Advanced Photographer 2014 Awards

[davidb]

Well, the winners have been announced for the 2014 Advanced Photographer Awards. I won't list them all; just a few of the more interesting ones!

Advanced DSLR Camera - Canon EOS 5D Mk III - well done Rose, you've backed a winner
Advanced CSC - Olympus OM-D E-M10 - Mike you've been singing it's praises for a long time
Wide-Angle Zoom - Canon EF 8-15 f/4L fisheye USM - that's the one I've got
Launch of the Year - Samsung NX1 - I'd like to have a closer look at this one

This next one may be a bit contentious amongst some Club members:

Website Provider - Zenfolio - check the thread on the forum for this one!

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1486

[Mike Farley]

So the now venerable, by digital standards, 5DIII gets the nod over the much newer Nikon D810. It's a shame that Canon sensors are falling short of what Sony achieves, but it does suggest that Canon has the more complete package and I doubt if Nikon's ongoing QA problems have helped either.

That E-M10 is a belter of a camera and does most things capably, punching well above its weight. Rather than being my "go to" camera, it's more like "go with" due to its compact size.

One of the surprises at The Photography Show was Samsung's non appearance, the only major manufacturer not present. In the NX1 the company finally has a camera worthy of serious consideration and then doesn't promote it at the biggest show of the year.

A fisheye lens is a strange choice for wide-angle zoom, but of late I have been enjoying the results I have been getting from the fisheye body cap lens which came with the E-M10.

Zenfolio, of course, is a remarkable company with customer service next to none. Oops, that was possibly a typo and perhaps I should have simply just said none?

[davidb]

A fisheye lens is a strange choice for wide-angle zoom,

If you use the lens at 8mm you get a round image (including your feet if you're not careful). At 15mm you get the usual wide angle image with the usual distortions at the edges. I suppose it depends what you're trying to do. One of the reasons for buying this lens was to take photographs of 60ft carriages on the Bluebell Railway. i'll have to try it some time!