Nikon Australia have today announced their new 24.5 megapixel FX format Pro D-SLR - the D3X! They had this to say about the camera:
“Nikon Australia is pleased to announce the introduction of the Nikon D3X digital SLR. This exciting new camera employs a Nikon FX-format CMOS imaging sensor (35.9 x 24.0 mm) with an imaging area equivalent to 35mm film, and its 24.5 effective megapixels deliver images of striking quality and resolution.
Designed to meet the demands of a growing multitude of serious professionals, such as studio photographers, for whom exquisite detail is a vital part of their work, the D3X achieves resolution comparable to medium-format cameras — with an entirely new level of operating ease. It’s perfect for the broadest range of detailed work, from fashion and product shots, to weddings, architecture, landscapes and large poster production. And it shares the robust body structure of the D3, for superior mobility and operation in virtually any shooting environment, indoors or out.
•Newly developed Nikon FX-format CMOS sensor (35.9 x 24.0 mm sensing area)
•24.5 million effective pixels
•Superior-resolution image quality equivalent to medium-format digital cameras
•High-speed continuous shooting of up to approx. 5 frames per second in FX format (24.5 megapixels) / 5:4 (20.4 megapixels); 7 frames per second in DX format (10.5megapixels)*1
•Wide ISO sensitivity of 100 to 1600 at normal setting, with low noise performance
•Two Live View modes — Handheld and Tripod
•High-density 51-point (world’s largest number*2) AF system
*1 In 12-bit A/D conversion mode
*2 For a digital SLR camera (as of Dec. 1, 2008, based on Nikon research)
Please send us an email if you wish to be notified when this camera will be available
Nikon have released firmware version 5.02 for the SB-900 Speedlight. The upgrade addresses the following issues and fixes:
“Modifications enabled with Ver. 5.02:
With uninterrupted shooting with the SB-900 set to i-TTL mode, images captured just before the flash ceased firing were sometimes overexposed.
This issue has been resolved. By resolving this issue, metering precision has been further increased and the number of times the flash fires has also been increased.
When the SB-900, set to TTL auto flash mode, is used with a camera supporting the Nikon Creative Lighting System (CLS), flash mode automatically changes to A mode according to camera communication status.
That flash mode was previously maintained, but it has been modified so that TTL auto flash mode is restored once the SB-900 again recognizes the camera as a CLS-compatible camera.”
Olympus Australia has just announced the E-30 which sits between the E-520 and the E-3 in Olympus’ DSLR lineup. The E-30 features a 12.3 megapixel Live MOS sensor, 5 frames per second sequential shooting, built-in image stabilisation, live view mode, 2.7″ LCD, dual slot CompactFlash & xD.
Olympus has released new firmware upgrades for 5 of their compact digital cameras and 5 of their Zuiko Digital lenses. The upgrade resolves issues using the direct print function with some photo printers with the compact digital cameras. The models are: SP-565UZ, Mju 1060, Mju 1050SW, Mju 1040 and FE-370.
The Highlights playback option has been moved from Display Mode > Basic photo info > Highlights in the playback menu to Display mode > Detailed photo info > Highlights.
The size and color of “Demo” displayed in the monitor with playback when No memory card? in the Custom Settings has been set to Enable Release have been modified.
The range of settings available for ISO sensitivity settings > ISO sensitivity auto control > Minimum shutter speed in the shooting menu has been increased from 1/250 - 1s to 1/4000 - 1s.
When shooting in hand-held live view mode and the frame is magnified prior to autofocusing, operation has been modified so that display returns to the magnified display rather then the full frame display.
Images captured with Rotate tall, in the playback menu, set to On, are not automatically rotated for display immediately after capture (image review).
Recent settings can now be displayed in the place of My Menu.
Custom Setting e3 Flash cntrl for built in flash ( e3 Optional flash when an optional Speedlight is mounted on the camera) can now be added to My Menu using the Add items > Custom setting menu > Bracketing/ flash.
The degree of the High ISO NR setting can now be confirmed in the shooting info display while the High ISO NR setting item, in the shooting menu, is being applied.
Ankara, Riyadh, Kuwait, and Manama have been added to the Time zone options for the World time item in the setup menu.
When a GPS device is used and no heading information is available, –.–° is now displayed for the Position / Heading option in the GPS item in the setup menu.
When shooting in live view mode using Camera Control Pro 2 (ver. 2.2.0 or later) with a PC-E lens, the aperture setting can now be adjusted from the computer.
Focus acquisition performance in dynamic-area AF mode has been improved.
Focus acquisition performance with contrast-detect AF has been improved.
Auto white balance performance has been improved.
The fourth digit in seconds display for GPS latitude and longitude information is now rounded off rather than omitted.
The current MB-D10 battery type setting can now be confirmed in the shooting menu display when R6/AA- size batteries are used with the Multi-Power Battery pack MB-D10.
An issue that caused an increase in noise when shooting in [M] exposure mode at a shutter speed setting of bulb with the shutter held open for less than 8 seconds and Long exp. NR enabled has been resolved.
An issue that prevented shutter release at the specified shutter speed when no operations were performed for 30 seconds in mirror up mode has been resolved.
An issue that caused abnormal image display when Image review was set to On and the playback zoom in button was pressed immediately after shooting at the following settings has been resolved.
Image quality: NEF (RAW) + JPEG
NEF (RAW) recording: Lossless compressed or Compressed
Image size: S or M
When the Speedlight SB-800 was mounted on the camera with flash mode set to distance-priority manual (GN) mode, and the camera recovered from standby mode triggered by the auto meter off function, the distance information in the SB-800 changed. This issue has been resolved.
This firmware update (Version 1.0.3) incorporates the following fixes.
Corrects a phenomenon in which an image becomes overexposed when C.Fn.II-3 Highlight tone priority is set to “1″ together with other camera settings. (This correction has already been incorporated in the Version 1.0.2 and later firmware.
Corrects a rare phenomenon in which “busy” blinks on the camera’s display panel and the shutter cannot be released due to the timing of battery installation.
Corrects a rare phenomenon in which “Err 99″ appears on the camera’s display panel and LCD monitor and the shutter cannot be released due to the timing of pressing the shutter button.
Fuji’s entry level compact digital camera, the Finepix J10, features 3x optical zoom, Lithium Ion battery, 8 megapixel, image stabilisation, face detection and movie mode. Its slim, brushed-metal finish and a large selection of pre-programmed modes make this a true contender in the entry-level-compact market.
Price: 5 out of 5
Ease of use: 4 out of 5
Build Quality: 3 out of 5
Usefulness: 4 out of 5
Overall: 4 out of 5
Total: 20
Pros
Attractive price
No AA batteries
Easy to use
Good quality for this price point
Videos are good
Performs well in high ISO for a camera at this price
Cons
Plastic rear housing
No optical image stabilisation
Summary
This little camera is great, no AA batteries to juggle around and the battery life of the Lithium-Ion battery is very reasonable. It is a basic camera: point, press the button, memory captured. People who are on a budget or buying for technology-phobic people should not look elsewhere as this camera does the job decently.
Price: 3 out of 5
Ease of use: 4 out of 5
Build Quality: 4 out of 5
Usefulness: 3 out of 5
Overall: 4 out of 5
Total: 18
The much anticipated and talked about compact digital camera of 2008 amongst photography enthusiasts would have to be the Sigma DP-1, their debut compact digital camera. The DP-1’s Foveon sensor is taken straight from Sigma’s SD14 digital SLR camera and is matched with a fixed 28mm (35mm equiv) f4 lens.
Pros
The APS-C Foveon sensor, there are only a handful of compact digital cameras on the market that come close to the DP-1’s image quality in all conditions.
Digital SLR quality in a pocket sized camera.
Has a hot shoe for an external flash.
Manual focus dial comes in handy.
Nice simple design that does not scream “look at me”.
Lens is sharp (but that doesn’t suprise as Sigma is a lens maker afterall).
Cons
Not well suited for average-joe low-light happy snaps.
Aperture controlled via buttons. A dedicated aperture dial would have been better.
Slow shot-to-shot times.
Maximum of 800ISO combined with the f4 lens means slow shutter speeds in low light conditions.
Other thoughts A faster lens like an f2.8 would have helped in low-light conditions. Shot-to-shot times and write speeds could be faster.
Conclusion This definitely is not a camera for the masses. The enthusiasts who are after quality photos and are willing to sacrifice slow shot-to-shot times will be happy with this camera. It will make for an excellent travelling camera for enthusiasts or professionals who need high-quality photos from a compact camera.
Digital Camera
Warehouse delivers cheap discount digital cameras
Australia wide. Delivery to Sydney,
Brisbane, Adelaide, Melbourne, Perth, Hobart, Darwin,
Canberra is usually 1-3 days if in stock.
Delivery to regional areas is usually 2-5 days for items in
stock. Let us know if we can help you. For our best price
buy online or
visit a DCW camera shop in
Sydneyor Melbourne.
| No Comments »
