Panasonic Adds GF5 Compact System Camera

By Greg Tarr On Apr 9 2012 - 4:01am

NEW YORK – Panasonic unveiled last week an addition to its expanding line of Lumix G-series Micro Four Thirds compact system cameras.

The Lumix DMC-GF5 ($599 or $749 suggested retails, depending on lens kit option), which slots in next to the current GF3, features a newly developed 12.1-megapixel Live MOS sensor and redesigned Venus Engine, for improved image rendering and color reproduction, even in low-light situations.

 

PhotoDirector3 Steps Up Photo-Editing Game

By Greg Tarr On Apr 9 2012 - 4:01am

SANTA CLARA, CALIF. – CyberLink recently delivered its latest photo-editing software offering a range of advanced photoediting features that give photographers image-processing tools that are easier to learn and potentially faster to use than some of the standards like Adobe PhotoShop or Lightroom.

CyberLink’s PhotoDirector3 ($150 suggested retail) offers a wealth of advanced features found in some of the other established photo programs at an attractive consumer price point.

Lytro Camera Gets Innovations Focus

By Greg Tarr On Nov 16 2011 - 6:01am

NEW YORK – Among the more revolutionary new products receiving Innovations Award consideration at the Consumer Electronics Association’s recent International CES 2012 Press Preview was a digital camera that allows adjusting focus after the picture is taken.

Camera Makers Look To CES For New Start

By Greg Tarr On Dec 19 2011 - 6:01am

NEW YORK – Digital camera manufacturers will be looking to International CES as the transition from a year of hell to what they hope will be a new year of prosperity, if Mother Nature will cooperate.

Hit by a double whammy from the Fukushima earthquake and tsunami in Japan, followed months later by the flooding in Thailand that took out many camera and components factories, Japanese camera manufacturers will be scrambling to bring supplies back up to normal levels in the early weeks of 2012.

Fujfilm Ships Instax Mini Instant Print Camera

By Greg Tarr On Dec 19 2011 - 6:01am

VALHALLA, N.Y. – Fujifilm North America recently began shipping its Instax Mini 50S instant print camera for photo buffs and party revelers who want a tactile photo instead of an image made of electronic digital bits.

The compact instant camera, which carries a $130 suggested retail, is available in a piano black finish and spits out a 2.4-inch by 1.8-inch color print to show friends, making it a potential hit at parties and gatherings. Photographers can even write a personal message directly below the image.

Snapily Offers 3D iPhone App

By Greg Tarr On Dec 19 2011 - 6:01am

NEW YORK – It didn’t take long, but 3D photo taking has already made its way into smartphones thanks to a new iPhone app from online photo printing service Snapily.

The company’s 3D iPhone app software runs on both iPhone and iPad iOS devices, and yields “true stereoscopic 3D pictures,” the company said.

The 3D image can also be viewed on the phone’s LCD using a gyroscope mode that requires rocking the phone back and forth to see the different left and right eye angles.

Tamron Adds 18-200mm NEX Camera Lens

By Greg Tarr On Dec 19 2011 - 6:01am

COMMACK, N.Y. – Tamron introduced this month the 18-200mm F/3.5-6.3 Di III VC (model B011) highpower zoom lens designed for to fit Sony NEX (Emount) compact system cameras.

The new all-in-one zoom lens is lightweight and compact, in keeping with the design of the diminutive interchangeable lens camera format.

The lens began shipping in the U.S. Dec. 15 at a $739 suggested retail.

Changing PMA Show Brings New Challenges

By Greg Tarr On Aug 22 2011 - 4:00am

Part V of TWICE's 2011 Digital Imaging Executives Roundtable focuses on the newly aligned PMA and 2012 International CES:

TWICE:  What do you think about the decision to move the PMA Show under the roof of the 2012 International CES? How do you intend to leverage venue?

How Much Does Size Matter In Image Sensors

By Greg Tarr On Aug 22 2011 - 3:59am

Part VI of TWICE's 2011 Digital Imaging Executives Roundtable focuses on the newly aligned PMA and 2012 International CES:

TWICE:  A lot has transpired in the past year in the area of image sensor technology. But as mirrorless compacts evolve along with advances in image processing technology is large sensor size still important?

David Lee, Nikon:  When you look at the market numbers it seems too.  Sony's got about 50 percent of the [mirrorless compact] marketplace.

Sony Unveils Alpha, NEX-Series Cameras

By Greg Tarr On Sep 8 2011 - 4:01am

SAN DIEGO – Sony unveiled a pair of new NEX-series compact interchangeable-lens cameras and a pair of Alpha series d-SLRs for advanced photo enthusiasts.

The company also announced a second-generation model of its consumer-level interchangeable-lens camcorders – the NEX-VG20 (shipping in November at a $1,599 suggested retail), which takes E-mount lenses designed for the NEX camera family.