eK-gadgets info

Is this the new Nikon D700? These images have surfaced across the web and purport to be official promotion material of the Nikon D700. Looks pretty convincing to me. A good portion of the material is readable and appears to be quality copy written for a Nikon DSLR.  Additionally, the Nikon D300 price appears to be dropping - perhaps in order to make room for the Nikon D700’s more premium price point.  One thing’s for sure, the Nikon rumors are seriously heating up as we move closer to Photokina 2008.

If these are legit, here’s what you can expect from the new Nikon D700:

• FX Format
• 12.1 Megapixel CMOS Sensor
• EXPEED Image Processor
• 14 bit A/D Conversin
• 16 bit Image Processing
• Magnesium Alloy Body
• Compatible with MB-D10 Battery Grip

Nikon D700 Full Specs

Price (body only):

• US $ 2999

Sensor:

• 36 x 23.9 mm CMOS sensor
• FX format
• RGB Color Filter Array
• Built-in fixed low-pass filter
• 12.9 million total pixels
• 12.1 million effective pixels
• 3:2 aspect ratio

Image processor:

• Nikon EXPEED

A/D conversion:

• 14 bit

Image sizes:

(FX format)

• 4256 x 2832 [L; 12.1 MP]
• 3184 x 2120 [M; 6.8 MP]
• 2128 x 1416 [S; 3.0 MP]

(DX format)

• 2784 x 1848 [L; 5.1 MP]
• 2080 x 1384 [M; 2.9 MP]
• 1392 x 920 [S; 1.3 MP]]

File formats:

• NEF (12-bit or 14-bit, compressed or lossless compressed RAW)
• NEF + JPEG
• TIFF
• JPEG (EXIF 2.21)

Lens mount:

• Nikon F mount with AF coupling and AF contacts
• No field of view crop (full-frame)
• When using DX lenses / DX mode 1.5x FOV crop

Usable lenses:

• Type G or D AF NIKKOR: All functions supported
• DX AF NIKKOR: All functions supported except FX-format (36×24)/5:4 (30×24) image size
• AF NIKKOR other than type G or D: All functions supported except 3D Color Matrix Metering II
• AI-P NIKKOR: All functions supported except autofocus and 3D Color Matrix Metering II
• Non-CPU AI NIKKOR: Can be used in exposure modes A and M; electronic rangefinder can be used if maximum aperture is f/5.6 or faster; Color Matrix Metering and aperture value display supported if user provides lens data

Auto Focus:

• 51 focus points (15 cross-type sensors)
• Multi-CAM 3500FX
• AF working range: -1 to +19 EV
• Contrast Detect in Live View (Tripod) mode

Exposure modes:

• Program Auto [P] with flexible program
• Shutter-Priority Auto [S]
• Aperture-Priority Auto [A]

Metering:

• 3D Color Matrix Metering II (type G and D lenses); color matrix metering II (other CPU lenses); color matrix metering (non-CPU lenses if user provides lens data; metering performed)
• Center-weighted: Weight of 75% given to 8, 15, or 20 mm dia. circle in center of frame or weighting based on average of entire frame
• Spot: Meters approx. 4 mm dia. circle (about 1.5% of frame) centered on selected focus point (on center focus point when non-CPU lens is used)

White balance:

• Auto (1005-pixel CCD, image sensor)
• Presets (seven) with fine tuning
• Manual presets (four)
• Color temperature in Kelvin (2500 - 10000 K, 31 steps)
• White balance bracketing (2 to 9 frames, 10,20,30 MIRED steps)

Sensitivity:

• Auto (200 - 6400)
• Up to ISO 25600(expanded range)

Flash Sync Mode:

• Front-curtain Sync (normal)
• Red-Eye Reduction
• Red-Eye Reduction with Slow Sync
• Slow Sync
• Rear-curtain Sync

Storage:

• Compact Flash Type I or II
• UDMA, Microdrive and FAT32 supported

Power:

• Lithium-Ion EN-EL3e (7.4 V, 1500 mAh)
• Included battery charger MH-18a
• Optional AC adapter EH-5a
• Optional MB-D10 battery pack / vertical grip

Vertical grip:

• Optional MB-D10 battery pack / vertical grip
• One Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL4a, EN-EL4 or EN-EL3e or eight R6/AA-size alkaline (LR6), Ni-MH (HR6), lithium (FR6) batteries, or nickel-manganese ZR6 batteries

More Nikon D700 Images

We bought you the scoop on RIM’s first flipper, the Kickstart, last month. Now feast your eyes on some live pictures of the clamshell, courtesy of BerryShack. Here’s a rundown of the known specs:

• Internal LCD: 240×320
• External LCD: 160×128
• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE
• “Next Gen” SureType keyboard
• 2 Megapixel camera
• 16-bit color LCDs
• WiFi 802.11b/g
• 3.5mm headset jack
• 4.6 OS

Rumors point to a T-Mobile release in September but until then, you will have to be satisfied with a couple more snaps after the break…

It’s been a while since we heard anything new on Sony Ericsson’s upcoming flagship device, the Xperia X1, but the device was seen lurking around at the CommunicAsia fair held in Singapore recently. I have said it already and will still say that this is one hot device that I truly look forward to in 2008. The VGA screen really stands out, even though we are just looking at pictures. Makes us want to forgive Sony Ericsson for dumping the BeiBei and Paris, doesn’t it? If you missed out on the specs from our earlier coverage, here’s what you will get when the device hits the stores:

• Quad-band UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA network support
• 3-inch VGA touchscreen display at 800×480 resolution
• Windows Mobile 6.1
• Full QWERTY arc-slide-out keypad
• Assisted GPS
• WiFi
• Bluetooth with A2DP profile
• 3.2-megapixel camera

Hit the read link for some more pictures…

Via : Daily Mobile

In case you were are waiting for AT&T to release the BlackBerry Bold, well you will have to wait some more. AT&T postponed the official launch of the Bold to mid August.

Apparently there are some battery life and overheating problems which RIM and AT&T should be working out. Is that so or is AT&T thinking too much about the other phone and what it will do for them instead on focusing on the Bold too? And how come Rogers has no problem with the Bold in Canada? I mean isn’t battery life the same up north? Doesn’t the Bold overheat due to a colder climate?

There’s no official response to this yet so who knows what AT&T has in mind.

Panasonic HDC-SD100

In an effort to improve upon the light sensitivity characteristics of its prosumer AVCHD camcorders, Panasonic has switched to a new three-chip MOS system dubbed “3MOS” for its newly announced HDC-SD100 and HDC-HS100 models. The company claims the new sensors provide about twice the photo-sensitive area as the CCDs used by its last-generation model, the HDC-SD9. However, Panasonic did not indicate the resolution of the chips; it’s likely relatively low, as most three-chip solutions tend to be. The new models also have a new 12x zoom lens, extended over the 10x zoom in the SD9. (Since most of our complaints about the SD9 revolved around the lack of sharpness and poor low-light quality, I’m quite curious to see how the new models fare.)

Panasonic HDC-HS100

As its name implies, the HDC-SD100 writes to SDHC flash-memory cards, while the HS100 can record to its 60GB hard disk as well as SDHC. They both provide a broad range of manual shooting capabilities, as well as Panasonic’s Intelligent Auto mode, which incorporates face detection and Panasonic’s Intelligent Contrast Control and Intelligent Scene Selection to optimize exposure and focus. And, as always, the units incorporate Panasonic’s Advanced OIS optical image stabilization.

The two camcorders lie at the upper end of the price range for consumer HD models: $1,299.95 for the HDC-SD100 and $1,099.95 for the HDC-HS100. Oddly, the hybrid model is the cheaper, although it’s possible you’re paying for the miniaturization in the smaller SD100. Both are slated to ship in September; we expect to get our grubby little paws on one sooner than that, so stay tuned.