We know that Sony has been pushing hard towards the DSLR market that Canon and Nikon have pretty well cornered. They have now announced the D900, their first full frame pro level version.
Inside we find 25 megapixels, a 3 inch screen, 5fps, Minolta (as well as their own) lens support and built in steady shot. Some pretty solid specs, but it looks like Sony is still going to be a step behind the big boys in terms of at least high ISO shooting. Sony is coming against a tough crowd with this 3k SLR, and people won’t go easy. Still their looking to be a future contender in this space.
DPReview has a nice little hands on. This seems like a nice body, with some good things going for it. If Sony sticks with this, and doesn’t pull any stupid stunts akin to adding invasive DRM to our lenses or images (wink) they may really go somewhere in the pro market. We’ll keep and eye on them, and if any of you are using Sony bodies let us know what you think!
We’ve worked out a deal with Nik and you an save 15% on any of their products with promo code PPS.
I finally got a chance to play with Nik’s new Silver Efex Pro. It’s a Photoshop/Aperture plugin for making Black & White images from color one’s. Here’s the straight scoop! The interface follows Nik’s fairly clean and simple window style that graces the rest of their plugin’s. When it open’s you’ll be greeted by your image; a sidebar on the right that gives you control over the effects being added; a sidebar on the left with some easy preset effects, and a few other tools around the screen that control the preview, etc.
Overall I liked the plugin. It suffers the the problem I find with most PS plugins, that causes me to stick with actions and presets for most images. When you open an image in the plugin you have to wait a few seconds and then use the tools in another window. Essentially PS goes away for that time, and when you commit those changes you are returned to your regular work environment. There’s nothing really wrong with this, it’s just not great for a workflow with large quantities of images, but more designed for those great images you want to spend extra time with.
I did find what’s inside to be simple and effective. There’s various preset options for making B&W images fast. You have color tones, film type, color filters etc to give you full control over making a nice piece of art. There’s also the ability to add some great looking grain effects is so desired, and the plugin; like many Nik products includes the U Point option that allows you to easily control effects on specific portions of the image (See Viveza)
BOTTOM LINE: I won’t be using Silver Effects for my everyday B&W images, because presets in Lightroom and actions in PS do most the the B&W effects I need, with more speed. I can also get most of the effects that the Silver provides by using the built in tools that PS provides (though with a bit more work)
All this said I think Silver is a good tool for getting great B&W effects on those images you want to spend some extra time with. It’s also great for trying out various effects with a lot of control and precision. I knocked off a half star because, Silver, at $199.00 costs twice what it probably should. Still if you have 199 to spare, and want a great tool for really fine tuning B&W images then pick it up (you can of course try Nik’s short 15 day demo).
 (UPDATE) There’s also a Canon teaser that shows an image of an unknown camera. Apparently this teaser is active. The moon gets a little fuller each day, and when it’s gets to a certain point you can see the Camera. Kinda silly, also a good way to get attention (thanks Mad’s)
Apperentally Canon is feeling the heat of Nikon’s fire these days, and they want people to know their working on it and that good stuff is just around the corner. Either that or their just trying to be Apple!
Their promoting “something soon” in the on some of their sites. One banner reads “The EOS story continues… See the future of photography… Stay tuned. Not much, but at least we know something on the way.
If the rumor mill is right, we should see new gear announced around the 9th of this month (Sept) Time will tell however. I’m inclined to think that’s right. Thanks to on friends at Camera Dojo.
This weeks gadget comes in various types, but you’ll find plenty of links to various options. The bottom line is that you should ABSOLUTELY have a cable release in your bag.
The release is basically a button that connects to your camera (occasionally wireless, but usually wired) that allows you to trip the shutter, and often allows you to lock it open (using Bulb mode on the camera) for long exposures. It’s also important for long exposures as you don’t have to “touch” the camera.
The lock button is invaluable for night images and if you’ve never done long exposure night photography, you owe it to yourself to try it. It’s pretty amazing what can come out of a camera after a multi-minute exposure. I’ve shot exposures to over 60 minutes with some neat results.
The release is also perfect for the portrait, commercial, or any other type of photographer; allowing you to set the camera on a pod, and shoot without leaning over it. Great for shooting while interacting a subject.
Last but not least I almost always use a release for shooting my HDR sequences because again I don’t have to touch (and thus shake) the camera. So now that you know you want one, here a few options…
Canon RS-80N3: Is what I use. It’s fits most newer Canons, has a lock, and works great. Runs about 50- on B&H
Canon TC-80N3: Is the big brother to the RS80. It runs close to 150- but offer a digital screen with a timer, This is perfect is you plan on a lot of long exposures.
Nikon MC30: This is for most of the Nikon line N90-D3 range. Again at about 50- it’s simple but effective.
Nikon MC36: This is the big brother on the Nikon side. Display, timer, and other cool functions for about 130- Again a good choice to the person who does a lot of long exposures.
Now there’s other models available, some from third parties as well, and also if you shoot other camera brands. Just search around. This is one piece if kit you should not be without.
Canon released a New lens along with the 50D announcement. I think this lens will be the ultimate travel lens for us Canon users. Nikon has had an 18-200 for awhile now and I’ve been on the look out for a Canon compatable clone for a long time. Now I’ll just grab one of these. No word on the pricing yet.
Compact, lightweight and a wide magnification range – this standard zoom lens features a wide focal length range from normal to telephoto equivalent to 29-320mm in the 35mm format. It features an Optical Image Stabilizer for up to 4-stops of effective correction even at full zoom. Since Canon’s optical image stabilization system is in the lens, not in the camera, you can see the stabilized, steadier images through the viewfinder. And the circular aperture can give beautiful background blur effects. This new wide zoom ratio EF-S lens delivers excellent high-speed performance at an affordable price.
We know that Sony has been pushing hard towards the DSLR market that Canon and Nikon have pretty well cornered. They have now announced the D900, their first full frame pro level version.
