Edited by Georg...
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Sep 18, 2012
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Published: Aug 01, 2012
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8 comments
Every year the Technical Image Press Association (TIPA), a worldwide association of photo and imaging magazine editors, meets to pick the Best of Class in a wide range of photo categories. As the sole US member of the association, Shutterbug joins editors from Europe, Asia, and Africa in the nominating, judging, and selection process. One of the most exciting aspects of photography today is the constant advancement of technology and design, and this year’s Top Products reflect that spirit and those accomplishments, including new categories of Video D-SLR and Mobile App. Editor George Schaub joins all fellow TIPA members in congratulating those selected to receive the prestigious TIPA award. (To learn more about TIPA, please visit the website at: www.tipa.com.)
As advanced electronics continue to supplant more and more elements of camera function and design, often displacing optical and mechanical systems, the camera of the future is being redefined. To give you a clearer picture of the emerging technologies that are destined to change the shape of cameras to come, let’s take a closer look at the implications of some of the emerging new tech found in the latest models.
The half-frame 35mm Olympus Pen F was introduced in 1963 and featured none other than the late W. Eugene Smith, cigarette dangling from his lips, in magazine ads of the time. Its latest digital incarnation, the E-P3, is built using the Micro Four Thirds system that unlike the Pen F is not half-frame and uses the same chip size (17.3x13mm) as the standard Four Thirds system. Like the original Pen F, it’s an extremely sophisticated camera wrapped in a compact, interchangeable lens body that delivers SLR performance and lots more. The E-P3 is the flagship of the Olympus Micro Four Thirds system and part of a family of compact cameras that includes the E-PL3, E-PM1 a.k.a. Mini, new lenses, and a clever little wireless speedlight.
The 12.1-megapixel Nikon COOLPIX P500 ($399.95, MSRP) is an integral lens camera with an incredible zoom range of 36x—that’s optical, not digital zoom and it gives you the equivalent angle of view of a wide-angle 22.5mm to a super tele of 810mm! The Zoom-Nikkor ED glass lens can also be used for “super close-ups” with a minimum focusing distance of 0.4”.
In the report on the Canon PowerShot G11 (April, 2010, available at www.shutterbug.com) I concluded by saying that it was “an excellent traveling companion.” Ditto on the new G12 ($499, MSRP), the latest iteration of the Canon “G” line of integral lens cameras aimed at the photo enthusiast. In fact, you could ditto many of the form, function, and features of the G12 with the G11, so I will not...
The Nikon D3100 ups the D3000’s megapixel ante from 10.2 megapixels to 14.2, adds Live View, video capture, and support for all functions of AI-P Nikkor lenses except autofocus and 3D Color Matrix Metering II.
Our show report this year is an amalgam of product news and trend spotting, which pretty much reflects what photokina has stood for in our minds. The sense of a United Nations of photography still prevails at this increasingly European-directed show, but the image and its uses is still the universal tie that binds.
The promise of Micro Four Thirds system cameras is that you get the light weight and portability of a smallish point-and-shoot camera with the lens interchangeability and functions of an advanced D-SLR.
Many in the digital imaging industry have commented that the line between the features offered on digital cameras and camcorders is blurring. Camcorders still have their value for shooting event-driven occasions, like sports games or recitals, and have zoom ranges that can reach an impressive 78x zoom. However, for more spur-of-the-moment video opportunities, Panasonic offers several...
“Of all of our inventions for mass communication, pictures still speak the most universally understood language.”—Walt Disney
It’s a photokina year and you know what that means; all of the camera manufacturers will be holding off their newest SLRs for launch at the big show in Germany this fall. While Canon was not at PMA, they officially launched the EOS-1D Mark IV...
The awkwardly named yet highly competent K-x is another entry-level D-SLR from Pentax (www.pentaximaging.com) that combines impressive for-the-money 12.4-megapixel resolution with copious amounts of style. The K-x is available in your choice of white or black as well as special, limited edition red and navy versions, all with a body price...
The Sony Alpha A550 (with kit 18-55mm lens, $1049 list; body only, $949 list) takes us another step forward with in camera processing of HDR and DRO functions. While these items, to me, are the headliners for this camera, other camera amenities add to its allure. These include an articulating monitor, two Live View modes, very good high ISO results, a fast 5 fps (frames per second) shooting rate...
Note From The Editor Our criteria for doing a test on an integral lens camera is whether or not we think it would be a camera that a seasoned photographer could appreciate and use as a second body to back up a D-SLR, or even as the sole camera on a trip where a D-SLR would be cumbersome or burdensome. The camera in question should have many of—but not all—the...
Micro Four Thirds format cameras promise of compact size, reduced weight, and versatility approaching a D-SLR. I recently had the opportunity to work with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 to see how it fulfilled those ambitions.
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