New Sigma 70-200mm f2.8 EX DG OS HSM Lens

Digital Photography Review is a great resource for digital camera and lens reviews.  I was stoked to see their recently posted review of the new Sigma 70-200mm f2.8 EX DG OS HSM lens as I’ve been in the market to upgrade to the Canon EF 70-200mm f4 USM.  While this is a very good, very sharp lens, the non-IS version is $700, and the IS (Image Stabilization) version is $1200.  I haven’t even realistically considered the f2.8 version of this Canon lens as the older version is around $1,899 and the new IS II version is $2,299.  The previous version of the Sigma f2.8 70-200mm lens, while economical, didn’t get a lot of respect in regard to AF speed and image quality, and was never really on my wish list to begin with.

However that has apparently changed with the new OS (Optical Stabilization) version.  Sigma has engineered this new lens from the ground up including an all-new optical design and the company’s silent ultrasonic-type HSM focusing.  My choices have suddenly increased now that this new f2.8 lens is available at around $1699, a full 600 bucks less than the Canon EF f2.8L 70-200mm IS II.  That is quite a bargain for this type of fast glass and focal length.  The lens is available in Canon, Nikon, Sony and Pentax mounts and according to dpreview it is quite a good, fast focusing lens that's a great improvement over the older non-Optical Stabilizer model.  I think I have a new lens on my ‘wish list’.

Read the lens review at dpreview.

New Digital Camera Reviews Posted

New reviews have been added to the “Recent Digital Camera Reviews” section.  These include the following models:

Canon PowerShot SD-1300 IS

Canon PowerShot SD-4000 IS

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX75

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G10

Ricoh GRX-P10

Sony A390 DSLR

Sony CyberShot DSC-TX7

New Digital Camera Reviews

Seven new reviews have been added to the Recent Digital Camera Reviews section.

Canon EOS 1000D (Rebel XS) DSLR
Kodak EasyShare V1073
Nikon D700 DSLR
Olympus E-520 DSLR
Pentax Optio W60
Sony CyberShot DSC-H50
Sony CyberShot DSC-W300

Sigma 70mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro AF (SONY)

One of my most recent acquisitions is the wonderful Sigma 70mm f2.8 EX DG Macro AF lens for the Sony mount. Mounted onto the Sony Alpha 100 DSLR the lens becomes a 105mm, which is excellent for most portrait situations.

The lens handling is excellent with smooth focusing and easy to grip; although a bit heavy. It is a Macro lens and includes focus lock. I’ve created a short gallery of sample images and a detailed review of the lens can be read on PopPhoto.com.

Shutterbug Looks At New Sony A700 DSLR

Shutterbug takes a close look at the new Sony Alpha 700 DSLR...

The original A100 remains a very fine 10-megapixel entry-level D-SLR but the new enthusiast-level 12-megapixel model is even more desirable because of more effective technology, much greater speed, more rugged construction, and a richer feature set. It should be a strong contender in the mid-range category in spite of fierce competition from other recent 10- and 12-megapixel models. While the A700 does not include a Live View mode, it’s a powerful camera, part of an extensive Sony system that should satisfy even the semiprofessional photographer. Whether you already own Dynax lenses or are considering a multi-talented, high-resolution D-SLR, be sure to ask for a demo of the A700 while comparison shopping for your next camera...

Read the entire three page review at shutterbug.com.

Sony A200 DSLR Hands-On Preview

e-Photographia has acquired a pre-production version of the Sony Alpha 200 DSLR and provided a hands-on preview. Several close-up images of the camera fitted with the Carl Zeiss DT f3.5-4.5 16-80mm lens are provided.

New Digital Camera Reviews Posted

Five new digital camera reviews have been added to the Recent Digital Camera Reviews section.

- Canon PowerShot A720 IS
- Canon PowerShot SX100 IS
- Nikon CoolPix P5100
- Olympus E-3 DSLR
- Olympus SP560 UZ

Kelby Hands-On With Nikon D300 DSLR

Scott Kelby, editor and publisher of Photoshop User Magazine, Layers magazine (the how-to magazine for everything Adobe) and President of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP) provides his two cents regarding the new Nikon D300 DSLR.

Scott has personally put the camera through its paces and shares his insight on his Photoshop Insider Blog.

Closer Look At The Nikon D300 DSLR

Popular Photography & Imaging takes a closer look the Nikon D300 DSLR. Here is an excerpt:

"From the outside, the D300 looks a lot like the D200. But what's on the inside pushed the D300 to new performance records in the Pop Photo Lab:

• It's the first DSLR to earn an Excellent image quality rating from ISO 200 all the way up to ISO 3200.

• It sports the fastest (and most sophisticated) AF we've tested so far.

A major factor in the D300's stellar image quality is the new Sony-made 12.3MP (effective) CMOS sensor that captures RAW data with up to 14 bits of color per red, green, and blue channels. Most other DSLRs in this class only provide 12 bits per channel. This gives the D300 an advantage in reproducing fine color gradations, shadow details, and wider dynamic range. But it also increases the file size of images recorded in the 14-bit mode (selectable over normal 12-bit RAW). "

Read the entire review at popphoto.com.

Hands-On Look At New Olympus E-3 DSLR

If the Olympus E-1, the company's first high-end DSLR, never caught on among pros, you can blame its painfully slow, insensitive autofocus system. But one look at the new Olympus E-3 ($1,700, estimated street, body only) was enough to convince Popular Photography & Imaging that, this time around, Olympus has come up with not just a much better AF system, but a much better camera all around.

Read their Hands-On Review of the new Olympus E-3 digital SLR.

Popphoto.com Reviews New Sony A700 DSLR

I can't get enough information about the new Sony Alpha 700. Popular Photography & Imaging has provided an in-depth, favorable review of the new 12MP digital SLR. Read the entire online review on popphoto.com.

Sony Alpha 700 DSLR Hands-On Review

LetsGoDigital.com provides a hands-on review of the new Sony Alpha 700 digital SLR. I’ve been looking forward to hearing about this camera and actual user opinions. As a current Sony A100 DSLR user, the A700 may be my next acquisition or I may wait until Sony releases their anticipated ‘pro’ model to make a decision. Here is an excerpt from the review.

…The housing of the Sony A700 is light in weight and consists of aluminum. The buttons, memory card slot and flaps in the body are dust- and waterproof. A handy feature is the indication of the battery life in percentage, which is made possible through the use of an InfoLithium battery; also with the use of an optional grip, this information remains visible. The Sony Alpha 700 has a double card slot supporting Memory Stick PRO Duo and CompactFlash type I & II flash memory cards. It’s a pity that Sony does not fully utilize the presence of a double card slot; you have to set the card slot manually, via the camera’s menu. It would be handier, and above all faster, if the camera itself would recognize and activate the card slot. Perhaps a future firmware solution can offer such possibility. New is also the built-in studio- flash connection, so a direct connection to a studio flash-installation becomes possible…

The camera sounds great. Read the entire review on letsgodigital.com.

Scott Kelby Nikon D3 DSLR Q&A

Scott Kelby, President of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals has posted a Q&A on his blog regarding his recent hands-on experience with the new Nikon D3 professional DLSR. View these interesting insights and opinions on Photoshop Insider.

Previews Of The Nikon D3

Previews of Nikon’s recently announced 12MP, full-frame D3 abound. First up, Digital Photography Review takes a closer look at a pre-production model. Here is an excerpt:

… It's been almost three years since Nikon introduced a completely new digital SLR with a new sensor (the D2X) and there has been much anticipation that Nikon's next move would be a full-frame chip. This predictions have come true with the introduction of the 'FX format' (new moniker created by Nikon) D3 which features a 36 x 23.9 mm 12.1 megapixel CMOS sensor as well as a vast array of new features which absolutely raise it another notch above previous single digit Nikon DSLRs. Important headline improvements include high sensitivity support by default, up to ISO 6400 with 25600 available as a boost option, 14-bit A/D conversion, a new standard image processor, a new shutter, new auto focus sensor, focus tracking by color, nine frames per second continuous, dual compact flash support, DX lens support (albeit at lower resolution) and a 3.0" 922,000 pixel LCD monitor (which it has to be said is lovely)…

Read the entire Nikon D3 preview on the DPReview website.

Meanwhile back at the Batcave…

Scott Kelby, editor and publisher of Photoshop User Magazine, Layers Magazine, and President of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP), takes the Nikon D3 out for a test run. See some images (including the example above) he captured with the camera, and his first impressions of this new professional DSLR on his blog Photoshop Insider.
image © Scott Kelby

Hands-On Preview From Digital Photography Review

Digital Photography Review has posted a hands-on preview of the upcoming Nikon D300 digital SLR. It includes close-up photos of the camera itself, side-by-side comparison to the D200, and camera specifications. Read the entire
Nikon D300 Preview.

Nikon D3 And D300 DSLR Previews From Imaging Resource

Imaging Resource provides an early and detailed look at the recently announced D3 and D300 DSLRs from Nikon. Here is a brief excerpt:

… Both the D3 and D300 are pro-grade cameras, and share many of the same revolutionary features. While the D3 breaks new ground for Nikon with a full-frame sensor (called FX) at 12.1 megapixels, the D300 nearly matches that resolution at the old DX-size recording a 12.3 megapixel image with a 1.5x crop factor. They share so many features, we've come to think of the D300 as the build-it-yourself Nikon D3. You can almost achieve the D3's performance by adding accessories to the D300; all but the larger frame size…

Read the Nikon D3 Preview and the D300 Preview from Imaging Resource.

Sony 11-18mm Wide Angle Lens Review

Popular Photography and Imaging reviews the widest Sony lens available for the Alpha 100 DSLR. Here is an excerpt from the online review of the Sony branded 11-18mm f/4.5-5.6 DT AF Lens.

…IN THE LAB: Lens bench test data showed Excellent sharpness and contrast at the three tested focal lengths, in keeping with the majority of performances among today's digital-only ultrawides. In DxO Analyzer 2.0 tests, barrel distortion was in the Visible range at 11mm (0.49%), and in the Slight range at 14mm and 18mm (0.27% and 0.13%, respectively). These are among the best distortion performances in the digital-only ultrawide category…

Read the entire lens review and view gallery on popphoto.com.

Macworld Reviews Kodak EasyShare 5300 Printer

Macworld reviews the recent Kodak EasyShare 5300 multifunction ink-jet printer. Here is an excerpt:

… The Kodak EasyShare 5300 is a multifunction device that features scanning, copying, and printing capabilities. It also comes with a special promise from Kodak: the company asserts that this multifunction printer will save you money on ink, thus reducing the cost per print. The EasyShare 5300 utilizes a two-cartridge, six-ink system; the total cost for an ink refill is only $25 ($10 for black and $15 for five-ink color). And although you’ll save money in the long run, there won’t be a compromise in the quality of your scans and prints. In my testing, the EasyShare 5300 was a solid performer, with the exception of a minor scanning glitch that Kodak says it plans to fix in a software update soon…

Read the entire Macworld review.

Macworld Reviews New iPhoto '08 From Apple

Rick LePage of Macworld reviews the new iPhoto ’08 software from Apple. Here is an excerpt:

…One immediately obvious change in iPhoto ’08 is in the way your photos are organized when you import them from your camera. Apple has replaced the film-roll metaphor—in which each batch of imported pictures is stored as a “roll”—with a scheme called Events, based upon the time the pictures were taken. An event is represented by a thumbnail image in iPhoto’s viewing area. The Events feature is an attempt to better organize your pictures when they first enter your library by segmenting images into daily, weekly, and two- or four-hour chunks, depending on what works best for you…

Read the entire Macworld review.

Leica C-LUX 2 Review

Popphoto.com reviews the latest digital point-and-shoot from Leica. Is the Leica C-LUX 2 worth it’s $500 price tag, or are you simply paying extra for that well-known red logo on the front? I suspect the latter, but then again, I’m a cynic. Zach Honig gives the skinny on this petite and pricey shooter. Read the entire review on popphoto.com.