Friday, August 28, 2009

2009 Camera Breakthroughs

Gearheads in the photography world must be very happy. Within a matter of months, there have been so many ground breaking releases that will ultimately set the pace for future photography.

First up, the drop dead gorgeous Olympus shook the world with its mirror-less SLR called E-P1. And the fact that they designed it oh-so-beautifully, taking cues from the iconic PEN series, makes this one of the most beautiful prosumer camera there is in the market. Mirror-less SLR was first released by Panasonic few months earlier, but it’s nothing as gorgeous as this. The highs from this camera is the ability to take SLR-quality pics, without the SLR bulk and attention. The lows, well, actually only one; the lack of pop-up flash. So, in short, dang! A winner!

But more profound, is the announcement of new DSLR line-ups from Sony. Since 2008, Sony has been redefining the DSLR market. And no one can deny their influence in creating the sub-RM2K entry level segment when the cheapest entry level DSLR was then at sub-RM4K. Lots of people must thank Sony for this.

And here they go again. With the introduction of A850, Sony is again causing headaches amongst the camera manufacturers by introducing a sub-RM7K full-frame DSLR where traditionally, it has always been in the sub-RM10K bracket. Full-frame is the term used to categorize a DSLR that dons a sensor that’s the same size as the traditional 35mm film. What’s going to happen from this point onward is that, other manufacturers will get back on their drawing board and squeeze their cost down to compete in the same segment. And all in all, the consumers will benefit. Ah, what a wonderful capitalism world.

Another breakthrough is Sony’s upcoming A500/550 model where it will come with an Auto-HDR feature. I can tell you just how much this feature will redefine photography. Wiki up HDR and learn about this. Currently, HDR can only be done via post-processing. Even though this feature has already been embedded in some high-end point-and-shoot, having this in an SLR is truly remarkable.

4 comments:

sara said...

so i guess u didnt call ford nor mara huh?

--iffil-- said...

opss..

Huslina said...

Saudara Iffil, slow down kan lar merachun in this holy month. Saya tengah menabung ni & other half is helping by giving some insentive for every puasa penuh day (macam budak2 eh?) Hope I will be able to own one before next years' holiday trip.

p/s: mara?? itu 30% discount meh? ford? upgrade... I want! I want!

--iffil-- said...

Saudari Nana, saya masih berhutang dengan MARA. Sesungguhnya saya amat malu, terutama sekali apabila nama saya masuk centerfold di akhbar utama.

Wow, Saudara Joned sedang menjalankan program insentif untuk berpuasa? Dimanakah boleh saya mendaftar?