Tom Hogarty posts at the Lightroom Journal the latest findings by research firm Infotrends. The question is: “What camera raw conversion software does your company use?” No suprises, the winner is clearly Lightroom over Aperture, and by growing margins from last year. Check here for the actual results, but I’m hoping this just leads to more motivation from the Aperture team. I’m wondering how many folks are using both–that’s currently my method of madness..

My compact camera of choice based on style and function, the Panasonic LX3 gets the review treatment at DPR. I’m glad to see a review totally in tune with my line of thinking:

The LX3 is an example of a species so endangered that the we were beginning to worry it had become extinct – a compact camera that photographers can get excited about. Panasonic has included a large degree of direct control, classy styling and, more importantly, a specification that goes beyond the unthinking ‘larger screen and more megapixels’ trend.

-DPR

Thank you!

On the serious side, there’s a lot to like about the LX3 and some of the negatives seem pretty apparent at purchase, for example yes the lens length will leave some wanting, but hey it says 60mm on the box doesn’t it? On the other hand, in comments here users with experience with both the G10 and the LX3 seem to prefer the G10. It’s a tough choice, but me being hard-headed would probably pick the LX3 no matter what at this point.

Get the review here.

As the standard bearer for the micro 4/3 format, there’s a little bit of pressure on Panasonic’s G1. For the most part, most of the early previews I’ve seen look pretty good for the G1, and that trend continues in this review from Digital Camera  Resource Page.

You’ll remember that the G1 gets its small stature by removing the mirror box, but that also means the G1 doesn’t have an optical viewfinder, instead it gets a very useful EVF, and Panasonic didn’t skimp on it:

Above the LCD is what may be the best electronic viewfinder in the world (Panasonic calls it a Live View Finder). Panasonic lists the resolution of the viewfinder at 1.44 million pixels, though that’s a bit misleading due to the “field sequential system” design of the EVF. In reality, the resolution is more like 480,000 pixels — still twice what you’d usually find. The design of the EVF allows for better color and sharpness, and a mind-boggling 180 fps refresh rate.

-Digital Camera Resource Page

Essentially you’re in live view 100% of the time, and that’s a good thing with the G1, as live view is fully featured, and very well implemented, not to mentioned combined with a flip out, rotating LCD:

The most impressive part of the DMC-G1 is its live view shooting experience. The Micro FourThirds system was designed from the ground up to be live view only, and Panasonic has really hit one out of the park in this area. You’ll compose your photos with either the 3-inch, rotating LCD display or a large electronic viewfinder. Both of these screens have exceptional resolutions of 460,000 and 480,000 pixels, respectively, and outdoor and low light viewing is excellent.

-Digital Camera Resource Page

ISO performance is about what you’d expect, with usefulness topping out at about 1600, although you might want to consider going no higher than ISO 800 in low light situations.

All in all, the G1 is suprisingly good for an initial release. My problems with the G1 are the price and the size. If you thought smaller meant cheaper you’re wrong ($800), and as Panasonic engineers have stated themselves, the G1 could be smaller. I’ve said it before, but my main interest in micro 4/3 is seeing it implemented in a compact format. Based on the G1, I’m very excited about those prospects.

Get the review of the Panasonic G1.

It is finally Friday. Not a whole lot of news happening yesterday, but here’s a few things you might of missed.

The Digital Picture reviews the Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens. In short, it’s better than expected. I suspect it’ll be a popular combination with the Canon EOS 50D.

David duChemin wants to give you a free Polaroid Pogo Printer at Pixalated Image.

Olympus has some firmware updates for 5 lenses for them to work with the Panasonic G1.

Luminous Landscape compares the Nikon P6000 and the Canon G10. Winner? The G10.

Photography Blog reviews the Nikon P6000. It’s a good camera, probably better than your current compact, but given the competitors, if you’re buying a compact today—get the G10 or the LX3.

That’s it for now. I’ll be in Pennsylvania tomorrow, hopefully I can get some fall foliage pics while I’m there.

The most controversial aspect of the Canon 50D is the move to 15 megapixels. On the one hand it seems like the logical way to move forward, but on the other hand, the increased resolution on the APS-C sensor isn’t without its caveats. In a big review at DPR some of these caveats do temper the overall review of the 50D. A couple of examples:

Below ISO 1600 image output is clean with well balanced contrast and colors and as you would expect from a DSLR with a 15 megapixel sensor the 50D delivers a fair amount of detail. Having said that, in terms of per-pixel sharpness the 50D cannot quite keep up with the better 10 or 12 megapixel APS-C DSLRs in the market.

-DPR

and

It appears that Canon has reached the limit of what is sensible, in terms of megapixels on an APS-C sensor. At a pixel density of 4.5 MP/cm² (40D: 3.1 MP/cm², 1Ds MkIII: 2.4 MP/cm²) the lens becomes the limiting factor. Even the sharpest primes at optimal apertures cannot (at least away from the center of the frame) satisfy the 15.1 megapixel sensors hunger for resolution. Considering the disadvantages that come with higher pixel densities such as diffraction issues, increased sensitivity towards camera shake, reduced dynamic range, reduced high ISO performance and the need to store, move and process larger amounts of data, one could be forgiven for coming to the conclusion that at this point the megapixel race should probably stop.

-DPR

You gotta read the review for yourself, but I find it interesting that the 50D offers very little improvement in detail over the 40D, so don’t even think about upgrading if you have the 40D.

Nikon has released a firmware update to the D300 that improves and addresses a large number of issues.

Find out more and download at Nikon:
mac | windows

Canon has released a firmware update for the EOS 50D that addresses the “err99″ message that has been the topic of some discussion on the “forums”. From Canon:

• Corrects a phenomenon in which an image becomes overexposed when C.Fn.II-3 Highlight tone priority is set to “1″ together with other camera settings. (This correction has already been incorporated in the Version 1.0.2 and later firmware.
• Corrects a rare phenomenon in which “busy” blinks on the camera’s display panel and the shutter cannot be released due to the timing of battery installation.
• Corrects a rare phenomenon in which “Err 99″ appears on the camera’s display panel and LCD monitor and the shutter cannot be released due to the timing of pressing the shutter button.

Info and download for the update here.

Rainy day here in the northeast, hopefully it’s nicer where you are. Anyway let’s get going here…

Photography Blog reviews the Canon G10. Not to rehash, but on a feature basis, it is a fine camera, and certainly capable of taking great pictures. It gets a great review, but:

…I would have preferred to see Canon stick with the same 12 megapixel sensor and improve high ISO performance, rather than cram in even more megapixels. The excellent image stabilisation system helps to ensure that the G10 can handle most common shooting situations, but don’t expect stellar results when using the camera handheld in very low-light, as you’ll be forced to use the high ISO speeds, or the built-in flash. If you’re comparing the G10 with a DSLR, you need to seriously consider how often you’ll be using ISO 400 and above, as any entry-level DSLR clearly beats the G10 in this respect…

-Photography Blog

PhotoReview reviews the Canon EOS 50D. It reconfirms the 50D is another solid offering from Canon:

Interestingly, low-light performance was generally outstanding, with no visible noise in shots right up to ISO 1600 and very little noise at ISO 3200. By ISO 6400, noise was visible – although not obvious. Noise was evident at ISO 12,800, where we also noticed a raster pattern of lines across areas of the image with no detail. However, these images were printable at 15 x 10 cm size.

-PhotoReview

Rail mounts and focus rigs for the Canon 5D Mark II.

Ctein discusses high pass sharpening. It’s a method I use in tandem with smart sharpen, depending on what type of detail is in a particular photo.

25 best news photographs from Vanity Fair. Some powerful moments.

Kelby’s Digital Photography Book Vols. 1 and 2, in a boxed set. Clearly a X-mas present in the making.

The Digital Picture points to some additional videos from the Canon 5D Mark II. Yes, it will be a trend.

That’s it for now. Try to enjoy this Tuesday folks!