Panasonic

Yes! Adobe loves Sony.

The final releases of DNG Converter 6.2, Adobe Camera Raw 6.2 and Lightroom 3.2 includes RAW file conversion for the Sony Alpha 33, Alpha 55, Alpha 290, Alpha 390, NEX-5 and NEX-3. Those were included in the Release Candidate versions, but they become official/final now.

Of course, other cameras are also taken into account like the all new Canon EOS 60D, the Samsung NX10, the Panasonic Lumix LX5 and the Pentax 645D.

But Sony love is still very visible here.

Download the new Adobe files (updates).

In the “randomly weird” category, here is a bit of information which I would not dare classify as critically interesting.

According to OkCupid (a dating web site willing to be described as more “intelligent” than others), you can draw your own challenging conclusions by cross-checking available data from users profiles. For example, since he users can rate the photos they see, it is possible to link these ratings (and later dates) to the EXIF data present inside the picture files.

More attractive with a 4/3 Panasonic

The SLR cameras (in blue) are improving your dating prospects, especially if they are Panasonic 4/3 cameras. A mobile phone (in red) will nearly get you dumped on the spot, if it is manufactured by Motorola.

From this, if the photo pleased the onlooker, it is easy to understand that this quickly led to “something more”… But with a title containing the word sex, and so bold an conclusion, it was impossible to risk publishing this news on April Fools day. It had to be more urgent than that.

It seems that Sony is not as tight-lipped as usual in the preparation of the upcoming Photokina show in Köln, Germany at the end of next month. The offering is now nearly certain: 4 Alpha cameras and a set of lenses can be expected. They should be announced on August 24 (next week).

• Alpha 33 (a pellix camera with a 14 MP sensor)
• Alpha 55 (a pellix camera with a 16.7 MP sensor, 10 fps, ISO 100-25600, 15-point AF, EVF – all to be confirmed)
• Alpha 560 (with 14MP sensor, 5 fps, ISO 100-12800, 15-point AF, swivel display – near certain feature set)
• Alpha 580 (same as A560, with 16MP sensor)

Note: Pellix is the name usually applied to describe a camera where there is no mobile mirror, but a pellix semi-transparent mirror which is providing a simultaneous and continuous AF while bringing light to the photo/video sensor. For more information about it, see the Wikipedia articles in both English and German. The presence of Pellix should also allow to keep a LiveView operation during the photo/video capture (probably in association with an Electronic View Finder or EVF).

Images of the A55 and A33

Alpha 33 - front	Alpha 55 - front
Alpha 55 - back	Alpha 55 - back
Alpha 55 - front	Alpha 55 - back
Images from DChome

A33/A55 size

What is now certain is that the Alpha 33 and Alpha 55 will be very small indeed. They are smaller than the smallest existing Alpha cameras (the Alpha 290). They are nearly as small as the NEX-5 camera.

Thanks to SonyAlphaRumors, you can see a marketing-based and meaningful size comparison:

Alpha 33 vs. Samsung NX10 vs. Panasonic G2

As was reported here about a month ago, Canon does not believe that it is necessary to leave the traditional APS-C DSLR format factor to compete with the EVIL cameras. Sony seems to have understood this too. But they decided to provide both the (still?) smaller ones (NEX series) and continuously shrinking ones (Alpha series). It will be interesting to see how this works in the end.

At least, Canon appears right and we can expect to see similar comparisons appearing with Canon bodies of the near future.

Compatible lenses for NEX

Additionally, some companies are rumored to be interested in providing a real competition in terms of lenses for the NEX camera range (Sony will no longer be alone). If Zeiss and Leica are actually present there in a few weeks, it will mean that this NEX camera series will certainly be a huge success, if only because of the large advertisement effort supported by several companies at the same time. However, it is nearly impossible to sort out the good information and the false rumors in what is said from all sides.

This is getting a bit surprising. Panasonic seems to be unable to ship Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 cameras. All other the world, only very limited quantities have been appearing.

Be very cautious in terms of prices, some companies seem to be charging horrendously high prices (sometimes more than $2000) with a high risk of not receiving the part in the short future. Be attentive and check regularly the available offers in the page for the GH1.

Major update to the photo SLR camera database: More than 30 new tests and reviews, in English, in French, for nearly all the photo cameras listed here.

All in all, you will find several hundred SLR camera tests, feature lists, prices and the special offers from our preferred partners.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 camera (the Lumix G1 + video features) is a bit late in arriving on the shelves. Initially expected at the end of March 2009, Panasonic officially announced that it will be available from the 24th of April, with an initial production rate of only 5000 per month.

Panasonic launches a new photo camera to follow in the tracks of the existing Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1. For the most part, the new Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 is a G1 that would have been upgraded to Mark II status by a video capture feature. This was clearly a relatively easy addition to a good camera. And it was needed to answer to the growing demand of customers more and more expecting this function whose playful side is promised to be the success of 2009.

• 1080p HD video capture at 24 fps
• 720p HD video capture at 60 fps

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1

But the most interesting part is still the announcement of two new lenses:

• Lumix G VARIO HD 14-140mm/f4.0-5.8 Asph
• Lumix G VARIO 7-14mm/f4.0 Asph

Lumix G VARIO HD 14-140mm/f4.0-5.8 Asph

Lumix G VARIO HD 7-14mm/f4.0 Asph

The PMA 2009 fair in Las Vegas is opening its doors and it is time to confirm or correct the rumours.

• Nikon is concentrating on existing SLR products: Nikon D700 is king.
• Sony is not introducing any new SLR camera.
• Panasonic is advertising strongly the existing Lumix DMC-G1

So, where are the news? Here are some of the notable items:

• Samsung offers new compact point-and-shoot cameras (NX series) with an APS-C imaging sensor. Direct competitors for the SLR cameras, in the “Image Quality” category.
• Olympus E-620
• 6 new lenses for the Sony SLR cameras (one undisclosed Sony G Super Telephoto, 28-75mm f/2.8, DT 30mm f/2.8 Macro, DT 50mm f/1.8, DT 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6, DT 55-200mm f/4-5.6)
• A new Panasonic Lumix GH1 (improvement over the G1 in 12MP with 1080p video)
• 2 new lenses for the Lumix cameras (14-140mm & 7-14mm)

We will certainly conclude that this issue of the world photo event is going to be tagged as “consumer-oriented” or “entry-level sensitive”.

Wall Street: Early afternoon light (by mkrigsman)

According to Canon Rumours, there could be some concentration moves around the camera manufacturers. Up to this, it’s just in line with what I’ve been telling about some brands whose CEOs have heart burns from the intense current competition.

But they also give us names and combinations to think about.

• Panasonic could buy the photo division of Leica. Assuredly weirder than certain.
• Panasonic could buy Olympus. Here comes credibility. And it would be industrially much more tenable.
• Samsung could buy Hoya, the owner of Pentax. If Pentax is suffering financial pains, Samsung is nearly certain to come and help. But why buy Hoya? This would be bizarre.

What do you think about this? There are already several point-and-shoot compact cameras using LCD touchscreens for all or part of the user interface. But, to this day, none of the major SLR camera manufacturers did try this on a them while it would be relatively easy to push this into a design budget for an expensive camera like SLRs. Nothing at Nikon, nothing at Canon, nothing at Sony, …

Who will be the first to bring this innovation? And I really think it is inevitable that it will come soon on our reflex cameras. Even if only because it reduces the number of needed buttons and it brings a certain flavor of technical progress that should appeal to most of the camera enthusiasts buying SLR cameras (just think about the unrelenting success of video modes which should -as a matter of fact- only be considered as anecdotal on a photo camera).

I think that it’s possible to list the best candidates for this:

• Low- to mid-range camera at Sony, like a Sony Alpha 400
• Entry-level camera at Nikon, like a Nikon D65
• Lowest price cameras at Samsung and Pentax, Pentax K3000, Samsung GX-3000 (and maybe even a mid-range option for these brands are striving to distinguish themselves technically from the market leaders)
• A complement to Panasonic DMC-G1 under the name of DMC-G2 or DMC-G3

This is all mere observation of technolody presence among the compact models (such point-and-shoot cameras like the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T77, the Nikon S60 Coolpix, the Samsung NV34HD or the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX580). And there is more reality to these remarks than to most predictions about the launch of presumed major products at the next PMA fair in Las Vegas.

The PMA fair which will happen in Las Vegas between the 3rd and the 5th of March 2009 will bring us many news and a few surprises. All the signs are there, as confirmed by my informers. There is only a few weeks to be patient, but expect most important news to be revealed a few days before the opening.

If you want to go through the various brands with me, we will see what is coming.
(more…)

As you already know, I list the tests and reviews of recent photo cameras in the database that I use to describe them (in the menu on the left). These last days, this is a deluge of new reviews that we received and listed for:

• Nikon D3x
• Canon EOS 5D MkII
• Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1

Canon lenses, which one is best?

It is often difficult but manageable to group lens reviews in order to compare/evaluate a little more than their mere physical characteristics (focal length, aperture/diaphragm, or even number of individual lenses). But how would you evaluate/review optical quality? When I see the difference really impressive between two lenses, I would be prepared to judge from their price, but a cheap wide-angle lens is not always worse than a slightly more expensive one (well… if the price difference is really large, it’s not only an accident and quality explains a lot).

So, where to?

I collected a few web sites appearing quite able to provide this kind of quality reviews/comparisons/evaluations/tests.

From here, I invite you to an orgy of lens reviews, lens tests, lens comparisons, lens evaluations. And remember to shoot some photos, too. It’s not only the lens which does the photo. Some are shot by telephones, if the photographer is an artist.