Photography Bay

Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips

Lexar Jumps on XQD Memory Card Bandwagon

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XQD Memory Card

Lexar will begin supporting the XQD memory card format this year.  Lexar has plans to bring XQD cards to market in third quarter 2012.

Currently, the only camera supporting the XQD format is the Nikon D4 and Sony is the only XQD card manufacturer with cards on store shelves, including Sony’s second batch of new S Series 168MB/s cards that are available for pre-order.

No word on pricing, but expect Lexar to be in the same ballpark as Sony during these early months of availability – with Sony starting at $130 for a 16GB card (an H Series at 125MB/s).

Maybe Lexar has word on “future XQD-based camera models” mentioned in its press release that will increase demand for the new format.  My money is on the next Sony full frame model (the A99?) to feature at least one XQD card slot.  Expect to hear more about XQD format support (SanDisk, Kingston?) and new camera models in the coming weeks as we lead up to Photokina 2012.

Check out Lexar’s full press release on upcoming XQD card support below. [Read more…]

 

Sigma APO Macro 180mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM Available July 27

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Sigma APO Macro 180mm

Pricing and availability are now official for the new Sigma APO Macro 180mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM lens.  It will be available on July 27 for $1699 for Canon, Nikon, Sigma, Sony and Pentax mounts.  It’s currently available for pre-order at B&H Photo.

More info on the new lens in the latest press release below. [Read more…]

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.

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…]

Sony NEX-F3 In-Stock

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Sony NEX-F3

The Sony NEX-F3 is in stock at B&H.  The NEX-F3 looks to be everything that the NEX-C3 is – and more.

As a result, I’m pegging the NEX-F3 as the g0-t0 consumer camera for those who want better quality than they get out of a point and shoot camera.  I own the NEX-C3 and it has been a fantastic camera – particularly when combined with the great little Sigma 30mm f/2.8 lens that stays on it.

The NEX-F3 is available in silver and black.

Sigma 18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS MACRO Lens Announced

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Sigma 18-250mm f:3.5-6.3 DC OS MACRO Lens

The Sigma 18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS MACRO lens was unveiled today as an all-purpose APS-C lens.  No pricing yet, but it should be available in July.

The new lens differs from the non-macro version in magnification ratio, but it also contains new material called Thermally Stable Composite (TSC). TSC is incorporated into the lens barrel and is often compared to polycarbonate. It has a high degree of elasticity and exhibits little variation in its structure in extreme temperature conditions. This means that internal barrel expansion and contraction due to extreme temperature variations is less prevalent.

TSC also contributes to the lens’ size reduction. The non-macro 18-250mm F3.5-6.3 without TSC weighs 22.2 ounces and is 3.1 by 4 inches in diameter, whereas the new macro lens is 16.6 ounces and 2.9 by 3.5 inches in diameter. As a result, this is a more compact, multi-purpose lens for APS-C sized sensor cameras.

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

Sony RX100 Compact Camera With a Big Sensor

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Sony RX100 Front

The Sony RX100 official details have dropped, revealing the new 20.2MP compact camera with a much larger sensor than other compact zoom cameras around.

The 1-inch CMOS image sensor is the same size as the Nikon 1 Series interchangeable lens models.  The fixed zoom lens provides 28-100mm equivalent zoom range with a max f/1.8 aperture.

The RX100 sports AVCHD 2.0 video capture at full 1080/60p at 28Mbps data rates.  The sensitivity ranges up to ISO 6400 for low light capture, or up to ISO 25600 using a multiframe capture feature.

The Sony RX100 retails for $650 and should be available in July 2012.  Check availability at B&H Photo.

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

Sony Cybershot DSC-RX100 is a New Compact Camera Using the Nikon 1 Series Sensor Format

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Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100

The Sony Cybershot RX100 has leaked on the Japanese website Digicame-info.  The camera looks very much like a compact point and shoot camera; however, one key difference (based on rumored specifications) is the presence of a much larger image sensor in the RX100.

The CMOS imager is rumored to be 13.2mm x 8.8mm, which is the same size as the Nikon 1 Series cameras (or CX format sensor / 2.7x crop).  Of course, this makes a lot of sense – given that Nikon has sourced larger image sensors from Sony for years now.  It looks like Sony will be making use of its own manufacturing efficiencies for this format.

Check out the chart below for a comparison of how the Sony RX100 sensor stacks up against other mirrorless and DSLR cameras. [Read more…]