Canon Increases Prices On Lenses That Aren’t Even Available Yet

Somewhat disappointing to report today that Canon has indicated the recommended list prices of all these lenses are to be increased to the following new prices.  All the lenses apart from the 800mm are not even out yet.  The price of these new Canon super tele lenses is HUGELY increased over the price of the old MKI versions so they’d better be incredible pieces of glass!  Whilst this probably indicates we are getting closer to a release date, I was told today that as of yesterday at least, Canon Canada still has absolutely no timeline for the Canon 8-15mm lens.  …

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Samson Launches New Zoom H2N Audio Recorder

Samson’s audio products have cropped up a few times on my site and for good reason, they represent good value for money.  I reviewed the Zoom H1 recently and found the sound quality to be very good but the $99 price tag left the build quality a little to be desired.  The Zoom H4N has been mentioned several times as well and has become a somewhat ubiquitous accessory for DSLR budget film making with it’s 4 channel control.  Samson have today updated their H2 model to a new H2N which looks to be a great middle lineup addition.  Priced at …

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NIkon launches wallet friendly 40mm Macro Lens

Nikon just launched a new lens in the DX lineup, the AF-S DX Micro Nikkor 40mm f/2.8G.  Destined for a price tag of only $279.99 and coming to the US in August. Full release MELVILLE, N.Y. (July 12, 2011) – Nikon Inc. today introduced the new lightweight and versatile AF-S DX Micro NIKKOR 40mm f/2.8G lens to provide Nikon DX-format shooters macro capabilities at an affordable price point. Ideal for intimate details or general portraiture, the new AF-S DX Micro NIKKOR 40mm f/2.8G lens has a minimum focusing distance of just 0.53 feet (6.4 inches) to allow users to capture …

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New Pentax Q-System World’s Smallest

Announced today is Pentax’s first foray into the interchangeable lens , mirrorless camera market but this one comes with a twist.  Up until now companies like Panasonic, Olympus and Sony have been producing these types of cameras with sensors in them of either micro 4/3 sizing of in Sony’s case even larger.  In order to make the world’s smallest such system Pentax have decided to use a smaller sensor in their new Q-System.  This is effectively a point and shoot camera with interchangeable lenses.  The biggest surprise for me is the price , coming in at a steep $799 for the body and a prime lens.  All 5 new lenses and the cameras are available to pre-order from Adorama so you can get an ideas for all the various pricing HERE.  The camera is HERE.  All the features you would expect these days including 1080p 30fps and manual controls and DNG RAW photos etc

I have a suspicion that Pentax are trying to capitalize on peoples apparent love for the retro look as seen with the high demand for the Fuji x100.  But let’s be honest here, the Fuji is a beauty and the Pentax…. hmmmm not so much.  The dial on the front of the camera is just ridiculous.  That said, good on them for coming out with a range of lenses right off the bat.

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Leica Unveils new 21mm f3.4 Super-Elmar

NEW: THE LEICA SUPER-ELMAR-M 21MM F/3.4 ASPH.

Compact M lens with improved imaging performance sets new standards in wide-angle photography

Solms, Germany (June 21, 2011) – Leica Camera AG adds a new, high-performance wide-angle lens to its portfolio of short focal length lenses for Leica M cameras. The Leica Super-Elmar-M 21 mm f/3.4 ASPH. sets new standards in imaging performance. It is characterized by its particularly compact size and suitability for a wide range of photographic situations. Whether used for photojournalism, architecture or landscape photography, the Leica Super-Elmar-M 21 mm f/3.4 ASPH. provides photographers with an extremely small, light and versatile wide-angle lens, particularly suitable for travelling.

The performance of the Leica Super-Elmar-M 21 mm f/3.4 ASPH. is reminiscent of one of the all-time favorite classic M lenses, the Leica Super-Angulon-M 21 mm f/3.4. This highly praised lens was an integral part of the Leica M lens portfolio from 1963 to 1980 and made its name and reputation as an ideal tool for available light photography and photojournalism. Even today, the Super-Angulon-M 21 mm f/3.4 remains extremely popular and one of the most sought-after M lenses amongst connoisseurs of fine optics.

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Leica Launches New M9-P Digital Rangefinder

THE NEW LEICA M9-P: THE ESSENCE OF DISCRETION Designed particularly for professional photographers, new ultra-discreet version of the Leica M9 added to Leica rangefinder portfolio Solms, Germany (June 21, 2011) – Leica Camera AG is proud to present a new version of the world’s smallest, full-frame digital system camera: the Leica M9-P.  This new model will sit alongside the Leica M9 in the company’s rangefinder portfolio. Providing an alternative, even more discreet and resilient design that further reinforces the classic nature of the M9, the M9-P specifically meets the needs of professional photographers.  The new model is now available in …

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Rumor Silly Season Is Nearly Upon Us

Around this time of year he rumor mills really start to turn the greasy wheels.  July, August and September are often months that see the key players in the industry announce new products either for immediate delivery, or increasingly in recent years , for deliver before Christmas.  In the last few years a wealth of websites have cropped up to deal with rumors for specific camera brands.  A few of these sites have good track records in tracking down new information long before anything official is released by the manufacturers.  Some of the other sites……. well they don’t have the best of luck.  Often there are snippets of correct information but it’s muddled in amongst bogus specs and rarely are things correct many months out.  Once things get close to an official announcement the rumors start to get a closer to the real deal.

I’m sure we are going to see weekly updates on these sites with supposed specs on new gear, one thing for certain though is that Sony, Nikon and Canon can be expected to make some major announcement in this time frame.

Sony looks set to bring an A77 to the market in July featuring their pellicule mirror technology to an APS-C camera with some decent specs to sit above their A55.

Nikon will be replacing the D3 and the D700 at some point.  It seems likely that at least one of these will be in August.  Before the Pixiq tradeshow was cancelled, Nikon and Canon were probably planning on releasing things at that show.

You guys know that for me it’s the Canon gear that I’m most interested in.  The website Canon Rumors has had so many conflicting reports over the months it’s hard to make sense of it.  We will certainly see an official release of the 200-400 f4 L IS which was announced as in development some months ago.  We have also been waiting for an eternity for a 24-70 f2.8 replacement.  Its been reported that there are several patents and test versions out there, some with IS and some without.  I’d say this one will finally come alongside some sort of 1dsMKIII replacement.  There has also been some reports that the 1d and 1ds line will be merged.  Not sure about that one!  And of course it’s about time for a 5dMKIII too.  On top of that there has been rumors of a 35mm f1.4 II and the much needed 50mm f1.4 II.  My bet would be on the 35mm to come first.

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Canon Updates Release Date Info For New Lenses

Canon has released information today on when they now expect the previously announced EF lenses to be released.

Canon EF 8-15mm f/4L Fisheye USM lens is scheduled to be available in late July 2011
Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens is scheduled to be available in late August 2011
Canon EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens is scheduled to be available in late August 2011
Canon EF 500mm F4L IS II USM lens is scheduled to be available in December 2011
Canon EF 600mm F4L IS II USM lens is also scheduled to be available in December 2011

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Sigma Announces Price and Date For 46mp SD1 Camera

A 46MP Foveon sensor negates the need for a bayer matrix or anti-aliasing filter. Sigma’s new SD1 is the largest Foveon sensor on the market and it’s coming in June.

46-megapixel DSLR creates new market for medium-format photographers
Ronkonkoma, NY, May 20, 2011 – Sigma Corporation of America, a leading researcher, developer, manufacturer and service provider of some of the world’s most impressive lines of lenses, cameras and flashes, is pleased to announce that its flagship DSLR, the Sigma SD1, will be available for purchase for the MSRP of $9,700 in early June.

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Panasonic Launches new G3 Micro Fourthirds Camera

Panasonic just took the wraps off the new G3 micro fourthirds camera and boy has this one been on a diet.  Somehow they have managed to squeeze a viewfinder and a flip out screen into a camera the size of the GF1.  Quite remarkable!

Product Highlights

  • 16.3Mp Compact System Camera
  • 3.0″ Free Angle Touch Enabled LCD
  • Electronic Eye-Level Viewfinder
  • Multiple Lens Options Including 3D Still
  • Intelligent Auto Plus

Canon’s New Super Tele Lens Size Comparison

I use the 300mm f2.8 a lot for my work and on a 1.3 crop 1dMKIV it’s often just right. I can see Canon moving to full frame 1-series cameras next year and it got me wandering whether I would need to switch to a bigger lens. 300mm is 390mm equivalent on the MKIV so I might need to start thinking of saving up for a 400mm! I was curious to see how all the new Canon Super Tele Lenses compared, and in particular where the new Canon 200-400 f4 fitted into things so I grabbed the press images and …

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