Digital Camera Information

It looks like the Olympus E-1 replacement called the E-p1 is going to be a beauty. Yes the rumors are true and judging from the leaked pdf file, it seems they are gearing up their sales team to target the flaws of the Canon 30D and the Nikon D200. They seem to have done their market research and have determined by their own internal survey that Nikon D200 and Canon 30D users are not satisfied with the following:

Nikon D200 / 30D customers are not satisfied with:
• 95% coverage finder (Olympus provides 100% coverage and bigger finder)

• No sensor dust solution (Olympus provides the most effective dust reduction system)

• Expensive image stabilized VR / IS lenses (Olympus provides the body built-in image stabilizer available) for all lenses

• No built-in wireless flash control (30D) - Canon customers have to buy a bulky hot-shoe clipping wireless controller unit for wireless applications

• No splash-proof body (30D)

In addition, they say Olympus E-1 customers’ are expecting

• More pixels and less noise
• Fastest AF and more AF points
• More accurate AE
• Larger LCD monitor
• Faster burst rate
• Higher shutter speed and flash sync. speed
• Built-in flash
• Wireless flash control capability
• Live View capability with swivel monitor
• Image stabilization

So what does the new Olympus EP-1 offers, see below for more detail and judge for yourself.

It seems the emergence of the Nikon D3 could be happening soon with the numbers of rumors surfacing in the past month. The latest rumors come from the Nikon Italian forum group via dpreview and writes:

Camera Model: Nikon D3
Effective Pixels: 12 mega pixels +
Date Of Release: 05 Jul 2007
Body Make: Magnesium Alloy
Image Size: 4288 x 2848
File Formats: RAW, JPEG (3 types)
Frames Per Second: 8 - 10 FPS

10-12mp APS High Speed Back (10 fps DX crop, 12 fps HS crop)
24mm FF Low Speed Back (3 fps FF, 5 fps DX crop)
12mp Black and White Back
Prism finder with real time displays (e.g. histograms)
Card storage module (2x Compact Flash or 2x Secure Digital)
Drive storage module (40, 80, 120GB hard drive)
Wireless module (1x Compact Flash for backup, Wi-Fi)

Also during May 2007, another rumor that writes

“In France the magazine “Reponses Photo” declares in the new june issue of their popular magazine th New D3…

So we’ll have to wait, maybe end of June ???? Previously in

Now I don’t know who’s correct so we’ll just wait and see.

Source

Sigma has just released a new lens with an 11.1 high zoom ratio which is designed exclusively for digital SLR cameras and incorporates Sigma’s original OS (Optical Stabilizer) technology. With the optical stabilizer, the system uses two sensors inside the lens to detect vertical and horizontal movement of the camera by moving an optical image stabilizing lens group, to effectively compensate for camera shake. It also automatically detects movement of the camera and compensate for camera shake when shooting moving subjects such as motor sports.

Therefore it is perfectly suitable for low light conditions, indoors, at dusk and telephoto range. SLD (Special Low Dispersion) glass and aspherical glass provide excellent correction for all types of aberrations. This lens has a minimum focusing distance of 45cm (17.7”) throughout the entire zoom range and has a maximum magnification of 1:3.9. The inner focusing system is suitable for using a petal-type lens hood supplied and also circular polarizing filters.

The only problem is the price which is a little bit more expensive at $820.

Specifications

Focal Length: 18-200mm
Minimum Aperture: F22
Lens Construction: 15 Elements in 13 Groups
Angle of View: 69.3 - 7.1 degrees (Sigma SD format)
Number of Diaphragm Blades: 7 Blades
Minimum Focusing Distance: 45cm / 17.7 in.
Maximum Magnification: 1:3.9
Filter Size: Diameter 72mm
Lens Hood: Petal Hood
Dimensions: Diameter 79mm X Length 100mm
3.1 in. x 3.9 in.
Weight: 610g / 21.5 oz.
Corresponding AF Mounts:

SIGMA(coming soon)
CANON (available)
NIKON (coming soon)

According to Kammagamma, they say that Canon has developed a 52 megapixel CMOS sensor in APH-S size.

Here’s what they say in their abstract:

“We have developed a new CMOS image sensor having pixels of more than 52M in APS-H size. The CMOS image sensor has the most number of pixels known to date without stitching. The sensitivity of the monochromatic image sensor is 39000e-/lxï½¥s. The sensitivity of the colour image sensor (green pixel) is 16600e-/lxï½¥s. Pixel size is 3.2um x 3.2um. Random noise is 5.5e- with a saturation level of 24000e-. The CMOS image sensor has 5 x 5 random block readout mode and 4(2×2) adjacent pixels averaging mode. The reproduced image shows splendid high resolution.”

Below is a list of interesting questions and answers from Canon about the new sensor:

Question 1: What are the features of the new image sensor?

Answer 1: The image sensor features a newly developed pixel structure that is well suited to a
smaller pixel size, realizing a signal-to-noise ratio equivalent to that of SLR cameras. It is our understanding that 50 megapixels is the largest number of pixels ever to be fit on a sensor with these surface dimensions (31.6mm x 23.1 mm). The sensor enables high-resolution images to be extracted from the total image captured, making it well suited for the creation of new markets, such as inspection equipment. The sensor has a 5 x 5 random block readout mode for high-speed reading.

Question 2: What problems commonly arise when the pixel size is reduced? (Including such areas as circuit design, production, image quality, etc.)

Answer 2: Generally speaking, the following difficulties are encountered: sensitivity decreases,
the dynamic range decreases, and blending of colours increases. Also, because of the increase in circuit size, there is a tendency toward media delays and slower reading times. Furthermore, due to the further demands in the area of micro fabrication technology, there is also a tendency for yield rates to drop. To address these issues, we have carried out the efforts mentioned in A3 below.

Question 3: What have you done to address the problems that can occur when reducing the pixel size?

Answer 3: We reassessed the structure of the pixels and adopted a new structure that, even with a smaller pixel size, maintains sensitivity, dynamic range, and low colour blending. We
have also made progress in the area of micro fabrication. We also reassessed the circuit block, employing innovations in the area of circuit wiring and a high speed amp to secure a readout speed on par with current speeds.

Question 4: How much of an improvement was realized in terms of the accumulated charge per
pixel compared with conventional CMOS image sensors (taking into account the surface area of the new sensor)?

Answer 4: Compared with an existing product of the same image size, the new sensor achieves
an increase or 50 percent.

Question5: Compared with conventional CMOS image sensors, how much of an improvement in leakage to neighbouring pixels was achieved?

Answer 5: Leakage to neighbouring pixels was improved by about 10 percent.

Question 6: Why did you choose to make this sensor an APS-H size instead of a full-frame 35 mm size?

Answer 6: From a production standpoint, the APS-H size made it was easier to realize the
necessary miniaturization.

Question 7: Is this sensor also compatible with video?

Answer 7: While we have only incorporated limited functionality in this sensor at this stage, depending on the specifications we use, it would be possible to adapt this sensor for video.

Question 8: How far has development progressed? (Is there a prototype?)

Answer 8: We have created a prototype and have confirmed that it is capable of capturing
images.

Question 9: What challenges must be overcome before you will be able to mass produce this sensor?

Answer 9: We would need to increase the yield rate for the sensors, and make necessary
adjustments to match them to the characteristics of the lenses, which would be determined by the demands of whatever application the sensor would ultimately be used for.

Question 10: Compared with 10- and 16-megapixel sensors, how much more expensive would it be to manufacture this 50-megapixel sensor?

Answer 10: That would depend on the specifications and the yield rate.

Question 11: In what Canon products do you intend to use this sensor?

Answer 11: We have still yet to determine how this sensor might be used.

Question 12: What applications would this sensor be suited for in areas outside of Canon’s current product line-up?

Answer 12: Possible applications for this sensor include special surveillance cameras or
industrial-use inspection equipment.

Question 13: What merits would this sensor offer if used in a surveillance camera?

Answer 13: If used in surveillance cameras, the sensor would enable users to view an overall
scene while also enabling detailed close-ups from any given area within that scene.

Question 14: For use in surveillance cameras, what capabilities could such a sensor offer? (For
example, able to read newspaper text from a distance of XX meters.)

Answer 14: If equipped with a lens with sufficient resolving power, in principle, the sensor could
would make a car’s license plate number legible from a distance of 300 meters (approx. 330 yards).

Question 15: Are there any plans to market this sensor to third parties?

Answer 15: We have still yet to determine applications for this sensor. As such, that has still yet to be decided.

Source

Now here is some interesting piece of news from www.smh.com.au which claims that Kodak has developed sensors that can take photos in low light. To me this seems like they are increasing the ISO to about 2 -4 times the normal level, but what about noise. These are no mention of the noise or the image quality that comes out from these sensors and it will be interesting if this is just a marketing hype or a true breakthrough.

Unlike Fujifilm which has already proven their sensors can handle low light situations with the Fujifilm FinePix F series such as the award winning F30, Kodak yet to prove their claims.

Here are some of the comments:

“Eastman Kodak said it has developed a color-filter technology that at least doubles the sensitivity to light of the image sensor in every digital camera, enabling shutterbugs to take better pictures in poor light”.
“We’re talking about a two-to-four-times improvement in (light) sensitivity.”

“It’s often the simplest concepts that can have the most profound impact,” said Chute of IDC, a market research firm near Boston. “This could be revolutionary in terms of just changing that very simple filter on top of the sensor and basically allowing companies to use it in all different kinds of cameras.”

Source

Although the low end DSLR market is getting more affordable, there is one particular camera that stands out. No, it’s not from Canon or Nikon, but Pentax. The Pentax K100D is one of the cheapest DSLR on the market today and although it cannot compete directly with the Canon Rebel Xti or the Nikon 40D, it does deliver 90% of the image quality with less than 75% of the price.

Pentax keeps the price down by uses either AA / CR-V3 Lithium batteries to power the camera rather than supplying a rechargeable Lithium-Ion and charger which is common in most DSLR cameras these days.

Here are some reviews and what they say:

Rice High writes: “..some Pentaxians used to be very happy with their Pentax*ist Dx cameras but until they have got their K100Ds recently, they suddenly learnt that something were/are actually wrong and there have been big and “great” “improvements”!(?)”

Dpreview writes: “..The clear step forward in image processing and the addition of Shake Reduction are enough to tip the K100D into our Highly Recommended category, this is the camera the *ist DS should have been and is a refreshing change from another strong Canon or Nikon.”

Photozone.de has an excellent review on the Sigma AF 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5 DC lens which is one of many standard zooms available for Nikon DSLR users. Compared to the rest of the gang it offers a relatively long zoom range (~ 4 x ratios) combined with a relatively large max. aperture at 17mm.

They write: “The Sigma AF 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5 DC is a very good standard zoom and a viable alternative to the Nikon offerings in this range. Generally it is capable to produce very sharp results although the corner performance leaves a bit to be desired at 17mm at large aperture settings. The vignetting level could also be a bit better here but most competitors don’t offer an f/2.8 settings anyway and from f/4 it follows the mainstream. The level of distortions is about typical for a standard zoom whereas chromatic aberrations (color shadows) are comparatively low. The build quality is very fine for a lens in this price league.”

Source