Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips
Contrary to prior rumors of a Canon 1Ds Mark IV and 1D Mark IV coming out soon, I received a tip from a reliable source today that there will be no Canon 1-series DSLRs released at PMA 2009. This person explained where the information originated and I believe it to be accurate.
Unfortunately, that is all the info that I can reveal while keeping the source anonymous, which I agreed to do. I can say, however, that I still expect a Canon Rebel XSi replacement to be revealed very soon.
Kingston has stepped up the capacity for their Elite Pro series to 32GB. I’ve been using a 16GB Kingston Elite Pro CF card for a a couple of months in my Canon 5D Mark II and have to say that it works quite well. It slows down after about 9 continuous frames (the best I’ve seen so far has come from Lexar’s 300x 4GB CF Card at 15 continuous frames before it slows down). With the Kingston 16GB Elite Pro, it’s also nice to have plenty of room for the 25MB to 30MB RAW files that the 5D Mark II produces.
The Kingston 32GB Elite Pro CF card retails for $154. Check availability on Amazon.com.
More info in the following press release. [Read more…]
DCI has published a review of the Canon 5D Mark II.
The full-frame sensor translates to superior flexibility when shooting wide-angle and panoramic scenes, the high megapixel count means more flexibility in cropping and editing files, and the extraordinary level of customizability allows users to tailor the camera features to precisely match their image style desires and shooting preferences.
For the latest news and reviews on the 5D Mark II, be sure to stay tuned to Photography Bay’s Canon 5D Mark II Reviews and Resources.
Panasonic has released an firmware update (Version 1.2) for the DMC-G1. The update addresses the following issues:
1. Performances in the Auto White Balance and the color reproduction were improved.
2. A reliability on the flash operation in low temperature environments were improved.
3. File write back from PC to the camera was enabled also for the models shipped for Europe.
You can find instructions on downloading and installing the firmware on this page.
For more news and reviews, visit Photography Bay’s Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 Reviews and Resources.
DP Interface has posted a review of the Canon PowerShot SX110 IS.
Despite being a fairly affordable for a big zoom camera (being about $200), the PowerShot SX110 doesn’t compromise performance – being a fast performing camera which also happens to have class leading battery life and good image quality.
I was checking to see if anything had surfaced on the Nikon D400 and I noticed that an “exact match” (when you put your search term in quotes) search for “Nikon D400” produced a number of new stories about the rumored camera, but also revealed that legitimate retailers, like B&H Photo, Adorama and Amazon.com, are buying ads in Google’s search results for the exact match term “Nikon D400”.
Here’s a screen capture of the search results for “Nikon D400”:
I recalled that B&H and Amazon did the same thing with the D90 back in August, just prior to its release.
For now, the links are going to search results pages for Nikon D400.
And, here’s the search query that I used.
The rumors and chatter are in full force now. If anything new is coming from Nikon at PMA, I’m strongly leaning toward the Nikon D400 as their DSLR release.
As for specs, I’ve seen several rumors lately that compare it the Canon 50D, which if true, the Nikon D400 will stack up quite nicely:
While none of the sources I’ve read indicate substantial reliability on the specs, I think these make sense and are quite reasonable. First, it crushes the Canon 50D, particularly if high-ISO performs anywhere near the D700. Second, it’s enough of a step up from the D300 to be a true replacement as opposed to an “oh, we’ve got an upgrade” kind of release.
For the latest news on the D400, stay tuned to the Photography Bay front page and the Nikon D400 Rumors page.
What do you think?
Anyone heard of, seen, touched or dreamt of the Nikon D400? Fire away in the comments below or email me at pic at contact [at] photographybay.com.
The Nikon AF-S DX 35mm f/1.8G lens is designed for use exclusively with the Nikon DX-format (1.5x crop factor). With a wide aperture of f/1.8, the AF-S 35mm lens is equivalent to 52mm on a 35mm frame, which makes it the ideal “normal” lens replacement for Nikon DX-format DSLRs. The inclusion of the a AF motor inside the lens makes it a great prime lens for D40/D60 users.
The AF-S DX 35mm f/1.8 lens should be available in March 2009 for $199.95. Check availability on Amazon.com.
More details in the press release below.
Trusted Reviews has published a review of the Sony A300.
Image quality is pretty much identical to the A200, so no surprises there. The same 10.2-megapixel APS-C sensor has been used in the A100 and A200, as well as the Nikon D60 and D80, and it is a well-proven piece of kit.
For the latest news and reviews, check out Photography Bay’s Sony A300 Reviews and Resources.
Beyond Megapixels has posted a review of the Nikon D300.
This is an excellent camera. It was easy enough to pick up and go with, it was sturdy and worked with my existing lens collection so that’s a huge plus, I loved how the photo information and the amount of photo information provided with graphs.
For more reviews and info, see Photography Bay’s Nikon D300 Reviews and Resources.
DP Interface has posted a review of the Panasonic Lumix LS80.
Overall the Panasonic Lumix LS80 takes good quality pictures with low amounts of distortion and acceptable amounts of noise to ISO 400 (Though you could push it to 800 if you’re prepared for the results).