Canon’s EOS-1D Mark IV gets unboxed, high ISO modes tested

Canon's EOS-1D Mark IV gets unboxed, high ISO modes tested
Wondering how Canon’s high-ISO response to Nikon performs in the dark? We’ve got the answer. Photographer John Deeb got his early and was not only kind enough to take a comprehensive set of unboxing pictures with a video, but also captured a series of pictures of model Lauren Howery to show off how the thing performs in extremely low light at increasingly excessive ISO settings. Lots and lots of pictures below.

Continue reading Canon’s EOS-1D Mark IV gets unboxed, high ISO modes tested

Canon’s EOS-1D Mark IV gets unboxed, high ISO modes tested originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 03:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony launches Alpha A450 DSLR

Sony just expanded the Alpha DSLR with the new A450. It’s got the same 14.2 sensor and BIONZ processor as the A550, but it doesn’t have the fast-AF live view focus system or flip-out LCD screen — you’ll be looking at relatively small 2.6-inch fixed screen. Price doesn’t seem to be official yet, but we’re hearing it’ll come in under $1,000, so it could deliver some decent bang for the buck. Great — but we’re hoping we’ll hear some more about those rumored 3D Alphas later this week. Hit the read links for some more pics.

Sony launches Alpha A450 DSLR originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jan 2010 22:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Leica S2-P unboxed on video, produces sample shots

Ladies and gentlemen, please disengage your budget conscience for this post, as hearing things like “the Leica S2 seems to be quite the happy medium” when discussing a camera that costs north of $31,000 (body only!) will never make much sense otherwise. Matthew Harrison, aka The Leica Guy, has gotten his hands on what he calls the first commercially available S2-P and performed a loving unboxing and preview of the luxurious shooter. With a 56 percent larger sensor than the stellar Canon 5D Mark II (stretching all the way to 37 megapixels), fully weather-sealed casing, sapphire glass monitor screen, and Platinum Service for the discerning photographer, the S2 certainly has a spec sheet to match its price. Matthew’s impressions only confirm the supremacy of this beast, and you can hit up his site below for sample pictures. Don’t forget the video unboxing after the break, which includes (at 3:53) something that might cause real distress to bona fide DSLR junkies — you’ve been warned.

Continue reading Leica S2-P unboxed on video, produces sample shots

Leica S2-P unboxed on video, produces sample shots originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jan 2010 08:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Leica Rumors  |  sourceThe Leica Guy  | Email this | Comments

Samsung NX10 made official — APS-C sensor and AMOLED screen crammed into hybrid DSLR body

Samsung has just announced its NX10 “hybrid DSLR,” which aims to give you all the uncompromising image quality of a full digital SLR within a somewhat more pocketable body. A 14.6 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor is a good start on that road, while “fast and decisive” contrast AF and a snazzy 3-inch AMOLED display keep the momentum going. There’s 720p H.264-encoded video recording as well, but naturally you do have to make some tradeoffs for the reduced size. The mirror box is gone — leaving you with only an electronic viewfinder — and the brand new NX lens mounting system means you’ll have to purchase your favorite lenses all over again. We’ll wait and see whether the NX10 shows any appreciable advantages (such as price!) over the slightly smaller Micro Four Thirds shooters out there, but with a spring 2010 release date and a CES appearance on the cards, that wait shouldn’t be too long. Go past the break for the full PR and spec sheet.

Update: DPReview has an in-depth breakdown and a hands-on preview of the new shooter with a few sample shots posted from a pre-production unit.

Gallery: Samsung NX10

Continue reading Samsung NX10 made official — APS-C sensor and AMOLED screen crammed into hybrid DSLR body

Samsung NX10 made official — APS-C sensor and AMOLED screen crammed into hybrid DSLR body originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 03 Jan 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First shots of Samsung’s NX10 ‘hybrid’ DSLR surface

This one’s been the subject of rumors for months now, but it looks like Samsung’s NX10 “hybrid” DSLR (not to be confused with Samsung’s NX-10 desktop PC) has finally shown itself — assuming these shots are indeed the real thing, that is. That “hybrid” bit comes from the fact that this one fits in somewhere between a DSLR and a Micro Four Thirds camera, but there’s unfortunately little else known about it apart from what you can see on the camera itself. It will apparently come bundled with an 18-55 mm lens, however, and it’ll apparently be able to shoot up to 7 frames per second. Hit up the link below for a few more pics to get a better idea of its size.

Update: Here’s the official line on the NX10 from Samsung:

This information was not supplied by Samsung and does not represent an official announcement of the NX10. Final technical specifications and details regarding the camera system will be made available by authorized Samsung representatives at a later date, with the official launch of the product.

First shots of Samsung’s NX10 ‘hybrid’ DSLR surface originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 14:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony working on 3D Alpha DSLR cameras?

3D is going mainstream big time, and while the first consumer-friendly 3D cameras are not exactly taking the world by storm, Sony wants to be there when they do. According to a slide deck uncovered by LetsGoDigital, the company is working on a 3D flavor of its Alpha line that will help to “grow market share” in this fledgling segment. Now if you’re imagining a giant monstrosity of a machine with dual lenses hanging off the front, take solace in knowing that Sony’s HFC Comfort-3D movie camera (similar to the HDC-F950 used to film action sequences in Avatar) does 3D through a single port, meaning you won’t necessarily have to go out and double your glass collection to use one of these. Beyond that it’s all speculation for now — wonderful, exciting speculation.

Sony working on 3D Alpha DSLR cameras? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Dec 2009 08:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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107 Dazzling Christmas Lights

You readers have filled me with so much freakin’ holiday cheer that I may, MAY, not protest the holidays with my ritualistic murder of a tree. Here are the 107 entrants in this week’s Shooting Challenge. UPDATE: Wallpaper versions HERE.

Second Runner Up
This is actually a picture of my Christmas tree. I shot this with my Canon XS using a 4 second exposure at f-8, and an iso of 100. I started with the lens unfocused and zoomed in at 55m. During the 4 second exposure I zoomed out to 18mm.
-John Chapman

First Runner Up
Sony A230 Body; Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 lens; ISO 800; 1/500 sec @ f2.8; No Flash
-Nick Marquis

Winner!
Nikon D5000; Nikkor 18-200 VR; Exposure: 12.2 seconds; Aperture: f/9.0; Focal Length: Multiple; ISO: 200; White Balance: Cool White Fluorescent. This was taken in bulb mode on a tripod. I exposed the tree and surrounding scene at 18mm for about 9 seconds, then slowly zoomed to 200mm closing the shutter right before hitting 200. More here.
-Dan DeChiaro

Dan, please contact me to claim your Joby SLR-ZOOM Gorillapod and Ballhead.

As always, thanks to everyone for participating, and enjoy all of the awesome entries in the gallery below. Picking winners is my favorite worst job to do of the week. Oh, and for those of you wanting wallpaper-sized images, we’ll be popping those in a separate post soon.

By the way, more of you sent in shots of soul-sucking winter than pretty, happy Christmas lights. What’s that say about us all?

Images coordinated by Kyle VanHemert.

Sony Alpha A550 DSLR reviewed: new tricks, new trade-offs

It’s been a long haul since it was officially announced way back in August, but we’re guessing there’s a good number of folks that have been waiting for Digital Photography Review‘s take on Sony’s Alpha A550 DSLR before making their final decision on the camera. Thankfully, the site has now come through with a usually thorough review, which unsurprisingly finds that while there’s a lot to like, there’s also a few notable trade-offs with this challenger to the likes of the Nikon D90. On the upside, the camera packs quite a few features not seen on many of its competitors, including two different live view modes, built-in HDR options, 7 fps burst shooting, and reportedly great image stabilization, to name a few — all of which add up to make this was DP Review calls “the best APS-C camera Sony has produced since the Alpha 700.” On the downside, however, the site found that the A550 sits somewhat uncomfortably between the low and high-end, with its slightly stripped down controls turning off pros, and its rather weak performance in auto mode potentially being a problem for beginners. That doesn’t prevent the camera from receiving fairly solid recommendation though, which hinges on the caveat that folks know what they’re getting into.

Sony Alpha A550 DSLR reviewed: new tricks, new trade-offs originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Dec 2009 22:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Olympus PEN E-P2 gets reviewed and starts shipping out

We’ve already expressed our opinion on the PEN E-P2‘s price point (hint: it’s not positive), but for those with more cash than problems to throw blank checks at, Olympus’ second-ever Micro Four Thirds camera is now on sale and shipping from a wide variety of respected e-tailers. Just in time for the holidays, don’tcha know? If you’re still wondering if $1,099.99 is worth blowing on this, The Online Photographer has published an hands-on critique, complete with a few luscious sample shots and interesting gripes about the viewfinder. Make no mistake — the image quality looks fabulous, but man, that MSRP. It’s large.

Olympus PEN E-P2 gets reviewed and starts shipping out originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Dec 2009 09:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Slashgear  |  sourceAmazon, Let’s Go Digital, The Online Photographer  | Email this | Comments

153 Soul-Sucking Shots of Winter

After going through the results of this week’s “Gray Winter” Shooting Challenge, I’m going to need years of therapy. Or a hug from someone very, very attractive. But as usual, Gizmodo photographers have completely exceeded my expectations.

(Also, based upon my favorites, I appear to have a barren tree fetish. Regardless!)

Second Runner Up
Camera: Canon EOS 40D; Lens: EF28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM; ISO: 400; Exposure: 1/8000. Subject: Winter after California Wildfires -Devin Workman

First Runner Up
I used a Panasonic DMC-FX150 point and shoot camera. I had to shoot it in manual mode because I was shooting into the sun. This is after a rainy day in Los Angeles. The shot is looking toward Century City (The water is behind it). -Jim Hale

Winner
This is a shot I took myself at my college Campus in Goshen, Indiana. Was a very rare morning with snow on the ground, yet a tremendous amount of fog also, it almost whited out everything. This tree is in front of our cafeteria, not sure the type, but always looks very spooky at night, and this fog made it really stand out and look awesome. I shot it with a Canon 30d, Sigma 17-70 lens. No real special technique other than framing the shot and taking it. (hope this shot can be extra depressing and destroys the hope of happy holidays for everyone.) Believe me, living in Indiana in the winter, I know a thing or 2 about a gray winter…. -Andy Graber

Thanks to everyone for making this week’s turnout absolutely nuts. And as always, my choices are painfully subjective, so take part of this afternoon to look through our gallery of participants, which includes photographs taken on everything ranging from Holgas to iPhone 3Gses—all of which are producing impressive, unique results.

Gallery assembled by Kyle VanHemert.