Latest Sony A850 review at PhotographyBlog. The camera got almost perfect score : 4.5 out of 5 star. The review also compares A850 to its main rivals : Canon EOS 7D and Nikon D3x
Here’s some interesting point on the review:
The Sony A850 is virtually identical to the A900 for significantly less money, with the only concessions to price being the slightly smaller viewfinder coverage, slower burst shooting mode and the lack of a remote control in the box.
Its viewfinder is one of the best you’ll find south of medium format, the build is incredibly robust, the controls are intuitive, with some of them – such as the dedicated Histogram button, the metering mode knob or the well-implemented rear joystick – being close to pure genius
In terms of image quality, the A850 is also hard to find fault with. The resolution is jaw-dropping, the dynamic range is fantastic, the tonality is great and the colours are pleasing
The AF points need to be arranged more sensibly, and all of them need to be a cross type – or a double cross type, like the central one – in order to be really useful
Canon has released the latest firmware updates for Canon EOS 7D and Canon 550D / Rebel T2i. These updates will fix some problems during operation with flashes and some controls.
Fixes a phenomenon in which the settings of the Speedlite Transmitter ST-E2 revert to the default settings when both the camera and the ST-E2 are set to auto power off.
Fixes a phenomenon in which the Macro Ring Lite (MR-14EX, MT24-EX) and slave flashes do not sync while shooting wirelessly.
Firmware updates for Canon 550D/ T2i ( version 1.0.9 )
Fixes a phenomenon in which tone jumps become noticeable in some images, depending on the shooting scene, when shooting with the Auto Lighting Optimizer settings (Low / Standard / Strong).
According to SAR , the firmware update for Sony DSLR A850 / A900 will available for download on December 2th. The update will upgrade the autofocus speed and other performances. Chinese manual for firmware upgrade also leaked at DCHome forum.
List of improvements ( according to the manual ):
Release shutter without lens (same as A580/Nex)…
EV compensation upgrade from +3/-3 to +5/-5
HDR enhance from +2/-2 EV to +3/-3 EV (same as A580 upgrade)
Improved AF speed and accuracy, especially in Tele end
Canonrumors has posted information they’ve received that Digic V processor will be available in 2011. Canon is quiet at 2010. Maybe 2011 will be their year after some rumors about Canon EVIL camera and this Digic V processor
*New Processors*
Over at NL they
received information that DIGIC V would show up in 2011. The 1Ds replacement
would utilize the new processor. As you can expect, better image quality, movie
quality and throughput should be expected.
*More DIGIC V*
I was told a little while ago that there would be 2 versions of DIGIC V. It
wasn’t explained as to what the different versions would be. I file this under
really big grain of salt.
Latest Pentax K-5 review by PhotographyBlog and PentaxForums.com
some PhotographyBlog interesting points:
The only real negative point in terms of handling is the improved but still rather slow contrast AF system which detracts from the Live View mode.
The K-5′s image quality is excellent, producing noise-free images all the way from from ISO 80-800. Noise starts to become apparent at ISO 1600, with a little more noise and smearing of fine detail at the higher settings of 3200 and 6400, while the fastest speeds of 12800, 25600 are suitable for smaller prints
Exposures were generally 1/3rd EV stop under-exposed, perfect for retaining detail in the highlight areas without sacrificing the shadow are as too much, and colours were accurate using the default Bright setting
as with most of the other DSLR cameras on the market that offer video recording, it’s not the most user-friendly experience, with no handy one-touch recording, reliance on manual focusing, inability to change the aperture or shutter speed during recording, enormous file sizes that quickly fill your memory cards, and the inherent handling quirks of the DSLR format
While the K-5 doesn’t differ all that much from the older K-7, it does add some significant new features which help ensure that Pentax’s prosumer DSLR continues to be a very attractive alternative to the Big Two’s offerings
ePhotozine gives positive reviews on Olympus E-5 DSLR , the latest micro-third DSLR that aimed at professionals and higher end amateurs. Despite of its expensive price , behind that price tag is superior image quality and performances the buyers could ask for.
The Nikon SB700 announced by Nikon Japan at Photokina 2010. It will replace SB600 with slightly more power and better controls (adapted from SB900). Other improvement is its multi-step auto zoom offers extended reach from 24 to 120mm , rather than SB600′s 24-85mm.
Nikon suggested a retail price of ¥44,100 (approx. US $450)
TopazLabs has announced their latest plugin , the Topaz Infocus, is a photoshop plugin that give you the tools to sharpen your images. InFocus uses advanced deconvolution technology, which reverses the effects of image blur and restores image integrity. The new program also features a one-of-a-kind blur estimation tool to help detect and resolve unknown and complex image blur.
