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Nikon D7000 pictured ahead of imminent release?
What, the D3100 and its fancy new autofocusing video mode not enough for ya? Ever since Nikon updated its entry level DSLR, rumors have been rife of a new teammate for it, namely a D7000, designed to replace the wildly popular D90 prosumer shooter. Today, those rumors get enriched with a supposedly legit image, showing a realignment of the buttons on the back, a bit more control with a dual jog dial on the left shoulder, and a new Live View-switching toggle as first seen on the D3100. Look for the D7000, along with a new Speedlight flash and a couple of juicy Nikkor prime lenses, to get officially announced early tomorrow morning. Or not, you never know with rumors.
Pentax trots out gorgeous K-7 Limited Silver DSLR
Do Japanese gadget makers think we're not superficial enough to appreciate specially repainted editions of their gear? Because we are, we totally are. Pentax is producing a mere 1,000 units of the above slice of DSLR beauty and predictably they all seem to be headed to the Japanese market. The Limited Silver variant of the K-7 adds a few enhancements, too, with a specially reinforced glass plate protecting the LCD and adding to the original's robust weatherproofing, as well as updated firmware and photo processing software. The most intriguing addition is the inclusion of a "golden section ratio" focusing screen with curved guiding lines that are supposed to make image composition even easier. We'd say that's just the sort of cosmetic enhancement you'd expect on a prettied up limited edition shooter, but that'd make our bitterness at not being able to buy one too obvious.
Panasonic adds silver and pink body options to GF1, exhibits poor timing
It's pretty much common knowledge these days that we're big fans of Micro Four Thirds cameras, and while Olympus may already be shipping its second generation hardware, Panasonic is holding firm with the still highly desirable GF1. Tweaking up the formula just a tad, the company is throwing its Japanese audience a bone with a pair of frankly stupendous color options, led by the silver (looks more like gunmetal to us) number above. We're digging the contrast between the black sections and silver body, though the real highlight must be that we don't find the pink option (pictured after the break) intolerable. Good job by Panasonic on picking out these hues, but why on earth are they coming out on March 12 -- shouldn't the marketing department be aware of certain global consumerist events that exist pretty much exclusively to stimulate indulgent purchases of superficially appealing new gear?
Nikon D300S review roundup: it's awesome, but D300 is better value
You'll know from our Canon 7D review roundup that these semi-pro DSLR reviews tend to take a little while longer to cook than ones for, say, the world's latest, fastest graphics card. That means we're looking at analyses of a shooter that's been out for a while, but boy are they thorough. The D300S (our unboxing can be found here) is Nikon's gentle massaging of the D300 formula for success -- with added 720p video recording and an extra frame for a 7fps burst mode -- and that's borne out by the reviews. You're still getting an outstanding 12.3 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor, 51-point AF, and a sturdy weather-proofed body, but question marks remain as to whether the new additions offer enough of an upgrade from the D300. The HD video recording is hamstrung by a mono mic and a frankly silly 5 minute maximum clip length (a limitation not present on direct competitors from Canon and Pentax), but the addition of a second memory card slot (now offering SD as well as CF storage) and a dedicated Live View button along with purportedly improved noise performance could just make the difference for new buyers. Hit the links below for more, including comparisons against the Canon 50D and 7D, as well as the Pentax K-7. Read - dpreview Read - Camera Labs Read - Photography Blog Read - Trusted Reviews Read - Tech Radar Read - ePHOTOzine
Canon announces the PowerShot G7
Canon has officially announced the PowerShot G7, the latest camera in the G-series which was last updated with the launch of the G6 way back in 2004. The key new features of the G7 are its 10 megapixel CCD sensor and the new 6x zoom lens with a f/2.8 to f/4.8 focal aperture, a 35mm-210mm focal length, and hardware optical image stabilization. Canon decided to drop the G6's 2-inch foldout LCD screen, instead opting for a fixed 207,000 pixel 2.5-inch screen. The G7 is internally different too, with a Digic III image processor that enables improved noise reduction, better color rendering, faster response times and most importantly, ISO 1600 sensitivity. There are also 25 different shooting modes -- including a manual mode and an impressive 1024 x 768, 15fps video capture mode -- along with support for SDHC cards as well as the usual MMC and SD cards. If you think the G7 is the right camera for you, then you'll have to wait until next month to part with the $599.99 that this one'll cost ya.[Via Dpreview; thanks, spiky-haired]
