[Rondec]

I think evaluating a camera system based on its sensor is simply myopic--DXO stuff aside. Photography is more than that and so is a camera system.

My preferred methods of evaluating a camera system depends on the context of use that I require. If I’m interested in how accommodating the image file is with my post-processing tools and methods, then I’ll download a sample raw file from one of the test sites we all know, or I’ll contact another photographer and ask is he or she can upload a raw image to my Dropbox.

I don’t need DXO to tell me that the 7D’s files are noisier than hell--a sample file download suffices just fine. And then I can see if my post processing skills can tame the noise while minimizing artifacts etc. Surely this is no different than when you are shooting a landscape in challenging light--from your excellent shots I doubt that you use the green button, but rather are manipulating exposure, ISO, and shutter to get it right. And then later doing some software tweaks beyond the Auto button.

While I’m certainly cognizant of how doped up an image online can possibly be, I'm not seeking out random images. My needs from a camera system are diverse beyond what DXO can convey. Because having excellent AF is a requirement for me, I want to see action and wildlife shots taken by skilled photographers using excellent glass. Not just the cherry shot, but the sequence of 10-12 shots from which that cherry came. That will convey the AF system’s behavior in the hands of someone skilled outside of a lab. I just don’t shoot much sports or birds in a lab and I figure that DXO must have both a FIFA game going and Angry Birds as their reference model.

Again, AF and file handling are just two of so many attributes that matter. I also look at FPS rates, lens system depth and breadth, ergonomics, size and weight, costs, and even weather resistance.



This to me is unconvincing. You are essentially using DXO to either validate your own findings or you’re trusting DXO to understand your shooting requirements better than yourself. It’s analogous to having someone validate their perceptions about you based upon your Meyers Briggs type or zodiac sign.

Agreed that DXO is not overtly anti-Canon and yes, their methodology may be consistent, but perhaps they are measuring the wrong things or the right things wrongly. As a parent of two teenagers, I’ve seen them work well and hard answering a question that differs from the one on the exam. The DXO sports scores come to mind here.




The creators of horoscopes provide lots of freely available impressively laid out graphics and charts. At best it’s some kind of art form and it’s nonsense for many. Just like DXO.


M

That's OK. You choose to give the DXO Mark score a weight of zero, while I take it into account, but put a very small weight on it when it comes to looking at camera bodies. But we have very different shooting needs. You were quite dissatisfied with a K3, while I like mine quite a lot.

Clearly if you need a sports camera with the fastest auto focus and an APS-C sensor, you will probably take the 7D MK II, mainly because Nikon has never released a D400. But I don't do that kind of shooting and so Pentax is adequate for my needs.