fullframe
Latest
Leica M9 taking pre-orders for its body only
Got nearly $7,000 in spare change and a lust for magnesium-bodied digital rangefinder cameras? Then we've got the solution to your itch, dear friend, as Leica has just let the M9 out to dance with credit cards in the courting ritual colloquially known as a pre-order. Claimed as the world's smallest full frame digital shooter, the latest Leica sports an 18 megapixel sensor, a new cover glass that eliminates the need for IR filters, dual image processors, and a 2.5-inch LCD. You'll have to be really sure this shooter is for you, though, because the quoted price is for the body only, and the lenses won't come cheap either. Still, this is the Leica stuff we care to see -- not some silly 24 carat-skinned Limited Edition homage to the unholy.
Leica gets official with M9 and X1 cameras, hands-on ensue
No surprises here (at all), but Leica's 09/09/09 event has just led to the formal unveiling of the full-frame, 18 megapixel M9 rangefinder and the compact X1. The former (which is shipping now) supports all Leica M lenses and ships with a "newly developed glass sensor cover designed to guarantee the suppression of the infrared portion of the light spectrum." There's also a quick-access ISO adjustment button alongside a few other hotkeys, a full metal housing, Kodak-sourced CCD, a fresh microprocessor-controlled shutter (which is supposedly "near silent") and a staggering £4,850 ($8,004) price tag. As for the X1, you'll find a 12.1 megapixel CMOS sensor (APS-C), a fixed-mount Leica Elmarit 1:2.8/24mm lens, numerous "auto" modes for the newbies in attendance, a maximum ISO of 3200, 2.7-inch rear LCD and a Live View function that replaces the optical viewfinder. Expect to hear more regarding price when the January 2010 ship date nears, but for now, feel free to peruse the hands-on galleries linked below.Read - Leica M9 announcement and hands-onRead - Leica X1 announcement and hands-on
Sony Alpha 850 full-frame DSLR given the hands-on treatment
Sony debuted three fairly high-end cameras earlier today, but there's no question that the full-frame, 24.6-megapixel Alpha 850 is the flagship of the lot, and sure to garner the most attention (if not necessarily the most purchases). Thankfully, the folks at Pocket-lint have managed to get their hands on the DSLR, and have naturally provided plenty of pics showing it off from every angle (paired with Sony's 50mm F2.8 Macro lens). Hit up the read link for the complete slide show, and a bit more time to contemplate the $2,000 price tag it'll be sporting come September.
Sony launches the A900 full-frame DSLR
Sony's been showing off the full-frame Alpha A900 DSLR since February, and after popping up in ads and in the wild last week, it's official today, right on cue. Same basic specs you've known forever: 24.6 Exmor CMOS sensor, dual BIONZ image processors, ISO 6400 sensitivity, 3.0-inch LCD, 5fps shooting, and SteadyShot INSIDE in-body optical image stabilization. Sony's also launching a few new Alpha lenses to complement this beast, including a Carl Zeiss 70-400mm f4-5.6 zoom. Early impressions from CNET are that it's a bit slow to autofocus and didn't wow with image quality, but dpreview was impressed overall, so we'll wait for some in-depth reviews to hit before making a final judgment. You're looking at a $3,000 outlay when this thing goes on sale in October -- check out more pics in the gallery, and a quick video after the break.Read - Sony A900 press releaseRead - CNET hands-onRead - dpreview hands-on %Gallery-31499%
How would you change Nikon's D700?
The phrase "full frame" brings a smile to the face of anyone remotely familiar with photography, and the term "D700" is likely to do the same for shooters with three large to plunk down on a new body. Still, even with its long list of drool-worthy features, we're certain that anyone who dropped the aforementioned dough on this beauty has a few things to say about it. Are you satisfied with the live view implementation? Any problems with its reliance on CompactFlash? Oh, and is the image quality alright? Sound off below!
Barely believable Nikon D10 images surface
You know the drill: open wide and ingest some salt before proceeding further. All done? Alright. The above image is clearly pretending / hoping / wanting to be the supposedly forthcoming Nikon D10, but we're not so sure what we're seeing is the real deal. Granted, rumors have been flying that a so-called mid-range full frame DSLR would be surfacing from the company, but even if said unicorn is eventually dubbed the D10, will it really look like this? What say you, eagle-eyed readers?[Via PhotographyBay]
Sony 25MP full-frame DSLR hands-on
We're not sure why Sony didn't give its 25 megapixel full-frame DSLR a name other than "Flagship," but we can see why they'd want to invoke ocean-faring vessels when referring to this thing -- it's freaking huge. Check it out in the gallery below. %Gallery-15166%
Sony's 24.81 megapixel, full-frame CMOS sensor going pro this year
Oh boy pixel fans, Sony just announced a new 35mm full size CMOS sensor touting 24.81 million effective pixels. The new sensor is destined for future professional-level DSLRs "within this year" in an effort to mimic the aspect ratios and distortion of their film predecessors while keeping one step ahead of the pixel wars. Sony's "Column-Parallel A/D Conversion Technique" used in the new sensor is said to achieve high S/N even while shooting 6.3, 12-bit frames per second at full resolution. What 6fps not good enough tough guy? There's always Sony's 60fps CMOS which Casio will sell you in their EX-F1. Just don't call yourself a pro if that's your preference, k? [Via Impress]
Canon's 21.1 megapixel EOS 1Ds Mark III: thanks, Amazon
Not only did Amazon loose the goods on Canon's EOS 40D, they've also activated the page for Canon's 21.1 megapixel EOS 1Ds Mark III for the pros. That's an 11 megapixel jump from their EOS 1D Mark III (pictured) announced in February... Shazam! Canon's hope is to supplant the medium-format cameras dominating fashion and commercial photo studios with this relatively light-weight, full-frame DSLR. We're talking a 36 x 24-mm self-cleaning CMOS sensor; a pair of DIGIC III image processers operating in parallel; improved 45-point advanced autofocus; 5fps continuous shooting (for bursts of up to 45 Large/Fine JPEGs or 15 RAW images); sRAW image support; 3-inch Live View LCD with 5x or 10x magnification; and CF, SD/SDHC storage options. Of course, it won't come cheap when (and if) it ships on December 10th. In fact, you'll be looking at $8,000 for the body (only) according to Amazon's site. While it's not an official announcement, it's close. Besides, we've been waiting for this thing to get official since we first heard about it in February. So expect one of two things to happen next: either Canon will officially announce in the next few days or Amazon will pull their pages. Update: Amazon pulled the price and delivery date. No worries, we've got the screengrab after the break.Update 2: Oops, the whole page is gone now. No probs, we've captured the specs to the gallery below.%Gallery-6101%[Thanks, Robby B and Manhog]
