Sigma USA has announced the price and availability details of the 35mm F1.4 DG HSM it unveiled at Photokina 2012. The 35mm F1.4, which will be available for Nikon, Canon, Sony, Pentax and Sigma DSLRs, is compatible with both full-frame and APS-C cameras. It will have an estimated street price of $ 899, making it significantly less expensive than the big-brand competition. The lens is the first of Sigma’s ‘Global Vision’ lineup, representing the ‘Art’ category of enthusiast-grade lenses.
Canon has announced two lenses for its EOS system. The EF 24-70mm f/4L IS USM is designed as a relatively compact image-stabilized standard zoom for full frame SLRs, and will be offered as a kit with the EOS 6D. It includes a Macro setting offering an impressive 0.7x magnification, backed up by Canon’s Hybrid IS that promises increased effectiveness at close distances. It’s also weather-sealed, and will be available from mid-December at an RRP of £1499.99 / €1459. Meanwhile the EF 35mm f/2 IS USM features an all-new optical design, and includes image stabilization and an ultrasonic focus motor. It will be in on sale early December for £799.99 / €849. Both lenses will work on full frame and APS-C cameras.
Sony has introduced two 4K-capable modular cameras, including the PMW-F55 which has a Super 35-sized sensor with a global shutter. The specifications of the two cameras are pretty overwhelming – 16-bit Raw recording, parallel 2K and 4K recording, but the biggest news is the global shutter – the ability to capture all pixels simultaneously, rather than one line at a time – totally eliminating rolling shutter effect. (via EOS HD)
Nikon has announced that it is developing three additional lenses for its 1 System mirrorless cameras. The 32mm f/1.2 will offer a classic short telephoto ‘portrait’ option, equivalent to an 86mm lens on the 35mm full frame format. The 6.7-14mm f/3.5-5.6 VR is an image-stabilized, 18-35mm-equivalent wideangle zoom. Finally the 10-100mm f/4-5.6 VR superzoom will offer a similar 27-270mm-equivalent range to Nikon’s existing 1 System powerzoom, but in a smaller package with a mechanical zoom ring. Full specifications, price and release date are yet to be revealed.
Nikon has launched the 1 V2 – a more enthusiast-focused 1-series camera built around a 14MP sensor. The V2 adds a built-in flash and mode dial and more extensive front grip. It can shoot at up to 15 frames per second in combination with its hybrid AF system. It also has a configurable ‘F’ button to give faster access to key camera settings. The V2 uses a processor that lives up to the latest Expeed 3A billing. It also retains the V1’s original list price of $ 899 with 10-30mm kit zoom. Nikon has also announced an accessory SB-N7 bounce-able Speedlight for the 1 System. The V2 will be available from late November, with the SB-N7 following in January 2013.
Color management company X-Rite has announced its latest round of online education sessions. The forthcoming ‘webinars’ cover a series of topics from monitor calibration to landscape photo editing in Photoshop. The courses tend to be around an hour long and are free (though it seems reasonable to expect some focus on X-Rite’s products), but with a limited number of registered places available. Previous events, including those conducted in French, German and Italian, are available in an archive on the X-Rite website.
Pentax Ricoh has announced its latest flagship DSLRs – the K-5 II and K-5IIs. The ‘s’ version, which costs $ 100 more, comes without an anti-aliasing filter, to offer higher resolution at the risk of more prominent moiré interference patterns. Both cameras feature 16MP sensors and the weather-sealed magnesium alloy build of the original K-5. The biggest difference is the latest, SAFOX X, autofocus sensor. This is designed to work in lower light than any of its rivals (down to -3EV) it will also provide greater accuracy when working with F2.8 and fast lenses. The K-5 II will be available from October at a cost of around $ 1350 with 18-55mm WR kit zoom. The K-5 IIs will be available, body-only for around $ 1300 – a $ 100 premium over the standard version.
Nikon has announced the Coolpix S800c – the first compact camera from a major manufacturer to openly use the Android mobile operating system. On one side it’s a 16MP BSI-CMOS compact camera with a 10x, 25-250mm lens built in, on the other it’s a 3.5″ OLED touchscreen device running Android 2.3 (Gingerbread). We’ve had an opportunity to use a pre-production camera and have prepared an overview of the first real compact camera/smartphone hybrid.
Pentax has announced the X-5, a 26x superzoom built around a 16MP backlit CMOS sensor. The X-5 is designed to closely resemble the company’s K-5 DSLR, despite being based around a 1/2.3″-type sensor. The lens offers a 22.3-580mm equivalent range, backed up with sensor-shift image stabilization. It can capture 1080p30 movies and features a selection of the multi-shot and image processing modes that have become common on CMOS-based cameras. It features a tilting 460k dot rear LCD and 230k dot electronic viewfinder. It is powered by AA batteries, giving around 500 shots per charge when used with NiMh rechargeable cells.
Canon has announced two lenses for the EF-M mount used for the first time by its EOS M mirrorless camera. The first lenses will be a EF-M 22mm F2.0 STM ‘pancake’ prime and an EF-M 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 IS STM standard zoom lens. Both are built around a STM linear stepping motors to drive focus. The EF-M 22mm F2.0 offers a field-of-view equivalent to a 35mm lens on a 135 film camera, while the 18-55mm offers around 29-88mm equivalent coverage. Both feature metal lens barrels and focus-by-wire manual focus.