Photography Bay

Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips

Archives for January 2010

Sony A450

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Sony A450

The Sony A450, introduced as part of Sony’s CES 2010 offerings, is another sub-$1000 DSLR that is situated near the A500 and A550 cameras in terms of feature set.  The Sony A450 is equipped with a 14.2-megapixel CMOS sensor, presumably the same one as the A550. Unlike the A500 and A550 though, the A450 does not include a fast Live View display with a tilting LCD.

The Sony A450 is a somewhat peculiar introduction in the Alpha lineup.  The camera is essentially a Sony A550 (read PB’s A550 review) without the tilting LCD and fast Live View, which are arguably the best features on the A550.  However, for those of you who hate Live View and wiggly LCDs, the A450 may be right down your alley.

The other great feature in the spotlight from the A500 and A550 is Auto HDR, which seamlessly blends exposures in-camera to create an expanded dynamic range in your JPEG files straight out of the camera.  Thankfully, that’s one killer feature that the A450 ended up with.

[Read more…]

 

Camera Phones Get 14MP and 1080p HD

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While these specs aren’t out of the ordinary for point and shoot cameras, you might raise an eyebrow at a 14MP camera phone that captures 1080p video as well.  Well, expect them soon.

Omnivision has developed a 14MP HD sensor to be used in cell phones, as well as a sibling sensor with the same pixel count for use in compact cameras.  Given the noisy images produced by much lower MP-count sensors of the same size, you have to be concerned about what kind of grain a 14MP sensor on a mobile phone camera is going to produce.  Maybe the backside illumination of the sensors will help ease the noise.

According to Omnivision, the new sensors are capable of producing 1080p video at 60 frames per second.  These new sensors go into mass production in the second quarter of 2010.

More details on the new sensors in the press release below. [Read more…]

Samsung NX10 Announced

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Samsung NX10

Samsung has officially announced the NX10, which is a 14.6-megapixel hybrid, interchangeable lens camera and uses an APS-C format CMOS sensor.  The Samsung NX10 features a 3-inch AMOLED screen, HD video capture at a resolution of 720p, sensitivity range of ISO 100-3200, and a built-in electronic viewfinder.

The lens mount is new and proprietary to the NX series.  At launch, there will be 3 NX lenses available for the new Samsung NX10: a 30mm pancake lens, an 18-55mm normal zoom lens, and a 50-200mm telephoto zoom lens.

No word yet on price, but the Samsung NX10 should be available in Spring 2010.  Check availability at Amazon.com.

More details in the press release below. [Read more…]

Top Photo Gear of 2009

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At the end of every year, a lot of people reflect back and give their opinions as to what was the camera or other product of the year.  I decided to take a look in the statistics I receive from Amazon.com to see the products that were hot with Photography Bay readers last year.  Below you’ll find a list of the cameras, lenses and more that were the most popular items among PB readers in 2009.  [Read more…]

Canon 1D Mark IV Availability

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It looks like the Canon 1D Mark IV has commenced shipping in the US and Canada.  I’ve seen several user reports of folks taking delivery across the photo forums and blogosphere.  Rob Galbraith has posted the same news today as well.

Some of the biggest camera retailers have yet to update their stock status for the 1D Mark IV, which suggests that the shipments are still rolling out.

You can continue to check availability at the following trusted retailers:

B&H Photo

Amazon

Adorama

Stay tuned over the next few days, as we should see the stock continue to update at US retailers.

eStarling TouchConnect Wi-Fi Digital Photo Frame

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I’ve tried a number of digital photo frames; however, I’ve always hated the process of updating the photos by putting files on an SD card and then having to transfer them over to the internal memory of the frame. eStarling may have a solution with their new TouchConnect Wi-Fi photo frame.  This new frame allows you to update your frame wirelessly and automatically through a variety of online services.

The eStarling TouchConnect boasts integration with Facebook, Flickr, Picasa, RSS Feeds and Gmail. With an easy, one-time set up an eStarling TouchConnect can receive photos (and videos up to 20MB in size if e-mailed to the corresponding Gmail address) from all these places as they are posted. And with 802.11n WiFi, a touch-sensitive screen and automatic over-the-air firmware updates, the eStarling TouchConnect is one of the most user friendly frames on the market. -eStarling

The eStarling TouchConnect is available from Adorama at a current price of $200.

Canon G11 Review at Photocrati

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Canon G11

Photocrati has published a review of the popular Canon G11 point and shoot camera.

In my estimation, this 10MP PowerShot model will be as successful as its predecessor in attracting long-time photographers due to its classic styling and controls, high resolution articulated LCD and a feature set that targets the experienced shooter.

You can check out Photocrati’s full review here.

Also, if you haven’t seen it yet, be sure to check out Photography Bay’s Canon G11 review and the Canon G11 Reviews and Resources for more info on this powerful little camera.