Digital Camera Information

It looks like the 12 megapixel Nikon D90 or even the D60x is due soon. If rumors are true where Nikon may omit the autofocus motor, then the latter is a strong possibility. I certainly hope not.

It seems Canon may announce the successor to the Canon 400D soon. According to all the rumors; thanks to Mr Robert Westin. He states that it may be the 24th January 2008 to be more precise.

The new model? Who knows? Most likely it will be the Canon 450D with a 12 mega pixel CMOS sensor and of course a 3 inch LCD screen. It seems everyone is moving towards the larger size these days.

The other rumor is the replacement for the Canon 5D and according to Tech.sina.com, it mentions the Canon 70D and even a 320D? on the UPC. Check it out!

Source

Although the current focus is on the impending release of the Canon 40D, there is another competitor lurking in the bush. No it’s not Nikon, Olympus or even Fuji film, its Sony.

Remember - Sony makes the sensor for Nikon DSLR and they are about to introduce 3 new models to compete against the likes of Canon, Nikon and every other DSLR manufacturer in the world. With strong competition, Sony have decided to add as many features into their DSLR such as higher mega pixels, image stabilization, faster processor in an attempt to have that competitive edge. So far, the up and coming second generation cameras seem to provide the goods.

According to the French website www.photoim.net, they have posted the following specification on the high end amateur model and this has been translated to English.

There has been suggestions the name of the new model may be called the Sony A300 with the high end model called the A500. Again, speculations are that the Sony A500 could have a sensor with up to 20 mega pixels.

Here is an interesting post from a member (akio mizumi) of the Dyxum forum that supports the above claims . Although it’s only rumors, some of the information does match the above specifications.

“I already told you that my brother-in-law works for Sony on the Alpha project. Here is some more info, some is repeated from my previous posts. The advanced model will be 14.* MP and close to FF. It will have 1.25x factor and a switch for lenses with 1.5 factor. It will be called A300. Because of the pixel pattern similar to Sony ClearVid CMOS sensors, Sony will claim up to 2x effective pixel resolution. The flagship model will be called A500 and will be 100% full frame. Nikon is supplying Sony new steppers to create FF sensors in one shot. Sony first joined forces with Konica Minolta, now with Nikon. This gives to both Sony and Nikon advantage over Canon, which Sony believes will eventually drop to a 3rd place; Sony will move up to 2nd place in overall volume of DSLR’s sales. The least expensive Sony DSLR will not have optical viewfinder and will be called A50. The flagship model will be 20 MP, 40 effective. That is the reason why Sony concentrates on top quality glass. Sony’s advantage will be fact that they are the foremost sensor maker; their output is several times higher than Matsushita, which is second largest CCD maker.”

The 2 DSLR prototypes that were shown at different shows by Sony were no wooden mock ups, but the actual cameras that will be produced. The same goes for the lenses. All these were pretty much final prototypes, but Sony could not disclose this due to its competition. The main thing that is holding these projects up is development of SSS which has to work harder with larger sensors; the insides of the cameras may be a little different than on the prototypes shown, not the outsides. That was finalized before showing them to the public.

“Sony was originally going to buy the Contax brand from Kyocera, but then used this infomation in its negotiations with KM, from whom they managed to get the DSLR division with all its expertise for pennies on the dollar. KM really wanted the DSLR division to be in the best hands; they cared about it more than about anything else; the Minolta portion of the KM team wanted to see the legacy of the system to continue and to improve as much as possible. The decision to sell to Sony was rather emotional.”

As for the release date, sources have indicated they will have the new amateur model to sell by the end of October 2007.

It seems the Canon 40D may have started to ship across the country judging by the photo of an apparent invoice or purchase order from a certain retailer. I’m sure the corporate watchdogs at Canon are conducting their own investigations into this leak. It lists the price as $1599.99, however I’m not sure if the lens is included.

Interestingly, if you enter the UPC code into the UPC database, you get the description as “Canon EOS 40D D-SLR W”. Again, I have no idea what the W stands for in the Canon 40D D-SLR W, but it does make me wonder what it could be? Wireless ? Who knows?

There seems to be some speculation that the Nikon D200 successor could be called either the Nikon D200x or the Nikon D300.

After recently reviewing the leaked pdf file on the Olympus professional camera called the E-P1 (yet to be announced), I have to say, the Nikon D300 seems the most appropriate choice.

You see, Olympus have somehow named the Nikon D200 successor as the Nikon D300 which is clearly indicated in the pdf file. Olympus has also provided us with some interesting inside information on how they view their future competition; namely the Canon 40D and the Nikon D300.

As you can see in the attached diagram (page 10 of 27), it indirectly points out the Nikon D300 will have a larger LCD screen (?3 inch), faster start-up time and higher mega pixels than the E-P1. There’s also other information you can gather from this diagram such as the absence of dust reduction and live view.

I’m sure more will be revealed soon. Once again, the 18 month product cycle is due again in September this year and it’ll be interesting to see how things develop.

Here we go again. The date for the release 0f the Canon 40D is getting closer and closer as more rumors and materials are starting to pop up. Even digital camera websites selling cameras are anticipating a change - many are now preparing for the addition or the coming of the new model.

The run-out sales are appearing and stores are trying to empty their stocks of the Canon 30D with huge discounts. ? Should I buy the 30D at a great price or should I wait for the new 40D???? Many are torn between and unable to make the decision.

Well let me tell you, the new model is coming and it won’t be long.

Specifications