Join Now
Join ePHOTOzine, the friendliest photography community.
Upload photos, chat with photographers, win prizes and much more for free!
Being in a position to play with a lot of camera gear is fun, yet can be a rather daunting experience. I thought I would share with you a few of my personal favorite newer products that have caught my eye both the left and right ones.
Now this list is only a short list and does not represent my annual camera award winners. But I have to admit that these toys could be potential winners.
They are not presented in any particular order or preference. One thing...No I was not paid by the manufactures to endorse their products on our blog.
Sony Alpha Nex 5. All I can say is Wow! What an incredible toy this is and really quite capable of outputting some very serious video and still pix content. Very clean 14 mega pixel sensor, compact and a joy to hold.
Sony Alpha DSLR-A850. One of the best bang for the buck full frame DSLR out there. Keep it at under 800 iso and get absolutely stunning images. Blow them up to A1 with no problem what so ever.
Sony SLT Alpha A55. A mind boggling great DSLR with incredible output for under $800, 10 frames per second, 16.3 mega pixels, AVCHD video and variable sweep Panorama...Nuff said.
Canon 550D (EOS Rebel T2i/Kiss X4). This Canon can keep up with the big guns at an extremely reasonable price. 18 mega pixel output, Full HD video gives this Canon my thumbs up. Really can't see the difference in output from that of the Canon 7D. Clean images up to 1600 iso.
Canon EOS 60D. The camera that the 50D could have been, but wasn't. A great semi pro quality camera at a very reasonable price. Amazingly good output up to 3200 iso all in 14 bit. Great Full HD video output in a very robust body.
Nikon D7000. One of the best Mid priced DSLR's out there. Incredibly fast and accurate auto focus, 16.3 megapixel Sony Sensor, Full HD 1080p Video with external microphone jack and up to 25,600 iso. The body is very robust indeed. Nice one Nikon...
Nikon Coolpix P7000. A great in your bag compact that wants to play pro...Nuff said.
Pentax K5. Undoubtably the best Pentax APSC DSLR ever made. In fact one of the best DSLR's out there at the moment. Noise performance exceptional. iso's up to 51,200 (still gasping for air!) A wonderfully clean 16.3 megapixel Sony sensor tweaked by Pentax. This sensor is able to outclass several FF camera's out there. Full HD video with stereo external microphone jack input, 7 fps continuous shooting wrapped in a magnesium body at street prices approaching 1100 Euros's.
Pentax K-r. Simply put...What the K-x could have been but wasn't. That is a very good thing indeed.
and finally...
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2. The Lumix has come of age with this powerfully compact DSLR with 16 mega pixel sensor, very clean Full HD video output and up to 12,800 iso. A very nice package for those wishing to get into the 4/3rds format.
Well there you have it. Now go out there and purchase one of these babies for me...I will never look a gift horse in the mouth.
You missed one!
The iPhone 4 with auto HDR function. Amazing quality from a phone cam.
I say this, not just because I am a Pentax man through and through, but because it is always good to see a well respected mark bounce back off of the ropes. I mean the K-5. What a fantastic camera. I really hope that with the current line up, including the medium format camera, that Pentax will now go from strength to strength.
It depends very much on the magazines we read to actually honour this camera with the publicity it so deserves, but I fear that they are too far gone with loyalties to you know who to do that. It is now for us users to sing the good news loud and clear.
Quote: I have your D7000 right here in my hands. It is the best Mid price DSLR out there.
With the same picture quality as a Sony A580 costing half the price. Nikon pulled the same trick with the D300 which used the sensor from the Sony A700 (which cost slightly over half the D300's price) - the pictures were indistinguishable.
Quote: But the camera handling may have been different.
Yes, the Sony A700 has more buttons. Nikons are expensive for what they are. Take the D3x, which I believe has the same sensor as the Sony A850, but costs over 3 times the price of the A850. The name commands a premium and I guess Sony make a pretty healthy profit on the sensors they sell to Nikon.
Thincat do you know the 7000d and A580 have the same performance and exactly the same sensor. Nikon often re-design the Sony sensors, look at the A900 to D3X difference. Also sensor is only part of the equation, then there is AF system and metering and body design. I am certain the A580 and 7000D are good cameras but there are differences. It is for the user to decide.
The problem for the 7000D is it is at the same price as the D300S and 7D, interesting to choose.
Quote: Thincat do you know the 7000d and A580 have the same performance and exactly the same sensor. Nikon often re-design the Sony sensors, look at the A900 to D3X difference.
According to DPR the 7000 shares the same sensor as the A55, which has the same sensor as the A580. Nikon tend to specify a slightly different interface for their Sony sensors and their in-camera post-processing is different, of course, but basically the sensor is the same and it's the sensor that determines the IQ for the most part. The D300 and A700 shared the same sensor and the RAW IQ was indistinguishable. Of course there are other factors that contribute to how nice a camera is to use, but I don't think the A700 gave away anything to the Nikon in this respect. I don't know about the A580 - I guess this is less "pro-orientated" than the 7000, but I'd be surprised if the AF system or metering were inferior to the Nikon.
Add a Comment
ePHOTOzine, the web's friendliest photography community.
Upload photos, chat with photographers, win prizes and much more.
Join Our Free Newsletter
Awards
Current Competitions
Olympus 'Portraiture' Competition - Win £1000 Worth Of Gear!
30th April 2013 - 31st May 2013
This month, to celebrate the launch of Olympus' new micro site Olympus Image Space, Olympus are giving you the chance to win £1000 worth of Olympus gear!...
Featured e2 Photo
May's Photo Month
Check out ePHOTOzine's inspirational photo month calendar! Each day click on a window to unveil new photography tips, treats and techniques.
