The five new Samsung NX lenses are now official (no surprise)

That wasn’t really a secret anymore. The press release with images have been already posted here two days ago but now it it officially official :)
Samsung will release five new lenses during 2011:
18-200mm F3.5-6.3 ED OIS (May)
16mm F2.4 (July)
60mm F2.8 Macro ED OIS SSA (August)
85mm F1.4 ED SSA (October)
16-80mm F3.5-4.5 OIS (December)


Source: Samsungimaging

Read the whole press release after the break:

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Kodak to Sell CMOS Sensor Business? Another good reason for Leica to use Sony sensors?

We already know that Kodak financial results are getting worse and worse. In an meeting with Wall Street analysts on Feb. 3, Kodak CEO Antonio Perez told that Kodak will likely sell its CMOS image sensor business, which is based in Rochester. Is that another good reason why Leica is shopping for a non-Kodak sensor for their fullframe mirrorless system? Anyway, that news makes the Sony-Leica sensor partnership rumor even more credible…

Someone else goes mirrorless….Gizmon!

There is a new and unexpected player in the mirrorless market, Gizmon! The name of their camera is Half-D and you can find more about it at gizmon-image.com. The camera has three different apsect ratio, landscape, square and vertical. Ten different color modes (like sepia) and it can take videos. It comes along a macro lens, three fisheye converters and a “tunnel-effect” lens. If google translate didn’t fool us than the camera shoulg have 2 Megapixels, a 1,5 inch LCD, ISO 100-400, VGA video. And look at the image below…it’s so small! And yes, it really looks like a mini copy of the ! Image samples are available here: cameratalk.jp.

What do you think about it?

The Kenko booth at CP+. New Ricoh GXR firmware update!

Also Kenko had his nice place at the CP+ show in Yokohama!

With all those CP+ news we missed to post an important new Ricoh GXR firmware update that has been posted two days ago! This update includes the firmware for :
•GXR body (ver. 1.31)
•GR LENS A12 28mm F2.5 (ver. 1.31)
•GR LENS A12 50mm F2.5 MACRO (ver. 1.31)
•RICOH LENS S10 24-72 mm F2.5-4.4 VC (ver. 1.31)
•RICOH LENS P10 28-300 mm F3.5-5.6 VC (ver. 1.31)

The update corrects a few bugs. You can read more about that and download the firmware here: http://ricoh.com/r_dc/download/firmware/gxr/

Video: The Ricoh M-module and the Sony booth at CP.

It’s always interesting to see video of the photoshow booths! The video above shows the Ricoh M-module that has been displayed today at the Cp show in Yokohama. And below we have the Sony booth video. To bad that stuff is not available yet. I guess we have to wait a few months before to see them in Stock. Source: Akihabarenews

Olympus, Sony and Sigma do show new lens mockups/roadmap


We knew there would be no real new mirrorless product at the CP+ show that starts today in Yokohama. But instead we have lot of mockups and a new Sony roadmap!

Olympus shows pictures of a new pro Zuiko lens (no details given). Sigma shows a prototype of a 30mm f/2.8 (macro?) lens for NEX. And Sony unveiled the E-mount lens roadmap:
Carl Zeiss lenses (scheduled for release in 2011, focal length: 24mm)
Telephoto zoom lens (available in 2011, focal length :55-200mm)
Macro lens (scheduled for release in 2011, focal length: 30mm)
Lens – Portrait (scheduled for release in 2011, focal length: 50mm)
G – High-performance standard zoom lens (available 2012)
Zoom wide (scheduled for release in 2012)
Medium Telephoto Lens (available 2012)

The Sigma lens for NEX

Zeiss, Cosina-Voigtländer, Sigma and Tamron. All do join the Sony NEX system!

Micro Four Thirds gained a lot of attention with the latest entry of Zeiss and Schneider. That’s why the Sony “counter attack” is certainly not casual! With an official press release (Source: Sony.net) Sony announced that “it will disclose the basic specifications of its “E-mount” for interchangeable single lens cameras, without fee, to manufacturers of lenses and mount adaptors, starting April 1st, 2011“. But that alone wouldn’t be enough to gain the headlines that’s why Sony also announced a nice list of manufactures that will join the E-mount system! That includes Zeiss, Cosina-Voigtländer, Sigma and Tamron!

My guess is that we will see some of those companies showing their new lenses at the CP+ show that starts tomorrow in Yokohama. And according to rumors floating around the web Zeiss should be the first…

Stay tuned!