Leica’s Latest addition to the M series of cameras is a bit different from the ones which came before it: the M Monochrom only shoots pictures in black and white. The $8000 full-frame camera is fully intended for enthusiasts and/or those with a bottomless bank account, and aims to explore the benefits of having a dedicated monochrome sensor (merely removing the color from a photo after the fact is hardly the same).

The M Monochrom is a rangefinder-style mirrorless camera, complete with an 18-megapixel, full-frame CCD sensor, ISO range up to 10,000, SD-based storage, and a 2.5-inch display. Many photo nerds argue that a dedicated B&W sensor will allow for shaper, more detailed imaging thanks to the lack of need for a color filter and ability to pickup more light. The camera itself is signature Leica design, with an all-black color scheme to go with the rounded edges of the body. A 50mm f2 Summicron lens also appeared alongside the M Monochrom today, which, at $7200, costs nearly as much as the camera itself. Those over on the rangefinderforum are in borderline disbelief, stating that it better be the greatest lens ever for that price.

But that’s not the only announcement Leica had today. The Leica X2 is also here with a 16-megapixel APS-C sensor and 24mm f2.8 lens. The compact camera will shoot photos in 3:2 or 16:9 aspect ratios, save to SD card, and display your shots on a 2.5-inch screen, in your choice of all black or black/silver, for $2000.

Also announced was the Leica V-Lux 40, which packs a 16-megapixel sensor, 24-480mm superzoom lens, GPS and 3-inch touchscreen into the body of a point-and-shoot. It’s basically the same as the V-Lux 30, but with extra zoom (20x vs. 16x). All cameras are available for pre-order now and should be out later this year. [DP Review, 2, 3, 4]

We’ve seen our share of expensive cameras. The Phantom v1610, for instance, is capable of shooting 1 million frames per second — a feat that will cost you $100,000. But that’s a veritable bargain compared to this 1923 Leica camera that just sold at auction for 2.16 million euros ($2.8 million), an absolute record.

German camera-maker Leica is one of the most famous names in high-quality cameras. A new Leica can run you as much as $31,700. But this 1923 0-series Leica is a piece of camera history, one from the first batch of 31 cameras the company ever created. Only about 12 are known to still exist; fewer still are in such a pristine condition. That means this camera can command top dollar — or, in this case, top euro.

The camera was purchased by an anonymous European buyer. In 2007, a similar Leica 0-series sold for $430,000; in 2011 one sold for $1.7 million. Given the rapid increase of price in these cameras, we think we’ll keep using Instagram to take our hipster-quality photos, thank you very much.

[Image credit: WestLicht Photographica Auction]

[Source via Born Rich]

This article originally appeared on Tecca

Nikon has confirmed to PDN that it is investigating a problem that can cause the D800 and D4 to lock-up while shooting. The company says that the issue – identified while PDN was reviewing the camera – can be avoided by disabling Highlights and RGB Histogram on the display. At present the lock-ups require the battery to be removed to restart the camera but PDN thinks it likely that Nikon will be able to come up with a permanent fix.

The issue isn’t one we’ve encountered while working towards our reviews of both cameras, but we’ll stay in touch with Nikon and report on any updates.

Click here to find out more at PDN Online

Samsung’s line of excellent NX-series mirrorless cameras is getting packed with the Wi-Fi features the company’s been offering in point-and-shoots for years. Sharing your photos between devices and on Facebook made easy—but is it a feature that these cameras need?

Last year’s Samsung NX200 was pretty darn excellent, save for a few quibbles we had with its automatic settings. And for the upcoming NX210 refresh, Samsung’s largely leaving it alone, with the exception of the new Wi-Fi features: it’s got the same DSLR-sized 20.3-megapixel sensor and shoots identical 1080p HD video. The cheaper NX10 and NX100 cameras will be replaced by the NX20 and NX1000. In addition to the Wi-Fi upgrades, these cameras will also get the same 20.3-megapixel APS-C sensor.

The built-in Wi-Fi features function much the same way as they do on Samsung’s point-and-shoots. The camera will allow you to connect directly to online services like Facebook, YouTube, and Microsoft SkyDrive to upload photos and video. Using the MobileLink application for Android and iOS you can view your photos on a tablet or phone, and transfer them to these devices too. The Remote Viewfinder app—as its name implies—allows you to control your camera remotely. And if you’re a Windows user, you can use Wi-Fi to back up your photos.

Over the last few years Samsung’s been leading the pack with its Wi-Fi point-and-shoots, but does anybody really want this feature in a professional-grade compact camera? When using the camera’s Wi-Fi features you’re almost always sacrificing image quality because the camera won’t transfer the huge files this camera would otherwise record to its memory card. What’s the point of spending big bucks on a high-resolution camera with a big sensor and interchangeable lenses, if all you’re going to do is scale the image down for a Facebook upload?

Samsung didn’t give us information on how much the camera’s would cost, but the NX200 costs $900, just to give you a point of reference. Get your routers ready: The new NX-series shooters will all be available in May. [Samsung] ]]> http://blog.aftercapture.com/2012/04/27/samsung%e2%80%99s-pro-compact/feed/ 0 http://blog.aftercapture.com/2012/04/26/nikon-d3200-nikon%e2%80%99s-entry-level-dslr/ http://blog.aftercapture.com/2012/04/26/nikon-d3200-nikon%e2%80%99s-entry-level-dslr/#comments Thu, 26 Apr 2012 15:03:40 +0000 djordan http://blog.aftercapture.com/?p=4554 Nikon’s entry-level DSLRs are known for being well-built and easy to use. The same looks to be true for the D3200, just with a super-sized 24.2 megapixel sensor.

Like the D800 and its monster 36MP sensor, the D3200 is an escalation in the sort-of dormant megapixel war. The DX-format (sorry, full-frame hopefuls) CMOS sensor should allow for sharper stills than pricier options like the 16MP D7000 in ideal conditions. The added resolution makes increased noise in low light shots more of a concern, but compared to the D3100, the ISO range has been doubled from 3200 to 6400, which will hopefully offset any issues.

Beyond the sensor, the D3200 shares some specs with the D3100, but got a few bumps where it matters. The expanded ISO, for one, and a new Expeed 3 processor—the same one in the D800. It shoots at 4 frames-per-second continuous in full resolution, up from 3 frames-per-second on the D3100, and the LCD screen got a big resolution bump—a more-current 921k-dot, compared to the old 230k-dot screen. Still not touchscreen, though. Autofocus is still 11-point, and it’ll also have the D3100’s guide mode, which explains camera features to new users. On the video side, it shoots 1080p at 24 and 30fps, an HDMI-output, and a new 3.5mm microphone input jack.

There’s also an optional $60 wireless mobile adapter, the WU-1a, that will connect the D3200 to mobile phones or tablets. The adapter will you access the camera’s live view and control the shutter from the screen of your Android or iOS device.

The suggested retail for the D3200 and a basic 18-55mm VR kit lens is $700. No word on the body-only price just yet. It’s up for pre-order today, and will ship some time in late April.  [gizmodo]

Scheimpflug Employees Jason Kolsch, and Jayson Jordan unboxed the Nikon D4 and made a quick movie, capturing it using the Phantom Gold with Zeiss CP2 Macro lenses. The scene was lit with a K5600 Joker 800, and two 400’s. Colby Moore was the Phantom Technician and editor. The Nikon D4 is now available for rent at Scheimpflug.

The new Nikon D4 DLSR is a beast. Its fires off 11 shots per second with gusto. The inner workings of such a task are hard to appreciate with the naked eye. But if you have a Phantom camera, your eye is considerably less naked. In this video, enthusiasts Jason Kolsch and Jayson Jordon used a Phantom Gold to capture the D4 at 1000 fps. Skip to about :55 seconds for the good stuff. [FStoppers]

That sensor is what’s on everybody’s mind. Studio photographers will love its rich details, and for the hack on the street, it’s the sharpest sensor in this price range. Let’s be clear from the start: This is one of the best cameras you can buy for three grand, period. But it’s been overshadowed by the standard-bearer in this category, the Canon 5D Mark III. At a $500 lower price, could the Nikon D800 be a better buy?

Thirty-six-point-three-million pixels. That number should smack you in the face. Megapixel counts can be misleading, but in this case, pay close attention. The camera’s success hinges on that sensor. See, a sensor like the Nikon D800’s shoots extremely high-resolution photos, which means a ton of detail in the images. When the conditions are right, it can get better results. But cramming more pixels onto an image sensor can hurt its ability to shoot in dark conditions. If this super sensor falls short, the camera will only be interesting to pros working in controlled environments.

The other big change is Nikon’s introduction of video. Until now, if you wanted a DSLR to shoot professional video, you bought a Canon like the Mark II—an upstart embraced by the filmmaking community, because at $2500, you couldn’t beat the quality. That evolved into the $3500 Mark III, a refined movie-making machine. The HD-shooting Nikon D800 enters the field with specs that, on paper, could challenge the Canon at a cheaper price.

The ergonomics and build of the D800 are excellent. For a professional camera, it’s lightweight and compact. The textured grip is perfectly shaped to be carried one-handed. And its sealed magnesium alloy body can survive some abuse. The camera’s LCD went from 3 to 3.2 inches, and it gained a new plastic “anti-fog” protector, but the resolution, like the D700, remains at 921,000 pixels.

Like the D700, the D800 uses two-handed adjustments for many camera settings. That’s ideal for photographers who want to quickly tweak shots. Hold down a button for white balance, ISO, or auto-focus on the left side of the camera, and adjust each with a click of the wheels on the right side. The notable additions include a programmable manual function on the front of the camera, and controls for video on the camera body.

As with the Canon 5D Mark III, the camera has dual CF/SD card slots. These are programmable in several configurations—for example, it can back up all the images on only one of the cards, or it could set the RAW files to write to one slot and the JPEGs to another.

The D800 is all about resolution. The 36.3-megapixel, full-frame sensor produces huge, 7,360 x 4,912 images. Studio photographers love these big images because they capture a ton of detail. For photographers who aren’t shooting under bright lights, though, these images are still really useful because they offer a lot of leeway to crop usable sections from the larger image.

There are drawbacks to the D800’s high-resolution sensor. Recording huge images to memory cards slows down the camera’s performance. While the 12-megapixel D700 could shoot 5 fps, the D800 lost a little speed, as it only takes four. When dealing with the images on a computer, the D800’s RAW files are a whopping 33 MB, which makes processing files very cumbersome. Working with the images in Photoshop or Aperture can be maddeningly slow. Trying to convert hundreds of RAW files to JPEGs? You better have a couple of hours to spare. That said, the camera’s JPEG quality is very good, so you don’t always have to shoot RAW.

The megapixels that do such a great job of capturing detail and dynamic range during the day are your worst enemy at night. More pixels means smaller pixels, and smaller pixels aren’t as good at capturing light as the larger light-buckets on the 23.1-megapixel Canon 5D Mark III. Hardcore photographers love the D700 because its 12-megapixel sensor does such a good job making the most of low-light situations.

On specs alone, those megapixels on the D800 clearly affect light sensitivity. Its weak sensitivity constraints are a generation old—the D800 shoots at up to a standard ISO setting of 6400 and at up to an expanded range of ISO 25,600. Still, it’s impressive that Nikon has tripled the resolution of the camera without hurting ISO ratings. But how do images at that sensitivity look?

Turns out, the Nikon D800 is a monster when it’s pushed to its limits. Under decent light with all noise-reduction turned off in our still-life ISO test, the camera held up very well within the standard range. If you zoom in very closely, the noise becomes obvious to the untrained eye above ISO 1600. But at a reasonably scaled resolution, those images are very usable. The noise patterns are uniform, a problem that can be dealt with in post processing. As for actually shooting with the D800 at night, the camera is capable of some great things, assuming you can get them in focus. More on that below.

Shooting performance, although improved over the D700, remains the Nikon D800’s weakest point. The camera carries many of the same specs as Nikon’s D4: The same 91,000,000-dot RGB 3D color metering sensor, the 51-point autofocus system, and the Expeed 3 processor. The metering and processor are new, while the autofocus system is a hand-me-down from the last generation of Nikon cameras.

So you get a camera that feels fast in your hands but needs a little more TLC when shooting. The bright spot is the metering. It’s very accurate, and by toggling between the center-weighted, matrix, and spot metering systems, you can get the right exposure without any hassles. You’ll hardly ever need to use exposure compensation.

The rehashed auto-focus performed well on the D700. It finds focus fast—instantaneously, basically—even when the lighting is terrible. Unfortunately, the results weren’t always great. Finding good focus with a very shallow depth of field can be a challenge for any camera, but the D800 would occasionally run into problems above f/5.6—generally considered safe territory. The AF is tweakable in the settings, so you can match it to the profiles of your lenses, but it should work better out of the box.

A word on lenses—be careful about which lenses you use with the D800. If you’ve got shaky hands, it’s unforgiving with lenses that don’t have image stabilization. To really take advantage of all of those pixels, you’ll need some very sharp glass.

Nikon arrived late to the HD party, but the delay allowed the company to take advantage of the Canon’s shortcomings.

From a hardware perspective, the camera’s main distinguishing feature is the clean HDMI output. This can take unprocessed video from the image sensor, feed it into a recording device, and do the processing there. That means you can record raw video and process it later—a useful, if niche, advantage over the 5D Mark III. The camera is also a healthy competitor on the audio front. It has both a stereo mic input and a headphone jack, which are essential to monitor and adjust the audio as needed.

The D800 shoots HD footage on par with comparable DSLRs out there. In Gizmodo’s initial test, pitting the D800 against the Canon 5D Mark III, the camera held its own against the 5D. The D800’s video performance mimics its photography skills: It’s a very good all-around shooter, but it’s much better suited to daylight shooting than night. During the day, footage was noticeably sharper than the 5D Mark III’s video. After the initial test, we even swapped out the $2000 lens we were using for a Nikon DX lens designed for Nikon crop sensor cameras. That’s a major no-no, but the Nikon’s quality remained sharper than the Canon 5D. Using any lens, the D800’s nighttime performance could not compete with the 5D.

The D800 has the same video problems as other DSLRs: rolling shutter. Rolling shutter occurs when either the camera or something in the shot is moving quickly. In the recording, some portions of the shot will appear to move more quickly than others, causing a weird warping distortion. It’s the proverbial runner that moves faster than the camera. It’s the biggest complaint against both the 5D Mark II and Mark III, and it’s no different here. It sucks. In our test, the Nikon camera also suffered from terrible moire interference—this is the trippy-looking distortion that occurs with detailed, repeating patterns.

The Nikon D800 takes beautiful photos in nearly any situation. In daylight, the camera is completely satisfying. It shoots minuscule details and vivid color like no other camera out there. In the dark, the high-resolution sensor holds up impressively in its standard ISO range, and photos taken at up to ISO 1600 and often ISO 3200 have so little noise that they’re usable without editing. The camera is built to survive, and manipulating your shot with the buttons on the camera without ever going into a menu is smart, streamlined and intuitive. As for video, the D800 delivers what the D700 lacked: versatile filmmaker-quality footage in a DSLR package. The clean HDMI output opens the door to a new world of post-production.

View the gallery

When a camera is fantastic—and expensive—the small shortcomings get frustrating. The D800’s biggest disappointment is the auto-focus. It works, but not as fluidly as the rest of the camera. The high-resolution sensor was an awesome and potentially visionary addition to the camera. Nikon should have developed an auto-focus tailored to make it work. Instead, they reused existing technology. Yes, this is a pro’s camera, and most photographers won’t expect it do all the thinking on its own. But this feature just seems sloppy.

Given how well that sensor does in daylight, it’s disappointing that the camera doesn’t quite hit that level of excellence in the dark. It fizzles out at just ISO 6400, which doesn’t really push the boundaries of what came before.

As for the video, the camera upgrades to the status quo. It adds the usual benefits and drawbacks, without the bringing a whole lot more to the table. The results are very sharp, thanks to the sensor. But if Nikon wants to get serious about video in its DSLRs—and it should—the company has to introduce something new.

If you’re toting around a D700 and tons of nice glass, this is as close as you’re going to get to an essential upgrade. You, Nikon devotee, you should buy this camera. It’s a better still camera than the D700, it adds video, and the fantastic image sensor takes images to a new level of quality. The high-resolution sensor was a gutsy move, and it paid off, as Nikon proved that you can pack pixels into a camera without ruining its performance in the dark.

But for the camera consumer with a budget over $3,000 and no brand loyalty, it’s a tough call between the D800 and the 5D Mark III. They’re both excellent cameras, and they’re good at different things. After testing each for a week apiece, we’re still asking whether the benefits of the Nikon’s high-resolution sensor outweigh the Canon’s versatility.

The best way to tell could be to consider how you’ll use the tool—for a pro photographer shooting portraits in a studio, or a Nat Geo correspondent capturing the landscapes of Yosemite, the Nikon could be the clear choice. For a photojournalist on an unpredictable news beat, or even a young professional taking on a wide range of work, the Canon could be a better option. Answering the question for yourself could be a matter of just picking each one up and seeing which feels right in your hands.

We’ll keep testing these cameras, and we’ll keep you posted with the results.

View the gallery

Nikon D800
Price: $3000 (body)
Sensor: 36.3-megapixel, full-frame (35.9mm x 24.0mm) CMOS
Processor: Expeed 3
Max ISO: 6400 (standard), 25,600 (expanded)
Max Image Size: 7,360 x 4,912
Video: 1080p (24/30 fps), 720p (24//60 fps)
Display: 921,000-dot, 3.2-inch LCD

[gizmodo]

The art of taking photos of skateboarders is a rich tradition, full of sublime maneuvers and scenes of epic urban shredding. But it’s not easy! Not any kid with a fisheye lens can make magazine-worthy images without some know-how. And if you can shoot an ollie well, you can shoot anything.

Here to share his wisdom Michael Burnett, photographer whose work has graced the pages of many a Thrasher magazine. In these videos published by The Ride Channel, Burnett offers up some sound composition tips that can enlighten any type of budding photographer. [YouTube via PetaPixel]

Canon and Nikon both have brand new professional DLSR cameras fighting for the wallets of photographers and videographers the world over. We recently reviewed the Canon 5D Mark III, and are whipping up a review of the Nikon D800. In the meantime, we put together a comparison of the video capabilities of these two foes.

Low Light

The Canon 5D Mark III wins hands down in this category. Less noise, more even colors. No contest.

Detail / Sharpness

In full screen video, the Nikon D800 clearly has better overall sharpness and details. Update: Yes, we know sharpness depends partially on the lens used. We chose the most comparable lenses we had available.

Click here to go over to Gizmodo to finish reading the review [Gizmodo]

Since everyone seemed to enjoy looking inside an NEX mirrorless camera, I decided to take more pictures while doing today’s disassembly.

Optically I expected both lenses to be fairly simple: the Sony has 5 single elements, the Olympus 6 elements in 4 groups, and both have the diaphragm about in the center of the lens elements. They seem very similar as we start opening up the backs: both have 3 screws holding in a light baffle / protection cap, and 4 screws holding on the lens mount, just like most other lenses.
The Olympus (left) and Sony lenses with backs removed.

There are a couple of minor differences: the Olympus only uses 1 small screw to hold its electronic connector to the mount, while the Sony uses two. It’s at this point that we found the first (and apparently only) optical adjustments. The Olympus uses washer type shims, while the Sony uses some 90 degree shims (black and white things in the picture) to space the lens-to-lensmount interface.

Removing the PC boards is more of the same, again Sony uses 3 screws (I have no idea why, no one else does) to hold the board in place, while the Olympus goes with the more common single screw.

Olympus Disassembly

At this point, disassembly of the two lenses gets a bit different. It’s obvious in the above picture that the Olympus has several screws holding the optical assembly in the case. Take those out and slip the case off . . .

Then turn it over, pop off the plastic front makeup ring, remove the couple of screws revealed under the makeup ring  . . .

. . . . and the rest of the front rings come off, leaving the core of the lens completely uncovered.

Largely disassembled Olympus pancake (rear view). Note the focusing motor at bottom and geared teeth engaging from manual focusing ring. Smaller motor at 11 O’clock is the aperture control motor.

Two screws remove the focusing motor. The aperture control motor slips out and its flex disconnects, and now the optical elements are separated from most of the lens. The Olympus design places the optical elements in the center of a 3-armed plastic piece that connects the lens ring. Olympus optical elements and array, with aperture motor removed. You can recognize the purple ring and see the 5 bladed aperture, but that’s about all that lets you know this was the Oly.

The entire optical assembly slides back and forth on three arms within the outer ring for focusing. With a prime lens this small there’s no need for a separate focusing element.

The plastic mount for the lens core had a couple of lensmaker’s marks on it. I had hoped, as is often the case, they would be associated with adjusting shims or collars, but I certainly couldn’t find any. Whether the marks are some directions for orienting this assembly, somebody’s signature, or random graffiti I don’t know. Maybe one of you can tell me?

Sony Disassembly

Sony disassembly was initially less obvious. After the PC board was removed I had expected the front plastic makeup ring to pop off, like most do, but it wasn’t budging. Re-examination didn’t reveal any other way in so I tried popping the front makeup ring a little harder. This sort of worked, although it ruined the makeup ring. It turns out Sony holds it down with a ton of glue, rather than plastic pop-tabs like most lenses. Oh, well, next time I’ll know to use glue remover. But once the ring was removed the barrel pieces slip right off the lens.

Here’s the front of the Sony pancake lens with most of barrel removed. Torn up makeup ring and glue residue on plastic around the lens demonstrate this was obviously my first time opening one of these.

The lens core lifts out of the bottom case and has three screws begging to be removed . . .

. . . which lets us remove the inner optical core from the surrounding support.

Once past the front makeup ring, the Sony disassembly was quick and easy.

Having removed all the lens parts except the optics, the two lenses look rather different: the Sony has a small, self contained optical assembly while the Olympus assembly is mounted to three arms that slide up and down through an outer ring.

Olympus (left) and Sony (right) optical cores.

The optical groups of both lenses, however, can be separated into front and rear components by removing a couple of screws. With the Sony lens removing the screws visible in the photo above allows the diaphragm assembly comes out as a separate piece (left side of each image below), sandwiched between the front (upper image) and rear (lower image) glass elements of the lens.

The diaphragm unit of the Sony lens, with the front (upper) and rear (lower) optical components.

With the Olympus, removing the screws allows most of the optics to detach in a group, with only one element remaining in the center of the plastic arms.

I had expected to see a shim or adjustment here, but there wasn’t one. Nor was there one in the Sony. So as best I can determine, both of these pancake lenses have no real optical adjustments other than shims at the lens mount. But then, pancakes aren’t generally expected to be razor sharp lenses.

The remaining optical section of the Olympus (left side in above image) separates neatly in two halves at the aperture. Unlike the Sony, the aperture unit isn’t self contained, but rather sits on top of the rearward group. This allowed for a nice demonstration of how aperture blades are set up (in case you haven’t seen it before). The right side image below shows the two rings of the aperture mechanism, with mounting posts on both the outer and inner rings. The aperture blades (one is sitting above the lens in the right illustration) mount to the outside post at the hole in one end, and the slot fits over the post on the inner ring. As the inner ring is turned in relation to the outer ring, the post moves along the slots, closing or opening the aperture.

The Final Images

Of course, I have to post the images of the disassembled lenses, first the Olympus and then the Sony:

Completely disassembled Olympus 17mm f/2.8 m4/3 pancake lens.

Completely disassembled Sony 16mm f/2.8 E-mount pancake.

The simplicity of the design shows why these lenses rarely break. And since optical adjustment isn’t an option, apparently, there won’t be a lot of reason for me to do this again. Which is too bad, really. It’s a nice, straightforward disassembly, with a simple internal design.

And before someone asks: yes, I can put them back together. [gizmodo]