Photography Bay

Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips

Archives for April 2011

 

RED EPIC and Scarlet at NAB 2011

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RED had a big tent/booth on the NAB showfloor.  While the company had no major announcements at the show, it was still there pimping its EPIC and Scarlet cameras in style.  The RED folks had a full-on tattoo parlor set up in the middle of the show floor (with people getting real tattoos) and used this scene to show off the low light and shallow DOF capabilities of its cameras.

More RED eye candy below. [Read more…]

VariZoom VZ-TK75A Video Tripod Review

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The VariZoom VZ-TK75A tripod and fluid head is a nice entry-level video tripod. Let me be up front though, this is not a pro-grade combo that’s going to compete with your Miller and Sachtler units, but for those enthusiasts out there dipping your toes into the video realm, this little package is an affordable and capable starting point. [Read more…]

Samsung NX20 and NX200 Coming Soon…

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The Samsung NX10, which was supposed to be the start of Samsung’s plan to dominate the mirrorless camera market, was an ok camera.  The updates to the NX system have been sparse – with the NX100 and its iFunction lenses adding a bit of “compact” option for mirrorless camera shoppers.  And the iFunction was a surprisingly enjoyable feature to use.

Then the Samsung NX11 was announced.  Then it was quietly delayed.  Now, the US will only get a very limited release (if any).  And, frankly, that’s just fine because the camera sat in an awkward not-a-real-upgrade category.

Instead of the NX11, it looks like the NX20 and NX200 will be released this Summer as proper replacements to the NX10 and NX100.  According the the leaky rumor mill, they will feature sensors with even higher resolutions than the existing NX models’ 14.6MP sensors.

If Samsung wants to grab half of the mirrorless camera market, the NX20 and NX200 had better be pretty darn special because Panasonic, Sony and Olympus are off to a much stronger start…

[h/t Photo Rumors & 1001NC]

Nikon AF-S 50mm f/1.8G Lens . . . It’s About Time!

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If there has ever been demand for a company to produce a single lens, it’s the Nikon AF-S 50mm f/1.8 lens.  Ever since the Nikon D40 came out (with it’s lack of AF motor), Nikon users have been clamoring for something to replace the staple 50mm f/1.8D lens.  Heck, I even wrote an open letter to Nikon last year pleading for this lens with a built-in AF motor.

And, finally, it appears that they have. [Read more…]

Atomos Ninja Hands-On

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I checked out a lot of cool new stuff at NAB 2011; however, one of the coolest pieces of tech that I got up close with was the new Atomos Ninja HDMI-based recorder.  In short, the Atomos Ninja captures the uncompressed stream from your camera’s HDMI output.  The stream is captured as Apple ProRes HQ in a much higher quality than what goes through your camera’s compression onto the CF or SD card. [Read more…]