Nikon has lowered its sales and revenue estimates for this year, prompting a rethink of its 1 Series mirrorless cameras. Nikon cites poor market conditions, a large drop in compact camera sales and, most interestingly, a ‘deceleration’ in mirrorless camera sales. Nikon’s measures against these changing conditions include accelerating production of entry-level DSLRs and ‘reconsider[ing] product planning’ of their Nikon 1 mirrorless camera system. Follow the link for additional details.
Panasonic has announced the Lumix DMC-GX7 – the follow-up to the DMC-GX1 – which is its first mirrorless interchangeable lens camera to include in-body image stabilization. This 16MP, rangefinder-style camera also includes a high-resolution, widescreen EVF that can be tilted upwards 90 degrees. Panasonic claims that their newly designed Live MOS sensor improves both detail and color saturation by 10%. Other features of note include a tilting LCD, a ‘silent shooting’ mode, focus peaking, 1080/60p videos, and Wi-Fi with NFC capability.
Fujifilm has announced the X-M1, a compact-bodied mirrorless camera that features a rather different design to its previous models. Instead of ‘traditional’ shutter speed and exposure compensation dials, the X-M1 uses twin electronic control dials to change exposure parameters. It has a tilting 920k dot 3″ LCD screen but no eye-level viewfinder, and uses the same 16MP APS-C X-Trans CMOS sensor as the X-Pro1 and X-E1. It comes with a new kit zoom, the XC 16-50mm F3.6-5.6 OIS that offers a 24-75mm equivalent range and optical stabilisation, but has no aperture ring.
Samsung has announced the Galaxy NX: the world’s first mirrorless interchangeable lens camera running the Android operating system. The Galaxy NX takes a 20.3 megapixel, SLR-style mirrorless camera and adds 3G, 4G LTE and Wi-Fi, connectivity and Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean). The camera sports a gigantic 4.8″ HD LCD touchscreen – with which you’ll control nearly all camera functions. The Galaxy NX will be available sometime this summer for an undisclosed price.
Zeiss has announced that its first two Touit lenses for mirrorless cameras are now available for sale. The 12mm F2.8 wideangle has been designed according to the ‘Distagon optical concept’, and has an RRP of €920 / US$ 1,250 excluding VAT. Meanwhile the Planar-type 32mm F1.8 normal lens will cost €670 / US$ 900 excluding VAT. The lenses will be available to fit Sony NEX and Fujifilm X-system cameras, and the X-mount models feature aperture rings with 1/3 stop detents. The next model in the line, a 50mm F2.8 Macro, is expected to appear at the end of the year.
Samsung has published the source code for its NX300 and NX2000 mirrorless cameras – the first attempt we’ve seen at offering public access to a mainstream camera’s operating system. The approach, which the company has previously used with its smartphones, stands in stark contrast to other camera manufacturers, which have not engaged with the community of programmers looking to enhance the capabilities of their cameras.
Sigma USA has given the price and introduction date of the 60mm F2.8 DN Art lens for mirrorless systems, originally announced at CP+. The 60mm DN will be available in the US for both Micro Four Thirds and Sony E-mount from mid-May at a cost of around $ 239. It will offer a 90mm equivalent field-of-view when mounted on Sony NEX bodies or 120mm equivalent on Micro Four Thirds cameras. This third lens for mirrorless cameras from Sigma (joining the affordable 19mm F2.8 DN Art and 30mm F2.8 DN Art), will also be available in a choice of black or silver finishes.
Samsung’s latest addition to its line of NX mirrorless cameras, the NX2000, adds Wi-Fi and NFC in a bid to make yet another of its mirrorless cameras compatible with the smartphone world. The 20MP camera’s Near Field Communication (NFC) technology allows setup of Wi-Fi connections with compatible smartphones and tablets by simply tapping the devices together. It features a large 3.7-inch 1152k-dot touchscreen LCD, offers 8fps continuous shooting and Full HD video recording. Priced around $ 649.99, the camera will be available as a kit with the 20-50mm lens and a copy of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom in white, black and pink.
Panasonic has announced the Lumix DMC-G6 – the latest in its mass market series of DSLR-styled mirrorless cameras. The G6 gains considerably improved movie capabilities, including full exposure control, an external mic socket and the sensor from the GH2. It also adds the NFC-aided Wi-Fi for simple remote control and image download that we first saw in the GF6.
Pentax has released firmware updates for its K-5 II, K-5 IIs DSLRs and Q mirrorless cameras. Firmware version 1.04 for the K-5 II and IIs improves overall stability and resolves an issue where some of the controls stopped working on the cameras’ status screens. The update Pentax Q firmware v1.12 resolves issues regarding one of its Smart Effect filters. The updates are available for immediate download from the company’s website – click through for download links.