Olympus E-1 “replacement” specs are almost as good as true:

HUGE 100% viewfinder with 1.15x magnification! SWEET! Just what I said would be required for me to consider buying!

10 MP

5 FPS

11 AF points, claimed to have better AF than Nikon D200 and Canon 30D.

(New SSWD AF lenses akin to Canon USM and Nikon SWM, except alleged to be faster. Yikes!)

Great high ISO performance (akin to E-510 but slightly better?)

Same world’s best dust reduction / weather proofing that has always been way better than the competition

In-camera stabilization, aiding in up to FIVE stops lower shutter speed! WOW! (Something Canon and Nikon may never chose to offer on their pro bodies, because IS / VR lenses are such hot sellers…)

Wireless flash control for up to 3 “groups” of flashes (smells like Nikon’s CLS)

Live Preview on the LCD

Okay, I know this all sounds totally wild and I probably would never TRULY “switch” to the Olympus system because I’m simply too lazy to start all over from scratch, but DANG this is shaping up to be a sweet camera! I truly believe that these Olympus 2x cropped sensors are going to gain a huge share of the market, and the technology will advance such that all the nay-sayers who laughed at such a small sensor are going to quietly slink away soon.

Some day when I’m better off, (compared to flat-broke like right now) and can afford to spend a little more money on photo equipment for my hobby’s sake instead of just for business, I’ll definitely be investing in the Olympus system…

Of course it will be a while before we find out if these specs are REALLY true, but this time the “leak” looks very legit to me.

Take care all,
-Matt-

So, David Jay is starting the “Get-Free” club, right? Okay if you didn’t know, here:

http://get-free.com

I’m a huge geek, and I wish I could afford to join, but I couldn’t help but crack up when I heard him talk about the auto-ISO feature that the new Canon 1D mkIII has. He’s right, it’s an awesome feature that I love as a wedding photographer, but lol, my 3+ year old D70 has this feature. Maybe THAT’S why Canon didn’t make a big scene about it- for once, they were playing “me too”, and doing it years late.

(Hey, I’m just posting this cause I thought it was worth a giggle, not to be mean to DJ or Canon. Nikon has played “me too” with practically EVERY other important feature, including the delayed “me too” of Canon’s IS and USM technology. But it was still funny to watch.

-Matt-

With 39 megapixels, you can focus on the model’s contact lenses! WOW!

http://hasselblad.com/products/hasselblad-star-quality/resolution.aspx

In the words of Wayne Campbell: “It will be mine. Oh yes. It will be mine.”

Now the rumors are FLYING! 1-2 months, ladies and gentlemen, and we may see some HUGE releases from Nikon…

Wild claims include Nikon’s alleged “new professional camera that is leaps and bounds better than anything Canon is offering”…

LOL! I guess we’ll see. Something tells me that no matter how much “better” the next Nikon will be, it’s not going to catch Canon for high ISO performance. So I’m not getting my hopes up!

-Matt-

Rumors about Nikon’s next big announcement / release are back. The same 15 lens rumor is now complimented by rumors that Nikon will have THREE new DSLR bodies to bring out, including at least one 35mm DSLR.

I’m predicting:

1.) A resurrection of the LBCAST sensor that comes in the D2H / D2Hs, probably with 8-10 megapixels this time. Expect amazing ISO 1600, 3200, and 6400 performace like the old D2Hs had… Only problem is that it will probably cost as much as the Canon 1DmkIII, ~$4,000. Yikes! Only question is, will it be DX crop or “full frame”? We’ll just have to wait and see.

2.) A “FF” D2 model, possibly called something like “D3Xf” or whatever. About 20-24 megapixels, and with a “DX crop mode” that alows you to shoot with DX lenses at lower resolution but increased FPS. (speed) Too bad this one will be even more pricey, similar to the $6,000-$8,000 price tags on Canon 1-series “FF” bodies. OUCH! Oh and just to clairify, the rumors are actually saying that Nikon might go with some sort of 1.1x crop, which sounds weird but I’m just repeating what I hear…

3.) The “consumer’s full-frame body”, something above the D200 but not quite D2 series- A competitor to the Canon 5D but with the features that Canon left out of that camera- pro grade AF, pro grade durability, (weather sealing etc.) and pro grade button layout. (No scene modes, sorry!)

Of course these may not all be announced all at once in 2-3 months like the rumors say, but these are all cameras that Nikon will EVENTUALLY have to release in order to stay in business. What am I betting is the most likely? Probably the D3H and the D3Xf.

Then there are 15 lenses to guess about. I think I’ve written about this before. Heck, maybe I’ve written about the bodies before, but just forgot. But I’ll recap really quick:

A lot of 35mm SLR lenses need to be “equalled” in DX DSLR format. The wide angle and mid-range primes, mostly, and specialty wide angle / mid range primes, like perspective correction lenses etc… Personally what I’d be most excited to see is a 16mm or 17mm f/1.4 AFS DX. I know it would cost a lot, but it would be amazing for ultra-low light situations and for ultra-dreamy portraits…

Then, a lot of 35mm SLR lenses simply need to be “updated” with AF-S motors instead of AF-D motors. Yes, screw drive AF is pretty fast, especially when it’s on a D2 series body, but the silence of AF-S type AF is indeed golden. Plus the ability to always grab the focus ring and focus manually without ever having to flip any switches is priceless, too.

Rumor and specilation says that a lot of lenses are also going to get VR, and that would be cool but most people are getting a little TOO carried away and hoping for lenses like f/1.4 AF-S VR lenses, which I think is silly. But hey, we’ll see what happens!

Take care, fellow geeks!

-Matt-

The next “types” of photographers are just below the “top gear” people:

First, there is the really talented pro who does amazing work but does it with “average” gear. Sure, they go for the f/2.8 zooms and the f/1.8 primes, but they don’t feel the need, or don’t want to spend double the cash, on “name brand” lenses etc. They simply learn to master the gear they have, and once they do they’re every bit as good as the pros who get the expensive stuff.

Then, there’s the advanced amateur who is POSSIBLY as good as the talented pros. This person doesn’t make much money from photography because they have a day job, usually blue-collar, but the photos they do take are really sweet. They also end up getting the f/2.8 zooms and f/1.8 primes, but they just can’t bring themselves to get the name-brand zooms or the f/1.4 & f/1.2 primes because it is JUST a hobby…

Then, there’s the gear geeks who simply love to find the best value in a lens or camera etc. These people will often buy and sell many different lenses until they find the one that best fits them. THESE are the people who you want to talk to if you are thinking of getting this or that piece of gear!!!

Until next time,
-Matt-

Cleaned out my closet the other day. Guess what I found?