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Great New Stuff From Photokina 2006! by Jason Schneider The world’s leading imaging manufacturers unveil their latest wares at the biggest photo show on earth in Cologne, Germany Article rating: 8.70

Make no mistake about it, Photokina is huge—the size of 14 football fields—and every two years since 1950 the world’s leading photo manufacturers converge on the massive Cologne (Germany) exhibition center) to talk tech and strut their latest stuff. This year the exhibition space was expanded by about 15%, making things even tougher on this fearless reporter’s shoe leather, but practically everyone agrees, Photokina 2006 was a vintage year, with more exciting new things on tap than we’ve seen in decades. For serious enthusiasts like you, the most scintillating news was a raft of ingenious new consumer-aimed 10-megapixel DLRs by Nikon, Canon, Pentax, and Samsung released in the wake of the broad-spectrum 10MP Sony Alpha 1000 that debuted earlier in the year. But the biggest buzz among reporters and photo fans revolved around the Leica M8, a 10-megapixel digital camera that looks, feels and operates much like a classic rangefinder Leica. There was also plenty of future tech in both high and low places to spice things up, so without further also, let’s get started.

Hottest category by far: New consumer DSLRs

Call it megapixel madness, but the world’s leading camera makers have upped the ante in order to compete in the sizzling consumer DSLR market. Here, in capsule form, is a selection of the latest new 10MP models, all priced at or around $1000.

Nikon D80: Offering a remarkably high-end feature set at an attractive price, this 10.2-megapixel marvel is almost as fast operating as the prosumer Nikon D200, and it will shoot up to 100 high-res jpegs at 3 frames per sec! Other features: 11-area autofocus with AF illuminator, 3D Color Matrix metering, D-lighting to bring out details, In-camera Red-Eye Fix, 2.5-inch LCD, built-in wireless support, i-TTL flash, and 7 automated Digital Vari-Programs. The D80 is offered with an 18-55mm (27-83mm equivalent) f/3.5-5.6G RD AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor lens. Street price: $1099.95.

Pentax K10D: The new K10D is Pentax’s 10.2-megapixel DSLR flagship, but it’s priced very competitively. Like its stable mate the K100D, it uses the ubiquitous K-mount, but its advanced features include a weather-resistant body with 72 seals, Dust Removal (DR) system and Special Protect (SP) sensor coating to help keep the CCD dust free, as well as a sensor-shifting Shake Reduction (SR) system that works with all lenses. Other features: Built-in retractable flash P-TTL flash, 3-frames-per-sec burst rate, ISOs to 1600, and a Pentax 18-55mm (27-83mm equivalent) f/3.5-5.6 zoom lens. Street price: $999.95.

Canon Digital Rebel XTi: This 10-megapixel successor to the best-selling D Rebel and Rebel XT not only offers higher resolution, but packs a passel of performance upgrades in its new ergonomically designed lightweight (18 oz without lens) body. These include a 3 frames-per-sec burst rate, wide-view 2-1/2-inch LCD, ultra-fast 0.2 sec startup time, 9-point autofocus, Picture Style settings to control contrast, color and sharpening, and 1/200 sec top flash sync speed. The standard lens is a Canon 18-55mm (28-85mm equivalent) f.3.5-5.6 zoom. Street price: $899.95.

Sigma SD14: Like previous Sigma DSLRs, the new SD14 uses a Foveon 3-layer CCD sensor that captures all primary RGB colors at each pixel and is said to deliver better color fidelity. This time each layer provides nearly 4.7 megapixels, giving an image file size equivalent to a 14MP capture, and the lack of a low-pass filter also enhances performance, claimed to be of pro caliber. Other features: Sigma lens mount, four jpeg modes plus RAW, pentaprism viewfinder with 98% coverage, 3fps burst rate, 5-point AF system, 2.5-inch LCD monitor, durable 100.000-cycle shutter, mirror lockup, and a sensor dust protector. Price: Not available at press time.

Samsung GX-10: A crisply styled, beautifully finished DSLR based on the just released Pentax K10D. It’s a black10-megapixel beauty with APS-C-size CCD sensor, built-in optical image stabilization, high-magnification true pentaprism viewfinder with claimed 95% view, an advanced vibrating dust-removal system for the CCD, and a weather-resistant body. Other features include RAW image format support, a 2.5-inch LCD, 3fps burst rate in continuous shooting mode, and an11-point AF, 16-segment multi-pattern metering with center-weighted and spot options. With multiple scene modes, an ergonomic design, and a “My Set Dial” function that allows users to store their favorite settings, the Samsung is clearly a broad-spectrum model that’s targeted at first-time DSLR shooters as well as serious enthusiasts. Street price: $999.95.

A brace of new 7.5-megapixel DSLRs using the FourThirds format!

Panasonic Lumix DMC-L1K: Combining Panasonic electronics, the Olympus-derived Four Thirds format and lens mount, and a Leica D Vario- Elmarit 14-50mm (28-100mm equivalent) f.2.8-3.5 lens, this sleek 7.5-megapixel DSLR offers a unique Live MOS sensor, said to provide the low power consumption of CMOS sensors and the wide dynamic range of a CCD. Other features: Real-time live preview viewing on the 2.5-inch LCD, Supersonic Wave Filter dust-reduction system, analog-like controls, two image-stabilization systems, and ISOs to 1600. Street price: $1,899.00.

Leica Digilux 3: This new 7.5-megapixel Four Thirds format DSLR, the first to bear the legendary Leica name has a distinctive Leica look and feel but incorporates such Panasonic-inspired features as integral optical image stabilization (O.I.S.), a choice of 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 aspect ratios, and LiveMOS real time viewing directly off the CCD on the 2.5-inch LCD. The Digilux 3 comes with an interchangeable Leica D Vario Elmarit 14-50mm f/2.8-3.5 ASPH lens (28-100mm equivalent), has shutter speeds from 60-1/4000 plus B and ISOs from 100-1600 plus Auto. Street price: $2499.95.

Big buzz award: Leica M8, the first digital Leica M!

The digital Leica M8 is arguably the first pro-caliber digital rangefinder camera on the planet. It created more buzz among journalists than any other single camera at the show---probably because it successfully combines the classic range/viewfinder, look and feel of the renowned 35mm Leica MP and M7 (that continue in the line) with a super-thin (0.5mm), filter-free 10.3-megapixel CCD, easy-to-navigate controls, and a new, very quiet, 32-1/8000 sec vertical-travel, metal-blade, focal-plane shutter with 1/250 sec top sync speed. Other key features: Histogram with zoom-in and clipping warning, RAW data converted to Adobe Digital Negative (DNG) format, magnesium alloy body with brass bottom and top plates, ISO range 160-2500, and dimensions and weight same as the M7 except for a 3mm increase in front-to-back body thickness. Virtually all M-series lenses can be used directly on the M8 without modification (except for a few older ultra-wide angles that extend too far back into the body), but Leica recommends that a 6-bit digital code be added to existing M lenses ($125) to get optimal performance on the M8 (the camera recognizes the lens and adjusts the image-processing parameters). Some traditionalists griped about the M8’s 18x27mm sensor, which gives a lens extension factor of 1.33 compared to a full-frame 24x36mm sensor. However, the general consensus is that a full-sensor would have made the camera noticeably larger, heavier and more expensive. As it is, the M8 is expected to retail at $4,800 or so.

A long ranger and sharpshooter!

Fuji FinePix S6000fd: Styled like an SLR, this 6.3-megapixel beauty has a long range 10.7X, 28-300mm equivalent zoom lens, Fuji’s innovative Face Detection system for better people pictures, Dual Shot mode that takes a flash and non-flash picture in rapid succession, Picture Stabilization that ups the ISO as high as 3200 when needed for sharper shots, and i-Flash for natural-looking indoor pictures. It also has shutter speeds to 1/4000 sec, a 2.5-inch LCD plus eyelevel EVF finder, and a shutter lag time of only .01 sec. Street price: $499.95.

Fujifilm FinePix S6000fd Digital Camera

Cool new concept: A hi-res wide-angle point-and-shoot

You can’t say Sigma doesn’t think out of the box! A good example is the new Sigma DP1, a high-end point-and-shoot camera equipped with the same Foveon X3 14MP sensor as Sigma’s exciting new SD14 DSLR. A sleek minimalist design, the DP1 features a 16.6mm f/4 lens, equivalent to a 28mm wide angle in the 35mm format, and it has a 2.5-inch TFT LCD monitor on the back and no optical viewfinder. There’s a zoom control on the back for digital zoom, a macro focus setting, and a dial on top with the usual modes. Looks like a great street shootin’ camera to us. No price or availability info at press time.

Lotsa lenses!

Sigma’s optical barrage at the big show includes the launch of four new lenses for the Four Thirds system, There’s an 18-50mm f/2.8 EX DC Macro, two DG lenses, a 24mm f/1.8 EX DG Aspherical Macro, and a hefty APO 135-400mm f/4.5-5.6. Last and most is a truly monumental APO 300-800mm f/5.6 EX DG HSM that covers an equivalent 600-1,600mm range (!) when used on a Four Thirds system camera. It has internal focusing so the lens does not change length during focusing—a good thing—and it’s designed to accept a 46mm circular polarizing filter in a rear holder. There’s also a pair of new Sigma lenses designed for APS-C-format DSLRs, an 18-50mm f/2.8 EX DC Macro that gets down to 1:3, and an 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS lens with (what else) OS, Sigma’s own built-in optical image stabilization system.

The big news at the Tamron booth was a new extended-range 13.9X zoom lens, an 18-250mm (28-388mm equivalent!) f/3.5-6.3 CI Di-II Aspherical (IF) macro, claimed to be a world’s first to cover this range.  With 1:3.5 macro capability at the tele end and focusing down to 17.7 inches at all focal lengths it may well be the most versatile high-power zoom lens our there.

Egad, 10-megapixel point & shoots!

Yes, you can thank the software gurus for finding ingenious ways of making smaller and more densely packed pixels perform on a par with cameras having larger sensors and pixels. Here are some cool new pixel-packin’ models that were unveiled at Photokina 2006.

Casio Exilim EX-Z1000: This sleek palm-sized point & shoot delivers 10.1-megapixel resolution, good enough for large-size enlargements or cropping, and offers a 2.8-inch wide-format LCD, 3X, 38-114mm equivalent lens, and built-in Anti Shake DSP. Other key features include Best Shot high sensitivity shooting mode providing ISOs up to 3200, a Rapid Flash function enabling high-speed flash at up to three frames per sec, 9-point multi autofocus, and a multifunction cradle for recharging the long life (360-shot) Li-Ion battery and downloading images. MSRP: $399.99.

Olympus Stylus 1000: The stylish Stylus 1000 is a fashionably slim, 10-megapixel point & shoot said to be able turn out sharp images enlargeable to 16x20 and larger! It’s also got Digital Image Stabilization mode which boosts the ISO for shake-free-images, a 2.5-inch LCD, gasketed weather-resistant body, 35-105mm-equivlent f.2.8-4.7 lens, 23 shooting modes, a built-in help guide to help beginners set the camera’s functions, and Perfect Fix, Lighting Fix and Red-Eye Fix to correct picture problems automatically. MSRP: $399.99.

Canon PowerShot G7: This retro-styled gem is the enthusiast’s point & shoot, with 10-megapixel capture, analog style controls and dials, a 6X (35-210mm equivalent) f/2.8-4.8 zoom lens, and a real image eyelevel viewfinder in addition to a 2.5-inch LCD. Its long feature list includes optical image stabilization ISOs to 1600 (plus ISO 3200 shooting mode), multimode metering, My Colors special effects, and direct downloading and printing. It’s Canon’s top-of-the-line G-series model, Street price: $599.99.

Cool new gadget award: Lensbaby 3G

Lensbabies, the innovative Portland, Oregon company that got SLR enthusiasts hooked on simple special-effects lenses with pleated focusing mounts is at it again, this time with a more advanced Lensbaby 3G, which has an ingenious 3-point locking system that lets you lock in the effect and focusing point at the touch of a button, and then fine-focus the image using a traditional helical focusing mechanism. The actual lens used in the 3G is the same one used in the Lensbaby 2, namely an LD and high refractive index glass doublet. The lens, which is an f/2 at full aperture, comes with an f/4 magnetic aperture disk installed. Optional accessory wide-angle and telephoto adapters specially designed to “preserve the wide sweet spot of the lens at f/4” are also available. MSRP: $270.

High-end printer combines speed and permanence

Perhaps the coolest item for serious shooters shown at the HP booth, the new HP Photosmart Pro B9180 is an 8-cartridge printer that uses HP’s Vivera pigment ink technology for impressive image permanence. The ink set includes a new third-generation gray ink said to be more neutral, thus providing smoother transitions in detail. The super-fast B9180 can produce 4x6 photos in as fast as 10 sec and prints up to 13x19 inches in 1.5 minutes, and uses a closed-loop system for enhanced consistency. Other features: 4,800-optimized dpi resolution, supports Adobe RGB and sRGB. Size: 26.6x16.9x9.2 inches (wxdxh); weight: 37.7 pounds. Street price: $699.

Mega-media to keep pace with megapixel madness!

With the number of megapixels in the latest DSLRs multiplying like mad, faster, higher capacity media cards could not be far behind—and they aren’t. A stellar example we checked out at the show were the new SanDisk Extreme IV Compact Flash cards, with a blazing read/write speed up to 40MB/ sec. What enables this incredible transfer rate is Enhanced Super-Parallel Processing (ESP) technology. The Extreme IV cards also come with RescuePRO Deluxe, which not only lets you recover data, but also preview recoverable data before you try to retrieve it. SanDisk Extreme IV CF cards are available in 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB versions with MSRPs of $159.95, $319.99, and $599.99 respectively.

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Wanted full details & pricelist for Nikon f80 Posted by: PRADEEP.B Oct 16, 2006 @ 5:52 AM EST

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