Craig January 28th, 2008
The worlds largest annual photography trade show is set to start for another year. PMA 2008, held in Las Vegas from January 31st to February 2nd, has already seen a few announcements of the DSLR side of things.
In a widely expected move, Canon have announced the successor to the 400D, to be called the 450D (Rebel XSi). With 12 megapixels, a new 14-bit processor and Live View, it’s sure to be a big seller for Canon. DPReview has all the details.
Pentax have announced a couple of new cameras. As an entry level camera, the K200D replaces the K100D, and the K20D replaces the K10D.
The sensor technology in the Pentax was developed and made by Samsung, so it comes as no surprise to see a Samsung DSLR announced as well. The GX-20 is essentially the same as the Pentax K20D with a slightly different body design and a different menu system.
Craig March 13th, 2007
Well, the 2007 PMA is now over, and, possibly as a result of coming hot on the heels of Photokina, seems to have been relatively quiet. Over 100 new products were introduced, but the majority of these were minor upgrades and lower-end consumer products.
The biggies were undoubtedly the Canon EOS 1D MKIII, the new Olympus DSLRs and Sony’s suggestion of a couple of new DSLRs.
DPReview and Luminous Landscape, as well as the PMA site, all have indepth reviews of the whole show.
Here’s a full list of this show’s announcements, taken from DPReview.
Craig March 7th, 2007
In a pre-PMA announcement, Olympus has detailed the release of two new DSLRs, the E410 and E510, and 2 new Zuiko lenses, the ZUIKO Digital 14 - 42 mm F3.5 - F5.6 which will be the kit lens and the ZUIKO Digital 40 - 150 mm F4.0 - F5.6 which is a handy telephoto zoom. The two lenses together give a zoom range of 28-300mm in 35mm equivalency.
The E410 is the upgrade to the E400 that was announced for Photokina back in September 2006. The E410 makes the switch from a Kodak CCD to a 10mp Matsushita Live MOS Image Sensor that is capable of providing full-time live view on the rear LCD. New features include -
- Ten megapixel Live MOS Image Sensor (provides Full Time Live-View)
- Auto Focus in Live View (although still requires live view freeze and mirror flap)
- TruePic III processor (faster, better image quality, better noise reduction)
- Shadow Adjustment Technology (as a play mode filter)
- Improved continuous shooting; still 3 fps but unlimited at JPEG HQ or 7 RAW
- No warning message at higher sensitivities (E-400 warned from ISO 800 upwards)
The E510 builds on the E500 and also features a 10mp Matsushita Live MOS Image Sensor that is capable of providing full-time live view on the rear LCD. The E510 also sports in body image stabilisation. The key features include -
- D-SLR with built-in image stabiliser
- 10 Megapixel Live MOS sensor
- Live Preview
- New image processing engine
- Hi-Speed USB 2.0
- 2.5â€/6.4cm HyperCrystal LCD
- Supersonic Wave Filter for dust protection
- 28 shooting modes (incl. 5 exposure, 5 creative & 18 scene modes)
- Built-in pop-up flash (GN 10)
- 3fps with up to seven images in RAW buffer
- AF-lock functionality
- Depth of field preview function
- Bracketing function (Exposure, White Balance, Focus)
- Detailed playback info screen with histogram
- Based on Four Thirds Standard, making it compatible with almost the entire range of system accessories.
Pricing for the two cameras and lenses is -
• E-410 body only
US: $ 699
• E-410 + 14-42 mm lens
US: $ 799
• E-410 + 14-42 mm + 40-150 mm lenses
US: $ 899
• E-510 body only
US: $ 799
• E-510 + 14-42 mm lens
US: $ 899
• E-510 + 14-42 mm + 40-150 mm lenses
US: $ 999
Finally, the press release also makes mention of a successor to the top of the line Olympus E1 however details and specifications have yet to be released.
Craig March 6th, 2007
Nikon D40x Less than four months after the release of the Nikon D40, Nikon have announced an upgrade in time for PMA. The D40x is mostly the same as the D40 but with three major differences. The pixel count has been upped, from 6.1MP on the D40 to 10.2MP on the D40x. A lower base sensitivity of ISO100 (ISO200 on the D40) and faster continuous shooting at 3 frames per second (2.5fps for the D40). They also claim an improved Image Processing Engine and longer battery life. The key specifications/features are :
- 10 megapixel DX format CCD (1.5x FOV crop)
- Nikon Image processing engine (as D80 / D200)
- 3D Color Matrix Metering II, 420 pixel sensor (as D80 / D50)
- New Multi-CAM530 three area AF sensor
- ISO sensitivity range 100 - 1600 plus HI 1 (3200 equiv.)
- 3.0 fps continuous shooting, unlimited in JPEG
- No status LCD, new LCD monitor based status / settings screens
- Help suggestions on LCD monitor (eg. scene too dark, try using flash)
- Large 2.5″ 230,000 pixel LCD monitor
- Bigger viewfinder view (x0.8 magnification, 95% coverage)
- Short shutter lag and viewfinder blackout
- Support for SDHC (SD cards over 2 GB in capacity)
- In-camera retouching
- D-Lighting (shadow / highlight enhancement)
- Red-eye reduction
- Trimming
- Monochrome
- Filter effects
- Small picture
- Image overlay
- USB 2.0 with PTP and Mass Storage device support
- Very compact, light body (smaller, lighter than D50)
- Improved menu user interface (as D80 / D200)
- New EN-EL9 Lithium-Ion battery (7.2V, 1000 mAh)
Set for a global launch on March 22nd, the Nikon D40x is priced at $799 with the 18-55mm kit lens.
Nikon AF-S DX VR 55-200 mm lens Along with the D40x announcement, an updated version of the AF-S DX 55-200 mm lens was announced, the AF-S DX VR 55-200 mm F4.0-F5.6G IF-ED. Designed specifically for Nikons DX Format DSLRs (D80,D40, D40x), it features Nikon’s VR (vibration reduction) system for image stabilisation and sports a Silent ave motor for fast, accurate autofocusing. When used on a 1.5 crop body such as the D40x, the 55-200mm lens gives an equivalent field of view of 82.5-300mm.
Craig February 28th, 2007
Pentax have announced a couple of new lenses - smc PENTAX-DA 16-50mm F2.8ED AL [IF] SDM and smc PENTAX-DA* 50-135mm F2.8ED [IF] SDM. Designed exclusively for use with its digital SLR cameras, these zoom lenses are the first models of the new high-performance smc PENTAX-DA* lens series.
The SDM system is a new autofocusing motor that provides smoother and quieter AF through the inbuilt supersonic motor. This will only work on the Pentax K10D after a firmware upgrade - on other Pentax DSLRs, conventional AF will still operate.
These new lenses are also sealed against dust and moisture.
Here’s the specs for them.
smc Pentax-DA* 16-50mm F2.8ED AL [IF] SDM
• Lens mount: Pentax KAF2 mount
• Lens construction: 15 elements in 12 groups
• Angle of view: 83-31.5°(when used with Pentax digital SLR camera)
• Aperture control: Automatic
• Minimum aperture: F22
• Number of diaphragm blades: 9
• Metering system: TTL open-aperture metering
• Minimum focusing distance: 0.3 m
• Filter size: 77mm
• Maximum magnification: 0.21X
• Dimensions (DxL): 84mm x 98.5mm (3.3 inches x 3.9 inches)
• Weight: 565g ( 19.9 oz) without hood, 600g ( 21.2 oz) with hood
smc Pentax-DA* 50-135mm F2.8ED [IF] SDM
• Lens mount: Pentax KAF2 mount
• Lens construction: 18 elements in 14 groups
• Angle of view: 31.5-11.9° (when used with Pentax Digital SLR camera)
• Aperture control: Automatic
• Minimum aperture: F22
• Number of diaphragm blades: 9
• Metering system: TTL open-aperture metering
• Minimum focusing distance: 1.0 m
• Filter size: 67mm
• Maximum magnification: 0.17X
• Dimensions (DxL) : 76.5mm x 136mm (3.0 inches x 5.4 inches)
• Weight 685g: ( 24.2 oz) without hood, 765g ( 27.0 oz) with hood
There’s also the possibility of a digital MF, the Pentax 645, with a Kodak designed CCD, however they’ve been saying this for a few years and it hasn’t appeared yet
Digicam-wise, some new Pentax Optio’s have been announced - the W30, A30, T30 and M30.
