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 p.3 #17 · Kodak 14n First Impressions | |
Peter, send me the image and I'll post for you.
Paul, you identified most of the areas of concern, but I think you could expand the ISO and shutter ranges that you mentioned slightly. All of the images I posted were taken on an extremely overcast day in Seattle, and most were taken under a grocery store awning that served to dim the light even more. I shot the geberas at ISO 250, f/6.7, 1/125 sec., but they had a rare moment of sunlight from on high (go figure). The others you see on my site were shot more in the range of 1/30 sec., with no ill effects. I didn't use QM, but I am going to buy it to reduce aliasing. However, I'm also finding that mucking around in Photo Desk produces acceptable results in that area. Most of the early shots on my site are at ISO 125, my default ISO. Also, I don't know if Steve adjusted NR settings for his review shots. Often reviewers don't adjust so they can show the raw output, and that's a very useful thing to show.
Talking about startup time--I am an editorial photographer. I shoot everything that is there to shoot. Yesterday, I shot with the 14n just as I do with my D1x--stumbling around finding pictures, etc. Startup time was a non-issue. When I saw a shot, I turned on the camera. By the time I kneeled down or moved around to get the position I wanted, I was able to shoot with no delay.
Battery--I got 71 shots from a charge yesterday (probably could have gotten 5-10 more, but had to go home). I've learned that the review cameras that were sent out (mine included) were heavily used cameras (and batteries). I conditioned a new battery per the manual, and those are my first results. By way of contrast, I get 90 shots from my best-performing D1x battery. So the delta is between 10-15 shots.
Design -- I use the 85mm lens on the camera often, and it isn't the best ergonomics, but it isn't a show-stopper. On build quality, I don't like the plastic CF slot door, but I appreciate carrying around a camera that, at the end of 6 hours of shooting, doesn't feel like a wrist- and hand-torture device. The larger grip is actually a more secure grip, as I learned yesterday in crowds. I would like to have mirror lockup.
Some of the variations you're seeing in review images are a result of how the reviewer presents the pictures. If they don't adjust NR to show default output, you get one kind of image. If they don't adjust NR, but sharpen, then you get another kind of image. If they process the image fully (adjust white point, tweak NR, sharpen), then you get another kind of image.
What I am realizing is that with the new firmware, these images need the most minor tweaks for color, adjusting the NR downward, and then adding some saturation in PS and sharpening. By way of contrast, for my D1x images, I always adjust individual channel curves in Capture, muck with the brightness, etc., then I spend more time in PS trying to unblock shadows. (The dynamic range of the 14n is pretty impressive, by the way.) In terms of darkroom time, both Nikon and Kodak take FOREVER to write TIFF format.
My review of the camera comes out late Monday afternoon on MSN Photos (http://photos.msn.com/editorial/EditorialStart.aspx?article=articlesHome&=ARTICLES). Peter's review in Photo Life will come out soon as well. My review will detail the limitations and the strengths, just as Steve's review did (although we differ in a few areas) and as the Imaging Resource review did.
--PS--Kodak does absolutely the most stunning color-to-black-and-white conversion you've ever seen (grayscale 'look'). It's like getting a great silver halide-quality B/W image with zero effort on your part.
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This was with the camera off, putting it up to my eye turning the camera on and then depressing the shutter. I can only assume that the 10-13 seconds that someone mentioned was a delay in the version 4.0.2 firmware that posted a "Preproduction Camera" warning during startup on the LCD. In addition there is a new Lens Optimized feature in the 4.1.2 firmware and a menu selection that deals with a hue shift that can occur when using different focal length lenses. As many of us have said before Firmware updates will make a huge difference up until the time the 14n starts to ship to consumers. Although I have not tested it the MM/SD slot is apparently active again with this firmware revision.