Pentax to release a mirrorless camera according to… CitiGroup

On page 2 of this CitiGroup report about Hoya (the owner of Pentax), you will see the following sentence:

“Hoya plans to release a mirrorless camera under Pentax brand that is distinct from models already on the market.”

No further information is provided. It is really weird that a financial corporation like CitiGroup would report rumors on their official report… unless they know something about this project.

Rumors of a new mirrorless camera from Pentax have been floating around for a while. Here are some of the recent quotes on this topic:

“Pentax engineers are continuing to pursue the possibility of launching a mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera, as the firm points to an ‘exciting’ few months ahead.”

“It’s quite clear that we don’t want to be seen as the same as everyone else. We would go down a different route. We are looking to grow. We want to grow. It’s going to be an exciting year. I think everybody will see a change in Pentax.”

Posted in Pentax| Tagged | 20 Comments

Sony patents honeycomb image sensor

Sony filed a patent for a honeycomb type image sensor. The sensor’s photodiodes are shaped like hexagons (regular sensors have square photodiodes) which should improve the sensor’s performance. Few years ago Fuji worked on a honeycomb type “Super CCD” sensor.

The Google translation is sufficient to get a basic idea about this patent:

  • Patent Publication No. 2010-161200
  • published 2010/07/22. Filled 2009/01/08
  • Distance of the pixel is equal with all courses in the case of a honeycomb
  • Less number of transistors used
  • Low cost
  • It can increase the number of the pixels
  • Good sensitivity
  • It assumes seven pixels one unit
Posted in Sony| Tagged | 25 Comments

The rumored white Samsung NX100 again

The previously rumored white Samsung NX100 appeared again on dpreview. This time the image is full size. The picture was reportedly taken during a commercial shoot for the already rumored Samsung NX100. The camera on the photo is definitely different than the previously released Samsung NX10 white limited edition.

Posted in Samsung| Tagged | 3 Comments

Interesting links

  • Research: Microsoft algorithm uses six-axis motion sensors to fix blurry snapshots.
  • Report: Canon 1Ds Mark IV currently being tested.
  • Patents: Olympus files patents for a Zuiko Digital ED 40-150mm f/3.5-4.5 and Zuiko Digital ED 30-150mm f/3.3-4.2 lenses.
Posted in Canon, Olympus, Panasonic, Sony| Leave a comment

Zeiss Distagon ZF 1.4/35 ZF.2 to be official in few weeks

Rumors for a new Zeiss Distagon ZF 1.4/35 ZF.2 (Nikon mount) have been floating around since last year. The official Zeiss distributor in Switzerland included the new 35mm f/1.4 lens in their catalog. A FredMiranda forum member got a confirmation directly from the distributor:

“The Distagon T 1.4f 35mm ZF.2 for Nikon is still delayed and should be available in the next few weeks.”

The listed model number is ZE 1771-843 and the price is CHF2,419 (around US$2300) – screenshot after the break:

Read More »

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Samsung NX100 spotted in the wild?

This is reportedly a picture of the new Samsung NX100 that was captured during a commercial shot:

Source

Posted in Samsung| Tagged | 8 Comments

Rumor: Sony A560 was shown at the Sony Expo Wonder 2010 in Jakarta

I received a tip that the new Sony A560 camera was shown on the Sony Expo Wonder 2010 (Jakarta, July 30). I will have some pictures soon.

Posted in Sony| Tagged | 2 Comments

Canon 60D listing shows up on DXO

Canon 60D appeared on a DXO listing today:

Posted in Canon| Tagged | 1 Comment

Canon EVIL concept

This Canon EVIL camera concept was designed by Idan Shechter of DigitalPhotographyWriter. This rendering is just an artist’s view of the camera and is not linked to Canon in any way.

The latest comments from Canon indicated that they are still not ready to completely drop the mirror and are trying to create a “small SLR” camera.

Posted in Canon, Future of Photo Equipment| Tagged , | 9 Comments

Four new Sony cameras rumored: A33, A55, A560, A580


Details about four new APS-C based cameras from Sony have surfaced online:

  • A55 16MP 10FPS EVF-1.44M 1.1X magnification 95% AVCHD full HD
  • A33 14MP 7FPS EVF-1.44M 1.1X magnification 95% AVCHD full HD
  • A560 14MP 7FPS MF recording AVCHD full HD
  • A580 16MP 7FPS MF recording AVCHD full HD

Announcement is expected in August, in stock in September.

The A33 and A55 models are rumored to be Pellix cameras.

All new models are expected to have DOF preview, panorama/3D, ISO 100 (base), 15 AF focus points and AF during video recording. Nikon is also expected to announce an entry level D3100 with continuous AF during video recording.

Posted in Sony| 4 Comments