Feb 28 2012

The Nissin MF18 Macro Ring Flash

Category: In-Camera Techniques, Photographers — djordan @ 9:31 am

Nissin-MF18-Ring-Flash[1]

The Nissin Group recently introduced the MF18 Macro
Ring Flash at the 2012 PMA annual convention in Las Vegas. The new flash 
includes an expandable flash head, macro lens mount adaptors, and a guide
 number of 16 at ISO 100. Among its other features are two flash tubes, 
side-to-side lighting ratio controls, four LED modeling lamps and six 
operation modes—Auto, TTL, Wireless, Manual, Fine Marco and Settings. The 
MF18 supports Canon E-TTL and Nikon iTTL systems as well as adjustable power 
ratios from 1/1 down to 1/1024 power in the Fine Macro mode. The basic package includes lens mount adaptors of 52, 58, 62, 67, 72 and 77mm, with
 optional adaptors available for 49, 55 and 82mm lenses. The Nissin MF18 is firmware upgradeable via the built-in USB port and can also be used with the optional Nissin PS300 power pack for faster recycling times and longer battery life. Powered by four AA
 alkaline/Ni-MH/lithium batteries, the MF18 retails for $439. (MINOX USA distributes Nissin flashes in the United States.)

 www.nissindigital.com

Feb 15 2012

Nikon WT-5: Control 10 D4s at Once

Category: Online Resources, Technology Insights — djordan @ 11:59 am

If you’re going to lay down $6000 for the super-fast, low-light stalking Nikon D4, you might as well pony up another $900 for the WT-5 dongle that cuts the cord. Or why not string 10 D4s together? Wireless bullet time at a cost of $69,000.

Thanks to the WT-5 dongle you’ll be able to link up to 10 D4s together and to simultaneously control them from a single camera. Shooting with 10 cameras at once isn’t the type of thing you do every day because most people don’t need to record crazy 360 views of action sequences. Oh, and it’s prohibitively expensive. But the WT-5 transmitter also liberates the D4 from wires for other remote controls that are practical if not exactly new. You’ll be able to control all of the camera’s settings wirelessly using the Camera Control Pro 2 software or from a web browser on your iPhone or iPad. You’ll also be able to wirelessly transmit images to your computer or to an FTP server.

When we checked out the Nikon D4 at CES, the WT-5 wasn’t yet approved by the FCC, but now it’s official, and you can even pre-order it at a few locations. The Wachowski brothers eagerly await your pitches. [Engadget]

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Feb 13 2012

Olympus OM-D E-M5: The First Micro Four Thirds Camera Aimed at Replacing a DSLR

Category: In-Camera Techniques, Technology Insights, The Industry — djordan @ 1:00 pm

The Olympus OM-D E-M5 is crammed full of impressive features: the fastest autofocus among interchangeable lens cameras (or so says Olympus). The E-M5 pushes a ridiculous 9 frames per second of 16-megapixel RAW photos. It’s the first mirrorless camera with a magnesium alloy body—weatherproof and dustproof, yo!—and packs the world’s first 5-axis image stabilization. That’s up from 2-axis in the PEN E-P3 and the E5 DSLR. But what does any of that mean to a regular person?

The promise of mirrorless cameras has always been DSLR-level performance, miniaturized. That hasn’t panned out. The E-M5 might fall short of the threshold too, but it’s a statement of intent: The future of Olympus is mirrorless, and the graybeard Japanese camera co wants you to ditch your DSLR and get on board. The future-pushing features of the E-M5 should hammer this point home; these are specs you’re used to seeing in pro-level rigs.

Beyond future implications, the camera itself is a hell of a thing. The guts consist of the 16.1MP sensor designed to deliver image quality without sucking your battery dry (LiveMOS), and the latest generation of Olympus’ TruePic VI image processor. There’s a very cool tilting 3-inch OLED touchscreen that slides out to give you a live view of your subject; and you can focus and control the shutter just by pressing on the screen. The shutter’s quiet, noticeably more so than near-competitors like Sony’s NEX line, even while machine-gunning continuous shots at 9fps. Low light capability looks pretty good too: ISO runs from 200 to 25,600, and has a new technology called Intelligent High Sensitivity (IHS) that Olympus claims will let you shoot clean(ish) at 12,800 ISO.

If you’re going to make a run at folks waffling about moving down from their DSLRs, you’ve got to get the viewfinder right. Olympus gets this, and the E-M5’s peep show feels as close to an SLR’s as you’re like to see any time soon. It’s built in, so it doesn’t take up your hot-shoe slot either, so there’s room for attachment flashes or audio-in. It boasts 1.44 million dots and 1.5x magnification (same as Olympus’ E5 SLR), and retains 100 percent field of view by not lopping off the top and bottom. It also rests in the center of the camera—just where it would be if it were on an SLR and uses a proximity sensor to switch between live view and the viewfinder automatically. It feels very pro.

And while outward aesthetics usually take a back seat, it’s hard to look at the E-M5 and not immediately think “X100! X100!” Because that’s what Olympus wants you to think. Ostensibly, the E-M5 is built to evoke Olympus’s retro OM line, but what it really wants is a piece of the crazy demand for Fujifilm’s beautiful shooters. If that plan means everything coming out of Olympus is going to be as gorgeous as the E-M5, giddy up.

For a while now, mirrorless cameras have been sold as DSLR alternatives. They haven’t been true alternatives, not really. We haven’t gotten a chance to really put this beaut through its paces, but here’s to hoping it delivers on its very loud visual trash talk.

It’ll be available in April for $1000 body-only, $1300 kitted with a black M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-50 mm f3.5-6.3 EZ lens, and $1100 kitted with a black M.Zuiko digital 14-42 mm f3.5-5.6 II R lens. [Gizmodo]

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Feb 13 2012

Sigma Puts Its Huge DSLR Sensor Into Small Digital Cameras

Category: Technology Insights — djordan @ 9:55 am

You probably know Sigma for its inexpensive alternatives to brand-name lenses, but the company also makes some fine digital cameras. The newly rebooted DP-series compact cameras pack the same sensor technology as the company’s excellent $3300 SD1 DSLR.

The new DP Merrill cameras feature the company’s proprietary Foveon x3 46-megapixel, APS-C sensor, which sounds like an unbelievably high-resolution beast, but it’s not exactly what it seems. It’s really just an APS-C sensor with three stacked 15.4-megapixel layers—one for each of the three primary colors. The difference between the two new DP Merrill cameras is the size of their fixed lenses. The DP1 has a 19mm, F2.8, wide-angle lens and the DP2 has a 30mm, F2.8 lens. The cameras are outfitted with 920,000-dot TFT LCDs.

I’m excited to see how the Sigma 1’s impressive sensor fairs on these compact cameras. Even if they’re likely to be pricey, almost everything about the Merrill DP1 and DP2 bodes well. The one obvious drawback is that the cameras will only shoot 640 x 480 VGA video. There’s still no word on pricing and availability, but expect the cameras to come in somewhere between $600-$1000. [Sigma via Engadget]

Feb 08 2012

Canon Powershot ELPH 530 HS: With Wi-Fi Inside

Category: Photographers, Technology Insights — djordan @ 7:00 am

The new Canon Powershot ELPH 530 HS will be the first Canon camera with built-in Wi-Fi capabilities. That means you’ll be able to wirelessly upload photos to the Internet as well as to transfer media directly to mobile devices.

The new camera uploads images to the Canon Image Gateway using a wireless network connected to the Internet. Canon’s online service allows you to organize the photos and share them on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.

The 530 HS will also let your camera wirelessly play with smartphones and tablets. In March, Canon will release the CameraWindow iOS app, so you’ll be able to transfer your photos and videos from the 530 HS directly to an iOS device and vice versa. Canon plans to release a similar Android app in May.

Besides the new Wi-Fi features, the Canon Powershot ELPH 530 HS is identical to the Canon ELPH 520 HS we first saw last month. It’s powered by Canon’s new Digic 5 processor, which gives the camera speedier performance, and improved low-light shots compared to its Digic 4 predecessors. The 520 HS uses a 12x optical zoom, and shoots with a 10-megapixel, high-sensitivity CMOS sensor.

Canon will also be releasing the Powershot ELPH 320 HS, a cheaper camera with the same Wi-Fi features as the 530 HS. It’s basically a Wi-Fi version of the new 110 HS. It is also powered by the Digic 5, has a 5x optical zoom, and carries a 16.1-megapixel, high-sensitivity CMOS sensor. Both the 530 HS and 320 HS can shoot 1080p HD video.

The Canon Powershot ELPH HS 530 will cost $350 and the 320 HS will run $280. Both cameras will be available in March. [Canon]

Feb 07 2012

Olympus’s OM-D

Category: Technology Insights — djordan @ 9:22 am

The camera blogs have discovered what appear to be full-size images of Olympus’ new OM-D-series E-M5 mirrorless camera. While we can’t be sure the photos are real, we can’t help but wonder if they indicate that Olympus is heading towards a DSLR-free future.

The new photos were discovered by 43 Rumors on Amazon Japan, and from the looks of it, the E-M5 is hardly a compact camera. Like the Fujifilm X-Pro1, the E-M5 is a big, near DSLR-sized shooter with a viewfinder, and what appears to be a big battery grip on the bottom. That’s strange if the E-M5 is indeed a mirrorless, micro four thirds camera. Another photo of the new camera pictured with Olympus’ huge line of micro four thirds lenses also surfaced, and according to 43 Rumors, the photo has two new lenses we haven’t seen before. This rumor also indicates the camera body’s large dimensions: 4.8 inches x 3.5 inches x 1.7 inches, without the battery grip.

Behold Olympus's OM-D: Is Olympus Giving Up on DSLRs?

All of the information makes us wonder if Olympus isn’t abandoning its line of DSLR shooters altogether. Olympus hasn’t released a new DSLR since the E-5 in 2010. During the same period of time, Olympus invested heavily in its micro four thirds line.

I reached out to Olympus to ask about the future of DSLRs at the company, but it declined to comment on its future DSLR plans. [43 Rumors]

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Feb 02 2012

Samsung NX200 Lightning Review: It Has More Megapixels, But…

Category: Uncategorized — djordan @ 1:56 pm

The NX200 could almost be a DSLR camera, with its giant image sensor and fat lenses. And it’s priced like one $900. It’s not, since it doesn’t have a mirror in its heart—but it doesn’t fit in your pocket like most other mirrorless cameras. HMM!

What Is It?

A mirrorless, interchangeable-lens camera with a big 20.3-megapixel, APS-C-sized sensor. Oh, and the camera has a hefty $900 price tag, although it’s cheaper than the 24-megapixel Sony NEX-7.

Who’s it For?

This camera is designed for experienced amateurs who want to step up their game to a compact, road-ready camera with great image quality and well-designed manual functions.

Design

The NX200 has a tough magnesium alloy body with a bulge on the right side where the battery goes. It fits perfectly in the grip of your hand. That said, remember: big sensor, big lenses. The zoom lenses for this camera aren’t collapsible, so the NX200 is not a pocketable camera, even if you have giant pockets.

Using It

Samsung NX200 Lightning Review: It Has More Megapixels, But...People who know their way around cameras will love the design of the NX200, and newbies will find confusing. The camera has snappy shutter performance and superfast drive, but the autofocus is slow.

The Best Part

Samsung’s customizable iFn button is perfectly placed on the lens we tested, which makes it easy to toggle between key camera settings very quickly so you can concentrate on what’s important: taking photos. Some of the other NX system lenses have an iFn button as well.

Tragic Flaw

Even though the camera’s sensor is capable of great things, sometimes you don’t know what you’re getting with this camera. The camera often makes improper exposure calculations in automatic and partially automatic modes. The metering and the autofocus can both be finicky.

This Is Weird…

There’s a programmable custom button on the bottom right of the camera’s body. That’s great. Unfortunately, you can only map a few functions to it.

Test Notes

• Samsung NX200 Lightning Review: It Has More Megapixels, But...The camera’s sensor performs well across the board, even in low-light conditions despite packing 20.1 megapixels onto an APS-C sensor. All of those tiny pixels could have killed the camera in darker conditions, but the photos remained relatively noise-free at ISO 800 and even sometimes at ISO 1600. Check out our samples gallery here.

• It’s a good thing the camera’s settings are so easy to access because you really need to tinker with them to get the kind of shot you want. This is not a beginner camera, and you better have some patience for metering, metering again, and switching between exposure modes to get the shot you want.

• The camera’s shutter release is sensitive and has quick action. Very satisfying. It’s nice that the camera will peel off up to 7 frames per second, but when you’re shooting RAW, the camera chokes up in continuous mode very quickly.

• The NX200 records massive photos in Samsung’s proprietary RAW format (SRW). Inexplicably massive. They’re 50 MB, which seems a little excessive considering we get 20 MB CR2 files from our Canon 60D.

• The HD video quality is good, if you are shooting a relatively static scene. But as when you’re shooting stills, there is a lag in the autofocus, so if your scene changes or your move the camera, you’ve got to wait for the camera to adjust.

• As long as you don’t turn on the GPS (don’t turn on the GPS) the camera gets great battery life. It never died in the field—including during a week of near constant use at CES.

• The AMOLED LCD is absolutely gorgeous.

Should You Buy It?

No—or I should say—not yet. The camera has a spectacular sensor, its button design is almost perfect, and the menus are logical and displayed on a beautiful screen. Unfortunately, the camera has a serious learning curve. I really like to tinker and take my time when shooting photos so I’ve actually grown to love this camera, but it’s not for everyone.

If Samsung irons out these performance issues and gets the file size on the photos down, the next NX system camera could be one of the best shooters in its class. Until then, the Sony NEX-5 and Panasonic GX1 are the best pro compacts under $1000. Pick the NEX-5 if you care about low-light image quality. Pick the GX1 if you want a compact build and a brilliantly usable design.


Samsung NX200
Price: $900 w/ 18-55mm zoom lens
Sensor: 20.3 megapixel, 23.5 x 15.7mm APS CMOS Sensor
Image: Up to 5472 x 3648
Video: Up to 1920 x 1080/30p
Screen: 614,000 dot, 3″ AMOLED LCD
Gizrank: 3.5

[gizmodo]

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Feb 02 2012

Nikon Coolpix P310

Category: Photographers, Technology Insights — djordan @ 8:55 am

The Nikon Coolpix P310 is another point and shoot—except it’s completely gorgeous. The boxy design is a matte slate of black perfection. Everyone line is clean, every centimeter accounted for, every button well-placed. Make more things like this.

Inside, the P310 is no dinky shooter: 16 megapixel stills, 1080p video recording, an assignable front function button, full manual controls, image stabilization, and a swank f/1.8 zoom NIKKOR lens. By my god—it’s so small! What you’re looking at is only 4.1 x 2.3 x 1.3 inches—easily pocketable. But I don’t want to keep it in any pocket. I want to look at it. Boxy is beautiful. More angles. Cameras shouldn’t resemble spaceships. Check for it next month at $330. [Nikon]

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Feb 01 2012

Tamron releases 18-200mm F/3.5-6.3 Di III VC

Category: Uncategorized — djordan @ 9:05 am

Tamron-lens-on-camera_black
Tamron Co., Ltd., a leading manufacturer of optical equipment, announced the introduction of an exciting new lens, the 18-200mm F/3.5-6.3 Di III VC (Model B011). The new high-power all-in-one zoom lens is designed for the Sony mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera series. Tamron, the zoom lens pioneer, brings 19 years of high-power zoom lens development technologies to this new product.

With the 18-200mm Di III VC (Model B011), Tamron has created a high-power all-in-one zoom lens that is compact and lightweight, featuring a 62mm filter and weighing only 16.2 oz., while at the same time delivering superlative image quality. This compact size lets users easily shoot across an extended range—from wide-angle to full telephoto—with just one lens. The focal length coverage is 18-200mm. Converted to the coverage of the 35mm format, this is equivalent to a range of 27mm wide-angle up to 300mm full telephoto. This allows the user to easily take wide-angle shots of expansive landscapes and powerful telephoto images that enlarge the details of distant subjects ll with one lens. In addition, by setting the lens at the telephoto end (200mm) and moving in to the minimum focus distance of 19.6 inches, flower petals, jewelry and other small objects can be shot as expanded closeups.

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