Well, if it’s not a COMPLETE DEAD GIVE-AWAY, I don’t know what is. Sony announced that they’re making a 24 megapixel, full-frame sensor. It is a CMOS design, so hopefully it will ride on the back of all this low noise @ high ISO technology that Canon and Nikon have both recently developed. It is also said to be capable of 6.3 images per second output, thanks to a new analog-to-digital conversion method. Also, of course, the claim is that it will have very low noise, but only time will tell HOW low the noise is…

Everybody knows that Nikon usually gets their sensors from Sony, save the case of the D2H series and the D3 which are exclusive Nikon designs. And everybody knows what a theoretical D3X camera body would be, if Nikon were to dream it up: a high-resolution competition to Canon’s 1Ds mk3, just like Nikon’s “high resolution” D2X whas an attempt at competition to Canon’s 1Ds mk2… But this time, if the D3X does indeed release with 24 megapixels and 6 frames per second, in the already killer D3 body, It sure WILL be a competitor to the Canon!

My prediction is that this camera will come within 6-12 months. I’m worried, however, because this COULD mean that Nikon will yet again delay the debut of an AFFORDABLE full-frame DSLR, while Canon is poised to release their one OR TWO replacements to the 5D any day now. Thom Hogan estimates that we may not see an affordable full-frame Nikon until 2009.

Anyone waiting for Canon or Nikon’s forthcoming affordable full-frame bodies, it’s going to be a long and agonizing spring / summer, indeed. Can’t say it really afffects me, though. I’m planning to spend ~$1500 on a second D300 in 6-12 months, rather than $3000-4000 on whatever “affordable” FX DSLR comes out. I’m not saying DX is as god as or better than FX, I’m just saying it’s GOOD ENOUGH, and thousands cheaper. And as I have outlined recently, there are indeed actual ADVANTAGES to DX other than just the low price. Advantages that indicate I may stick with DX permanently for almost all of my shooting.

What DOES affect me is Ebay’s new, strict, STUPID rules: Sellers can no longer leave negative feedback for buyers, PERIOD, and, buyers have the advantage of a freeze on a percentage of their paypal funds while they have a “reviewing period” in which they can test out the item they’ve purchased, and effectively do a sort of “charge back” if they’re not completely happy.

I know it’s with good intentions, but to me it just sounds like an act of desperation to try and drive buyers, even unscrupulous ones, to use Ebay. I don’t think I’ll ever be selling anyting (expensive) through Ebay again. I guess I can still sell random $10 junk if I need to, but there’s no way I’d sell a 3-4 digit price camera or lens…

Ehh I better get back to work…
=Matt=

[EDIT]

I swear I’m never going to get any work done during PMA, what with all these new camera and technology releases!

Sony just announced the A300 and A350, and as usual they look like generic electronic devices, almost ugly if you ask me. Especialy the vertical grip, it just looks WEIRD. And in general, the cameras just look so plastic, like a generic universal remote made in China. Juuuuust putting forth an opinion, that’s all!

And the cameras are 3 and 2 frames per second, the 2 FPS being the high-resolution (14 megapixel) model aimed at semi-pros. 2 FPS for semi-pros? I’m sorry, my old D70 did 3 FPS in 2004. So, it looks like for 2008 I’ll definitely be recommending the Pentax K200D, with it’s weather-sealing and 11-point AF… (with NINE cross-type AF points, that’s what the flippin’ D2X had!!!)

To Sony’s credit, however, the cameras are under $1000, AND they’ve implemented live view in a REVOLUTIONARY way: They’ve simply added a 2nd sensor, right up next to the viewfinder, so that you can retain full-speed autofocus and shooting. This pretty much makes ALL live view, from Canon, Nikon and Olympus, seem like a complete joke… For those who actually shoot fast-action in live view mode, that is. Which I don’t think I’ll ever need to do…

Alright back to work AGAIN…

www.dpreview.com/lensreviews

Wow, that test chart is one if the most high tech things I’ve ever seen… Now, let’s see some reviews of real pro glass!!!

=Matt=

Sweeeeet! Nikon just announced three new lenses like we thought they would, except two of them were totally un-expected:

First there’s the 16-85 DX VR that everyone has know was coming, thanks to leaked photos from weeks ago.

But next, we get an AF-S update to the legendary, already sharp-as-heck 60mm macro lens, this time with floating aspherical elements and nano-crystal coating. If this lens is anything like the other new lenses with nano-crystal coatings, the 14-24 2.8 and 24-70 2.8, it is going to be INSANELY sharp. They’re probably getting ready for the 24 megapixel D3X that should come later this year or early in 2009.

Last and DEFINITELY not least is a lens that I’m VERY stoked about, though others might not ever see a need for a lens like this, the 24mm f/3.5 PC, a tilt-shift lens. COOL. this is exactly what I’ve always wanted (on full-frame) for architecture jobs… I’m getting pretty tired of stitching and correcting perspective in photoshop!

…Oh and Nikon also announced the D60 today. Yay. I don’t sound too excited, you say? Yeah, it’s pretty much a D40x with one or two updates… It’s got an automatic sensor cleaner, and some sort of airflow control thing to help lessen dust too. It’s also got the other feature that Nikon has begun to adopt, active D-lighting, which is pretty sweet I must admit, but there is NO live view, no 14-bit RAW, no 3″ LCD, like ALL the 2007 DSLR’s from Canon and Nikon have.

Pretty much a flop. Same 3 frames per second, and the same lame 3-point focus system in the D40 / D40X that can’t accept screw-type lenses… Wow, Nikon, you fumbled (body-wise, at least) with your 2008 PMA release even more than Canon did! The XSi looked kinda lame when it came out, but now it looks pretty sweet.

In fact, the D60 is dead in the water if the listed euro MSRP is reflective of what the USD MSRP is- $1,100. That is a JOKE.

Can I recommend it? Sure, but ONLY if it’s actually something like $600-700! The ONE thing that the Nikon can do that no other camera can do is command wireless flashes with it’s pop-up flash, a feature that we haven’t seen on beginner DSLR’s since the D70…

HOWEVER, I’m FAR more inclined to now recommend the new Pentax K200D. Why? It’s got the features that matter: 11-point autofocus, and flippin’ WEATHER SEALING! How nice is that? ALSO, Pentax is showing dedication to the cropped sensor system, with it’s stunning new 14.6 megapixel K20D, which apparently still delivers stunning quality results even squeezing that many pixels into such a tiny sensor. And you can bet it will be dirt cheap compared to the comparative “pro” bodies from other brands! So yeah, I’m actually going to be recommending Pentax for beginner DSLR buyers this year, how weird is that…

Take care,
=Matt=

PS: to any who weigh their gear on a postal scale: The 16-85 DX VR is 17.1 oz. That’s like one or two oz. under the 18-200… Oh and the MSRP converts to $850 / 950 USD from the pound / euro, respectively. I hope it’s less than that when it hits USA shelves, otherwise I’ll “make do” with my 17-55 2.8…

Meh, other than the 24mm PC, I’m pretty bummed about Nikon’s performance at PMA 2008. Still no sign of a useful point and shoot digital from Nikon, either. No 28mm standard, no low megapixel count, high ISO performing sensors, no “indestructible” model to compete with Olympus’ line that has been out for years now, and now DOES have 28mm equivalent…

We all know the advantages of having a full-frame sensor. If you don’t, you must have had your head in the sand for what, 3-4 years now? STUNNING high ISO performance, and SEXY HOT bokeh.

However, few people can actually put their finger on real advantages of having a cropped sensor camera. There is price, but that only affects some buyers, plus there are cameras like the 5D that can be had for almost dirt cheap now. Then there is the extra “reach” that you get with a cropped sensor, but that is only an advantage at the telephoto end; it becomes a nuisance at the wide end.

There is one incredible advantage to shooting with a cropped sensor that nobody ever realizes.

Allow me to demonstrate! Here is the viewfinder of the new Nikon D300, with the edges of the outermost focus points outlined:

The un-trained eye will not immediately realize what is so special here. We need to impose the D3 viewfinder on top of the D300′s. Since they are both 100% coverage, this is rather easy:

HOLY TOLEDO, BATMAN!

The D3 and the D300 have the same exact AF module, so yeah, you guessed it- since the D300 is working with a cropped sensor the focus points get pretty darn close to the edge of the frame horizontally. This is a big asset for shooting portraits, and pretty much everything else, even landscape photography… (There you go, the big advantage. Pretty un-exciting, huh? Let me tell you, it makes a difference when you’re shooting!)

On a hunch that this wasn’t just a D3 / D300 thing, I went ahead and compared some Canon DSLR’s. Canon has both 1.6x and full-frame bodies that employ both a 9-point AF system and a 45-point AF system…

Here is the 1Ds series (full frame) viewfinder versus the 1D series: (1.3x)

Not that big of a difference, but it’s probably pretty useful for sports shooters and photojournalists…

Next up, the 40D versus the 5D. This one was a bit tricky, because neither camera has 100% viewfinder coverage- the 40D has 95% coverage and the 5D has 96%… So to show the true “reach” of the focus points, one must lock the viewfinder frame and then shrink the AF points as a whole, within the frame, by the respective percentages:

I thought of posting the D300 versus the 5D, but I’m not even going to go there because the two cameras are not meant to be compared really. I think it is best to just compare cameras that use the same exact AF module.

You can do it yourself in photoshop if you want, but if you own a 5D I’d warn against it, it may cause jealousy. Suffice it to say that the D300 has by far the most horizontal coverage out of any camera on the market. (Which camera has the most vertical coverage, by far? The D2 series’ 11-point AF…) The horizontal coverage in the D300 makes it effortless to snap photos like THIS one. Or any of the 500+ photos I shot this week of children’s theater…

The DX master rests his case.

Actually I would also like to explain how this advantage benefits not only focusing, but metering as well. Next.

=Matt=

PS: Honest, I don’t have some sort of vendetta against full-frame. I drool over the D3 just as much as any other geek. I’m just a real-world shooter who uses cameras as tools, and I enjoy discussing how tools work… If I have any sort of vendetta, it is against those who have a vendetta against DX…

Either it’s NOT over yet, or people are just desperate for gossip / rumors / action on the forums…

Canon is reportedly waiting with an ace up it’s sleeve, until after Nikon makes it’s forthcoming releases this January 31st. Sounds to me like revenge for what Nikon did to Canon last fall by releasing the D3 / D300 hot on the heels of the 1Ds 3 and 40D…

We may see a 7D released yet!

HOWEVER, here’s the catch- It is alleged to be just a step up from the 40D, NOT a replacement to the 5D. A “direct” attack on the D300, in fact.

Could it be that Canon is actually going to shock the world with a fully professional 1.6x DSLR??? Even as a Nikon shooter, that would make my camera geek day… Of course I suppose I might be crying soon if Canon really DOES “kill” the D300. All they’d have to do would be to take a 40D and- fully weather-seal it, put in a pro-series 45-point AF module, rate the shutter life like a 1D series, upgrade the LCD to “HD”, and make it do ISO 6400/12800 at 12-14 megapixels. Then I would have to cry a little…

(Are you enjoying this roller coaster as much as I am? )

=Matt=

Alright really quick, a ton of new cameras, I only have time for the highlights and the major disappointments…

Pentax K200D: wow, weather sealing in an entry-level camera! Go Pentax!

Pentax K20D: wow, 14.6 megapixels in a cropped sensor pro camera! Go Pentax x2!! (And apparently it does decent ISO 1600 and 3200, wow!!!

Canon 450D: whee, Canon follows in the Nikon D40′s footsteps, and switches to SD cards. Other than that, it’s basically a 400D with all the “latest features”… live view, a 3″ LCD, 14 bit RAW, did I miss anything?

Olympus 1030 SW: FINALLY, a waterproof, shock-proof P&S camera that has a 28mm wide angle equivalent lens! I’m buying one!

Fuji F100: Probably going to be the ultimate P&S for high ISO work, this little puppy goes to ISO 12800! OF course those images are probably trash, but at least it might do good, clean ISO 800 and 1600!

Ehh, that’s all for now. The major disappointment is that Canon is probably not going to “update” their ~3 year old 5D, which is what we were all hoping for this year. Bummer!!!!!!

However this delay almost CERTAINLY confirms the rumors that Canon will be splitting the line into two segments, bringing out a 7D and a 3D later this year. The 7D being a 40D with a FF sensor, and the 3D being, well, the legendary EOS 3 but in DSLR form; hopefully with full pro 45 point AF, weather sealing, etc. etc. Genius move on the part of Canon, if you ask me, and we can only hope that Nikon will release it’s own affordable FF DSLR later this year as well!

Alright bed time,
=Matt=

Scam newsflash: If you’re thinking about buying a Sandisk memory card and taking advantage of the whopping rebates that are going on, (increased rebates for multiple cards, up to $300 rebate if you get three 16 gig CF cards for example) …THINK AGAIN!

Word on the street is that Sandisk is giving people the run-around when it comes time to deliver on their rebates. Numerous people have claimed that they’ve sent in multiple rebates over time and have never gotten any of them. OUCH. So unless you really like to hound people over the phone etc. and EARN your rebate, steer clear of Sandisk rebates for now.

BTW, the Sandisk rebate process is being handled by a company called Young America, allegedly, and if you google them you will see that they are in a $43 million audit for un-cashed rebate checks. Mostly Canon rebates, allegedly. Yowzer!!!

Of course I’ll blog again if the situation turns out to be mis-information or a false alarm, but I wouldn’t write this in the first place if I didn’t think it was a real issue!

=Matt=

It is quite official, if there ever could be such a thing as “official” rumor-wise. There will be no direct replacement to the 5D this spring at PMA… This is from THE guy who always predicts cameras dead-on just a few days before they are announced. AKA, the official rat for Canon, whether on purpose or not…

Our only hope now is that Canon DOES indeed plan to diverge their lineup, coming out with TWO different camera bodies, code named 7D and 3D. Both would be full-frame, the 7D would basically be the 5D replacement that you are looking for, a 40D with a FF sensor, and then the 3D would basically be the ultimate FF adventure photography camera that *I* would be interested in, with speed, weather sealing, and all-around pro series specs as numerous as possible…

The betting is that the 7D will be seen on Jan. 24th. I’m not holding my breath, but it’s a hope to hold onto nonetheless!

Again, COME ON, CANON! Nikon is SO CLOSE to entering this arena too! Your days of offering the ONLY “affordable full frame” camera out there are so definitely numbered. Sony and Pentax are also rumored to be entering this arena sooner or later, and they are the KINGS of making bodies insanely affordable.

So, Canon 7D, in less than 7 days:

14-16 megapixels

ISO 6400 or 12800

5 FPS

3″ LCD

live view

sensor cleaner

14-bit RAW recording

9-point AF of the 40D

2 weather seal gaskets of the 40D, magnesium body, but otherwise no other pro specs.

It’s that simple Canon. Release the camera!

=Matt=

So I had a very unpleasant discovery with regards to fluorescent lighting a weekend or so ago, while hanging out with DrFantastic…

I almost completely forgot about this newfound knowledge until last night, when I was photographing a gymnastics meet with my new D300. I was very excited to be able to finally have f/2.8 and a clean ISO 1600 / 3200 at my disposal; I thought my slow shutter speed blur woes were over!

It took 0.5 seconds for everything to come crashing down. (3 frames at 6 frames per second…) What the HECK is he talking about, you might think to yourself? Well here are those three frames, shot at a glorious, action-stopping 1/500 sec…

D300 auto white balance has some SERIOUS issues, you say? Nope.

You see those gas tube lights are powered by AC electricity, and so the ACTUAL light alternates with a sine wave that is about 60 hz for the US, and 50 hz for Europe. Well, what’s a HZ, you ask? The short answer that doesn’t make your head hurt: it’s a hundredth of a second. So yep, 60 hz is 1/60 sec, for simplicity’s sake. That means that if you shoot at a shutter speed faster than 1/60 sec, your picture will NOT include a full cycle of the light’s alternating current. If you go TOO fast, like 1/500 sec as I have done here, it becomes a complete image-killer.

As I was saying, that’s just fantastic.

At any rate, I plowed through the event nonetheless, shooting mostly at around 1/125 sec. to 1/250 sec. At these shutter speeds some of the images come out perfect, but you have to catch the frequency just right. Some of the images will be trash however, and you just have to shoot a LOT… Which I did, 1200 images and 8 gigs later. And I was only focusing on like 3 client’s kids too, not the whole event. So that’s like 400 images per kid, or 100 images per kid per event. And each events last just a few seconds per kid. So yeah, I guess you could say I was “blazing”…

Shooting theater this coming week, under CONSTANT source light, is going to feel like a breeze now. LOL, an I used to think it was so difficult. Actually out of everything I shoot professionally, children’s theater is quite possibly the most fun because it is 100% pure emotion, action and fun, while at the same time being one of the MOST technically demanding conditions that photography has to offer…

=Matt=

The latest rumor surrounding the 5D’s imminent replacement is not pretty. Some nut claims to have talked to multiple Canon reps who both confirmed that there will be NO 5D REPLACEMENT at this year’s PMA, (coming up in a few weeks) in fact it won’t be until Photokina 2008 (fall) that we see such a camera.

If true, this could be bad news for Canon in general. EVERYBODY is expecting the camera, and they expect it NOW. The 5D is about 3 years old, it is essentially a 30D with even slower specs. While 1.6x users now have the blazingly fast 40D, that has speed specs on par with the Nikon D300. The only thing the 5D has going for it is the amazing sensor that set world records for resolution, detail and high ISO image quality in general. Not counting the D300, the next best thing is the 1Dmk3 which costs more than twice as much as the 5D…

And we all know that soon Nikon will have it’s own affordable FX DSLR, in fact originally I predicted that if Canon released their next affordable FF body, Nikon would try to be hot on their heels. Even if that doesn’t happen, 6-12 months WILL see Nikon’s first affordable FX body, no doubt about it. If Canon waits ~8 months to release their 5D successor, Nikon will probably be hot on their heels with a camera that is better for $500-750 more. D300X is the code name so far. Basically just think of how the 40D compares to the D300, and then think full-frame sensors instead of cropped. The AF performance will be the same, the speed specs in general will be the same, and those are the features everybody cares about. Except the 5D replacement will possibly be 14-16 megapixels, while the D300 FX will probably just have a D3 sensor at 12 megapixels.

Of course, I don’t believe the rumor anyway. It’s still “game on” for the 5D replacement to be announced some time in the next 3 weeks… Canon will probably have a good 6-8 months of glory before the Nikon competition comes. Nikon may also try to come out with a D3X this year or early next year, at 22-24 megapixels. Ouch.

Alright, you can shoot the messenger now!
=Matt=