Leica Broadens Its Market With $5450 Leica M-E

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Now THIS is cool!!  18MP full frame camera is essentially an M9 in a new body to appeal to those who just can’t swing the high price of the new M10.  Bravo Leica !  There were a lot of bogus reports of making an APS-C mirrorless system but this was absolutely the right way to do things.  I’m so excited I might even buy one!  What a beauty. EDIT: No I won’t buy one because they still have the same 230,000 dot LCD on it from the 1980s.  Yes it is that crap that I would change my decision.  Come …

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Canon Launches Entry Level Full Frame Camera – EOS 6D

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Hot on the heals of Nikons D600 announcement last week, Canon has joined the cheaper full frame party with the new EOS 6D.  I wrote an article last month in which I made some guesses about Canon’s long terms plans….. this announcement fits in my theory pretty nicely and Canon are even further along in this plan than I had suspected.  Rumors of this camera were kept quite tight until the last few days so I think Canon has been plugging their leaky ship a little bit more.The question now will be ‘ is there going to be a 7D …

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Canon 6D Vs. Nikon D600 – Full Frame Wars

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The full frame wars are hotting up and what used to be a feature confined to the pro marketplace has now found its way into the prosumer marketplace simultaneously from the top two manufacturers.  The high cost of CMOS sensor production was the catalyst for ‘crop’ frame APS-C cameras but now that these costs have reduced we can finally get back to the way things are meant to be, the way they always were with film cameras and a 35mm film.  This is an exciting time in the industry and I’m happy to say that both Canon and Nikon appear …

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Fuji Launches New Retro Compact – XF1

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Fuji knows how to design a cool looking camera and the new XF1 is no exception. This takes the same sensor from the popular and highly regarded X10 and puts it into a even more svelte package. FUJIFILM Corporation (President: Shigehiro Nakajima) is proud to announce the launch of the XF1, a pocket-sized premium compact digital camera. This latest addition to Fujifilm’s X-series range of cameras is due to be on sale in November this year. With its perfectly matched lens and sensor, careful attention to detail on appearance and design, and accessible technology, the XF1 extends the X series …

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Canon 24-70 f2.8 II Preview – Hands On

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This lens has been a long time coming as it was originally announced back in February but faced many unspecified delays on the way to dealers.  I just received mine this morning, one from the first small batch that made it to Canada.  I plan to do a proper review within the next week or so once I’ve had some more time with it but being one of Canon’s most anticipated lenses ever, I also wanted to post some first impressions and a couple of samples that I shot this afternoon. I performed all my initial tests with the lens …

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Skier Magazine Cover Image From Whistler

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Shot on a stormy day in my home resort of Whistler Blackcomb.  Colston VB airs through the burn zone trees near Crystal chair. This magazine just went to print this week…. winter is on its way……!

Sony Takes The Bull By The Horns – RX1, A99 , NEX-6

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Anyone that monitors the photographic industry can’t help but notice that Sony has been making some noise in recent years.  Just two or three years ago I wouldn’t dream of looking to them for groundbreaking photo technology or lust-worthy camera hardware but fast forward to 2012 and Sony are making big waves.  As their lens lineup expands and improves, Canon and Nikon need to watch their back because Sony are intent on becoming number one and they are on the right track. Tonight saw the simultaneous launch of a frankly bewildering number of new products for the 2012 Photokina show.  …

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Sony About To Launch Full Frame Compact – RX1

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This week is set to be Sony’s biggest ever week in the photography industry.  Not only are they about to launch the A99, a full frame DSLR with incredible photo and video specs, but they are also set to launch a full frame compact camera called the RX1.  The development has been hinted at by well connected people in the past but the confirmation was broken today by PhotoPrice.ca when they got hold of the first image of the upcoming camera.  The only other compact, mirrorless full frame camera on the market is the Leica M9 , and soon to …

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First Canon 24-70 f2.8 II Reviews Coming In

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I have this lens on order myself and intend to do a full review as soon as I get it. Unfortunately there are so far no signs of it coming to Canada. In fact a Canon rep even said he’s ‘not expecting it this month’ which is somewhat worrying as B&H is expecting to begin shipping theirs next week. I have to buy mine in Canada to take advantage of my CPS discount otherwise I would have just gone with B&H. video via CanonRumors

Think Tank Urban Disguise Special Offer

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Our friends at Think Tank Photo have a special offer for September that might of interest.  Should you order one of their popular Urban Disguise® shoulder bags, you can receive one of their Urban Disguise® Attachment Straps or a Shoulder Harness V2.0 for free! With Think Tank Photo’s completely upgraded and larger Urban Disguise shoulder bags, you can travel in style while still protecting your valuable equipment from prying eyes. The Urban Disguise V2.0 Series is specifically designed for professional digital SLR equipment, with some models including special laptop compartments.  Each model features multiple pockets, YKK lockable zipper sliders, a …

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New Line Of Zeiss Lenses Coming For Canon & Nikon – First Is Distagon 55mm f1.4

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Zeiss issued an interesting press release this morning that revealed some future plans prior to the Photokina show next week. As well as revealing that they will produce some mirrorless system lenses next year , they unveiled the first in a new line of lenses for full frame Canon and Nikon cameras.  The first will be the Distagon 55mm f1.4 and it is pegged as a lens family for ‘demanding users’.  In other words this is going to be bomb-proof but also incredibly expensive.

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Why Bother With The Fuji X-Pro 1? Just Get the X-E1!

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So Fuji went and announced a new camera in the X-Series today called the X-E1.  It’s pegged as the more affordable version of the X-Pro 1 but in my mind it makes the X-Pro 1 a now pointless purchase.  You see the X-E1 features the exact same 16MP sensor as its bigger brother, it adds a built in pop-up flash and it is physically quite a bit smaller.  What’s the catch then ?  Well you loose the hybrid optical viewfinder that Fuji touted as the major feature of the Fuji X100 and the X-Pro 1.  But here’s then thing, that …

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