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Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips

 

New Nikon AF-S 800mm f/5.6 VR Lens Coming Soon?

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Nikon 600mm

Nikon Rumors picked up word that a new AF-S 800mm f/5.6 VR Lens should arrive in September around the time of Photokina 2012.  The longest current lens in Nikon’s line up is the 600mm f/4G ED VR AF lens.  Given that this lens is priced at $9800, I would expect to see the 800mm lens in the same $14k ballpark as Canon’s 800mm f/5.6L.

Sony XQD ‘S Series’ Memory Cards Deliver 168MB/s Data Transfer

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Sony XQD S Series

Sony has announced a new S Series XQD card that will give photographers read and write speeds of 168MB/s.  The existing H Series XQD card is rated at 125MB/s. Of course, the only camera to currently utilize the new XQD format is the Nikon D4.

With the new S Series cards, the Nikon D4 will be able to capture a burst of 108 RAW images at 10 fps.  As Sony notes, “this lets photographers document the men’s 100m sprint final from start to finish in a single, sustained burst of RAW images.”

The 64GB S Series XQD card will ship later this month.  And, a 32GB model will be available in the September/October time frame.

Canon 1D X In-Stock Soon?

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Canon 1D X

Several sources around the web are reporting that US retailers will be getting their first shipments of the Canon 1D X this week.  While you shouldn’t expect to see 1D X actually in stock this week, this is a good sign that pre-orders will start being fulfilled on this long-delayed camera.

This also means that we’ll start seeing some real-world usage from the 1D X filter onto the web.  It’s been a long time since I first got hands on the 1D X back in October 2011.  I sure didn’t think that it would be nearly nine months later before the camera shipped.

Switronix Bringing Power Accessories to the Blackmagic Cinema Camera?

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Blackmagic Cinema Camera

HDSLR and cinema accessory provider Switronix sent out a little tease in its newsletter today about the Blackmagic Cinema Camera that’s shipping later this month.

Are you guys as excited as we are about this beautiful, little guy?

Check in this month to see the cool accessories we have developed for the Black Magic Camera.  -Switronix Newsletter

Switronix has been known for its HDSLR power accessories that so effectively pair cameras like the 5D Mark II with external battery packs, as well as on-camera lighting gear.  Given the uncertainty thus far about the Blackmagic Cinema Camera’s internal battery and lack of external power options, I’d say that an external power solution from Switronix is a good bet.

Stay tuned for the official announcement of whatever is coming from Switronix…

DSLR Average Online Purchase Price Increases By More Than $350 from 2011

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Online buyers of DSLR cameras pay $1,291, on average, for their camera, up from $937 in 2011, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2012 Digital Single-Lens Reflex Camera Online Buyer ReportSM released last week.

I was a little surprised to read those numbers, considering the affordable DSLR options available now – with cameras like the Nikon D3200, Rebel T3 and Sony A37.  However, I’m also a little curious if the consumer move toward affordable mirrorless cameras like the Sony NEX-F3 and Olympus E-PM1 has impacted these figures (which may not be factored into “DSLR” sales evaluated by JD Power).

Additional notes from the report points to Pentax’s lead in buyer satisfaction and durability.  Finally, note that these scores are based on consumer surveys rather than objective test data.

More excerpts from the press release below. [Read more…]