Nikon D300 Hands-on Preview
Phil Askey, September 2007
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Read Nikon D300 Hands-On Preview on Digital Photography Review
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Sony Alpha DSLR-A700, press release
We expected that sony will label his new advanced amateur camera A300, but Sony named it Sony Alpha DSLR-A700.
Press release:
SAN DIEGO, Sept. 5, 2007 — Sony is expanding its a (Alpha) digital SLR system with the introduction of the DSLR-A700 camera, which is aimed at photo enthusiasts or serious photo hobbyists.
The new model features advanced imaging technologies and ultra-responsive operation, as well as a lightweight, dust- and moisture-resistant, magnesium alloy construction common to enthusiast-class D-SLR cameras.
Like Sony’s mainstream DSLR-A100 model, the new A700 unit incorporates Super SteadyShot® Inside image stabilization in the camera body and is compatible with most Minolta Maxxum® mount lenses in addition to Sony lenses.
“Discerning photo enthusiasts will be impressed with the rugged construction and outstanding performance of the A700, said Phil Lubell, director of marketing for digital cameras at Sony Electronics. “We also expect that this new camera will re-define the post-capture experience with HDMI™ output for high-quality playback of images on high-definition televisions.”
Picture Quality
The camera’s new 12.2-megapixel Exmor™ CMOS sensor conducts analog-to-digital (A/D) signal conversion and dual noise reduction right on the sensor itself. Noise reduction is applied to analog signals before A/D conversion and the resulting digital signals are then subject to a second round of noise reduction.
According to Lubell, “These digital signals are virtually immune to external noise and interference.”
Clean, noise-free digital signals are then sent to the newly developed BIONZ™ processing engine. Lubell said this engine has been optimized to process data-rich picture information at high speeds, and to reduce picture noise in the RAW data stage before final image compression and encoding. The results are high-resolution, detailed images with rich tonal reproduction.
Extraordinary Responsiveness
The A700 camera is engineered to be fast and ultra-responsive so as to become “a virtual extension of your own senses,” Lubell said, “capturing fleeting moments as you see them.”
A newly developed, auto-focus system features 11 wide-area sensors, including a center dual cross sensor comprised of two horizontal and two vertical line sensors for exceptional AF precision. An F2.8 line sensor leverages the brightness of fast aperture lenses for even greater precision. Lubell said that extraordinary focusing speed has been realized through improved algorithms and a high-torque focusing drive motor.
The large, bright, viewfinder uses a precision-ground optical glass pentaprism and a high refractive index eyepiece lens to provide 0.9x viewfinder magnification and 95 percent frame coverage. Manual focusing is aided by an interchangeable spherical acute matte focusing screen.
The camera has a high-performance vertical traverse shutter with a maximum shutter speed of 1/8,000th of a second to freeze fast-moving action. A high-power coreless motor charges the shutter and mirror mechanism, allowing continuous shooting at up to five frames per second. In JPEG fine or standard mode, continuous shooting is limited only by the capacity of the media card (sold separately), while up to 18 frames can be captured in RAW.
Expanded Creativity
The new camera features fourteen creative styles, including night view, autumn leaves or vivid, which can be selected to enhance images. These effects can then be fine-tuned by customizing contrast, sharpness, zone matching and other parameters.
Sony’s Dynamic Range Optimizer (DRO) function has been updated on this model so users can choose the desired level of detail recovered in areas of shadow. The advanced mode offers the option of five levels of user selectable correction. Additionally, DRO bracketing creates three images from a single capture with three different levels of DRO.
There is an extensive array of customization options to personalize the camera to match shooting styles. The unit’s quick navigation interface can be accessed instantly with the four-way multi-selector, and selected parameters can be adjusted directly by control dials.
Up to 28 camera settings can be stored in one of three user memories for instant recall. The unit’s custom function button can be assigned to 15 frequently-accessed functions.
With the supplied remote capture application, the camera can be controlled from a compatible PC via USB without even touching the camera, and files can be stored on the computer instead of the media card.
High-Quality Pictures on an HDTV
The A700 model features an HDMI output for connection to HDTV sets, putting a high-resolution spin on the conventional photo slideshow.
When connected to a Sony BRAVIA® LCD HD television, photos are optimized for viewing with the new “PhotoTV HD” mode. This mode brings the look of actual printed photography to the television, reproducing high-quality digital photos by fine-tuning such image parameters as sharpness, gradation and color specifically for photographs.
The exceptional viewing experience of this camera also extends to viewing photos on its 3-inch LCD screen. The screen’s size and ultra-sharp resolution (921K) makes it possible to check focus and image quality with much greater accuracy.
A Flexible System
The camera will be introduced with two new lenses, bringing Sony’s lens and teleconverter catalog up to 23 models. Supplied as a standard kit lens, the new DT 16-105 mm f.3.5 – 5.6 lens features a distinctive zoom range (35mm equivalency of 24 – 157.5 mm); compact, lightweight design; and internal focusing. The other addition is a powerful and compact high-magnification DT 18 – 250 mm f3.5 – 6.3 lens. Sony is also planning to introduce a specialty 70 -300 mm f4.5 – 5.6 SSM G telephoto lens featuring super sonic wave motor auto focus drive system for smooth auto focusing in Spring 2008.
Sony’s full line of accessories will also expand to include a new vertical grip. Equipped with buttons and switches for the most essential control functions, it offers the same ease of operation and handling as when shooting vertically. It houses two InfoLithium® batteries (sold separately), which will automatically switch to the second battery when the first one runs out. Remaining charges of both batteries are displayed on the camera’s LCD screen.
Memory That Keeps Up With The Camera
The model also features separate slots for Memory Stick Duo™ media cards compatible with the Memory Stick PRO-HG™ high-speed data transfer standard, as well as CompactFlash™ Type I/II media cards compatible with the new Ultra Direct Memory Access standard for up to 300x write speeds. Sony is also introducing new 300x high-speed CompactFlash™ memory cards, ideal for high-end photographers requiring fast write speeds. The new models, available in 2GB or 8GB capacity, expand Sony’s current line of CompactFlash cards that also include 66X and 133X speeds, with capacities ranging from 1GB to 4GB.
The DSLR-A700 camera body, DT 16 – 105 mm lens, and DT 18-250 mm lens will be available for about $1,400, $580 and $550, respectively. The DSLR-A700K kit with an 18-70 mm lens will be available for about $1,500, and the DSLR-A700P kit with the 16-105 mm lens will be available for about $1,900. The camera body and DSLR-A700K kit will ship in October and the DSLR-A700P kit in November. All will be available at sonystyle.com, Sony Style retail stores (www.sonystyle.com/retail), at military base exchanges, and at authorized dealers nationwide.
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Details of Sony A700 dSLR camera
Sony may today unintentionally provided the majority of details about a new high-end model in its Alpha digital SLR series.
The A700 would produce 12.24-megapixel shots aided by normal ISO sensitivity up to 3200, with boost up to 6400 . LCD are also better than most any camera in the class with a 3-inch, 921,000-pixel display that gets closer to the actual image, Sony says. Both CompactFlash and Memory Stick slots, allowing users to either use the industry standard or Sony's own format without blocking either slot, 11-point autofocus system, optical image stabilization, a sensor dust removal system, and HDMI output in the vein of the company's recent Cyber-shot home cameras.
The leak appears to be unintentional and so comes without a price or a release date, though the A700 is widely expected to launch worldwide within the next few weeks and ship soon after.
Sony A300 press release delayed on September 6th
"Inside sources - mainly people who have been invited to press launch events - confirm that Sony is to show its new Advanced Amateur camera, thought to be called the Alpha 300, on Thursday September 6th. A press conference is being held in Italy on the 5th/6th, and journalists from European mainland countries have been invited to attend. Nigel Atherton, editor of What Digital Camera magazine, wrote on the Amateur Photographer public website forums that the product/s would be unveiled on the 5th. (I have now seen a programme for the event, and the main launch conference is on the 6th)..."
What will Sony upgrade from the predecessor Alpha A100 ... They should improve vertical grip, improved af, improved iso, screen visible in sunlight, weather proof body...
Read at Photoclub Alpha
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Sony didn't release their new Sony Alpha A300
We expected from him to release new cameras today but he didn't. :(
Pentax K1D ?
There were romuours that Pentax is ready to lunch his new K1D or however they will name it. But Pentax has already abandoned the MZ line. So if if K1D does exist and I think so... it would be something similar to K10D or the "ist" style or MZ-D
I suppose that it wil be a full frame sensor, min 12-16mp resolution, min 6fps etc.
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Pentax K10 awards
The PENTAX K10D has already been selected as the Best D-SLR Expert in Europe 2007 by Technical Image Press Association (TIPA) 2007 and the Camera Grand Prix 2007 by Camera Journal Press Club (CJPC) in Japan. By winning the EISA European Camera of the Year 2007-2008, K10D wins all three major awards in Europe and Japan.
Links:
Nikon announced Nikon D300 digital SLR
The Nikon D300 was announced August 23rd 2007.The D300 is a 12MP DX (1.5x crop factor), 6 FPS (8 FPS with grip), 3" LCD DSLR. It's $1,799.95
Nikon D300 Key Features
- 12.3 megapixel DX format CMOS sensor
- Self-cleaning sensor unit (low-pass filter vibration)
- ISO 200 - 3200 (6400 with boost)
- 14-bit A/D conversion
- Nikon EXPEED image processor (Capture NX processing and NR algorithms, lower power)
- Super fast operation (power-up 13 ms, shutter lag 45 ms, black-out 100 ms)
- Shutter life 150,000 exposures
- New Multi-CAM3500DX Auto Focus sensor (51-point, 15 cross-type, more vertical coverage)
- Auto-focus tracking by color (using information from 1005-pixel AE sensor)
- Auto-focus calibration (fine-tuning) now available (fixed body or up to 20 separate lens settings)
- Scene Recognition System (uses AE sensor, AF sensor)
- Picture Control image parameter presets (replace Color Modes I, II and III)
- Custom image parameters now support brightness as well as contrast
- Six frames per second continuous shooting (eight frames per second with battery pack)
- Compact Flash UDMA support
- 3.0" 922,000 pixel LCD monitor
- Live View with either phase detect (mirror up/down) or contrast detect Auto Focus
- HDMI HD video output
- 'Active D-Lighting' (adjusts metering as well as applying D-Lighting curve)
- Detailed 'Control Panel' type display on LCD monitor, changes color in darkness
- New MB-D10 vertical grip fully integrates into body, multi battery type compatible
- Buttons sealed against moisture
- Available November 2007 for $1800 USD, £1299 GBP or €1980
Friday, August 31, 2007
Canon EOS 40D Digital SLR (preview)
Canon EOS 40D Digital SLR
Key features
- 10.1 Megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor
- 6.5 fps continuous shooting, max. burst 75 JPEGs
- 14-bit A/D converter and 14-bit RAW
- New AF system with 9 cross-type sensors
- DIGIC III processor
- 3.0” LCD with Live View mode
- EOS Integrated Cleaning System
- Clear and bright viewfinder
- Customisable Picture Style processing parameters
- Strong magnesium alloy body with weather resistance
Press Release Canon EOS 40D digital SLR
Press Release, LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., August 20, 2007
"The Wait is Over: CANON U.S.A.'S HIGHLY ANTICIPATED EOS 40D DIGITAL SLR DELIVERS HIGH-RESOLUTION IMAGE QUALITY, HIGH-SPEED SHOOTING AND HIGH-END FUNCTIONALITY
Fastest in Class 6.5 FPS Shooting Speed, New Autofocus Sensor and Newly Enhanced 10.1 Megapixel CMOS Imaging Sensor Combine to Boost the EOS 40D's Appeal While Maintaining its Accessible Mid-Market Pricing
Following months of intense anticipation by Digital SLR enthusiasts worldwide, the EOS 40D DIGITAL SLR Camera from Canon U.S.A., Inc. is scheduled to begin sailing into stores in early September. Building on the success of Canon's perennially popular "prosumer" EOS 20D and 30D models, the EOS 40D advances the state-of-the-art for mid-range Digital SLR cameras, making it a natural first choice for advanced amateur photographers and entry-level professionals, and an ideal second body for more established photo pros. Indeed, given the level of feature upgrades and improvements, technological wizardry and user-requested creative controls, the Canon EOS 40D SLR's "prosumer" appellation may refer more to its accessible price point than to the exceptional quality, clarity and resolution of the images it creates.
From the camera's newly enhanced, 10.1-megapixel CMOS imaging sensor (designed and manufactured by Canon) and its proprietary and super-efficient DIGIC III image processor, to its completely redesigned autofocus sensor and fast, 6.5 frame-per-second (fps) continuous shooting capability (for bursts of up to 75 Large/Fine JPEGs or 17 RAW images), the EOS 40D SLR puts the fun in functionality and makes serious photo business a positive pleasure.
...
Display's the Thing
The most easily visible upgrade on the EOS 40D Digital SLR is the camera's larger three-inch LCD screen (compared with the EOS 30D's 2.5-inch monitor)...
Canon extends its "ease-of-reading" policy to the EOS 40D SLR's viewfinder as well. The upgraded viewfinder increases optical magnification from 0.90x to 0.95x, expands the viewing angle from 251 degrees to 264 degrees and raises the eye point from 20mm to 22mm....
Enhanced Durability
Recognizing the often rigorous shooting conditions encountered by professional and advanced amateur photographers, Canon design engineers made the EOS 40D SLR's magnesium alloy exterior even more ruggedly dependable than its predecessors with upgraded dust and weather resistant construction, particularly around the camera's connection ports, battery compartment and single-slot compact flash memory card door. .....fast 0.15-second initial start-up, its extremely durable shutter (rated up to 100,000 cycles), its top shutter speed of 1/8000 sec and 1/250 maximum X-sync flash shutter speed setting.
...
Improved Image Quality
...expand sensitivity up to ISO 3200. The EOS 40D retains the model 30D camera's 1.6x focal length conversion factor (compared to full-frame digital image sensors or 35mm film) ....
Adding to the improved virtuosity of the images captured by the EOS 40D SLR is the camera's 14-bit Analog-to-Digital (A/D) conversion process. Able to recognize 16,384 colors per channel (four times the number of colors recognized by the ...DIGIC III
DIGIC III is the latest generation of Canon's proprietary image processing engine. ...
sRAW
In addition to retaining the RAW image capture capabilities of its predecessors, the EOS 40D SLR now offers a more manageable "sRAW" recording format. ...Improved Autofocus and Exposure Control
While the EOS 40D SLR maintains the nine-point wide area AF coverage first introduced on the EOS 20D camera, Canon has made significant improvements to its speed, precision and functionality, minimizing subject recognition problems in the process. The EOS 40D camera's completely redesigned nine-point AF sensor provides cross-type AF measurement at all nine focusing points for maximum apertures up to f/5.6, and for ....EOS Integrated Cleaning System
First introduced on the EOS Digital Rebel XTi camera, the EOS Integrated Cleaning System is a prime example of trickle-up technology and is now becoming a standard feature on all new EOS Digital SLRs. ....
...
EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens
Developed in response to consumer demand for a high-quality yet affordable optically image stabilized lens, the Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS standard zoom lens adds a phenomenally flexible lens to the EOS 40D SLR shooter's imaging arsenal. While it features the wide-angle to mid-range zoom flexibility of its non-IS predecessor, this new EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens offers the significant advantage of a true lens-shift image stabilization system that yields up to a full four stops of image-shake correction.
....
Compact and lightweight, the optional EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS zoom lens is manufactured by Canon specifically for the EOS 40D SLR and any other EOS SLR that takes EF-S lenses including the EOS 30D, EOS 20D, EOS 20Da, EOS Digital Rebel XTi, EOS Digital Rebel XT and the original EOS Digital Rebel camera. An ideal complement to the EOS 40D SLR, the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens is scheduled to be in stores in October at an estimated selling price of $199.99.i
The Canon EOS 40D Digital SLR is scheduled for early September delivery and will be sold in a body-only configuration at an estimated selling price of $1,299.00i. It will additionally be offered in a kit version with Canon's EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM zoom lens at an estimated selling price of $1,499.00i."
...
Read more at: About Canon: Press Room > Press Release
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Pentax K10D Grand Prix Package
PENTAX has created a truly special K10D to mark a very unusual occasion: Its K10D digital SLR camera has joined the exclusive group of epoch-making cameras by winning the Camera Grand Prix 2007 award in Japan.The package contents, including the battery grip and camera strap, are accentuated with standard brown-and-gold colors, while each camera body is distinguished by its own exclusive serial number
K10D Grand Prix Package: K10D GP Camera Body, D-BG2 GP Battery Grip, O-ST55 Grand Prix Camera StrapStandard accessories: I-USB17 USB Cable, I-VC28 Video Cable, ME Finder Cap, D-LI50 Rechargeable Lithium-Ion Battery, D-BC50 Battery Charger, AC plug cord, S-SW55 Software Package (CD-ROM), Eye Cup FP, Hotshoe Cover FK)
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Pentax flash with a guide number 54
German press release repository PresseBox has a press release issued by Pentax Europe GmbH (but not activated yet) about “powerful flashgun with a guide number 54 for Pentax DSLR cameras“. Perhaps this is the new flash that Pentax will roll out on August 31st - September 5th at the IFA Consumer Trade Show in Berlin.
Sony expected to unveil A300 on September 4th/5th
It is almost certainly APS-C format, 12.x megapixels CMOS, 5.5 frames per second, ISO to 3200, improved AF, 3 inch screen or very much improved 2.5 inch, 95 per cent view 90 per cent scale (or vice-versa) optical glass prism viewfinder, AF assist on the body, improved flash, same basic shutter speed range as A100, slightly altered mirror/shutter action, very fast card writing, some water and weatherproofing upgrades, generally better response, altered user interface; much better high ISO noise, further enhancements to SSS.
Read at Photoclub Alpha
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