Photography Bay

Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips

Nikon D90 and D3X Due June 2008

By

UPDATE: The Nikon D3X has been officially unveiled. See details of the Nikon D3X Announcement here.

The rumors surrounding the Nikon D3X have been stirring quite a bit over the last few days. See here and here for examples. Thom Hogan has stepped out with some more solid dates based on supposedly more solid rumors.

Current rumors out of Japan have Nikon introducing the D90, D3x, plus lenses, in the second week of June. I’m tightening my D90 (or whatever they decide to call it) prediction date to between May 12th and June 16th.

(via ByThom)

Stay current on these upcoming cameras via Photography Bay’s Nikon D90 Rumors page and Nikon D3X Rumors page.

 

Cheaper Nikon Full Frame DSLR on the Horizon

By

Amidst the recent discussions of the rumored Nikon D3X, insights on a cheaper full frame DSLR from Nikon surfaced again.  The exchange between a couple of forum posters occurred on DPReview’s forums; however, one of the forum posters was Thom Hogan.  The original poster noted that a cheaper full frame Nikon DSLR was in the rumor mill.  Thom replied with:

Yep. But I still hear this as being further out than the D3x.

(via)

As you may know, Thom seems to have his ear keenly to the ground regarding Nikon news, rumors and equipment developments.  I’m sure Nikon users would love to see a mid-range FF DSLR that’s in the same price range as the current Canon 5D.  We’ll keep you posted with the latest on this rumor and the Nikon D3X.

Sony A700 Discontinued?

By

Reports are surfacing that the Sony A700 is destined to be discontinued in April.  Most of this info arises out of notations in Best Buy’s inventory system, which indicates a discontinuance date of April 27, 2008 for the Sony A700.  Here are a few of the quotes from readers who have posted this news in forums:

I just called my local BB in Maryland. There is a discontinue date of 4/27/08 for this cam. They are selling at origial price until at least after the discontinue date.

The clerk said she had heard of the new replacement coming out but didn’t have much info.

The discontinue is widespread. Something is going on. Many other electronics sellers are dropping the price on the a700.

My BB has a decent amount of Aplpha gear. The A100, A200, A350, A700, 18-200, 11-18 and 75-300. Some filters too. They also have a discontinued date of 4/27. This all happened very quickly as I was in there about a week ago trying to monitor the price of the 36 flash and the A700 was full list price of $1,399. They are not getting rid of all Alpha items, just A700.

(via)

Whether this means Sony is discontinuing the A700 or whether it’s just that Best Buy is no longer carrying the A700 remains to be seen.  The A700 does, however, seem to be a bit of an odd duck right now, due to the introduction of the A300 and A350.  I could certainly see Sony dropping the A700 from the current lineup in order to incorporate the awesome Live View featured on the A300 and A350 into a true prosumer DSLR.

EOS 5D Mark II Displayed on Canon Germany Website

By

UPDATE:  The Canon 5D Mark II has been officially announced.  Visit Photography Bay’s Canon 5D Mark II Reviews and Resources to learn more about this 21.1 megapixel DSLR.

Several trusted online vendors already have the Canon 5D Mark II available for pre-order.

Canon 5D Mark II (body only) – Amazon.com

Canon 5D Mark II w/ 24-105mm L lens – Amazon.com

Canon 5D Mark II (body only) – Adorama

Canon 5D Mark II w/ 24-105mm L lens – Adorama

Canon 5D Mark II (body only) – Ritz Camera

Stay tuned to Photography Bay’s Canon 5D Mark II Reviews and Resources for the latest.

This screenshot has popped up on web, which shows the Canon EOS 5D Mark II on the German version of Canon’s website.  The story goes that the camera appeared on the page for a little while and was then taken down.  There has been a number of debates in various forums regarding the authenticity of this screenshot.  I’m inclined to think that there may have been some Photoshopping done on it as well. Below, I’ve zoomed in and cut out the portion which references the 5D Mark II.

If you have any thoughts or insights on this screen capture, feel free to fire away in the comments below.


If you’d like to know more about rumors and speculations of the 5D Mk II, you can read up on it via Photography Bay’s Canon EOS 5D Mark II Rumor page.

Nikon D3 Review at DP Review

By

DP Review has finally posted a full review of the Nikon D3.  It received a “Highly Recommended” badged and earned significant praise for it’s high quality and level of performance.

From the almost twitchy responsiveness (brush the shutter and before you know it you’ve taken half a dozen shots) to the astounding image pipeline that can pull huge amounts of data off the sensor and process, buffer and write it to the card at up to 9 frames per second, to the fast, accurate focus, the D3 always seems to be one step ahead of you.

For more reviews and news on the D3, visit Photography Bay’s Nikon D3 Reviews and Resources page.

Canon 5D Mark II Rumor Update – April 24 Announcement

By

A DPR forum poster dropped in a tidbit of info that he got while shopping for a Canon 5D:

Well, I was a bit sceptical about all the 5d MKII rumours. I stepped into my local camera shop as I was about to buy the current 5D when the salesman said I should rather wait until the 24th of April as the worldwide launch of the new 5D is happening then. (via)

As some astute forum members pointed out, this may be a situation where the salesman is just reading rumors online and pumping them up a bit.  See this previous rumor on an April 22nd announcement.

Regardless of the propriety of this recent rumor, stay tuned to the Canon 5D Mark II Rumors page for the latest updates.

Free Links Friday

By

Below are some of the best photography links from other sites that I came across this week.  Enjoy!

The Difference Between an Amateur and a Pro Photographer –   So you think you want to be a Pro? All fast cars and naked girls? Yeah right…. ThePhotographyBiz.com explores the oft-debated topic of “going pro.”

Red Shows Off 5K EPIC Camera –  Engadget breaks the story of this $30k camera.  This 5K camera has a full-frame S35mm Mysterium X sensor, and pretty much matches 35mm film resolution — RED ONE topped out at 4K.

Blog Power – Why You Should Consider Setting Up a Photoblog –  Digital Photography School gives you 10 good reasons for photographers to set up a photoblog.

How to Create Monster Photoshop Files –  Brian Aeur over at Epic Edits shares some insights on the dangers of big files in Photoshop and what can cause those monster files.

Innocent Photographer or Terrorist? –  BBC reports on the problems british photographers are dealing with when in comes to taking photos in a public place.  They have many more problems over there than we deal with in America; however, it’s an interesting insight on what could be if the hysteria over national security creeps too far over our everyday lives.

Ricoh R8 Review at Trusted Reviews

By

Trusted Reviews has posted a review of the new Ricoh R8, which offers a 10 megapixel sensor and a 28-200mm equivalent zoom.

The Ricoh R8 is an expensive camera, but it does offer a unique specification and very distinctive style. Build quality is superb, and the design of the body and control interface makes it a real pleasure to use.

For more news and reviews for the Ricoh R8 and some nostalgic thoughts from yours truly, visit Photography Bay’s Ricoh R8 Reviews & Resources page.

Nikon Coolpix L15 Review at Imaging Resource

By

Nikon L15

Imaging Resource recently posted a review of the Nikon L15.

Overall, the Nikon Coolpix L15 performed well in terms of exposure and color accuracy outdoors. However, detail definition and noise performance were disappointing when the camera needed to raise the ISO setting. Under brighter conditions, the Nikon L15 captured much better detail. You’ll get the best results when shooting in good lighting, but expect higher noise and noise suppression when shooting at lower light levels without the flash.