>From C d'I: SLRs at Photokina
Much noise currently circulating in connection with the innovations of Photokina. Some are founded, others not... C d'I sorts between information and rumours. A few days before Photokina, the rumours are rife in connection with what one will see there... of what one could see there... but also the converse - what one will not see there! Maintained by the policy the embargoes, which often transforms rumours into information, many things circulate, in particular in connection with the SLRs, which remain the flagship products of the photo market. Thus let us try to sort it out. *** Canon Eos-1 Ds It is not any more a rumour, it is fact: Canon will reveal, in Photokina, a new version of its Eos-1 D, whose name will be Eos-1 Ds. The apparatus takes again the same physical characteristics exactly as current the 1-D and, outside, it is different from it only by its logo. Under the cap, Canon placed Cmos (and not a CCD!) whose size is roughly the double of that of Eos-d60: it offers a resolution of 11,1 m�gapixels on a surface of 24x36mm (23,8 X 35,8 exactly!), that is to say 4064x2704 pixels. The large advantage of Eos-1 Ds is to allow the use without restriction nor coefficient of conversion the wide-angle lenses. It is a little slower than Eos-1d, but has all the same finctions, with 3 fps for 10 successive images. This apparatus will be marketed in December and its probable price is of 10.000 euros. *** NIKON D2-x & D2-h Several Internet sites announce two new Nikon D1 with, for one of them, a resolution of 14 Mpix: SORRY, BUT They ARE FALSE! Nikon will not again introduce a pro SLR before spring 2003. As for knowing what this will be, one can only speculate. As we wrote during the test of D1-x, it is obvious that engineers of Nikon work on a track: after having divided the pixels into two in the height, it remains to them to divide them into two in the width, which would enable them indeed to reach 11, even 14 Mpix if the sensor were slightly increased. But for the moment, this is only assumption. Photokina 2002 will therefore be quiet for Nikon and the immediate innovations are: - a version 3Mpix of Coolpix 2500; - probably, the availability of an UPDATE of the software of Coolpix 5000 which, inter alia improvements, would enable recording Raw files. *** MINOLTA SLR Alas, nothing again under the sun. The stand will thus be occupied by Dim�ge 7Hi (alias Dim�ge 9!) and the rumours of SLR with interchangeable lenses are not founded for the moment. *** CONTAX DIGITAL N There exists... and it is even on sale. A new version of its software even arrived this week. In light of the Eos-1 Ds, future prospects for this "24x36" camera are concerning because of its colossal price. *** SYSTEM PRO OLYMPUS It will undoubtedly be one of the largest information of Photokina... even if it is still about a remote project. " Consortium 4/3 " tries to impose its standards as regards size of sensor and bayonet (to read separate information). *** SIGMA/FOVEON SLR True alarming spectre, this SLR which was to be marketed in March and whose exit has, since, deferred 15 days in 15 days HAS NOT GIVEN UP! It will even be on one of the stands of Photokina and the visitors will be able, this time, to test it and carry true photographs! If all is well, it will be on sale in November. And, if all is well, it will be as definitely less expensive as Nikon D-100 and Canon D-60 which, since their arrival on the market, chamboul� the things. With the occasion of Photokina, Sigma reveals four new lenses which should salivate amateurs and professionals. The time when Sigma teased the large manufacturers with cheap objectives is gone: from now on, the turbulent Japanese maker seeks to innovate, as the four new lenses testify: - zoom trans-standard 28-70 mm f/2,8-4 HSZ: will be available as of October 2002 in mountings Canon, Nikon D, Minolta D, Pentax AF and sigma. - t�l�zoom 80-400 mm f/4,5-5,6 EX OS " Optical Stabilizer ". Yes, you read well... " 80-400 stalibilized "!!! A true innovation, with two modes of stabilizations: Mode 1 (H + V) for the static subjects, mode 2 (H only) for the follow-up of subjects moving. Like the other objectives with ultrasonic motorization HSM, it authorizes the permanent final improvement of the point without disengaging of l.AF. - zoom 120-300mm F2,8 EX IF HSM is a lightweight ultra t�l�zoom constant F2,8 and HSM. - zoom 300-800mm F5,6 EX IF HSM is an ultra t�l�zoom with constant F5,6 and HSM. These three new EX zooms will be compatible with Canon, Nikon and... Sigma, which means that, contrary to certain rumours, the Sigma SLR is far from being buried. *** Significant: you can take all that precedes like INFORMATION SERIEUSE. It is not a question of rumours and, even if some of these infos are not yet official, they are exact.
