Sony DT 18-55mm f3.5-5.6
(Credit: Sony)To go with Sony's new compact and lightweight Alpha dSLR's announced today are four new DT series lenses. Designed for use with APS-C sized sensors, the new entry-level DT lenses have built-in-lens autofocus motors. The Smooth Autofocus Motor provides quiet, smooth autofocus with the new compact Alpha bodies.
Sony announced a pair of new compact, lightweight kit zoom lenses: The DT 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 standard zoom lens has aspherical and ED (extra-low dispersion) lens elements. The DT 55-200mm f4-5.6 telephoto zoom lens has an ED lens element and its long range make it good for sports. They are available separately or in camera kits.
There are also two new compact DT series constant aperture prime lenses providing more creative control. The DT 50mm f1.8 is a fast 50mm lens, long a favorite in traditional photography. It is good portrait lens with its fast 75mm f1.8 35mm equivalent and shallow depth of field. Also announced is the 30mm f2.8 macro lens for getting the close-up shots. Both lenses have the built-in Smooth Autofocus Motor and are compact and lightweight.
The lenses will be available in July 2009 with the 18-55mm going for about $200, the 55-200mm for about $230, and the 50mm f1.8 for about $150. No pricing has yet been announced for the 30mm macro.
If you were wondering whether the DTV transition was really coming in 2009, the recent early test in Wilmington, N.C. should convince you that there won't be any push backs this time. That means that if you're getting your TV using free, analog over-the-air signals, you should start looking at DTV converter boxes before the big switch on February 17, 2009.
The Apex DT250 is a pretty interesting converter box because it includes several features missing form many competitors--S-Video output, a "Smart Antenna" port and analog pass-through. We were even more impressed when started watching digital TV with the converter box, as its video quality was very good, rivaling even the Zenith DTT901. However, when we started comparing the DT250's reception to other boxes, we were surprised to see that it was pulling in 4-to-5 stations fewer--including NBC. The full details are in the review, but our summary is that unless you live in an area close to DTV signals, the extra features probably aren't worth the mediocre reception.
Read the full Apex DT250 review.
The Asus Eee PC will soon welcome new family members.
(Credit: CNET Networks)Looking to capitalize on the popularity of its $400 Linux laptop, the Eee PC, Asus announced it will release three products under the Eee banner later this year: a desktop, an all-in-one PC, and an LCD TV. I can't see any of these forthcoming Eee products matching the Eee PC's early success--a compelling form factor and significant cost savings over similarly sized laptops helped it out of the gate--although the all-in-one PC may have a shot. Let us run through the newly announced products.
Confirming earlier rumors, Asus said it will release a desktop version of the Eee PC, which it will call the E-DT. The E-DT will cost between $200 and $300 and it will use an Intel Celeron processors. It is scheduled for an April or a May release. Later versions of the product will be based on Intel's Shelton platform with single-core Diamondville CPUs on the 945GC chipset.
Despite its dull name, the E-Monitor looks like it has the best chance to succeed among the announced products. At $499, this all-in-one PC will be priced much lower than Apple's iMac, Dell's XPS One, or Gateway's One. It's scheduled for a September release, and will use Intel's Shelton platform and include a TV tuner. It'll feature a smallish display in the 19- to 21-inch range. Design plays a huge role in an all-in-one's appeal--much more than a tower you tuck under your desk--so hopefully Asus is given its product designers the resources they need for the E-Monitor.
The E-TV will also be released in September and is somewhat of a departure from the Eee strategy of undercutting competing (Windows-based) products on price. This 42-inch LCD TV will cost $200 more than similarly sized units, but it will include Linux, lending it PC functionality should you want that. I would say let me keep my $200, just give me an LCD TV and I'll put that chunk of change toward an Eee PC. So that I can watch TV on my TV and browse the Internet on my lap. At the same time. I'm a bit of a multitasker that way.
While announcing the new products, Asus did mention one Eee PC-related tidbit: plans are on hold for bringing a touch screen to the laptop.
When taking photos, we've beheaded more people than Henry XIII's personal executioner. That's why this new Fujifilm camera may be tailor-made for us.
(Credit:
Fujifilm)
The FinePix Z5fd, according to Akihabara News, can recognize and focus on faces so that they stay in the picture. Although this feature has been offered in some of Fujifilm's more expensive lines, we're hoping that that this model will be more affordable though no pricing has been disclosed.
We're so bad at focusing (especially at parties where alcohol is involved) that we're still not convinced we'll be able to get it right. But at 6 megapixels, we'll at least be able to get a clear shot of a neck or two.
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