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• Box.net launches a web-based free word processor (via Download Squad)
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• Gorilla in Wildlife (digital photography)
• Nikon D300 (SLR photo camera) that can be complemented with the YLovePhoto.com similar category about the Nikon SLR family

The new full Frame SLR camera from Nikon is just out and there is already a little hack appearing to give it additional features. The Nikon D700 has the capacity to shoot continuously at 8fps if you use the additonal grip. Nikon Watch found a way to allow this very high frame rate without the booster grip.

It may even be working on some other models from Nikon.

Amateurs of sports photography and wildlife photography are generally well aware that the Holy Grail of lenses seems to be a (relatively) light tele-zoom lens of 100-400mm range and an aperture under f/5.6. This set of features allows a lot of versatility (tele range with the ability to quickly and easily change the frame) and a good behaviour in terms of AF (most modern AF behave correctly up to f/5.6 but no further than this).

This is the reason why the Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS UM and Nikon AF 80-400mm VR f/4.5-5.6 D ED has been so successful despite their obviously high prices (around $2000). When I’m on photo safari, I’d say that about half the people around me have one of the Canons as their main lens (somtimes, it’s even their only lens).

Some time ago, Sigma added its own version of this lens (see this high-end zoom lens comparison). And it was a winner in terms of price-performance.

Now, we can expect several significant news in this range of products coming from different manufacturers.

• Sony presented about a year ago a mockup of a zoom lens corresponding well to this range. The word is out that it will be a 70-400mm f/5.6 zoom presented to the European press on August 14th (for an official launch in the beginning of September, probably at the same time Sony launches the Sony Alpha 800 and/or Sony Alpha 900 Full Frame camera(s)).
• According to some rumors (mainly originating from an unsubstantiated initial post at NikonRumours), there will soon be a Nikon AF80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D ED VR update. And this should be explaining the reduced availability of the original version.

I would even be tempted to read between the lines of a recent test article of Chasseur d’Image and say that Canon will also be hard pressed to provide an update to its aging 100-400mm. After all, it’s a real cash cow and a sure sale for owners of top- and mid-range cameras like the Canon EOS 40D (and possibly its successor EOS 50D – next year?).

There is so much uncoordinated turmoil on the Internet and all around the world (at Nikon, at distributors, at vendors) that it seems now warranted that the Nikon D700 -a sort of Full-Frame-sensored Nikon D300 or affordable Nikon D3- will be launched early next week.

I found the user manuals of several Nikon SLR cameras on the web:

• Nikon D300
• Nikon D3

It’s not only a naming game. Since people are waiting for a possible launch by Canon on the 24th of January, and since they don’t see anything coming during the waiting period, speculations abound. Now the rumour is that Canon will launch only a EOS 450D (or Rebel XTs, Rebel XTS, the silver version of 300D/Rebel XT) at the February PMA and the replacement for the Canon EOS 5D will wait until Photokina.

This would be the occasion for Canon to shoot higher than the supposed slight improvements over the 5D (with a slight name change like EOS 5D Mk II) and pile up major features to fight back Nikon and its most recent D3 and D300 (explaining a move to the more severe name change of EOS 6D or EOS 7D).

Some field tests are more demanding than others. Jan Vermeer and PhotographyBlog brought a Nikon D300 D-SLR to the South of the world: Antartica. Dry, windy and cold.

The article is interesting because it speaks about this very special environment and because it makes a good review of the new Nikon nearly-pro digital camera.

There are also a few good images of local penguins and ice-breaker.

While I was browsing the Internet I found two interesting Digital SLR reviews for recent products:

• Nikon D300 at CameraLabs
• Sony Alpha 700 at Luminous Landscape

At least during the launch period and in the UK, Nikon will include a free CD-ROM of the Capture NX excellent imaging software in the box of the new Nikon D3 and Nikon D300 cameras. Some people having perceived the price of the Nikon D300 as too high, may be tempted by this offer.

Imaging Resources has a few test images shot with a brand new Nikon D300 digital camera (click on the Samples tab). The camera seems to be up to the expected level. Despite its very high price of $1800, I would expect that quality image lovers will be hesitating even when comparing with cameras set at a lower price point (like the Canon EOS 40D or the Sony Alpha 700).

For those of you who missed the detail: The Nikon D300 is slightly more expensive than its direct competition (Sony Alpha 700 or Canon EOS 40D), but it won’t be available until mid-November of 2007. The Canon is already available (in small quantities, though) and fully released. Nikon lovers will still have to wait a little more.

Some fear that the D300 will not be in quantities before the beginning of the year but nothing seems to support such a notion.

Update : it seems that Nikon won’t be able to meet its initial release date. You can expect the camera to be available in December (can you spell “last minute Christmas shopping“?). Furthermore, the European price will take a 200€ increase. All this points to a limited manufacturing capacity (at least compared to the expectations of the public).

At the launch of the Nikon D300 camera, we learned that it would have an LCD screen of 900,000+ pixels. This seems quite impressive, however, it is a bit misleading. Once again a company decided to count dots on the screen instead of pixels. So, this screen is only a VGA (307,000 pixel LCD).

If I seems disappointed, it’s only because I feel misleaded by Nikon. But it’s still the best LCD screen on D-SLRs at the time of this writing.

Source: McNamara report.

The recent launch of the Nikon D300 and Nikon D3 was made long with the announcement of new pro telephoto lenses. Very noticeable for lovers of nature photography (with a deep pocket): the super telephoto lenses. They open at f/2.8 and f/4, they are all stabiliszed (VR) :

• 400mm f/2.8G ED VR AF-S NIKKOR
• 500mm f/4G ED VR AF-S NIKKOR
• 600mm f/4G ED VR AF-S NIKKOR

(more…)

Here it comes! Nikon follows in Canon’s footsteps and announced its new digital single lens reflex camera, the Nikon D300 improving on the foundation of the D200 whose commercial life was quite nice. The job is a tough one: making even better sales than a successful camera and countering the attempts of Canon, Sony, Pentax, Panasonic that are planned for the coming months.

Some technical characteristics:

• CMOS APS-C sensor of 12.3 million pixels (x1,5 crop factor) at 200-3200 ISO (ext. 100-6400 ISO)
  14-bit digital conversion
  Sensor dust clean-up integrated into the camera body
• Sequences of 6 images per second
  Shooting speed of 1/8000s (1/250s and 1/320s flash synch)
• Autofocus with 51 zones, widely configurable
• 3″ LCD monitor (assuredly the new standard size for high-end reflex cameras) with 922,000 pixels (we are nearing a full mega-pixel!)
  LiveView mode to visualize a photo scene on the rear LCD, as on point-and-shoot compact digital cameras
• Body hardened against water and dust like the D200 (internal magnesium-allow structure)
• Compatibility with EL-EN3e batteries, HDNI video to connect to HD video peripherals, USB2, CompactFlash cards and WiFi WT-4 optional base
• Price: 1749€

It looks like an impressive camera. But the price is quite surprising. If we compare with the other products on this market, I think that Nikon will have to lower the price quickly in order to keep it running (even if most of the targeted customers probably already have Nikon lenses that will limit their choice when buying a new camera body). And, the Nikon D300 will not be available before November 2007, which leaves time for Nikon to think it over.

Sources: Site Nikon, Nikon D300.

Additional date: Nikon also announces a Nikon D3 in the higher part of the product line with a full-frame (24×36) sensor in 12 million pixels, that is opening 2008 (next year is expected to really be the year of the full frame).

After the recent information (or rumour) that Sony is actually preparing a 14-million-pixel digital SLR camera under the name of either Alpha 200 or Alpha 300, and taking into acount that Nikon is in tight partnership with Sony since the Nikon D200, it is time to ask what resolution will come out of the next replacement of the D200.

I would bet on Nikon using the same 14MP+ for the Nikon D300 (as the D200 used a speedier version of the Alpha 100 10MP sensor). If this happens and the Canon 40D still has a 10MP or even a 12MP CMOS sensor, it could mean that the both Nikon and sony will have a nice time beating the Canon 40D just out of launch. Even if you repeat that resolution is not the solution to all problems, Canon would have to fight for image quality (and we know they are at the highest level of the competition) without having any resolution advantage, while users are still driven by mega-pixel figures.

Chasseur d’Images, the first European photo magazine published the rumoured/forecasted characteristics of the upcoming Nikon D300 (or would it be Nikon D200x?):

• Will come end of July
• Same good viewfinder as D200
• Same chassis as D200
• Weather protection
• Sony sensor APS-C of 12/13 Mpixels (possibly improved over the standard Sony version)
• New chip for better exposure
• 3200 ISO (optional 6400 ISO)
• AF 11 zones derived from Nikon D2x
• Max speed 1/8000s with 1/250s flash synchro
• Improved battery system

On the frontline of new cameras for the digital SLR market, the Internet forums are agitated -again- with rumours and news quite surprising.

There was the publication of alleged photos of the Canon EOS 40D on a Korean web site (see below). The work of the graphic artist is quite sloppy (the 4 of the logo on the front of the camera is not correctly aligned with the rest and with the 0 of 40D ; The LCD on the back was stuck on the image without cheking the integration into the rest of the design : different colors for the plastic and parts are links quite quickly with little consideration for the manufacturability).

It’s less funnny than the nice work of Samuele Silva dreaming about the 40D.

But now comes that alleged Olympus document, supposedly intended to document the future E-P1 camera for the Olympus sales people and to provide comparison with its direct competition.

Here, we have a very complete PDF document. Parts of it are still availble here and there on the DPReview forums about the Olympus E-P1. The most interesting is certainly the table seen above. First, it is quite difficult to tell if the file is really authentic (if it really comes from Olympus). Then, even if authentic, it may not contain secret revelations Olympus got about its competition (personally, I tend to believe that if a company like Olympus had stolen such information, it would try to keep them near the body to avoid dirty legal consequences : sales people and marketing guys are notoriously bad at keeping secrets in any large company). Last but not least, it would be very surprising that data for two significant competitors such as the Canon 40D and the Nikon D300 would be of the same quality/precision.

In my humble opinion (but it is also the opinion I prefer to refer myself in most cases), it could well be reference data used internally by Olympus and based upon a mix of rumours heard here and there, and realistic projections that the marketing department must maintain in order to intelligently anticipate moves of other camera brands. Not even counting in the added publicity that Olympus gets for the E-P1 from people anxious to see news from the Canon 40D and Nikon D300.

Keeping these position and point of view, you can nevertheless read very interesting information from this table:

• A very probable resolution increase (12MP for Nikon and Canon)
• Olympus does not believe that either Nikon or Canon would abandon in-lens image stabilisation (adding an in-body stabilisation would blur the message to the public and could break the historical advantage of both brands). But Olympus sticks to the in-body solution that has been so positive for brands that could not easily close the lateness in adding IS in a full lens line.
• Nikon will stay with its exceptionally good Auto-Exposure (CCD with 1000+ pixels -for a long time now) but Olympus decide to keep the pace (49 zones on the E-P1).
• As we know it, reaction speed is no longer a real issue for modern SLR cameras, but the race is not finished yet with measurable (if not perceptible) differences between the three cameras.
• 5 frames per second is fast becoming the standard in high-end digital SLR cameras (I find it intersting how many forum talks are about whether 3fps or 5fps are enough for sports photo and how few are about the advantages of blindlingly fast shutter speeds).
• Olympus chose to have the best possible AutoFocus on the E-P1: The fastest and using 11 sensors (it will be interesting to see this in reality since this issue can be critical for fast shooting and sports)
• The viewfinders fields are still a little limited in Nikon an dCanon, but Olympus decided to reac for an excellent 100%
• VEry astonishing: the precision of information about the size of the LCD screen on the back. We know that the trend is to improve confort of the photographer with larger screens, but a Nikon D300 with a 3-inch LCD would be impressive and unpleasant to Olympus and Canon. However, this would present a serious ergonomic risk since the larger the screen, the less space left for fingers and buttons, if the camera body is not bulky…
• Then comes the body protection leaving only the Canon 40D as not splash-proof. You don’t have to work in Canon to understand that this is not their first priority : Even the outrageously expensive Canon 5D has only minimal protection. But the Nikon D300 has to follow in the footesteps of the D200 where it was already welcomed and while the Pentax 10D brought splash-proof designs to a price level never seen before.
• Being positive on the fact that the Canon 40D will include dust-remoal on the sensor does not require extra-sensorial powers since the technology is already here on the 400D/Xti. Nikon still uncertain about this? You bet! Olympus has no doubt for a long time since they even have the best technology on the market (ultrasonic vibration of the sensor).
• In the end, the presence of LiveView (or continuous display on the back of the camera) that requires a sensor low on power consumption and efficient on cooling is probably reachable for Canon, where Nikon (and Sony, their sensors provider for high-end cameras) seems not to be willing to epxlore the field yet.

I let you judge byb yourself, but everything shows that Fall will be very agitated (some even say that July could be the month of shockingly new announcements, but this is not the first time we heard this, is’nt it?).

Main source: Northlight Images.