CNET Asia talked with a spokesperson from General Electrics who said that “GE is looking to introduce its first Micro Four Thirds-like camera before the end of 2011“. Interesting that they said “Micro Four Thirds like” and not “mirrorless” or “CSC” or “ILC”. General Electrics is already producing digital cameras (the GE cameras). There are no details about the future mirrorless cameras.
We were told by our sources that Pentax will announce their “Pentax NC” mirrorless system in May/June. We got our hands on the first picture of the camera and lenses. As you can see from the image it really looks like the digital version of the popular and very tiny . Pentax goal was to create the smallest mirrorless system of the world. That’s why the sensors has a 1/2,33? size (that’s the size of the sensor in most compacts). It’s a 14 Megapixel 5.6x crop sensor. It can also record HD h.264 movies. Two lenses will be released along the NC-1. There will be a prime 8.5mm f/1.9 (almost 47mm equivalent) and a zoom 5-15mm f/2.8-4.5 (28-80mm equivalent)! As you see from the pictures above those are very small lenses. We don’t have the exact size measures yet. The new Kenko mirrorless system also uses a 14 Megapixel 1/2,33? (crop factor 5,6). And we were told that Kenko worked very close with Pentax to create the system.
But here comes the even bigger news. Pentax will create two different mirrorless systems! The second system will feature a much larger APS-C sensor (Sony?) and be compatible with current K-mount lenses. That system should be introduced this summer. So if you want an incredible small mirrorles ssystem you can get the NC-1, if you want a mirrorless system with high image quality you can get the large sensor camera. Easy or not?
P.S: Check out images and lenses of the Pentax Auto 110 on
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Image courtesy: Quesabesde
Richard Trestain (left) and Richard Shepherd from Canon Europe had a one hour talk with Iker Moran from Quesabesde (Click here to read the google english translation).
Those are the key points of the INterview:
– “We do not need CSC (Compact System Cameras ) because our current range covers all fields. In the future we’ll see.“
– “It is not just in size, but of balance between performance and ergonomics. I dare not say that the is the smallest that we can build.“
– And regarding the [shoplink 100018]X100[/shoplink] Canon said: “$ 1,000 is a lot of money for a compact,”
DxOmark (Click here). tested the Samsung NX11 which scored a final 63 point overall score. That puts the Samsung between the Sony NEX-5 and the Panasonic GH2. A bit disappointing that the Samsung larger sensor delivers a worse ISO result compared to the smaller Micro Four Thirds sensor. Let’s see if the next generation Samsung sensor can get much closer to the current top Sony sensors.
Good news for all X100 fans. Fuji resumed the production and shipment of the X100 camera (Source: DC.watch). The shipment had been stopped after the earthquake. !). The last two weeks only [shoplink ‘Fuji X100’]eBay had a few cameras in Stock[/shoplink] (but for over the double of the real prize).
You can preorder the X100 at [shopcountry 100018].
T3 (Click here) reviewed the camera.
As you see from the graph above (Source: Itmedia.jp) five of the TOP 10 most sold system cameras are mirrorless. The data do referr to the last week sales in Japan.
Ricoh announced a new firmware for the GXR system camera. You can download it here: ftp://download.ricohpmmc.com/DC/. The firmware adds new AF and AE tracking systems, along with new scene modes (via Amateur Photographer).
That’s probably a coincidence only but according to sources from Nikonrumors and SonyAlphaRumors both companies will announce their new mirrorless cameras on April 4th. Channelnews reported that “Nikon is set to re-launch their brand in Australia, with a major multimillion dollar marketing campaign, featuring Robbie Williams. The Japanese Company is also introducing several new digital cameras’ ranging in price from $99 to $2,000.” The first ad will air in the UK on April 11th, 2011.
According to our sources the system should be named “Nikon Coolpix PRO“.
Sony will announce the new NEX-C3 mirrorless camera. It should be a minor update of the current NEX-3 with small design changes and same NEX-5 sensor. There is also a good chance that Sigma and Zeiss will announce the new NEX lenses. The Zeiss E-mount lens should be a 24mm f/1.7 lens.
What about the other companies?
Panasonic should have a press release on late April and Pentax will announce their NC mirrorless system in May. If all those rumors are correct by the end of May Canon will be the only company not having a mirrorless system. Let’s see when they are coming…
