Archive for September, 2008

What can be forecasted of the most important (in my eyes ) announces expected before the Photokina fair in Koln.

Beware: We said announces, not releases.

Already done:

Beware: This will be updated as often as needed. This may lead to repeated publications in the RSS feeds and some publication date changes.

When a dSLR like the Sony Alpha 900 is presented as if it was a Hollywood movie, we get this result :

This is what appears on the Canon teaser about the upcoming Canon EOS 5D MkII. As we can see, Canon made sure that several important zones are hidden (the yellow-ish parts at the bottom, at the top of the lens, under the EOS marking). But we can see that the design is much smoother than the previous EOS 5D. Obviously the same organisation, too (from the button outlines) and no integrated flash at the top.

Canon EOS 5D MkII

Not enough to anticipate the 17th September announcement.

The waiting as nearly over. Our PC screens will welcome Far Cry 2 at the end of October 2008. Up to then, we still have images, movies, trailers for this FPS game for the PC which will lead us to the sun-burnt savanahs from Africa where the Jackal is romaing freely with his dangerous acolytes.

OK! I may admit my taste for the African herbous plains is influencing me (as a wildlife photographer, I learned to love the East African savanahs). But we are promised intense action and a gigantic map where we will be able to wander freely as much as in STALKER (another FPS game for the PC where your freedom of movement is enormous).

Trailer (at GameTrailers)

Photos / Screenshots (at Voodoo Extreme)

Last but not least, we learn that -while Far Cry 2 is not even available yet- the editor is already working on Far Cry 3. It will never end…

Canon EOS evolution

This is what Chasseur d’Images reveals on its web site home page. the new Full Frame sensor from Canon “dépasse la barre des 21 millions de pixels” (has more than 21 million pixels). The camera should be at the top of the category with all the possible bells and whistles including LiveView and a video mode. But above all, we must expect that the design has been improved: “rajeuni et d’une belle finition alliant robustesse et légéreté, grâce à un châssis en alliage de magnésium” (rejuvenated and with a nice finish blending robustness and lightness).

The title of the illustration seems to confirm the name of the camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II. This was very probable, but many other names had been published here and there (and here too).

We’ll know all the details on September 17th in the morning.

According to French electronic magazine EOS Numérique, the next Canon EOS dSLR camera will have the following specs.

• 24 mega-pixel 24X36/Full Frame CMOS sensor
• DIGIC IV processor
• LiveView
• Video Mode
• Integrated Cleaning System
• Full compatibility with Canon EF and EX-series Speedlites
• Magnesium alloy body
• New battery, new grip
• Price: 2600€
• Official announcement: 17/09/2008

It seems possible that this is real data, not a leak, since it is said that Canon has miscalculated the limit date for its recent NDA (they are trying to extend it).

And the announcement date seems to be what everybody thinks about the official launch of the Canon EOS 7D or Canon EOS 5D Mark II.

This little shark (goblin shark in English, Mitsukurina owstoni) lives in the deeps of the ocean, and has an extensible mouth. See it in action against a human diver (don’t worry, there is no blood and wounds).

Link to LiveLink

Among today’s Sony announces (to go with the new Alpha 900) we find a couple of nice pro lenses that were expected (according to the recent leaks):

• Sony 70-400mm f/4-5.6, to finally offer a great tele-zoom
• Carl Zeiss 16-35mm f/2.8, to have the wide-angle zoom lens that could drive sales of the Sony Alpha 900

Now, Sony has a full range of f/2.8 zooms from 16mm to 200mm.

Availability of these two zooms: January 2009. Let’s be patient.

In preparation of the Photokina 2008, Sony just announced its newest digital SLR photo camera in Full Frame sensor size, the Sony Alpha 900.

Sony Alpha 900

Specification

(more…)

A personal video that you may not have seen before. Shocking as ever even 7 years after the event.

Chasseur d’Image recently told us all that the Nikon D800 was not only a rumour. But what is really this bizarre photo camera (bizare because still unknown)? The question is there to be answered and it’s a difficult task. But, let’s see what we can infer from the little data available.

According to the numbering scheme, it would not be the direct successor of the Nikon D3 (totally pro). On the contrary, coming behind the Nikon D700, and much too early to be its replacement, in the semi-pro range, this must be a better camera.

Nikon D800?

Furtheremore, it appears that the Nikon D700 has a camera body which is not fully exploited: The memory card location seems pre-cut for an additional and smaller Flash card (SD model, probably). It seriously leads us toward the high-end cameras using two cards simultaneously to write both the RAW files on one card and JPEG files on the other. This would clearly be a feature for a high-end camera, but without being enough to create a separate model.

Hwever, Nikon became the specialist of re-use, re-cycle and modularity of its SLR cameras. They ensure that as many parts as possible are common to two different cameras. So, I would believe that…

• the Nikon D700 body will be re-used (sorta confirmation of the Nikon D800)
• this camera would be in the high-end

But which body?

I wonder whether the Nikon D800 (let’s use this name for the time being) would not be the real user of the Sony Full Frame 24.6 mega-pixel sensor that has been promised to us. Can you imagine it? A semi-pro Full Frame range at Nikon with a D700 of 12.1 MP and a Nikon D800 of 24.6 MP. Nikon would only have to add a high-end pro successor to the Nikon D3 in January of February 2009 and, here comes the best-looking range of digital cameras for enthusiast photographers.

Nikon would have no real dififcult to succeed here. At least, they already have everything for it.

Windows tip

I recently had the problem of an application (DreamWeaver) which had hidden a Windows dialog box. When opening it, it was out of view. But how to drag it back? It appears that this is rather easy (if you know how).

First, you use your keyboard: Ctl-Space to open the system menu of the dialog box. You don’t see anything, but you can hit Enter to select the “Move” option of the menu. Your mouse pointer should have been brought to the dialog window.

Gently click on the left button and drag the window around, you have the window stuck and it should follow the mouse movements. This way, you can find and drag it back.