Ah lovely fast CF cards!

Now might be a good time to pick up some Extreme III cards.

SanDisk Corporation today introduced the new SanDisk Extreme IV line of CompactFlash digital film cards for professional photographers. The line is targeted at photographers who require the highest possible performance and the largest capacities for their medium format and high-end digital single lens reflex (SLR) cameras. The SanDisk Extreme IV cards are available in capacities of up to 8-gigabytes (GB) and deliver minimum read and write speeds of 40 megabytes per second (MB/sec.) making these the fastest flash memory cards in the world. This exceptionally fast card speed is critical when shooting large numbers of high-resolution images.

SanDisk also introduced the new SanDisk Extreme FireWire reader that can transfer images from the SanDisk Extreme IV cards to a computer at up to 40MB/sec. for significantly improved workflow efficiency. These new products were announced at a press conference held today at the NASDAQ Market Site in New York City.

The SanDisk Extreme IV cards are targeted at the professional photographer who needs the absolute highest performance and maximum reliability. The company will continue to offer the SanDisk Extreme III and SanDisk Ultraâ II lines.

More details here.

Ah every manufacturer seems to be taking part in the megapixel race, plenty of people have bought the Lumix FZ-30, now they come out with the FZ-50, almost the same but 10 megapixels..

As for Panasonic, I really think they ought to stop looking at the count of pixels and start working on the hideous noise problems they have at any ISO over 100!

Image from dpreview.com

Panasonic has announced the latest in the FZ ‘double digit’ series of prosumer digital cameras (a replacement for the FZ30). The Lumix DMC-FZ50 features a twelve times optical zoom lens, optical image stabilization, a ten megapixel sensor, up to ISO 1600 sensitivity and something Panasonic call IIC (Intelligent ISO control). This new feature monitors the amount of movement in the frame and adjusts the ISO sensitivity automatically at the time of exposure (higher for more movement).

Summary of differences compared to the Lumix DMC-FZ30

• Ten megapixel 1/1.8″ CCD
• 16:9 movie record mode (848 x 480 pixels)
• TIFF file format dropped (RAW remains)
• Venus Engine III image processor
• Scene modes adjusted
• Sensitivity up to ISO 1600 at full size, ISO 3200 (upsampled)
• TTL Flash hot-shoe
• Slower continuous shooting (from 3 to 2 fps, max images from 7 to 5 in standard)
• Lower resolution LCD monitor (from 230,000 to 207,000 pixels)
• Support for SDHC cards (SD greater than 2 GB)
• ‘SilkyPix Developer Studio’ for RAW conversion

Full spec here.

I’m still unsure what camera to get as my backup compact, something small for the pocket like a Lumix FX01 or the Casio Exilim or something with a superzoom like the FZ7 or the Sony H2..

Ah choices choices!

Image from dpreview.com

Ah the new Nikon D80 kit lens looks like a peach too, yet to see any good hardcore reviews of it yet though, it’s a nice new release though to go along with my much sought after Nikon AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED as I currently don’t have any telephoto past 70mm!

I’m actually using the Nikon D70s kit lens most of the time which is the superb Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED I shall do a proper review of it one day.

It’s a very sharp lens though at least at f/5.6 and above, I find it a nice focal range too, but it does distort a bit at 18mm, but is fine again by 20mm.

The 18-135mm gives a nice boost in focal length without the weight of going up to 200mm.

From the Nikon press release:

Nikon is pleased to announce the introduction of the AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED, a compact, lightweight 7.5x zoom lens. Boasting a range of state-of-the-art optical technologies, this new lens offers outstanding performance at a remarkably affordable price.

The AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED features Nikon ED glass, aspherical lens elements and SWM (Silent Wave Motor) for enhanced performance. With a focal length range of 18-135mm, the lens is suitable for a wide variety of shooting situations; from sports, action and portraits to wide-angle landscapes. The picture angle is equivalent to a 27-202.5mm lens in the 35mm format.

RRP: £299.99
Sales release: September 2006.

That makes it around RM2000 in a direct conversion, so perhaps we’ll get it for about RM1800, not bad!