(A900 and CZ zoom, A900 and much smaller 24-105 zoom, EOS 450D, EP-1, Ixus)
(BTW: do you see what is so good about the 24-105? Look at its results at f/8 on the other pages and you'll understand why I say that it is a perfect travel lens.)
After my comparison between the Olympus EP-1 and the tiny Canon Ixus 870 is, I realized that maybe it was time for a more detailed comparison. But a comparison of what?
At that point, I realized that I had quite a few ways to take pictures with similar resolutions:
-the Canon Ixus 870 is (10 Mpix)
-the Olympus EP-1 with its kit lens (12 Mpix)
-a Canon EOS 450D I still have lying around with its kit lens (12 Mpix)
-the A900 in APS-C crop mode (11 Mpix)
-the A900 in full-frame mode, jpeg medium saved as 12 Mpix
The A900 in APS-C mode is equivalent to cameras like the A200/A330 or the A700. I decided to try it with 3 different lenses: the old 18-70 f/3.5-5.6 kit lens as an example of an entry level lens, a Sigma 18-50 mm f/2.8 DC EX as an example of a slightly better performing kit lens (in theory), and the CZ 16-35 f/2.8 as an example of a high-end zoom. In full-frame mode, I used the CZ 16-35 f/2.8 and the Minolta 24-105 f/3.5-4.5.
All the lenses were zoomed to an equivalent focal length of about 35mm and used a f/5.6 (except for the Ixus which chooses the aperture itself). Remember: we are testing the systems, not the lenses themselves. This test should be representative of what happens when a casual photographer takes a picture during the day with different systems with very different weights or prices. Or, to put it differently, to answer the question: "what camera should I put in my day bag?"…
On the day of the test, the sky was overcast. The scene is the same as ever. These are center crops (just remember to click the pictures to watch them at pixel level).
We will start with the Sony in crop mode, first the old 18-70 f/3.5-5.6 kit lens:
Then, the Sigma 18-50 mm f/2.8 DC EX also on the A900 in APS-C mode:
And the CZ 16-35 f/2.8 in APS-C crop mode:
The Canon EOS 450D with its kit lens did not focus properly at first, I had to use liveview to focus it properly.
Now the Olympus EP-1 with its collapsible kit lens:
And the same with noise reduction turned OFF in the menus:
The A900 in full frame mode, jpeg saved as 12 Mpix with the Minolta 24-105 f/3.5-4.5 lens:
And the same with the CZ 16-35 f/2.8, full frame reduced to 12 Mpix again:
And finaly, the Canon Ixus 870 is P&S:
The Ixus looks sharper, but the camera uses a lot of sharpening. The next post will repost all the pictures above with added sharpening for a more balanced comparison.
