DCRP review the Nikon D200 camera. The conclusion is: “It’s hard not to like the Nikon D200. Really hard. Yes, it has a few flaws (namely its price and higher-than-I’d-like noise levels), but it has so many positives and was so fun to use that it easily earns my highest recommendation.

…Photo quality was excellent as well. Photos were properly exposed, with vivid colors and low purple fringing and noise levels. As is typical with D-SLRs, images are very smooth, and some folks may want to sharpen things up a bit. My only real photo quality complaint is that noise levels are higher than I would’ve liked at ISO sensitivities above 640. They’re not horrible by any means, but after just reviewing the Canon EOS-5D, I’m a bit spoiled. Then again, the 5D costs $3299 and the D200 is $1699.

…All things considered, though, the Nikon D200 is a heck of a camera. I really enjoyed using it, and I would recommend it to anyone, whether you’re just starting out with a D-SLR, or if you’re upgrading from an older Nikon D-SLR.

What I liked:

• Excellent photo quality, redeye not a problem (though see issue below)
• Built like a tank
• Large, bright, and sharp 2.5″ LCD
• Full manual controls, and then some
• Super fast performance, amazing continuous shooting mode
• Tons of custom settings; camera can store four sets worth
• Handy “recent menu”
• In-camera help system
• AF-assist lamp
• Superb battery life
• USB 2.0 High Speed supported
• All the expandability you’d expect from a D-SLR

What I didn’t care for:

• Images a bit noisy at higher ISO settings
• Expensive
• Included software doesn’t allow for RAW image manipulation; Nikon Capture should be included, and not $100
• Suffers a bit from button clutter; can be difficult to use
• Zoom and scroll feature harder to use than it should be”

Website : Nikon D200 Review at DCRP

Canon is doing well last week with two DSLR cameras that raise in ranking - Canon 350D and Canon 20D. The Canon 20D is selling well most likely due to price drop or promotion to prepare for the upcoming launch of the new Canon 30D. It will be interesting to see how the ranking will change in the upcoming weeks with the release of the new Canon 30D camera.

2006/02/13 ～ 2006/02/19 Japan Most Popular Digital Camera Ranking

Picture Unusually cold winter during December and January in most places in Japan apparently affected business for many photo imaging dealers. Digital SLRs, however, were certainly a sunny spot in the cold winter, reports Camera Times, a trade weekly.

In Osaka, the second largest market in Japan, digital SLRs became a timely savior for some specialty dealers. “Without Canon EOS 5D and Nikon D200, I don’t know where we would be,” confides an Osaka specialty dealer, continuing, “With those DSLR sales we were able to make more or less the same level of profit as last year.”

The dealer also says that best selling DSLR brand at his shop is Canon taking some 40 percent followed by Nikon at 20 percent, and others at 10 percent. Expensive lenses list-priced at around ¥200,000 (US$1,700) sold quite well, too. He looks forward to a good business in spring when Konica Minolta/Sony, Olympus/Panasonic, Pentax/Samsung are all expected to come out with new digital SLRs borne out of their collaborations. As digital SLRs sold well in his shop, 512MB memory cards were in short supply and the card business also gave him due profit, reports the journal.

Based on the roadmap, there will be 5 new lenses planned for release by Pentax in 2006. The PENTAX DA 21mm F3.2AL Limited is scheduled for release in June 2006. The PENTAX DA16-50mm F2.8 lens is schedule for December 2006. The PENTAX DA50-135mm F2.8 is scheduled for December 2006. The PENTAX DA 70mm F2.4 Limited is scheduled for October 2006. Finally, the PENTAX D-AF 55mm F2.8 is scheduled for mid 2006.

Download: Pentax New Lens Release Roadmap in 2006 (in Acrobat)

PENTAX Imaging Company has announced three additional digital SLR products that are currently under development and will be showcased under glass at the upcoming PMA 2006 held from February 26 to March 1 in Orlando, Florida.PENTAX has confirmed that the company will unveil a yet to be named PENTAX 10 megapixel digital SLR camera body, tentatively scheduled for a formal launch in Autumn 2006.

Along with the announcement of this PENTAX digital SLR body, the manufacturer announced a tenth lens that is compatible with the PENTAX digital SLR system. The smc PENTAX-DA 21mm F3.2AL Limited is an interchangeable uni-focal wide-angle lens for exclusive use with PENTAX digital SLR camera bodies. Offering wide-perspective coverage with a 68-degree angle of view (equivalent in focal length to 32mm in the 35mm format, when mounted on a PENTAX *ist D series digital SLR camera body), the lens features a PENTAX-original KAF lens mount. PENTAX has tentatively scheduled the lens launch for June 2006.

PENTAX also will preview the PENTAX 645 medium format digital SLR camera for the first time in the United States. Offering professional-quality digital image reproduction with 18 effective megapixels, a Kodak-developed extra-large CCD image sensor with 18.6 total megapixels (tentative), a PENTAX-original 645AF lens mount, the 645 Digital will maintain compatibility with existing smc PENTAX 645 interchangeable lenses. Model names, designs, specifications and market launch schedules of these products are all tentative and subject to change without notice.

Website : Pentax to exhibit upcoming digital SLR camera products at PMA 2006

Samsung Camera announces a second digital SLR model for 2006—the GX-1L—an entry-level, six-megapixel model. The interchangeable lens DSLR, jointly developed with partner Pentax Corporation, features world-renowned Schneider optics in a compact, lightweight, easy-to-hold body.

“The GX-1L was designed with entry-level DSLR users in mind with its easy-to-use features and aggressive price point,” says Stewart Henderson, National Marketing Manager at Samsung Camera. “The GX-1L features a host of automatic functions including Auto Sensitivity, Auto Picture Mode and a newly designed operation system. This, combined with its full range of advanced manual functions, make the GX-1L perfect for the beginning through advanced DSLR user.”

The GX-1L has a five-point, wide-area Auto Focus system, with a choice of AF-single or AF-continuous. The GX-1L also incorporates a high-precision, three-mode metering system including, 16-segment multi-pattern metering, center-weighted metering and spot metering. Users can choose from eight scene modes including Kids, Pets, Candlelight, Museum, Night Scene, Surf & Snow, Text and Sunset and several White Balance settings.

The GX-1L uses the Schneider D-XENON 18mm-55mm lens and will be available as a body only, or bundled with the D-XENON lens as a kit. For added convenience the GX-1L can be used with many Pentax DSLR lenses and KAF2 and KAF mount lenses. the GX-1L includes a host of automatic operations including an innovative Auto Picture mode that automatically selects the appropriate picture mode from Standard, Landscape, Macro or Action depending on the subject. When in Auto Sensitivity mode the GX-1L automatically selects the camera’s sensitivity including brightness and focal length to help reduce camera shake and ensure a steady, clear image.

The Samsung GX-1L includes a high-speed consecutive shooting mode of up to 2.8 frames per second up to eight frames in JPEG shooting and up to five frames per second when shooting in Raw Mode, allowing the user to capture a series of the subject’s action or movement. It features a large, 2.5-inch LCD monitor (210,000 pixels) and a bright, high-magnification pentaprism viewfinder offering a 96-percent field view. The GX-1L features a compact, lightweight body measuring just 4.9 x 3.6x 2.6-inches and weighing 16-ounces perfect for on-the-go shooting. The Samsung GX-1L can be powered by four AA-size Lithium, Ni-MH or CR-V3 batteries.

Nikon announces Nikon Capture NX, a major retooling of its flagship NEF processing application, as well as a new version of its longtime photo browser called View Pro.

Capture NX for Windows and Mac is the first application to emerge from the recently-announced partnership between Nikon and Nik Software. Nikon Capture NX is scheduled for release in the spring of 2006. Major features of Capture NX include:

• An all-new interface.
• A new browser window in which instruction set changes can quickly be applied to batches of thumbnails.
• The ability to select portions of an image based on colour or tone using a new technology called U Point or with the new Selective Application Brush, Lasso, Marquee and other new tools. U Point selections can be saved into the NEF file as part of its instruction set and recalled later.
• Remove, alter or duplicate any edit step in the new Edit List, which is a history of the adjustments made to a photo.
• The option to soft-proof photos on-screen, to better anticipate how a photo will print.
• Improved batch processing, relative to Capture.

Nikon View Pro Faster browsing of NEFs and other formats, a new IPTC editor, multiple photo display modes, image labeling, FTP transfer from within the application and integration with Capture NX are the key features of View Pro. Like Capture NX, View Pro is to ship in spring 2006.

Website : Nikon Capture NX news release

Website : Nikon View Pro news release

Here’s a highlevel comparison of the new Canon 30D with Nikon D200:

• Canon 30D has 8.2MP versus Nikon D200 has 10.2MP
• Canon 30D spot metering at approx. 3.5% at center of viewfinder versus Nikon D200 at 2%
• Canon 30D AF Working Range EV -0.5-18 (ISO 100 at 68°F/20°C) versus Nikon D200 at EV -1-19
• Canon 30D has 9 AF points versus Nikon D200 has 11 AF points
• Canon 30D JPEG max burst high-speed at approx. 30 frames (Large/Fine) versus Nikon D200 burst depth of 37
• Canon 30D RAW max burst RAW at 11 frames versus Nikon D200 burst depth of 22
• Canon 30D does not have GPS versus Nikon D200 built-in GPS
  
• Canon 30D viewfinder magnification of 0.9x versus Nikon D200 at 0.94x
• Canon 30D ISO settings has two zones, Basic Zone: automatically set by the camera; Creative Zone: equivalent to ISO 100-1,600 (ISO speed can be expanded to ISO 100-3,200) versus Nikon D200 has ISO settings of 100 to 1,600, also pushes to 2,000, 2,500 and 3,200 and has an AUTO setting
• Canon 30D ISOs are settable in 1/3-stop increments verus Nikon D200 are settable in full, 1/2 and 1/3 stops
• Canon 30D exposure has bracketing range of +/- 2 stops in 1/3- or 1/2-stop increments versus Nikon D200 with 2 to 9 exposures in increments of 1, 2, or 3
• Canon 30D has metering range of 1-20EV versus Nikon D200 2-20EV
• Canon 30D eyepoint is 20mm versus Nikon D200 19.5mm
• Canon 30D Diopter setting is -3.0 to +1.0 versus Nikon D200 -2.0 to +1.0m-1
• Canon 30D has image protection versus Nikon D200 does not
• Canon 30D supports direct printing from camera versus Nikon D200 does not
  
• Canon 30D is lighter at 24.7 oz./700g (Body only) versus Nikon D200 830g (without battery)

Website : Canon 30D product specification information

Website : Nikon D200 product specification information