Hasta La Gadget!

Shocker of shockers — the T3i really isn’t a monumental upgrade from the T2i that came before it. Granted, you could probably glean as much from the raw specifications list, but at least we’ve got a handful of reviews now to confirm it. The folks at Camera Gear Guide have a fairly exhaustive critique up, and while they lauded the overall image quality and the addition of the new video features (a digital in-shoot zoom and a swiveling LCD), they couldn’t wholeheartedly recommend it as an upgrade for existing T1i and T2i owners. Even for newcomers to the mid-range DSLR game, Canon’s own 60D seems infinitely more compelling at just $100 more, and it’s also hard to ignore Sony’s SLT-A55 for $50 less than what the T3i is retailing for. That’s not to say the T3i wasn’t impressive; quite the opposite, in fact. But it seems as if you’ll need to seriously survey the competition before deciding that this one’s worth your hard-earned Benjamins. Hit the source link for the full skinny, and hop on past the break for a preview video.

Continue reading Canon’s Rebel T3i / 600D reviewed: not exactly a compelling upgrade

Canon’s Rebel T3i / 600D reviewed: not exactly a compelling upgrade originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Mar 2011 18:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Chad Soriano, Camera Gear Guide, FroKnowsPhoto  | Email this | Comments

That satisfying clunk of the mirror swinging up and away, the rapid-fire clatter of DSLRs going into burst mode, could be on its last legs. Well, for Sony Alphas at least. The company has confirmed that its translucent mirror tech, most recently confirmed to be coming to the A77 and earlier shown on the A55 and A33, will be coming to the entire Alpha line. The sensor actually captures light through the mirror itself, which is just reflective enough to allow for real-time focusing even while capturing video. It’s something of a bold move in the generally stoic DSLR market, and only time will tell whether it helps to boost Sony’s street cred up to Canon and Nikon levels.

Sony indicates all future Alpha models will include translucent mirrors originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 26 Feb 2011 02:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink CrunchGear  |  Quesabesde  | Email this | Comments

Even in its “standard” magnesium alloy body, the Leica M9 is an exclusive piece of kit that prices out all but the most fervent and deep-pocketed rangefinder lovers. Nonetheless, Leica has a habit of putting together even more limited editions of its shooters, one of which has recently been subjected to a thorough unboxing and video overview. Only 500 special edition Titanium M9s cameras have been produced, each one individually numbered and costing nearly £20,000 (or about $32,000) in a set with a Summilux-M 35mm F1.4 lens, also made from titanium. With a full frame 18 megapixel CCD sensor and dual image processors inside, it’s a fully fleshed-out beast of a portable shooter, but you’d probably expect nothing less given the fact it costs more than most cars. Go past the break to ogle this special M9.

[Thanks, Aaron]

Continue reading Leica M9 Titanium unboxed, handled with all the care a $32,000 camera deserves (video)

Leica M9 Titanium unboxed, handled with all the care a $32,000 camera deserves (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 13 Feb 2011 23:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink PetaPixel, Steve Huff Photo  |  LYPTR (YouTube)  | Email this | Comments

We’ve been hearing rumors about a mystical, magical A700 replacement since last year, and now Sony’s gone ahead and made things more official. The teaser image shows a transparent case, but the bigger news here is the transparent mirror, the same as found last year on the A55 and A33. This allows for advanced, real-time autofocus while capturing stills or HD video. Behind that mirror will be an Exmor CMOS sensor and, while Sony isn’t saying how many pixels it’ll be packing, expectations are that it will fall in the 20 megapixel range. Sony has also announced a new battery grip and a new flash for the camera though details are slim on those as well. All are slated to ship “later this year,” giving you plenty of time to make room in your camera bag — and maybe your budget.

Sony announces A700 replacement, the A77, will ship this year originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Feb 2011 09:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Camera Gear Guide  |  Sony  | Email this | Comments

Is it spring already? Nikon has just assaulted us with no less than nine new Coolpix models, freshening up its consumer offering with a litany of hot new shades, touchscreens and hardware updates. We’ll let you dig into the press releases after the break for the full details, but the two new Performance range cameras, the P500 and P300, are worth discussing in more detail. The P500 improves on Nikon’s P100 by a few orders of magnification, touting a voyeur-friendly 36x optical zoom, while also offering a 12.1 megapixel CMOS sensor, 1080 / 30p video plus stereo sound recording, max ISO of 3200, and an 1100mAh battery. The back is also adorned with a tiltable display, sized at 3 inches diagonally and fitting 920k dots. Yours on March 3rd for $400, €464 or £400, depending on your local currency.

The P300 is cheaper at $330 / €348 / £300, however it might well be the more appealing option for image quality obsessives as it boasts a lens with an aggressive F1.8 aperture and 4.2x optical zoom. It shares the same backside-illuminated sensor as you’ll find in the P500, but benevolently permits its user full manual control to let him or her capture that perfect shot. Rapid-fire shooting at 8fps for up to seven frames is available, but we’re loving the fact it can also do 1080 / 30p with continuous autofocus and the ability to both capture images and use its optical zoom while recording. If Nikon is to be believed, the P300 is basically the P7000 that came out last year, but shrunken down to the size of a compact. It really is a very diminutive and attractive — it has that intentionally understated matte black finish that huskily whispers the word “prosumer” in your ear — compact camera. It lands on March 17th.

Continue reading Nikon crams 36x zoom in P500, full manual controls in P300, refreshes Coolpix range with tons of color

Nikon crams 36x zoom in P500, full manual controls in P300, refreshes Coolpix range with tons of color originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Feb 2011 20:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments