Worth upgrading Nikon D90 to Canon EOS 5 Mark II?

Yes, I am shooting in RAW.

Leonard Migliore said:

I think that's lighting. The lighting appears rather flat. You're not going to get bright colors out of flat light. The camera is not going to record what's not there. Also, are you shooting RAW or JPG? You can drag a lot more out of RAW, sometimes even things that aren't there.

As far as crispness, ISO 1600 is not the best place for a D90. Also, if you're taking pictures of furry animals, fill flash is your friend. It really improves the detail a lot.

--
Leonard Migliore

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Firstly, if you have the money to throw and enjoy spending money and feeling the gear in your hands, spend it. It's not all about photography here, people enjoy the act of photography as much as the result.

Technically a better camera will have better high ISO performance, assuming of course, you buy a matching better lens. The improvement technically in gear is one thing but the 80% contribution is your understanding and your skill and your persistence. You might have gear that is 50% better but gear is only 20% in total of the photo. You, the human contribute 80%.

msbox said:

Here is a higher resolution with the EXIF info this time. Sorry for the messup.

I just noticed that the pics were shot at 1600 ISO, pretty high I think. The way I have set my camera is ISO 200 but with auto ISO control "on" that goes up to 1600. The pics were taken around 5pm, so the ambient light was still good. No flash.

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The 80% factor is you. You should not use Auto ISO. In the same way that the camera is a pro tool, in a pro's hands, for that shot, the camera would not be on Auto ISO. You have to figure out by practical tests what is too high an ISO to be acceptable to you. If you find an AUTO ISO in the new camera, the same thing will happen if you do not take control.

The ambient light may still be good but is it "good enough" for higher quality photos. A better quality photo will from better angled, texturing light. And purposeful selection of depth of field and sharpness balanced between avoiding motion blur vs choosing an f/no that will deliver.

Whichever camera, the human intervention makes a bigger difference..

msbox said:

I am using manual mode for more control over aperture and shutter speed.

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Manual exposure mode does not control f/no and shutter speed any better in this instance. It is not a high dynamic range subject nor is it a strange lighting condition. Ps or
A or S with choice of EV Comp does the same.

--



Ananda
http://anandasim.blogspot.com
https://sites.google.com/site/asphotokb

'There are a whole range of greys and colours - from
the photographer who shoots everything in iA / green
AUTO to the one who shoots Manual Everything. There
is no right or wrong - there are just instances of
individuality and individual choice.'

moss_toss said:

Ok,

First of all, try shooting in Auto mode.

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I hope that by this you mean A, and not full on auto, as that will not help improving your photos at all.

--
http://www.kevinschoenmakers.nl

msbox said:

Thanks for all your answers.
How would you suggest to set the ISO? Fixed or Auto?

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There is nothing really wrong with using ISO at Auto, especially since the D90 is such a capable camera at higher ISOs. However for learning purposes I would recommend you manually set the ISO. This way you will easier understand how to expose an image and how the different parameters (shutter speed, aperture, ISO) work together.

--
http://www.kevinschoenmakers.nl

msbox said:

kevinschoenmakers said:

And what exactly is it you don't like or wish to aprove about these photos?

--
http://www.kevinschoenmakers.nl

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Do you post process your images? Dull colours and contrast (better term for 'crispness' ) is easily solved by changing the image with image processing software. I personally use (and love) Adobe Lightroom 3, but you can greatly improve your photos with free software as well. I used Google Picasa a while back, but I'm sure there are better alternatives out there (try googling 'free photo editing software').

--
http://www.kevinschoenmakers.nl

Leonard Migliore said:

Well, if you're going to shoot at ISO 1600, you would be better off with a 5D but far better off with a D700. The 5D is a high-resolution camera well-suited for landscapes at ISO 100 but the D700 is the prince of darkness, able to deliver good results at ISO 6400. I think the head-on cat is pretty good. You've got his personality, one of his gorgeous blue eyes is in focus and the high-ISO noise suits the picture. The cat in the fence is borderline; the shot looks too grainy to me.

With a D300 (similar sensor to a D90), I don't like to shoot over ISO 800. If you find that you need to shoot at 1600 on a regular basis, then a different camera may be appropriate. Or maybe just a faster lens. But if you are able to stay near the D90's base ISO, you will get excellent image quality.

--
Leonard Migliore

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I'm sure you give this advice with the best intentions, but talking someone into spending money on a more expensive camera really doesn't help when the camera is not the issue. The D90 is more than capable at ISO1600. There is a lot of improvement possible elsewhere. In fact the last thing that would be the problem here is the camera.

--
http://www.kevinschoenmakers.nl

msbox said:

I am using manual mode for more control over aperture and shutter speed.

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You focused on the tip of the nose. Apart from shallow DOF the photo is OK. The light was not the best but that is not the camera fault. A simple PP will improve colors but the focus error (you should have used MF for these situations and focus on the eyes not on the nose).

msbox said:

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Still shallow DOF and focus error. This time the DOF is deeper than in the first case so the eyes are OK. Look at the wood texture. That show how good a crop sensor camera can be at ISO1600. Have you ever used ISO400 film?
--
Victor
Bucuresti, Romania
http://s106.photobucket.com/albums/m268/victor_petcu/
http://picasaweb.google.com/teodor.nitica/
http://picasaweb.google.com/vpreallize/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/v_petcu/

No. Choose your lenses well. The D90 has the built-in focus drive and can use many sharp low-priced used lenses, such as the Nikkor 28-80 for $49 (see friend's photo) and the 7 yr-old Tamron 70-300 (see deer).

kevinschoenmakers said:

Leonard Migliore said:

Well, if you're going to shoot at ISO 1600, you would be better off with a 5D but far better off with a D700. The 5D is a high-resolution camera well-suited for landscapes at ISO 100 but the D700 is the prince of darkness, able to deliver good results at ISO 6400. I think the head-on cat is pretty good. You've got his personality, one of his gorgeous blue eyes is in focus and the high-ISO noise suits the picture. The cat in the fence is borderline; the shot looks too grainy to me.

With a D300 (similar sensor to a D90), I don't like to shoot over ISO 800. If you find that you need to shoot at 1600 on a regular basis, then a different camera may be appropriate. Or maybe just a faster lens. But if you are able to stay near the D90's base ISO, you will get excellent image quality.

--
Leonard Migliore

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I'm sure you give this advice with the best intentions, but talking someone into spending money on a more expensive camera really doesn't help when the camera is not the issue. The D90 is more than capable at ISO1600. There is a lot of improvement possible elsewhere. In fact the last thing that would be the problem here is the camera.

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I agree with your observation here; I was trying to note that if, indeed, it was necessary to shoot at high ISO's, then there are cameras available that will do that better than a D90.

You are completely correct in noting that the camera is not the O.P.'s problem, and I should not have gone off on that tangent.

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Leonard Migliore

The following is my opinion and only my opinion; it does not reflect the opinion of this site or anyone else.

From the information given in this and other posts in this thread by you I do not wish to be insulting or harsh, BUT:

You are kidding are you not????

I do not own either camera but have been active in photography for over 45 years including about a decade and a half as full time and another decade part time. The rest of the time I was in school or as I am now [work at photography if and when I choose].

I will put it very simple; if you can't get good photos with the D90 an upgrade of cameras is not what is needed.

It is an upgrade in experience, training and education.

My suggestions:

Shoot a lot!

Shoot everything that is stationary from several perspectives [Over time you will find what works for you and you will be able to develop a style]

Study there is a great deal of information on theism site and there are many learning programs on the Internet some free some inexpensive some college level and there are training schools and so on. I would suggest you try thee free and inexpensive ones first and see where you want to go.

Practice panning with moving subjects [cars are great [the driver or passenger is best] but be careful so you do not irritate or endanger the drivers].

Practice shooting a stationary target at 300mm or greater at slower and slower shutter speeds WITH stabilization off eventually you should be able to hand hold 3 of 4 at a 1/25the of a second or longer. The 1/FL is for newbies not experienced photographers without a medical problem.

To help you handle subject movement find a high School football or Basketball team that will allow you to shoot their games [learn proper etiquette prior to starting] or perhaps cover then for a local paper with a letter of introduction.

After you do these things if you still are not getting the results you want then consider upgrading.

Also, ALWAYS keep improving your Post shot work; take classes if you like and constantly read the software/Retouching forum here and elsewhere. Shooting the photo is only half the job [sometimes much less than half].

Sorry, my spell/typing checker went nuts [hope I caught all of its and my errors].

--
Ray
RJNedimyer

This is not meant to be harsh, but most likely it is not the D90, but your ability to get proper exposure and white ballance. My advice is to lean the basics of exposure by reading Understanding Exposure. Watch the videos linked below and experiment a lot. Shoot in RAW and learn how to use ViewNX or Adobe Camera Raw to correct your photos.
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1002&message=37261134

These photos from the D90 are far from flat.
http://nikond90club.blogspot.com/2009/05/sample-pictures-of-nikon-d90.html

http://www.flickr.com/photos/robertvanbrug/5296143337/in/pool-nikond90club/