No more need to ask "what camera is..."

[JerryPH]

YAY! Finally, no more need for the endless threads of "how good is camera X, how do they compare and which one is better for me..."

The creators of the DxO program made a site that let's you do side to side comparisons and answer your own questions.


Now just visit http://www.dxomark.com/ and find out the answers there yourselves!

 

[TwoRails]

Nice link, but it doesn't have "all" cameras. For example, for giggles I just tried to compare an Olympus to a D70. The Olympus choices are scarce, and it didn't even bring up the E-520 when I did select it...

 

[epp_b]

I was particularly amused by KR's comments on it...

[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif][SIZE=+2]24 November 2008, Monday [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif][SIZE=+1]Geekdom [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]This has nothing to do with photography, but armchair geeks who misconstrue sensor performance as relevant to creating images are going to jizz all over DxO's independent ratings of digital camera capture abilities. [/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]DxO calls this "sensor" ranking, but as I've actually helped people design digital cameras, we know all too well that a naked sensor can't do anything: you only can rate it as part of the camera system in which it lives.[/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]When DxO says sensor ranking, they really mean the sensor as embodied in the camera the are ranking. Maybe this is a subtle point, but for folks who design cameras, an obvious one.

[/FONT]

 

[frXnz kafka]

I like their "in the press" section:

Nov. 24 - cnet news

"DxO sheds light on camera sensor performance"​

Read more

Nov. 24 - Technorati

"DxOMark Arrives"​

Read more

 

[JerryPH]

Nice link, but it doesn't have "all" cameras. For example, for giggles I just tried to compare an Olympus to a D70. The Olympus choices are scarce, and it didn't even bring up the E-520 when I did select it...

Well come on people, give them more than a few days before closing them down, the site is still beta and of course some choices are just more in demand than others... lol

They do have a lot of the more popular cameras there, and though I found some of the info questionable, like any info source, a lot is opinion as well as fact. It is still better to read that than listen to another 200 more threads of D40 vs XT debates here.

 

[pm63]

This is virtually useless compared to the best advice anyone can get when chosing a camera: test them both out extensively, in the field, for what you individually like to shoot.

 

[frXnz kafka]

This is virtually useless compared to the best advice anyone can get when chosing a camera: test them both out extensively, in the field, for what you individually like to shoot.

I'm all for actually testing out a camera, but there are things you can't get from a "test drive" in a store, and these are no less important. You can't judge ISO performance or resolution on a 3" lcd screen.

 

[JerryPH]

Exactly what I was going to say. There is actually very little you can do in-store... except test ergonomics and hear the sound. It's kinda like test driving a car while it is in the showroom.

 

[pm63]

I don't know, I'm sure some of the better stores round here would let you test and keep the images if you brang your own card in or something. I would also consider renting the cameras I'm considering for a day or so. Last time I checked though, renting a D3 for just a day cost £100, 1/25 the price of a new one!

 

[Garbz]

yes but those aren't the people asking 'what camera is this' questions on this forum since those people who have CF cards and are prepared to go in, take test photos, test ergonomics are the resourceful ones who do research themselves.

Ok fair is fair. There are a few of the people in that category who ask this question to, but the response always seems canned.

Sensor performance + ergonomics of use are really what defines a camera 'quality' wise unless there are some specific queries, so this website is quite useful.

 

[frXnz kafka]

Last time I checked though, renting a D3 for just a day cost £100, 1/25 the price of a new one!

Yep, and letting someone else do the testing for me (and probably more accurately than me) is free. That's 1/(infinity) the price of a new one.

 

[rwilson]

The way a camera looks on paper is nothing to how it preforms in your hands. The website doesn't help much if any. I would rather use it myself or ask somebody who has used it.

 

[frXnz kafka]

The way a camera looks on paper is nothing to how it preforms in your hands. The website doesn't help much if any. I would rather use it myself or ask somebody who has used it.

So if I give you a 1D with 300D internals, it's going to perform the same?

Honestly, I get the whole "test it first" mentality, but to completely dismiss the technical aspects is ridiculous.