Sony AF LA-EA1 adapter and new NEX firmware

By PR admin | Published: October 15, 2010

Few days ago Sony released a new firmware for their NEX line of products. Initially, I did not pay attention to any of the details, until I saw this post on PetaPixel: with the LA-EA1 adapter, Sony NEX cameras can now autofocus with A-mount lenses and the AF process can take anywhere from 2 to 7 seconds:

“With an A-mount lens attached to NEX-5/NEX-3, autofocus takes approximately 2 to 7 seconds based on Sony measurement standards. Actual AF time with A-mount lens  may vary depending on the subject and shooting conditions.”

I think it is great that Sony provides an adapter with AF support, but this is just a reminder to always read the fine print at the bottom of the page (in this case, the press release).

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Sony viewfinder patent shows new camera design

By PR admin | Published: October 15, 2010

Patent Application 20100259666 from Sony is about a transmissive liquid crystal panel that could be implemented in the optical finder and can provide superimposed indication of various parameters, such as AF area:

The patent includes also diagrams of what appears to be a Sony camera body:

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PL lens adapter for Canon cameras

By PR admin | Published: October 15, 2010

With the growing interest of filmmakers for DSLR based equipment, Zunow announced a new adapter that will allow you to use a Canon camera with PL (Arri) mount lenses. The company is planing to create also adapters for Zeiss, Red and Leica in the future. Some more details from the manufacturer:

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Canon Cross Media Station

By PR admin | Published: October 13, 2010

Canon displayed their Cross Media Station prototype on the Canon Expo in Paris today – this gadget will let you wirelessly transfer images and video by just placing your camera on top of it and will also inductively charge your battery at the same time:

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Is Canon planning to produce their 4k camera?

By PR admin | Published: October 13, 2010

Update: AP posted a clarification that Canon does not have plans to produce this camera.

AP made a statement today that “Canon plans to launch a camera capable of shooting still images at a frame rate exceeding 60 shots per second”. They were talking about the Canon 4k camera, that was shown as a concept at the CanonExpo in New York over a month ago. The initial word from Canon (as you can see from the video above) was that this camera is just a prototype that will not be mass-produced.

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Panasonic GF2 will not have the 16.05MP sensor from GH2

By PR admin | Published: October 12, 2010

DSLR magazine published an interview with executives from Panasonic and they confirmed that the replacement of the Panasonic GF1 will not have the new 16.05MP sensor from the latest Panasonic GH2 camera.

About the GH2 16.05MP sensor (from Panasonic’s website):

“The newly developed 16.05-megapixel multi-aspect Live MOS sensor adopts the high speed digital νMaicovicon. In addition to the high speed, which is an advantage of the CMOS sensor, Panasonic adds its original pixel mix technology. A dedicated process exclusively for νMaicovicon of the DMC-GH2 is newly developed by applying the top-class high performance transistor and its interconnection process needed for the high speed operation of digital circuit to make low-noise photodiode and transistor with reduced wiring to achieve both high resolution and high aperture-ratio as the DMC-GH1. The result is both high resolution and excellent S/N are realized with more than 3dB improvement of noise and 200% high sensitivity in the DMC-GH2.”

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Pentax 645D now officially coming to the US

By PR admin | Published: October 12, 2010

The medium format Pentax 645D camera will now officially be coming to America (as previously reported). The Pentax 645D body  will cost $9,995.95 and the Pentax-D FA 645 55mm F2.8 lens will sell for $1,199.95. Both will start shipping in December of 2010. Only limited number of stores will be carrying this camera – see the full press release after the break:

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Sony NEX 3 in pink

By PR admin | Published: October 12, 2010

Sony’s press event scheduled for today was to announce a pink version of the Sony NEX 3:

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Cactus V4 wireless flash trigger replacement coming soon

By PR admin | Published: October 11, 2010
The current model Cactus V4 wireless flash trigger

The current model Cactus V4 wireless flash trigger

Cactus (produced by Harvest-One) is expected to release a new version of their V4 wireless flash trigger by the end of the year (2010). The new version will not be compatible with the current Cactus V4 model.

Cactus is basically a cheap alternative to PocketWizard. You can see a review of the current Cactus 4 flash trigger here.

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Olympus has no plans to replace the E-620, high-end PEN camera expected

By PR admin | Published: October 11, 2010
Olympus E-620

Olympus E-620

Fotopolis interviewed Toshiyuki Terada, Product manager of SLR Olympus Planning Department – in a nutshell, Olympus has no plans for now to replace the E-620 since the entry level DSLR segment is now entirely replaced by the PEN system. “High-end” PEN models however, are expected in the future (EP-3?):

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