Tuesday, October 13, 2009
November 2009
New Tools Of The Trade
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Wide-Format PrinterMake premium-quality prints up to 17x22 inches on the Epson Stylus Pro 3880, which is loaded with advanced technologies for meeting the demanding needs of pro photographers. The UltraChrome K3 eight-color ink set includes new Magenta and Light Magenta inks that deliver dramatic blues and violets for an expanded color gamut. The MicroPiezo AMC print head produces a maximum resolution of 2880x1440 dpi and variable-sized droplets as small as 3.5 picoliters for very precise dot shape and placement. AccuPhoto HD2 technology provides smoother color transitions with better highlight and shadow detail. Estimated Street Price: $1,295. Contact: Epson, (800) GO-EPSON, www.epson.com.
Full-Frame AlphaThe second generation of Sony’s full-frame D-SLR, the A850 retains many of its predecessor’s features, including 24.6-megapixel resolution, dual BIONZ processing engines and SteadyShot INSIDE image stabilization. The innovative Dynamic Range Optimizer has five levels of user-selectable correction, as well as DRO bracketing for enhanced scene analysis. EV bracketing with ±2 EV range makes it easy to create high-dynamic-range composite images. The autofocus system has a center dual cross sensor consisting of two horizontal and two vertical line sensors, as well as a dedicated ƒ/2.8 sensor for greater precision, especially when using lenses with fast apertures. Estimated Street Price: $1,999. Contact: Sony, (877) 865-SONY, www.sonystyle.com.
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The Profoto D1 Air features a seven ƒ-stop power range, fully digital operation and short recycling times. A built-in reflector minimizes stray light while maximizing light output and can be used with softboxes and umbrellas with or without additional reflectors. A digital display panel and flash output-control circuitry allow you to accurately set color temperature and flash output. The monolight offers color consistency of 40 degrees Kelvin from flash to flash and output constancy of 1⁄50 of an ƒ-stop. The D1 Air is available in 250, 500 and 1000 Ws versions. Estimated Street Price: $1,069 (250 Ws). Contact: Profoto, (914) 347-3300, www.profoto.com.
New Hasselblad BackHasselblad’s new CFV-39 digital back was designed specifically for its legendary V cameras, turning them into 39-megapixel D-SLRs. The 36.7x49mm medium-format sensor allows you to shoot full 7212x5412-pixel, 4:3-format images or 29-megapixel (5412x5412-pixel) square images. DAC (digital auto-correction) boosts the performance of Carl Zeiss lenses. The back is compatible with any V camera made since 1957 and can be controlled from a PC using Phocus software and a FireWire connection. Images are saved to CompactFlash cards (in Hasselblad’s 3FR RAW format). Estimated Street Price: About $14,300. Contact: Hasselblad, (425) 861-6434,www.hasselbladusa.com.
S FormatCombining the versatility of a D-SLR with the image quality of medium format, the Leica S2 is now available. The 37.5-megapixel camera features a Kodak-developed 30x45mm CCD sensor with a 3:2 aspect ratio, which Leica touts as nearly 60 percent larger than that of a 35mm camera while the body retains the physical look and feel of one. Keeping the number of controls to a minimum, operating the camera is designed to be intuitive. Its dual processor allows burst speeds of up to 1.5 images per second at maximum resolution, and high-quality JPEG files can be created in-camera. The camera is launching with the Leica Summarit-S 70mm ƒ/2.5 ASPH and APO-Tele-Elmar-S 180mm ƒ/3.5 lenses. Estimated Street Price: $22,995 (S2 body); $4,495 (70mm); $6,495 (180mm). Contact: Leica, (800) 222-0118, www.leica-camera.com.
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