Gadget Reviews

Canon’s EOS 7D is a pretty grandiose piece of image-recording equipment, whether you’re talking about its size, features or price. You’re probably aware of the 18 megapixel APS-C sensor and dual DIGIC 4 processors already, but we’ve all had to be a bit more patient than usual in waiting for the pro reviews to come out. Dpreview doesn’t disappoint though, with a thoughtful 31-page tome awaiting the keen reader, and we’ve also got more digestible video reviews from DPhoto Journal for the less patient among you. If you’re after direct comparisons against competing models, such as the Nikon D300s, you’ll find those sprinkled in among the reviews as well, with Cameratown throwing in a direct head-to-head with Canon’s own 5D Mark II. The 7D was found to produce “virtually no visible noise” all the way up to ISO 1600, and scored further points for its gorgeous 100 percent frame-covering viewfinder and fast 19-point AF. With a weather-sealed, highly ergonomic body design, ridiculously fast processing and a sensor so good that “in most situations the lens, rather than the camera, is likely to be the limiting factor,” the only thing reviewers could criticize was the somewhat uncompetitive pricing, but that’s likely to soften with time anyway. Read on… if you dare.

Read – dpreview review
Read – Photography Blog review
Read – Tech Radar review
Read – DPhoto Journal video roundup
Read – Cameratown comparison with 5D Mark II

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Canon EOS 7D gets high marks all around originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 07 Nov 2009 16:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Minolta’s Sony’s DSLR range was refreshed only this August, but here we are, hearing rumblings of another new addition to the bunch. Set to occupy the space between the 14.2 megapixel A550 and 24.6 megapixel full frame A850, the imaginatively titled A750 is expected to strike the perfect balance between the two with a 14.6 megapixel full frame sensor. We see what you did there, Sony, very clever. If you ask us, anything over a solid dozen million pixels is overkill and just asking for noise trouble and processing lag, so in fact chopping a third off the A850’s pixels could turn out to be quite a boon for overall image quality. Then again, we’ve no idea what else Sony might sever from its higher offering, though we’re likely to find out by CES 2010 at the latest.

[Thanks, David G]

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Sony Alpha A750 keeps with tradition, leaks out ahead of release originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 07:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Epson’s P-6000 ($599.99) and P-7000 ($799.99) Multimedia Viewers were always a bit too rich for our blood, but those hemming and hawing might just have the final bit of motivation they need to pull the trigger. A forthcoming firmware update for the 80GB and 160GB (respectively) photo viewers brings along a hotly-anticipated new feature: tethering. Put simply, pro shooters (and novices, we guess) can now connect select Nikon and Canon DSLRs to their photo viewer via USB, and in real time shots will be simultaneously captured to the camera’s memory card and the viewer’s hard drive. Moreover, the update includes a remote shutter release function for added convenience, though we’re sad to say that the retail pricing of these buggers hasn’t budged. If you’re a proud owner already, keep your eyes glued to Epson’s support site — the download should go live in “late-October.”

[Via Slashgear]

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Epson adds tethering, remote shutter release to P-6000 and P-7000 photo viewers originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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What better way to show off your company’s latest DSLR than by giving it to a couple of professional photographers to work their magic? Nikon’s done just that, handing off its just-announced D300s to noted photojournalist Ami Vitale and sports photographer Robert Bösch. The pair submitted stills and videos from their trial run, and the results are unsurprisingly impressive — there’s only one noticeable instance of rolling shutter, in the beginning of Bösch’s video with the helicopter blades. Of course, there’s no telling how much post-production work went into these pieces, and let’s not forget these are pros in their element — average Joe isn’t gonna be able to pick up this camera and produce the same results. Footage after the break, or hit up the read link to see all the impressions and sample works.

[Via PDNPulse and ProLost Blog]

Continue reading Nikon D300s, pro photographers meet up to make magic together

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Nikon D300s, pro photographers meet up to make magic together originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Aug 2009 17:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony’s Alpha series DSLR cameras are almost notorious for how often they leak, and as is custom with an introductory assertion like that, we’ve got another one to show you. The company’s Hong Kong support site has an instruction manual available to download for an as-of-then unknown iteration, the α850. The gang at Dyxum forums have gone through it more thoroughly than we have so far, and the Initial reaction is that it’s similar to the α900 but with only three FPS, a smaller viewfinder, and still no video (unlike its competition). We’ve assembled some highlights from the guide, including full specs, in the gallery below. Hit up the read link to grab the full manual for yourself, but just a word of caution, even though the PDF’s only 3.54MB in size, the download has proven to be rather painfully slow.

[Via Dyxum forums; thanks, Doug]

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Sony Alpha 850 DSLR manual pops up on Hong Kong support site originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 01 Aug 2009 15:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nikon’s D300s seems to be having a hard time staying out of the viewfinder of other cameras, as the DSLR has popped up both in a nondescript close-up shot and in the hands of the president of a Nikon distributor at a Nikon Club gather in the Philippines. Same observations as last time, from what we can tell it’s got the same body as the D300 but with holes that suggest a mic input below the logo, although we’ve seen hints of a SD card slot in previous leaks. As for when we’ll be seeing the official debut, Nikon Rumors has a pretty good track record when it comes to these things, and it’s reporting with near-absolute certainty that the company has lined up a press conference that’ll take place either July 29th in the UK or 30th in Stockholm, Sweden, and a second date for August 4th in Sweden. The first event is expected to be the unveiling for D300s and D3000 and the second some new point and shoots — or it could be the other way around. Either way, with any luck all these uncertainties will work themselves out by the end of next week at the latest.

Read – D300s caught at Nikon Club gathering
Read – Another shot of D300s in the wild
Read – Nikon rumors and expectations for next week (recap)

Filed under: Digital Cameras

More Nikon D300s sightings in lead up to rumored July 30th announcement originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jul 2009 19:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hopefully you’re not the sort to risk things by gunning it when the light turns yellow, pushing your (and our) luck, saving yourself a few seconds on the race to the next intersection, and sneering red light cameras. Maybe if you knew the kind of hardware in there you’d have more respect: Nikon’s D2X digital SLR. We had no idea there were pro-level shooters in there, but a New York City couple certainly did, running around the city with a cherry picker and pilfering 22 of the things, all sold at pawn shops for a total of $88,000 $6,600 — money that was promptly spent to further their heroin habit. These two channel swimmers, 45-year-old Anthony Cintorrino and 29-year-old Tara LaBurt, got away with this for a full month before the authorities finally caught up with them. When they were approached they said they were with the DoT… then promptly started running. They didn’t get far. Crime doesn’t pay, folks, even if it’s for a sweet body like that.

Update: The cameras were worth $88,000, but the couple pawned them off for a measly $300 apiece, netting a total of under seven grand. That’s a crying shame.

[Via Gizmodo]

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Beware cheap Nikons on eBay: 22 stolen from NYC red light cameras originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Jul 2009 05:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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