For a while, it looked as if Nikon were taking a break from the megapixel race to focus on other aspects of image quality. After all, the pro-caliber D3 is just 12.1MP, and the recent D90 is only 12.3MP. But the hiatus is over. Nikon is back in the fray big-time with the introduction of a 24.5MP full-frame flagship, the D3X ($8,000, street, body only).
Trading the 12.1MP D3’s super-high ISOs for a greater pixel count, this new camera takes direct aim at Canon’s < Mark III and Sony’s Alpha 900.
In fact, the difference between the D3 ($4,200, street, body only) and D3X is much like the difference between Canon’s Mark III ($3,750, street, body only) and 1Ds Mark III ($6,680, street, body only). In both cases, a step below the flagships gives you about half the pixels, but fast burst rates and high ISOs with relatively low noise. (The table on the opposite page spells this out.)
Panasonic’s new Lumix DMC-G1 isn’t a DSLR. Yes, you can remove the lens, and the camera’s $800 street price (with 14-45mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens) makes it more expensive than some entry-level DSLRs. But this tiny interchangeable-lens electronic-viewfinder model represents an entirely new class of camera.
The G1 is the vanguard of the Micro Four Thirds system, a format meant to bridge superzoom EVFs and DSLRs. The idea: To grab people who want the resolution of a DSLR but the simplicity, small size, and nonthreatening look of an EVF or compact.
The G1 (as with all Micro Four Thirds cameras scheduled to follow) has a DSLR-sized Four Thirds sensor, which captures more detail than the tiny chip inside any superzoom. It’s also engineered to be smaller than a typical DSLR and super-easy to operate. And to prove it’s not intimidating — even fun — it comes in colors (red and blue), as well as black.
One of only two lenses that contains both refractive and diffractive glass elements, this image-stabilized tele zoom is dramatically more compact — and expensive ($1,143, street) — than its refractive-only Canon ($549, street) or Nikon ($479, street) counterparts. Unlike more common refractive optics, diffractive optical design is based on how light rays bend when forced to move around (not through) an obstruction — in this case, a pattern of molded, sawtooth, Fresnel-like, concentric circles. A full-frame lens, it scales up to a 105-450mm on Canon EOS Digital Rebel models.
An 88-400mm equivalent, this is Canon’s longest EF-S (digital only) zoom, and roughly the low-cost digital alternative to its 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L full-frame “white” image-stabilized zoom that’s so hot with pros. At $280, street, this 55-250mm is by far Canon’s most favorably priced IS tele zoom, with the only glass close to it a 70-300mm IS lens that streets for roughly $550.
Not actually paired in a kit with Canon’s 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS starter lens (yet), this is the system’s de facto kit telezoom. It’s squarely targeted at intermediate DSLR shooters who feel hemmed in by the 18-55mm and crave something longer. While most comparable digital tele-zooms that start at 55mm go to only 200mm (i.e., the Nikon, Sigma, and Tamron), Canon reaches out to 250mm.
If you needed proof that Pentax has a high-performance, professional-quality DSLR in the offing, this $1,000 (street) lens is it.
Based on the film-era 200mm f/2.8 FA lens, it’s equipped with new internal-flare-suppressing coatings, and it has a newly designed rear element which Pentax claims projects a perfectly flat-field image. A 300mm equivalent, it sports Pentax’s SMC supersonic focusing motor for near-silent autofocus action, as well as Quick-shift focusing that lets you touch up focus manually while the lens remains in the AF mode.
This digital-only, 5.3X, wide-to-medium-tele, general-purpose zoom ($600, street) is an attractive upgrade for Nikon shooters underserved by their entry-level 18-55mm kit lens. No longer a beginner? It offers Vibration Reduction, plus extra reach in both directions, scaling up to 24-127.5mm on most Nikon DSLR bodies. Two extra-low dispersion glass elements rein in the image-softening effect of chromatic aberration (a.k.a. color fringing), and three aspheric elements help tackle linear distortion.
Each month the NPD Group ranks America’s top-selling digital cameras based on unit sales.
Here are the top-selling digital SLRs for March 2008.
1) Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi
2) Nikon D40
3) Canon Digital Rebel XT
4) Nikon D300
5) Nikon D60
Sony CyberShot W170 digital camera : Sony’s popular Cyber-shot W-Series gains a fresh new look for ’08 with the new Sony CyberShot W170 digital camera that teams fantastic HD image quality with easy-to-use features. Available in a choice of up-to-the-minute colour options, the Sony CyberShot W170 stands out with its clean lines and cool, contemporary looks. Inside the sleek all-aluminium case, the Sony W170 is packed with the latest Sony technology to widen your creative options and guarantee even more fabulous memories. There’s also a top-quality Carl Zeiss wide angle lens with 5x optical zoom. The new 10.1 megapixel Sony Cyber-shot W170 digital camera will be available throughout Europe mid April 2008.
Nikon D300 digital SLR camera review : Canon undoubtedly must have been taken aback when Nikon announced the Nikon D300 as successor to the D200. And rightfully, because the D200 was already an impressive camera and the Nikon D300 digital SLR camera exceeds its predecessor to a great extend. It is more than ever an SLR camera that is perfectly suitable for the professional photographer.
Kodak EasyShare Z1012 IS Digital Camera : At the Photo Marketing Association Show (PMA), Eastman Kodak Company announced the latest addition to its award-winning line of Kodak EasyShare Consumer Digital Cameras. The Kodak EasyShare Z1012 IS Digital Camera - with 10-megapixel resolution and 12X optical zoom with optical image stabilization - brings an advanced, high performance feature set to a compact size that is ready to go anywhere your life takes you. Kodak also recently announced the Kodak EasyShare V1273 and Kodak M1033 Digital Camera, the Kodak EasyShare Z1085 IS Digital Camera, the Kodak EasyShare Z1285 Zoom and the Kodak EasyShare Z8612 IS Zoom Digital Cameras at the Consumer Electronics show (CES 2008) in Las vegas.
