Photography Bay

Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips

Archives for 2008

Pentax Press Conference in Dubai on January 10, 2008

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Info from Reflex.it indicates that Pentax will hold a press conference in Dubai on January 10th. English translation from Italian (via DPR forum member):

Pentax will hold an international press conference on the 10th of January in Dubai. In all likelyhood, on this occasion it will be possible to confirm the rumours about two new reflex cameras (evolutions of the excellent K10D and K100D with 14MP and 10MP CMOS sensors), and evaluate in which ways the “new” Pentax company intends to move in a market still dominated by Canon and Nikon. Further considerations will shed light on whether the 645D project will ever be restored, how much time it’ll take to integrate and renovate the lens system/offering and, if, as it looks like, the collaboration with Samsung for reflex cameras will go on.

See more on the K20D and K200D rumors here.

[tags]pentax, k20d, k200d, rumor, press, conference, news[/tags]

 

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 USM Lens Reviews

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The Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 USM was first made available in the US as the kit lens for the Canon 20D. Prior to that time, a non-USM version was bundled with the Canon Digital Rebel (300D) kit. Both lenses carry the same optical elements and, thus, image quality evaluations are identical. As a result, the reviews set forth below may relate to one or the other. Obviously, the USM version will have faster focusing than the non-USM version. In August 2007, Canon released a stabilized version of this lens, which may begin appearing in DSLR kits soon. [Read more…]

New Camera Reviews: Nikon D3, D300 and Canon 1D Mark III

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Luminous Landscape has a thorough essay on what Nikon brings to the table with the new D3 and D300:

We now have a bit of a sea change happening. Nikon has flexed its considerable muscle and with the D3 produced a camera that sends a clear challenge to Canon’s nearly decade-long dominance of the digital arena. The D300, though in many ways simply a logical progression from the D200, is a much better camera than its predecessor, and along with its superior sensor offers the pro and advanced amateur a set of features and functionality that is unmatched at the moment in Canon’s line up.

Lawrence Ripsher has posted a thorough review of the Canon 1D Mark III:

The Canon 1D Mark III has become my new workhorse. It has all but completely replaced the Canon 5D I was previously shooting with, proving to me every time it is worth the extra weight and drop of 2 megapixels. Even though the 5D still produces superb high quality images, the 1D matches it in good light and is able to go that extra mile at high ISO settings.

Want more reviews and resources on these cameras? Get it here: Nikon D3, Nikon D300, Canon 1D Mark III.

[tags]nikon, d3, d300, canon, 1d, mark iii, review[/tags]

Canon 450D at PMA and 5D Mark II at Photokina?

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Some interesting thoughts from POTN:

The new camera [5D Mark II] is most likely at beta level, undergoing further tests prior to its official announcement by Canon in Fall, in conjunction with Photokina 2008. PMA Show 2008 at Las Vegas end of January is not the ideal place to announce a successor to the EOS 5D. A successor to the EOS Xti Rebel is more likely to be unveiled in conjunction with the PMA event.

A year ago, everyone/everywhere was speculating on the EOS 40D for PMA 2007 and Canon decided to unveil the EOS-1D Mark III instead.

EOS 40D and the EOS-1Ds Mark III became part of the Fall announcement of 2007 instead due to it not being a Photokina year to capitalise on. At this point of time, it is too early for Canon to announce a successor to the EOS 5D as both the Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III and Nikon D3 have not been in the market long enough to gauge how much effect (sales-wise) of both against the volumes of the EOS 5D and EOS-1D Mark III.

Rebates and promotions of the 5D currently may not necessary mean it is going to be replaced soon. It may be promoted against the onslaught of Nikon D300 and Sony Alpha A700, both of which are 12MPs and APS-C DSLRs.

Also, the EOS 350D (Rebel XT) has been dropped from the 4th-quarter 2007 catalog line-up of EOS models in my country/region while the EOS 5D remains. In the 4th-quarter 2006 catalog, only the EOS-1D Mark II N was missing from the line-up while EOS 30D remained. 1st-quarter 2008 catalog will be issued at end of January. [See Geoffrey’s post at #87]

Smells like Geoffrey may be on to something here. Canon doesn’t really have to be in a rush to put out a replacement for the 5D. It’s still great at what it does. It’s still in the top 10 selling DSLRs on Amazon (while it’s listed as 18th, if you take out the repeats on different variations of kits and bodies, the 5D comes in at #10). That’s pretty impressive for a 2 1/2 year old DSLR.

Just a couple of weeks or so left until we find out for sure, but I’m sure we’ll get more rumors and rumblings between now and then. Stay tuned.

[tags]canon, 5d, mark ii, 6d, 4d, news, rumors[/tags]

Top 10 Links from 2007

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Here’s the Top 10 Inbound Hits and corresponding pageviews on Photography Bay for 2007:

10. 7 Alternatives to Flickr at 19,293

9. Canon 450 / Rebel XTi Replacement at 19,385

8. Olympus E-3 Resource Page at 26,380

7. Nikon D3 Sample Images at ISO 3200 at 26,904

6. Nikon D300 Sample Images at ISO 6400 at 43,459

5. Nikon D300 Reviews and Resources at 53,080

4. Canon 40D Reviews and Resources at 59,300

3. Canon 5D Mark II Rumors Page at 60,480

2. Photography Bay Homepage at 61,996

1. Nikon D3 Reviews and Resources at 82,222

I hear you loud and clear that you like content on the latest gear. If you haven’t checked these pages out yet, take yourself a gander at them. Expect plenty more where this came from in 2008.

RiDATA SMART Compact Flash Card

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ridatalogo.jpgWe know PMA is coming, but we’re seeing a little fallout from CES with product announcements like the RiDATA SMART (Self-Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology) CF card, which helps prevent major data loss. If you want to try out the RiDATA Pro 150x 2GB, you can get it on the cheap right now.

[Read more…]

Killer Ringlight

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2007-12-29-21-39-090

Originally uploaded by joshuatargownik


Consists of:

1 x sb800
2 x sb600
3 x sb28dx

Coffee can in the center and some tape to put it all together. For more info, click on the photo or check out the writeup at DIY Photography.  Also, check out the mastermind’s  (Joshua Tarogownik) awesome photos at his personal website.
[tags]ringlight, nikon, speedlight, sb-600, sb-800, sb-28dx, diy, lighting[/tags]

Canon EF 1200mm f/5.6L USM

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________________

B&H Photo has a used copy of this puppy laying around the warehouse for a super deal of $99,000 with case (plus shipping). Looks like they’ve only got one though. Darn, I was hoping for a pair.

From Canon:

This remarkable lens is the longest in the world with full autofocus capability. Two fluorite elements for superb image quality, make it ideal for many professional applications where it’s impossible to get close to the subject. Fully compatible with any EOS SLR, including digital bodies, autofocus performance is silent and instantaneous thanks to the Ultrasonic Motor. It’s also compatible with the Canon Extender EF 1.4x II (making it a 1700mm f/8) and EF 2x II (2400mm f/11). Available upon special order.