Echenique dot com » Cameras

New “Mamiya Leaf” Brand Delivers Strong Worldwide Synergy

Carlos Echenique — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 15:35:22 +0000

TOKYO and TEL AVIV, January 16, 2012– Mamiya Digital Imaging, a trusted manufacturer and developer of medium-format cameras and optics, and Leaf Imaging Ltd., a leading manufacturer and developer of digital backs for the medium and large-format photography markets, today announced that they have created a new, worldwide Mamiya Leaf brand that integrates both companies’ product lines into one complete medium-format digital camera system offering, streamlines new product development and establishes more efficient customer sales and support. The new Mamiya Leaf brand represents a synergy of the best that these two companies can offer as highly competent suppliers of comprehensive, fully-integrated high-end digital photography systems comprising digital camera backs, bodies and lenses. Together, the companies are focusing on delivering new Mamiya Leaf camera systems. Unified support from worldwide Mamiya Leaf partners/distributors is also expected to be a major advantage for photographers; they will now be able to enjoy one-stop expert service for all of the various components of a Mamiya Leaf medium format digital camera system. “Creating a new Mamiya Leaf brand represents a win-win situation for photographers” said Dov Kalinksi, Leaf General Manager. “Not only will photographers be able to immediately benefit from a highly advanced, fully-integrated medium format [...]

Sony NEX-7: First Impressions

Carlos Echenique — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 19:54:11 +0000

Sony has finally started shipping its NEX-7 compact system camera. Not being one of the big fish, I got mine the old fashioned way: I got on a waiting list and waited. Patience paid off and I was graced with a UPS box a week ago containing a Sony NEX-7 body and a spare battery. No lens. I am still waiting for this to arrive. Fortunately, I had planned for this and acquired a couple of lens adapters allowing me to fit legacy glass on my shiny new NEX-7. So while I wait for the Zeiss lens to appear on my doorstep, I shall write this first impression article based on legacy glass and my observations on how the camera and it’s files behave. Delays, delays… The floods in Thailand caused a lot of devastation for the locals as well as the corporations that housed their factories there. Originally scheduled for shipment on November 11, the cameras did not start showing up until the last week in December. Even then only in rarified numbers. Unbelievably, this delay did have a positive side. The delay allowed software makers to prepare their raw converters for the day when the camera arrived. So [...]

Sony NEX-7 has arrived!

Carlos Echenique — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 03:31:07 +0000

The UPS man popped by with another box of fun yesterday. I thought it was the Q zoom lens, but it was merely a NEX-7! This camera will be getting the rolling review treatment as well. I got the body-only kit and I expect the Zeiss 24 mm lens later this week or next week. C’mon Santa Claus! Sony NEX-7 + CV Nokton 35mm f/1.4 + Rainbow Adapter + Gordy Strap Requisite Cat Picture I will be posting a complete review after I finish up with the Amazing Pentax Q. Hopefully the remaining care package from Pentax will arrive soon as well. Here are a couple from today playing around with some of the picture modes: In camera Rich Tone monochrome In camera HDR Mid

Sony NEX-7 Deliveries in USA this month – Limited Availability

Carlos Echenique — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 19:56:01 +0000

Sony USA today issued a statement that they would begin limited shipment of the flood-delayed NEX-7 mirror less camera. Those who pre-ordered the camera will be attended to first. Sony USA statement: “Sony USA is happy to announce that limited quantities of the new NEX-7 camera will begin shipping to pre-order customers this month. Overall production capacity remains restrained as a result of the recent floods in Thailand, but we’ve made significant progress recovering our manufacturing capabilities and supply chain. We’re continuing to aggressively pursue all efforts to restore full production capability of the NEX-7 and other affected models.”

Pentax Q in the house!

Carlos Echenique — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 18:32:20 +0000

The Fedex truck just dropped off a Pentax Q. I will keep updating this article with images and thoughts as I put this pint-sized powerhouse through it’s paces.

LEICA CAMERA OFFERS FIRMWARE UPDATE 1.176 FOR THE LEICA M9 AND M9-P

Carlos Echenique — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 15:33:32 +0000

Allendale, NJ (December 6, 2011) – Leica Camera, Inc. announces the latest firmware update, 1.176, for the Leica M9 and M9-P, the world’s smallest, full-frame digital system cameras. Users wishing to benefit from the new offerings can download the firmware update from the Leica Camera website. Firmware update 1.176 eliminates a rare fault occurring during the formatting of SanDisk cards, ensuring compatibility with the Leica M9 and M9-P in accordance with the cameras’ respective standards. All card types available from SanDisk have been fully tested by Leica’s expert technical team and firmware version 1.176 guarantees their proper function, resulting in the previous constrictions on the cards being revoked. Leica Camera is dedicated to providing products that exhibit mastery in optics and mechanics, high-quality design and outstanding craftsmanship, resulting in an uncompromised customer experience. The company thanks all affected customers for their patience and support in searching for the cause of the compatibility issues as well as SanDisk for their intensive technical assistance. For installation instructions and to download firmware update 1.176, please visit: http://en.leica-camera.com/service/downloads/rangefinder_cameras/m9_m9-p/index.html. About the Leica M9 and M9-P: As the world’s first digital rangefinder camera with a 24 x 36 sensor, the Leica M9 carries the proud heritage [...]

Sony NEX-7 on DXOMark

Carlos Echenique — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 20:32:12 +0000

The Sony NEX-7 has been benchmarked on DXOMark.com. As expected, the NEX-7, with its mirrorless design, sligthly bested its larger sibling, the SLT Alpha 77. It even outscored the vernable A900 full-frame camera in all categories except low-light ISO. One thing to take into consideration is that the A77/A65 just had a firmware update released today. DXOMark will have to rebenchmark the A77 with the new firmware to see if the scores change. The firmware on the NEX-7 will probably also be tweaked in the near future. Retesting will have to occur when that happens as well.

Leica Camera and Seedlight Workshops Host “Preserving Patagonia” Conservation and Travel Photography Workshop

Carlos Echenique — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 19:21:13 +0000

Allendale, NJ (November 29, 2011) – Leica Camera, Inc., the legendary German camera manufacturer, is collaborating with Seedlight Workshops, developer of environmental photography workshops, to host “Preserving Patagonia: Conservation Photography with the Patagonia Sur Foundation.” Taking place March 3-10, 2012 in Chilean Patagonia, this experiential workshop is led by Conservation Photojournalist Bridget Besaw. Throughout the week, participants learn documentary and travel photography techniques and capture all aspects of the story of Patagonia conservation in breathtaking quality with Leica Camera’s flagship M9 and M9-P digital rangefinder cameras as well as the entire portfolio of lenses. “We are very excited to partner with Bridget Besaw for this incomparable travel experience,” said Christian Erhardt, Vice President of Marketing at Leica Camera, Inc. “A Leica in hand, participants interpret and capture fleeting moments to document the planet’s natural resources and the people who work, play and steward Patagonia’s impressive and irreplaceable landscape.” Workshop participants spend the week with Bridget Besaw amidst her six month project of documenting the preservation and stewardship of the Aysén region of Patagonia in conjunction with the Patagonia Sur Foundation. After learning relevant photographic techniques during informative lectures, participants put them into practice in the field. The result is a [...]

Hasselblad gets festive with half-price lens deal

Carlos Echenique — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 16:59:34 +0000

Hasselblad is offering customers who buy a new H4D-40 camera with an 80mm lens the chance to buy a second HC/HCD lens of their choice at a massive 50% discount. The exclusive Christmas/New Year deal means that a photographer opting for an HCD 4-5.6/35-90mm zoom lens could save up to GBP 2,397 / USD 3,747 overall on the purchase. Explained Chris Russell-Fish, Hasselblad Global Sales and Marketing Director: “There has never been a better time to invest in the cutting edge Hasselblad H4D-40. We have just announced excellent free firmware upgrades on all new H4D-40 and H4D-50 cameras including: one-click instant digital focus check, two directional electronic spirit level, an improved high resolution display and a brand new rear display with grip info on the back And from now until the end of January photographers buying an H4D-40 with an 80mm lens can get half price discounts on any H line lens from the HCD 4/28mm wide angle upwards.” Any photographer keen to take advantage of this promotion should visit the Hasselblad website at www.hasselblad.com/h4d-40-lenscampaign or contact their local dealer for more information.

For laughs – Ultimate NEX Rig

Carlos Echenique — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 17:51:49 +0000

Here’s something that caught my eye over at the Arca Swiss booth at PhotoPlus: The Ultimate NEX Rig This contraption mates the NEX camera to an Arca Swiss F-Camera System giving you the ultimate in tilt/swing/shift controls. Add the NEX’s focus peaking to the mix and you have a badass landscape/panoramic setup. Pity the setup costs 10x the price of the NEX ;P

LEICA CAMERA OFFERS FIRMWARE UPDATE 1.174 FOR THE LEICA M9 AND M9-P

Carlos Echenique — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 15:23:40 +0000

Allendale, NJ (November 14, 2011) - Leica Camera, Inc. is pleased to announce the latest firmware update, 1.174, for the Leica M9 and M9-P, the world’s smallest, full-frame digital system cameras. Users wishing to benefit from the new offerings can now download the firmware update from the Leica Camera website and take advantage of new, improved features. Firmware update 1.174 features an update of the SD card driver, fixing a bug that led to faulty behavior and allowing for a more stable general performance with most SD card types. Supporting Leica’s commitment to an uncompromised customer experience, these latest improvements come as the result of feedback from M9 and M9-P users who served as beta testers in a broad based field test. At this time, Leica does not recommend utilizing the San Disk Extreme Pro UHS-1 (all card sizes) and San Disk Extreme HD Video SDHC 1 (all card sizes) as a 100% error free status has not been achieved. Support for these cards continues to be developed by Leica’s dedicated technical team and will be made available after successful testing compatibility. For installation instructions and to download firmware update 1.174, please visit: http://en.leica-camera.com/service/downloads/software-_firmwareupdates/m9/index.html. About the Leica M9 and M9-P: As [...]

PhotoPlus Expo 2011 Show Report – Part 1

Carlos Echenique — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 14:02:45 +0000

The PhotoPlus Expo 2011 was held once again at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City. With the absorption of PMA into the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), PPE has become the last major standalone photography exposition in the U.S. I once again took up my annual pilgrimage to the Big Apple to see what the camera makers had to offer. The Big Three were present with major displays as always, but the show was populated with about a hundred other vendors showing off their new toys. Here are some highlights: Canon Canon’s booth was populated with every existing copy of the newly announced EOS-1DX professional DSLR. I had an opportunity to handle the camera, but as it was a pre-release unit, I was not permitted to use my own memory cards to take sample pictures. The camera felt good in the hand and all of the controls fell naturally into place. The two joystick arrangement works in either the portrait or landscape orientations. Canon’s claim to shot speed, tracking focus, and lowlight capabilities seem to be well founded but I cannot render final judgement until I get to personally test the camera fully. That is going to be [...]

Thai floods hit Japan carmaker output, delay Sony launches

Carlos Echenique — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 13:03:30 +0000

* Unsure when Thai output will be restored - Japan auto group

* Thailand set to miss 1.8 mln unit output target due to floods

* Honda expects to resume some ops at Thai plant in early Nov

* Sony: flooding delays camera and lens launches

Lytro, Inc. Unveils the World’s First Consumer Light Field Camera

Carlos Echenique — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 02:20:11 +0000

Groundbreaking new camera instantly captures interactive, living pictures to share with friends and family online

Canon U.S.A. Introduces The New Canon EOS-1D X Digital SLR Camera, Re-Designed From The Inside Out

Carlos Echenique — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 06:01:06 +0000

Featuring a Completely New 61-Point Autofocus, Fast Shooting up to 12 fps, 18-Megapixel Full-Frame CMOS Sensor, Full HD Video Recording and Much More

Possible Production Delays for Sony due to Thailand Floods

Carlos Echenique — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 12:58:06 +0000

Sony Japan posted the following press release on their site (the following is google translated): For assistance to the victims of the flood affected areas in Thailand The people the victims of flooding due to heavy rain in Thailand, We sincerely sympathy. 　The Sony Group in order to help rescue and rehabilitation of areas affected by flood victims, will donate 30 million yen as a donation. In addition, employees from soliciting donations Sony disaster, and also conducted a matching gift company will contribute the same amount from it. 　This is a disaster area, Sony’s manufacturing facilities are located, is an important area for Sony. At Sony, we would love to celebrate the reconstruction of affected areas as soon as possible. While the statement reports that Sony is donating money to the afflicted areas (¥30M ~ $389K USD), it also states that their factories are located in the disaster area and that it is important to them. To me, this means that if production is delayed, they can blame the floods. While the timing of this flood is unfortunate for consumers, it is more unfortunate for those Thais living in the area who have been flooded out. Please give generously to [...]

Sony NEX-7 Hands-on Video Preview at Digital Photography Review

Carlos Echenique — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 20:15:03 +0000

DPReview has just posted the following video preview of the Sony NEX-7. Here is the video for your viewing pleasure. Just Posted: Sony NEX-7 Hands-on Video Preview: Digital Photography Review:

Steve Huff gets his mitts on a Production NEX-7

Carlos Echenique — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 19:58:26 +0000

Photographer and blogger Steve Huff received a care package today from Sony – A production NEX-7 + 2 lens combo including the Zeiss 24mm f/1.8. This lucky SOB will be travelling with the camera for the next two weeks posting his findings. The Sony NEX-7 & Zeiss 24 has arrived! My 1st look and video! | STEVE HUFF PHOTOS I will not deny that I am quite jealous.

Arca-Swiss Announces Their “NEX Kit”

Carlos Echenique — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 18:46:12 +0000

Arca-Swiss presents the ‘Nex Kit’ for Nex 3 and Nex 5 Sony cameras.The kit consists of an L-bracket and a viewfinder shoe for an optical finder. Previously Arca-Swiss has released the Mini L-bracket for compact cameras such as the Olympus E-PL1, E-PL2, Panasonic Lumix GF and LX3, Samsung NX-100, & Canon G10; the new smallest DSLR offerings from Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Pentax and Sony. Today we present a new mini L-bracket. Light and small, it is specifically designed to mate specifically with the Nex 3 and Nex 5 cameras from Sony. The Nex L-bracket is fully adaptable with our monoball®Fix and monoball®Classic quick release systems. It takes into account the compact design of the Sony Nex cameras allowing a fast change from landscape to portrait format and vice-versa. Secure handling of the cameras when hand holding is improved due to the L-bracket as well. The design further allows free access to cable ports allowing unhindered connection to the computer without having to remove or shift the bracket. The kit includes a shoe allowing easy attachment of an optical finder. An optical finder isa great accessory allowing the photographer to see better, yielding faster, more accuratecomposing and shooting in low light [...]

NEX-7 Delayed to November, Zeiss 24mm to December

Carlos Echenique — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 20:16:38 +0000

Those of us who hope to soon get our hands on the Sony NEX-7 will have to cool our jets a little more as Sony has pushed back the release date for the highly anticipated camera/lens combo. I just got an e-mail from my dealer who spoke to his Sony rep that the NEX-7 will be delivered in November and the Carl Zeiss 24mm f/1.8 lens will not hit the shelves until December. This is at least here in the USA. I must patiently meditate until it arrives. Ohhhhmmmmmmm. Ohhhmmmmmm.