Possibly, the most important recent camera news is the announcement of the Red DSMC system. Red is the most important camera company no one has ever heard of. They made a name for themselves with a modular digital video camera called Red One. Now they’re attacking the high-end digital SLR market with their DSMC (Digital Still and Motion Camera) system. The DSMC system can be configured in seemingly endless ways, supports frame rates unheard of in the DSLR world, and can mount Nikon and Canon SLR lenses. It’s definitely targeted at high-end working pros, and even then I believe it will only appeal to a limited market. But the timing is interesting, as the hybrid still/motion system was announced shortly after Nikon and Canon both introduced digital SLRs with HD video capability. But imagine a pro-level digital camera that can capture 30, 50 or even over 100 frames-per-second…
(read more about the Red DSMC)
There are two Olympus items that need to be mentioned. First is the announcement of the Olympus E-30 – a 12-megapixel digital SLR positioned between the E-520 and the flagship E-3. (Olympus E-30 announcement article) Second, last week I finished a long-term review of the Olympus E-520 digital SLR. I posted a link on the Flickr Olympus E-System Community group and they raked me over the coals because my review says the E-520′s image quality isn’t as good as other available digital SLRs. I stand by my words. But thanks to their criticism, I did make a few changes to the review to clarify some things – namely, that I believe image quality isn’t the number one criterion for a good camera. What makes a good camera is the balance between image quality, price, and camera handling. And for me, the E-520 strikes an excellent balance between image quality and handling. I love it for backcountry mountain bike, ski, and backpacking photos, where the small body and lenses make it wonderfully packable.
(read my Olympus E-520 Pro Review)
Word is that some Canon EOS 5D Mark II production cameras are starting to appear in Asia. For North Americas anxiously awaiting pre-ordered 5D Mark II’s, Canon has announced that they’ll be shipping cameras in the US at the end of November. So hold tight – you’re almost there. An EOS 5D Mark II video of Beijing at night by photojournalist Dan Chung was posted on Vimeo.com. It’s only one video, but the quality appears much better than what we’ve seen from the Nikon D90. It’s really a beautiful video and worth watching even if you aren’t interested in the 5D Mark II
(Canon EOS 5D Mark II Video Sample)
Last but not least, French RAW conversion software maker DxO, announced a new Web site – dxomark.com. The new Web site features scientific comparisons of sensors from RAW-capable digital cameras. You can compare up to three cameras based on criteria like signal-to-noise ratio, true ISO sensitivity, dynamic range, color sensitivity, etc. The sensor information isn’t being presented as reviews. Rather, the intent is to provide standardized, test-based data for sensor comparison. I expect the dxomark.com sensor site will become a regularly referenced image quality source, if not the scientific standard on which all future digital camera reviews are based. I know I’ll be using it when I do digital camera reviews.
(More on dxomark.com)
I created a wiki with loads of video and still samples from the 5d mk ii (have been scouring the web for a while!) that is very helpful to anyone thinking about buying the mk ii or wanting to see what it can do… http://planet5d.com