Sony unveiled the new NEX lens roadmap. As you see four lenses will be announced within 2012. A high magnification zoom lens, a standard zoom, a wide zoom and a fast aperture prime lens. The other four new lenses will arrive in 2013: The high quality G standard zoom lens, the Mid-magnification zoom, the mid-telephoto lens and finally a pancake lens!

But this is not enough. I have been  told by TOP-sources that Sony will launch three new NEX cameras within 2012 only! Yeah, I also think that’s a it of a madness. The Sony NEX-5n and NEX-7 are already top cameras and I don’t see any reason to announce three(!) new NEX cameras. But maybe Sony has some secret reason to do so?

P.S.: The first of the three new NEX cameras will arrive in April!!!

The first picture of the Samsung NX20 has been spotted (via Photorumors) and it actually shows it…naked :) Click on the image on top to enlarge. The camera should be announced within days and than be available in April. As we already told you weeks ago one of our sources told us that it has a retro design with 1.8M EVF, manual control and swivel amoled display. It has the same NX-200 sensor but a better processor and buffer. The retail stores price is $950 only body for NX-20. There will be two new lenses, the 16-80mm and 12-24mm and a new Flash.

After that huge Fuji and Pentax news/rumor stream it’s time to talk about Nikon. First of all like Sony and Canon also Nikon had to report an ‘extraordinary’ loss (about $143 million) due to Thailand floods (Source: Electronista). Nikon 1 sales are doing well particulary in USA. But some of their new DSLR launch had to be postponed due the production issues. This is a bad news for a company that unlike the others has the camera business as their main core. Anyaywa, I hope they can recover soon and Nikon already gave us some hints about the future Nikon 1 system development:

Nikon told at Dpreview that the Nikon 1 sensor is capable of 2k and 4k sensor. This means future professional could support this. I am wondering if that also means that current cameras support this via firmware upgrade…yeah I know I am just dreaming. They also will add manual focus on future V1 bodies, improved hybrid AF and in camera RAW editing. One more news is that they are working on new fast CX lenses.

There is no hint yet about a future new mirrorless system with larger sensor. But sooner or later they will have to do it to cath up with Sony, Fuji and probably Canon.

Links to the Nikon J1: .
Links to the Nikon V1: [shopcountry 203o].

That is damn thin pancake! the new 40mm f/2.8!

Today Pentax will announce the K-01. The price will be the following:

Body only: $749

Body+40mm kit: $899

Body+18-55mm +50-200mm: $999

As you already know it comes in black, white and yellow.

And here it is the first picture of the K-01!!! That new 40mm is incredibly tiny!

And here another one:

via Clubsnap (“fengwei007”) and Xitek. Thanks Luis! Click on pictures to enlarge the images:

RiceHigh reader OGL (Click here) shared some more detail about the upcoming 40mm lens for the K-01 system:
smc PENTAX-DA 40mmF2.8 XS Specification:

Lens Mount: PENTAX KAF Mount
Focal Length: 40mm (Equivalent to 61mm in 35mm format) (My Note: That is, a K-mount mirrorless system with an APS-C sized sensor!)
Aperture: F2.8
Minimum Aperture: F22
Lens Construction: 5 elements in 4 groups
Angle of View: 39° (with PENTAX D-SLR camera body)
Minimum Focusing Distance: 0.4m
Maximum Magnification: 0.13x
Number of Diaphragm Blades: 9
Filter Diameter: 27mm
Maximum Diameter & Minimum Length: 62.9mm x 9.2mm
Weight: 52g

1. Exterior design by Marc Newson
Together with the PENTAX K-01 camera body, the exterior of this lens has been designed by Marc Newson. Mounting this lens on the K-01 results in a highly stylish imaging tool.

2. Easy-to-use, super-thin lens for everyday use
This unifocal standard lens offers a focal length equivalent to 61mm in the 35mm format, and measures a mere 9.2 millimeters in length, making it the world’s thinnest interchangeable lens. Thanks to its super-thin design, it is highly portable and easy to store and carry. Its optics were designed based on those of the acclaimed smc PENTAX-DA 40mm F2.8 Limited lens. Its maximum aperture of F2.8 produces sharp, bright images in a wide range of applications, including snapshots, scenic photos, portraits, and even incident-light indoor shooting.

3. Exceptional image-description
In addition to numerical evaluations made by various testing machines, PENTAX has also conducted an image-quality evaluation of hundreds of images actually taken with this lens. As a result, it not only offers outstanding specifications, but also demonstrates exceptional image descriptive power and an image rendition unique to this lens. It features a round-shaped diaphragm, which produces a smooth, natural bokeh (out-of-focus) effect in the background.

4. SP coating to block dirt and dust
The front surface of this lens is treated with SP (Super Protect) coating, which applies an exclusive fluorine compound to the lens surface through a vapor deposition process. This SP coating not only repels dust, water and grease, but also makes it easy to wipe off oily stains such as fingerprints and cosmetics.

It is further noted in another reply comment of his that the new K-01 will not have any viewfinder, no EVF nor OVF neither.

This could be the first image of the upcoming new Pentax K-01 mirrorless camera. It has been posted at Dpreview forum. The poster said he found it on a unnamed Chinese forum. Yeah, always blame anonymous Chinese for leaks without to mention the source :)

As you know the specs are already out:

• Pentax new mirrorless camera will be announced by CP + in February.
• The name is K-01
• K-mount!
• Black & white body color (black keynote), white and black (white tone), black and yellow (based on black and white, yellow leather) three different colors.
• The sensor is the same spec K-5 (). And same rear LCD.
• Full HD video
• Shutter speed to 1 / 4000 p to 30 seconds
• Contrast AF, AF 81 Split
• Built-in pop-up flash
• 121mm width, 79mm height, 59mm depth
• 560g in weight with battery
• designed by the designer who designed talby from au (i.e. Japanese mobile phone sold in 2004)
• it looks more like Optio than K series; not like GXR
• comes with a new lens: DA 40mm F2.8XS
• three lens kits with DA40XS and lenses already on market
• mirrorless but whether there is an EVF or it is built in is not revealed

via Photorumors.