Today Transcend announced new SD cards that will be very useful for all photographers who want to be sure to not lose their images! The UHS-II U3 4K ready SD card has the following characteristics:
– waterproof. Resists for 30minute in water in-depth up to 1m (IS IPX7 equivalent test)
– freeze proof down to -25 Celsius
– hot proof up to 85 Celsius
– Electrostatic immunity (complies with the EMC IEC61000-4-2, and has resistance to static electricity.)
– Resistance and X-ray (ISO7816-1 compliant, will not be affected by the X-ray inspection of the airport!)
– And shock resistance

The price in Japan is ¥10,800 for the 64GB and ¥6,180 for the 32GB card.

FUJIFILM Corporation (President: Shigehiro Nakajima) is proud to announce that it will release the instax mini 70, a new model to join the ‘instax mini’ series of instant cameras which produce credit-card-size photos instantly, on October 23. The instax mini 70, which comes in three new colors including “Canary Yellow,” “Island Blue,” and “Moon White,” features the Auto Exposure Control Function to capture both the main subject and background in natural brightness as well as the newly added ‘Selfie’ mode. With its modern design the instax mini 70 broadens its appeal to not only young women, but also men in their 20s and 30s, making it a perfect fashion statement at any scene for any occasion at any time.

The instax mini 70 has a variety of shooting modes which allow the user to enjoy photography in a variety of situations. While taking ‘selfie’ shots, users can choose the ‘Selfie’ mode to provide the appropriate brightness and shooting distance for their ‘selfie shots’ and use the Selfie mirror beside the lens to check their framing. Features such as the tripod mount and the self-timer function are perfect for group shots. In addition, the ‘Macro’ mode can be used for shots at a minimum of 30cm from the subject and the ‘Landscape’ mode is suitable for far away landscape pictures.

The instax mini 70 also features the Auto Exposure Control Function to capture both the main subject and background in natural brightness. Without having to configure a special setting, users only need to press the shutter button and the camera can automatically detect the surrounding brightness and adjust the shutter speed and flash amount accordingly. This function delivers images with a natural brightness even for indoor shots, which normally tend to have a dark background. The ‘instax mini’ series is especially popular among teens and women in their 20s and 30s as a camera that produces analog photos instantly. While digital photographs have been preferred with the proliferation of digital cameras and smartphones, the analog approach of instantly producing real photos has sparked interest and inspiration, with sales growing quickly not only in Japan, but also in over 100 countries and regions around the world including East Asia, Europe and the United States.

Fujifilm is committed to the attractive features of instax cameras that offer enjoyable instant photography and printing, while communicating the intrinsic values of photography in the different aspects of “taking, preserving, decorating and sharing.”

Main features

(1) Modern and simple design

The three new colors (“Canary Yellow,” “Island Blue,” and “Moon White”) and the modern, stylish design of the instax mini 70 appeal to all demographics , making it a perfect fashion statement at any scene for any occasion at any time.

(2) Automatic Exposure Control

The instax mini 70 features an Automatic Exposure Control, which captures both the subject and the background in beautiful clarity. When the user presses the shutter button, the camera automatically detects the amount of ambient light and adjusts the shutter speed and flash amount accordingly. It delivers photos with a natural brightness even for indoor or wedding shots, which tend to have dark backgrounds when captured with conventional cameras.

(3) Versatile shooting modes

The camera is equipped with the new ‘Selfie’ mode for taking ‘selfies.’ Users can press the selfie button when shooting, so that the camera can automatically adjust the focal length and brightness to the level optimized for selfie shots. The selfie mirror beside the lens is useful to check the framing to achieve the best angle. Other convenient shooting features include the ‘Self-timer’ for group shots, ‘Macro’ mode for close-up shots at a minimum of 30cm from the subject, and the ‘Landscape’ mode for landscape pictures.

Cosina Japan officially announced the end of production of the Bessa R2-M/R3-M/R4-M mirrorless M-mount film camera. That’s another small piece of rangefinder film camera history dying today :(

This was the poor mans Leica camera. You can still find the Bessas used on eBay (auctions list here).