DSLR?

[Chris Bangs]

S3 is now fully reviewed at Dpreview.com.

It looks impressive in terms of image quality (though I will need to see a lot more reviews.)

It is shipping Dec 1st - several places are taking pre-orders. It is $2499.95 which is at least $500 more than it probably should be. All images appear to show that the camera is significantly bigger than the S2 (it includes a bottom grip) and everyone I have talked to has said that it feels more sturdy and larger. Which is bad news as it means it will need a new housing. Menu and directional buttons have moved as well. LCD is supposed to also be much improved as well.

I'll wait to see if the price drops after christmas. I will likely be willing to spend $2k on the camera if the dynamic color range is as good as the first few images have shown

M

I will wait until someone takes one down and points it at the sun! that will be the real underwater test! if it passes, time to sell more film gear!

 

[Rooster]

I have a brand new, 1 day old, D-70 sitting on my desk. This is my reluctant but now committed jump into the D-SLR world. Though I have been using digital above and UW for some time, a Nikon CP-995 in an Aquatica housing, going "total" digital was not something I was willing to do. I still have no plans to get rid of my Nikon F-100 and Aquatica housing any time soon. I also plan on keeping my Nikon F-5 for land work (I love this camera). Though I have known for a long time that I would go to a D-SLR, I have been playing it a little cautious. I came real close to getting the D-100 when Aquatica announced their housing for it. I rationalized that my F-100 was still the way to go and bought a new Harley instead. Every time I would think that maybe I should have gotten the D-100, I would think to myself, “Dinette set or Harley-Davidson?” “A new camera when my old one is just fine, or new Harley?” This kept me happy for the last year. Well I just got back from a trip to Palau. During the trip I kept thinking to myself, man a new D-SLR would really have been nice during this trip. Yesterday I walk into the Navy BX to look for a portable hard drive and what is starring me in the face? A brand new D-70. It was cheaper than I could get it from B&H, no shipping , no handling, no waiting. As I said before, it is now sitting on my desk. It’ll be a few months before I order a housing for it, but it will happen. I just have to stay away from the Harley shop.
Rooster