Canon Vs. Nikon (and Sony): Game On
Sept. 17: The last month has been an exciting time to follow the photo industry. You don’t want to lose track, so let’s recap the action so far:Canon started it on August 26 when it announced the EOS 50D. Nikon hit back two days later with the 12.3MP D90, the first DSLR with video recording capability (OK, 24 frames per second and not 30, and a limit of 5 minutes per clip, but still, it’s a first) and a revised flagship compact, the Coolpix P6000, which added GPS, boosted the pixel count to 13.5MP, and RAW file capture (OK, so it’s a Nikon-exclusive flavor of RAW but still, they finally added RAW to their top compact).Then, after a week of quiet and rumors, the action began anew. Sony made the Alpha 900 official, and changed the game by equipping it with a full-frame, 24MP sensor and loading it with pro-oriented features, and pricing it at around $2,699. And just for good measure, Panasonic announced the G1, the first Micro Four Thirds system digital camera and the world’s first interchangeable-lens EVF camera.
Canon updates the EOS 5D at long last
Which brings us to today: Canon announced a bunch of new products, including two flagships that are counterpunches to both Nikon’s and Sony’s most recent new product announcements. The Canon EOS 5D Mark II, is packed with a 21MP sensor (Take that, Sony! Yeah, Sony’s 24MP is more, but 21 is close enough, and this leaves Nikon’s measly 12MP D90 in the dust) and HD video capture at 30fps (Take that, Nikon!). And the EOS 5D Mark II costs just a few hundred dollars more than the Sony A900 instead of a few thousand. (Take that again, Sony!)Almost lost in the hoopla is that Canon’s latest lens, the EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM, is the first lens to boast a new Subwabelength Structure Coating (SWC), which is said to minimize ghosting and flare. We can’t wait to see how this tests out in the real world.
Battle of the flagship compacts!
Then Canon answered Nikon’s flagship compact with its own, the Canon G10. Basically, it’s a higher-resolution version of its predecessor, the G9 (14.7 vs. 12MP), and has a zoom that starts at a wider 28mm (35mm equivalent) focal length. The traditional control layout has been tweaked to add more functions without making it confusing, and the system has been extended to include Canon’s ring lite and twin light macro flash rigs. While the Nikon wins points for having GPS, there is very little practical difference between the G10’s 14.7MP and the Nikon P6000’s 13.5MP. At identical prices ($499.95), we’ve got some real competition here.
A little Red fly in the ointment?
Red, a startup company whose pro camcorder has shaken up the video/movie industry, says it is working on a “DSLR Killer” according to a posting the company president wrote in a blog. He says the camera will be a DMSC (Digital Still & Motion Camera), and is in development for a late 2009 release. Of the above big announcements from Nikon and Canon, Red president Jim Jannard scoffed in an online forum that his company “has a more advanced view of the future.” Hmmm…-Mason Resnick
