LogHome Photos

Five years after announcing its development, and following a month-long online campaign trailing the launch, Pentax has finally unveiled its much anticipated 645D medium format digital camera. The first digital version of the company's 645 medium format camera system, it features a 40MP, 44 x 33 CCD sensor, 921k dot 3.0" LCD and is compatible with the existing 645 system lenses. The camera will initially be available only in the Japanese market at a suggested retail price of ¥850,000 (~ US $9,400) from May 2010.

In conjunction with its announcement of the 645D medium format camera, Pentax has announced the smc D FA 645 55mm F2.8 AL[IF] SDM AW lens. First in the D FA 645 lens series, this weather-resistant prime lens features a Supersonic Direct-drive Motor (SDM) autofocus drive and Quick-Shift for instant AF/MF switching. It is also the company's first 645 system lens to incorporates a rounded diaphragm.The 55mm lens will be available alongside the 645D camera at a suggested retail price of ¥100,000 (~ US $1,100).

Tamron has announced the development of a 70-300mm f/4-5.6 zoom lens featuring image stabilization and an ultrasonic auto-focus drive. The SP 70-300mm F4-5.6 Di VC USD is the company's first lens to feature its latest Ultrasonic Silent Drive (USD) autofocus motor, with full-time manual focus override. The optical design includes an element made from Extra-Low Dispersion (XLD) glass, said to have optical properties similar to fluorite. Designed for both full-frame and APS-C digital SLRs, the lens will be initially available in Nikon mount followed by Canon and Sony versions.

Mamiya has announced the price and availability of its new DM40 medium format camera and a digital back of the same name. Priced at $21,990 for the camera and 80mm f/2.8 lens D series lens, and $19,990 for the digital back, they will start shipping from this month onwards. Both incorporate 40MP, 44 x 33 mm sensors and feature true 16 bit/channel RAW capture, ISO range of 80-800 and capture images at 0.8 seconds per frame. The DM40 digital back can be used with compatible medium or large format cameras via an adapter.

Focus on Imaging 2010: Eighteen months after unveiling the worlds first Micro Four Thirds camera, Panasonic has introduced its successor- the Lumix DMC-G2, with touch control shooting. Built around the same body design as the G1, it records 720p HD videos in AVCHD Lite format and features a touch sensitive 460K dot 3.0" LCD. Its advanced touch features allows shooting by just tapping the subject on the LCD. Other features include AF tracking, a dedicated movie mode and a faster Venus Engine HD II processor. We've had a pre-production example in the office and have put together a hands-on preview.

Focus on Imaging 2010: Panasonic has released what it calls 'the world's lightest interchangeable lens camera with a viewfinder' in the shape of Lumix DMC-G10. It features the same 12.1MP Live MOS sensor and Venus Engine HD II as the DMC-G2, also announced today. It also comes with a 460K dot 3" LCD but without the tilt/swivel and touch options of the G2 and gets a lower resolution viewfinder. The G10 can record 720p HD movie in Motion JPEG format. Both cameras can accept the high-capacity SDXC format cards and are offered with a new 14-42mm kit lens.

Focus on Imaging 2010: Alongside the Lumix DMC-G2 and G10 Micro Four Thirds cameras, Panasonic has also released the Lumix G Vario 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 ASPH Mega O.I.S. image stabilized lens. Offering an equivalent zoom range of 28-84mm, the lens is a new optical design but offers a similar specification to the original 14-45mm G System zoom. The new lens, known as the H-FS014042, loses the image stabilization on/off switch and metal mount of its predecessor and comes in a slightly larger body.

The UK has embraced the Micro Four Thirds camera format, making up over 10% of interchangeable lens camera sales (by volume) in December 2009. According to figures from market research company GfK Retail and Technology, around 6,600 Micro Four Thirds cameras were sold in the UK, accounting for more than half of the system's sales volumes in 11 major Western European countries.

Olympus has released a firmware update for its E-P1 Micro Four Thirds camera. Version 1.3 resolves the issue where the camera's Level Gauge display did not move when focusing manually. The firmware update can be downloaded via the Olympus Master or Studio software.

Just posted! Our in-depth review of the Ricoh GXR with the A12 50mm F2.5 lens module. The GXR's concept of interchangeable lens modules is unique in today's digital camera world and generated a lot of interest when it was first announced four months ago. This review covers the GXR with the A12 50mm f2.5 equiv (12MP APS-C sensor) module (the S10 24-70mm module will follow soon). Find out how Ricoh's new flagship performed in our comprehensive review after the link...

Wacom has released the Cintiq 21UX, an interactive pen display that combines with the company's pressure sensitive Grip Pen to offer 2048 levels of pressure sensitivity. The 21UX comes with a tilting, rotating stand that lets users to view it from varied angles and features customizable menu options. It comes along with basic image editing software and also supports advanced programs such as Adobe Photoshop. Priced at $1999 USD, the Cintiq 21UX will start shipping from late March 2010.

Software maker Topaz Labs has released version 4 of its color management plug-in for Adobe Photoshop. The latest version features a redesigned interface, new presets and upgraded image processing algorithms. It is available as a free upgrade for existing users or $49.99 for first-time buyers.

Canon has announced the long awaited, videorelated firmware for its EOS 5D Mark II will be available from mid-March. Firmware version 2.0.3 enables full 1080p HD video recording at 24, 25 and 29.97fps to match the PAL and NTSC broadcast standards. It also adds a new histogram display while shooting movies and allows users to manually control sound recording levels. Audio sampling frequency has also been increased to match broadcast material standards.

Sony Semiconductor's latest online newsletter gives an in-depth explanation of its 10.34MP 1/2.3" type back-illuminated Exmor R CMOS sensor. The IMX050CQK is designed for low-light photography and has been incorporated in many of the company's recent CMOS sensor equipped cameras including the Cyber-shot TX5, HX5 and the Ricoh CX3 compacts. Another paper in the issue talks about how its supporting processor can offer high speed videos, full HD video recording and decreased power consumption.

After a brief online campaign, US-based company Noktor has announced its first product: the HyperPrime 50mm f/0.95 lens for Micro Four Thirds cameras. This ultra-fast manual focus lens with manual aperture control bears an uncanny resemblance to the Senko 50mm f/0.95 C-mount CCTV lens and shares almost all of its vital specifications. The company, that appears to be registered to a residential property in Canton, Georgia will start shipping the lens from April 15, 2010 at a retail price of $750.

Canon has posted updates for several camera software programs including the 'Digital Photo Professional' Raw conversion software. The latest version of DPP extends support to the recently released EOS T2i/550D DSLR and comes with a new image rotation tool. The updated versions of the other pieces of software including EOS Utility and Picture Style Editor also extend support to the EOS 550D DSLR. The updates can be downloaded from the DSLR support pages of individual cameras from Canon's website.

Sigma US has revamped its website with new interactive features. It now includes a Lens Finder section that is aimed at guiding users to select the right lens according to their camera system, price and skill level. Other features include a photo share gallery, blog and social media tools.

Storage device manufacturer Sanho has announced the HyperDrive Album, a portable backup device that can preview RAW files from digital cameras. It's claimed to offer UDMA transfer speeds of 40MB/s, backing up 2GB of data in a minute. Featuring a 4.8" WVGA preview LCD and CF/SD memory card slots, it also includes built-in data recovery tools and a longer-lasting battery that promises up to 200GB of backups per battery charge. The HyperDrive Album is available in 640GB, 500GB, 320GB, 250GB and 160 GB storage capacities - or you can buy the device on its own and install your own hard disk.

The UK government funded Science: [So what? So everything] campaign has announced a photo competition with a chance to win a Canon EOS 500D digital SLR and lenses worth £1150. To enter the Living Science competition, UK residents above 18 years of age are required to submit a photograph accompanied by a brief description to illustrate the 'life-changing impact of medical science'. The competition will run until March 11, 2010.

Just posted! Our lens review featuring Nikon's re-mastered version of its professional workhorse fast telezoom, the AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm F2.8 G ED VR II. When we reviewed its predecessor a couple of years ago we were mightily impressed by its performance on DX cameras, but rather less so on the then-new FX format. On its release Nikon claimed the new version was designed to address such concerns, and give 'excellent edge to corner quality on today’s FX format cameras' - so does the lens live up to its billing?