In recent months it was obvious that Sony and Panasonic had left the upper end DSLR to others … such as Nikon and Canon.

Until now! And this one is a big mother… the Sony SLT-A77!

Loaded with battery, card and the supplied f2/16-50 SSM lens the camera weighed in at 1.3kg, thanks to the magnesium alloy body. Ports, doors and controls are weather-resistant.

The A77 is the first camera to incorporate the continuous focus ability of Translucent Mirror Technology into an enthusiast level body.

It has a new Exmor CMOS sensor, OLED viewfinder, weather-sealed body and a radical three way tilting 7.6cm LCD screen … a world first? The top-mounted LCD mirrors the exposure information usually found on a rear LCD….

Micro, mirrorless cameras are upon us, with sales for the pioneers — Olympus and Panasonic — soaring as people welcome the small, clever, interchangeable lens models with open arms.

Nikon and Canon have dragged their feet on this evolution with the former only now recognising the market demand with a pair of models that bear all the hallmarks of the sector: small, easy to use, with an eye-level LCD finder, a rear screen and a range of interchangeable lenses.

The Nikon 1 range of CX format cameras includes the upper level V1 and a lesser model — the Nikon J1.

I missed the Sydney launch, thanks to a messed up press invite and a nonchalant publicity arm. However, a few weeks later, I managed …

Pachi Chen-Wong over at Lexar has taken some time to write us a guide called  “8 Secrets for Keeping Your Important Piece of Photo Gear Operating at Peak Performance”

I was lucky enough to meet with the team from Lexar at PhotoPlus in New York a couple of weeks back and here’s some advice for all of you as a result.

Besides your camera, your memory card may be the most important piece of equipment in your photo bag. Without a memory card, your camera won’t work, and if it’s not operating right, you could lose all your images from a long day of shooting. The good news is that by learning some basic maintenance tips and best practices, you can keep your cards running at peak performance and help …

Filters, batteries, sensor cleaning kits, camera straps… there are literally thousands of products out there for digital photographers to buy as accessories for their cameras.

Following are the top 10 Digital Camera Accessories that our readers bought at Amazon in the last quarter:

1. Black Rapid Strap RS7 Black Fabric (Pictured Right)

2. Tiffen 52mm UV Protection Filter

3. Giottos AA1900 Rocket Air Blaster Large (Black)

4. LensPEN Lens Cleaning System

5. Opteka Hot Shoe Two Axis Double Bubble Spirit Level for Digital and Film Cameras

6. RS-W1 Camera Strap

7. Tiffen 67mm UV Protection Filter

8. …

A Guest Post by Chennai based amateur photographer – S Senthil Kumaran.

Everyone, with a very few exceptions, has this problem. I never had the right gear. I constantly feel that I am missing the opportunity to create great photographs because I do not have the right gear. Frustrating!

• I do not have a 600mm lens with teleconverters, so I missed many excellent bird photographs.
• I do not have a sturdy tripod with Gimbal head, so my shots were not tack sharp.
• I do not have a D3, so I could not take a decent shot in low light.
• I do not have a SB900 with Better Beamer, so my backlit birds are dark. I do not have enough lights, so I could not take a beautiful picture in outdoor locations.

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