Hey all. Well, I got out and did some quick shooting with my new ND. Some observations as I fiddle with the files in PS:
1) The metering on this puppy definitely likes to underexpose by about a stop. Not a problem, it probably saves the highlights.
2) Shooting on an overcast day does not seem to be a strength for this camera. Even with chroma on + it is still looking pretty washed out in some cases.
3) I shot a few frames on iso 400 and, wow, I have NEVER seen such noise in my life. I had heard it was noisy but this is something to see. I am going to try running shots through "noise ninja" just to see what it can do.
4) The ND seems to do a wonderful job with "earth tones", not so well so far with grey or light matter. The "earth" shots I have of a flower bed, for instance, are looking very nice right out of the camera.
5) Raw performance is quite good. PS works perfectly with the files and they sharpen right up. Very nice.
6) The dreaded battery life report. I decided to head out and shoot with the camera on manual focus. After 120 shots and the battery monitor not moving a milimeter I decided to switch to Continuous Autofocus to take some shots of the dog. Two shots in, the camera turned off completely. I turned it back on, switched to manual focus, and popped out another 70 shots without any battery problem.
For my camera it seems like the USM motors in the 50mm lens are the culprits for the battery drain.
7) Did I mention how nicely the camera handles? Very well made, nice tactile feel, good viewfinder. I do wish the VF had the "pop" of the Aria VF for manual focusing but you can't have everything!
I better get back to processing some images
I'll post one later just for kicks (none of these are an artistic tour de force but oh well!).
Kent