in town anyway, you should check out a couple of stores in Mong kok and on Stanley Street - they're like a Cabela's for camera stuff and are good to try out stuff.
There is an online price database for general camera gear in HK that's relatively up to date:
My 40D is on order, also thinking of getting at least one weather sealed lens and new flash that I could get some advantage of this option.
Do you think that is good idea and why people from Nikon already sure that 40D would not be as good in weather sealing? Just jealousy?
I wouldn't plan on using it in the rain. A light shower I'm sure will be fine but don't bank on much more, especially when 1D's can die in the rain fairly easily. Why take the risk anyway, its all electronics no matter how well sealed it is.
The 40D isn't really weather sealed, Just better dust and moisture resistant then the previous models. From what I've been reading, the 40D gets some sealing around the battery and CF card door, the rear buttons and the hotshoe. Its definitely not as good as a 1 series camera!
