According to rumor, we will see Pentax K30 soon. It is a mid-range DSLR camera. Like Pentax K200D, it has weather sealing feature and a relatively compact form. But unfortunately, it seems like there will be no top LCD screen.

Pentax K30 spec:

• 16 MP
• 4 fps continuous burst
• Record full HD video
• ISO up to 25600
• 2 dials
• Built-in image stabilizer (Shake Reduction)
• use Li-Ion or AA batteries
• Price: about $800-900 with Pentax 18-55mm WR lens

Pentax K30 is suited for people who want a compact DSLR camera for travel, especially to places that has extreme weather. If you don’t want to wait, there is Pentax K5 (around $250 more expensive). Pentax K5 is tougher (with magnesium alloy casing), faster 8 fps, and has top LCD screen.

One of the mandatory filter for landscape photography is circular polarizer. In the digital era, this filter is still needed because it is difficult to get rid of unwanted reflection in post processing. This filter is very useful to reduce/eliminate excessive reflection in non-metallic surfaces such as in pool, beach, stones, and glass. In addition, the polarizer filter can be use to increase contrast. The effect is similar to wearing sunglasses in the sunny day.

Polarizer restricts amount of light coming into the camera up to 1.5 to 2 stops. So you can use it to get slower shutter speed for shooting waterfall pictures or shooting portraiture with flash. Polarizer filter is effective when you use it on early morning or late evening, when the sun is still low and there is no clouds.

Below are examples of the effects of a polarizer filter:

Left: with polarizer, Right: without

Left: with polarizer, Right: without

For photographers who are interested in buying a polarizer filter, my advice is to buy good quality filter so your photo quality is not compromised. Good filter is also more resistant to dust, water and fingerprints. Example: Hoya HD, HOYA PRO-1 & B + W.

Leica X2 is an upgrade from Leica X1, an advanced compact with APS-C sized sensor and 24mm f/2.8 lens (equivalent to 36mm). X2 will fix X1 problems such as slow auto focus, and no electronic viewfinder. Image resolution is improved to 16 MP, and ISO range 100-12500. Unfortunately the LCD screen resolution remain low at 230K.

Here’s Leica X2 specifications:

• 16 MP APS-C sized sensor
• fixed Leica 24mm f/2.8 lens
• faster auto focus with face detection
• Made in Germany (hand made, high precision)
• ISO 100-12500
• Shutter speed: 30s-1/2000s
• 5 fps continuous shooting, 8 fps with fixed exposure
• 2.7 LCD with 230k resolution.
• Leica viso-flex electronic viewfinder resolution 1.4 million dots
• Price: $1900

Leica M Monochrom is the first full frame digital camera that has black and white sensor. It can’t see colors, so it only captures luminance values. Designwise, Leica M Monochrom is identical with Leica M9, which is a rangefinder design. Having a true Black and White sensor, Leica M Monochrom will have advantage on sharpness and dynamic range. This camera will be great for people that has a great passion for black and white photography such as street photographers.

Here’s the Leica M Monochrom spec and price

• 18 MP CCD full frame 35mm sensor
• 2.5 inch LCD screen with 230k dots
• Native ISO 320-10000
• Price: $7999 body only

The problem for photographers/hobbyists is the price is set very high, so only feww people  can afford to buy it. Hopefully, other manufacturers such as Panasonic sees B&W sensor potential and decided to make one with mass market price.

According to the rumor, Nikon D600 will be released at Photokina 2012, which is held on September this year. Nikon D600 will be an entry level Nikon full frame (FX) series. D600 is not a replacement for Nikon D300s or D700. It is positioned in the middle of the two.

D600 is designed for amateurs/hobbyists who want to taste the full frame camera without having to spend $2000+ To save cost, Nikon will likely to:

1. Use a cheaper Auto Focus module (39 AF points instead of 51 AF points)

2. May not has built-in auto focus motor. So users will only able to use AF if they use AF-S lenses or lenses that has internal AF motor built-in. Cheaper Nikon AF-S zoom lens will also be available (24-70mm f/3.5-5.6)

3. Cheaper but less strong body materials.

According to rumor, Nikon D600 also will has these following features:

• 24 MP sensor
• 5 fps continuous shooting speed
• 2 SD card slots with eye-fi support
• 1/250 flash sync speed
• Two user setting U1 & U2
• GPS
• HD Video
• in-camera RAW editor
• Built-in time lapse ability
• Built-in HDR

I think that D600 will not sway the current Nikon D700 owners, because D700 is still a better camera in many respects especially the auto focus module and continuous shooting speed (with battery grip). D700 does not have ability to record HD video or 24 MP tho. Nikon D600 might be an interesting camera for D7000 or D300S users who plan to jump into full frame category without having to spend over $2000.

Thinktank Photo announces new camera roller bag for serious photographers today. Thinktank Photo is the pioneer of lightweight camera bags for traveler and photojournalists. So, what’s special about this new product “Airport 4-Sight” ?

It has four wheels, so you can walk with the bag rather rather than pulling the bag. It also has a more compact size comparable to other roller bag so you will able to fit in on most aircraft. Although it appears quite small, but you’ll able to fit 2 DSLR camera bodies with 4 lenses and accesories. It also has cable management pocket for organizer. So it will satisfy the needs of most of the working pro or serious amateurs.

This bag design with 4 wheels will solve problems with fatique and inconveniences. You’ll be able to walk in the narrow alley or airport aisle without a problem. It also has four handles, which is excellent for carrying alternative and easier to retrieve from overhead bin.

Thinktank Photo will provide a free kit for replacing worn out wheels. How sweet!

Canon Gears interior

Check out other Thinktank Photo products or shop Think Tank Photo products at Amazon.com

We notice that there are quite many new cameras and lenses at the beginning of this year. From there, we can see camera & lens trend for this year and going forward.

1. Better image sensor technology
As the time progresses, the image resolution increases. Nikon DSLR Camera’s resolution rose from 12 MP (2008) to 16 MP (2010), then 24 & 36 MP (2012). Other manufacturers are also slowly increase the resolution of their image sensor such as Panasonic and Olympus from 12 MP to 16 MP. Canon is rather careful and stay at 18 MP and 22 MP.

Improved image resolution is followed by noise cancellation technology so that at high ISO, image quality is slightly better than its predecessor. Manufacturers also experiment with new sensor design. Fujifilm develops X-Trans sensor and Nikon D800E eliminates AA filter. Both sensors are noticeable sharper than most of other DSLR cameras on the market today.

Improvement of image quality sensor is certainly an encouraging news. But to use it optimally, we need a better lens as well. If not, the resulting photos are not sharp.

2. Lens technology is getting optimized for video
Recently introduced lenses are quick and quiet when focusing. In addition, there are some zoom lens that features a lever for zooming such as Panasonic X 14-42mm, 45-175mm and Olympus 12-50mm f/3.5-6.3. By using technology like this, the zoom will be much smoother and silent. In the future, there may be even more lenses optimized for video recording.

Olympus 12-50mm is a complete package, it has power zoom, macro capability, and weather sealed

3. Internet Connectivity
In the era of the internet and online social media, DSLR camera is quite behind in terms of connectivity compare to cellphone or tablets. In early 2012, we began to see some products that have the WiFi feature such as Nikon D3200 (with adapter), and a new generation of Samsung NX (NX1000, NX20, NX210). This feature allows you to upload photos directly from camera to the internet / social media (facebook, flickr, instagram etc.).

Samsung announces new NX series today. All of these cameras will have 20 MP sensor and built-in WiFi. All of them also will be compatible with i-function. (button on Most of Samsung NX lenses that allow you to use focus ring to adjust any of these function: shutter speed, aperture and exposure compensation with the option to add ISO and white balance).

The key difference here compared to Canon or Nikon DSLR is the built-in WiFi feature. This feature will allows you to share images directly from camera to the web.

Samsung NX1000 : Small form factor, available in several colors, plastic casing, cheapest.

Samsung NX210 : Very similar to Samsung NX200, compact and has metallic finish.

Samsung NX20 : Has electronic viewfinder and swivel LCD screen. Suitable for demanding enthusiasts.

Nikon D3200 is announced today. It has 24 MP and has wireless mobile adapter available for wireless transfer to tablet/cell phone via wireless mobile adapter WU-1A (sold separately). Nikon D3200 price is $699. It will be available in black or red color.

Image quality wise, it will be a significant improvement over Nikon D3100, and about the same as Nikon D5100 & D7000. However, in low light condition, D5100 & D7000 is a bit better. Check out Nikon D3200 sample images.

Other differences include improvement in LCD resolution: 230k -> 910k, and faster continuous shooting: 3-4 fps.

Nikon D3200

In the same occasion, Nikon releases Nikon 28mm f/1.8G is a high quality prime lens. It is designed for serious amateur and professionals. Nikon 28mm f/1.8G is a wide angle lens. It is great for landscape, interior and street photography. It is best suited for Nikon full frame / FX camera such as Nikon D700, D800, D3, D4. Check out Nikon 28mm f/1.8G sample images on Nikon website.

Nikon 28mm f/1.8G

]]> http://www.radiantlite.com/2012/04/nikon-d3200-announced-with-28mm-f1-8g-and-wireless-mobile-adapter.html/feed 3 http://www.radiantlite.com/2012/04/nikon-d3200-rumor-with-pictures.html http://www.radiantlite.com/2012/04/nikon-d3200-rumor-with-pictures.html#comments Wed, 18 Apr 2012 21:48:31 +0000 Enche Tjin http://www.radiantlite.com/?p=5504

Nikon D3200 pictures are all over the web now. It will be available on two colors: red and black. Nikon D3200 is an entry level camera with improved design and image resolution.

Nikon D3200 in red

According to Nikon Rumor, it will has 24 MP image resolution, 11 auto focus points, 4 fps continuous shooting and 100-12800 ISO range. Body design is very similar to Nikon D3100. The only noticeable different is slanted grip. It is quite similar to Nikon D800 grip. Nikon D3200 price is not announced yet, but I believe it will be around $649 with a zoom kit lens when it hits the store.

Nikon D3100 is announced. News here.