Sony Alpha A450
Much like the best death and black metal bands, the Sony A450 mysteriously announced at CES but nowhere else is slated for a probable Euro-Asian tour, but not a US one. Citing immense similarity with the A500, the nearly-identical A450 is opting not to over-saturate the American Alpha market.
Me, I think it’s fear. The A450 knows in its little Bionz heart that the A500 would be stiff competition at any price point, and a truly impressive imaging machine.
Hydrophobia 70-200
So, we got this in our mailbox dated for yesterday:
Santa Rosa, Calif. – Following up on the acclaimed Hydrophobia™ 300-600 rain cover for larger lenses, Think Tank Photo announces the release of two water-resistant, seam-sealed rain covers for 70-200 and smaller lenses: the Hydrophobia™ 70-200 and the Hydrophobia™ Flash 70-200 with built-in flash protector. Featuring side arm holes for focusing and accessing switches, they allow DSLRs to be turned vertically. And now, without exposing their expensive bodies and lenses to the elements, photographers can change memory cards and batteries without taking off the rain covers.
The key feature is that the camera strap attached to the camera does not have to be removed. There is a camera strap attached to the Hydrophobia 70-200 that, combined with a strap that buckles under the lens, allows the camera to be carried by the rain cover.
Hydrophobia 70-200 Flash
“The problem with other covers is that holes have to be cut into the top of the cover, and then using a special camera strap, the user has to unclip the camera strap from the camera, feeding it through the top of the cover,” said Doug Murdoch, Think Tank Photo’s CEO and lead designer. “With the Hydrophobia 70-200, we eliminated this problem by creating a system that automatically transfers the weight to the rain cover itself, while still keeping it water resistant.”
The fabric used on the Hydrophobia is ten times as water resistant as normal fabric. Instead of a “spray” coating, a “film” is applied to the underside of the fabric, as well as a
tricot mesh to protect it, making it a far more impenetrable three-layer fabric. In addition a waterproof tape is applied to all seams, providing an even more water resistant barrier.
The rain covers have the following key features:
- A clear window for viewing LCD and controls
- A fabric cover for the end of the lens.
- An eyepiece storage pocket (eyepieces sold separately)
- A detachable camera strap
- A breathable mesh bag for transportation and storage
For professionals and amateur SLR shooters with smaller lenses who can’t afford to lose a shot or to have their gear damaged, the Hydrophobia™ 70-200 and the Hydrophobia™ Flash 70-200 are powerful new tools for getting the shot in even the harshest conditions.
The 70-200 will debut with a recommended price of $139.00, the 70-200 Flash with a price of $145. Roberts reminds you that to use any Hydrophobia properly you’ll need a special eyepiece also from ThinkTank for your camera.
So, if you own both a computer and a camera, there’s a better than average chance you’ve encountered one of the many online gear forums, where people discuss camera equipment. And, while a lot of useful information can be learned from these forums, they also rival the Mos Eisley cantina for biggest dens of inequity going, and I’ve lurked on them long enough to notice there are several popular fallacies that seem to never go out of style, which is sad because they frequently stand in the way of better customer satisfaction.
So, we’re going to start addressing a few of these as a respected dealer of equipment, with all our insider knowledge and decades and decades of experience with camera equipment over the ages.
And first up is AF-S. AF-S is Nikon’s designation for lenses with an integral ultrasonic motor for focusing, introduced in 1996. Now, if you’re new to equipment, you may not know that auto-focus cameras used to use a body-based focus motor and screw drive system. Nikon’s AF-S comes under fire because starting with the D40, they started leaving a body-based motor out of their cameras, forcing users to buy AF-S lenses if they wanted autofocus. This gets decried a lot as a shameless attempt on Nikon’s part to force new lens sales and cut-off the used market. AF-S gets a lot of hate.
Of course, never mind that Canon switched entirely to in-lens focus motors when it created its EOS system and EF mount in 1987, making it’s entire FD line-up completely unusable with new cameras. Or that Olympus and Sony’s DSLR systems also use only in-lens AF systems. Or that in lens AF systems are faster, quieter, and more accurate. Obviously such technological improvements must be bad, right?
Simple answer: if you’re a new DSLR customer and can afford it, go AF-S. Even though the more expensive bodies still support the body-motor, in-lens focus motors have been the future for the past twenty years. They might cost you more than the old used ones, but they’ll continue to work going forward on all Nikon bodies. Plus, don’t forget that focus motors aren’t all that’s improved in the past twenty years: lens coatings, exotic lens elements like aspherical elements, and even basic lens formulas have all continued improving and the newer AF-S lenses will yield more than just a focus motor for your money.
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