Digital Trends

Fast on the heels of the Consumer Electronics Show, it was time to take another flight to Las Vegas for the Photo Marketing Association trade event—where digital cameras take center stage, not zillions of flat panel televisions.

Digitaltrends.com covered many of the announcements made prior to the event which ran from January 31 to the day before the Super Bowl—which everybody watched on those flat panel TVs! What follows are our picks for the best in show—along with a few thoughts about the wild world of digital imaging.

First of all this was a fairly boring show. This is pretty amazing when you consider a raft of new 14-megapixel D-SLRs made their appearance. As reporters normally do, we chatted during the event to discuss the hot products. Unfortunately, these were very short conversations. Can we say jaded, folks? Oh sure, there were loads of new cameras with more megapixels and camera makers continue making models easier to use than ever…think Face Detection, Smile Shutter and Blink Warning as key examples. All of these new features help you take better shots of smiling faces of friends and family—and that’s what photography is all about for the vast majority of people. Also camera manufacturers are pretty upbeat—even with a shaky economy; they’re all predicting growing sales with lower prices for consumers. These issues on the table, here are the winners from a rather ho-hum trade show. 

A Real Live View

As DT readers know, I’m not a big fan of Live View for digital SLRs. In theory it’s great since it lets you frame your shots using the camera’s larger LCD screen instead of the viewfinder. Unfortunately, the way it’s currently implemented, focusing is way too slow and you need a tripod for best results. Enter the new Sony new alpha DSLR-A300 and DSLR-A350. By adding a second sensor, Quick AF Live View is now real time, focusing is very responsive and it even works in continuous (burst) shooting mode. With it you can actually hold the camera over your head and take photos. This is especially true with the A350 since it has an articulating 2.7-inch LCD screen, opening a world of shooting flexibility. On top of that, the A350 is a 14.2MP camera so you can make huge blowups or crop images to your heart’s content. I really liked this pair and they were the best in show, with the A350 the better of the two with its higher resolution and moveable LCD screen. The DSLR-A350 will cost $900 USD with an 18-70mm kit lens; the 10.2MP A300 with a fixed position LCD and kit lens will cost $800 USD. Both arrive in April. 

Sony alpha DSLR-A300

Another Sony note: The company sent a shot across the bow of Canon and Nikon when it announced a 24-megapixel full-frame sensor and that imager would appear in a “flagship” D-SLR later this year. This is a direct assault on the 21.1MP Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III and Nikon’s D3, a pair of $5,000 USD cameras. This should be fun to watch…