Photography Bay

Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips

Archives for 2009

Panasonic Lumix GH1 Sample Video

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Here’s a quick and dirty sample video taken from a pre-production Panasonic Lumix GH1 on display at PMA 2009. The AVCHD encoding was finicky and still isn’t final form, but I managed to get part of it out to MPEG 4 format so that I could share with you. It’s nothing fancy, but I think it demonstrates the potential that this camera has as a video solution. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get all of the footage converted.

Please remember this was a pre-production model which did have bugs in it. I’m encouraged though at the performance I saw from handing the camera. I’ll have more on my thoughts for the GH1 soon.

In the mean time, if you want the full-res MPEG 4 file for personal use and perusal, you can download it here (right click and choose “save target as”).

 

Canon PIXMA Pro9000 Mark II Photo Printer

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The Canon PIXMA Pro9000 Mark II is a step down from the Pro9500 Mark II; however, it is still capable of solid performance and 13″ x 19″ size prints.  Check availability on Amazon.com.

More details from Canon’s press release below.

The eight-color PIXMA Pro9000 Mark II Photo Printer – cyan, magenta, yellow, photo cyan, photo magenta, photo black, red, and green – delivers an even glossiness and vivid color experience rivaling that of positive film for photographers. The Pro9000 Mark II’s impressive quality and speed are the result of the Canon FINE print head technology coupled with the Company’s high-performance, high-density 6,144-nozzle print head which is capable of producing nearly invisible ink droplets of two-picoliters. Thanks in part to an enhanced double encoder system for media control, the PIXMA Pro9000 Mark II achieves three times faster print speeds over its predecessor, producing a bordered 13″ x 19″ size black and white photographic print in approximately 1 minute, 23 seconds2.

The Canon PIXMA Pro9000 Mark II Photo Printer is scheduled to be available in May for an estimated selling price of $499.993.

Canon PIXMA Pro9500 Mark II

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Canon announced the PIXMA Pro9500 Mark II at PMA 2009.  The Pro9500 Mark II delivers pro-quality prints at sizes up to 13″ x 19″.  Check availability at Amazon.com.

More details from Canon’s press release below.

The new PIXMA Pro9500 Mark II Photo Printer features ten pigment-based ink colors – photo black, matte black and gray as well as cyan, magenta, yellow, photo cyan, photo magenta, red and green, allowing users the benefit of a wide color gamut for stunning color prints, as well as three levels of black for true black-and-white photographs. Designed for the pro and “pro-sumer” photographers, the PIXMA Pro9500 Mark II provides outstanding resolution and droplet control utilizing Canon’s double-encoder system to produce high-quality portfolio pieces or gallery-quality prints for the marketplace. The Pro9500 Mark II delivers rich detail, texture and tone plus extraordinary color reproduction in the green, red, yellow and orange color ranges resulting in breathtaking photo-art. Employing the Canon Full-photolithography Inkjet Nozzle Engineering (FINE) technology along with a sophisticated 7,680 nozzle print-head structure, the Mark II model provides significantly faster production times, delivering approximately one-and-a-half times faster color print speeds on a 13″ x 19″ bordered print1,2 than the previous model.

The printer’s matte black, photo black and gray inks reduce metamerism and provide high-density blacks and truly neutral monochrome prints. Metamerism is an effect in some printed “black-and-white” images where composite gray inks (achieved with combinations of cyan, magenta and yellow ink) make image areas appear a different color hue under different lighting conditions (such as sunlight, fluorescent light and incandescent light). This aberration is due to the differences in spectral reflectance properties of each of the composite colors.

The Canon PIXMA Pro9500 Mark II Photo Printer is scheduled to be available in May for an estimated selling price of $849.993.

Casio EX-FC100 Hands-On Review

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Check out the following video for a demonstration of the powerful little Casio EX-FC100 that I captured at PMA of the UNLV Cheerleading Squad, which was performing routines in Casio’s booth area. The cheerleaders proved to be great models to demo the capabilities of the EX-FC100.

The Casio EX-FC100 is the miniature follow-up to the EX-F1 and EX-FH20, which were geared toward a prosumer audience.  The EX-FC100, however, is a compact point and shoot camera that packs in the same high speed capture technology as the EX-F1 and EX-FH20 – albeit a slightly reduced frame rate.  It’s still a feature that stands alone in the Casio brand in terms of execution. [Read more…]

Sony’s New Alpha Lenses – Up Close

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Unfortunately, details are slim on Sony’s new super telephoto lens; however, I did manage to get some up close images of all of the new lenses from Sony.  No details on the focal length of the super telephoto lens or anything else, other than what you see in the mock up models.

Again, the new lens lineup is as follows:

Undisclosed Sony G Super Telephoto

28-75mm f/2.8

DT 30mm f/2.8 Macro

DT 50mm f/1.8

DT 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6

DT 55-200mm f/4-5.6

Expect some of these lenses to start hitting the market possibly as soon as this Summer.  Sorry, but that’s all the detail that Sony is giving us for now.

Plenty more images below. [Read more…]

Samsung NX Series – A Closer Look

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The Samsung NX Series mockups were on display, albeit behind glass, at PMA 2009.  Hoping to get more info out of Samsung personnel than the scant press release revealed, I launched into a series of questions about the new NX cameras.  Unfortunately, details were wrapped up so tight that the representatives on the floor claimed complete ignorance to anything other than what was displayed on the show floor – and even then continued to qualify the apparent specifications with suggestions that “these are just mockups” and “anything can change between now and final release.” [Read more…]

Olympus Micro Four Thirds Camera – Summer 2009

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Olympus is apparently trying to get the most mileage out of their Micro Four Thirds announcement from last year.  Yet another (or the same one actually) mockup of an Olympus Micro Four Thirds camera was behind glass at PMA.  When asked about the fictional camera, Olympus personnel respond, in a rather mundane chant, that they don’t know anything other than there should be more from Olympus this Summer. [Read more…]

Canon PowerShot SX1 IS Hands-On Review

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While Canon’s booth was huge at PMA 2009, the biggest new camera present was actually quite small – the PowerShot SX1 IS.  Fortunately, Canon had several pre-production models on display for attendees to fondle handle.  The new (for US shooters) 10MP superzoom camera handles almost exactly like the junior-spec’d PowerShot SX10 IS, with the exception of the a slightly larger LCD screen. [Read more…]

Panasonic LUMIX 14-140mm and 7-14mm Lenses

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Along with the LUMIX GH1 camera, Panasonic has also introduced two new Micro Four Thirds lenses – the LUMIX G Vario HD 14-140mm f/4-5.8 MEGA OIS and LUMIX G Vario 7-14mm f/4 Asph. lenses.  Designed for use with the Panasonic LUMIX G1 and G1H, these lenses cover an equivalent focal length of 28-280mm and 14-28mm, respectively, on a full frame camera.

More details and images below. [Read more…]