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Amazon opens pre-orders for the Nikon D800

Pre-order information for the Nikon D800 at $2,999 with Amazon is included below:

Canon 5D II + CF card + battery grip + spare battery+ bag= $2,199

24-hour sale at Adorama.

Canon 5D Mark III now available for pre-order at Amazon

The Canon 5D Mark III can now be pre-ordered at Amazon. Link is below.

Canon EOS 5D Mark III 22.3 MP Full Frame CMOS Digital SLR Camera (Body)

Adorama now taking pre-orders on the Canon 5D Mark III at $3,499

Adorama has opened orders on the new Canon 5D Mark III. Order information can be found here.

Price on the Nikon D700 falls $500 to $2,199

Following the announcement of the Nikon D800, prices on the Nikon D700 have fallen by $500 to $2,199 at B&H, effective today. The price drop has not taken full effect at Amazon yet. This is a fantastic deal. While the D800 has great resolution, the Nikon D700 is a proven entity with continuous shooting speeds twice that of its successor (when battery grip is attached).

At B&H:

Nikon D700 SLR Digital Camera (Body Only)

Nikon D700 SLR Digital Camera Kit with 24-120mm VR Lens

At Amazon:

Nikon D700 12.1MP FX-Format CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 3.0-Inch LCD (Body Only)

 Thom Hogan said of the Nikon D700:

The D700 is some sort of hybridization of the D300 and D3. The body chassis is that of the D300, the viewfinder that of the D3. Indeed, the D700 shares the MB-D10 vertical grip with the D300, which means that the camera base is essentially the same. The controls are basically D300-like (with the addition of the Info button and center button on the Direction pad. The D700 includes an internal flash ala the D300, as well. So one way to think about the D700 is to think of it as a full-frame D300.

Internally, the story is (for the most part) different. The imaging chain is exactly that of the D3: same sensor, same microlenses, same digitizing circuit, same processing. Likewise, the D700 seems to have the autofocus processing speed of the D3 (most visible in Auto Area AF), though it does seem to have a slight lag in acquisition I don't always see in my D3 (could be slight changes to AF algorithms).

On those tricky manufacturer rebates

Manufacturer rebates are offered for several reasons, including 1) It allows companies to offer a short-term discount without effecting the long-term price of the product, 2) It allows companies to hold onto the discount dollars (and invest or collect interest on them) for a month or two until the rebate is issued, and 3) It leaves open the possibility that consumers will fail to send in the rebate forms and never collect the discount (though of course it still factors in their purchase decision).

As the recent beneficiary of a large rebate, I've observed it's even more tricky than that.

Olympus OM-D E-M5: Comprehensive summary of information to date

Yesterday, I wrote about the new Olympus OM-D E-M5 camera and some of the reasons I'm looking forward to the new $999 micro four thirds interchangeable lens camera release from Olympus (the camera is due to be in stores April and can be ordered now from B&H, Adorama or Amazon).

Today I would like to continue with a summary of the major hands-on reviews, analyses, specifications and video and image samples that have been posted on the internet to date. 

Keep in mind that more detailed reviews will be produced in the next few months. Information on those will be posed on this website as it is available.

First, let us start with some of the specifications: The Olympus OM-D E-M5 will be a 16-megapixel camera in micro four thirds mount with a magnesium alloy body, new 5-axis image stabilization, 35-focus point contrast detect autofocus, 2x focal length modifier, 1.4M dot 100% electronic viewfinder, tilt-screen LCD, external flash hotshoe (no built-in flash), 9 frames per second, 1080i60 HD video, optional SEMA-1 microphone attachment, weather sealing.

Olympus E-M5: this could finally be the camera I've been waiting for

While the Nikon D800 and Fuji X-Pro 1 have gotten a lot of press, the camera that interests me the most so far from among 2012 announcements is the Olympus OM-D E-M5. What could be better than micro four-thirds' small form factor combined with weather sealing, a solid electronic viewfinder, built-in image stabilization, fast initial focus, an improved sensor and access to Olympus stable of lenses, including the wonderful 12mm f/2 and the 45mm f/1.8 (not to mentioned the new primes scheduled for release this year)? At $999 starting price, this could be the bargain of the year.