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The Imaging Resource News Page

url: http://www.imaging-resource.com

Nikon squashes V1, J1 bugs, updates Camera Control Pro

If you're an early adopter of one of Nikon's 1-series compact system cameras, the company has a firmware update lined up for you today. The new firmware for the Nikon V1 and J1 cameras brings either model up to version A 1.11 and B 1.10. In both cases, a problem with flash overexposure has been addressed, either for the Nikon J1's built-in strobe, or for the Speedlight SB-N5 strobe with the V1. In addition, a V1-specific issue with the camera not functioning correctly when switching between LCD and EVF shooting is said to have been solved. This problem manifested itself solely when...
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The moment’s over: Kodak to exit camera, flash camcorder business

The Kodak moment: For years, it was synonymous with those special memories one wanted to immortalize on film. For the company's presence in the consumer camera industry, though, that moment looks to have come to an end. Although it dominated in the film years, Kodak has struggled to come to terms with a digital world, a fact demonstrated by its recent bankruptcy filing. The first fallout from that filing has now become public, as Kodak has announced its forthcoming exit from the digital camera, pocket video camera and digital picture frame business. After the first half of 2012, Kodak...
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Pentax Ricoh Imaging absorbs Ricoh’s camera business

As camera brand Pentax was acquired from then-parent Hoya Corp. by Ricoh Co. Ltd. last year, some in the Pentaxian community acted with alarm, broadcasting fears that their beloved brand might disappear, absorbed into that of its new owner. Ricoh moved quickly to make clear that the Pentax brand was here to stay, alongside the formation of Pentax Ricoh Imaging Co. Ltd. Signs since then have been promising for Pentax, with product launches proceeding at a fast pace. Just in the last two weeks, Pentax has launched three compact cameras and its second compact system camera series, making it...
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New lenses aplenty on Sony E-mount roadmap

Sony's compact system cameras have proven incredibly popular for the company, but like most competing systems, the NEX series has so far been faced with a relatively limited selection of dedicated glass from which to choose. A generous selection of first- and third-party mount adapters has helped, but many bring limitations in terms of autofocusing and other compatibility issues, making them less attractive than dedicated E-mount lenses. This is all about to change, though, according to a new E-mount lens roadmap released by the company as the CP+ trade show kicks off in Japan. Through...
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Olympus SZ-31MR long-zoom gets a touch more intuitive

When we reviewed Olympus' SZ-30MR digital camera last year, we praised its handsome design aesthetic, and its swift performance. The followup Olympus SZ-31MR retains both features, and adds a touch-screen overlay on the LCD panel that aims to make it more intuitive to use. The body of the SZ-31MR is just slightly tidier than that of its predecessor, thanks to the removal of one control, and the relocation of another. The Menu button is gone, it's functionality taken over by the LCD touchscreen. The flash release lever, meanwhile, jumps from the side of the lens barrel to the top of the...
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Rugged Olympus TG-820 shoots for low-light improvements

Late last year, we took a brief look at Olympus' Tough TG-810, and came away unimpressed by its image quality. Just a few short months later, the company has offered up an interesting alternative that aims to answer the concerns we--and other reviewers--raised. The key change in the Olympus TG-820 iHS is a switch to a new twelve megapixel, backside illuminated CMOS image sensor. The combination of a larger pixel size due to the slight decrease in resolution, and a greater light-gathering area per pixel due to the BSI design bode well for an improvement in image quality. Thankfully, the...
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HUGE Sigma News: Two-Thirds price cut on SD1, massive DP1/DP2 upgrades!

There are price drops, and then there are *Price Drops* -- this is clearly one of the latter: Citing dramatic improvements in sensor manufacturing cost, Sigma is announcing a two-thirds price cut in their top of the line SLR, the SD1. Changing the name (but nothing else about the camera) to the Sigma SD1 Merrill, in homage to Foveon cofounder and coinventor of the Foveon sensor technology Dick Merrill, Sigma has announced a new Minimum Advertised Price (MAP or "street" price) for the SD1 of just $2,299. Given that the camera was widely selling for $6,899 just yesterday, this is a truly...
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Sony Goes *Long* - 500mm f/4.0 A-mount Sees Light of Day!

First previewed almost two years ago at PMA 2010, the 500mm f/4 G super-telephoto is finally seeing the light of day. The new A-mount lens sports bundles of goodness, including first and foremost its big f/4 aperture, and extending to a Nano Anti-Reflective (AR) coating, a new supersonic motor drive circuit for fast & accurate autofocus, and extensive dust and moisture sealing, making it a great match for Sony's high-end SLT-A77 body. It's also touted as being compatible with Sony's body-based SteadyShot INSIDE image stabilization system, presumably by transmitting its focal length...
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History reinvented: Olympus OM-D E-M5 announced, previewed

When Olympus first launched its Micro Four Thirds camera lineup back in 2009, it drew a parallel with its earlier PEN-series cameras. Today, with the debut of the Olympus E-M5, it draws on another icon from the past: its legendary OM-series. This time around, the connection is even stronger, thanks to retro OM-like styling. Front and center is what looks at first glance like the housing for a viewfinder pentaprism, and beneath is one of the big stories of the OM-D E-M5. The design includes a built-in electronic viewfinder, a first for an Olympus Micro Four Thirds model. Another first...
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Rugged Pentax WG-2 cameras make GPS optional

Rounding out its announcements for the day, Pentax has revealed two closely-related cameras that update follow in the footsteps of last year's WG-1 series models. The Pentax WG-2 and WG-2 GPS, like their predecessors, differ only in whether they include a GPS receiver for location awareness, and how they're labeled externally. Both cameras are otherwise pretty-much identical, right down to their bodies, which includes a hump where the GPS antenna would be even in the non-GPS model. Compared to last year's WG-1 series, the Pentax WG-2 and WG-2 GPS have a subtly restyled body that's a...
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Pentax shows commitment; previews six lenses, mount adapter (updated)

In a reassuring show of its commitment under new owner Ricoh, Pentax has revealed no less than six new lenses and a mount adapter to be previewed at the upcoming CP+ tradeshow in Japan. Five of the six lenses are scheduled to ship this year, and all three of the company's mount types receive attention. For the 645D mount, there's a new 90mm f/2.8 prime, tentatively known as the smc PENTAX-D FA 645 90mm F2.8, said to be ideal for portraiture. For the company's bread-and butter--K-mount shooters--there are two new lenses for 2012 that will be on display. The first is a 50mm f/1.8 prime...
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Pentax preps 645D remote tethering software

Shortly after Pentax launched its impressive Pentax 645D medium format SLR, the company stated that it was working on creating software that would allow 645D owners to shoot with their camera tethered to their computer. It's a capability that earlier Pentax SLR models up to the K20D offered, but one that has since been absent from the company's newer products. Rumors swirled for a while, but then the mention of 645D tethering was removed from Pentax's site. When we spoke to Pentax's John Carlson at the Consumer Electronics Show, we asked about the status of development, and learned that...
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Pentax Q Limited Silver announced (updated)

Pentax Ricoh Imaging Co. has today announced its latest limited-edition camera variant, this time based around the tiny Pentax Q. The Pentax Q Limited Silver continues the company's long-standing tradition of releasing silver-bodied cameras that offer a retro aesthetic. With the Pentax Q, the limited edition should prove handsome indeed, given that all of the available lenses have silver bodies. (With the company's SLRs, only a relatively limited lens selection is available in silver, with most lenses offered only in black, and don't pair quite as nicely with the limited-edition version...
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Nikon D800E Low-Pass Filter Revealed!

There's been quite a bit of speculation as to exactly what's going on with the low-pass filter in the new Nikon D800E, so we've updated our Nikon D800 preview with additional information about it. Here's a link directly to the section about the Nikon D800 low-pass filter, so you can read all about it. (For those not already familiar, the Nikon D800E is a version of the new 36-megapixel FX model that effectively has no low-pass filter, for even higher resolution than the base unit. Click the link to understand what we mean by "effectively".)
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More zoom for your pocket: Canon SX260 HS launches

A year ago, Canon launched the PowerShot SX230 HS, an interesting camera that placed third in our recent Travel Zoom Shootout. Today, they've followed up with the Canon SX260 HS, a camera for those amongst you who felt that a 14x zoom just wasn't enough. With an amazing 20x optical zoom, the Canon SX230 HS covers all the bases and then some, from a generous 25mm wide angle to a powerful 500mm telephoto. What's impressive is that it does so without changing the size of the body, and adding only 0.4 ounces to the weight. The twelve megapixel SX230 HS also retains some of our favorite...
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Time to test the waters again: Rugged Canon D20 debuts

A little under three years ago, Canon launched its first waterproof compact digital camera, the PowerShot D10. Today, it gets a replacement, as Canon makes a splash with the waterproof, shockproof, freezeproof PowerShot D20. The market for rugged, lifestyle cameras has become an increasingly hard-fought one since the D10's debut, and it's been starting to look decidedly long-in-the-tooth. The Canon D20 looks to have made the wait worthwhile,though, with upgrades in pretty-much every area. There's an aggressively-designed new body, in place of the earlier model's bulbous-but-cute lines....
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See, shoot, share: Slim new ELPH cameras offer WiFi connectivity

With smartphones rapidly devouring a significant chunk of the compact camera market, we've seen a flurry of new compact camera launches from the industry's big names over the last few weeks. The three As--attractive, approachable, and affordable--are no longer enough to make the grade any more. Almost without exception, manufacturers are looking for the hook that will make you put your smartphone back in your pocket. Two new ELPH-series cameras from Canon hope to do so by letting you share photos immediately through your WiFi-capable phone, without ever touching it. You get the best of...
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Canon: New EF zoom, stabilized primes

Alongside a raft of PowerShot camera announcements which we'll be covering shortly, Canon USA Inc. has today revealed three new EF-mount lens models due to ship by this summer. Of the three, the sole zoom model is also the most expensive of the group. The Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM bears the coveted Canon L-series badge, and has a constant f/2.8 aperture. The optical formula includes one Super UD lens element and two UD lens elements, and the body is weather-sealed. Pricing is set at about US$2,300, with availability from April 2012. The remaining lenses are the EF 24mm f/2.8 IS USM...
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36-Megapixel Nikon D800 Announced! See our Hands-on Preview

Fans of really big prints and generous cropping, prepare to rejoice: Nikon Inc. has today announced the Nikon D800 and Nikon D800E 35mm full frame SLRs, two very-closely related models that bring an impressive boost in resolution to the FX format without sacrificing on sensitivity. In reality, the Nikon D800 and D800E are one and the same camera, the latter being a limited-edition variant which negates the effects of the optical low-pass filter for improved resolution, and instead relies on software techniques to combat moire. Both models are based around a new FX-format image sensor with...
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Lens Review: Canon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II

Canon updated its standard kit lens in March 2011, releasing the 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II with the T3 and T3i cameras. There's not much new under the hood, but Canon claims some improvements to the image stabilization system. We've put the new kit lens through its paces in our test lab, as well as running it through an IS test, something we didn't have a chance to do with the previous model. Click here to read our full review of the Canon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II.
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