[caption id="attachment_3144" align="alignright" width="210" caption="The articulating screen on the new Rebel t3i"]
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I left on February 6th to work as an assistant on a destination photoshoot in the Virgin Islands. I had a great time with William Heuberger (check out his photos/videos) and the entire crew. Trust me, not every assisting/photography job is this much fun. Anyway, it figures that Canon and Nikon decided to release a million cameras while I was away. Going against my own best advice, I checked my work e-mail while not at work and I saw the news on all of the new SLRs and Compacts. Well, after readjusting to the reality that is New Jersey in February (don't forget, I was wearing shorts last week), I spent some time browsing through the newly announced products. Some, such as the Nikon P300, were rather disappointing while others, such as the new Canon 320 EX flash, were refreshing! Here is my take on the most recently announced photography products.
1. The EOS Rebel T3 is Canon's newest entry-level DSLR. I haven't heard if it is going to replace the Rebel XS, but based on how hard it has been to get the Rebel XS in stock, it sure seems that way. The T3 sports a 12.2 Megapixel CMOS sensor with an ISO range of 100-6400 and 720p HD (30 fps) video recording. This is exciting news for those looking to get their first DSLR camera. Canon always offers an awesome product line up and as good as the XS still is, it was starting to get a little long in the tooth. The XS was one of the DSLRs that revolutionized the market and made the term "DSLR" a lot less scary for beginners. The T3 continues Canon's tradition of delivering high-end products for consumers at great prices. There will be those that buy an EOS T3 and only use the most basic settings, however, aspiring photographers can grow with this powerful entry-level DSLR and have the entire line of Canon EF and EF-S lenses at their disposal. If I had to nitpick and find something to complain about on the T3, I would be hard pressed, but the LCD screen could be a little bigger and it is annoying to have the SD card slot moved next to the battery on the bottom of the camera instead of its usual spot on DSLRs. The T3 will compete directly with the popular Nikon D3100.
[caption id="attachment_3138" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="The new entry-level champ, the EOS T3"]
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2. The new Canon Rebel t3i instantly becomes the best Rebel in the Canon lineup. I can imagine the headaches consumers will be having trying to remember the two very similar names of T3 or t3i, but no one will be disappointed with the t3i's performance. Canon continues to follow their "All in the Family" method of giving the t3i the same (or very similar) awesome 18 Megapixel APS-C sensor that is also found in the 7D, 60D, and t2i. The t3i also features the popular 3" (wide aspect, 1,000+ K resolution) articulating/swivel LCD from the 60D. Throw in wireless flash control via the pop-up flash and the manual audio-level controls from the 60D and you have one of the best pound-for-pound cameras out there. It will be popular among video and still shooters looking for a small DSLR as well. I didn't expect this model to show up so soon, but I believe Canon rushed it to the market because of the heightened popularity of MILCs, such as the GH2, which have really created a buzz online. In fact, the crop video options on the new t3i are very similar to a feature on the GH2. It wouldn't surprise me one bit if Canon whipped up this concept to compete directly with the GH2.
[caption id="attachment_3139" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Canon's newest high-end Rebel, the t3i"]
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3. Along with Canon's two DSLR announcements came a bunch of Canon accessories and an exciting Prototype lens. For a few years, Canon sports shooters have envied the Nikon 200-400 f/4 VR (already on its second installment with VR II). Well, now Canon is going to have their own 200-400 f/4L IS with a built-in 1.4x converter than can be turned on or off. This explains the big bump on the lens near the mount. That's a pretty cool feature and saves action/sports shooters the hassle of having to dismount their lens to put on a converter and is especially helpful for those shooting in challenging conditions with lots of sand or dirt blowing around. There are also a couple new flashes: 270EXII and 320EX. The 270 EX II is a slight upgrade from the 270 EX and is perfect for bigger compacts like the G12 or anyone looking for a slightly more powerful flash for a smaller SLR. It can be used as a wireless slave as well. The 320EX is a tad bit more innovative an exciting. It features a built in LED light in addition to a standard swivel flash head. The LED light can be used while shooting video or as an AF assist beam during live view. There is also a somewhat bizarre function that allows you to trigger a camera wirelessly with the flash. I suppose someone will find a use for this?
[caption id="attachment_3140" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="The New Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS with built in 1.4x teleconverter"]
[/caption] [caption id="attachment_3141" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="A cropped shot of the "bulge" (ITS NOT A TOOMAH!) where the 1.4x converter rests when not in use"]
[/caption] [caption id="attachment_3142" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="The 270 EX II Flash"]
[/caption] [caption id="attachment_3143" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption=""Take me to your leader" says the 320 EX"]
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4. Sigma has announced that they will start producing lenses for Micro 4/3rds and Sony NEX MILCs. This is good news for everyone. I was discussing this with Anthony before and he agreed that it is a big step in developing the MILC format. Sigma is the largest 3rd party lens producer out there and they wouldn't be committing to something this big unless they thought MILCs were really taking off. In 2010, MILCs dominated 25% of the interchangeable lens market, so it will be interesting to see companies like Panasonic, Sony, and Olympus become even more aggressive. I am sure Canon and Nikon have considered jumping into the game too, but they may continue to push their entry-level SLRs even more instead. I would like to see Sigma make some small prime lenses for Micro 4/3rds and NEX. The lack of a nice prime set is what has prevented me from spending the money on a MILC system myself.
5. Both Canon and Nikon announced a bevy of compact cameras, which is very typical of them to do in February. It's like clockwork. The Nikon P300 ($329.99) was supposed to be the awesome f/1.8 challenger to the Canon S95, Panasonic Lumix LX5, and the brand new Olympus XZ-1; however, the P300 has a tiny standard compact sensor and while the lens is fast at f/1.8 zoomed all the way out, it gets very slow at the telephoto end and is much slower than any of its competitors. Sure, it offers 1080p HD video recording and some other nice shooting modes, but the small sensor, lack of RAW shooting, and slow lens make the P300 a dud compared to the other obvious studs in its class. It's the Nikon Coolpix S9100 that looks like a real winner for the same price as the P300. The 18x zoom, 1080p HD video, and several low light shooting modes make the S9100 a very attractive camera. Still, sensor size limits image quality, so don't expect the same image quality that you would get from a S95, LX5, or XZ-1.
[caption id="attachment_3147" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="The new and somewhat underwhelming Nikon P300"]
[/caption] [caption id="attachment_3148" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="The impressive and compact 18x zoom"]
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Of course I haven't covered everything that was announced... only those that interested me. Maybe it's just me, but I can't get all worked up about the yearly (or even more frequent) refresh of compact cameras. They still have their place in the market, but it is a shrinking segment with the increased popularity of mobile phones being used for casual snapshots. It was years ago that the iPhone 3G became the most widely used camera on flickr, so it will be interesting to see how industry powerhouses address this issue. Well, it's back to work for me, so check back soon for some new videos and reviews! -MZ