Category: Equipment

I would be remiss if I did not repeat this rumor, which I came across in the dpreview.com Nikon D3-D1 / D700 forum. I can not vouch for the validity of the rumor, only that I have quoted it in it’s entirety.

Check it out here.

Later this year, photo bag maker Think Tank Photo will release the Shape Shifter, a way-cool photo backpack that expands to carry both photo gear and a laptop to the assignment, then contracts to about half its maximum depth to hold just your computer and accessories while you shoot. If you’re a newspaper or wire service photographer, or you simply need to carry a minimum of equipment on your back while you make pictures, the Shape Shifter may be for you

Check it out here.

Hey Fake Chuck,
I’ve already had a bit of a whinge to you about being shafted with my 1d3 doorstop, was just wondering if Canon have any intention of offering all us 1d3 owners some sort of discount or trade-in incentive to upgrade to the 1d4 when it comes out ?

Check it out here.

Those of you who follow my Flickr stream already know that I have been playing with the new LumiQuest Softbox III for a few months now.

Check it out here.

Photokina opens today with a number of exciting new product announcements. I will not be attending this year because of a timing conflict with my just-concluded Botswana safari / workshop. Instead I’ll be sitting back, comfortable though jet-lagged, watching the passing parade just like everyone else.

This page will be updated continuously (when I come across something interesting) during Photokina week, so check back here from time to time, though most major announcements are made either just prior to or in the first couple of days of the show.

Check it out here.

Lensbaby has today introduced Composer

Check it out here.

This isn’t the 720P of the Nikon D90, which uses simple motion JPG as its codec . This is 1080 30i using the latest H264 video codec at a data rate of over 47 megabits / second. If these number are greek to you – relax. They won’t be after a while, because high quality video is coming to a DSLR near you a hell of a lot faster than you ever thought it would. (Scoffers – you can now eat your hats. Bon appetit!)

The bottom line on this is that at least as far as the specs go, image quality is full HD, 1920 X 1080 interlaced, at 30 frames per second. The recording data rate is faster than on some pro video cameras. The depth of field is that of a 35mm full-frame camera, not one with a sensor 5X to 9X smaller.

Check it out here.

In December, Nikon will ship an updated version of its 50mm f/1.4. The new lens, called the AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G, features improved optical performance, a nine-blade aperture mechanism, 58mm filter size and Silent Wave focus. It has an estimated selling price of US$439.95 in the U.S, including the HB-47 Bayonet Lens Hood.

Check it out here.

Canon also announced today a new prime wide angle lens. The EF 24mm f/1.4L II is meant to provide better sharpness and weather sealing than its predecessor

Check it out here.

“What we’re saying is that because of the improvements to the sensor and the Digic 4 image processor this is going to be the highest image quality of any EOS digital SLR ever released,” Canon’s Chuck Westfall said. “We’re raising the bar for EOS.”

He added that image quality from the 5D Mark II should even surpass what is offered from Canon’s flagship 1Ds Mark III, a camera which costs approximately $5,000 more.

“Image quality is going to be a generation ahead of whatever else is out there right now,” Westfall said.

Check it out here.

Canon’s just (seriously) upped the ante with the new G10

Check it out here.

this DLP beamer boasts a native 1,920 x 1,200 resolution, 1,400 ANSI lumens, a 2,500:1 contrast ratio and a VARIO-ELMARIT-P f/2.8-3.1/33-42 mm high-speed lens.

Check it out here.

Carl Zeiss has just announced that they have begun manufacturing a pair of manual focus Canon EF mount lenses called the ZE series. First available, a 50mm f/1.4, will be released on September 29th, and coming later this year an 85mm f/1.4,

Check it out here.

EOS 5D replacement will be announced on September 17, 8am.
It is a full frame, like its predecessor, but with 21 megapixel with Digic IV processor.

Check it out here.

It takes but a glance to see that the Sony Alpha A900 is unique among modern digital SLR cameras. The large, pyramidal shape behind the SONY logo suggests that a very large pentaprism glass element lies underneath. A quick glance through the viewfinder completes the impression: it’s like a room in there, into which it seems you might fall if you’re not careful. 35mm camera owners from the last century will find the Sony A900’s viewfinder comforting, then quickly forget about it and begin composing with an impressive photographic tool.

Check it out here.

It has been a long wait and rumours have been circulating the photography forums for many months but today Sony has announced the A900, their flagship model which sets a new benchmark with a 24.6 megapixel full frame sensor.

I recently had the opportunity to get my hands on one for a day, along with a Canon 1DsM3 kindly loaned to me by Kayell Queensland. I was able to see for myself how the new camera stacks up against what has up until now been regarded as representing the pinnacle of dSLRs.

Check it out here.