The only things I miss are simultaneous control over shutter speed and lens aperture. (We don' want no stinkin' ISO control, though we'll use it if it's there. :) )

Most "compacts" these days have come a long way; that picture I took of the Etretat cliffs was from a small Canon point-and-shoot, which had 10 megapixels and the ability to do full manual control (shutter speed/aperture/ISO/white balance). Sure, it has a puny sensor (1/1.7 inch) but noise is tolerable up to about ISO 400. I am now strongly considering upgrading to one with a Leica lens (Panasonic LX3) since I have read quite good reviews about it.

Most "compacts" these days have come a long way; that picture I took of the Etretat cliffs was from a small Canon point-and-shoot, which had 10 megapixels and the ability to do full manual control (shutter speed/aperture/ISO/white balance). Sure, it has a puny sensor (1/1.7 inch) but noise is tolerable up to about ISO 400. I am now strongly considering upgrading to one with a Leica lens (Panasonic LX3) since I have read quite good reviews about it.

Kindly educate me: In a digital world, at constant aperture isn't an ISO setting equivalent to shutter speed? In the days of film ISO had to do with film sensitivity. In a digital world the sensitivity of the sensor is a given constant. So really what we're talking about is total exposure which, at constant aperture, has to be a function of shutter speed alone. Now maybe there's in-camera processing to boost image brightness through firmware. Is that what ISO does?

Kindly educate me: In a digital world, at constant aperture isn't an ISO setting equivalent to shutter speed? In the days of film ISO had to do with film sensitivity. In a digital world the sensitivity of the sensor is a given constant. So really what we're talking about is total exposure which, at constant aperture, has to be a function of shutter speed alone. Now maybe there's in-camera processing to boost image brightness through firmware. Is that what ISO does?

In a way yes. There is a base ISO which gives the best possible signal, usually 50, or 64, or even 200 in some cameras, but at lower light levels the signal is amplified. As a consequence, you get more noise; it's like turning up an amplifier and hearing the hiss due to lower SNR.

In a way yes. There is a base ISO which gives the best possible signal, usually 50, or 64, or even 200 in some cameras, but at lower light levels the signal is amplified. As a consequence, you get more noise; it's like turning up an amplifier and hearing the hiss due to lower SNR.

Thanks for the info. So when you recommended the D90 for low light levels you must have been making a statement about the sensitivity of the sensor itself -- the SNR at low light levels before having to resort to firmware image brightening?

Thanks for the info. So when you recommended the D90 for low light levels you must have been making a statement about the sensitivity of the sensor itself -- the SNR at low light levels before having to resort to firmware image brightening?

It could be a combination of both. I don't know what kind of voodoo they applied but the tests I have seen have been quite impressive. Whatever it is the SNR is quite high for high ISOs. Ditto their other Gen 3 cameras, such as the D3 and D700. Part of the reason too is that, with the exception of the D3X (over 20 megapixels), they've more or less stuck to a large pixel size (circa 12 MP) especially for their full frame (i.e. 35mm) sensors. Bigger pixels, higher SNR.

It could be a combination of both. I don't know what kind of voodoo they applied but the tests I have seen have been quite impressive. Whatever it is the SNR is quite high for high ISOs. Ditto their other Gen 3 cameras, such as the D3 and D700. Part of the reason too is that, with the exception of the D3X (over 20 megapixels), they've more or less stuck to a large pixel size (circa 12 MP) especially for their full frame (i.e. 35mm) sensors. Bigger pixels, higher SNR.

I buy the odd camera magazine but I haven't been paying a lot of attention to the technical details. I see now that I really need to do a lot of homework before deciding which camera to buy when my ship comes in. I've already got your recommendation -- the D90 -- but being me I'll want to know in detail why I should prefer this camera to others. The internet being a wonderful thing I should be able to become digicam-literate without having to go to the library.(No, I will not capitalize "internet". Somebody has to set this earth-shattering precedent -- I never understood why it was capitalized to begin with.)By the way, why are we all at home on a Friday night? I know why I am -- age 65 and quit drinking twenty years ago -- but what about the rest of you?

I buy the odd camera magazine but I haven't been paying a lot of attention to the technical details. I see now that I really need to do a lot of homework before deciding which camera to buy when my ship comes in. I've already got your recommendation -- the D90 -- but being me I'll want to know in detail why I should prefer this camera to others. The internet being a wonderful thing I should be able to become digicam-literate without having to go to the library.(No, I will not capitalize "internet". Somebody has to set this earth-shattering precedent -- I never understood why it was capitalized to begin with.)By the way, why are we all at home on a Friday night? I know why I am -- age 65 and quit drinking twenty years ago -- but what about the rest of you?

I was at work till 10:15 pm-and I am not 65 yet so I haven't quite quit drinking. :( An evening of Strauss 4 last songs are hard to cope with..Getting back to organs-one of my great life experiences-entering the Cathedral in Bern, Switzerland, smelling/seeing 800 years of history, and then hearing the organist practicing on the organ there. Nothing better than that!

I buy the odd camera magazine but I haven't been paying a lot of attention to the technical details. I see now that I really need to do a lot of homework before deciding which camera to buy when my ship comes in. I've already got your recommendation -- the D90 -- but being me I'll want to know in detail why I should prefer this camera to others. The internet being a wonderful thing I should be able to become digicam-literate without having to go to the library.(No, I will not capitalize "internet". Somebody has to set this earth-shattering precedent -- I never understood why it was capitalized to begin with.)By the way, why are we all at home on a Friday night? I know why I am -- age 65 and quit drinking twenty years ago -- but what about the rest of you?

I normally read dpreview.com. The reviews are normally very thorough (at least for a layman like me) but the sample pictures are terrible (composition-wise, that is). Bear in mind that these DX cameras use APS-C size sensors, so the field of view is magnified by a factor 1.5 or thereabouts (a 50mm lens will have the field of view of a 75mm). The advantage is that there is less light falloff at the edges and minimal distortion. They have full frame cameras such as the "pro-equivalent" D700 or D3, but these come at a price premium. Obviously I am saving for a full frame device, since I have a collection of Nikkors dating back to twenty years ago.I'm at home because I'm basically an anti-social ###### and I don't drink.

... I'm basically an anti-social ###### ...

I am too. I'm very, very, very fortunate to have hooked up with my wife when we were sixteen, and for us still to be married. (And thanks for the dpreview.com tip.)As for getting back to organs, Geofa, I'd love to -- but the meds don't seem to be helping. :(

I was at work till 10:15 pm-and I am not 65 yet so I haven't quite quit drinking. :( An evening of Strauss 4 last songs are hard to cope with..Getting back to organs-one of my great life experiences-entering the Cathedral in Bern, Switzerland, smelling/seeing 800 years of history, and then hearing the organist practicing on the organ there. Nothing better than that!

Sounds like quite a performance, Geofa. R. Strauss I can handle; J. Strauss I, II, and III I can only take in small doses, however. Back in the late 80s Simon Preston embarked on a journey to record Bach's Das Orgelwerk using ten different organs (both old and new) scattered across Europe, including the Klais of the monastery church in Bonn and another one in St. Katharina's in Blankenberg. It's a bargain, a 14 CD set produced by Deutsche Grammophon and quite highly regarded. One can't help but imagine how everything would have sounded had Glenn Gould transcribed everything to piano.My great life experience was hearing the Eroica in concert for the very first time many years ago, conducted by a (then) relatively unknown Charles Mackerras. He has just released his second Beethoven cycle, a live version recorded during the Edinburgh Festival and played by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. Strangely enough the Eroica has been an obsession of mine for quite a long while, and I have lost count of the different recordings I have collected during the years. Nevertheless, the Mackerass and Zinmann (Baltimore Symphony Orchestra) versions rank quite highly in my list.

Here's something for David "Opa" Marshall. Perhaps you've worked on this Casavant... :( Dorian Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 538 [13:58] Although unfortunately rivaled in popularity by BWV 565, the Dorian Prelude is a wonderful energetic piece requiring three equally balanced divisions, and the fugue is one of Bach's most thrilling works, well worth the time it takes to listen to. Instrument: Casavant*, Opus 3246 (1975) at Grace Lutheran Church, Champaign, Illinois. Samples recorded by Brett Milan.Dorian Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 538*This beautiful organ is of the North German style from the builders Casavant Fr

n4gix,I've no idea what happened to my earlier post on this subject: This from the Denver Post of a few days ago ...Denver Post article

n4gix,I've no idea what happened to my earlier post on this subject: This from the Denver Post of a few days ago ...Denver Post article

I saw the first post and read the article... That's good news for St. John's Episcopal Cathedral in Denver... ;)