As promised Mr. Kwok:
Last night I compared the ability to focus in low light of the EOS50e and
EOS30 with no aid from the focus assistant light.
Conclusion: It seems that my initial impression of an ability of the EOS30
to focus at lower EVs than the EOS50 was fooled by the much faster focusing
of the 30. Eventually, it does not focus in as low light as the 50!
I emphasize that this is not a scientific test, just my personal
investigations. I tested the two cameras with two different lenses (85mm
f/1.8 and 28-135mm IS @ ~100mm) in order to be able to compare two
different maximum apertures (f/1.8 and f/5.6). I used Av program set at 5.6
throughout the experiment, and I noted the exposures required for ISO 400
film. I'm not sure, but I think an exposure (ISO400) of 8 seconds @ f/5.6
corresponds to EV 2�?
EOS30:
Max aperture f/1.8: Focus obtained at 8s f/5.6 - not obtained at 10s f/5.6
Max aperture f/5.6: Focus obtained at 6s f/5.6 - not obtained at 8s f/5.6
EOS50e:
Max aperture f/1.8: Focus obtained at 8s f/5.6 - sometimes obtained at 10s
f/5.6
Max aperture f/5.6: Focus obtained at 8s f/5.6 - not obtained at 10s f/5.6
So, those are the results obtained in my living room at quite dark
circumstances. Though there was a slight edge to the EOS50, I consider the
two cameras to perform equal� if I were really to take pictures last night,
I would have used my 550EX - and if I were to shoot ambient light only, a
tripod would be needed, and I guess that the time required to set up this
etc. would also mean, that the annoying focus assistant beam pulse from the
internal flash would be ok when using the EOS30 (if a Speedlight was not
attached, if so, it provides the discrete focus aid).
Besides all this, I noticed something else. The viewfinder information
(yellowish digits) varies in intensity. I have always liked this on the
EOS50e, where the intensity increases at high EV - that is, outside in
bright light the intensity of the digits are higher so you have a chance to
see them; whereas inside in dimmer light, high intensity (very yellowish)
is not needed, and might in fact by annoying, it is automatically lowered.
In the EOS50 I could observe three different levels of this yellowishness,
and more important, I noticed that the area between the digits (I will call
this the background) was slightly yellow too. This background signal of
cause lowers the readability of the digits, and the shift in intensity
happened for the background as well. Now to the EOS30: I observed only two
different intensity levels of the digits, but at ALL levels of brightness
(high and low EV, outside/inside) the digits were much more easy to read.
First I thought this was due to a higher level of yellowish intensity, but
actually, the background in the EOS30 is not slightly yellow� it is black!
Nice!
Finally, I tested my Sigma 24mm f/2.8 after some of the posts on the list
yesterday. The lens worked fine in (nearly) all aspects� the aperture does
not close when using depth of field preview!
Kindly,
Martin Chr. Hansen
Denmark
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