dslr

We've seen prototypes under glass and been hearing rumors for months, but Sony's Alpha DSLR-A900 became official September 9 at 9 a.m. ET. The A900's main claim to fame is its 24-megapixel full-frame (the size of a 35mm frame of film) sensor, the highest resolution in a digital SLR to date.

Sony makes a point of not calling this a "professional" camera, instead referring to it as the "flagship" model of its dSLR line. However, it's priced like a pro model, and its competitors--the Nikon D700 and the we-expect-soon-to-be-replaced Canon EOS 5D--are widely used by professionals. We've had one for a few days and have had a chance to run it through our lab tests and shoot with it long enough to develop some preliminary opinions. … Read more

Canon this week has released a firmware update to its 12MP digital SLR, the EOS Rebel XSi, which became available in April 2008. The firmware update, version 1.0.9, corrects several issues with the camera. It fixes an issue where the Auto Exposure Bracketing does not operate normally under certain conditions. It also fixes an issue with the Live View exposure simulation warning indicator and an issue with the playback of images after continuous shooting when a printer is attached. More details and information here.

We generally recommend installing the latest firmware updates for your camera, so you can … Read more

The much-rumored and even more longed-for update to the Nikon D80 has arrived. Or will, in a couple of weeks. The Nikon D90 doesn't replace the popular D80, which moves down Nikon's dSLR product line, and unsurprisingly, provides some significant enhancements over that 2-year-old model. Most notably, the D90 is the first digital SLR to support movie capture.

Though its movie-capture specs aren't too shabby--24fps 1280x720 motion JPEG and support for VR optical image-stabilization if the lens has it--D-Movie still doesn't match the best of the snapshot-camera movie modes.

For instance, exposure is fixed for the length of the clip, it has monaural sound, and you can only focus manually while shooting. HD clips are capped at five minutes, likely to keep the sensor from overheating since movie capture operates in Live View mode. Still, this has been a long-awaited feature in the entry-level segment, since it's one of the two important most features users have had to sacrifice when moving up to dSLRs (the other being pocketability).… Read more

Whoops. It looks like Canon's China site accidentally posted specs for the company's upcoming Canon 50D dSLR, which seems all but confirmed. The Web page that the specs were on has been taken down, but the Photography Bay grabbed them before it disappeared. The biggest highlights include a 15.1-megapixel CMOS sensor (yes, you heard right, 15), ISO 100-12,800, and a 920,000 points VGA 3.0-inch LCD monitor.

No word on price, when the 50D will actually be available, or whether it will replace the 40D--but stay tuned.

Find the full leaked specs at Photography Bay. … Read more

Though he doesn't spill where he got the information, author Thom Hogan is usually a relatively reputable source of Nikon leaks rumors. The latest whisperings to come out of his mill are about the replacement for the D80. Although he mentions that Nikon's first quarter financial meeting is this week, he doesn't explicitly draw the cynical connection that my brain's making about the timing of this information.

But anyway...he claims the D90 will have a 12-megapixel sensor, shoot about 4.5 frames per second, and have a Live View mode that shoots video. Cool, if … Read more

Nikon has issued a service note with some nice news for D3 owners: for $500 and a trip to the service center--for your camera, not you--the company will take your D3 and double its burst raw (as well as big JPEGs and TIFF) shooting buffer capacity. A handy-dandy chart in the notice indicates, for example, that the buffer for 14-bit uncompressed full-resolution raw files will jump from 16 to 36 frames.

Cynics might claim that Nikon's doing this to leapfrog the Canon EOS-1D's 20-frame buffer, but I don't think sports, catwalk or wildlife shooters are going to … Read more

Samsung has released a firmware update to its 14MP GX-20 DSLR. The update is similar to the one released in June for its sister camera, the Pentax K20D.

The update, version 1.01, is said to minimize noise when consumers take photos with the two-second self-timer. For more information and instructions, click here.

We generally recommend installing the latest firmware updates for your camera so you can get the most out of your gear. For more information on firmware updates for a specific camera, visit the manufacturer's Web site. Before installing any firmware upgrade, always take the time to … Read more

updated 7/8:  Today, Canon USA announced pricing and availability for the U.S. it looks like the company's only selling a kit version, with the EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens, for $699.99, and it's slated to ship next month.

(June 9) Say what you will about the rumor mill, it frequently comes through. In this case, except for the small detail of when it would be available, rumors about the Canon EOS Rebel XS turned out to be true. However, instead of waiting until Photokina to announce it, Canon debuted the new entry-level dSLR today.

The new Rebel, which replaces the XTi as the baby of its dSLR line, retains the 10-megapixel CMOS and 2.5-inch LCD, while moving up to the body of the more recent XSi. However, it also uses the newer Digic III processing chip--albeit with 12-bit processing rather than the XSi's 14-bit--so we expect to see some differences in photo quality, especially at higher ISO sensitivities, compared with the XTi. And the XS will ship with the image stabilized version of the EF-S 18-55mm lens; the XTi currently ships with the non-IS lens. The camera also adds Live View mode and, according to Canon, will have improved battery life.

Check out our preview video and comparative specs after the jump.… Read more

Those amazing folks at Photography Bay are at it again, this time with a pretty well-documented rumor about an upcoming midrange full-frame dSLR from Nikon, the D700. They got their hands on what looks like pretty real proof sheets of an ad for said model, with specs and everything. I'm not going to repeat them here--they deserve the page views. And a nod to CameraPorn, where I saw the first reference, simply because "C" comes before "P" in my RSS feed list. They link to coverage on a bunch of other sites. Check it out.… Read more