dr4gon.net

See the Preview at DPReview.

Main specs:

• 18.7 MP (wow! aparently not the same as the 7D)
• 100-6400ISO, expandable to 12,800 (double wow!)
• 63-zone TTL metering (up from 35)
• 3" LCD at 1,040,000 dots (holy cow! highest res lcd that I know of)
• VIDEO at 1080p at 30, 25, or 24 fps and 720p at 60 fps/50 + vga @ 50/60 (Woah, bringing the 7D's video function to the masses!)
• New BG-E8 vertical battery grip

Full release after the break, below.

The Sony cameras that were announced yesterday are up for pre-order.

HX5V ($349) - Amazon // B&H

TX7 - Silver ($399) - Amazon // B&H

TX7 - Blue ($399)  - Amazon // B&H

TX7 - Red ($399) - Amazon // B&H

In addition to the not quite official Alpha A450 from the other day, Sony has made official 12 new cyber-shot point and shoot digital cameras.

Among the twelve, are two in particular that are pretty exciting, especially for camera enthusiasts. I'm talking about the new TX7 and the HX5. These two cameras are built upon the same Exmor-R backlit CMOS 1/2.4" sensor that the previous TX1 and HX1 cameras debuted with last fall. Hopefully the bugs have been worked out, JPEG quality has improved (particularly on the HX5), and the usual noise improvements have been made as with all new models.

Some key features for the TX7 are

• Ultra-compact design
• 10.2MP
• 1080i "full HD" @ 60fps, or 1440x1080p at 30fps (or 720p30)
• 3.5" Touch Screen with a 921K screen (!)
• 25-100mm Vario-Tessar Wide Angle Lens with Optical Steady Shot (F/3.5-6.3)

The HX5 has some neat features as well. (Could this be the Panasonic DMC-ZS3 TZ7 killer? Sure looks like it on paper, except the price!)

• 10.2MP
• 10X zoom (25-250mm Sony G Lens F/3.5-F/8.0)
• 1080i "full HD" @ 60fps, or 1440x1080p at 30fps (or 720p30)
• Built in GPS and Compass

Both cameras have the usual 10fps, sweep panorama mode, twilight mode, etc... that comes with the Exmor-R Sensor/Processor.

And ALL NEW CAMERAS SUPPORT SD and SDHC CARDS! What a Great day for Sony!!

Pricing and Availability: The HX5 will  sell for $350. No word on the TX7 (probably a little bit more, $375-$400ish). Release date is the end of January.

Other budget cameras that I don't care too much for are the Cyber-shot DSC-W390, W380, W370, W360, W350, W330, W320, W310 and the Cyber-shot DSC-S2100, S2000

Full release after the break!

Canon today has announced that they will release a new EF 70-200mm F/2.8 IS II replacing the 15 year old IS I versin. What has changed?

• 4 stops corrected length image stabilization (+1 from previous, now equivalent to F/4 IS series)
• New UD element (+1 from previous bringing the total to 5 UD elements)
• Improved AF Speed
• Slightly shorter MFD of 1.2m (-1m from previous)
• Wider manaul focus ring
• Slightly heavier (+20 grams)
• Increased magnification (0.21 max)
• New lens hood ET-87 (included)

Now the only thing that remains to be seen is the price. Will it be starting with a 1 or 2? Here's to hoping it's $1999 or less! It will be available next month, Februrary 2010.

Official Canon USA Product Listing

Old 70-200mm F/2.8 IS I

NEW MTF

Full Press Release Below