Archive for Cameras & Lenses
PENTAX K-01 Receives Red Dot Design Award
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April 20, 2012 – PRESS SUMMARY - PENTAX RICOH IMAGING AMERICAS CORPORATION announced that the PENTAX K-01 interchangeable lens camera (ILC), designed by world-renowned industrial designer Marc Newson and launched in March 2012, has been selected as a Product Design 2012 winner at this year’s prestigious red dot design awards in Germany.
Sponsored by the Nordrhein Westfalen Design Center in Germany, the red dot design awards are one of the world’s most prestigious design awards. Each year, products brought to market over the previous two years are judged on nine different design criteria, including degree of innovation, functionality, ergonomics, durability and ecological compatibility. The PENTAX K-01 was selected from more than 4,500 applicants from 58 countries as a Product Design winner in the “Entertainment Technology and Cameras” category.
PENTAX Optio WG-2 Wins Best Rugged Compact Camera Award
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April 17, 2012 – PRESS SUMMARY - PENTAX RICOH IMAGING AMERICAS CORPORATION announced that the PENTAX Optio WG-2 compact digital camera, launched in March 2012, has received a 2012 TIPA (Technical Image Press Association) Award for “Best Rugged Compact Camera”. The WG-2 was selected because of its exceptional image quality and outstanding operability in harsh conditions. The camera is waterproof up to 40 feet, dustproof, coldproof, crushproof, and shock-resistant.
TIPA is an independent, non-profit organization comprised of editors from 29 photo and imaging magazines in 14 countries, many in Europe. This year’s TIPA winners were chosen from a wide variety of new photo and imaging products that were introduced between April 1, 2011 and March 31, 2012.
Sigma 50-150mm F2.8 Lens Now Available
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April 4, 2012 – PRESS SUMMARY - Sigma Corporation of America, is pleased to announce that its newly upgraded 50-150mm F2.8 APO EX DC OS HSM telephoto lens is now available for the street price of $1,099.
The 50-150mm F2.8 APO EX DC OS HSM telephoto lens is the successor to the 50-150mm F2.8 APO EX DC II HSM. The updated lens now features Sigma’s own proprietary Optical Stabilizer (OS) technology, which offers the use of shutter speeds approximately four stops slower than would otherwise be possible. The lens design utilizes an inner-focusing and inner-zooming system that provides convenient handling and this, along with the OS feature, makes it favorable for high-performance, handheld, close-up photography. Additionally, the Hyper Sonic Motor (HSM) ensures quiet and high-speed auto focusing, while allowing full-time manual focus capability.
The Sigma 50-150mm F2.8 APO EX DC OS HSM Canon mounts will be available next week, while the Nikon and Sigma mounts are expected to be available by the end of April. Read More→
PENTAX Introduces New 25mm Lens for 645D Medium-Format DSLR
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March 23, 2012 – PRESS SUMMARY - PENTAX RICOH IMAGING AMERICAS CORPORATION announced the introduction of its new DA645 25mm f/4 lens, designed and optimized for exclusive use with its popular 645D medium format digital SLR camera. By combining its ultra-wide perspective with exclusive PENTAX Super Multi-Coating (smc), Aspherical Elements (AL), Supersonic Direct-drive Motor (SDM), and all-weather (AW) construction, PENTAX has created a lens that will render super-sharp images with performance levels photographers have come to expect from original PENTAX lenses.
When mounted on the PENTAX 645D medium-format digital SLR camera body, the DA645 25mm f/4 AL [IF] SDM AW lens provides a focal length of approximately 19.5mm in the 35mm format, the widest perspective available with the 645D. Photographers now have greater creative flexibility when shooing landscapes or when photographing in confined areas with minimal room to move.
As with any quality optics, precision engineering and glass elements are critical ingredients. The DA645 25mm f/4 lens incorporates two high-performance aspherical optical elements, which provide exceptional image-resolving power with outstanding brightness levels even at the edges, while keeping various aberrations to a minimum. In addition, the lens is treated with PENTAX Aero Bright Coating to ensure an outstanding anti-reflection performance over a broader wavelength range to deliver images that are more brilliant and higher quality than those produced by previous models. Additional lens coatings and anti-reflective materials are applied to create a lens that is totally optimized for the 645D camera. Read More→
The Fujifilm X-Pro1 Mirrorless, Interchangeable Lens Camera System
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During Digital Photography Café’s live WPPI 2012 coverage this past month, Joseph Cristina and I had the opportunity to chat with Kacey Baker from Fujifilm about their new mirrorless interchangeable lens camera system the X-Pro1.
In the first video below, Georgia McCabe put together a great presentation that gives us some history about camera technology and how it has evolved to the new mirrorless technology used in the X-Pro1. Kacey Baker joins us to talk about the inner workings of the X-Pro1 and what makes it a camera worth considering for your next purchase.
Announcing the Highly Anticipated Canon EOS 5D Mark III DSLR
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March 2, 2012 – PRESS SUMMARY - Canon announced its latest model, the EOS 5D Mark III Digital SLR Camera. Positioned between the extremely popular EOS 5D Mark II and Canon’s top-of-the-line professional EOS-1D X model, the EOS 5D Mark III delivers superb image quality, thanks to a new 22.3-megapixel full-frame Canon CMOS sensor, a high-performance DIGIC 5+ Imaging Processor, a 61-point High Density Reticular Autofocus (AF) System and six frames-per-second (fps) continuous shooting speed. Building upon the trailblazing success of the EOS 5D Mark II, the EOS 5D Mark III also incorporates enhanced video features for professionals in the fields of cinematography, television production and documentary filmmaking, including better noise reduction, longer recording times and a built-in headphone jack for audio monitoring. The EOS 5D Mark III is Canon’s answer to hundreds of thousands of advanced amateurs and emerging professionals looking for a compact, high-quality camera system to help them achieve their artistic vision, whether it be through still or video imagery. The EOS 5D Mark III introduction coincides with Canon’s 25th anniversary celebration of the EOS camera system. Canon’s award-winning EOS system first debuted in March of 1987 with the introduction of the EOS 650 SLR camera and three EF lenses.
Nikon’s Latest Glass – AF-S NIKKOR 85mm f/1.8G
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January 7, 2012 – PRESS SUMMARY – Nikon Corporation announced the release of the AF-S NIKKOR 85mm f/1.8G, a fast, medium-telephoto fixed focal length lens with a focal length of 85 mm and a maximum aperture of f/1.8 compatible with the Nikon FX-format.
The AF-S NIKKOR 85mm f/1.8G is the new addition to the FX-format lens lineup. It utilizes an all new optical design allowing users to enjoy shooting portraits with pleasing blur characteristics only possible through fixed focal length lenses. Even with a fast maximum aperture of f/1.8, the AF-S NIKKOR 85mm f/1.8G is very lightweight at roughly 350 g, allowing users to easily carry their camera around with this lens mounted. The Silent Wave Motor (SWM) ensures not only quiet autofocus operations, but also makes autofocus shooting possible when the lens is used with entry-level Nikon DX-format digital-SLR cameras such as the D5100 and D3100, which are not equipped with an autofocus drive motor.
Introducing the D4, Nikon’s Next-generation Flagship DSLR
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January 7, 2012 – PRESS SUMMARY – Nikon Corporation announced the release of the Nikon D4, a Nikon FX-format camera that serves as the new flagship model in Nikon’s lineup of digital-SLR cameras.
The D4 is equipped with a new Nikon FX-format CMOS image sensor (36.0 x 23.9 mm) and EXPEED 3, the latest image-processing engine specifically optimized for digital-SLR cameras, making it the next-generation flagship Nikon digital-SLR camera with the ultimate in versatility and functionality that offers superior image quality rich in detail along with excellent high-speed performance. It has an effective pixel count of 16.2-million pixels, and offers superior image quality under a broad range of lighting conditions from ISO 50 to ISO 204800.
The new 91K-pixel RGB sensor supports the Advanced Scene Recognition System, which is able to recognize human faces even when images are framed using the optical viewfinder. In addition, the Advanced Scene Recognition System offers significant improvements in AF, AE, i-TTL flash control, and auto white balance (AWB) control accuracy. The 51 focus point AF system has been improved with faster initiation of autofocusing and the ability to detect and focus on subjects with less lighting. Eleven focus points are fully functional when lenses with a maximum aperture of f/8 are used. All of this means more precise autofocusing when super-telephoto NIKKOR lenses are used with teleconverters (2.0x). The Multi-area Mode Full HD D-movie movie recording function is capable of recording full-HD movies at 30 fps, and offers three movie recording formats for selection according to recording conditions or creative intent. Read More→
Samsung’s Latest DualView Offering – the DV300F
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January 4, 2012 – PRESS SUMMARY – Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, unveiled a new addition to its market-leading Samsung DualView® line, the DV300F. With this launch, Samsung continues to cement its leadership position by introducing the latest in Dual LCD technology with Wi-Fi connectivity for camera users who want to snap and share moments in an instant.
The Samsung DV300F builds on the success of Samsung’s DualView technology with a 1.5” front facing LCD screen that helps ensure users are capturing the most challenging shots. Child Mode displays an animation to keep little ones focused, and the visual Self Timer makes it easy to put oneself in the picture. Read More→
Canon Introduces the EOS-1Dx Digital SLR Camera
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October 19, 2011 – PRESS SUMMARY – Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging, is proud to introduce a completely revolutionized EOS-1D series camera, the Canon EOS-1D X Digital SLR camera. As the new leader in Canon’s arsenal of professional DSLRs, the EOS-1D X will be a high-speed multimedia juggernaut replacing both the EOS-1Ds Mark III and EOS-1D Mark IV models in Canon’s lineup. Enhancing the revolutionary image quality of the EOS-1Ds and speed capabilities of the EOS-1D series, the EOS-1D X DSLR features an 18-megapixel full-frame Canon CMOS sensor, Dual DIGIC 5+ Imaging Processors, 14-bit A/D data conversion and capable of shooting an incredible 12 frames-per-second (fps). Canon’s EOS DSLR cameras and accessories have a long-standing legacy of providing high-quality results to professionals in a wide range of markets, including sports, nature, cinematography, wedding and commercial studios. The addition of this new model will help take this tradition to a whole new level.
The EOS-1D X announcement comes on the heels of Canon’s recent manufacturing milestone with the production of the Company’s 50-millionth EOS-series SLR camera in September of 2011. Furthermore, Canon will achieve yet another milestone at the end of this month producing the 70-millionth EF lens.
