dslr.ws

Tech.co.uk has posted a hands-on preview of the new Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10 digital SLR:

Key specifications of the DMC-L10 include a 10.1-megapixel Live MOS sensor, 3fps burst mode, all the usual focusing and shooting modes, and a 2.5-inch LCD that automatically adjusts brightness.

The Venus Engine III image processing system stays the same, and has been tweaked to work with the supplied Leica D 14-50mm lens. There’s also face detection for up to 15 faces, and intelligent ISO to measure movement of the subject/s. These technologies work together to prevent motion blur in your photos.

3 fps sounds slow after reading so many reviews of cameras like the Canon 1D Mark II, but in real life 3 fps should be enough for most people.

Panasonic is one of the first companies to really offer a compelling reason to try live view on a DSLR camera, via their fully articulated LCD screen that flips out from the camera body, and rotates around 270 degrees to let you shoot from unusual positions.

The preview doesn’t have any sample photos, since the cameras they used were pre-production, and doesn’t really offer more than just a look at the specs. So you can’t really say that they took full advantage of the hands-on opportunity to give a review offering anything new. But I’ll still link to them, just because I’m friendly that way.

Adobe has updated Adobe Camera Raw to version 4.2, and Lightroom to version 1.2.

They add a bunch of new digital SLRs file formats to their list of supported RAW files, including the Canon 40D, the Olympus E-510, the Pentax K100D Super, and the Sony Alpha A700. However, the Canon EOS 1D Mark III’s sRAW format is not supported yet.

There’s also an interesting note about a change in the noise reduction defaults for cameras with Bayer pattern sensors, which would be almost all of them. They write:

The base point noise reduction applied at the demosaic stage of raw processing has been reduced. The resulting effect is that images with zero luminance noise reduction applied in Camera Raw 4.2 will contain more noise than the identical settings in Camera Raw 4.1 but less noise than identical settings in Camera Raw 4.0.

Does anyone have some sweet comparison samples available yet for all of us to pixel peep at? Give me your links in the comments section.

In case you haven’t seen enough Olympus E-510 reviews over the past few weeks, CNET has one up now that might just be the review to push you over the edge.

They give it a 7.1 out of 10, taking off points for slow autofocus, poor automatic exposure performance, weird white balance results, and default setting that they disagree with.

Some mixed comments on the Live View implementation:

As Live View modes in SLRs go, the 510’s version is pretty nice, but it’s still clunkier than shooting with a real compact camera or using the 510’s optical viewfinder. Since the 510 has to get its mirror out of the way before you can use Live View, then needs to lower it to autofocus and raise it again before you can shoot, this mode is slow and noisy. Also, if you do want the camera to autofocus while in Live View mode, you have to hold the AEL/AFL button to activate it, which also slows down the shooting experience. However, if you want to focus manually, you can zoom in on your subject to help you focus. You can also select the area that you want to zoom in on or use for autofocus; a small green box appears if you cycle through display modes (with the INFO button) and you can move it around the frame with the direction buttons in the 5-way touchpad.

Their complaints about the default settings are the same excessive noise reduction complaints that every other review seems to mention as well:

While you can achieve very nice image quality with the Evolt E-510, out of the box I saw the same issues with the E-510 that Lori Grunin saw with the Evolt E-410. In its default settings, and with Firmware version 1.0, the E-510 underexposes and overblurs photos. Switching the Noise Filter to Low or Off will fix the blurring problem, and using a shooting mode other than Program can help overcome the exposure issues.

Their conclusion is also kind of mixed, fitting for the 7.1 rating and the handful of negatives that they brought up in the review:

While the exposure quirks mentioned above might sound bad, you really can create very good photos with the Evolt E-510, though it can be a bit frustrating when compared to competitors, such as Canon’s EOS Rebel XTi or Nikon’s D40x. However, if you like the idea of this Evolt’s Live View mode or built-in Image Stabilization (something neither of the aforementioned competitors have), then you should give the E-510 a look.

Be sure to check out the full review for all sorts of E-510 reviewy goodness, as well as some low resolution sample photos taken at the U.S. Open. At least that’s something unique, rather than studio test shots and resolution charts, even if the resolution is far too low to be able to tell anything about the E-510’s image quality from them.

OnOne Software has released a batch of free Adobe Camera Raw presets. From their web page:

Designed to work the way you work, the PhotoPresets with One-Click WOW! tackle only one development parameter at a time allowing you to optimize your image at each step to create the look you really want without sacrificing any one quality. You start with adjusting your images color and tone and then add effects like black and white conversions, tinting, split-toning and vignetting. With 85 presets in 6 categories the number of combinations is astounding.

I haven’t had a chance to play with them yet myself, so I can’t speak for how useful they are, but since they’re free it can’t hurt to try that out and see if they’re useful. Feel free to leave comments here letting me and the other readers know if you think they’re worthwhile or not.