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LAS VEGAS--Lexar plans to introduce faster, higher-capacity CompactFlash cards using a new generation of the flash memory technology, a company executive said Wednesday.
Lexar's top-end 300X cards will be outpaced by new models shipping later this year.
(Credit: Lexar)Lexar's current top-end 300X-rated CompactFlash cards use a standard called UDMA (Ultra Direct Memory Access) to transfer data at 45MB/second, and their capacity tops out at 16GB. But using a new generation of the standard, UDMA 6, Lexar will release cards that have significantly faster transfer speeds and larger capacity, Jeff Cable, director of marketing, said in an interview here at the Photo Marketing Association (PMA) show here.
Cable wouldn't be pinned down on precise details, but he said the new cards' capacity "probably" would be 32GB, and their transfer speeds likely would "pretty close to" UDMA 6's threshold of 100MB/sec, which is more than double that of today's UDMA.
Only newer SLR (single lens reflex) cameras support current UDMA technology, but it's spreading, and there are benefits. For example, cameras can take longer continuous bursts of photos, and photographers can zoom faster to check focus when reviewing shots on the camera LCD. Video, which is arriving in new SLRs, also can saturate data-transfer pathways.
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Tamrac's new Aero Speed 85 has an improved camera compartment and zippers.
(Credit: Stephen Shankland/CNET)LAS VEGAS--Sure, they don't have 11-point autofocus systems or image stabilization, but a lot of money is spent on camera packs as well as cameras, and Tamrac, M-Rock, and Think Tank Photo introduced some new ones here at the Photo Marketing Association (PMA) show.
Tamrac
First up are Tamrac's Aero Speed 75 and 85 backpacks. These feature a lower compartment with a side-access zipper so cameras can be removed without taking the pack off.
Unlike related predecessors, the new models come with waterproof zippers for that compartment, and the lower section also has been reworked to permit larger 70-200mm telephoto lenses to fit, said product specialist Derek Gross.
The Aero Speed 75 costs $109.95, and the 85, which adds a compartment that can accommodate a laptop with a 17-inch screen, costs $149.95.
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(Credit:
Pandigital)
The Pandigital PanTouch Clear 10.4-inch frame (also known by the far-catchier name PAN1000DWPCF2) is not only fully loaded with features, but it's really thin, too, at just 0.3-inch thick. The 4:3 frame uses an HD-quality LCD with a 1,024x768 resolution and it has a full touch-screen interface on fingerprint-resistant, clear glass. It's all very exciting.
With an MSRP of $229.99 you better be getting more than just a thin, pretty touch-screen frame, and you do. There's integrated Wi-Fi for connecting to a home wireless network and you'll be able to use an add-on Bluetooth USB dongle so letting friends and family send photos from Bluetooth-enabled devices is an option.
The multiformat card reader supports Compact Flash, SD, XD, MS/MSPro, and MMC or there's a USB connection for attaching an external flash or hard drive. Playback is limited to JPEG photos, Motion JPEG video, and MP3 files, though.
The Sigma 10-20mm F3.5 EX DC HSM
(Credit: Stephen Shankland/CNET News)LAS VEGAS--Offering some higher-end alternatives and expanding image stabilization more broadly, Sigma announced a trio of lenses for digital SLRs Monday at the Photo Marketing Association (PMA) trade show.
The three new models, which will work on Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Sony, and Sigma cameras, are a higher-end 10-20mm ultrawide-angle zoom, and 18-50mm and 50-200mm zooms that unlike earlier models come with optical stabilization. The lenses are due to ship this spring, but pricing isn't yet announced, said Christine Moossmann of the company's marketing department.
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Nikon's PC-E Micro-Nikkor 45mm f/2.8D ED
(Credit: Stephen Shankland/CNET Networks)LAS VEGAS--Nikon just introduced a 24mm "perspective correction" lens, but the camera maker also showed off two new prototypes of the same ilk.
As promised last week, Nikon showed off a new PC-E Nikkor 45mm f/2.8D ED at the Photo Marketing Association trade show here. Also under a glass booth was the PC-E Micro-Nikkor 85mm f/2.8D.
Note that the latter model lacks the "ED" suffix that indicates extra-low dispersion glass used to maximize sharpness and minimize chromatic aberration. Nikon last week employed the ED suffix in describing the lens, but there was a conspicuous rectangle carved out of the name badge right where those two letters would have appeared.
Regardless of what the 85mm lens composition and name, it definitely looks different from Nikon's existing PC Micro-Nikkor 85mm f/2.8D.
Nikon's PC-E Micro-Nikkor 85mm f/2.8D lens
(Credit: Stephen Shankland/CNET Networks)The perspective-correction lenses, also called tilt-shift models by rival Canon and others, let a photographer optically alter the perspective of a view, for example changing the vertical lines of a building so they are parallel rather than convergent.
Architects are a particular market for the specialty lenses, which aren't cheap: Nikon's PC-E Nikkor 24mm f/3.5D ED will cost $1,930 when it goes on sale this fall.
The two new perspective-correction lenses "are scheduled to become available through Nikon authorized dealers during the summer of 2008," Nikon said last week.
Speaking of coveted lenses, Nikon also showed a D3 SLR with the newer 14-24mm zoom lens mounted--both sawn in half down the middle. All I can say is I hope it was a factory reject.
Nikon's newer D3 SLR and 14-24mm zoom lens, shown here sawn in half.
(Credit: Stephen Shankland/CNET Networks)
The 18-125mm F3.8-5.6 DC OS HSM has Sigma's optical stabilization technology built in to counteract camera shake. It's for Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Sony, and Sigma SLRs. The stabilization feature doesn't work on Pentax and Sony cameras, which have that built in.
(Credit: Sigma)LAS VEGAS--Sigma, a third-party maker of lenses for SLR (single-lens reflex) cameras, has expanded the range of Optical Stabilization (OS) lenses, those with a moving lens element that can compensate for camera shake.
Of eight mainstream lenses the Japanese company announced at the Photo Marketing Association trade show here, three new telephoto lenses include OS. (I'm not counting Sigma's 200-500mm f/2.8 super-telephoto behemoth as mainsream.)
The three stabilized lenses are the 18-125mm F3.8-5.6 DC OS HSM, the APO 120-400mm F4.5-5.6 DG OS HSM, and the APO 150-500mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM.
However, several new 70-200mm telephoto zooms, each with a wide f/2.8 aperture, lack the stabilization feature.
Sigma also announced two lenses for Four Thirds System SLRs, which are sold by Olympus, Panasonic, and Leica. Those are a wide-angle zoom, the 10-20mm F4-5.6 EX DC HSM, and the telephoto zoom, the APO 70-200mm F2.8 II EX DG MACRO HSM.
Update 1:20 p.m. PST: There's no price or availability information yet on the stabilized lenses, said Sigma spokeswoman Desiree Gaige, but they'll likely arrive sometime this summer. The 50-150mm will cost about $1,350, the 70-200mm models $1,420, and the 10-20mm $730, and those probably will be available in the next couple months, she said.
Here are some photos and details on the other lenses:
The APO 70-200mm F2.8 II EX DG MACRO HSM is for Pentax and Sony SLRs.
(Credit: Sigma)
The APO 70-200mm F2.8 II EX DG MACRO HSM is designed for Four-Thirds system cameras.
(Credit: Sigma)
The APO 120-400mm F4.5-5.6 DG OS HSM is an optically stabilized model for Nikon, Canon, Sony, Pentax, and Sigma SLRs. Its close-focus distance is 59 inches.
(Credit: Sigma)
The APO 150-500mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM is for Nikon, Canon, Sony, Pentax, and Sigma SLRs. It's got optical stabilization built in.
(Credit: Sigma)
The APO 50-150mm F2.8 II EX DC HSM is for Pentax and Sony SLRs.
(Credit: Sigma)
The 10-20mm F4-5.6 EX DC HSM is for Four-Thirds cameras from Olympus, Panasonic, or Leica.
(Credit: Sigma)
SanDisk's 32GB Ultra II SDHC card will cost about $350, including a USB card reader, when it goes on sale in April.
(Credit: SanDisk)Correction 10:00 a.m. PST: This blog initially misstated the speed at which SanDisk's top-end Extreme Ducati cards can write data. It is 45MB/sec.
LAS VEGAS--SanDisk, one of the best known makers of flash memory cards, has started making the jump to 32GB capacity.
The company announced its 32GB Ultra II SDHC card Thursday at the Photo Marketing Association trade show here, a model designed with the needs of flash-based video cameras.
It will cost about $350 when it goes on sale in April, the company said. A $180 16GB Ultra II card will be available in March, and both come with a MicroMate USB card reader.
In addition, SanDisk announced a $100 8GB Ultra II Plus card. It hinges open to reveal a USB plug that lets the card be directly connected to a computer.
All the new cards can write data at 15 MB/sec, a notch up from the 9 or 10 MB/sec of earlier Ultra II models, SanDisk said. However, that's not as fast as CompactFlash models, where SanDisk's top-end Extreme Ducati cards reach 45MB/sec.
SanDisk's $100 8GB Ultra II Plus card hinges open to reveal a USB plug
(Credit: SanDisk)SanDisk spokesman Ken Castle wouldn't comment on when the company's 32GB CompactFlash cards might reach the market. Competitors PNY and Transcend announced their 32GB CompactFlash cards in January.
"We've chosen to go with the SD first. That's where the momentum has been," Castle said. "Camcorders with HD (high-definition video) can eat memory pretty quickly."
SanDisk in 2007 sued 25 flash-card competitors, including Transcend and PNY, alleging patent infringement.
Sigma's 200-500mm f/2.8 (or 400-1,000mm f/5.6) behemoth.
(Credit: Sigma)
LAS VEGAS--Riddle me this: What's green, is 28.6 inches long, weighs 34.6 pounds, and wears a custom-fitted hood?
The answer: a mammoth supertelephoto zoom that Sigma announced this week at the Photo Marketing Association trade show here. The product is geared for photographing wildlife, sports, and astronomical objects.
The lens, called the APO 200-500mm F2.8/400-1,000mm F5.6 EX DG, has a 200-500mm zoom range and an f/2.8 aperture that's very wide for this class of lens. It also comes with an extender that pushes the range to 400-1,000mm but reduces the aperture to f/5.6, Sigma said. To reduce chromatic aberration, it uses three special low-dispersion glass elements and three extraordinary low-dispersion glass elements.
Update 1:20 p.m. PST: A Sigma representative, Desiree Gaige, told me how much this lens will cost, though there's still no pricing information.
Brace yourself.
$34,000.
The lens has a dedicated lithium-ion battery to power the autofocus, zoom, and an LCD display that shows the zoom setting. And a slot near the camera end can be used to insert filters.
Sigma, one of the better-known manufacturers of third-party lenses for SLR (single-lens reflex) cameras, said the lens will be available for Canon, Nikon, and its own SLRs.
And don't get too attached to its green color. Sigma cautioned that the camera's appearance is "subject to change without notice."
LAS VEGAS--Lenses are as important as camera bodies in the SLR market, and Pentax is trying to keep its customers' appetites whetted by showing off three new lenses still under development at the Photo Marketing Association trade show here.
First up is the smc Pentax-DA*55mm F1.4 SDM, a model with a 55mm fixed focal length and wide f/1.4 aperture for low-light shooting or pictures with soft, undistracting backgrounds. Availability is undetermined so far.
Next is the smc Pentax-DA*60-250mm F4ED SDM, a wide-range telephoto zoom that should be available in the summer.
Third is the smc Pentax-DA17-70 F4 AL SDM. This moderate zoom also should be available in the summer, Pentax said.
These three models aren't yet available and shouldn't be confused with the five lenses for which Pentax last week announced prices and availability dates.
The names are all tentative, the company cautioned. If you want to decode them, here's a handy Pentax lens terminology cheat sheet I cribbed from my colleague Lori Grunin:
• AL = Aspherical Lens
• DA = designed for digital (not full frame) cameras
• DA* = DA with dust- and weather-sealing
• ED = Extra low Dispersion
• IF = Internal Focus
• SDM = Supersonic Drive Motor
Sunex's 185-degree Superfisheye lens costs $799 for Canon and Nikon SLRs.
(Credit: Sunex)
Update 10:07 p.m. PST: I added some further comment from Sunex.
LAS VEGAS--A California company called Sunex wants to make it even easier to photograph your toes inadvertently.
At the Photo Marketing Association trade show here, Sunex plans to show off its new Superfisheye lens whose 5.6mm focal length provide a view encompassing a 185-degree span.
The Superfisheye lens costs $799 for Nikon and Canon SLRs with smaller sensors. It's got a constant f/5.6 aperture. The price includes software to "dewarp" the peculiar fisheye perspective into the rectilinear view humans are more comfortable with.
Sunex builds lenses for applications such as security and automotive cameras, but now it's trying to appeal to photographers, too, the company said.
"This is our first product offered for professional, amateur, and commercial photographers," said Francois Pelletier, Sunex's director of sales and marketing. The company started shipping early models two weeks ago, but the official launch is at PMA, he said.
Its earlier products give it wide-angle expertise, he added: "Sunex has extensive experience in wide angle lenses for automotive rear-view, visual-communication (360 room views), security and machine-vision applications."
