Nikon, Sony, Scott Kelby Launch New Products

Nikon P7100

Ok, so if you read yesterday’s blog, you know Nikon and Scott Kelby planned big announcements a day after Canon announced new point and shoots. I really wonder if the Nikon and Canon PR people hang out; you know, maybe have lunch or meet for drinks. It would go something like this:

Nikon: Hey, when are you announcing those point-and-shoots?

Canon: August 23rd. Why?

Nikon: Oh, shoot, we’re rolling out new point-and-shoots too.

Canon: Well, should we flip a coin to see who goes first?

Nikon: Nah, you go first. We’ll just announce ours the very next day!

Canon: Well that’s jolly good of you…. OMG, look who just walked in! It’s Sony.

Nikon: Pfft. Don’t make eye contact.

Canon: Crap, they totally see us. They’re coming this way. Act natural.

Yes, despite fever-pitch speculation about a new DSLR, Nikon updated it’s P7000 with the P7100 as well other Coolpix point-and-shoots. Read more about it here:

Nikon Rumors

PDN Online

Not to be left out of the party, Sony refreshed it’s DSLR line, introducing four new Alphas including one which it calls the “fastest continuous autofocus” with 12 frames per second at 24 megapixels.

Sony Alpha 77

 

Lastly, Scott Kelby let the cat of of the bag on his big news. I read yesterday that the announcement would not be Nikon related and “rdavisphoto” commented on my blog yesterday telling us to get our IPads ready. It turns out, Kelby is launching a new magazine designed for the IPad aimed at teaching photographers about lighting. Check out the video:

 

So there you have it. Those are the big announcements. Now we can all go back to grinding our teeth until Canon or Nikon update its DSLRs. There are still a few months left in the year and the latest rumor is to expect a Canon 5D MKIII in October.

Damn, here comes Olympus…pretend you don’t see them!

Canon and Nikon News Round-Up

I haven’t done a “Photography News Round-Up” in a while; mostly because I usually post items of interest on my Facebook page which then gets posted on Twitter. So if you are already following me there, the following items won’t be news to you. For everyone else, I wanted to get you up to speed on some things you might have missed last week.

First up: from Nikon Rumors, the Nikon D90 is now officially on the “discontinued” list. It was replaced by the D7000 last year.

In other Nikon news: a guest post on Nikon Rumors last week tested the sharpness of 16 different lenses.  There’s a slideshow gallery and you can view the larger images on Flickr.

Over on the Canon Rumors site, there’s word that there may be updates to both the 1.4 and 1.8 versions of the 50mm lens.

You probably read in a previous post about price increases for camera lenses and bodies most likely due to supply disruptions in Japan. Well, if it’s any consolation, Canon Rumors is also reporting that 3 lenses are part of Canon’s spring rebate program. They are:

• EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 ($150 rebate)
• EF 75-300mm f/4.5.6 ($50 rebate)
• EF-S 55-200mm f/4-5.6 ($100 rebate)

Not exciting enough? Well there are also reports that Best Buy has started a price war on many Nikon and Canon lenses and bodies. I checked the prices against Amazon, and if they are true, then they really look like good deals. The 5D MKII, for example, is listed at $2124 with in-store pick-up only. But when I checked on the Best Buy site for stores in the Orlando area, not only was the price around $2800, but they were out of stock. If you’re interested, click the link and check it out for yourself. Let me know if you have any luck. Happy hunting!

5D MKIII Rumors and More in Photo News Round-Up

[NOTE: If you came to this blog post looking for information on the 5D MKIII, this post was written in Jan. 2011. The latest news is that Canon may announce the MKIII on March 2, 2012. Check the Canon Rumors site linked below for the latest.]

If you follow the Canon Rumors site, then you know there’s been lots of buzz about the replacement for the 5D MKII. The rumors vary on release dates, even naming convention and a possible 28MP sensor.

Well, PC World just stirred the pot a bit by listing its most anticipated cameras of 2011. Among them is the 5D MKIII. Here’s the juicy part:

It may offer a 24 Megapixel sensor and dual DIGIC 4 processors. The 3-inch display may be an articulated LCD screen with 1.04 million dots. What is more, it may be touch sensitive, making it the first full-frame camera with such technology.

The article says to expect it before the end of June. We shall see. It also says it could be called the 6D and I disagree with that. The lower the number the higher the class; hence the 7D is not as advanced as the 1D series but it is more advanced, than say, the 60D. So to call it the 6D would imply that it’s not as good as the 5D MKII. Why would Canon update the MKII and not make it significantly better? I would say it might be called the Mark III or the 4D.

Also on the list is a Panasonic Lumix which makes a perfect segue into a bit of news I spotted on the PetaPixel site. The company just announced four new Lumix compact cameras. Hit the link for the details.

Lastly, Joe McNally and David Hobby (Strobist) are going on tour! No, it’s not a rock concert, but no two people rock more when it comes to off-camera flash. It’s called the Flash Bus Tour and it might be coming to a city near you. If  you want to learn hot-shoe and off camera flash, you must go. Just don’t throw your panties on stage…Just sayin’.