Recently in Equipment->News Category

Along with the Canon 7D, the new Leica M9 now joins the ranks of things I want but sadly have absolutely no money to buy:

According to the Mirror, the M9:

Specs wise, we’re looking at an 18.2MP sensor on the Leica M9, plus reduced noise at high ISO settings, and an SD slot, and it could be out as soon as this week.

DPReview has an extensive hands-on with this new full-frame digital rangefinder: http://www.dpreview.com/news/0909/09090909leicam9.asp

Do you think if I put a paypal "Donate to Karen's M9" button on this website, I could collect enough for it? It's only around 5000 euros....

Hot off the press: "Canon has today announced the EOS 7D digital SLR. It boasts a new 18MP APS-C CMOS sensor, Dual DIGIC 4 processors, ISO range expandable to 12800, continuous shooting at 8 fps and full HD video recording. It also incorporates a new viewfinder with 1.0x magnification and 100% coverage and a 3 inch LCD with 920k dot resolution."

Read more at DPReview.com

Well, the little iPhone Kindle app has convinced me that a Kindle2 might not be a total waste of money. I'm actually enjoying read both academic and non-academic books on the iPhone. Although the Kindle2 doesn't have a backlight, it looks like it'd be a good way to read before bed or on the airplane.

I wish the Kindle2 had WiFi, I guess that -- along with the backlight -- is my big concern for the unit. Especially as Sprint might be going bankrupt if it continues to bleed customers like it is now. I wonder what will happen to the Kindle's EVDO if that happens....

I'd love to hear from anyone who has one.

Here is a piece of camera gear that Cool Tools posted about. It is touted as a more portable alternative to using a monopod.

Pocket-size stabilizer: Strap Pod

In the case of museums or some public spaces, tripods are simply not allowed (though you can sometimes get away with a monopod by pretending it is a 'walking stick'). But again, hauling a monopod around is sometimes clumsy, frowned upon, or outright discouraged in certain environs. The Strap Pod is much less intrusive and bulky, so I'm more likely to toss it into my pocket or my camera bag and bring it along.

Just a heads up on a New York Times article about the Panasonic DMC-G1, which is the result of an attempt "to put the photographic quality of an S.L.R. into a compact body."

Pro Quality Without Reflex Lens

Most people -- about 92 percent of us -- buy little pocket cameras that take so-so photos. Only about 8 percent buy those big, black, heavy S.L.R. (single-lens reflex) cameras that take magazine-worthy photos.

It's not that people don't want better pictures. It's just that they're not willing to hang an anvil around their necks to get them.

Next month, however, Panasonic will offer the first camera in a new format called Micro Four Thirds. Its mission: to put the photographic quality of an S.L.R. into a compact body. If it works, then these cameras will surely earn adjectives like "revolutionary," "important" and "popular."

Hot off the press, Apple just released Mac OS X 10.4.11, otherwise a minor update to the last OS release. I haven't upgraded to PantherCheetahLionLeopard yet (since Yale has a site license and I have to wait until I'm back in the USA) -- but the big thing about 10.4.11 is that it supports the Microsoft Presenter Mouse 8000 -- which I've blogged about before.

Yippee! Keynote here I come!

For more: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=306297

I hadn't seen this blogged in English...

In May, Sony and Matsushita announced an interim high-definition recordable format for portable consumer camcorders. Called AVCHD the system uses 8cm recordable DVD disks (650nm laser). The compression avoids HDV's long-GOP (with its 0.5 second dropouts) instead preferring the MPEG4 AVC (aka H264) used in BlueRay.

Screen formats 1080/60i /50i and /30p and 720/60p/50p/24p are all supported. 1080 is really 1920x1080 rather than 1440x1080 although that is supported as well. Sampling is 4:2:0. Sound is AC3 (5.1) with bitrates of up to 640kbs or Dolby Diital (1.5Mbs on two channels). The max system bitrate is 18Mbps which gives a min record time of 10 min, although you can downgrade this to get more play time. On the average setting, you get around 20 minutes per disk.

Although the system uses standard DVD recordable disks, they won't playback on standard DVD players unless the firmware is upgraded to support AVCHD (unlikely).

The big question is: Why????

Data from the June 2006 Video Salon magazine in Japan.

I was editing some footage of an interview I shot with an emeritus faculty here when I discovered to my delight that iMovie HD suddenly supports 25p/30p progressive HDV input.

Since when?!?!?!?!

I had shot the interview with my Canon XL-H1 and forgot to reset the frame-rate from 30p to 60i. I only realized this when I got back home and started to edit. I was adjusting settings and turned off the HDV->DV downconvert on the XL-H1 and was astonished when iMovie was happy to suck in the 1080i/30p footage without problem. A quick check of the Help file and it states that 25/30 frame progressive modes are supported.

Since when??!?!?!?!?

NitroAV is now selling a 2-port FireWire 800 card for the MacBook Pro for $89.95. This fixes the main flaw of the MBP 15" -- the single FireWire 400 port. It uses the new ExpressCard/34 slot.

MacWorld reports that Apple's Final Cut Pro Studio now formally supports the XL-H1.

Apple has released the 17" MacBook Pro (keeping the ugly moniker). It looks great with the 2.16 ghz Intel Duo Core processor and dual-layer DVD+R (DVD-RW) support and both FireWire 800 and 400 ports. I'm bummed that the ExpressCard is still the 34 mm size (which precludes Compact Flash adapters) and that the screen size is 1680x1050 which means that it can't show 1080i/1080p natively.

I'm saving my research funds until the next revision of the 15" since the 17" is too big to take to the field. I hope when they "refresh" the 15" that they'll add back the dual FireWire ports, add dual-layer support, and give us the 54mm ExpressCard option.

Hasselblad has announced the 503CWD - a digital back for the Hasselblad 500 and 200 series. Quite exciting:

• 16 megapixels (4080x4080)
• 36.7mm x 36.7mm sensor (1.5x crop factor compared to 6x6 film)
• ISO 50, 100, 200, 400
• CF card I or II
• Battery: Sony InfoLithium L-NP-F
• 2.2" OLED rear display

The only problem -- the price... estimated at around $10,000 (with 503CW body).

At the PMA convention, Panasonic has announced their formal entry into the interchangeable lens DSLR category with the Lumix DMC-L1. It uses the interchangeable 4/3 (four-thirds) system lens mount, so technically it should be able to mount lenses from any other manufacturer who is participating.

Although it looks like a rangefinder, it's actually a DSLR (none of the holes above the lens mount are for viewfinders). The body styling, though, is reminiscent of the Konica Hexar RF. In any case, the Lumix DMC-L1 has the following features:

• 7.5 megapixels
• Live viewfinder
• MOS sensor
• Supersonic sensor cleaner
• Mega OIS - optical image stabilization (built into lens)
• SD memory card
• Pricing is rumoured to be around US$3000 which is too much.
• Shipping is rumoured to be Q4 2006 which is too late.

Leica has announced its first 4/3 system lens, the Leica D Vario-Elmarit 14-50mm f/2.8-3.5 ASPH, which will be the standard lens for the DMC-L1, but could be used with any other 4/3 camera.

Just when I was about to spend $400 to get the MicroTrack 24/96 despite its many bugs (proprietary lithium-ion battery; 30V phantom power), Roland comes to the rescue with a new model also priced at $400: the Edirol R-09. The various blogs have picked up on it already, so read previews at CreateDigitalMusic.com and Transom.

On first glance it seems ideal: runs on 2 x AA batteries (NiMH ok), uses SD memory cards up to 2 gig, can record 24 bit x 48khz, and can use external mics or line-in as well as its own built-in stereo electrets.

When it rains, it pours.... Konica-Minolta has just announced its withdrawal from the camera and photography business -- including digital photography. They are transferring most of their camera assets (including their digital Maxxum SLR series) to Sony. It's not surprising given that they lost JPY7,300 million on revenue of JPY117,000 million in FY2005 in their camera business.

Cameras: In camera business, we have reached an agreement with Sony Corporation(Sony), having numerous image sensor technologies such as CCD and CMOS, to jointly develop digital SLR cameras in July 2005. In order to continue to have our customers use Maxxum/Dynax lenses, and to maximize possibilities of the optical, mechanical and electronics technologies accumulated through development of SLR cameras in the years to come, we came to the conclusion that it was best to transfer assets concerning camera business to Sony. Since then, we have been negotiating with Sony, and as a result, we have reached an agreement with Sony to transfer a portion of assets regarding digital SLR camera system to Sony*1. In this relation, we have decided to withdraw from camera business*2, such as film cameras and digital cameras, within Konica Minolta Group as of March 31, 2006.

Sony is planning to develop digital SLR cameras compatible with Maxxum/Dynax lens mount system, so that the current Maxxum/Dynax users will be able to continue to use them with Sony’s digital SLR cameras. In addition, we will consign camera service operations for Konica Minolta, Konica,Minolta brand cameras and related equipment to Sony.

Photography: In today’s shrinking photographic market represented by color film and color paper, we have been considering to scale back and to continue photo business at an appropriate size; however, when we foresee the photographic market, it is quite difficult to maintain profitability in this field, and we have decided to withdraw from photo business. As schemed below, we will, as much as possible, avoid causing any inconvenience in providing products to our worldwide customers in the course of withdrawal.

Konica was Japan's oldest camera and photographic supply company. Minolta was one of the stars of the postwar camera boom. It will be sad to see both leave the market.

In other news, Pentax is merging with Samsung.