Well it’s no longer a rumour, it’s real!

Looks like a great travel camera, especially if you have a bit of budget for the excellent 18-200mm VR II lens to go along with it!

Super light flexible combo with SLR quality pictures in a compact package, this is the sort of camera for people who want SLR quality pics without lugging around a heavy camera and don’t want/need all the extra controls and confusing buttons.

It’s a top end point and shoot with more latitude almost.

I don’t think I’d use it as a backup, I’d prefer a D80 body..but for most people this would be a great choice with the new version of the 18-55mm kit lens for only $599 aswell it’s a steal.

The lightest, cheapest Nikon dSLR ever made!

Key Features

• 6 megapixel DX format CCD (1.5x FOV crop, as D50)
• Nikon Image processing engine (as D80 / D200)
• 3D Color Matrix Metering II, 420 pixel sensor (as D80 / D50)
• New Multi-CAM530 three area AF sensor
• ISO sensitivity range 200 – 1600 plus HI 1 (3200 equiv.)
• Custom Auto ISO (selectable maximum ISO, minimum shutter speed)
• 2.5 fps continuous shooting (as D50), unlimited in JPEG
• No status LCD, new LCD monitor based status / settings screens
• Large 2.5″ 230,000 pixel LCD monitor
• USB 2.0 with PTP and Mass Storage device support
• Improved menu user interface (as D80 / D200)
• New ‘Version II’ AF-S DX 18-55 mm kit lens

It retails for USD$599 which is about RM2178, I’d guess shop price for cash should be around RM1999.

Ken Rockwell predicted it would be called the D60, but he nailed the specs almost right.

More info here:

Nikon D40 Hands on Preview – DPReview

Nikon D40 – Ken Rockwell

Personally I think the Alpha can’t fight, the only advantage it has is the in-body anti-shake system which frankly isn’t as effective as having it in the lens.

Image from dpreview.com

Having IS/VR in the lens means you can see the effects through the viewfinder and it’s more accurate as it’s tailed to the lens (each one having different focal lenghts, different aperture and different setups with more/less blades and elements).

Having tried the Alpha out the picture quality is ‘ok’ for an SLR type cam, but its not very exciting, the latitude or dynamic range doesn’t seem very great and the controls aren’t super accessible.

I’d go for the Canon 400D or the Nikon D80 everytime, if you have the budget of course get the D80 as it’s the superior cam but does cost more.

Also remember when you are buying a camera you are buying into a system, the bodies will come and go, what you will spend money on is accessories and lenses.

Sony lenses are expensive and hard to find, the second hand market is next to zero and finding anything for Konica-Minolta mount in Asia is hard.

KM was pretty popular back in Europe but it’s not here in Asia.

Anyway here is some info if you are considering getting a mid/entry level dSLR and specifically the Sony Alpha A100.

Reviews

DPReview Extensive Sony Alpha A100 Review

DCRP Review: Sony Alpha DSLR-A100

Imaging Resource: Sony Alpha A100

Camera Labs Sony Alpha A100

Comparisons

EOS 400D / XTi vs Nikon D80 vs Sony A100 – Camera Labs

Sony Alpha A100 Compared to the Nikon D80 and Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi / 400D Digital SLR’s

Camera Labs has been extremely quick in getting out the first look Canon 400D (Rebel XTi) review out.

Image from Camera Labs

It looks like a decent upgrade from the 350D although surprisingly the 350D seems to perform better in some areas, I don’t think it’s worth an upgrade from the 350D but if you are still using a 300D (The first Digital Rebel) I think it’s definatley worth it!

I haven’t gotten my hands on one of these yet but I do plan to and snap some pics.

Ultimately the Canon EOS 400D / Rebel XTi is a great entry-level digital SLR which improves on its predecessor in many respects. It has higher resolution without compromising noise levels, a wide variety of anti-dust features, a bigger screen which doubles-up for detailed shooting information, the AF system of its bigger brother and fast overall handling.

The only thing that’s missing is a cheap lens bundle with Image Stabilisation. This will undoubtedly have potential buyers carefully weighing it up against the Sony Alpha A100 which costs much the same, while those looking for a tougher product may be tempted by the Nikon D80.

But this aside, it’s hard to fault the EOS 400D / Rebel XTi. Canon already had a great product with the 350D / XT, but rather than resting on its laurels has upped the ante and delivered a worthy successor. The new 400D / Rebel XTi is a great camera to use, produces excellent image quality and is one of the best budget digital SLRs to date. It may have very tough rivals, but still comes Highly Recommended.

Read the full review here.

It’s a valid point about dust reduction and I did mention I’d love to see Nikon come out with that in their future versions!

Not sure about in body image stabilisation though, I don’t think Nikon or Canon will go down that route with all the money they’ve invested in ‘IS’ and ‘VR’ lenses.

I’m still all for the D80! But next time I buy I’ll be hoping to buy something around D200 level rather than the (slightly above) entry level SLR I’m using now.

Apologies for the posts about products at the moment, but I’m in Dubai now and Flickr is totally banned here so I can’t really upload/post pics till I get back home.

Not surprisingly Canon is coming up with a competitor for the recently released Sony Alpha A-100 and the Nikon D80.

The all new Canon EOS 400D (Or Rebel XTi).

The specifications will be as follows:

• A 10.1 MP CMOS sensor (3888 x 2592 pixels)
• APS-C (1.6x) format, EF-S lens compatibility
• 2.5″ LCD screen
• 9 point AF system
• ISO 100-1600
• RGB histogram
• 30-1/4000s shutter
• 1/200s sync speed
• 3fps continuous shooting
• buffer for 10 RAW images
• ultrasonic dust removal for sensor
• high precision focusing with lenses f2.8 and faster
• picture style modes
• 0.2s startup time
• Digic II processor
• compatible with BG-E3 grip
• LCD turns off when eye is at viewfinder
• small, lightweight (plastic) body
• USB 2.0 interface
• $799 for the body only, $899 with the 18-55 kit lens.

Leaked from the Canon China site.

It’s good to see another manufacturer taking up the anti-dust sensor treatment, I hope Nikon invests some research in it soon too!

To assure fine photo results, Canon employs dust-resistant materials and structures to dramatically reduce dust generation within the EOS 400D DIGITAL. Measures also are taken to prevent dust from adhering to the sensor due to static electricity. A remarkable new function is the Self Cleaning Sensor Unit that actually vibrates the low-pass filter to remove dust particles from it. Additionally, by targeting image data for leftover dust after cleaning, the Dust Delete Function within the bundled software can be used after shooting to remove dust spots that may remain on the captured image. For photos that are consistently distinct and clear, this dust reduction system is essential.

There’s isn’t all that much difference from the previous Canon 350D, 2 megapixels more, the buffer size has been increased, the LCD size is larger, there are more AF points, an RGB histogram mode has been added as have picture styles.