Scott's Photo Blog

Show Notes for Digital Photography Life #15: We're Back, Baby

The latest digital photography news, the cameras we're spending our hard-earned money on and more are all here in the long-awaited Episode 15 of Digital Photography Life.

First off, where have we been for the past four months? It's a long story and we don't want to bore you. So, let's just say we're back now, better than ever. Well, maybe not better. Give us some time, dudes. But back, for sure.

In news of the day, we talk about some exciting and cool products:

• The Canon HV40, a very sweet high-end consumer videocam that shoots beautiful HD video. I got this through the Amazon Vine program and, although I have some quibbles with it (you can read them on my review on Amazon; if you click on the above link, it will take you to the product page. At the time I'm writing this, my review is the third one that appears, but if more people find other reviews more helpful, it may move down).

• Backup solutions Mozy and Drobo.

• It's a floor wax and a desert topping: The sexy new Nikon  S1000PJ  is the first camera with a built in projector. Just think of all the people you'll be able to bore with your unedited pictures!  Check out the unbelievable video here. I kind of want this now, but I'd prefer the technology in my iPhone or laptop.

• The lovely Nikon S70, with its multitouch OLED screen, appeals to me in a lot of ways. I love OLED screens, and having been spoiled by the iPhone, I'm similarly enamoured of touch screens. This sexy beasts combines the best of both worlds. Why couldn't they have made this B002KANXI4 the S1000PJ's projector? Although, from my experience with the iPhone, I can tell you a touch screen isn't the best way to snap a picture - how will pressing on its back NOT make your camera shakier? I can see accidental blur being a problem with this design.  

• I recently bought the Panasonic Lumix TZ5S as a gift for my partner.  It's a good, not great point and shoot. Bought it for the ability to shoot HD video, its beefy 10x optical zoom and because it starts at a rare but highly desired 28mm at the wide end. It also zooms while shooting video, something which most point and shoots can't do for some reason.  On the negative side, I find it a bit poky, with slight but annoying shutter lag and a sluggish shot-to-shot time. Overall, though, it's a lot of camera for $230 or less.   

• Michael's a little less enthusiastic about the water-resistant Olympus Tough 6000 he bought. He wishes he sprung for this little cutie. But then, he might not have been able to afford the super-hot Nikon D300s he's waiting for. If he were new to the world of DSLRs, he might have started with other just-announced option from Nikon, the entry-level D3000. This is a lot of camera for $600.

• Do you have money to burn on something pointless and vaguely disturbing? If so, check out the Sony Party Shot. This is the accessory for those of you who are too lazy to point and shoot your point and shoot.

SmugMug is our favorite site for sharing and - should you chose to accept this assignment - selling your photos. SmugMug has two fantastic offers just for our listeners:

• 50% off your SmugMug service at any level (enter code "Flickr" at checkout). This is a fantastic discount and you should take advantage of it in time to share your holiday photos!
• A free camera strap to any listener of Digital Photography Life: This one is just crazy. A high-quality camera strap that replaces the neck-slicing piece of canvas that your camera's manufacturer condescended to include with your DSLR. Get your freebie here.

Now that we're back, you can find us everywhere, including:

• Digital Photography Life on Twitter
• Digital Photography Life Email
• Digital Photography Life listener group on Flickr
• Digital Photography Life on Facebook
• Digital Photography Life on SmugMug 
• Michael on Facebook
• Scott on Facebook
• Scott on MySpace

That's it for this week. Thanks for listening, sorry we've been gone, and keep on snapping.

So Many Nikons, So Few Fortunes

If you're confused about which Nikon DSLR to buy - and who wouldn't be? - my darling Lori Grunin at CNET just published a list of her recommendations.

Lori has advice whether you're on a tight budget, a hobbyist, or a budding pro (and a few more categories, too).

The bad news about Lori's suggestions? There are no surprises: The more expensive the camera, the better it performs.

Lori also gives a bit of advice I was just discussing with Kerry Garrison on the most recent episode of The Digital Photography Show: "On a general note, if your budget is tight, and unless there's a specific feature or performance level you need from a particular model, it's usually a good idea to save money on the body and spend it on a better lens." We said the same thing!

The New Nikon D700: Let the upgrading and the buyer's remorse begin!

The camera that Michael Stein has been waiting for has arrived. Let the angels sing.

If you recently bought a Canon 5D, though, you might be bitter. Same for those of you who recently picked up a Nikon D3 or a D300 - the love child of those last two cameras is about to hit the streets.

What do you get when you add a D3's sensor to a D300's body? In Nikon's world adding up the D300 and D3 doesn't give you the  D303. Combining those two shooters gives you the full frame D700, and this one is the direct competitor to Canon's 5D that Michael and I were speculating about on the show just last week, when we said that we couldn't believe that no other company sold a prosumer/pro level full-frame DSLR at the $3,000 price of the 5D's when it was first released. 

Can we see the future? Apparently so. And it looks like this:

Nikon has taken the coveted and legendarily-low noise producing full frame sensor of the D3 and married it to a slightly larger, but still curvaceous and lighter body of the D300. The result? A Canon 5D-like price tag of $2,999. That's fits nicely between the $1,700 price tag of the D300 and the $5,000 that a D3 would cost you.

The D700 has some insane specs, and even includes features that are upgraded from the D3, which runs $2,000 more. Since those are always my favorite features - the ones where cheaper cameras surpass their more expensive siblings - lets cover those first:

Here's the list of features in which the D700 trounces the D3 (as a younger brother myself, I always appreciate these):

• A built in pop up flash! This is my favorite. I know some pros eschew pop up flashes, but they do sometimes come in handy, and since this one works as a commander for other wireless flashes, having it built in is fantastic.
• A self-cleaning sensor using "sensor shake:" This feature appears in the stories about the D700 as an advantage over the D3, but does the D3 have no self-cleaning sensor? Even $800 Digital Rebels have this technology. Huh?
• More programmable buttons: This is a "meh" for me, as I never bother to program these things, but more is better, right?
• An autofocus assist light: Beautiful! Ding! You can never have too many focusing options.
• A virtual horizon in live view: The D3 had this only when looking through the eyepiece - it's a line that shows you if you're holding the camera steady. A great feature only available, till now, in that $5,000 camera. Having in live view makes it extra sweet. Sorry D3!
• Other assorted upgrades: Including a new way to view the cropping you get when using DX lenses, a slightly faster standard sync speed, and a viewfinder grid option.

Of course, there are also trade offs of the D700 over the D3. Those follow the break:

New DSLR Rumors Abound

Engadget today ran a particularly fake-looking picture of the rumored successor to the Nikon D80 called...inspiringly...the Nikon D90. Even Engadget admits that the "D90" badge looks a little dodgy. This was originally posted on Nikon Rumors.

Meanwhile, Canonophiles are breathlessly awaiting word of a 5D Mark II. The rumor first appeared on Gizmodo back in March 2008, when they predicted an April 22nd launch. Uh, not so much.

But they later reported on May 25, 2008 that a book called Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital Field Guide appeared on Amazon.com, with a publication date of November. 

Well, the book doesn't appear there anymore. Also, the first version of the book appears to have been published on April 28, 2008, which means that Amazon would have had a listing for the sequel less than a month later. That author must work fast. Lastly, here's the shot of the book from Gizmodo - doesn't it look a little, uh, amateurish to you (the arrow and question marks are mine)? And the camera pictured on the cover is the original 5D!

 

While I'm sure there will someday be a new version of the 5D (I'm not so certain about the D80), I'm not convinced that these "clues' are anything other than the efforts of overzealous Photoshoppers. But, I'll hold out hope. What do you think?