Tamron 10-24mm ƒ3.5-4.5 announced
TAMRON has announced that its new 10-24mm lens will be an ƒ3.5-4.5 design – not an ƒ2.8 as some rumours had it – and will hit the shops in Nikon and Canon mounts first, on September 20th.
Author: David Kilpatrick
Professional photographer and journalist, founder and editor of magazines PHOTOpro, Photon, Freelance Photographer, f2 and Cameracraft. For 25 years director of the Minolta Club. Fellow of the BIPP and Hon. Fellow of the MPA.
Historic photos go on to Flickr
The National Media Museum in Bradford has become the first UK institution to make sections of the internationally renowned National Photography Collection available to millions worldwide through online photo management and sharing application Flickr™. Continue reading »
Nikon D90 – 4.5fps, HD video, 12 megapixels CMOS
Nikon has introduced some of the technologies we might expect to see from Sony, apparently using the IMX021 sensor (the pixel count on the long edge is 4288, rather than 4272 as normally processed from a Sony Alpha 700 file, but this is within the usual limits of different raw conversions). The D90 is an A700-class camera for £699 but includes Live View with face detection contrast-detect focusing, 720p HD movie recording up to 5 minutes, 4.5fps continuous shooting, ISO to 3200 (6400 HI), and Auto Distortion Correction when fitted with current Nikon lenses.
Canon EOS 50D faces up to Live View
Canon has today officially announced the 15.5 megapixel APS-C EOS 50D. This is a 1.6X factor sensor, packing a density well in excess of the Alpha 350 – if Sony was to make an Alpha with the same pixel density it would be 17.5 megapixels, and a full framer would be 38.5 megapixels.
EOS 50D 15.1 mpixel DSLR announced
United Kingdom / Republic of Ireland, 26 August 2008: Canon today strengthens its EOS range with the addition of a powerful new digital SLR: the EOS 50D. With a 15.1 Megapixel CMOS sensor, 6.3 frames per second shooting and Canon’s latest DIGIC 4 image processor, the EOS 50D delivers unparalleled speed and resolution at a price point that is unique in today’s market.
EOS 50D with 17-85mm IS lens
Outstanding, clean images
A newly designed 15.1 Megapixel CMOS sensor delivers ultra-detailed, low-noise images – ideal for large-scale reproduction or creative cropping. New manufacturing processes, plus redesigned photo diodes and microlenses, extend the light gathering capabilities of the sensor – allowing more pixels to be fitted on the CMOS sensor without compromising image quality. These changes ensure improved high ISO performance and low noise. High-speed, low light shooting is enabled by ISO levels of 3200, expandable to an ultra-sensitive 12800.
The EOS Integrated Cleaning System – including the improved Self Cleaning Sensor Unit with a new fluorine coating – increases protection of image quality by helping to reduce, repel and remove unwanted dust from the sensor. Stubborn particles can be removed automatically in post-production with Dust Delete Data and Canon’s included Digital Photo Professional software.
Rapid-fire performance
Canon’s new DIGIC 4 processor is fast enough to allow up to 6.3fps continuous shooting, in bursts of up to 90 JPEGs with a UDMA card. Used with Canon’s wide area AF system, which locks onto subjects with 9 individual cross type sensors, stunning action sequences can be captured – even in low-light conditions. This makes the EOS 50D particularly suited to sports and wildlife shooting.
DIGIC 4 works with the CMOS sensor to deliver 14-bit image processing, for smooth gradation and natural-looking colours – as well as ensuring ultra-fast startup times and near-instant image review after shooting.
See everything
A new 3.0” Clear View VGA LCD provides extra-large and wide angle-of-view image review, with plenty of clarity for accurate focus checks in playback. By switching to Live View mode – which displays a real-time image on the LCD – photographers can enjoy simplified shooting from awkward angles, or connect to a PC for remote shooting. Live Mode now offers three ways to auto focus: Quick AF, Live AF, and new Face Detection Live AF, which optimizes focus based on faces detected in the frame – for fast, spontaneous portraiture.
Control and ease of use
The famously intuitive EOS menu system includes a new Quick Control screen, for instant access to the most commonly-changed settings. A new Creative Auto mode offers automatic focus and exposure – while still allowing creative ‘tweaks’ to settings such as background sharpness.
“For advanced amateurs and semi-professionals – or professionals looking for a powerful backup model – the EOS 50D stands alone,” said Mogens Jensen, Head of Canon Consumer Imaging, Europe. “No other camera in this price bracket offers a comparable combination of speed and image quality.”
Features at a glance:
- 15.1 Megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor
- 6.3fps continuous shooting, max. burst 90 JPEGs with UDMA card
- DIGIC 4 processor
- ISO 100-3200, expandable to 12800
- 9-point wide area AF
- 3.0” Clear View VGA LCD with Live View mode & Face Detection Live AF
- Magnesium alloy body, with environmental protection
- EOS Integrated Cleaning System
- HDMI connection for high quality viewing and playback on a High Definition TV
- Full compatibility with Canon EF and EF-S lenses and EX-series Speedlites
Pricing & Availability
The EOS 50D (body only) is available from end of September 2008 priced at £1199.99 / €1599.99 RRP inc. VAT. The EOS 50D EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM kit is available from end of September 2008 priced at £1499.99 / €1949.99 RRP inc. VAT. (UK/Ireland prices).
The 18-200mm ƒ3.5-5.6 IS USM lens
Canon 18-200mm IS EF-S lens
Breaking Canon’s claimed resistance to designing ‘superzooms’, the EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS is designed exclusively for use with EOS cameras featuring an EF-S lens mount – including the new EOS 50D, EOS 1000D, EOS 450D, and earlier models. (The cosmetic design with the silver rings is unusual in a lens costing this much; it’s reminiscent of lower-cost Canon lenses, and an all-black design might have been better received. – Ed)
The EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS features a 16 element, 12 group construction. This includes UD and aspherical lens elements, which minimise chromatic aberration and ensure crisp, corner-to-corner detail across the zoom range. A close focusing distance of just 45cm offers photographers total framing flexibility.
A Canon 4-stop optical Image Stabilizer – specially designed for the lens’ specific focal length range – works to counteract image blur that can occur when shooting handheld, or at slow shutter speeds. Automatic panning detection ensures effective performance when tracking moving subjects. Plus, because the IS system is based in the lens, results are visible through the viewfinder during framing.
Reflection off a digital camera’s image sensor can cause flare and ghosting. To suppress this, the EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS uses optics treated with Canon’s patented Super Spectra coatings – for crisp, undistorted images with natural colour balance.
The EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS is available from end of September 2008 priced at £549.99 / €729.99 RRP inc. VAT.
Alpha 900 – finder and frames
It’s not going to be long before we see the Alpha 900, and some cameras are known to be out there on trial in the hands of Sony staff and pre-release testers. I am not one, so rest assured, this is not a leak! What can you expect from the Alpha 900’s full-frame prism finder?
(Note: this post was written in early August – it is now 100% certain that the finder is 100%, and at 0.74X magnification will be – as had been hinted – the largest of all current DSLR finders in apparent visual terms except the EOS 1Ds Mk III which is 0.76X. Comparisons: EOS 5D 0.68X, Nikon D3 0.70X).
Photokina – a look back, and forward
At the end of September 2006, I set off for a quick visit to photokina in Cologne, having parted company with Icon’s am-pro magazine ƒ2 and not really needing to report on the whole show in detail. Here’s the report I wrote then, with photos, and some thoughts for the 2008 show. Continue reading »
Alpha 900 launch
There seems to be a lot of speculation about the Alpha 900 or Pro, and uncertainty about the timing of introduction. The August 14th date is not the 900, it’s two Cybershot models. The Alpha 900 will, as far as we are aware, be shown to the press on September 9th/10th worldwide.
Join the Forum – it’s buzzing!
The Photoclub Forum has really picked up in the last few weeks. We now have (as I write):
Total posts 2869 • Total topics 607 • Total members 894
That’s a long way from the early days – this site only went live just over a year ago though we have ‘date stamped’ some pages to make them match the Alpha launch back in June 2006. It’s a very friendly place, with a wealth of technical information and help and some very detailed responses from some expert users.
Take a look – http://www.photoclubalpha.com/forum/index.php – and register to become a Forum community member.
– DK
Slim Cyber-shot lifestyle models launched
Well, it looks as if the 14th August UK press conference for exciting digital camera news may not be about the Alpha 900 after all – Sony has just officially announced that some colourful little Cyber-shot models with ISO 3200 capability will be unveiled there, and no mention of the A900. Roll on September 9th!
Here’s Sony’s release on the new Cyber-shots – I apologise for leaving the hyperbolic advertising style adjectives (unusable editorially, and just a waste of words) in place: