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Mamiya has announced its new digital medium format camera, the RZ33. Expected to cost around £15,000, it features a 33MP CCD sensor measuring 48×36mm and exporting TIFF files of up to 190MB. The Mamiya RZ33 incorporates fully integrated electronics for direct communication with the digital back. It also boosts a built-in rotating sensor, ISO range of 50-800, up to 1.1 fps shooting rate and is compatible with all RZ system lenses and most accessories. UK launch date TBA.
Canon’s new entry-level DSLR camera is quite a well-rounded package. The feature list is impressive, as is the handling, build quality and the supplied software. The improvements over the 500D are not game changing but are nonetheless significant - there’s a new 18MP sensor, improved metering and the buttons are redesigned.
Canon 550D’s main strengths are its impressive picture quality, strong body with an excellent new LCD screen, fast autofocus and reliable light metering. In practice it performs on par, if not better, than the Nikon D5000 and Pentax K-x, which are excellent cameras in their own right. To add a competitive edge to the package, however, Canon have made the 550D a capable video camera too with an external mic sockets and numerous controls for quality and frame rate settings. The 550D is great effort by Canon and an excellent introduction for enthusiasts to the world of DSLR photography.
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Olympus has announced the latest digital camera model to join its durable Tough range - it’s the new Olympus Mju Tough 3000. It is waterproof to 3m, shockproof enough to drop from 1.5m and works happily down to temperatures of -10°C. Behind the tough exterior lie sophisticated electronics, including a 12MP CCD sensor, image stabilisation, HD movie mode and even a 1GB internal memory. The camera can also be charged through USB which is very handy. It features a 3.6x (28-102mm equiv.) zoom lens that is perfectly versatile for the outdoors.
Olympus μ TOUGH 3000 is out now and comes in four bright colours - Hot Pink, Emerald (above), Turquoise Blue, and Oxide Red. Click on the link below to check them out.
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Pentax has announced yet another brilliantly-spec’d entry-level DSLR. It features a 12MP CMOS sensor with ISO 100-12,800, 11-point autofocus, anti-shake, Live View and HD video shooting mode. All this is available at a price much lower than competitors such Nikon D5000 and Canon EOS 500D.
On top of the impressive interior, Pentax K-x also comes in small light body that is available in a range of colours. You can choose between Red, Blue, White and Black.
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The long awaited update to the excellent but aging Nikon D40 is the new Nikon D3000 and it’s finally hitting the shops. It looks very much like the D5000 however it has more in common with the D60 when it comes to features. That said, there are several areas of vast improvement, one being the impressive autofocus on the D3000. It uses an 11-area TTL sensor that behaves quite well under low light and with moving objects. There’s even a 3D Tracking option. The standard 18-55 kit lens doesn’t show off the autofocus system’s capabilities to their full extent, but the potential is there for when you try higher spec lenses.
The Nikon D3000 features 10-megapixel DX-format sensor, ISO 100-3200 sensitivity and a large 3″ LCD screen. All this is packed in a neat 485g camera body that handles well, quite alike the rest of the Nikon range.
On the downside, Nikon are still not including Live View in their entry-level modells, unlike competitors like Canon’s EOS 1000D. It also lacks some specialist features like exposure bracketing, lens control dials and depth-of-field preview, however these are not that important for most photographers.
In conclusion, Nikon does not surprise us but builds on previous models to make D3000 a very good reliable bit of kit that can satisfy the needs of enthusiasts.
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Canon’s new semi-professional DSLR, the EOS 7D, has arrived on British shores and is available in shops. Far from being a mere replacement of the older Canon 5D, the new camera has a host of new features aimed to impress the serious enthusiast. Canon 7D’s spec sheet is truly impressive:
The Canon compares very favourably with the competition too. The main differences between the 7D and Nikon D300s are the better resolution of the Canon (18MP vs 12MP), wider ISO sensitivity on both ends of the range and higher quality Movie recording. The Nikon on the other hand offers better autofocus with more AF Areas and more memory options including SD and CF cards. Apart from that the 7D and D300s are very similar in terms of size, weight and functionality and the choice between them can be entirely based on personal preferences.
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Just five months after introducing the E-P1, Olympus has announced an upgrade of the Digital PEN in the face of E-P2. New features include an accessory port for an electronic viewfinder or microphone, additional Art Filters and Autofocus tracking. The body also now comes in pearlescent black finish. These minor differences between the Olympus E-P1 and E-P2 seem more like a tweak rather than major upgrade to an already excellent digital camera.
Olympus E-P2 will be available to buy from early next year with kits including electronic viewfinder and a 17mm pancake or 14-42mm zoom lens.
Tags: olympus digital pen, olympus pen, olympus pen e-p2
Japanese manufacturer Ricoh has launched its latest model, the digital Ricoh GXR. Described as a radical rethink of camera design, the body itself consists only of controls, LCD and flash, while the lens, image sensor and processing engine come in separate interchangeable units. The Ricoh GXR thus benefits from a very compact design and is claimed to be the smallest digital camera with removable lens.
Currently there are two lens/sensor options available from Ricoh:
Ricoh GXR A12 - A 12 megapixel CMOS sensor coupled with a 50mm f/2.5 macro lens for high quality low noise photography. The lens features a chunky manual focus ring for precision focusing.
Ricoh GXR S10 - A high-speed option with a 10 megapixel high-sensitivity CCD sensor and a 24-72mm f/2.5-4.4. The smaller sensor allows for the zoom lens to be extremely compact.
Both options come not only with their own sensors and lens combinations, but also include shutters and image processing units. These account for most of what matters in a digital camera and thus each option greatly influences the output produced. Swap the interchangeable unit and you have a totally new camera.
Ricoh GXR’s launch date is some time in 2010. Body price is expected to be around £400, with A12 and S10 costing £600 and £300 respectively.
Announced in September 2009, Panasonic’s new Lumix DMC-GF1 is a small compact camera that features a DSLR-sized sensor and removeable Micro Four Thirds lenses. It has its similarities with the Olympus E-P1, it’s main rival, we’ll discuss the several main differences below.
To go over the specs in brief, the GF1 comes with a 12 megapixel sensor and a 3in screen. It is a capable camera, featuring 3fps continuous shooting, 720p HD video and full manual modes. The body is quite light and compact (119×71x36mm.) In fact, it’s the design where the Panasonic GF1 shines - it is a simple compact retro-styled body housing high quality electronics. It is not cheap - at over £500 - but it makes a perfect second camera for professionals or the one to slip into your pocket when on holiday.
Comparing the Panasonic GF1 to main rival Olympus E-P1 can seem like a hard task initially as they look quite similar and are of about the same size and weight. The main differences between the GF1 and E-P1 are mainly the higher screen resolution on the Panasonic, together with it’s faster autofocusing, and a built-in flash which the Olympus lacks. The main strength of the E-P1 is the built-in image stabilisation which means that any lens that you put on it will be stabilised, while you need to buy special lenses for the Panasonic if you’re after anti-shake. Overall, the ch oice between the GF1 and the E-1P is really down to styling and which one appeals more to you.
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 is available from Warehouse Express.
Tags: Panasonic GF1, Panasonic Lumix
The famous Olympus Pen trade name is brought back to life with this smart-looking camera that combines the ease of use and portability of a digital compact with the interchangeable lens facility found on a digital SLR. Olympus seem to have cracked it - it’s a camera we’d all want in our shirt pockets. It has formidable resolution, good ISO performance and tons of controls, all housed in a high-quality retro camera body. Add to that a range of superb Olympus Micro Four Thirds lenses and you have a winner.
The downside? Well, the Olympus Pen is not cheap, although we all know that in the world of photography quality always comes at a price. So no surprises there. Apart from that, the camera strikes me as a little slow compared to the ultra-responsive kit you can buy for the money, and this makes for a different, slower kind of shooting experience. The screen is also not very high resolution, so you’re best browsing through the photos on your computer. Lastly, and I am really nit picking here, sometimes you do get highlight clipping when shooting in high contrast conditions with the sun in the frame.
All in all, however, the Olympus Pen is a real gem, as are the new lenses. It makes for a great shooting experience that those who can afford it won’t regret. I wouldn’t sell my DSLR kit for it, but the Pen is definitely on my “when I find some spare cash” list. Available to buy at Warehouse Express.
Tags: olympus, olympus pen e-p1