It would be this one:
 The Pentax K-5 DSLR. Picture courtesy of B&H Photo The Pentax K-5. Why? Well, it’s simply one of the best semi-professional DSLRs currently available. It has a small, solid body that is completely weather sealed, it has a great performing 16 megapixel sensor that compares well with current Nikon and Canon models, it has fast AF, a quiet shutter, a decent viewfinder, HD video — essentially all the features you could wish for. And it’s getting one great review after another. And it can be used with a number of great lenses. The two which I would have for it are:
The Sigma 24mm f/1.8 Macro (equivalent to 36mm on full-frame) and the Pentax 55mm f/1.4 (82.5mm eq.). These would make a great two-lens kit, with one for general shooting and the other for portraiture (or anything else that asks for a narrower field-of-view.) And maybe one of the nice small Pentax Limited primes, such as the 40/2.8 (60mm eq.), the 43/1.9 (64.5mm eq.) or the new 35/2.4 (52.5mm eq.), as an intermediate, small walkaround lens.
But I’m not going to buy a DSLR today. But if you are, you should seriously consider the K-5!
Look what I’ve just found in the Sigma SLR Talk forum on dpreview.com:
 Major mirrorless camera rumor sites — as well as the visitors of above named forum — speculate as to whether this could be an official Sigma product. Well, I doubt that very much. It looks to be a Sigma DP camera which has been stripped of its lens and fitted with a third-party M-mount adaptor. Still, it might actually be a commercially done conversion, and if so, you might be able to purchase one soon. Wouldn’t that be cool? Finally, you could use your magnificent M glass with an equallly magnificent Foveon sensor! I’ll keep you updated in case this turns out to be an actual product …
Olympus E-PL1s
The Olympus E-PL1s was announced this week, together with a new version of the 14-42mm kit lens. While the camera really hasn’t much new to offer (6400 ISO and a new battery), the lens seems to be a promising evolutionary step of the old version. According to Imaging Resource, it is a completely new technical and optical design, now featuring the “Movie & Stills Compatible” fast and silent internal focusing. It’s also lighter than the original version. Imaging Resource have a preview of the camera and lens with all the technical details for those interested.
Voigtländer Nokton 25mm f/0.95 for Micro Four Thirds
The new “poor man’s Noctilux” for Micro Four Thirds has been reviewed twice this week. One is a first-hand user review from Andrew Fildes, published on cameraquest.com, accompanied by a gallery. The other one comes from our friends at DC Watch, Japan, and features — as always — many beautiful pictures showcasing the len’s beautiful shallo depth-of-field when used wide open at f/0.95.
Sigma DP1x
The Sigma DP1x was announced earlier this year, together with the DP2s, as the third iteration of Sigmas popular large-sensor wide-angle compact camera series. The DP1x is a minor evolutionary step from the DP1s, which was a minor evolutionary step from the original DP1. The major changes are software-wise, with some different labelling of the controls on the rear of the body. TrustedReviews have taken a look at it, and aren’t really thrilled with it: “While it can certainly take a very good picture under the right circumstances, it is beaten soundly on features, performance, handling and image quality by cameras costing half as much.”
Leica M9 Titanium
Much more positive is Edmond Terakopian’s take on the Leica M9 Titanium, with which he was granted some hours of fondling. While the camera is technically mostly the same as the standard M9 (apart from the red LED-illuminated framelines), it features a full titanium body and completely new carrying concept designed and developed by Volkswagen’s chief designer Walter de’Silva. It is also limited to 500 pieces. (The one Terakopian used was not actually for sale, but a pre-production model.) Terakopian’s verdict: “I can’t think of anything that can make an M9 feel cheap, but the M9 Titanium does just that!” The review is also accompanied by a gallery.
As I previously announced, yesterday I spent the day visiting photokina 2010 in Cologne, and I brought back with me a huge load of impressions, pictures of latest models, of prototypes, and other stuff. So without much ado, here’s my report on the fair — by manufacturer, in alphabetic order.
 Photokina 2010 south entrance General impressions from the fair will be posted in a seperate gallery soon.
CAUTION! Massive amount of pictures ahead! Make sure your connection is fast enough, and that you have enough time! 
Continue reading Photkina 2010: A report in pictures
Okay, so today was the first day of photokina, so let’s see what there is to report on. Some exciting stuff from Leica, Fujifilm and Olympus was already announced yesterday, see my previous post.
Leica X1 in black
Today, another Leica goodie was presented: the long-rumored, all-black Leica X1! It’s got the same features as the standard model, the only differences being the all black body and a slightly more textured “vulcanite” leatherette covering. In this way, the X1 fits perfectly into Leica’s tradition of offering a silver-and-black next to an all-black version of each of their rangefinder camera models (– the X1 being the exception of course, as it isn’t a rangefinder).
 The new all-black Leica X1. Picture courtesy of Leica Camera AG. Continue reading Photokina day 1: The highlights
|
|
January 10th, 2011, 6:27 pm | 
