By Dan Havlik

One of the most talked about medium-format digital cameras at photokina last Fall made its official debut this week ?C the new Hy6 from Sinar. While the Hy6 might not be as pretty as the Hasselblad H3D which was also introduced in photokina and is reviewed in this month??s PDN, it has several features the Hassy doesn??t. For one, the Hy6 is the only medium format digital camera that offers both the rectangular 4.5x6 and square 6x6 formats. (The Hasselblad offers a maximum of 4x4.5.)

Unlike the Hasselblad H3D system which restricts you to using only Hasselblad??s digital backs, the Hy6 is an ??open system?? that accepts backs from a variety of manufacturers. (Hasselblad, for its part, argues that integrating its cameras with its own digital backs offers more correction for color aberration and distortion. Hasselblad also notes that its H2 series of cameras accept third-party backs.)

The ??Hy?? in the Sinar Hy6 stands for ??hybrid,?? since the camera can be used with both digital and conventional film backs. The Hy6 was jointly developed by Sinar, Jenoptik, and Franke & Heidecke (Rollei) and employs the Rollei lens mount which accepts Sinaron, Schneider and Zeiss glass. The camera can sync to flash speeds of up to an impressive 1/1000th of a second. There??s also a helpful infrared light for focusing in tough lighting conditions, a 90-degree viewfinder, and a waist-level finder with a flip-up magnifier.

Though the Hy6 isn??t as visually appealing as the beautifully modern H3D, there are some nice touches to its classic hybrid design. A large info display on the camera??s rotating handgrip lets you keep track of settings even if you??re holding the camera at an odd angle. For serious studio photographers, the Sinar Hy6 can be operated remotely while tethered to a computer using the included Sinar CaptureShop software.

The Sinar Hy6 will start ship in mid-July with the 33-megpaixel Sinarback emotion 75LV for a suggested retail price of $32,500. The Hy6 will also be shipping with the 22-megapxiel Sinarback emotion 54LV for a cost of $30,500.

Cost: Sinar Hy6/Sinarback eMotion 75LV, $32,500; Sinar Hy6/Sinarback emotion 54LV, $30,500

Canon EOS 40D

As anticipated Canon has today announced the successor to the hugely popular EOS 30D digital SLR. Enter the EOS 40D, headline improvements
are a more robust build with weather-proofing, ten megapixel CMOS sensor, DIGIC III and 1D style menus, 6.5 fps continuous shooting, three custom user modes on mode dial, 3.0" LCD monitor, Live View with optional mirror-drop auto-focus, larger brighter viewfinder with interchangeable focusing screens, much shorter viewfinder blackout and a quieter mirror mechanism, a all new AF system with all nine points
cross-type with F5.6 or faster lens and a new optional combo vertical / WiFi grip.

Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III

Canon has today tipped digital SLR resolution over the twenty megapixel barrier with the new EOS-1Ds Mark III. The much anticipated Mark III
version of the full-frame EOS-1Ds delivers medium-format threatening resolution; 5616 x 3744 (21.1 million) pixels to be precise, in a portable and robust five frames per second Canon EOS body. From a built, function and usability point of view the EOS-1Ds Mark III is identical to the EOS-1D Mark III apart from the full frame (36 x 24 mm) sensor, (naturally) larger viewfinder and UDMA support (up to 45 MB/sec) for Compact Flash cards.

Canon Powershot G9

Almost exactly a year after the PowerShot G7 was announced Canon has lanched its successor, the PowerShot G9 digital camera. Key changes
include the much-requested inclusion of a raw shooting mode, a bright new 3.0-inch screen and a new 12.1MP 1/1.7-inch sensor. The face detection, focus and handling have also been improved (the latter through a redesign of the grip and the addition of a small thumbgrip) and the G9 is now compatible with Canon??s ST-E2 wireless flash transmitter.

Canon Powershot SX100 IS

Canon Powershot SX100 ISPerhaps the most surprising of Canon??s PowerShot announcements today is the SX100, the first in a new series of budget super zoom compact digital cameras. The PowerShot SX100 IS features a 10x optical zoom lens with optical Image Stabilizer, 8.0 Megapixel image sensor (1/2.5") and DIGIC III processor. It??s also got face detection (of course) and a full complement of auto and manual exposure modes, plus a 2.5" LCD screen (there is no eye level viewfinder).

Canon Powershot SD950 IS

Canon Powershot SD950 ISCanon is calling it the ??ultimate Digital IXUS?? (or IXY or ELPH or whatever it??s called where you live), and the titanium-cased IXUS 960 IS / SD950 IS - successor to last year??s IXUS 900Ti (aka SD900) - certainly scores highly on the bling factor. We??re pleased to see image stabilization arriving (the lens range has been stretched to a 3.7x zoom) on the flagship IXUS, but we doubt anyone really looked at last year??s model and thought ??if only it had 12 megapixels - ten just ain??t enough??.

Canon Powershot A650 IS and A720 IS

The A650 IS boasts 12MP resolution, 6x optical zoom, vari-angle 2.5" screen and - in a welcome upgrade to the A640 IS - image stabilization.
The A720 IS is a less dramatic upgrade, increasing resolution to 8.0MP, adding face detection and an optional underwater housing, and (like the
A650 IS) upping the top sensitivity setting to ISO 1600.

More details on each of these cameras here.

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May 07, 2007

By Dan Havlik

In the race to be on technology??s leading edge, there are tortoises and there are hares. When it comes to digital camcorders, Canon has always been of the tortoise variety ?C plodding along patiently with models that are a step or more behind its competitors.

Take high-definition camcorders that record to DVD, for example. In the last year, Sony and Panasonic have released over a half dozen DVD camcorders that use AVCHD compression to squeeze 1080i high-def video onto conventional 3-inch (8cm) DVD discs.

And what has Canon launched that??s comparable? Up until now, bupkis.

But like the proverbial tortoise that proves ??slow and steady wins the race,?? Canon is hoping its new HR10 HD camcorder will be a winner in the end. It certainly looks like a serious contender to us, even though it wasn??t the first HD DVD camcorder out of the gate. In addition to being able to record high-def (1920 x 1080) content to DVDs via the AVCHD video format, the HR10 has a 10x optical zoom lens for getting close to the action, Canon??s Instant AF focus system for quickly locking on your subject, and reliable optical image stabilization for keeping footage steady.

What we like most about this model though is its new school/old school vibe. Along with being able to record crisp high def, the HR10 also has a 24p Cine Mode which mimics the smooth, warm look of film. The camcorder??s Cine settings also let your tweak the color and tone of your video to produce a variety of classic film looks.

For those aspiring videographers who also want to shoot still digital images, the HR10 lets you capture 3.1-megapixel photos to miniSD card. If you don??t want to switch to the still camera mode in the midst of shooting your video, you can also pull 2 megapixel images from your footage later. While this is a neat trick, we??d stick to just shooting HDV with this camcorder since still image quality will likely be disappointing.

Other neat features include a 2.7-inch widescreen LCD with anti-glare coating that??s viewable from any angle at up to 135 degrees; a ??Quick Start?? function that ??wakes up?? the camera from stand-by mode in less than a second; and Canon??s DIGIC DV II HD Image processor which is designed to improve color while reducing image noise.

Now all you need to do is cough up a couple extra grand for an HDTV and a Blu-ray disc player, and you??ll be able to screen your own high-definition movies at home. Pass the popcorn.

Cost: $1199
Further information: Canon USA

Click on the headline of this article for the Samsung press release.

digital camera Canon Powershot SD750 Details