The Sony A900 is a very serious undertaking for that company, and is a camera to be reckoned with. Sony plays to win, and it becomes a dominant force in virtually every segment of the consumer and professional electronics industry that it chooses to participate in. (One of their only failures was with Betamax, but they then transformed that format into a professional product and went on to dominate the broadcast industry with it for the past 20 years.) So, as we look at the A900, think of it not just as a new high-end DSLR, but also as Sony’s stake in the ground – claiming their intention to become a major player in the DSLR marketplace.
Nikon Corporation has finally released their Full-frame, big megapixel monster. The 24.5-Megapixel Nikon D3x is aimed squarely at professional landscape and portrait photographers, or dSLR Dads who happen to have a few initials after their names. For just $7,999.95, you too can capture 138-MegaByte images of your little rug rats frolicking about the meadow with Nikon’s flagship dSLR. Some of the many nitty-gritty details include: (more…)
The success of the Alpha 900 amongst the Minolta, Konica Minolta and Sony faithful seems assured; at a launch price of just shy of $3000 it offers a lot of ‘bang for your buck’ and there is undoubtedly a significant number of Minolta film SLR users who’ve been waiting years for a full frame digital body on which to use their existing lenses. The challenge for Sony, however, is to generate some interest from people without an existing investment in the Minolta (or subsequent Alpha) system. And on paper the Alpha 900 looks promising - and we’re already impressed with the build, handling and viewfinder, so let’s find out how well the latest addition to the small but growing ‘full frame club’ performs.
It has been quite an interesting three years since Canon first released the original EOS 5D. At the time, it was the first full-frame, compact digital SLR that sold at a somewhat affordable price of $3,299 at launch. It proved popular with dSLR Dads who required really big pixels for their landscape and portrait work. Remarkably enough, it is only recently that Canon has faced competition in the space it created with the introduction of Nikon’s D700 and Sony’s Alpha A900. And while those are some mighty fine cameras, Canon has once again decided to set itself apart from the crowd. With the introduction of the 21.1 Megapixel full-frame EOS 5D Mark II, Canon is also the first to introduce 1080p high-definition video recording in a digital SLR Camera.
Kamera&Bild, one our Scandinavian brethren, has a video interview with Chuck Westfall of Canon from PMA 2008 (in English). In it he discusses the new Canon Rebel XSi (available at Amazon and B & H Photo), the lack of a Canon EOS 5D update, his thoughts on the new Nikon D3, and if Canon’s APS-H sized sensor in the EOS 1D Mark III is properly positioned in the marketplace.
Some notes, for you dSLR Dads on Canon product cycles. They have now stretched things out to where the Pro level cameras have moved to a 3 year product cycle. Consumer grade cameras are shifting to roughly a 2-year span between releases. The Canon EOS 1D Mark III (Amazon, B & H Photo) was announced last year before PMA on February 21, 2007. While the Pro Sports Photographer market has finally seen some worthy competition with Nikon’s introduction of the D3 (Amazon, B & H Photo), the 1D Mark III is still early in it’s life cycle. True, it has had a disastrous release so far, but it still remains in the drivers seat. Unfortunately, the impact of a somewhat-unreliable, professional camera in it’s first year of production will not truly be understood until we see the launch of the next 1D and D3.
Will all future Canon 1-Series be full frame? I think the Pro market is clearly showing that is becoming the standard. The only real question is will the 1D Mark III replacement ship in 2009 or 2010? My guess is it depends on how much black Nikon glass you see at the Olympics this summer.
Sony announced at their PMA 2008 press conference that they will ship a new Flagship Alpha dSLR this year. This Alpha will use the new 35mm full size Sony CMOS Image Sensor which has 24.81 Effective Megapixel resolution. Sony has named this new sensor Exmor. The prototype on display looks like it has the following features:
Standard SLR shape and size with a separate vertical grip. The portrait grip is not integrated like it is on the Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III or Nikon D3.
Sony Exmor Full Frame CMOS sensor with 24.6 Effective Megapixels. Sony will be using the other .21 Megapixels for other functions.
Sony has announced two full frame lenses at PMA2008 this year. The headliner is the SAL2470Z Vario Sonnar T* 24-70mm f/2.8 ZA, co-developed with Carl Zeiss. This gives a fast, high quality zoom lens to Sony Alpha and Minolta dSLR Dads. It should to be fantastic optically. It has to be, because when the Full-Frame Alpha 24-Megapixel Flagship comes out this year, it will turn small optical flaws into gross inadequacies.
The SAL70300G 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 G was also announced. Both models feature Sony’s Super Sonic wave Motor (SSM) technology. (more…)
Nikon has unveiled a few new lenses for PMA 2008. Their final introduction is the new PC-E NIKKOR 24mm f/3.5D ED, PC (Perspective Control) lens.This lens employs a tilt/shift mechanism that allows you to manipulate image perspective,distortion, and focus in camera. This lens is perfect for the Landscape and Architecture dSLR Dad.
PC-E NIKKOR 24mm f/3.5D ED Major Features
Wide shifting and tilting range (shift: ±11.5 mm; tilt: ±8.5°)
±90° lens revolving capability for versatile tilt/shift effects
Maximum reproduction ratio of 1/2.7 (at 0.21 m/0.7 ft.)
Three ED (Extra-low Dispersion) glass elements for superior sharpness and color correction by effectively minimizing chromatic aberration
Three aspherical lens elements minimize various types of lens aberration
Nano Crystal Coat virtually eliminates internal lens element reflections, effectively reducing ghosting and flare
High-performance Nikon Super Integrated Coating delivers superior color reproduction while substantially reducing ghosting and flare
Rounded 9-blade diaphragm for more natural appearance of out-of-focus image elements
Lens aperture can be preset by using aperture ring and aperture stop-down button
With the Nikon D3 and D300, auto aperture control with electromagnetic diaphragm is possible
Nikon has unveiled a few new lenses for PMA 2008. The first is their new 60mm AF-S Micro(Macro or close-up for all of you non-Nikon dSLR Dads) lens. This is an interesting market reponse to Canon’s excellent EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM dSLR-only Lens, since it can be used on both full frame and APS-C sized dSLR cameras.
The following is an unedited press release: (more…)
This is for all of you wide angle dSLR Dads. Photozone has just reviewed Nikon’s brand new full frame, 14-24mm f/2.8G ED AF-S Nikkor Wide Angle Zoom Lens (available at Amazon, and B&H Photo). And it seems like Photozone (which is a great site by the way) liked it:
The Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8G ED N is a phenomenal lens. It is the sharpest ultra-wide angle lens tested to date. The resolution figures are simply stunning and unprecedented (more…)
Bjørn Rørslett,Professional Nature Photographer, PhD. Member of NN (Norwegian Nature Photographers) and BioFoto (Association of Nature Photographers in Norway) has just posted his review of the Nikon D3 (order one at Amazon and B&H Photo).
Every one waited for Nikon to move up to the next level of digital sensor size, the “full-sized” FX or 35mm-like solution. Years went by and seemingly nothing happened. We admired Nikon’s clever ergonomic solutions and at least some of us ogled the high-ISO performance of the competition with a little envy. Then, Nikon struck back with a camera advertised to “defy the limitations” no less.
The D3 is not only a 35mm-frame camera, it is so much more and with high-ISO performance unheard and undreamt of as well. With a blazing firing rate up to 9 fps(FX)/11 fps(DX), this is a sports and action shooter’s dream camera come true. But what can it achieve for other fields of photography? In this review, I shall try to elaborate these aspects of this new Nikon DSLR. Consider this more akind to a personal travelogue written as I made myself familar with the D3 rather than a compilation of features….. (more…)
High Dynamic Range Imaging for Photographers and CG Artists
For you dSLR Dad’s looking for a new avenue to try in photography, may I suggest High Dynamic Range Imaging (HDRI). HDRI is the process of combining photographs at different exposures (typically bracketed at +/- 2 stops). This allows you to keep proper detail in those tricky situations where you have a bright sky (the ‘blinkies’ on your LCD screen) mixed with objects that have shadow detail. One book that looks really promising (after my in-store review) is The HDRI Handbook: High Dynamic Range Imaging for Photographers and CG Artists by Christian Bloch. (more…)
dSLR Camera:
is aimed squarely at professional landscape and portrait photographers, or dSLR Dads who happen to have a few initials after their names. For just $7,999.95, you too can capture 138-MegaByte images of your little rug rats frolicking about the meadow with Nikon’s flagship dSLR. Some of the many nitty-gritty details include: 
. At the time, it was the first full-frame, compact digital SLR that sold at a somewhat affordable price of $3,299 at launch. It proved popular with dSLR Dads who required really big pixels for their landscape and portrait work. Remarkably enough, it is only recently that Canon has faced competition in the space it created with the introduction of 
and 
Kamera&Bild, one our Scandinavian brethren, has a 
and 
update, his thoughts on the new 
, and if Canon’s APS-H sized sensor in the 
is properly positioned in the marketplace.
or 
Sony has announced two full frame lenses at PMA2008 this year. The headliner is the SAL2470Z Vario Sonnar T* 24-70mm f/2.8 ZA, co-developed with Carl Zeiss. This gives a fast, high quality zoom lens to 
, auto aperture control with electromagnetic diaphragm is possible
, since it can be used on both full frame and APS-C sized dSLR cameras.
Bjørn Rørslett,Professional Nature Photographer, PhD. Member of NN (Norwegian Nature Photographers) and BioFoto (Association of Nature Photographers in Norway) has just posted his review of the Nikon D3 (order one at 
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