Few more pictures of Panasonic G2 and G10

By PR admin | Published: March 5, 2010

The Panasonic G2 will be available in multiple colors (click on image for larger view):

Here is also the first Panasonic G10 picture:

And a site view of the new lens after the break:

Read More »

Posted in Panasonic| Tagged , | 6 Comments

New Panasonic 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 ASPH lens

By PR admin | Published: March 5, 2010

In addition to the Panasonic Lumix G2 and G10, this Sunday we may see also a new Panasonic 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 ASPH lens (a replacement for the current Panasonic 14-45mm f/3.5-5.6 lens):

Posted in Panasonic| Tagged , | Leave a comment

Canon rebates starting this Sunday

By PR admin | Published: March 5, 2010

I just got some more details – a list of the qualifying lenses and the rebate amounts:

200 f/2: $500
85 f/1.2: $130
50 f/1.2: $100
16-35: $100
45 f/2.8: $80
24-70: $80
100 f/2.8 IS: $65
15 f/2.8: $45
135 f/2.8: $35
100 f/2: $30
580ex II: $25
430ex II: $15

Posted in Canon| 5 Comments

Panasonic G2 & Panasonic G10 full specs are out

By PR admin | Published: March 4, 2010

This post is being updated continuously, come back for more.

Click on images for larger view:

Panasonic G2 and Panasonic G10 are expected to be announced on March 7th, 2010. Here are the full specs. Pictures coming soon (hopefully):

Panasonic G2
Camera TypeDigital Interchangeable Lens Camera
CameraEffective Pixels12.1 Mega Pixels
Image SensorN/A
Image Sensor Size17.3 x 13.0 mm (in 4:3 aspect ratio)
Dust Reduction SystemSupersonic wave filter
MountMicro Four Thirds mount
FocusType: Contrast AF system / Focus mode:AFS/AFC/MF
AF mode:Face detection/AF Tracking/23-area-focusing/1-area-focusing /Touch(1area-focusing in Face detection/AF Tracking/Multi-area-focusing/1area-focusing)
AF detective rangeEV 0-18 (F3.5 lens, ISO 100)
Focus OthersTouch shutter, Pre AF (Quick AF/Continuous AF), Touch MF Assist (5x, 10x)
AF/AE LockYes (AF/AE LOCK button or Shutter button halfway pressed in AFs mode)
AF Assist LampYes
ISO SensitivityAuto / 100 / 200 / 400 / 800 / 1600 / 3200 / 6400 / Intelligent ISO
White BalanceAuto/Daylight/Cloudy/Shade/Halogen/Flash/White Set 1,2/Color temperature setting
White Balance AdjustmentBlue/Amber Bias
Magenta/Green Bias
Color Temperature Setting2500-10000K in 100K
White Balance Bracket3 exposures in blue/amber axis or in magenta/green axis
ExposureProgram AE, Aperture Priority AE, Shutter Priority AE, Manual
Exposure Compensation1/3 EV Step, ± 3 EV
Auto Bracketing(AE)3,5,7 frame, in 1/3 or 2/3 EV Step, ±2 EV
Light Metering System144-zone multi-pattern sensing system
Light MeteringIntelligent Multiple / Center-weighted / Spot
Metering RangeEV 0-18 (F2.0 lens, ISO 100)
Still Image Scene ModeN/A
Movie Scene ModeN/A
ShutterSpeed/Shutter SystemType:Focal-plane shutter
Shutter speed:Still Images: 1/4000 ~ 60 and Bulb (up to approx. 4minutes)
Self Timer2 seconds / 10 seconds / 10 seconds / 3 images
Recording FormatN/A
Image QualityRAW, RAW+Fine, RAW+Standard, Fine, Standard
Color SpacesRGB, Adobe RGB
4:3 Aspect Ratio (Still Image)4000 x 3000(L), 2816 x 2112(M), 2048 x 1536(S)
3:2 Aspect Ratio (Still Image)4000 x 2672(L) / 2816 x 1880 (M) / 2048 x 1360 (S)
16:9 Aspect Ratio (Still Image)4000 x 2248 (L) / 2816 x 1584 (M) / 1920 x 1080 (S)
1:1 Aspect Ratio (Still Image)2992 x 2992(L), 2112 x 2112(M), 1504 x 1504(S)
Motion Picture Recording 4:3VGA: 640 x 480 pixels, 30fps (Motion JPEG)
QVGA: 320 x 240 pixels, 30 fps (Motion JPEG)
Motion Picture Recording 16:9WVGA: 848 x 480 pixels, 30 fps (Motion JPEG)
Motion Picture Recording HD Movie1280×720 pixels 30fps (Motion JPEG)
Auto eye sensorYes
Motion Image (4:3 Aspect Ratio)N/A
Motion Image (16:9 Aspect Ratio)N/A
Motion Image (HD Movie)N/A
Motion Image (AVCHD Lite)NTSC: [HD] 1280 x 720, 60p (sensor output is 30fps)(SH: 17Mbps, H: 13Mbps, L: 9Mbps)
Aspect RatioN/A
Protection/EraseProtection: Single / Multi or Cancel
Erase: Single / Multi / All / Except FAVORITE
Flash Synchronization1st. Curtain Sync. , 2nd Curtain Sync.
ViewfinderN/A
LCD MonitorType:Low temperature Polycrystalline TFT LCD with Touch panel
Monitor size:Free-angle 3.0inch / 3:2 Aspect / Wide viewing angle
Pixels:460K dots
Field of view:Approx.100%
Monitor Adjust.:Brightness(7 levels),Color (7 levels)
LCD modeOff / Auto Power LCD / Power LCD
Live ViewDigital Zoom: 2x, 4x
Extra Optical Zoom: Max.2x (Not effective with L size recording. Magnification ratio depends on the recording pixels and aspect ratio.)
Other Functions: Guide Lines (3 patterns), Real-time Histogram
Film ModeColor: Standard / Dynamic / Nature / Smooth / Nostalgic / Vibrant
Black and white: Standard / Dynamic / Smooth
Others: My Film1 / My Film2 / Multi Film
Playback ModeNormal playback 30-thumbnail display, 12-thumbnail display, Calendar display Zoomed playback (16x Max.) Slide show Playback Mode (Normal/Picture/AVCHD Lite/Motion JPEG/Category/Favorite), Face recognition Edit
OSD LanguageEnglish, French, Spanish, Portuguese
Recording MediaN/A
MicrophoneMonaural, Wind-cut: Off / Low / Standard / High
SpeakerYes
HDMI OutputN/A
Direct PrintPictBridge compatible (Print size, Layout, Date setting is selectable)
Power SupplyN/A
Battery Life 6N/A
Operating Humidity10% to 80%
Operating Temperature32°F to 104°F (0°C to 40°C)
Flash Output Adjustment1/3EV Step ±2EV
Included SoftwarePHOTOfunSTUDIO 5.0 HD Edition
SILKYPIX® Developer Studio 3.1 SE
QuickTime™
USB Driver
Standard AccessoriesBattery Charger / AC Adaptor, Battery Pack, Body Cap,AV Cable, USB Connection Cable, AC Cable, Shoulder Strap, Stylus pen, CD-ROM
Remote ControlRemote control with bulb function by DMW-RSL1 (Optional)
Continuous recordable time (Motion images)AVCHD Lite with picture quality set to [SH]: Approx. 180 min with H-FS014042 / Approx. 160 min with H-FS045200
Motion JPEG with picture quality set to [HD]: Approx. 180 min with H-FS014042 / Approx. 160 min with H-FS045200
My Color Mode(Still image & Movie)Expressive/Retro/Pure/Elegant/Monochrome/Dynamic Art/Silhouette/Custom(Color/Brightness/Saturation/ adjustable)
Burst SpeedN/A
Dimensions (W x H x D)124 x 83.6 x 74mm / 4.88 x 3.29 x 2.91 in (excluding protrusions)
WeightApprox. 593g / 20.92 oz ?SD card, Battery, 14-42mm lens included)
Approx. 810g / 28.57 oz ?SD card, Battery, 45-200mm lens included)
Approx. 371g / 13.09 oz ?Body only
Built-in-FlashN/A
BURST SHOOTING: Number of recordable imagesN/A
Hot shoeTTL Auto with FL220/FL360/FL500(Optional)
USBUSB 2.0 High Speed
Audio video outputMonaural Type, NTSC
Remote / External microphone inputø2.5mm. stereo mini jack
Dimensions
(H x W x D)		N/A
WeightN/A

 		———————————————————————————————

And here are the specs for the second camera (click to continue):

Panasonic G10

Read More »

Posted in Panasonic| Tagged , | 21 Comments

Pentax K-5

By PR admin | Published: March 3, 2010

There are some rumors about a potential Pentax K-5 DSLR camera that will be placed above the K-x and below the K-7. This information came comes from sales representative for Swedish Pentax distributor (source).

Posted in Pentax| Tagged | 8 Comments

Few Pentax 645D updates

By PR admin | Published: March 2, 2010

Two new details emerged on the upcoming Pentax 645D:

  • Dual SDHC memory card slot (ability to write concurrently or sequentially to the two different SDHC). We already knew that Pentax 645D will support SDHC cards, so this is a nice addition (via DC Watch).

The new Pentax 645D is expected to be unveiled at the CP+ Camera and Imaging Show in Japan (March 11th-14th, 2010).

The rumored price of the 645D is US$ 6,500.

Posted in Pentax| Tagged | 18 Comments

Canon 5D Mark II firmware pre-announced

By PR admin | Published: March 2, 2010

The long awaited firmware update for the Canon EOS 5D Mark II was pre-announced today as previously expected. The update adds 24 and 25fps HD Movie recording to the EOS 5D Mark II model. No download link yet.

Full press release after the break:

Read More »

Posted in Canon| Tagged | 7 Comments

Noktor 50mm f/0.95 official today

By PR admin | Published: March 1, 2010

Today Noktor made its 50mm f/0.95 lens official (previously rumored here). The first version is for m4/3 but there is a poll on the site asking which mount should be next.

Posted in Noktor| 11 Comments

Why the iPad doesn’t have a built-in camera?

By PR admin | Published: February 26, 2010

Am interesting rumor from the ImagingInsider:

“…it originally was supposed to have one… at least that’s what we were told. But, when Kodak filed a complaint against Apple earlier this year for patent infringement the iPad design changed…”

Here is a shot from the iPad enclosure and you can clearly see that there is space for a built-in camera (source):

Posted in Apple, Kodak| 8 Comments

Some interesting Sony links

By PR admin | Published: February 26, 2010

Slow day. Some interesting Sony links:

Posted in Sony| 3 Comments

Interesting patents from Sony and Panasonic

By PR admin | Published: February 25, 2010

Sony half-mirror/Pellix-mirror patent (US Patent Application 20100045853) – this patent will allow AF during video recording/live view:

“There is proposed a digital camera which is capable of simultaneously performing phase difference detecting AF by a phase difference detecting AF sensor and live view in which time-series images for determining a picture composition are electronically displayed on a display”

Read more on the Pellicle mirror and Pellix mirror @ Wikipedia. Canon filed a similar patent application last year. See also a related sensor phase detection patent filed by Sony last year.

Panasonic H.264 movie recording and tilt-able LCD patent (US patent application 20100033587):

“…The display unit 20 is a variable-angle monitor with which the angle can be freely changed with respect to the case 3a of the camera body 3, and the angle can be tilted upward by means of a hinge mechanism”
“…further comprising a display unit configured to display a real-time image acquired by the imaging unit in the moving picture photography mode”
“…two different methods can be used for focal point detection, namely, a phase difference detection method in which the above-mentioned focal point detection unit 5 is used, or a contrast detection method based on the image signal outputted from the imaging sensor”
“…The compression method can be, for example, JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) in the case of a still picture. In the case of a moving picture, MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group) is used. Also, an H.264/AVC format in which a plurality of frames of image signals are compressed together can be used.”

One of the drawings in this patent appears to be similar to the Panasonic LC1 camera:

 

Posted in Panasonic, Sony| Tagged | 2 Comments

PMA announcements are over, Panasonic and Pentax are next

By PR admin | Published: February 25, 2010

2010 PMA show is over (see detailed report here). A lot of point and shoot cameras were released and almost nothing in the DSLR area. The stars of show, in my opinion, were the “three S”:

What’s next? Panasonic and Pentax:

Panasonic is expected to announce two new Lumix cameras around March 7-10, 2010:

No specs are available at that point.

Pentax is expected to announce their medium format 645D camera during the CP+ Camera and Imaging Show in Japan (March 11th-14th, 2010). This is how the teaser looks today (it is set to gradually show more details of the camera):

I did not include Olympus with their latest Fourt Thirds countdown on that list, because they removed their website (http://www.evolve.com.my/). The countdown was set to expire on February 28th, 2010 and is probably about a new website rather than a new product.

Posted in Olympus, Panasonic, Pentax| Tagged , , | 3 Comments