Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips
Adobe has updated Lightroom 2 to version 2.5 and Camera Raw 5 to version 5.5.
Lightroom 2.5 and Camera Raw 5.5 now include support for the following cameras:
The updated versions can be downloaded here.
After reading the article on how the Micro Four Thirds cameras can become an entire system, one may really try to decide on which lenses will be best for them. With such a large selection available, it can be hard to decide which ones may suit you the best if you’ve just stuck with one camera system to begin with and never had much experience with others. That being said, the following letter came in from a reader.
Olympus has released a firmware update for the E-P1 Micro Four Thirds camera, along with updates for the M.Zuiko Digital ED 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 and 17mm f/2.8 lenses.
The firmware update for the E-P1 is described as providing improved operation when using the C-AF, which is something that I found to function quite poorly in the Olympus E-P1 Review. The firmware updates for the lenses are described as providing improved AF operation.
You can download the updates on the Olympus Japan website.
SanDisk has announced a new series of faster CF cards – the Extreme Pro cards. The big number that SanDisk is throwing out there is 90MB per second max read/write speeds. The question is: “Does it make a difference?”
Well, I haven’t gotten my hands on one yet; however, spec-wise the Canon 5D Mark II and Canon 50D should be able to take advantage of the speed boost. Both cameras feature UDMA support up to Mode 6 for a maximum theoretical transfer rate of 133MB/s, which is well within the new SanDisk cards specs.
Lori Grunin over at Cnet’s Crave took the new Extreme Pro cards for a spin the the Nikon D300s (I couldn’t find any documentation confirming the extent of UDMA support for the D300s) and the Canon 5D Mark II. The differences were minimal in both cases. The D300s produced the same frame rate with Extreme Pro and 60MB/s flavor of Extreme cards. The Pro version was able to give about a 10% savings on buffer emptying after a burst of shots. The results were similar in the 5D Mark II, which got a boost of 0.2 frames per second with the Pro model and an almost 20% discount emptying the buffer after a burst of shots. Hit up Lori’s test for all the facts. [50 kudos to Lori for the hard work.]
Prices? The 64GB model will set you back $811.99 direct from SanDisk – I’ll say that again . . . $811.99! $507.99 for the 32GB model and $304.00 for the 16GB model. Hardly a bargain for a 0.2 fps advantage…
Get the full run down on these new cards in the news release below.
Carl Zeiss announced the Distagon T* 18mm f/3.5 ZE lens for Canon DSLRs (EF-mount) today. Zeiss already produces an 18mm f/3.5 Distagon T* lens for Nikon F-mount and Pentax K-mount cameras. Canon users should be pleased that Zeiss is continuing its comitment to the EF-mount.
The new ZE lens should be available Fall 2009 at an initial price of EUR 1049.00. No official word on US prices yet; however, if it matches up with the existing Nikon and Pentax mounts, expect it to be around $1250 in the US. Check availability on Amazon.com.
More details in the news release below. [Read more…]
The D3000 is Nikon’s current low-end DSLR model. It features a 10.2-megapixel DX-format CCD sensor, as found in the Nikon D60 that the D3000 replaces. The updates are fairly subtle; however, it is clear after spending some time with it that Nikon is targeting a very entry-level crowd.
Expect more details in a full review coming soon. For now, you can take a look at the below sample images from the D3000 and judge for yourself. These images are from a production camera as shipped from Nikon. Don’t expect any real differences from what we know the Nikon D60 could do though. [Read more…]
The Nikon D5000 is a great entry-level camera. Solid autofocus, exposure metering and noise control are just a few standout features of the D5000. However, those features don’t mean much if you fail to use them properly.
Here’s 10 great photos from photographers who really get the most out of their D5000. [Read more…]
Last week, we pointed out 7 Things to Love About the Canon 7D. After several comments discussing both the pros and cons of the Canon 7D, it’s time to take a closer look at what the naysayers think of the camera. Here’s 7 things about the Canon 7D that turn some people off. [Read more…]
As if the Canon 7D wasn’t enough, Canon has apparently been dropping invites for “one of their biggest and most important product launches in its history.” It looks set to go down on September 29.
“In the autumn the Canon one of their biggest and most important product launches in the company’s history and we hope you can attend. During a lunch date you are welcome to listen to CEO Jouko Tuominen, Marketing and trend analyst Magnus Lindkvist, when they’re talking about
future trends and success factors in an increasingly digitalized everyday.
Date: 29 September
Time: Cl. 11-13
An invitation with more details coming soon. Welcome!
A picture of one, as I understand it, has created a large box with a red rag over. One side of the box looming, cardboard-colored, without pressure. Should mean something to professional direction. Hopefully not a new color laser …
Canon 1D Mark IV anyone? Pro video gear? The infamous Canikon (people still email me on this wanting more details)? A copier that makes perfect copies of Chuck Norris? Anyone?
Take your guess or offer your insider information in the comments below. Closest to the actual product gets 40 kudos (that’s points, not candies).
Apple’s new iPod nano includes a video camera and takes a direct shot across the bow of the Flip and other ultra-compact video cameras. In fact, at Apple’s “It’s only rock and roll” event today, Apple showed an image of the 4GB Flip Ultra and mocked its $149 price tag. The presentation went on with Steve Jobs at the helm touting Apple’s video option as 8GB for free. What that really boils down to is that all the iPod nanos now include a video camera; however, you still have to buy the iPod nano to get the video camera (so it’s not really free Steve). And, unfortunately, the iPod nano doesn’t offer the ability to capture still images.
The 8GB iPod nano runs $149, while the 16GB iPod nano comes in at $179. Both versions offer the same video camera specs: [Read more…]