2011 Enthusiast Camera Review
September 2011, Carl Garrard
Just a quick look back at all the new camera announcements so far this late Summer, starting in July of this year. Here are my initial impressions/rants based on features, timing, and overall value for the money. You're opinions of course may vary. Remember not to take this article too seriously, but read between the lines at the same time!
1. Samsung NX200- No EVF built in ?- FAIL. How can they miss that opportunity? So close but so far at the exact same time.
2. Fujifilm X10- Prediction: Massive success. This camera will raise the bar on compacts by nearly creating a whole new category. It will be out of stock immediately. Like a great recipe handed over through generations, the X10 has all the right ingredients for a camera this size. Likely to be the most poplar compact camera ever. Yep, ever, you read correctly.
Fujifilm X10 12 MP EXR CMOS Digital Camera with f2.0-f2.8 4x Optical Zoom Lens and 2.8-Inch LCD
3. Sony A77- A long wait for a very good product. Verdict is out for final image quality, but this camera has all the right stuff to make buyers rethink yet another purchase to Canon or Nikon in this category and higher. Initial reports from users all say the same thing, pretty much stunning autofocus performance and an EVF so good, it's making traditionalists scratch their head in real contemplation of using such a device. Those rapid frame rates work in conjunction with a seriously fast auto focus tracking system. Bravo.
Sony A77 24.3 MP Digital SLR with Translucent Mirror Technology - Body Only
4. Nikon P7100- The compact it should have originally been at the P7000, and too much like the G12. Not enough to set it apart from its rivals. If Canon didn't have the G12, the P7100 would be at the top of the food chain in this class of camera currently, but they do have the G12. A very good me-too product that suffers from imagination paralysis at the design level.
Nikon COOLPIX P7100 10.1 MP Digital Camera with 7.1x Optical Zoom NIKKOR ED Glass Lens and 3-Inch Vari-Angle LCD
5. Sony A65- Depending on your needs, could be the bargain DSLR of the decade. That much resolution and that nice of a viewfinder with a super fast Auto Focus speed and a blazing 10 frames per second performance at $899.00. Can you say Ka-blam!?
Sony A65 24.3 MP Translucent Mirror Digital SLR With 18-55mm Lens
6. Sony NEX-7- So good it's made the Photographic Press nearly mute in comparison to some recent news items. Jaw dropping body design and awesome specifications in a compact customizable form factor. A jacket pocket rocket, with roots in the Rangefinder styling world. It makes the NX200 look like a prototype tossed in the waste basket (Sorry Samsung). Any high class party will welcome its high class looks and performance. Big winner for Sony, huge.
Sony NEX-5N 16.1 MP Compact Interchangeable Lens Touchscreen Camera with 18-55mm Lens (Black)
7. Sony NEX-5n- A decent successor to the already wildly popular NEX-5, some legitimate additions but mostly a slightly incremental upgrade to keep it on top of the mirrorless market.
Sony NEX-5N 16.1 MP Compact Interchangeable Lens Touchscreen Camera with 18-55mm Lens (Black)
8. Canon- Almost a no show, won't even mention the me-too compacts they announced.
9. Ricoh- Finally shows the Leica M module for its *Still* unique GXR system, and issues a couple of firmware updates. Ricoh just chugging along until October till the deal is final with Pentax, then watch out for something very special.
10.Panasonic DMC-FZ150, power zoom lens for m4/3, some firm.........ok stop there. Nothing really to see here. Didn't excite me this year, at all.
Panasonic DMC-FZ150K 12.1 MP Digital Camera with CMOS Sensor and 24x Optical Zoom (Black)
11.Olympus EP3- Looks like Olympus have hit a wall with this model, just as the E5 hit a wall. Some nice improvements to the look of the menu- yet still complicated, and improvement of the speed of the autofocus system, with a removable grip and a few other things. Pretty cool camera when announced, and better than ever... yet I can't help but yawn. That isn't fair of me..
Olympus PEN E-P3 12.3 MP Live MOS Micro Four Thirds Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera with 14-42mm Zoom Lens (Black)
12.Olympus E-Pl3 Pen Lite- Really with that name Olympus, really? An electric bar of soap with an interchangeable lens mount. If you like menu driven cameras "This Bud's For You". The worst most complicated name in cameras ever? Its a tongue twister that makes no sense. Decent price for a DILC camera though, gotta hand it to them for that (just buy an XZ-1 though, duh).
Olympus Pen E-PL3 Micro 4/3 Digital Camera & 14-42mm II Lens (Black/Black)
September 2011, Carl Garrard
Just a quick look back at all the new camera announcements so far this late Summer, starting in July of this year. Here are my initial impressions/rants based on features, timing, and overall value for the money. You're opinions of course may vary. Remember not to take this article too seriously, but read between the lines at the same time!
1. Samsung NX200- No EVF built in ?- FAIL. How can they miss that opportunity? So close but so far at the exact same time.
2. Fujifilm X10- Prediction: Massive success. This camera will raise the bar on compacts by nearly creating a whole new category. It will be out of stock immediately. Like a great recipe handed over through generations, the X10 has all the right ingredients for a camera this size. Likely to be the most poplar compact camera ever. Yep, ever, you read correctly.
Fujifilm X10 12 MP EXR CMOS Digital Camera with f2.0-f2.8 4x Optical Zoom Lens and 2.8-Inch LCD
3. Sony A77- A long wait for a very good product. Verdict is out for final image quality, but this camera has all the right stuff to make buyers rethink yet another purchase to Canon or Nikon in this category and higher. Initial reports from users all say the same thing, pretty much stunning autofocus performance and an EVF so good, it's making traditionalists scratch their head in real contemplation of using such a device. Those rapid frame rates work in conjunction with a seriously fast auto focus tracking system. Bravo.
Sony A77 24.3 MP Digital SLR with Translucent Mirror Technology - Body Only
4. Nikon P7100- The compact it should have originally been at the P7000, and too much like the G12. Not enough to set it apart from its rivals. If Canon didn't have the G12, the P7100 would be at the top of the food chain in this class of camera currently, but they do have the G12. A very good me-too product that suffers from imagination paralysis at the design level.
Nikon COOLPIX P7100 10.1 MP Digital Camera with 7.1x Optical Zoom NIKKOR ED Glass Lens and 3-Inch Vari-Angle LCD
5. Sony A65- Depending on your needs, could be the bargain DSLR of the decade. That much resolution and that nice of a viewfinder with a super fast Auto Focus speed and a blazing 10 frames per second performance at $899.00. Can you say Ka-blam!?
Sony A65 24.3 MP Translucent Mirror Digital SLR With 18-55mm Lens
6. Sony NEX-7- So good it's made the Photographic Press nearly mute in comparison to some recent news items. Jaw dropping body design and awesome specifications in a compact customizable form factor. A jacket pocket rocket, with roots in the Rangefinder styling world. It makes the NX200 look like a prototype tossed in the waste basket (Sorry Samsung). Any high class party will welcome its high class looks and performance. Big winner for Sony, huge.
Sony NEX-5N 16.1 MP Compact Interchangeable Lens Touchscreen Camera with 18-55mm Lens (Black)
7. Sony NEX-5n- A decent successor to the already wildly popular NEX-5, some legitimate additions but mostly a slightly incremental upgrade to keep it on top of the mirrorless market.
Sony NEX-5N 16.1 MP Compact Interchangeable Lens Touchscreen Camera with 18-55mm Lens (Black)
8. Canon- Almost a no show, won't even mention the me-too compacts they announced.
9. Ricoh- Finally shows the Leica M module for its *Still* unique GXR system, and issues a couple of firmware updates. Ricoh just chugging along until October till the deal is final with Pentax, then watch out for something very special.
10.Panasonic DMC-FZ150, power zoom lens for m4/3, some firm.........ok stop there. Nothing really to see here. Didn't excite me this year, at all.
Panasonic DMC-FZ150K 12.1 MP Digital Camera with CMOS Sensor and 24x Optical Zoom (Black)
11.Olympus EP3- Looks like Olympus have hit a wall with this model, just as the E5 hit a wall. Some nice improvements to the look of the menu- yet still complicated, and improvement of the speed of the autofocus system, with a removable grip and a few other things. Pretty cool camera when announced, and better than ever... yet I can't help but yawn. That isn't fair of me..
Olympus PEN E-P3 12.3 MP Live MOS Micro Four Thirds Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera with 14-42mm Zoom Lens (Black)
12.Olympus E-Pl3 Pen Lite- Really with that name Olympus, really? An electric bar of soap with an interchangeable lens mount. If you like menu driven cameras "This Bud's For You". The worst most complicated name in cameras ever? Its a tongue twister that makes no sense. Decent price for a DILC camera though, gotta hand it to them for that (just buy an XZ-1 though, duh).
Olympus Pen E-PL3 Micro 4/3 Digital Camera & 14-42mm II Lens (Black/Black)
0 comments
Post a Comment