If you've been following my Pentax K-01 gallery, you've probably noticed that I've been reshooting a lot of the photos. I'm still not happy with the results and have requested another camera, which should be here midweek. I'm still hoping to get the review done by the end of the week.
Lots of people have written asking about a review of the Olympus E-M5 (aka OM-D). The camera is finally arriving on Friday and I will slot it in for a review right after the K-01.
I've posted the beginnings of the Nikon D3200 photo gallery, and also added a few more pictures to the Pentax K-01 gallery. As luck would have it, my Nikon kit lens has a lot of softness at the top of the frame, and the Pentax 18-55 has focusing issues. So, I'll probably be reshooting a lot of these when I get new lenses.
Friday update: I got a brand new Pentax 18-55 WR lens and it seems to be decentered. I've updated a few of the gallery photos that came out okay, but still not thrilled with the results. Whatever happened to quality control?
Samsung has unleashed three new interchangeable lens cameras on the world. All three share the same 20.3 Megapixel CMOS sensor, NX lens mount, and Wi-Fi support with smartphone connectivity. Here's what separates the NX1000, NX210, and NX20:
Nikon has announced their new D3200 entry-level digital SLR. Even though it's their model for people just starting out with D-SLRs, the D3200 packs a whopping 24.2 Megapixel CMOS sensor -- more than any other Nikon model except the D800. Design and feature-wise, the D3200 isn't a whole lot different than the D3100 that came before it. Here's a summary of the features on the D3200:
Supports all Nikon F-mount lenses with a 1.5X crop factor
Autofocus is only supported on AF-S and AF-I lenses
New Expeed 3 image processor
3-inch LCD display with 921,000 pixels
Optical viewfinder has 95% coverage and a magnification of 0.8X
11-point autofocus system
Full manual controls
ISO range of 100 - 6400, expandable to 12800
Guide Mode walks beginners through various shooting techniques step-by-step
Built-in flash plus a hot shoe (1/200 sec x-sync)
Continuous shooting at 4 frames/sec
Records Full HD video at 24 or 30 frames/sec with stereo mono sound and continuous AF (using H.264 codec); manual exposure controls available
Stereo microphone input, HDMI output
Optional WU-1a Wireless Mobile Adapter ($60) lets you send images to your Android smartphone (iOS support coming in Fall); user can compose photos (but not adjust any settings) and release the shutter remotely from your mobile device
SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot
Uses EN-EL14 lithium-ion battery, 540 shots per charge
Comes in black and red bodies
Ships in late April with the 18-55 VR lens for $699.95
Along with the new camera comes a new FX-format lens. This F1.8, 28 mm prime is designed for Nikon's full-frame cameras, but it'll work just fine on your DX-format camera as well (with a 1.5X crop factor, of course). The lens has a nano crystal coating to reduce flare and features a Silent Wave Motor for silent focusing. It's set to ship in late May for $699.95.
I've started off our Pentax K-01 photo gallery with seven shots taken with the 40 mm kit lens in our state capital of Sacramento. Look for the "regular" sample photos in a few days.
I've posted my review of Sony's ultimate super zoom, the Cyber-shot DSC-HX200V. If you're looking for a bridge camera that does nearly everything imaginable, check this one out.
I've uploaded a photo gallery taken with the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX200V super zoom camera. I'm hoping to reshoot the Chinatown photos when the weather improves, to keep them consistent with my other sample photos.
I've posted myreview of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15, a compact ultra zoom camera. If you've been eyeing the ZS20 but want better image quality, then you might want to have a look at the review!
Panasonic has announced their new Lumix DMC-GF5 Micro Four Thirds camera. This is a relatively minor upgrade to the DMC-GF3 (Panasonic always skips models with a "4" in them), with the main changes being the new sensor and image processor combo. Here's the full spec list:
Redesigned Venus Engine processor incorporates new 3D and Multi-process noise reduction; I'm pretty sure one of the slides in their presentation said that noise levels were equivalent to the NEX-5N (at least at some point)
Micro Four Thirds lens mount, with 2X crop factor
Ultra-compact body (now with a rubberized grip) comes in black, white, and red
3-inch touchscreen LCD display with 920,000 pixels with full-time live view
Touch features include focus, shutter release, menus, and image playback
Full manual controls, with newly expanded ISO range (100 - 12800)
Intelligent Auto mode features auto scene selection, blur reduction, dynamic range improvement, smart sharpening, and more
Continuous shooting at 4 frames/second
Refined user interface; new Scene Guide shows examples shot by professional photographers so beginners know what the scene mode does; camera can also display procedures to follow to recreate the scene mode in other shooting modes
Now has 14 Creative Filters; camera can recommend one when using Intelligent Auto mode
Built-in pop-up flash (GN 5), but no support for an external flash (same as the GF3)
Records Full HD video at 1920 x 1080 @ 60i (sensor output is 30p) with stereo sound and continuous AF
SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot
320 shots per charge with included lithium-ion battery and standard zoom lens
Available "later this year" in black, white, and red in 14 - 42 mm standard ($599) and power zoom lens ($749) kits
