I've posted my review of the Canon PowerShot SX260 HS, their latest travel zoom camera. The poor weather has prevented me from taking as many sample photos as I would've liked, but I will add those as soon as it clears up.
It's time once again to catch up on recent camera firmware updates. Thankfully, there have been just two major updates in the last month or so:
Fujifilm X100: version 1.20 lets you customize the RAW button, zoom in on a focus point, and view detected faces in playback mode; AF/AE performance in movie mode has also been improved
Olympus E-5, E-P3, E-PL2, E-PL3, and E-PM1: version 1.30 stabilizes operation when using 48GB or larger SDXC cards and also improves wireless flash performance for the E-PL3 and E-PM1
Adobe has released a public beta of the next version of Photoshop (that's version 6), which is expected to be released sometime in the next 3-4 months. New features include a refined interface, improved performance, more content-aware tools, 3D editing features, and more. If you want to try Photoshop 6, head this way.
I've posted a special gallery taken with the Canon PowerShot SX260 HS at Disneyland. Look for our standard test photos once the weather clears up at home.
Sony has announced their new Alpha SLT-A57 digital SLR, which uses their unique Translucent Mirror Technology. The A57, which replaces the SLT-A55, packs a 16.1 Megapixel CMOS sensor which allows for 12 fps continuous shooting and 1080/60p video recording, among other things. Here's the full list of features:
Translucent Mirror Technology allows light to hit the sensor and AF sensor at the same time, which means fast AF (even when shooting continuously) while displaying the live view
Supports all Minolta/Sony A-mount lenses with a 1.5X crop factor
Sensor-shift image stabilization
Flip-down, rotating 3-inch LCD display with 921,600 pixels
True-Finder electronic viewfinder has 1.44 million dots and 100% coverage
Full manual controls (of course), plus RAW support
ISO range of 100 - 16000
Shutter speed range of 30 - 1/4000 sec
1/160 sec x-sync speed
Same 15-point autofocus system as the more expensive SLT-A65
Full resolution continuous shooting at 10 frames/second, with camera refocusing between each shot
Tele-zoom Continuous Advance Priority (say that three times fast) boosts the focal range by 1.4X (which lowers resolution to 8.4 MP) and allows for 12 fps speeds
Built-in flash (GN 10) plus wireless flash control
Clear Image Zoom feature boosts focal range by 2X with a minimal drop in image quality
Built-in HDR feature doesn't require a tripod
New Auto Portrait Framing system combines face detection and the rule of thirds to automatically crop portrait shots for maximum appeal; don't worry, the original image is saved, too
Always entertaining Sweep Panorama feature, plus numerous special effects
Records Full HD video at 1920 x 1080, with frame rates of 60p, 60i, or 24p, with continuous autofocus and stereo sound, using AVCHD codec
Full manual controls available
MPEG-4 codec can be used at resolutions of 1440 x 1080 and lower
External mic input
Memory Stick Pro Duo + SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot
Uses NP-FM500H lithium-ion battery, 590 shots per charge (with LCD)
Ships in April for $700 body only or $800 with an 18 - 55 mm kit lens
Fujifilm has released a statement which says that they are developing a modified sensor for their X10 and X-S1 cameras, which should (hopefully) address the white orb problem once and for all. It sounds like owners of the X10/X-S1 who have been affected by this issue will be able to send their camera in for a sensor replacement or camera exchange. The new sensor should be available in May.
Why do I get the feeling that I'll be reviewing the X10 Mark II in a few months?
I've finished my review of the Canon PowerShot G1 X premium compact camera. As you probably know, the G1 X looks like a PowerShot G12 on steroids, and features a large 1.5" CMOS sensor. Is this the portable D-SLR many have been waiting for? Read the review to find out!
The results are in from our recent "what cameras do you want to see reviewed" survey, and here are the top ten:
Olympus E-M5 (camera coming in a few weeks)
Canon EOS-5D Mark III
Nikon D800
Fujifilm X-Pro1
Canon PowerShot SX260 HS (camera just arrived)
Pentax K-01
Fujifilm X-S1
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX200V
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX30V
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15 (camera coming soon)
This won't be a popular decision, but I'm going to leave the 5D and D800 reviews to the DP Review's of the world. I will do my best to review the rest of the cameras on the list, plus a few interesting ones that aren't.
Thanks to everyone who participated in the survey!
It's that time again -- time for a survey of what cameras you want to see reviewed here on the DCRP site over the next few months.
I've been pretty good at getting around 80% of the top ten reviewed each time I do this, so that's what I'll be shooting for this time around. Thanks!
Canon has announced the long-awaited replacement to their EOS-5D Mark II, and it's name won't surprise you: the EOS-5D Mark III. This is a pretty big upgrade, with enhancements in nearly every area. While it doesn't come close to the 36 Megapixel resolution of the Nikon D800, I figure that most photographers will be more than happy with the 22.3 million pixels available on the 5D.
Here are the details:
Gapless microlenses, new photodiode structure, and improved on-chip noise reduction mean higher sensitivity and less noise
DIGIC 5+ image processor is 17 times faster than the DIGIC 4 used on the 5D Mark II
Supports all Canon EF lenses with no crop factor to deal with
Magnesium alloy shell on top of an aluminum alloy chassis, with weather-sealed buttons and dials
Design changes since 5D Mk II: new locking mode dial, Quick Menu button, and movie/still image switch; some buttons on side of LCD have changed functions, as well
Weather-sealing has been improved compared to the 5D Mark II
Shutter rated to 150,000 cycles
3.2-inch "Clear View II" LCD display with 1.04 million pixels
Improved optical viewfinder now displays 100% of the frame, and has on-demand grid lines
New 61-point "High Density Reticular" autofocus system has 41 cross-type and 5 dual cross-type points (depending on lens used)
Six AF point selection options: spot, single point, single w/surrounding 4 or 8 points, zone selection, and automatic
63-zone iFCL (focal, color, and luminance) dual-layer metering system
Full manual controls (obviously)
ISO range of 100 - 25600, expandable to 50 - 102400
Three RAW sizes to choose from (22 MP, 10.5 MP, 5.5 MP)
Scene Intelligent Auto mode selects a scene mode for you (though the 5D's target audience probably doesn't need such a thing)
No built-in flash (like its predecessors), but has both a hot shoe and a flash sync port
Continuous shooting at 6 frames/second
New HDR feature offers range of up to ±3 stops, and five styles (natural, art standard, art vivid, art bold, art embossed)
Multiple exposure feature can combine up to nine exposures into one image
Dual-axis electronic level
New playback features: RAW editing and comparative (side-by-side) view
Captures Full HD video at 1920 x 1080 (24p, 25p, 30p) with monaural sound and full manual controls
Choose from intraframe (ALL-I) or interframe (IPB) H.264 compression; camera can record for up to 30 minutes (movies will be split into 4GB increments)
Can embed Rec Run or Free Run SMPTE-complaint timecodes
External mic input, headphone output
Dual CompactFlash and SD/SDHC/SDXC card slots; CF slot supports UDMA Type 7 cards
Uses same LP-E6 lithium-ion battery as the 5D Mark II; 950 shots per charge
Optional BG-E11 battery grip ($470) holds two LP-E6 or six AA batteries
Ships in late March for $3499 body only, or $4299 with the F4L, 24 - 105 mm IS USM lens.
Lots more details in the press release, which you'll find after the link.
Canon also announced several new EOS System accessories along with the 5D Mark III. They include:
Speedlite 600EX-RT: supports new radio-based wireless transmission (with two-way communication) or the old optically-based system; radio-based system has a range of nearly 100 feet, and supports up to 5 groups of flashes
Flash can remotely release the shutter on a camera, which in turn can make up to fourteen more cameras fire (uh, wow)
Flash head zoom range of 20 - 200 mm
All features can be controlled right from your camera
Flash is weather-resistent, much like the 5D Mark III and EOS-1D X
Ships in late March for $629
Speedlite Transmitter ST-E3-RT: same as the 600EX-RT but without an actual flash; priced at $470
GPS Receiver GP-E2: attaches to the hot shoe or via USB and logs latitude/longitude/altitude as well as direction
Works with the 5D Mark III, EOS-1D X, and EOS-7D
Ships in late April for $390
Wireless File Transmitter WFT-E7A: supports 802.11a/b/g/n as well as gigabit Ethernet, and connects to the camera via USB
Bluetooth devices also supported
Supports FTP, EOS Utility, WFT Server, and Media Server modes
