Portrait, Wedding, & Family Photography - Jacob Vorpahl» Here You Go

Here You Go: how does ISO compare between a compact and a DSLR? (G11 vs. D80)

Jacob Vorpahl — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:18:18 +0000

My obsession with all things related to testing my new G11 continues. Today: ISO.

When I got my G11, and even before I purchased it, I knew that if I wanted to use off camera flash with the advanced point and shoot I'd have to go full manual. I've been blessed (and cursed) using a full Nikon spread when it comes to serious photo gear: Nikon D80 with a Nikon SB-24, SB-25, and three SB-800s. Those three SB800s and the D80 work fantastic together: I get full manual and iTTL control wirelessly, all from the camera. Unfortunately, it's made me use iTTL a lot, and I haven't developed a good sense for manual light levels.

Knowing this, I decided to go ahead and buy a light meter (thanks for the birthday present sweetheart!) to take out the chimping that I knew would come without one. I ordered a Sekonic L-358 off Amazon last week and it arrived on Monday. I played around with it, than I came back to a question that had me curious when I was looking at buying the G11: I know that DOF (depth of field) is greatly increased because of the smaller sensor size in the G11 compared to a DSLR, but how similar are the light sensitivity levels between the two types of cameras? Does f4 on the G11 let in as much light as the D80 that I own? Only one way to find out.

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Here You Go: Canon G11 and wireless off camera flash sync speed test

Jacob Vorpahl — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:42:52 +0000

Note: "Here You Go" is a new feature that I'm starting here on the OneBrightSpot blog. If you have a question about a technique, gear, anything you see here on the blog that you need more visual help with or questions answered, send an email to jacob@onebrightspot.com with "Here You Go" in the title line and your question in the body, and if I can answer it, I will and I'll put it up for everyone else to see. This will also serve as the forum for questions I'm trying to answer, such as today's topic. Hopefully we can help each other out(and everyone else who reads).

For off camera flash fans, we've gotten used to the idea that as far as sync speed is concerned, we've hit a ceiling: the good ole shutter speed of 1/250 of a second. Sure, there are a couple of DSLRs out there that can go a little higher, but they are few and far between and are becoming a rarity with each new model refresh. So, those of us who use off camera flash frequently are left to be disappointed by the engineers design decisions. Fortunately, we're lucky to have at least one option to turn to: the Canon G-series of advanced point-and-shoot cameras.

Updated: now with more information at flash power at 1/1000 shutter speed.

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