Sony’s highly anticipated SLT-A77 DSLR is expected to be announced on August 24th. Rumor sites have been all in a tizzy speculating on specifications, leaked images and so forth. A YouTube video has even virally surfaced.
I’m going out on a limb here and say that all of the stuff we have seen or read in the last two weeks are actually from Sony, who is taking advantage of the situation to generate interest.
Allendale, NJ (August 2, 2011) – Leica Camera announces a new service for Leica M9 owners to incorporate the product features of the Leica M9-P into
their existing M-System camera, resulting in an alternative, even more discreet and resilient design. Owners taking advantage of the service will also receive a one-year warranty extension. Through the North American Headquarters in Allendale, NJ, Leica will be offering a “Sapphire Glass” upgrade package and a “Top Cover and Sapphire Glass” upgrade package. Interested customers are encouraged to schedule appointments starting August 8, 2011 for upgrades from October 3, 2011 through Leica Camera, Inc.
The “Sapphire Glass” upgrade package offers the replacement of the M9 monitor cover with the M9-P’s scratch-resistant, sapphire crystal cover, a choice between vulcanite and smooth MP-style leatherette trim and a one-year warranty extension. The package will be available for $1,295. The second option, “Top Cover and Sapphire Glass”, includes the replacement of the monitor glass with sapphire crystal cover and the replacement of the top deck and base plate with silver chrome or black paint. The package also includes the choice of vulcanite or smooth MP-style leatherette trim and a one-year warranty extension. The package will be available for $1,995.
All upgrades will be performed by specifically trained technicians and will be a part of Leica’s regular repair service. Reservations are on a first come first serve basis and upgrade time is dependent upon demand. M9 owners can schedule upgrades beginning August 8, 2011 by calling 1-800-222-0118 x 9930.
Please visit the Leica website at www.leica-camera.com shortly before the start of the upgrade program for further information about the offer and the upgrading procedure.
CENTER VALLEY, Pa., July 27, 2011 – Imaging enthusiasts will rejoice knowing that they can finally get their hands on the desirable Olympus PEN E-PL3 – a powerful camera designed for photographers craving a portable camera with pro quality and point-and-shoot simplicity. The PEN E-PL3 is an interchangeable lens camera offering a sleek, metal body packed with versatile controls and lenses with professional image quality.
Available in September, the Olympus PEN E-PL3 will be sold at the affordable price of $699.99 and will deliver amazing image quality and lightning fast speed for brilliant still images and high-definition (HD) video. It will ship bundled with either a wide-angle zoom M.Zuiko 14-42mm lens (28mm-84mm equivalent), optimized for fast autofocus (AF) and silent AF operation, or the M. Zuiko 17mm ultra-compact and portable wide-angle pancake lens (34mm equivalent).
GOLDEN, CO. (July 13, 2011)…PENTAX Imaging Company has announced it will offer a limited edition 645D camera kit produced to celebrate the PENTAX 645D being named Camera Grand Prix Japan 2011 “Camera of the Year.” This limited edition camera features an elegant, lacquer-finished body. The components of this unique kit that will be available on a very limited basis include: 
• PENTAX 645D Japan camera body
• Leather Strap 645D Japan O-ST123
• Body Mount Cap 645D Japan
• Center-Spot-Matte Focusing Screen DS-80
• Specially designed paulownia-wood packaging
PENTAX is planning built-to-order production of this model with a minimum four month delivery period from the date each order is placed.
First announced in June 2010, the PENTAX 645D is a high-performance medium-format digital SLR camera combining super-high-resolution digital images with approximately 40 effective megapixels that offers exceptional reliability and superb operability.
The camera was selected Camera GP Japan 2011 “Camera of the Year” for its array of original, outstanding features including a large CCD sensor, and a dependable, dust-proof, weather-resistant body that operates in temperatures as low as –10°C.
Information about the camera, features, awards and product images is available here:www.pentaximaging.com/news
The new model kit will be available for pre-order on www.pentaxwebstore.com
[AFG_gallery id='4']
11/07/2011 Hasselblad announces a firmware update that fine-tunes the H4D-60 to a whole new level with additional features and functionality.
With a major firmware update announced today, the Hasselblad H4D-60 is well on its way to becoming a legend. One-click focus check, bi-directional electronic spirit level, the ability to display camera grip information on the rear monitor, an improved high resolution LCD, Live Video for more efficient workflow and Schneider and Rollei support bring the H4D-60 to a whole new level of usability for the working photographer.
COPENHAGEN, July 7, 2011 — Phase One today released Media Pro 1.0.1, a service release, and the first update since Media Pro was introduced less than two months ago.
Media Pro is a professional photo manager for finding, organizing, and sharing images and videos wherever those files are stored. Media Pro supports photo and video files from more than 100 different cameras and is built to manage large photo libraries.
This service release includes several fixes and improvements, such as the following:
– Fixed stability issues including crash when working with large JPEGs in Slideshow and on the Light Table;
– Fixed Renderings bugs, including no full resolution TIFFs on Mac and missing PDF thumbnails on Windows XP;
– Fixed a issue where a catalog upgraded from Expression Media 2 could not be saved;
– Fixed a bug causing XMP sidecars not to be moved with the media files to which they belong;
– Fixed importer issues e.g. crash on Mac when XMP sidecars were present and problem when importing JPEGs on Window XP 32 bits;
– Fixed a bug on Windows where sorting would not work;
– Fixed readability issues caused by new UI color scheme;
– Fixed a bug preventing XML data files to be created on Windows;
– Fixed some EIP color management/rendering issues on Mac;
– License issue on Windows appearing when Internet connection was lost.
Availability and Pricing
Media Pro 1.0.1 is free to existing Phase One Media Pro customers. For more information including product features, upgrade options and tutorials, please see: http://www.phaseone.com/en/Software/Media-Pro/Whats-new.aspx
About Phase One
Phase One is the world’s leader in open-platform based medium format camera systems and solutions. Phase One medium format cameras, digital backs and lenses are designed to deliver superior quality image capture and investment value. Phase One’s Capture One software helps streamline capture and post-production processes for both medium format and digital cameras. Phase One products are known for their quality, flexibility and speed enabling pro photographers shooting in a wide range of formats to achieve their creative visions without compromise. For more information, please visit Phase One at http://www.phaseone.com. Follow Phase One on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/PhaseOneWW
Phase One is an employee-owned company based in Copenhagen with offices in New York, London, Tokyo, Cologne and Shanghai.
Phase One and Capture One are registered trademarks of Phase One A/S. All other brand or product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
Many members of the Comité Colbert have been pioneers in their field and can look back to a proud decades- or century-long history of their brands. French brands such as Chanel, Baccarat, Bollinger, Château Lafite-Rothschild, Dior, Hermès, Lacoste, Lancôme, Longchamp and Louis Vuitton are members of this exclusive alliance. Since 2010, selected manufacturers from other European countries have been invited to participate. In addition to Leica Camera AG, Montblanc has become a new member from Germany.
“Leica can look back to more than 150 years of long tradition and has always been, and still is, the pioneer in developing optical devices of highest quality,” said Alfred Schopf, Leica Camera AG’s Chairman of the Board. “Engineering ingenuity, technical know-how and craftsmanship applied during the whole manufacturing process give our products their unique characters. All the lenses for our professional Leica S camera system and for the Leica M, our range-finder camera system, are made in Solms by hand. So, we fulfill our aspiration of creating the prerequisites for better images day by day.”
“Being appointed a member of the exclusive Comité Colbert circle has been a great honor to Leica Camera AG that reflects the exceptional status of the Leica brand among European premium manufacturers,” said Dr. Andreas Kaufmann, Leica Camera AG’s Chairman of the Supervisory Board and its major shareholder. “Leica Camera AG is committed to the premium segment’s high demands concerning value, design, and exclusivity and we are very pleased to get the chance to build network connections within this renowned circle.”
Leica Camera AG
Leica Camera AG is a premium manufacturer of cameras and sports optics equipment operating in the international market. The foundation of the Leica myth has been laid by the long-established company’s optical instruments. Combined with innovative technologies, they have been, and still are, providing for the better image in all situations concerning vision and perception. The headquarters of Leica Camera AG are located in the Hessian town of Solms while Vila Nova de Famalicão, Portugal, is its other manufacturing base. The company has representative offices of its own in England, France, Japan, Singapore, Switzerland, and the USA. New, groundbreaking products have advanced the company’s positive developments in the last years.
30/06/2011 Hasselblad, the premium medium format camera manufacturer, is planning a rapid expansion of cutting edge capture products and is set to target new imaging markets following the company’s acquisition by Ventizz Capital Fund IV, LP, a private equity investor exclusively advised by Swiss- and Germany based Ventizz Capital Partners AG.
Ventizz, which specializes in funding growth in companies across various high-tech industry sectors including communications technology and renewable energy, says it plans ‘no major structural or key management changes’ at Hasselblad.
Announcing the move Dr. Larry Hansen, Hasselblad Chairman & CEO said: “After eight years of ownership by the Hong Kong-based Shriro group, Hasselblad is now moving back to its European roots. History shows that for over half a century we have been the leading manufacturer and partner for photographers working in the medium format environment and seeking highest quality and ongoing innovation. In 2002 we pioneered the revolutionary Hasselblad H-Camera System – the most comprehensive digital camera system of its kind available today, with its unique advancements such as True Focus and instant lens correction in our Phocus software.”
He added: “Ventizz has a very impressive funding pedigree in the technology marketplace and our joint focus now will be on both maintaining our market-leading position with ongoing, advanced high-end camera products and also on exploiting the potential we see in brand new markets.”
Hasselblad has recently launched the H4D-200MS, a top end multi-shot camera delivering unprecedented 200 megapixels.
For further information about Hasselblad: www.hasselblad.com
For further information about Ventizz: www.ventizz.com
To read Ventizz press release, please go to: http://www.ventizz.de/en/pm110630.php
Solms, Germany (June 29, 2011) – Leica Camera AG announces the latest firmware update for all versions of the Leica M8. Users wishing to benefit from the new offerings can now download firmware update Version 2.014 from the Leica Camera website and take advantage of new, improved features.
The firmware update coincides with the launch of the Leica Super-Elmar-M 21 mm f/3.4 ASPH. and supports the use of this new wide-angle lens on Leica M8 cameras. In addition to new improvements, users can expand the range of lenses for their Leica M8 system with the versatile, high-performance super-wide-angle lens. With this free service, Leica Camera AG again proves their commitment to full system compatibility and decades of enduring value of the M series.
For installation instructions and to download firmware update 2.014, please visit: http://en.leica-camera.com/service/downloads/rangefinder_cameras/m8.
COPENHAGEN, June 29, 2011 — Phase One, the world’s leader in open-platform based professional medium format camera systems and solutions, today announced the availability of Camera Control — a new Capture Pilot(TM) option that lets photographers operate their cameras remotely via their iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. This remote camera control frees photographers to shoot under scenarios that previously would have been difficult or impossible.
Camera Control is the newest feature of Capture Pilot which allows photographers to use their iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch to wirelessly view, zoom and pan high resolution DSLR and medium format RAW, JPEG and TIFF images while they are shooting. The application’s rating and tagging features enable clients and colleagues in the studio or on remote locations to participate in the shoot and provide instant feedback.
Camera Control
Camera Control offers photographers an elegant, virtual camera display on their iOS device to remotely fire the camera and control the camera’s most important capture parameters, including ISO sensitivity, exposure mode, shutter speed, aperture, exposure compensation and others.
Camera control supports a wide range of pro and semi-pro Canon and Nikon DSLRs, and Phase One, Leaf and Mamiya medium format camera systems.
Availability and Pricing
Camera Control is available now as an in app purchase for USD14.99 / EURO11.99. Capture Pilot™ is a free app available from the Apple store that works with Capture One Pro. More information is available here: http://www.phaseone.com/en/software/capture-pilot
Capture Pilot with Camera Control requires version 6.2.1 or later of Capture One Pro, the raw conversion and image editing software that supports a wide range of pro and semi-pro camera models. Capture One comprises a full digital workflow to produce beautifully detailed and richly rendered images. For information about Capture One Pro, please see: http://www.phaseone.com/en/Software/Capture-One-Pro-6/
About Phase One
Phase One is the world’s leader in open-platform based medium format camera systems and solutions. Phase One medium format cameras, digital backs and lenses are designed to deliver superior quality image capture and investment value. Phase One’s Capture One software helps streamline capture and post-production processes for both medium format and digital cameras. Phase One products are known for their quality, flexibility and speed enabling pro photographers shooting in a wide range of formats to achieve their creative visions without compromise. For more information, please visit Phase One at http://www.phaseone.com. Follow Phase One on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/PhaseOneWW
