1001 Noisy Cameras

New DSLR top-sellers: Canon 7D flies, D300s finds groove, prices drop again

Time for another installment in the on-going top selling dSLRs at Amazon soap-opera. This is a recurring feature, so if you are a new reader, be sure to read the introduction first. We start as usual with a teaser screenshot, and then continue with never-ending chit-chat.

Canon 7D reigns supreme
It looks like Canon has a success story in its hands, and unlike the 5DMk2, they seem to be able to keep the Canon 7D in steady supply. As you can see in the teaser above, both kits are in the top 10, despite their relatively high price compared to the average DSLR. And certainly the new waves of positive reviews are not hurting them.

Nikon D300s finds life at $1600
Life begins at 1600 if you are the Nikon D300s. Decidedly losing the buzz-war to the 7D, the D300s was never intended to be a buzz-machine. However, it was supposed to be the quiet-seller type, and its current price of $1600, which, as you may recall was tested three weekends ago, is generating buyer-interest.

It is quite interesting how Nikon was able to maintain the price-point for the D300 for two years when it was running virtually unopposed, but once the 7D came in...

Price Drops Galore
As you can see from the dramatic 1-10 up-tick vs down-tick price-score, prices have been dropping all over the place, including Canon and Nikon. Canon's discounting is even more pronounced as they have launched new instant rebates that has given the Canon T1i the #1 spot. Nikon itself continues to keep their D90 hot with another discount on both D90 kits.

In-fact two of the cameras just outside the Top 20 are also products of discounting: The Olympus E-P1 was spiked by the now expired discount of $675 via Buy.com. And the Pentax K-x with the 18-55mm has dropped to $622.

What about Pentax?
The Pentax K7 momentum is now "diluted" (in terms of this top 20) as the body-only is competing with the kit with the 18-55mm WR lens.

The second K-x two-lens kit that was discounted by $99 has returned to its regular price, still in pre-order status, and as one of our readers pointed out in the K-x matrix the shipping estimate for that is December to January. So without the discount, it left the top 20.

But there is a new hope, the K-x with the 18-55mm is just outside the Top 20, after getting a $28 discount on its opening price.

Top 20 Vitals
+ Canon vs Nikon: 9-9
+ # of non-CaNiKoNs: 2
+ # of 35mm full-frame: 2
+ # of M43rds: 1
+ # of cameras with price over $1000: 9
+ # of cameras with price under $500: 2
+ price up-ticks vs down-ticks: 1-10 (profiteers are not counted)

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic GF1 comparison concludes at TOP

#23 at TOP has posted the second part of his new Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonica GF1 comparison. But let's start from the beginning, part #1 compares the cameras (in the opinion of the reviewer) in 14 different categories, big and small, from image noise to strap lugs. Part #2 features the exciting conclusion, revisiting the mythical "DMD" camera, and the reviewer's pick, which of course we won't reveal there. Hamlet is also included :)

And as you can see from one of the sample pictures, the people who put escalators in shopping centers have the worst sense of Feng Shui ever ;-)

For more M43rds-related topics, be sure to check the M43rds mini-blog. And for a list of reviews in reverse-chronological order, be sure to check the (shockingly) still-disciplined M43reviews.com.

PS: For non-sports fans, #23 is a synonym for MJ

New Canon 7D reviews at dpreview and Fotopolis

Welcome to 7D Friday! We have two more reviews of the Canon 7D to check out! First up, the grand-daddy of camera-review sites, dpreview.com, has just posted a 31-page review of the camera, a Rehm and Butler production. "Just" 31-pages? Not 41? :) For those who can't wait, conclusions are on page #30 followed by a gallery of full-size samples, and an 8-second full-HD .mov movie. A number of the samples were taken by the EF-S 17-55mm f2.8 and EF-S 15-85mm f3.5-5.6 IS lenses.

The review has many of the familiar dpreview features and tests. On the camera-comparison front, they start with a noise-a-thon versus the D300s, Pentax K7 and 50D. Hurry up Ned! Call Pentax Japan and demand that they put the K-x sensor in the K7 body! Kidding aside, there are some very interesting noise observations made there.

And this brings up a good point. Their testing is made at camera-default settings. Perhaps there could another series of tests that compares the best of what each camera can produce by adjusting the settings appropriately. Obviously this would add overhead for the reviewers, and an element of subjectivity, and the results would depend on each photographer's "tweaking" skills and preferences. However, it would be a test of great interest to advanced photographers who like and know how to make the appropriate adjustments to make the most out of their camera. Perhaps someone needs to start a new review site that specializes in this type of JPEG-testing, since the default-setting testing is covered by dozens of websites!

Next, we load the Polish language module in our brains using the newly installed pre-beta microSDHC cybernetic slot, and read the Fotopolis review of the 7D. Two sets of ISO-range comparisons are on page #7 with samples on page #9 (last page).

For past, present and future updates, be sure to check the camera's mini-blog, and for more reviews be sure to check its review-cluster at the DSLR Review Organizer.

Canon 7D review by Roland Lim

Roland Lim has just published his review of the Canon 7D. This is a long single-page review, so please be patient if on a slower connection. ISO range (100 to 12800) comparison pictures available at full-size via Smugmug. And there is also a side-by-side crop comparison of the same picture taken with the 50D and then the 5D Mark II. Conclusions are at the bottom but as usual, we won't spoil the findings here.

As you can see at the just-refreshed 7D stock status matrix, things are improving on supply, but the price remains steady at $1700 and $1900, including Amazon and B&H Photo.

CNet asks what name for EVIL?

CNet Crave has setup a poll asking readers to vote and opine on what they think is the best name for the "EVILs", the mirrorless new craze that is sweeping the photographic nation. It looks like 2010 will likely be the "Year of the EVIL". But is that a good name? CNet Crave opines, and one of the commenters there came up with a technically accurate acronym, which is however already associated with another acronym you may hear on late-night TV, and would make such a term rather awkward.

What do you want to ask the Sony Alpha team?

Alpha Mount World will be conducting an interview with the Sony Alpha team and they are asking their readers and Alpha fans to submit questions they would like to see answers from the Alpha Team. So, if you have any serious questions, especially the type that you can't find an answer to elsewhere, then be sure to add it to the pool of questions at Alpha Mount World!

(ENDED) Price crash alert: Olympus E-P1 with 14-42mm WAS $675 (updated)

As of 2:15pm EST on Friday November 6, the price has returned to $800 and Buy.com is no longer listed as the featured seller. You can read the original post after the jump.

Galbraith joins the Circus (was: Nikon D3s + 70-200 II full-size samples, plus D3 vs D3s)

The Nikon D3s launch event in the NYC with the ensuing photo-shoot at the Big Apple Circus is a gift that keeps on giving for fans of the upcoming Nikon D3s DSLR. This time Rob Galbraith has posted full-size samples taken with the D3s and the new 70-200mm f2.8L VR II lense. Not only that, he has also posted some D3 vs D3s comparisons, which some photographers caught in-between the two cameras may find extremely valuable. [Hot!]

As usual, we won't spoil their findings here, so be sure to check it out! There are lots of pictures posted, so please be patient and drink their bandwidth responsibly!

For more on the D3s, be sure to check its new hybrid reference page which has an embedded stock-status matrix on the left sidebar.

PS: There is an extra letter "l" in the text above ;-) The first one who finds it wins a virtual applause!

Small firmware update for Sony A380, A330 and A230

The firmware version 1.1 party continues, this time it is thrown in the honor of the Sony A380, A330 and A230 trio, as the cameras are getting an exposure lock option under spot and center-weight metering. More on this at Alpha Mount World, dpreview et al.