Final review of Olympus E-620 posted I've posted my final review of the Olympus E-620 digital SLR.
Follow the link to see how this low-priced (yet full-featured) camera performed
in our tests!
Up next -- finally -- the Canon EOS Rebel T1i.
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{ Wednesday, June 24, 2009 }
Rugged, everything-proof Pentax Optio W80 announced Pentax -- one of the originators of the underwater digital camera -- has released their new Optio W80, which is water, dust, cold, and shockproof.
I'm hoping to get one soon so I can throw it in with the Canon, Olympus, and Panasonic equivalents for a rugged camera mega-review. For now, here are the Optio W80's highlights:
Adobe updates Camera Raw plug-in Adobe has released version 5.4 of their Camera Raw plug-in for Photoshop. Quite a few cameras are now supported, including the Canon PowerShot SX1 and EOS Rebel T1i, Nikon D5000, Olympus E-450/620, Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1, Pentax K-7, Sigma DP2, and the Sony Alpha DSLR-A230/A330/A380. You can download the update here.
{ Wednesday, June 17, 2009 }
Nikon D5000 review posted I've posted my final review of the Nikon D5000 digital SLR. Is this baby version
of the D90 worth your hard-earned cash? Find out in the review!
As luck would have it, the 55-200 mm lens that came with my camera was a bad one,
so the night shots will need to be reshot when a replacement lens arrives. Also,
look for more high ISO shots later today.
{ Tuesday, June 16, 2009 }
Olympus rolls out E-P1 Micro Four Thirds camera - preview available Olympus has announced their first Micro Four Thirds camera, the E-P1. Taking
substantial design cues from the classic "Pen" series of film cameras,
the E-P1 is a compact, retro-styled interchangeable lens camera with the same
bells and whistles as Olympus' regular D-SLRs. Like Panasonic's Micro Four
Thirds cameras, the E-P1 is live view only and it can record HD movies. Unlike
the Panasonic models, the E-P1 lacks a viewfinder and a built-in flash, though
you can purchase both. I had some hands-on time with the camera and wrote up
a detailed preview for you. If you want the short version, check out the specs
below:
Retro-styled metal body is the smallest interchangeable lens camera that
you can buy
Body available in silver and matte white; lenses will be available
in silver
and black
Micro Four Thirds lens mount, with 2X focal length conversion ratio
Two new Olympus M. Zuiko lenses available: F2.8, 17 mm pancake lens
and a F3.5-5.6, 14 - 42 mm zoom that can "collapse" to reduce its
size when you're on the go
Support for "legacy" Four Thirds lenses via optional adapter;
some will support autofocus, others will not
Adapters also available for Olympus OM and Leica R and M-mount lenses
Sensor-shift image stabilization
New TruePic V image processor, which offers better color (especially
with violet), increased detail, and better noise reduction
Dust reduction system
3-inch LCD display with 230,000 pixels
Live view with contrast detect AF, face detection, and handy Perfect Shot
Preview feature
Full manual controls, plus iAuto mode with automatic scene selection
New 324-area metering system
Plenty of scene modes plus art filter and multiple exposure features
Refined user interface uses two dials on the back of the camera
Can record movies at 1280 x 720 (30 fps) with stereo sound and continuous
AF (with select lenses) for up to 7 minutes
Optional optical viewfinder works with the 17 mm pancake
lens; it is fixed-focus
New FL-14 external flash is designed to match the E-P1; will sell for $100
after instant rebate
SD/SDHC memory card slot (no xD, hurrah!)
HDMI port
Uses the familiar BLS-1 lithium-ion battery; 300 shots per charge
Shipping in July; body only price is $750; body plus 14 - 42 mm lens is
$800; body plus the 17 mm pancake lens and viewfinder is $900 >> Read our
preview for more <<
Casio announces compact Exilim EX-H10 with ultra-wide 10X zoom Casio today announced a compact camera with a powerful, wide-angle 10X zoom lens. The Exilim EX-H10 packs a 10X, 24 - 240 mm lens into a thin package, complete with image stabilization, a large LCD, 720p movie recording, and stunning battery life. Here are all the details:
Ricoh CX1 review posted I've posted my review of the Ricoh CX1, a compact camera with a 9 Megapixel CMOS sensor, 28 - 200 mm lens, 3-inch high res LCD, and a host of unique features. Check out the review to see how it stacks up against the competition.
June firmware update roundup Playing catch-up once again, here are some recent camera firmware updates worth
mentioning:
Panasonic
Lumix DMC-LX3: improved auto white balance performance, MF-assist/AF-area
selection, display of manual exposure assistance, behavior when lens cap
is attached and camera is powered on
Ricoh CX1: ensures that camera retracts the lens when battery is low
Sigma DP2: improved autofocus performance, decreases intermittent camera
freezes
Eye-Fi introduces new "Pro" wireless SDHC card Eye-Fi today rolled out a new "Pro" version of their wireless SDHC memory card. The big feature here is that you can now transfer RAW images to your computer, in addition to JPEGs and videos. I have a pair of Eye-Fi cards that I use for taking my studio test shots, and am definitely excited about RAW support. The Eye-Fi Pro also supports direct (Ad-Hoc) connections to wireless devices, without having to use a router. Eye-Fi cards can also upload your stuff to numerous photo and video sharing sites, automatically.
The Pro card is now available for under $150.
For all Eye-Fi users, there's also a new Selective Transfer feature. This will only transfer photos to your computer that you've "protected" on the camera. This free update will be available via the Eye-Fi Manager software.
