Entry-Level D-SLR's Hit the 10 Megapixel Mark

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1020&thread=17578369&page=2

Leica's first M-mount digital rangefinder, with two sweet new lenses and a fascinating multi-lens Leica viewfinder!

Canon's Rebel XTi,a new 10.1 MP d-slr! Nikon's new D80,a 10.2 MP D-slr priced at $999 body-only! Probably a Fuji S3 follow-up model called the S5,and based upon the Nikon D200! All in all the next few weeks promises to be a very exciting time in the higher end of the consumer digital photography segment. Bang for buck factor seems to be getting ever higher and higher among Canon and Nikon. I'm impressed with the early comments surrounding the Rebel XTi and the D80,and am encouraged to read today on dPreview that Thom Hogan is predicting the Nikon D200 body will be modified by FujiFilm to form the basis of FujiFilm's next d-slr model. Sony seems to be doing quite well in sales in Japan's d-slr market; Sony's at home sales performance in the d-slr market is quite surprisingly good to me,and to basically all those who felt Sony couldn't do "anything in d-slr sales" have been proven wrong (at least in the Japanese market). FujiFilm's next announcement is expected to be a "development announcement" about its upcoming S3 replacement camera,and not a new model unveiling in the terms of Canon and Nikon where products are announced and then available for sale shortly afterwards; I think being a smaller market or niche player, FujiFilm's development announcement is designed to put Fujista's in a state of deep-freeze,or on hold,to preserve whatever market share they can. I'm anxious to see what FujiFilm has planned.

Canon's two pre-Photokina lens announcements are interesting, with a 50mm f/1.2 USM which is a nifty offering, and a 70-200 f/4 L with Canon's newest generation of Image Stabilizer technology. Both new lenses have the new SuperSpectra anti-reflection coating Canon's just begun touting,and Canon is also promoting these two lenses as having perfectly round aperture openings...which is a nice thing in my book. I decidely do prefer ROUND aperture openings for the way they render point sources of light in the background. Nikon's pre-Photokina announcements of the 18-135 kit lens for the D80 and its 70-300 slowpoke zoom with VR are also welcome lens announcements; Nikon's finally caught up to Canon by offering a slow,variable aperture 70-300 with stabilizer built in. Nikon still has NOTHING in the 70-200 f/4 category,while Canon will soon have two models of 70-200mm f/4 zooms of professional-grade design and optics (ie in Canon-speak 'L-series').