Photography news – Feb ’10

109228_aperture_mainI’ve been on the road for the majority of the last month so posts have been a little sparse. Over the last few weeks though there have been quite a few announcements in the photography world with the PMA tradeshow taking place in the US. In case you missed any of them, here is a quick run down of new developments.

  • Apple has announced Aperture 3. The third iteration of the popular image cataloging program features some big advances that look likely to bring it more in line with Adobe Lightroom. It even features full support for video including options to edit the videos in Aperture. Available to purchase here. You can download a free trial from the Apple website and give it a try for a month. At the moment I am using Lightroom 2.0 but I have been unimpressed with the speed of it. I’m definitely going to give Aperture 3 more than a passing glance, especially with its video support. I’ll report my findings but feel free to chime in with comments below of you have already given it a trial.
  • afs_16_35_vr_l_minNikon announced 2 new lenses , the 24mm 1.4 and the 16-35 f4 VR. With the 24mm lens Nikon is just playing catch up to Canon’s stunning 24mm 1.4 that I have recently purchased myself. I’m sure Nikon users will welcome the addition to their prime lineup. With the 16-35mm f4 VR though , Nikon looks to have produced a fantastic and currently unique lens, the only wide angle stabilized zoom available on the market. Previously Nikon had no compact f4 zooms where Canon now has a nice selection. Something that has been a frustration for Nikon shooters who would benefit from lighter weight lenses. With this lens though, Nikon has jumped right into that market AND added VR (for the canon shooters that is simply Nikon’s version of IS). If I were a Nikon shooter I would jump on this lens!!
  • EOS-550D-FULL-FRT-w-EF-S-18-55mm1Canon has announced a new Camera, the Rebel T2I or the 550d depending on which part of the world you live in. The camera features the same 18MP 1.6 crop sensor from the 7d and impressively retains all the same video functions as its more pricey brother. This is a very nicely specced camera for those looking to get into photography without breaking the bank. The 7d’s sensor is very capable of producing great images the the video functions of the T2I are much better than the other Rebels in the lineup. Obviously the T2I lags behind the 7d in terms of weather sealing and build quality as well as autofocus system but nonetheless its packing some impressive numbers for a camera retailing for much less than $1000!
  • 8-16mm-F4.5-5.6-EX-DG-HSMSigma introduces a slew of new lenses at PMA but the one that caught my eye was the new 8-16mm f4.5-5.6. This is a rectilinear lens designed for crop body sensors and produces the widest available non-distorted view yet for these types of cameras. All you guys out there shooting the 7d should definitely keep an eye out for a review. Looks like an interesting product. They also announced an 85mm 1.4 lens. Given the prohibitive price of the Canon version of this lens, this could be a winner too if the IQ is in the right ball park. We’ll have to wait for some reviews.
  • EX1_FS_B_GlobalSamsung has now joined the field of high quality pocket friendly digi-cams with the new EX-1. Featuring an f1.8 24mm lens it sets itself up firmly against the likes of the Panasonic lx3 and the Canon G11 or S90. The f1.8 lens is the fastest in it’s field and it also features a flip out screen like the G11. Again, this has just been announced so we will have to wait for some reviews but it’s one to keep an eye on if you are interested in a high quality point and shoot that lets you capture RAW images.

Canon was not present at the PMA show but they will have a strong presence at the upcoming WPPI show next month. Expect at least a couple of new lenses from them, including the oft-rumored 24-70 2.8 IS (via CR). We should also be seeing the firmware update for the 5dMKII early next month that will enable 24p mode. Recent rumors have also indicated that there will be some new audio features enabled too , audio meters and maybe a live on-screen histogram. There were a lot of other things announced at PMA but the majority were consumer p&S cameras that I have no interest in. These are just the things that caught my eye though.

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Dan Carr

Founder of Shutter Muse, full time photographer and creative educator. Dan lives in the Canadian Yukon, but his wanderlust often sends him in search of images all around the world to meet the needs of clients and readers alike.

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