Rob Galbraith DPI:

Lowepro adds SlingShot 300 AW to its line of sling bags. Lowepro has recently announced the SlingShot 300 AW, the third model in its SlingShot line of sling-style camera bags. The 300 AW is the largest of the lineup and is designed to carry a pro SLR body (or two) with five or six lenses, plus accessories. [Rob Galbraith DPI]

I use the Slingshot 200 AW and like it a lot. It combines the features of a traditional camera back with the carrying features of a backpack. My 200 AW handles my small DSLR plus four lenses and a few other odds and ends, and swings around from the backpack-style carrying position for quick access to the gear. The 300 AW sounds like it is substantially larger, and it addes some additional features to the existing design.

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Awhile ago I speculated that Canon would drive the price of full frame cameras down below $2000 before long, thus positioning them within spending distance of their best 1.6 crop sensor cameras.

It looks like that price may have arrived sooner than I expected, though by something of a back door route. There is a report today that Dell selling the Canon 5D with a nearly $700 dollar discount. Also today marks the beginning of a Canon rebate promotion offering a $600 rebate on the 5D if a lens is purchased at the same time. Others who have done the math say that this can bring the cost of the Dell 5D to a few dollars below $2000.

While this is still $700 or so more than the crop sensor Canon 30D, this price differential is much less daunting than the nearly $2000 difference when the 5D was released a bit more than a year ago. I believe that many more serious photographers will move to full frame at that rate.

It is also possible that Canon is going to realign their full frame camera offerings, perhaps around the time of PMA in February. Some speculation (for what is is worth) predicts a reduction in the price (and size?) of Canon’s 12MP full frame body and possibly a new 16MP body at a price point considerably below that of the current 1-series cameras.

If such things actually occur, you can bet that I’ll post another message here saying, “I told you so!” On the other hand, if it does not happen you’ll hear nothing from me… ;-)

(For my part, I’m hanging on to my Canon 8MP 1.6 crop body for now. While full frame vs. crop changes the equation a bit, I’m trying to resist upgrading until I can double pixel count and move to full frame. I’ll be a very happy – though somewhat poorer – camper if Canon actually does introduce a more affordable 16MP full frame body.)

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G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him.

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The article that was found at this address is now quite dated! Please see my more current article describing my photographic equipment for backpacking.

The announcement of this new Pentax dSLR is all over the web, but here is one link:

The 10 megapixel Pentax K10D digital SLR camera. Pentax invites you for test drive with their latest digital SLR camera, the K10D. The new SLR features 10.2 megapixels and a host of advanced technologies including Shake Reduction and a weather-resistant body. The K10D body will ship by November 2006 for $899, and as a kit with the DA 18-55mm lens for $999. A new smc Pentax-DA 70mm F2.4 Limited lens, designed for exclusive use with Pentax digital SLR cameras will ship in October 2006 for less than $600… [DCVIEWS Digital camera and photography news]

George Barr has also posted a brief but dead-on note (Pentax K10D – Awesome Specs) about the camera at Behind the Lens:

These are really practical features to add – not frills like you see on some cameras – impressive looking but not really useful – who wouldn’t love a sensor that was easy to clean, image stabilization without buying it in every single lens, or forking out big bucks for a robust camera that can take the beach, stream, snow storm or rain.

The Online Photographer also offers a summary: Little Giant-Killer.

Judging from the specifications and features, this camera could well be a credible competitor to offerings from Canon, Nikon and, more recently, Sony. With a price in the same range as the excellent Canon 400D, this Pentax camera offers a number of appealing and useful features, notably including weather sealing – a feature not available from Canon except on their extremely expensive 1-Series cameras.

Although few lenses have been announced, the body apparently is backwards compatible with the large base of existing Pentax lenses, many of which are notable for high quality and excellent design. (By the way, the new Pentax-DA 70mm F2.4 Limited lens announced along with the camera looks like an example of Pentax’ innovative thinking about camera optics.) Many years ago my two favorite backpacking cameras were a Pentax ME and a Pentax MX, used with excellent 100mm f/2.8, 50mm f/1.4, and 45mm (?) f/2.8 lenses. I’d love to see that glass put to use on a quality digital body.

In any case, it is great to see more viable competition emerging in the digital SLR marketplace, where Canon has reigned supreme recently. I have nothing at all against Canon – I use Canon gear exclusively and like it a lot – but additional competition can only be good for photographers.
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