Canon 1D at Keeble and Shucat

At noon today, I went to Fujisan Sushi in the Milpitas Ranch 99 shopping complex to have lunch with some former Palm co-workers. Over two sushi boats and a number of other appetizers, we talked about the changes happening at Palm and where the company is headed. We also had a healthy discussion about digital cameras and DV cameras. Everyone seems to be buying or is about to buy a digital camera these days.

If you’re still on the fence, I refer you to the following web sites:

Both sites are excellent resources for reading reviews of cameras and learning about digital photography.

After lunch, I drove to Palo Alto to check my mail and pick up some formal wear accessories. I’m going to don the black tie tomorrow night for an event I’m attending and photographing at PacBell Park. More to come on that later!

Enter the 1D

Regular visitors to tow.com know that I shoot with a Canon D30 Digital SLR. It’s a beast of a digital camera that makes use of all of Canon’s famous EOS lenses and accessories. I’ve had the D30 for over a year now and have shot over 32,000 photos. That equates to 900 rolls of 36 exposure film! If I shot 900 rolls of film with a traditional camera, I’d be a very poor person today!

This Friday and Saturday, Keeble and Shucat in Palo Alto is hosting demo days where reps from various camera companies are on hand to demo their latest products. The product many Canon shooters at K&S were checking out was the newly announced (and slowly shipping) Canon 1D Digital SLR. Based on the award-winning Canon EOS 1V, the 1D is one heck of a digital camera. Environmentally sealed, it shoots at a rapid 8 frames per second (FPS) and captures images with a 4 megapixel (MP) CCD sensor.

The 1D has been at the root of much discussion on the Canon SLR Forum on DPReview. Before the official specifications were known, rumors ran rampant that the 1D was going to have a full-frame (meaning no focal length multiplication factor as in most digital SLR’s) 6MP CMOS sensor, encased in a 1V body. When the specs were finally revealed, a lot of people were disappointed in the CCD sensor and the 4MP size. They were expecting more from Canon, and many felt let down. Canon has stated that the 1D is the replacement for the D2000 Digital SLR, not the D30. Seen in that light, I can understand the target market for the 1D in sports photographers and photojournalists. I still think that it would be great for wedding, portrait and landscape photographers.

Now that the 1D is out, rumors are starting to fly again as to the specs and announce/delivery dates for D30’s successor. We couldn’t get anything out of the Canon dealers, but we heard rumors such as a 10MP CMOS sensor. I’ll believe it when I hear it from Canon’s mouth. The same type of rumor and innuendo happens in the handheld and computer marketplace. When the iPod was to be released, many people thought that it might be the second coming of Newton. People are attracted to, myself included, to the possibility that a company could be releasing the product of their dreams. High expectations often lead to disappointment and regret, however. Sarah mentioned that famous phrase to me my sophomore year, “No expectations, no regrets.” If the 1D serves your needs, go ahead and buy it. The resale value should be pretty damn good when the D30’s successor comes out.

There were a number of D30 owners at Keeble and Shucat checking out the 1D. I think that I’ve only met in person two other people who had the D30, so it was a pleasant surprise to see that there were others in the Bay Area. David and Richard drove all the way up from Santa Cruz to check out the 1D. It seemed like the 1D was grafted on David’s hand at the end of the day — he, like many of us, would definitely not mind having one! Of course, the 1D is priced at $5499, which is rather expensive. David was mentioning how purchasing the D30 and all of its accessories changed the way he mentally priced things. He’s right. In college, I thought that $20 was a lot of money. Today, I’m using $20’s left and right for normal purchases! Buy a D30 and you’ll start thinking the same thing for items costing $500!

Ultimately, the digital camera you end up using is just a tool. It’s the photographer who can make or break a picture, not the camera. Still, if you want to get from point A to point B, would you rather drive a Yugo or a BMW M3?

I’m thinking of setting up a Canon Digital SLR club in the Bay Area, similar to what I’m already doing with SNUG and SPUG. That would rock to trade war stories and tips with other Canon digital camera users. The newsgroups and forums are great, but nothing beats face to face interaction.