New Digital SLR from Nikon, Canon and Sony

The new digital SLRs announced this week by these 3 makers will keep photographers busy. I was rather interested in the following announcements:

Nikon D3100
It interests me because I'm a Nikon user. The only outstanding thing to mention here is that this is Nikon's first DSLR that can shoot full-HD 1080p video with full auto-focus (AF-F) capabilities. I always receive feedback that Nikon cameras feels solid on hand and the controls are intuitive to a technical photographer. Sadly, such selling points aren't going to win the competition because new models are targeting new consumers who do not have any knowledge of the technicalities of photography.

'Nuff said. All I'm waiting for is the D700 successor.

Sony SLT
SLT is a new term from Sony, stands for Single Lens Translucent (Mirror). This translucent mirror is perpetually in place and splits the light coming in from the lens to the image sensor and the traditional phase-detection AF sensor that is common in DSLRs. What this means is that the camera can now shoot at higher frames without moving the mirror for every shot, a traditional design for all DSLRs.

I applaud Sony for thinking out of the box. Previously, Sony introduced the Quick AF Live View which allows AF focusing speed comparable to compact cameras. Big deal, you might think, but Sony DSLRs have the fastest AF using live view for the longest time.

The 2 new pioneer models are A33 and A55. And together with that, Sony continues to offer the mainstram model upgrades, A560 and A580. Indeed, the Sony system, inherited from the buy-out Minolta and Konica mounts, is coming on strong against the Big 2.


Canon 60D
Canon's announcement appears to be the weakest. Why do I say that? Because the 60D is in many ways a downgrade from 50D for a handful of features. For instance, slower fps, no more joystick, use SD card instead of CF card. The only selling point is the 18 megapixel sensor, its largest among the cameras mentioned in this blog post. What I truly do no like (and I have highlighted in another camera review, the Pentax K-7) is the lock on the mode dial. I don't see how an experienced photographer would accidentally turn the mode dial - unless Canon is really targeting 60D at entry-level camera-users. Did I mention it now comes with an articulated LCD screen?


No images. I decided not to post them. They all looked the same as their predecessors from far anyway.

The iPad Camera Connection Kit

I ordered the iPad Camera Connection Kit (CCK) on 29 Jul with a "3-4 week delivery time". My colleague ordered his on 3 Aug with a "3-4 week delivery time". He received his CCK on 11 Aug. I haven't receive mine yet. Screwed up Apple Online Store ordering system. I decide to cancel my order.

We did some tests and here's what we gather:

- the SD adapter works without a question.
- many CF card readers plugged via the USB adapter doesn't work. Among the 4 readers, only 1 works with iPad.
- multi-card readers without the CF card slot appears to work via the USB adapter.
- thumbdrives plugged via the USB adapter doesn't work.
- USB keyboard plugged via the USB adapter works.
- digital cameras plugged via the USB adapter works.

Above: the only card reader with CF card slot we had that works with the iPad, and it's a pretty old card reader

Some of the CCK owners may have different experiences, but that really says it all: there is no guarantee on the CCK compatibility, except when plugging the SD card in the SD adapter and when you connect the digital camera to the USB adapter using the USB cable.

So anyway, I decided to cancel the CCK order because I don't intend to use the iPad heavily on photo editing and publishing. Perhaps over the next few months when more apps are created to maximise the potential, I might get it. And by then for sure, the stocks will be abundant.