Photokina 2010 had some incredibly exciting camera announcements, the Fuji X100, the Sony A33 and A55 with their Translucent Mirror Technology and the Nikon D7000, a successor for the D90 which two years prior had launched as the first DSLR to shoot video.
The July 2011 issue of PhotoComment Magazine is live on our site as well as hitting the shelves of stockists throughout this week. Here is a breakdown of what you can find inside. Don’t forget you can buy a postage paid subscription of the print magazine if they running off of shelves faster than you can get to them.
Meet The New Editor
You may have seen his portfolio and cover image in the April 2011 issue, and last month his image was on the cover again following his review of the Fujifilm Finepix X100. This issue is the first of what we hope to be many more for Armani Quintas our new magazine editor. From this founding father, a big “Welcome Aboard”.
Nikon have won 4 Red Dot Design Awards. While one was for a set of Binoculars, 3 of them went to their cameras. Firstly the D7000 which was our best DSLR in 2010 (though we still wait for a chance to do an in depth review of it). Next was the P7000 – one starts to wonder if the model number has anything to do with the awarding of red dots – and lastly the Coolpix S1100pj and no ‘pj’ does not standard for Pajamas, it means Projector. Full press release here.
You see that picture above, its not a Photoshop job, its the Nikon D5100 in the wild. We managed to be in a camera shop the same time the product manager brought it round for the guys to check out. So what are my first impression on it?
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This morning we wake to the news that Nikon have unveiled the new D5100 and ME-1 Mic. The D5100 will obviously replace the old D5000 – which to be honest was not a favourite of mine personally – and sports a 16.2MP CMOS sensor as found in the D7000. Nikon have improved the flip-out and rotating screen by moving its hinge to the side like the Canon EOS 60D and 600D rather than at the bottom of the camera as was the case with the old D5000.
The ME-1 Mic is compatible with all Nikon’s (though it is likely to work on other brands) which accept a Mic through the standard audio jack. Nikon also have announce the production of their 60 millionth Nikkor lens. Full press release after the break.
If you don’t know it already I am a big fan of David duChemin, hey we even punt his books and the Craft & Vision publishing that is his brain child. As one who has spent a great deal of time in sales and marketing in the photographic industry I cannot stand the ego that tends to follow brand bashing in photography. Do yourself a favour and read the post at the link below on David’s switch from Canon to Nikon and get the wisdom and sense he writes if you are stuck thinking you have the wrong brand or camera to improve your photography.
http://www.pixelatedimage.com/blog/2011/02/since-the-switch/
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You may recall towards the end of last year, our post on an Epson and Nikon picture event held in Soweto. Well over the last few weeks we have been playing with the gear we used that day and thought we could share our reviews of them kicking off with the Nikon Coolpix S5100.
Build and Handling
Let’s begin with at what I feel are the most critical factors in determining if I will even want to use a camera or not. To my mind, unless a camera does something really unique and spectacular, there should be no reason why I should be expected to use it if it’s not enjoyable to use.
Its the CP+ Expo in Japan and with that comes a lot of new camera announcements. There is a whole Coolpix range revamp from Nikon, some more cameras from Olympus, lenses from Sigma and all in all too much to try and share it all here. If you want more in depth content I would suggest checking out 1001 Noisy Cameras and their CP+ 2011 Situation Room.
Read on for some of the highlights that have caught our interest the most.
We mentioned the site The Phoblographer recently. Today there is a post there on how the Nikon D7000 compares against the Pentax K5 which those looking to enter the DSLR market may want to read before they buy. My first digital system was Pentax and I must say the fact the on noise levels the Pentax came tops in this test took me by surprise. Go check out: Torture Test: Pentax K-5 vs. Nikon D7000, which is better? at The Phoblographer
Well that is the gist of the question from reader Cas Pretorius following our recent Photo Tip on not rushing to buy new gear…
His question was: “I am currently looking at buying a specific body that has come down in price , basically because of the exchange rates etc. There is talk that the manufacturer may soon replace it (it’s been on the market for +- 2 years). If that happens, it is expected that the price of the current, then ‘old’ model, may come down even more, until all stock has been sold. My question (in light of this article by you) is this, namely is it wise to buy the older technology at a reduced price, instead of getting the new one, which will in any event be quite expensive due to the fact that it is new etc?”
I should have seen this coming having been down this road myself more than once. So what is the answer to Cas’ dilemma of wanting a body that is cheaper now than it was two years ago when it was launched and could very soon be replaced?
The net seems to be thriving on recent news that by pulling apart a number of Nikon DSLR cameras it has been discovered that certain cameras, like the latest D7000 makes use of Sony CMOS Sensors.
It has been speculated about for some time and for some they will sleep better knowing they were right, but its not that big a deal is it?
In my brief time working at Sony I posed the question to a visitor from the technical side of Alpha HQ and was told that the sensors they were producing for other companies like Nikon were done in line with those companies requirements, hinting that they may not all be identical.
Despite all of the above, there is limited impact to the average consumers photographs and what I have seen in the comparisons I have done before, of cameras that were supposedly sharing the same or similar sensors, is that the firmware can play a big part in what the camera puts out, something Nikon does well.
That’s right. Nikon Rumours is reporting that Nikon are filing for a patent that will see you having the ability to project images out of your viewfinder on your DSLR. It sounds rather interesting… I just wonder how well it would be adopted by consumers. There tends to be mixed feelings on their compact PJ Coolpixes which also offer projection. Time will tell what this is all about though.
http://nikonrumors.com/2011/01/25/nikon-patents-a-projector-built-in-a-dslr-camera.aspx
A quick post to let you know that Nikon have released a firmware update for the D3100. You can get full details on the Nikon Rumours site where we spotted this… plus catch up on Nikon rumour rumblings.
http://nikonrumors.com/2011/01/25/nikon-d3100-firmware-update-v1-01-is-out.aspx
That’s right, Nikon’s Camera Control Pro has an open source competitor if you will. From what I am understanding, it offers more support on more models. Be sure to check out the story as we found it on the Crunch Gear link below or at Nikon Rumours.
http://www.crunchgear.com/2011/01/11/nikontrol-3k-tethers-your-camera-to-your-pc-for-free/
In the December issue of the magazine we shared our best photographic products and website of 2010. We also sent a call out for what your best products where.
For those who have not checked out our list in the magazine, here is the list with best compact, DSLR, accessory, website and best product overall. You will also find a few suggestions from readers as well.
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