Is digital as good as film

[stubbsy]

See this article from today's SMH (and probably The Age). They even used a D70!

[gstark]

What utter crap!

Here's my response to the SMH over this article.

Excuse me, but do you call this piece of drivel that's maquearading as a technical article a test?

Or even a comparison?

What a load of absolute hogwash!

How in the world do you expect to compare digital media with silver halide media, when you're not even starting on a level playing field? You're not even on the same planet!

For starters, you're using an Olympus OM2 - a truly fine film camera - and trying to compare the results obtained with those obtained from a Nikon D70. The problem - and it's a huge, serious, major league problem - is that the Olympus camera is most likely using Olympus lenses, while the Nikon Camera is using Nikkor glass. Where are you showing, in your so-called journalistic masterpiece, the underlying differences that the different lenses will impart upon each image?

Now, there's nothing at all wrong with Olympus glass - they make some truly wonderful lenses - and there's nothing wrong with Nikon glass either, but the basic premise for this so-called test is so flawed that it's not a test - it's a joke, and a very poor one, at that.

This is not professional journalism of any sort; it's rank amatuerism, it's blatantly so, and, for a paper of your calibre to even contemplate publishing rubbish like this is not just disappointing, it's a serious step down into the dungeons of tabloidism!


You may as well get a Manly Ferry and compare its features with the QEII, that's how stupid, how irrelevant, and how (un)scientific your so-called test is.

What's even worse - you don't even bother to state what lenses you're using on each body. My cat performs more scientific testing than this piece of so-called journalism! Whomever is responsible for this needs to be taken out back and shot. Probably with a Pentax!


Get with the program, and compare like with like.

Take a Nikon D70 and compare images with those taken on, say, a Nikon F90, but using a common lens between the two cameras. Say a 50mm 1.4.

Likewise, do the same using, say, a Canon EOS 350D and a similar Canon film camera, but again, using a common lens (or suite of lenses) that can be used on both cameras.

And if you need help on setting something scientific up, I'm sure that something can be arranged!

[Glen]

Gary, good response, I was surprised when reading that they were using different lenses, never mind different brands. There is no way he could know what was introducing a colour cast, sensor or lens.

[stubbsy]

Strange thing is I started to add this in the Humour section, but hesitated as I thought I might be a little biased at the quality of the journalism

[gstark]

Strange thing is I started to add this in the Humour section, but hesitated as I thought I might be a little biased at the quality of the journalism

Other than the fact that the topic is, after all, quite a reasonable one for discussion, perhaps I should move it.

[boxerboy]

But Gary, what did you really think?

[Killakoala]

Sensational response Gary, truly sensational.

[gstark]

But Gary, what did you really think?

Let's just accept that what was sent was edit #4 or 5.

[Glen]

Be interested to see the response

[wendellt]

What's even worse - you don't even bother to state what lenses you're using on each body. My cat performs more scientific testing than this piece of so-called journalism! Whomever is responsible for this needs to be taken out back and shot. Probably with a Pentax!

run over by a sigma or shot by a canon

Yeah Gary Blast em!

[Nnnnsic]

That explains what Vivaldi (our cat) is doing at home with his time every day...

[Matt. K]

It must be true. I read it in the newspaper.

[Nnnnsic]

And the Herald.

Of all the bloody papers to read it in, it was one done by Fairfax!!!

I'm beginning to lose all hope entirely in the Australian printed news.

[sirhc55]

Gary - eloquent and to the point - thank God they did not use S glass - you would have ended up being labelled a terrorist

[MattC]

I knew there was a reason why I pass over tech articles written by/for publications that do not specialise in those areas.

Cheers

Matt