Nikon Surge
Nikon has just announced the D60—an upgrade to the D40X—and a trio of new lenses: The PC-E Nikkor 24mm f/3.5D ED Tilt/Shift, the AF-S Micro Nikkor 60mm f/2.8G ED and the AF-S DX Nikkor 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR.
A few things of note: First, all three lenses have virtually identical specs to their Canon counterparts. Now, it’s conceivable that there are optical and manufacturing reasons for why lens designs converge on similar parameters—but from where I sit, this looks very much like an attempt on Nikon’s part to match Canon’s lens range on what’s effectively a one-to-one basis. If this theory is correct, perhaps in the not too distant future we can expect to see a travel-friendly 70-200mm f/4 VR, a 24-105mm f/4 VR or a second-generation DX 17-55mm f/2.8, now with VR? Or near the higher end of the spectrum, how about a compact 400mm f/4 VR with diffractive optics, a 50mm f/1.2 or super telephotos above 600mm?
Second, this is Nikon’s first foray into tilt/shift lenses—a domain previously totally dominated by Canon. When the announced 45mm and 85mm tilt/shift lenses join the new 24mm in the lineup, the Nikon system will suddenly seem much more attractive to landscape and architecture photographers. Nikon’s newfound urge to go after markets that have been traditional Canon strongholds almost makes me wonder if there has been a leadership change within the company: Many of the announcements in the last few months seem to suggest a much more aggressive strategy than what we’ve seen in recent years. Either way, as Nikon closes the gap, consumers stand to gain.
Finally—and this is more of a question than a statement—could someone please explain to me why Nikon insists on using the term “Micro” for a macro lens, when the entire rest of the industry uses, well, “Macro”? Dumb.
January 29, 2008 #
Flash Gallery
Via JPG Magazine: A Flash-based photo gallery that doesn’t suck, by Matthew Mahon. Look out for the little icons that trigger hilarious video snippets with background information about each image.
January 27, 2008 #
Canon EOS 450D
And so, the big PMA 08 announcements have begun. First out Canon, with the Canon EOS 450D: Headline features include a 12 megapixel sensor, a 3″ LCD with Live View and a larger viewfinder, among other goodies. More details over at The Digital Photography Review.
Canon now finds itself in the slightly awkward position of having a low-end camera that matches or exceeds some of the specs of the midrange EOS 40D, released a mere five months ago. The 450D has a higher resolution sensor, a similar autofocus mechanism and what is presumably the same display. At the same time, the 40D is severely outdone by the Nikon D300, despite vaguely similar price points ($1300 vs. $1800). The stage seems to be set for an incremental update to the 40D in the coming months.
More interesting still is that the EOS 450D now has the same sensor resolution, roughly the same autofocus mechanism and a better display than the $2100 EOS 5D. Apples and oranges, to be sure, but with the 5D unchanged since August 2005, a refresh must be just around the corner.
January 24, 2008 #
Time Capsule
Out of the big Macworld 2008 announcements, the MacBook Air seems to be getting the most press. But professional photographers will probably stick with their trusty MacBook Pros, for performance and connectivity.
Time Capsule, on the other hand, is a pretty cool accessory for advanced amateurs—and probably many professionals as well. The 1GB configuration is big enough to hold smaller Aperture libraries, along with email, invoices and all that other business critical data. And let’s face it: For most of us, anything that makes backup less of a pain is a total godsend.
January 19, 2008 #
Rights Cheat Sheet
Exposure Compensation links to a downloadable flyer that explains photographers’ rights in public places in the US. I find that privately contracted security guards in particular can be a bit overzealous about keeping photographers away, so it’s good to know the letter of the law.
January 13, 2008 #
Triggers
You may remember the link to photographs of bullets in flight a while back? Well, if you’re curious about how it’s all done, here’s the answer.
January 12, 2008 #
A Photo Editor Uncovered
The secret superhero identity of A Photo Editor has been revealed: He is Rob Haggart, with recent gigs at Men’s Journal and Outside Magazine. Much to everyone’s relief, he intends to continue writing his sharp blog.
January 7, 2008 #
Strobist Photo of the Year
Over at Strobist, David Hobby and Chase Jarvis have selected the five Strobist Pictures of the Year. Ken Brown’s winning shot of a Mercedes 300SL is just stunning.
January 2, 2008 #