Archive for the 'Digital photography' category

Canon EOS 7D, is it really the new Full Frame camera?

From CanonRumours. But it seems to be an elegant fake from Xitek.com.

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.

You never can hide anything from the keen eyes of the Internet photo lovers. The Sony Alpha 900 has been seen used with the Carl Zeiss 16-35mm f/2.8 lens.

Notice the small trapezoidal LCD screen on top of the camera body, the nice position of the drive and exposure buttons on top of the grip, nearly under the finger:

Source: DP via PB.

We were waiting for it, we were speaking about it, we were murmuring. Here it comes. Sony just let some information leak about their new super-tele-lens to complete an already rather rich list of good quality lenses:

The Sony 70-400mm f/4-5.6 G SSM is described in the PDF documentation of the Sony 70-300mm f/4-5.6 G SSM. Obviously, they were designed together. It is a twist-zoom. This will differentiate quite notably from the push-pull type of others like the Canon 100-400mm and it should protect it efficiently against dust entry (and we know that this is the bane of push-pulls.

The technical features can be read from this table. I can imediately notice that the diaphragm is staying between f/4 and f/5.6 (the golden standard of this type of zoom), that the weight is rather high (heavier than the Nikon and the Canon, nearly as much as the Sigma equivalnet) and that the minimum focus distance is very competitive.

Let’s wait for images and tests (and the price), but this could be the ideal lens to go and shoot in a wild-life safari.

Source: DPreview forums. See also my previous article about high-end tele-zooms.

Canon EOS evolution

As seen on Canon EOS evolution (US web site).

The Canon France web site started to prepare the arrival of a new Canon EOS camera with an animated teaser. Visibly, it will be at the top of the range (who said Canon EOS 7D?).

Canon teasing

Thanks to Image et Nature magazine who says so on its next cover page.

Image et Nature

So, no Canon EOS 5D Mark II or similar. It will be Canon EOS 7D.

I told you that the press was currently held by the Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs). Here is one which failed to cover it completely…

A Danish photography magazine just leaked the official name of the new flagship camera from Sony.

Sony Alpha 900 - magazine ad

As everybody expected, it will be named Sony Alpha 900. Also,this tends to contradict the possibility of additional similar cameras (possibly with a different/smaller sensor).

Features

• 24.6 Mega Pixel Full Frame Exmor CMOS Sensor
• Dual BIONZ Image Processing Engine
• Intelligent Preview
• 100% Viewfinder (with 0.74x Magnification)
• 3.0â€�, 921K-pixel Hybrid LCD
• 9-point double-cross AF (with f2.8 wide-area sensor & 10-point secondary sensors)
• 5 fps continuous shooting
• SteadyShot on the sensor

Update: Yet another ad has been found.

Sony Alpha 900 - Magazine ad

John Ross web site.

This is right that many people feel obliged to use Photoshop to manage their photo images. But in most cases, nearly any other tool would be as good. I think first about the excellent IrfanView which is free and does a lot of digital photo management.

But it is also true that if you really want to use all of the xtensive feature set of Photoshop or if you appreaciate its rich interface (defintely well-thought with the user in mind), The Gimp will not be enough for your photographer needs. Here comes the a really surprising software program: Pixlr.

It essentially took the Photoshop interface ideas (really VERY similar to Photoshop), it is a software application written by Ola Sevandersson to be used online (but still in beta status). Nothing to download, free (as in free beer), legal, operating damn well.

Totally approved.

Autumn in the Utah, Zion National Park: A great location for photo and landscape photo lessons from Brett Higgins.

The DPreview forums are currently providing the latest bit of information about the Canon EOS 5D succession. The EOS 5D is dead, long live the… EOS 7D and EOS 5D MkII. The first would be for a low cost option (around $2000 - I told you that this low price point would be critical in the battle of the Full Frame cameras in 2008-09), the second would be staying up against the Nikon D700 and replace honorably the original Canon EOS 5D. Or it would be a set of Canon EOS 3D and Canon EOS 7D…

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Canon EOS 7D

Anyway, do not expect to get any reliable information now. Canon has put under NDA (Non Disclosure Agreement) all press representative and has provided the pre-production cameras for the initial hands-on reviews to pop up everywhere when the embargo is lifted.

This is exactly the reason why  we no longer have any information about the upcoming Sony Alpha 900 which will be fighting in exactly the same market. Possibly with exactly the same weapons (two cameras to simultaneously cover both the $2000 and $3000 ranges).