Major camera manufacturer using Internet trolls to promote their own products

By PR admin | Published: November 11, 2011

I received some pretty convincing information that at least one big camera manufacturer is using Internet trolls to promote their own products online on several Chinese photography forums and websites (unfortunately I cannot publish the entire email in order to protect my source):

There is currently a major campaign from *** going on in a public Chinese forums. It’s done by a *** PR company using Internet trolls to post messages to promote *** products. The PR company has been known to use trolls for its clients for some time.

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Posted in Other| 92 Comments

Olympus update

By PR admin | Published: November 11, 2011

The latest headlines on the Olympus saga:

  • Former Olympus officials face possible 10-year terms if probe finds fraud (Bloomberg)
  • Olympus’s possible delisting means ‘Japan Way’ No Longer Acceptable Excuse (Bloomberg)
  • Olympus shareholder calls for Woodford return (Bloomberg)
  • “A Tokyo police unit that handles organized crime is also involved with the investigation” (NYTimes)

 

Posted in Olympus| Tagged | 7 Comments

What else is new?

By PR admin | Published: November 10, 2011

Polaroid announced a new Z340 instant camera: 14MP, 3×4 in. prints, 2.7-inch LCD screen, SD memory card slot, 67 cents per print, price: $300.

The new 6-in-1 IR remote from Phottix offers wireless auto-focus and shutter release functions for Nikon, Canon, Sony, Pentax and Olympus cameras.

New Casio EX-ZR200 camera was announced in Japan. See the full specs here.

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Posted in Casio, GoPro, Olympus, Polaroid, Sinar| 7 Comments

Rumor: all black Fuji X100 coming in early 2012

By PR admin | Published: November 10, 2011

Black Fuji X100 mockup

At the beginning of 2012, Fujifilm is expected t0 release a new “all black” limited edition X100 camera. Included in the package will be a black gift box, black lens hood and adaptor ring plus a matching black leather case. The black limited edition Fuji X100 may not be available for sale in all markets (similar to this X100 limited edition camera).

Posted in Fuji| Tagged , , | 11 Comments

SLR Magic HyperPrime 12mm f/1.6 lens officially announced

By PR admin | Published: November 10, 2011

 

Today SLR Magic officially announced their HyperPrime 12mm f/1.6 lens. Some sample images can be found here. Check out also this review from 3d-kraft:

For now SLR Magic lenses are available on eBay.

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Posted in SLR Magic| 8 Comments

Olympus stock dropped 34% today

By PR admin | Published: November 8, 2011


Olympus stock keeps falling down. The company is urged to purge even more executives. The former CEO Woodford said “The board all has to go”.

I would not be surprised if this is the beginning of the end for Olympus. Maybe somebody will just buy the company before we start seeing the first “bankruptcy” headlines.

“This is very serious. Olympus admitted it has made false entries to cover its losses for 20 years. All people involved in this over 20 years would be responsible. There is a serious danger that Olympus shares will be delisted. The future of the company is extremely dark.” (ITC Investment Partners via BBC)

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Posted in Olympus| Tagged | 32 Comments

Ricoh GR Digital IV now shipping in the US

By PR admin | Published: November 8, 2011

The Ricoh GR Digital IV camera is now in stock for the first time at B&H:

The white version is expected in January 2012.

Posted in Ricoh| Tagged | 7 Comments

Panasonic GX1 unboxing video is already out

By PR admin | Published: November 8, 2011

The Panasonic GX1 is expected to start shipping in mid-December, but the first unboxing video is already out:

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Posted in Panasonic| Tagged | 8 Comments

Kodak sold its image sensor business

By PR admin | Published: November 8, 2011

The reason nobody heard about the new sensors from Kodak (KAI-16070 has 16MP, 35mm optical format, 7.4um pixel; KAI-16050 is APS-H optical format 16MP and 5.5um pixel) is probably because Kodak sold its image sensor business to Platinum Equity for an undisclosed amount. Leica M9 and many other point and shoot cameras are using Kodak sensors.

Press release:

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Posted in Kodak| 24 Comments

Olympus admitted that it used questionable deal to hide losses

By PR admin | Published: November 7, 2011

After Olympus confirmed that they have used an US company as an adviser for the acquisition of Gyrus – a deal for which Olympus paid nearly 700 million in consulting fees, today Olympus admitted that they used the Gyrus deal to hide losses:

“Scandal-hit Olympus revealed on Tuesday it had found that funds related to its purchase of British medical equipment maker Gyrus as well as three domestic firms were used to hide losses on securities investments dating back to the 1990s.”

Last week Olympus investors threatened shareholder suit.

Read also this related Bloomberg article.

Posted in Olympus| Tagged | 13 Comments