Digital Camera Information

Lowepro has recommended the D-res 40 Aw camera bag for the Nikon D200 in their 2005 product catalogue matrix. Check out the snapshot of the 2005 digital matrix below; it is the fifth line from the bottom. Unless I’m mistaken, Lowepro must have some internal knowledge that the Nikon D200 is coming out soon. Interestingly, there is no bag recommended for the Canon 5D.
To download the Lowepro full 2005 digital matrix click here.

On a totally different note, a friend of mine has given a fantastic link to a free e-book on getting out of debt and making a surplus of money. This is great if you really want the extra money for the Nikon D2X or the Canon 5D. Check it out at here.

Since the release of the Canon 5D, there has been a huge hype on the full frame sensor.

So what does this “full frame sensor” actually mean. Well, it means the sensor is the same size as the original 35mm negative in a film camera.

In practice, the same field of view on the Canon 5D will produce exactly the same field of view on a 35mm film camera. The only FOV crop factor will be 1x, which means there is no difference, NADA!.

So what are the advantages. Well, for one thing, Canon claims the full frame sensor will produce images with a much richer color tone and therefore enhance the facial details. This will ideally be suited to wedding and portrait photography. In addition, the sensor will also allow you to use the entire range of your wide angle lens and therefore would be excellent for landscape and nature photography.

PENTAX has announced another new Digital SLR camera called the Pentax *istDS2. This model is apparently a sister model of the popular *istDS that was released in September 2004.

This camera inherits all the great features of its predecessor plus the extra benefit of a large 2.5-inch, 210,000-pixel color LCD monitor that allows playback with up to 12X magnification. Like all Pentax digital SLR cameras, this one is compact and has a high-magnification glass pentaprism viewfinder that allows a large (95%), clear view of the subject at every stage of digital photography.

Keeping in line with the Nikon D50 and the Minolta Dynax / Maxxum 5D, the new Pentax *istD2 has a 6 mega-pixel sensor and uses an SD card.

Besides the larger 2.5″ LCD monitor, there not much difference to the *istDS.

Along with the release of the Canon 5D Digital SLR camera next week, Canon will also release the new EF 24-105mm f/4L USM lens. One interesting feature is the built-in image stabliser.

The new len has the following features:

Standard zoom lens - 24-105mm focal length, fast f/4 aperture

Super UD glass lens and two types of aspherical elements effectively correct aberration

Image Stabilizer gives equivalent effect of a shutter speed three stops faster during hand-held shooting

Optimised lens coating to minimise ghosting and flare

High dust and moisture resistance for use in harsh environments

Closest focus distance of just 45cm at all zoom focal lengths

Circular aperture producing attractive background defocus

Inner focusing, ring USM and new AF algorithms for fast and quiet autofocusing

Manual focusing enabled even during AF mode (full-time mechanical manual focus)

Only environmentally friendly lead-free glass used in lens construction

Download the pdf file here

This is the specification for the new Nikon D200 DSLR camera before the information was removed from their website. Looks like a great camera, lets hope the specs are true.

Effective pixels - 10.4 million

Image sensor - CCD sensor

Image size - Full Image: [L] 4,288 x 2,848-pixel / [M] 3,216 x 2,136-pixel / [S] 2,144 x 1,424-pixel

High Speed Crop Image: [L] 3,216 x 2,136-pixel / [M] 2,400 x 1,600-pixel / [S] 1,600 x 1,064-pixel

Sensitivity - ISO equivalency 100 to 3200

Storage media - CompactFlashâ„¢ (CF) Card (Type I/II) and Microdriveâ„¢

LCD monitor - 2.5-in., 235,000-dot, low-temp. polysilicon TFT LCD with white LED backlighting

Exposure metering - 3D Color Matrix MeteringII , Center-Weighted Metering and Spot Metering

Exposure Modes - Programmed Auto (Flexible Program possible) [P], Shutter-Priority Auto [A], Aperture-Priority Auto [A] and Manual [M]

Interface - USB 2.0 (Hi-Speed)

Power requirements - Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL3a, Quick Charger MH-18a, AC Adapter EH-5 (optional), Multi-Function Battery Pack MB-D200 (optional)

Dimensions (W x H x D) - Approx. 157.5 x 121 x 85.5mm (6.2 x 4.8 x 3.4 in.)

Weight - Approx. 810g (1 lb 13 oz) without battery and storage media

A further expansion of this information also has the following:

DX Format with 10.4 effective megapixels

JPEG and NEF (RAW) Combination Filing System enables simultaneous recording of NEF and JPEG data for the same shot

There has been a few rumors and a picture of a Canon EOS 3D Digital SLR Camera circulating around. Some believe it’s a fake and others just don’t know. Well with all the hype of the yet to be announced Canon EOS 5D, anythings possible. With Canon placing pictures of the EOS 5D on their Canon Europe CPS (Canon Professional Services) web site and then removing it, the official launch date seems closer by the minute. Interestingly, the website appears to have an article on a new EF 24-105/4L IS USM lens, a new 430 EX speedlite and an EOS 1D Mk II N.

Pentax are currently working on a new Pentax Digital SLR camera called the Pentax 645D to be released in 2006. The PENTAX 645 Digital camera will offer professional quality digital image reproduction and features the following:

A reliable PENTAX 645 AF mount
Compatibility with existing smc PENTAX 645 interchangeable lenses
A Kodak developed extra-large CCD image sensor with 18.6 total megapixels

It will be interesting to see if Pentax can make in-roads into the Digital SLR Market heavily dominated by Canon and Nikon.

The EOS 5D will be Launch on the 26th August 2005 in Shanghai (China) and displayed at the IFA in Berlin on the 2nd September 2005. The sale of this camera in the US is scheduled to start in October 2005 with pre-orders beginning in early September at select retailers. Interestingly, some online stores are already taking orders.

Again, here’s more information on this great camera.

The EOS 5D is an ultra-high resolution Digital SLR full-frame imaging camera. It incorporates a full-frame CMOS sensor developed and manufactured by Canon. With a large sensor size of 24 x 36mm, it covers the same area as a film frame. This makes maximum use of the standard angle-of-view of EF lenses, especially the wide-angle series. The RAW recording file produces an image file size of 12.7 MB, yet despite this size, the 3fps shooting rate can be maintained for up to 10 shots in a single burst. The camera will also generate RAW and JPEG files at the same time, if required, without any discernible loss of speed or burst length.

It has the following:

A huge 12.8 Megapixel Canon CMOS sensor to deliver superb detailed images.
A 9-point high-speed AF allows precise focusing over a wide area.
A powerful DIGIC II (DIGital Imaging Core) processor optimises colour rendition. High speed processing means a continuous burst of 9 shots at 3 frames per second is possible (speed maintained for up to 60 images in JPEG and 17 images in RAW.

The EOS 5D can write RAW and JPEG files simultaneously, while there’s a choice of 6 JPEG resolution settings.

The sensitivity of the sensor can be set to the equivalent of ISO speeds between 100 and 1600 (and even ISO 50 using a Custom Function). 3200 Extended HI accessible via the ISO expansion menu.

A top shutter speed is 1/8000 of a second, with flash synchronization at 1/200 of a second. (Nikon DSLR are 1/500)

It also has 9 white balance modes such as Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten, White Flourescent light, Flash, Custom and Colour Temperature setting. In Colour Temperature mode, users manually select the warmth they require from the Kelvin scale (2800K to 10000K in 100K increments).

White Balance Bracketing, the EOS 5D automatically captures three bracketed images per shutter relaese . +/-3 stops in full increments.Selectable Blue/Amber bias or Magenta/Green bias.

An Intelligent Orientation Sensor detects whether the camera is being held horizontally or vertically when shooting. This gives more accurate exposures. It also means easy viewing and editing, since shots appear the right way up on the LCD, in ZoomBrowser on the computer screen or on TV.

The EOS 5D’s large 2.5 inch TFT LCD Monitor offers 5 levels of brightness. It can be brightened so it’s easier to see or dimmed so it’s less intrusive and saves power. The menu display offers the choice of 15 different languages.

With a robust magnesium alloy body, the EOS 5D has outstanding durability and a distinctive presence. It features an ergonomic hand-grip which makes extended shooting very comfortable.

The EOS 5D takes both CF and CF-II cards, including cards of over 2GB capacity.

The EOS 5D is compatible with the extensive EOS range of accessories.

Below is the Nikon D200 trademark registered on the 14th July 2005. Since the unofficial release of the Canon 5D, alot of people ARE eagerly awaiting the news of the Nikon D200. It will be interesting what the specifications will be.

(words only): D200

Standard Character claim: Yes

Current Status: Newly filed application, not yet assigned to an examining attorney.

Date of Status: 2005-07-25

Filing Date: 2005-07-14
Transformed into a National Application: No

Registration Date: (DATE NOT AVAILABLE)

Register: Principal

Law Office Assigned: (NOT AVAILABLE)

If you are the applicant or applicant’s attorney and have questions about this file, please contact the Trademark Assistance Center at TrademarkAssistanceCenter@uspto.gov

Current Location: 042 -New Application Processing

Date In Location: 2005-07-25

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LAST APPLICANT(S)/OWNER(S) OF RECORD

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1. NIKON CORPORATION

Address:
NIKON CORPORATION
2-3, Marunouchi 3-chome, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Japan

Legal Entity Type: Corporation

State or Country of Incorporation: Japan

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GOODS AND/OR SERVICES

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International Class: 009
Cameras
First Use Date: (DATE NOT AVAILABLE)
First Use in Commerce Date: (DATE NOT AVAILABLE)

Basis: 1(b)

——————————————————————————–

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

——————————————————————————–
(NOT AVAILABLE)

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MADRID PROTOCOL INFORMATION

——————————————————————————–
(NOT AVAILABLE)

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PROSECUTION HISTORY

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2005-07-20 - New Application Entered In Tram

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CORRESPONDENCE INFORMATION

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Correspondent
Mark I. Peroff (Attorney of record)

MARK I. PEROFF
KIRKPATRICK & LOCKHART NICHOLSON GRAHAM
599 LEXINGTON AVE
NEW YORK, NY 10022-6030

Phone Number: 212-539-3900
Fax Number: 212-536-3901

Domestic Representative
Mark I. Peroff
Phone Number: 212-539-3900
Fax Number: 212-536-3901

The specification for the Canon 5D seems very impressive and it looks like
Canon will continue to dominate the Digital SLR market. Supporting a 13
megapixel sensor, it will be interesting to see if Nilkon D200 will pose a
challenge. To find out more just download the file here and judge for
yourself.
Canon 5D Specification