A new update expands the range of cameras supported by a program that can ease the pains photography buffs often have when viewing images stored in hard-to-decode raw image formats.
Michael Tapes released Instant JPEG from Raw 1.1 on Wednesday, a month after the IJFR debut. The software extends file-browser software to show thumbnail views of raw images, doing so by extracting the JPEG that's typically stored within the raw image.
Photo enthusiasts and pros like raw files for their flexibility, but because each camera has its own format, handling them can be a pain. IJFR extends Mac OS X and Windows file browsers so it can show a rough-and-ready JPEG preview version of a raw file, which often is enough to sort or identify images.
The new version supports Sony raw files and a number of new cameras, Tapes said: Canon's 50D, the Panasonic LX3, the Sigma DP-1, and Leica's M8.
(Credit:
Nikon USA)
New beta software for Adobe Systems' Photoshop means those with Nikon's latest SLRs, the mid-range D90 and higher-end, full-frame D700, now can handle those cameras' raw files with the company's widely used image-editing software.
In addition, the software supports Nikon's Coolpix P6000, a high-end compact camera, and the Fuji Finepix IS Pro, said Adobe's Tom Hogarty in a blog post Wednesday.
The update includes unofficial, preliminary support for Canon's 50D, a mid-range SLR due to ship in October, Canon's new low-end Rebel XS, Sony's ambitious full-frame Alpha A900 SLR due in November, the Olympus SP-565 UZ ultrazoom compact, and Sigma's large-sensor DP1 compact, Hogarty said.
In addition, Adobe released an accompanying version of its DNG Converter software, which changes the proprietary raw file formats from higher-end cameras into Adobe's relatively open Digital Negative (DNG) format. That means people have a bridge to get the new cameras' raw files into Lightroom, which doesn't yet support the new cameras.
No word yet on other higher-end cameras such as Canon's G10 or EOS 5D Mark II.
The Camera Raw 4.6 update and DNG Converter is available from Adobe Labs' site.
(Via Lightroom-News.com)
Titillating stuff from Canon.
(Credit: Canon)Rumors of a successor to the Canon 5D have been circulating for a while and now the digital-imaging blogsphere is churning again--this time with a brooding ad Canon has posted on some of its Web sites featuring the murky outline of mysterious dSLR and the phrase "Destined Evolution." Everybody thinks its the Canon 5D Mark II because it appears to lack a pop-up mount and has some design features that harken to Canon's other high-end EOS dSLRs.
A next-gen 5D--the current model retails for about $2,300 (body only)--has been a long time coming, and advanced amateur shutterbugs (and some professionals) have been waiting not so patiently for the rumored 5D Mark II to arrive--so much so that they barely batted an eye at the just-announced $1,400 EOS 50D.
Anybody waiting to pull the trigger on buying a 50D until you see the 5D Mark II?
My coworker Lori Grunin already covered Canon's announcement of its $1,400 mid-range EOS 50D SLR, but as somebody who's in the market for a new SLR, I thought I'd weigh in with some thoughts of my own. I'm glad Canon is investing where perhaps it counts most: the sensor. If the reviews look good, this will be the first time I've really been tempted to upgrade from my well-used Canon Rebel XT.
Canon's EOS 50D will ship in October for $1,399, not including a lens. Also shown here is the new EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS zoom lens.
(Credit: Canon)When it ships in October, the 50D will sport a 15.1 megapixel sensor, up from 10.1 megapixels in the current 40D. The increase in megapixels is nice for the poster-print and microstock-sales crowds, but what's most notable is the increase of the top ISO from 3,200 to 12,800.
That means Canon has done some serious work to cut down on the noise levels inside the sensor, which bodes well for image quality not just at the new extremes but also at more ordinary sensitivity settings. ISO 3,200, for example, is now part of the ordinary range, not the extended range that must be manually enabled before it's available. Canon hit some sweet spots in sensor design, for example with its earlier 20D and the full-frame 5D, and the 50D holds the potential of being another model that balances megapixels with low noise and accurate color.
Canon attributes the advance to "newly designed gapless microlenses over each pixel to reduce noise." Microlenses gather light for the light-sensitive part of the image sensor, compensating for surface area occupied by other electronics. Gapless microlenses presumably stretch across the entire pixel width. Perhaps this technology will also help out whatever model will succeed Canon's 5D, my other obvious upgrade path but one that likely would require spending twice the price for the camera body and that would require me to shell out another few hundred dollars for a new wide-angle lens to support the full-frame sensor size.
Fending off Nikon
Higher sensitivity is important for Canon. It's been losing market share to Nikon, which has pushed high sensitivity as an advantage, though with lower megapixel counts. The full-frame sensors on Nikon's D3 and D700 can reach ISO 25,600, though reaching that level was made easier through a sensor design that emphasizes a smaller number of larger pixels.
(Credit:
Canon USA)
Bringing another rumor cycle to an end, Canon has announced the EOS 50D, a follow-up to the popular 40D, which will remain available at least through the end of the year. Though the timing seems a bit surprising--the 40D is only a year old, and midrange dLSR cycles tend to run closer to 18 months rather than 12--it was probably inevitable once the Rebel XSi, which is very similar to the 40D, shipped.
Built around the identical body as the 40D--the only differences are the name plate and mode-dial bezel--the 50D brings with it a bump to 15 megapixels. According to Canon, the new sensor has smaller pixels than that of the 40D's 10-megapixel version, but the company claims superior noise and image quality; 1.5 stops better, in fact, thanks to an improved manufacturing process and larger, gapfree microlenses that effectively result in the same light-sensitive area, according to Canon.
In combination with an upgrade to a newer version of the company's image processor, dubbed Digic 4, Canon also says that the higher resolution won't impose a significant performance penalty, and that the 50D will be able to maintain burst speeds close to the 40Ds. And now that the camera's CompactFlash supports UDMA, the burst buffer can process more shots--JPEGs, at least.
And though it has a 3-inch LCD like the 40D, Canon has switched to the same higher-resolution display found on the Nikon D300
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View the latest prices for Canon EOS 50D (body only)
Will the Canon 40D soon have a brother?
(Credit: CNET)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.
Canon 40D getting replaced?
(Credit: CNET)The one model I was positive wouldn't be replaced this year is the Canon EOS 40D; though it shipped almost a year ago, the product cycle for dSLRs tends to be closer to 18 months than the 12-month-or-less cycle for snapshot cameras. But a secondhand reputable source--I trust PhotographyBay and they think there's something to recent rumors on Dpreview--has speculated on specs for a 50D.
Those specs include a bump to 12 megapixels (from 10), an increase to ISO 6400 (up from ISO 3200), a 3-inch OLED display, and 11-point AF system (up from 9).
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