PMA 2009

Digital SLR

Nikon D3X

Olympus E620

Pentax K2000 White

AF-S 35mm 1.8 DX G

Since the Nikon D3X and its full format sensor CMOS of 24,5 million pixels, sold in December 2008, the DSLR market is quiet. Canon, Nikon, Pentax and SONY have several models from entry-level to professionals.
Nikon, like other manufacturers, completes its lenses offer. Nikon presents a new DX lens: the AF-S 35mm 1.8 DX G, sold 235 € (April 2009). This lens indicates that Nikon believes in the future of APS-C format.

Except a white version of Pentax K2000 and K-m, no others DLSR.
Olympus is alone to launch a new model: The Olympus E620 a Four-Thirds camera that shares some functions of E30 as the 12.3 million effective pixels sensor or its improved LCD . It is smaller and lighter, near of the E-420 the smaller DSLR of the world, with an articulated screen and image-stabilized sensor.

In the same time Leica will stop all lenses and cameras of R series, to concentrate its efforts on new S2.

Hybrid Digital Cameras

Panasonic Lumix GH1

Samsung NX

Olympus adapter Nikon

SDXC card

The Panasonic Lumix GH1 is near of the mockup of the Photokina. It is a 12.1 megapixel Micro Four-Thirds camera with interchangeable lenses that can record up to 1080/24p or 720/60p high definition videos, with continuous AF and a built-in Dolby Digital Stereo Creator for quality sound recording.
It is completed by a new LUMIX G VARIO HD 14-140mm/F4.0-5.8 ASPH./MEGA O.I.S., a 10x stabilized interchangeable zoom lens, that is designed for movie recording with its silent and continuous auto focusing function and seamless aperture adjustment.
Some companies present mount adapters for fit Canon, Leica, Contax or Nikon lenses on Four-Thirds or Micro Four-Thirds camera.

Samsung unveils also a new camera series with interchangeable lenses and APS-C sensor, the Samsung NX.
Like the Micro Four-Thirds cameras, this new system is designed to combine the performance and quality of an SLR with the convenience of a point and shoot compact camera By replacing the mirror box and optical viewfinder of an SLR with an electronic viewfinder, the NX series is designed to allow smaller and lighter bodies and lenses. The first model of the NX series will be available in the second half of 2009.
“We estimate that the hybrid digital camera market will be over 20% of the global digital still camera market by 2012,” said Sang-jin Park, CEO of Samsung Digital Imaging Company. “With the release of the NX Series, a digital camera that combines the strengths of a DSLR and compact digital camera, Samsung Digital Imaging will become a global leader in the new hybrid digital camera market and achieve the company’s goal to become the global leader in the digital camera market by 2012.”
The fact the Samsung Digital Imaging Company was never present on DSLR market where it proposes only clones of Pentax DSLR can explain this strategy. The APS-C sensor of NX series, bigger, may deliver better results as Four-Thirds sensors.
The Lumix or Samsung camera bodies will be available in several colors: black, pink, red, blue or silver ... the lenses are always black.

To store images from these new cameras, the evolution of SD card, the SD XC card is now available in 32 Gb and may accept in the future 2 terabytes.

Bridge and Compact cameras

Sony DCS-HX1

Agfa Optima 1338 MT

Nikon, Canon, Fuji and SONY are now challenging these new hybrid digital cameras. They react with entry-level DSLR at the same price as these hybrid cameras and with new bridges cameras more powerful.
Today Nikon, Olympus, Fuji, Kodak, Canon, SONY propose bridge cameras with powerful stabilized zoom, range of 20x or 24x.
The SONY DCS-HX1 has a high-speed 9 Mp Exmor CMOS sensor that enables high definition movie capture up to 1080/30p, It has a 20x superzoom (equivalent to 28-480mm in 35mm) with 'Optical Steady Shot' image stabilization, a 3" LCD, an ISO range up to 3200, . a built-in stereo microphone, a wide array of scene modes and face detection options and an interesting 'sweep panorama' mode. The DSC-HX1 is capable of up to 10 frames per second in burst mode using a high-speed mechanical shutter.

The Agfa brand is coming back with a new compact the Agfa Photo Optima 1338mT. This slim metal camera has a ten-megapixel CCD sensor and a 3x optical zoom, an large 3” display touch screen which allow user to access the intuitive user interface, 24 scene modes such as Night shot or Sports offer optimal and possibility to save video in the YouTube® format for a convenient upload to the portal. . The OPTIMA 1338mT has a ten-megapixel CCD sensor and a 3x optical zoom.

If the hybrid cameras are proposed in several colors, bridge cameras are only in black. The trend this year for compact digital cameras is to be available in several colors: red, blue, pink, green, silver or purple.

Nikon Coolpix P90

Coolpix P90

rotable rear screen of Coolpix P90

Nikon Coolpix S230

Coolpix S230

touchscreen of Coolpix S230

During this edition 2009 of the PMA, Nikon introduces eight new coolpix, L19, L20, L100, S220, S620, S630, and also

The Coolpix P90 replaces P80. It has a 12,1 million pixels sensor, a zoom 24x: 4.6-110.4 mm f/2.8-5.6 (equivalent 135: 26-624 mm) with a VR image stabilization by translation of the sensor and an extended by 4x digital zoom (until a 2496 mm! equivalent 135:). An 3 inches AFT screen of approximately 230.000 pixels with variable slope and anti-reflecting treatment and an electronic 0,24 inch viewfinder of also 230.000 pixels, a built-in memory of 47 Mo and a sensitivity mode up to 6400 ISO. It includes also manual and auto features such as Scene Auto Selector, Smile Mode, Blink warning and P/A/S/M exposure modes. In addition, continuous shooting mode can deliver 45 images at 15 fps, A refillable Li-ion accumulator EN-EL5 powers this camera. Its price is 400 $ (February 2009).

And the Coolpix S230 which has a 10 million pixel sensor, an optical zoom 3x of 6.3-18.9 mm f/3.1-5.9 (equivalent 135: 35-105 mm) with electronic stabilization extended by a digital zoom 4x. a built-in memory of 44 Mo and A refillable Li-ion accumulator EN-EL10. Its main difference is its anti-reflecting 3 inches screen of 230.000 pixels with touch screen. It is available in five colors for 230 $ (February 2009).

pierre j.

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Nikkor, Coolpix, Exmor, Lumix, NX, Optima, Four-Thirds are products of these trade marks

Created 2009 February 7^th, Updated 2009 March 16^th.
© Pierre J.