Today, tomorrow, and Saturday, photographers from beginners to pros can view a wide variety of digital imaging products: point-and-shoots, advanced cameras, printers, digital frames, and more—even 3D binoculars—at the PDN PhotoPlus Expo at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City. I stopped by and got to play with some of new and innovative photography products. Here are a few highlights.
Canon’s amazing 18-MP SLR. Although there have been relatively few camera announcements leading up to this show, Canon recently overhauled its flagship pro SLR by introducing the 18-megapixel Canon EOS-1D X (pictured above). At nearly $7,000, this camera is not for most consumers—but it’s impressive to anyone interested in digital photography. The EOS-1D X can capture 12 frames per second when shooting RAW or, amazingly, JPEG+RAW. And it speeds up to 14 fps when shooting just JPEGs. When I fired this SLR off at the booth, it felt like I was shooting a machine gun.
Another startling spec (among many) on this model is that it appears to be extremely sensitive in low light: In its standard setting, the EOS-1D X has an ISO range from ISO 100 to 51,200. It can also be expanded to two additional higher settings: ISO 102,300 and ISO 204, 800, settings that might enable you to shoot on the dark side of the moon.
The EOS-1D X is due to hit store shelves in March of 2012 at a cost of $6,800. It will also be available with a wireless file transmitter for $600 and a GPS module for $300.
Canon also announced a new printer at the show: the Pixma Pro-1, $1,000, which has no less than 12 ink tanks, including five monochrome ones. According to Canon, the monochrome inks (Photo Black, Matte Black, Gray, Dark Gray, and Light Gray) will produce deeper and richer blacks and reduce bronzing effects, which degrade print quality.
Nikon’s rugged point-and-shoot. The Nikon booth had an intriguing setup, in which several Coolpix AW100 subcompacts (each about $380) were mounted on a mountain bike. This 16-megapixel Coolpix model is Nikon’s first rugged camera. The company claims it is waterproof to a depth of 33 feet and can withstand a 5-foot fall.
Pentax goes big and small. Pentax, at a small booth with its parent company Ricoh, displayed two advanced cameras at opposite ends of the size spectrum: Its gigantic pro camera, the Pentax 645, which is a medium-format digital camera with a 40-megapixel sensor geared for professionals alongside Pentax’s first SLR-like camera, the very tiny 12-megapixel Pentax Q, $800, which is available in black or white.
Sony’s 3D binoculars. In addition to traditional digital-imaging products, some companies had more exotic products on view. Sony had one of its two digital recording binoculars: The DEV-5, about $2,000, was on view at the booth. In addition to its two 20x optical zoom lenses, this model can also record full HD-resolution video (1080i) and capture 7-megapixel still photos. It can capture 3D images and video as well, and has a built-in GPS module for geotagging what you capture. But what surprised me was how light the model was. Still, it’s quite pricey for most consumers.
All photos except top by Terry Sullivan.
Source: Google Reader
No comments:
Post a Comment