Category: Rumors

Nikon D3100 Compared

Nikon D3100

Rumor has it that Nikon will be announcing its newest DSLR in two days on August 19th: the Nikon D3100.

At Snapsort we’ve made our best guess as to the full specs, and loaded it into the site so you can start comparing it now to see how it might stackup!

Here are some links to comparisons to get you started:

How did we come up with our guessed specs? First we started with the full specs from the Nikon D3000, so for example we’re guessing the D3100 will be the same size as the D3000. Next, we updated the specs with the rumored leaked specs, including 14MP CMOS sensor, 1080p video with continuous focus capabilities etc. Next, we made some inferences/guesses. These include:

  • People have speculated that the Nikon D3100 will use the Sony manufactured sensor found in the Sony A450, so we took the native resolution of 4592×3056 pixels from it, and took the DXOMark image quality scores from it too, placing it between the D3000 and the D90 for low light image quality.
  • Next we guessed that the D3100 will get the same high resolution 920k screen that recent Nikon DSLRs including the D90 and D300s. Here we made a leap, we assumed the D3100 will have a flip-out (or articulating screen) since the D3100 is packed with video features (similar to the D5000 and rumored Canon D60).
  • The only information we’ve seen regarding the video specs is that it will record 1080p video using the AVCHD codec. We went ahead and guessed that it will record 1920×1080 video at 24fps, and also record 1280×720 video at 24fps, consistent with the other Nikon DSLRs that record HD video (the D5000, D90, D3s and D300s)
  • We also guess that the D3100 will shoot at approximately 5ps, slightly faster than other entry level DSLRs from Nikon

This is likely to be an exciting few months for DSLR fans, with Nikon set to announce the D3100 on August 19th, and speculation they will announce the D95 (D90 replacement) in September, along with Canon introducing their 60D (a 50D replacement).

We’ll update our specs as soon as we learn more. How accurate do you think Snapsort’s specs for the D3100 will turn out to be?

Specs and photo of the new Nikon D3100

The rumored Nikon D3100 entry level DSLR is set to be announced in 6 days on August 19th. More details are surfacing!

  • 14 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor – the switch from the D3000’s CCD sensor to CMOS is likely neccessary for the HD video and hopefully signs of improved low light sensitivity. Only Nikon’s lower end DSLRs use CCD sensors.
  • Live view – an upgrade from the D3000
  • 3″ screen, no information on its resolution, hopefully 920k like the recent DSLRs, would be a huge upgrade from the D3100’s 230k
  • Full 1080p video, a first for Nikon, joining the other Nikon DSLRs that shoot video (D5000, D300s, D90, D3s)
  • Continuous auto-focus while recording video, a first for any DSLR that I’m aware of, but I think the Panasonic micro-four-thirds cameras already do this
  • New EXPEED2 processor
  • Max ISO of 12,800, up from the D3000’s max of 3,200
  • Price of 650 €

My guesses:

  • It will have similar low light image quality to the Nikon D90 (see Nikon D90 vs D3000)
  • It will retail for USD $699 with a 18-55mm kit lens
  • It will have a 460k screen

First look at the Nikon D3100

Source: Nikon Rumors

First photos of the rumored Canon 60D

The rumor is that Canon is set to release a new professional DSLR, the Canon EOS 60D, to replace the existing 50D.

The specs that we’ve heard about so far are:

  • 18 megapixels (same as the 7D and Rebel T2i, up from the 50D’s 15.1MP)
  • A flip-out/tilt screen, looks to be 3.0″ I’d say. This looks like Canon’s first DSLR with a flip-out screen, should be great for video. The Nikon D5000 has a flip-out screen already, and the rumored D3100 will likely have one too.
  • Its being called video optimized, I imagine that means better auto-focus capability while recording movies, hopefully to compete with the D3100’s continuous auto-focus while recording!

See Canon’s full line-up of DSLRs at Snapsort.

Canon 60D DSLR
You can make out what looks like a flip-out screen
Canon 60D
First glimpse of the rumored upcoming Canon EOS 60D

Source: Canon rumors

Rumored Nikon Coolpix P7000 to compete with Canon G11

Nikon Coolpix P6000

Canon PowerShot G11

NikonRumors is reporting some basic specs for an upcoming new camera from Nikon, the Coolpix P7000, to replace the P6000. Its speculated that it will be announced in two weeks on August 19th, along with the rumored Nikon D3100, the DSLR replacement for the D3000 witih 1080p video and continuous focus (a first for DSLRs).

The rumored specs include:

  • A lower megapixel sensor, 10MP instead of 13MP (love it…! more megapixels in small sensors aren’t helping anything, would much prefer good quality 8 megapixel images vs low quality 16 megapixel images)
  • A larger 1/1.7″ sensor, similar size to the P6000
  • A 7.1x zoom lens (28-200mm equivelant, f/2.8-5.6), up from 4x in the P6000

Hopefully we’ll see a higher resolution screen on the P7000 too, replacing the low res 230k screen on the P6000. Hopefully the large sensor and lower megapixels result in better image quality, according to DXOMark benchmarks the G11 appears to have an edge in image quality over the P6000.

See Snapsort’s comparison of the G11 vs P6000.

Source: More info on the Nikon Coolpix P7000 from NikonRumours

New super-zooms from Panasonic: Lumix DMC-FZ100 and DMC-FZ40

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ40
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ100

Along with the leak of the LX5, Panasonic has also accidentally leaked news of two new super-zooms, both featuring huge 24x zoom, the Lumix DMC-FZ40 (aka DMC-FZ45 in europe) and the Lumix DMC-FZ100.

These look like replacements for the DMC-FZ35 and DMC-FZ28, both with only 18x zoom. Both of the new super-zooms shoot RAW which is a great feature for those looking to correct white balance or fix exposure in post production, and shoot HD video.

Key differences:

  • The FZ100 shoots full 1080p video, whereas the FZ40 only shoots 720p
  • The FZ100 has a higher resolution screen (460k dots vs 230k dots), but, the FZ40 features a touchscreen, which is the first ever super-zoom with a touch screen we’ve seen
  • The FZ100 also shoots stills at a blazing 10fps, it looks like the FZ40 will do as fast as 6fps perhaps with some resolution limitations

Detailed comparisons at Snapsort:

Also, checkout the full lineup of Panasonic super-zooms.