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I case you missed last weeks announcement of Nikon’s new flagship DSLR, the full frame D3X, here a few of the important stats.

• FX-format CMOS image sensor with 24.5 effective megapixels.

• Low noise from ISO 100 to ISO 1600.

• Near-instantaneous shutter release time lag of approx. 0.04 second.

• 5-frames-per-second continuous shooting in full frame format and 7 fps in DX crop mode.

• Live View mode for shooting hand held and with a tripod.

• High-resolution 3-inch VGA-size LCD monitor with tempered glass.

• Intelligent power management that allows you shoot up to 4,400 frames on a single battery charge.

• Estimated selling price of $7999.95—available in December 2008.

For a full rundown on the camera, take a look at Rob Galbraith’s review.

— Ken Geiger

Most of my day is spent researching stories, editing, attending meetings, or unraveling digital work-flow issues. So when I have the chance to get out of the office, explore a new city, the embers of a stifled photographer start to smolder. Paris was the first stop on my way to Photokina, in Cologne, Germany.

Never having spent any time in the City of Lights, I was eager to take in all the prime destinations—Notre Dame, the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower—and of course not take one photograph simply to prove I had arrived. I wanted to try and make a few images, postcards using Paris as the inspiration, yet play and enjoy the compositions, art, and architecture as they were segmented momentarily in my viewfinder. 

I’m a real creature of habit, especially when I find some little piece of gear that makes my life as a photographer easier. To that point I recently learned some sad news, one of my favorite products has been slated for EOL.

Well I didn’t know what EOL was either, I had to ask—it stands for end of life. SanDisk is ending production of its SD and SDHC Plus line of memory cards. In an earlier blog I pimped the benefits of not having to carry around a card reader and cables, because the SD Plus memory card folds in half and plugs directly into a USB slot.

Seems putting a SDHC and USB controller on one of these convenient little cards makes them slightly more expensive, and so I deduce not as palatable to the thrifty shopper. For me the couple extra dollars is worth the convenience of have not having to drag around a card reader on vacation.

If you like these memory cards, get your fill while supplies last, because after the end of the year they may be as rare as hen’s teeth.

— Ken Geiger

Addressing the concerns of many professional photographers who want to love the M8, Leica has introduced a second iteration of their digital rangefinder—the M8.2. The most notable of the many enhancements is the dramatic reduction in shutter and winder noise. Not only is the camera operationally quieter, the reworked shutter gives the camera a much smoother feel—harking back to the M4 experience.

The M8.2 also targets the new less experienced Leica user with the addition of a snapshot mode, where the camera controls all the key settings needed to create the perfect exposure.

The Leica M rangefinder has always been a pleasure to use and a brilliant tool for discreet reportage. Version two of the M8 certainly sets this camera back on the path forged in 1925, a path that changed modern photography.

For more information on the M8.2 check out the Leica website; it also has details on how you can have your current M8 upgraded to the functionality of the M8.2.

— Ken Geiger

The professional community has been eagerly awaiting news of the EOS 5D replacement, and today the long anticipated full-frame Canon EOS 5D Mark II was unveiled. The 5D was first released in 2005 with a palatable price point; its low weight and full frame sensor have made it a favorite tool for many National Geographic photographers.

The 5D MK II comes with an even larger CMOS sensor, 21.1 megapixels, 3.9 continuous frames per second, and an expanded ISO range compliments of the new DIGIC 4 processor. Live-view video can be captured at 1920x1080 pixels (30 frames per second) with stereo sound and individual clips lasting 4GB—about 12 minutes.  As an added benefit, still frames can also be captured while HD video recording is in progress!

Canon has even lowered the price of the 5D MKII to $2,699, with arrival scheduled at the end of November. More 5D MKII images and details after the jump.

— Ken Geiger

The hardware continues to roll out in advance of Photokina. SanDisk today announced a whopping 32-gigabyte compact flash card with data transfer speeds of 30 megabytes per second. According to Sandisk the 32GB Extreme III CF card can store more than 80 minutes of HD video. All National Geographic photographs are captured RAW, so a high capacity card is extremely valuable when using high pixel count cameras like the Canon 1Ds MKIII or the new Sony A900. Underwater photographers will also rejoice, as the new 32GB Extreme III will increase bottom shooting time. Imagine matching this card with the Nikon D3 and its dual CF card slots—64GB if in-camera storage!

— Ken Geiger

Digital SLR cameras have come a long way in a few short years; all are feature rich, and with each new model milestones topple. Sony has broken another barrier for the serious photo enthusiast in bringing to market their flagship A900—a full-frame 24.6 megapixel CMOS sensor capable of five continuous frames per second—all for about $3000.

The viewfinder has been designed with a 100 percent field of view, and the A900 also comes equipped with the world’s first anti-shake system for a full-frame sensor.

“The camera’s newly developed, body-integrated SteadyShot Inside unit achieves an anti-shake effect equivalent to shutter speeds faster by 2.5 to 4 stops.”

Among the features, intelligent preview seems to be an option that will save both time and frustration creating properly exposed photographs—by giving you the ability to fine tune an exposure before the next image is committed to one of the camera’s two memory cards.

“After pressing the depth of field preview button, the camera 'grabs' a RAW preview image, which is processed and displayed on the LCD screen. You can then fine-tune white balance, determine the best level and effect of dynamic range optimization, adjust exposure compensation, and check histogram data, all before you actually take the picture.”

The A900 will be available in November with online pre-orders beginning September 10th. More detailed camera images after the jump.   

— Ken Geiger

Video capture in a digital SLR camera, it’s about time! YAHOO!!!! Congratulations, Nikon, for being the first manufacturer in the world to add 24 fps 1,280x720 pixel video to a D-SLR. Sure there are some limitations in the D90 compared to even a low-end video camera but just think of the possibilities—like shooting wildlife sequences with a 600mm f 4.0. Those of us who just dabble in video will now be able to repurpose still gear that has taken thousands of dollars and years to acquire for a new hobby.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve talked to camera manufacturers about the need to incorporate video capture into the professional digital SLR. It was during the first phases of the war with Iraq that I realized how important it was to get video capability into the hands of professional still photographers—but not at the cost of burdening the photographer with two completely different camera systems. Video equipment is especially fragile—our video camera lasted three days before succumbing to the brutal Iraqi dust. Sorry, I was having a little flashback to my days at the Dallas Morning News.

My point is that given the number of embedded still photographers and the lack of video photographers, the war with Iraq was the perfect opportunity for still photographers to broaden our understanding of what was happening on the ground—if only they had the proper tools. Given the insatiable appetite for video on the Web, I’m sure the D90 is just a first step in getting the right tools into the hands of professionals.

That said, the D90 is not a professional camera. It’s a CMOS 12.3 megapixel, 4.5 fps, mid-range D-SLR that will sell for under $1,000.

Full tech specs unabashedly copied from the Nikon Web site after the jump; more photos too.

— Ken Geiger

SanDisk has pegged the data transfer meter for SDHC with the announcement today of the Extreme III 30MB/s SD card. The 30MB/s edition (megabytes per second) will come to market in September and will be available in 4GB, 8GB and a whopping 16GB. The 16GB version will have a selling price of $179.99.

The speed of the camera's recording media correlates directly to the number of frames that can be written during a continuous burst—before a memory buffer overrun occurs. Here’s an example from Canon’s 50D literature.

It can shoot up to 6.3 fps, in bursts of up to 90 JPEGs (using an UDMA CF card), 60 JPEGs (using a CF card) consecutively or 16 RAW files, so you'll never, ever miss a shot.

Though the 50D uses only CF (compact flash) cards, Nikon’s newly announced D90 will be able to use the Extreme III 30MB/s cards. According to the press release, Nikon and SanDisk have been working closely to ensure that the D90 will take full advantage of the 30MB/s data transfer rate.

Though the Canon EOS 1D MKIII and EOS1Ds MKIII both have SD recording slots, the DIGIC III processor in these cameras will pump out only 15MB/s. Perhaps the next two Canon pre-Photokina camera announcements will be equipped with DIGIC 4 image processors, able to take advantage of the SanDisk Extreme III 30MB/s edition.

— Ken Geiger

Getting a jump on Photokina next month, Canon has added a mid-level digital SLR to its roster. The 50D joins the team with 15.1 megapixels of resolution, a continuous firing rate of 6.3 frames per second, improved noise reduction and an expanded ISO range topping out at 12800.

The EOS 50D will be equipped with a redesigned CMOS APS-C sensor, sporting gapless micro lenses over each pixel, which helps reduce digital noise and expands ISO sensitivity. Nikon has gained ground, if not surpassed Canon in recent months with the success of its expanded ISO range in the D3 and D700.

Estimated price for the 50D body is $1,399.00, with an arrival date set for October—well ahead of the Christmas buying season. For more of a technical overview check out Rob Galbraith’s website.

The Canon press release follows after the jump.

— Ken Geiger

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