SanDisk has announced a new series of faster CF cards – the Extreme Pro cards. The big number that SanDisk is throwing out there is 90MB per second max read/write speeds. The question is: “Does it make a difference?”
Well, I haven’t gotten my hands on one yet; however, spec-wise the Canon 5D Mark II and Canon 50D should be able to take advantage of the speed boost. Both cameras feature UDMA support up to Mode 6 for a maximum theoretical transfer rate of 133MB/s, which is well within the new SanDisk cards specs.
Lori Grunin over at Cnet’s Crave took the new Extreme Pro cards for a spin the the Nikon D300s (I couldn’t find any documentation confirming the extent of UDMA support for the D300s) and the Canon 5D Mark II. The differences were minimal in both cases. The D300s produced the same frame rate with Extreme Pro and 60MB/s flavor of Extreme cards. The Pro version was able to give about a 10% savings on buffer emptying after a burst of shots. The results were similar in the 5D Mark II, which got a boost of 0.2 frames per second with the Pro model and an almost 20% discount emptying the buffer after a burst of shots. Hit up Lori’s test for all the facts. [50 kudos to Lori for the hard work.]
Prices? The 64GB model will set you back $811.99 direct from SanDisk – I’ll say that again . . . $811.99! $507.99 for the 32GB model and $304.00 for the 16GB model. Hardly a bargain for a 0.2 fps advantage…
Get the full run down on these new cards in the news release below.
[click to continue…]
Carl Zeiss announced the Distagon T* 18mm f/3.5 ZE lens for Canon DSLRs (EF-mount) today. Zeiss already produces an 18mm f/3.5 Distagon T* lens for Nikon F-mount and Pentax K-mount cameras. Canon users should be pleased that Zeiss is continuing its comitment to the EF-mount.
The new ZE lens should be available Fall 2009 at an initial price of EUR 1049.00. No official word on US prices yet; however, if it matches up with the existing Nikon and Pentax mounts, expect it to be around $1250 in the US. Check availability on Amazon.com.
More details in the news release below. [click to continue…]
The D3000 is Nikon’s current low-end DSLR model. It features a 10.2-megapixel DX-format CCD sensor, as found in the Nikon D60 that the D3000 replaces. The updates are fairly subtle; however, it is clear after spending some time with it that Nikon is targeting a very entry-level crowd.
Expect more details in a full review coming soon. For now, you can take a look at the below sample images from the D3000 and judge for yourself. These images are from a production camera as shipped from Nikon. Don’t expect any real differences from what we know the Nikon D60 could do though. [click to continue…]
The Nikon D5000 is a great entry-level camera. Solid autofocus, exposure metering and noise control are just a few standout features of the D5000. However, those features don’t mean much if you fail to use them properly.
Here’s 10 great photos from photographers who really get the most out of their D5000. [click to continue…]
