News

Details continue to emerge about the expected Nikon D800. Reportedly a couple shooters have early versions and are confirming that the camera will indeed feature a 36MP full-frame sensor, while being smaller than the D700. At first this seems a little looney, as such a high-resolution camera is unlikely to be able to match the low noise capability the D3/D3s/D700 pack of full-frame sensor cameras have come to be known for. But maybe Nikon is crazy like a fox…

--by David Cardinal

It has become almost impossible to actually figure out how big a sensor is, or how long a lens is, just by glancing at the specs. For most of the photography industry, for many decades, 35mm was more or less the norm. By definition that meant a standard size film negative, about 35mm by 24mm – corresponding to today’s “full frame” sensors – and a simple measurement of focal length for lenses could be read right of the lens as a result.

There is a lot of hype this month about Lytro and the potential for 3D photography, but for some real excitement, check out the Lumix 3D1. Featuring two fully functional cameras built into one point and shoot the 3D1 allows the simultaneous capture of video and stills, or wide-angle and telephoto images, or of course 2 images separated by enough distance to allow the automatic creation of 3D images from them. Expected to ship in December for $499, this camera will definitely break open a new world of possibilities for traditional point and shooters.

 If you want the ultimate shirt pocket camera, and can stand one in a little bit larger form factor than the ultra-tiny Elph series, Canon has kicked its “S” family up another notch by replacing the excellent S95 with the brand new S100. Available from B&H as of this morning for $429, it is almost impossible to believe the combination of quality and features in a camera this easy to have with you all the time…

The most talked about new Nikons this year, the mirrorless “Nikon 1” family, have finally started to ship. B&H has the Nikon 1 J1 in stock for $649 as a kit with a 10-30mm lens. Or you can get it with both the 10-30mm and a longer 30-110mm lens for $899. So if you’re a Nikon shooter and have been jealous of the amazing mirrorless cameras from Olympus and Sony, now is your chance to get one that’ll be familiar to you! Mine shipped yesterday, so I’ll be writing more about it over the coming weeks, but if you want to be the first on your block to have this exciting new camera, now is the time.

UPDATE: As of this morning, the J1’s big brother, the V1, is also avaiable! It is $1149 for a kit with both lenses. (The V1 adds an Electronic Viewfinder and supports an external flash, as well as an upgraded chassis, and a stereo microphone input)

by Annie Cardinal

For the past few weeks I have been testing the Samsung 8GB SDHC Plus Class 6 Memory Card. This card may seem like any other SD card, but it has the unique quality of being indestructible. I haven’t put it through extensive tests for robustness as I do want to use it, but so far it has survived a camera drop.

You’re probably already cringing at the thought of another camera bag. But I’ve just gotten a Think Tank Speed Freak 2.0 for my summer workshops and it’s so cool I wanted to tell you about it now rather than waiting until I get back with a full field test. The bag fills that awkward niche between what you can put on a belt and a full up camera backpack…