Nikon's D3X is now supported by Adobe Lightroom.
(Credit: Nikon)LAS VEGAS--Adobe Systems has released the final version of Lightroom 2.3, its photo-editing and cataloging software, along with its close relative, the Camera Raw 5.3 plug-in to let Photoshop CS4 edit raw images from higher-end cameras.
The new software (available as a download for Windows and Mac OS X) supports Nikon's top-end D3X, an $8,000, 24.5-megapixel machine whose owners likely will usually prefer raw files for their flexibility and quality advantages over JPEG. Also supported is Olympus' new midrange E-30.
The Lightroom 2.3 update also fixed a number of bugs and adds support for eight new languages: Dutch, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Korean, and simplified and traditional Chinese. Adobe made the announcement Monday just as the Photo Marketing Show (PMA) was getting under way here.
The Camera Raw software works with Adobe's flagship CS4 version of Photoshop, but also with the consumer-oriented Photoshop Elements 7, Premiere Elements 7 for video editing, and Photoshop Elements 6 for Mac OS X.
During and after the rollout of the E-30 dSLR, Olympus really pushed the Art Filters feature--a handful of preset special effects--which seemed a bit out of place on a $1,300 dSLR (especially a dSLR that has quite a bit going for it, including very good photo quality and speedy performance).
But in the course of testing the camera I discovered that the Art Filters, or at least some of them, are pretty useful and interesting. Which is another way of saying that they're kind of fun and addictive and completely derailed my completing the review.
More expensive than the Nikon D90, which offers video capture (flawed though it might be) and competing head-to-head with the high-ISO king in its class, the Canon EOS 50D, this is an interesting way for Olympus to differentiate the E-30 for its competitors.
And I still haven't decided whether this tactic succeeds at providing a compelling reason to choose the E-30 over one of the more entrenched models, or whether it's just a gimmick that you'll regret the first time you need to shoot at ISO 1600 (it's great up to ISO 800 but then the E-30's quality begins to seriously degrade).
So here are some examples of the Art Filters. Keeping in mind that you can shoot an Art Filtered JPEG simultaneously with an untouched raw (a plus) but that some of the filters slow file processing and that you can't change any of the parameters (minuses), would you want these capabilities in your next dSLR? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Nikon D3X
(Credit: Nikon USA)Adobe Systems on Friday issued near-final release candidate versions of Lightroom 2.3 and the Camera Raw 5.3 Photoshop plug-in, software that can support Nikon's new top-end, $8,000, 24.5-megapixel D3X camera and Olympus' mid-range, $1,299, 12.3-megapixel E-30.
According to the release notes, the new Lightroom version also fixes a few bugs: a memory leak that could crash the software while people were making local editing adjustments to photos, a processing error handling smaller sRAW photos from the Canon 5D Mark II, a slideshow glitch, and problems uploading and burning files to discs.
Lightroom is designed for editing, labeling, and cataloging photos--in particular, the flexible but non-standard raw files from higher-end cameras. Adobe Camera Raw is used to handle raw files in the more general-purpose Photoshop software, letting people convert them into JPEG, TIF, or other more portable formats.
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Olympus’ E-30 fills the hole in its dSLR lineup.
(Credit: Olympus America)With a price gap of about $900 between the Olympus E-520 and the E-3, Olympus has long had a pretty big hole in its dSLR lineup--a hole populated by extremely popular competitors like the Nikon D90, the Canon EOS 40D, and the Canon EOS 50D. But with the announcement of the E-30, it looks like Olympus is entering the ring swinging.
First, some key specs:
| Canon EOS 50D | Nikon D90 | Olympus E-30 | Olympus E-3 | |
| Sensor | 14.7-megapixel CMOS | 12.3-megapixel CMOS | 12.3-megapixel Live MOS | 10.1-megapixel Live MOS |
| Color depth | 14 bits | 12 bits | 12 bits | 12 bits |
| Sensitivity range | ISO 100 - ISO 3,200/12,800 (expanded) | ISO 100 - ISO 3,200/6,400 (expanded) | ISO 100 - ISO 3,200 | ISO 100 - ISO 3,200 |
| Focal-length multiplier | 1.6x | 1.5x | 2x | 2x |
| Continuous shooting | 6.3 fps 90 JPEG/16 raw |
4.5 fps 100 JPEG/n/a raw | 5 fps n/a JPEG/12 raw |
5fps n/a JPEG/12 raw |
| Viewfinder | 95% coverage 0.95x magnification User interchangeable focusing screens |
96% coverage 0.94x magnification fixed focusing screen |
98% coverage 1.02x magnification fixed focusing screen |
100% coverage 1.15x magnification Mfr. interchangeable focusing screens |
| Autofocus | 9-pt AF all cross-type |
11-pt AF center cross-type |
11-pt AF all cross-type |
11-pt AF all cross-type |
| Live View | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| LCD size | 3 inches | 3 inches | 2.7 inches | 2.5 inches |
| Approximate street price (body only) | $1,399 | $999 | $1,299 | $1,499 |
On Sale Now: $882.95 - $1,003.16
View the latest prices for Olympus E-30 (body only)
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