DP Review

Canon has released the EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM, aimed at being an affordable 'L'-grade telephoto lens. It offers a ring-type ultrasonic autofocus motor, weatherproof construction, claimed four-stop image stabilization and a minimum focus distance of 1.2m, all in a package about the same size as the existing EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM. Additional features include an 8-bladed circular aperture, full-time manual focus override, and an optional tripod mount ring.

Canon has announced the EF 8-15mm f/4 L USM, the world's first fisheye zoom lens to offer both circular and full frame images. This replacement for the EF 15mm F2.8 fisheye will produce circular images with a 180 degree angle of view when used at its widest setting on 35mm-format cameras such as the EOS 5D Mark II, and images which cover the full sensor area at 15mm. It also incorporates marks at intermediate zoom positions denoting the widest settings which can be used on APS-C and APS-H format cameras to give full frame images without vignetting. The lens features weatherproof construction, including water-repellant Fluorine coating on the front and rear elements, and Canon's 'Sub-Wavelength Structure Coating' to minimize flare and ghosting.

Canon has introduced updated versions of two of its professional telephoto lenses, in the shape of the EF 300mm f/2.8 L IS II USM and the EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM. Both feature completely new optical designs, along with lighter weight construction employing magnesium alloy and titanium. Sub Wavelength Structure coatings are employed to minimize flare, plus water-repellant Fluorine coatings on the front and rear elements. A new IS mode has been added that activates stabilization only during exposure, alongside a 'Power Focus' mode for video shooting. The upgrades are rounded off by the addition of repositionable AF stop buttons and a choice of tripod mounts.

Canon has announced it is developing updated versions of its 500mm and 600mm f/4L IS USM professional lenses. Similar to the 300mm and 400mm lenses announced today, the EF 500mm F/4L IS II USM and the EF 600mm F/4L IS II USM will feature new optical designs, lighter-weight construction and water-repellant Fluorine coatings.

Canon has updated its 1.4x and 2x 'Extender' teleconverters, to version III. The EF Extender 1.4x III and EF Extender 2x III both offer completely new optical designs, weather resistant construction, Fluorine coatings on the front and rear elements, and promise higher AF accuracy than the previous versions. They also include redesigned lens release mechanisms and integrated processors for improved communication between the camera and lens.

Canon has announced an updated version of its EOS E1 plug-in for Apple's Final Cut Pro video-editing software extending support to the EOS 60D DSLR. Already compatible with the company's EOS-1D Mark IV, 7D and 5D Mark II, the plug-in converts recorded footage into Apple's ProRes 422 compression format at approximately twice the speed of Apple’s standard conversion and allows users to log and mark videos with timecode, reel names and metadata.

Nik Software has announced HDR Efex Pro, an HDR processing plug-in for Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom and Apple Aperture compatible with both Windows and Mac. Based around its proprietary tone mapping technology, it offers number of presets and tools for selective fine-tuning, ghost removal and shadow/highlight recovery for both multiple and single images. The software installs as a 32-bit or 64-bit plug-in compatible with the applications as far back as Photoshop CS3, Lightroom 2.3 and Apple Aperture 2.1. HDR Efex Pro will be available from Autumn 2010 at a suggested retail price of $159.95.

Adobe has developed a set of three online tools as the primary way of interacting with its Photoshop.com online storage and editing site. The Photoshop Express Editor, Organizer and Uploader have been optimized to integrate with the company's recently released Photoshop Express apps for iPad, iPhone, and Android devices and promise faster and 'more intuitive' uploading, editing, and organizing abilities.

In a press release announcing its attendance in Photokina 2010, Carl Zeiss has announced it will be launching accessories for the first time along with new lenses.

Canon has announced it has developed a 120 megapixel 29.2 x 20.2mm APS-H CMOS sensor - the same size used in its EOS-1D series of professional DSLRs. The sensor, for which Canon has announced no production plans, has a pixel count nearly 7.5 times larger than the company's highest pixel count commercially available sensor. It offers full HD recording (using 1/60th of its surface area) and can deliver 9.5fps continuous shooting. This follows a 50 million pixel sensor of similar format the company developed in 2007.

Just Posted: Our review of the Sony SLT A55 interchangeable lens camera. Sony's latest camera uses a fixed translucent mirror to redirect some of the captured light to the autofocus sensor, ensuring it can use fast, phase-detection AF at all times. The result is a full-time live view camera that can shoot at 10 frames per second and autofocus during video shooting. Its radical design blurs the already hazy line between DSLRs and mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras but has the potential to completely re-shape the market. We've had a production-standard SLT A55 for a little while now. So does it live up to the promise or did we see right through it? We reflect...

Sony has unveiled the SLT A55 and SLT A33, the first pair of cameras to incorporate the company's translucent mirror design. The Single Lens Translucent (SLT) cameras offer live view with full-time fast phase-detection AF whether in stills or movie shooting. This is achieved by having a fixed, semi-transparent mirror that redirects a small amount of light onto the AF sensor while allowing the rest through onto the main imaging sensor. The A55 is built around a 16.2MP sensor while the A33 features a 14.2MP unit. Both feature 3.0" articulated LCDs, full HD video recording and ISO sensitivity up to 12,800, while the A55 also features built-in GPS. Priced at $749 and $649 respectively, the A55 will be available from October, while the A33 will hit the markets earlier, in September.

Sony has announced the addition of the A580 and A560 to its consumer-level DSLR range. Both the 16.2MP A580 and 14.2MP A560 are based around the company's Exmor APS HD CMOS sensors and enhanced Bionz processors. Both cameras can record 1080p full HD movies and deliver 7 fps in continuous shooting mode. They also include Sony's two-mode live view system with a 15-point phase-detection AF or a Manual Focus Check mode. Other features shared by both cameras include 3.0" fold-out LCDs, an enhanced Auto HDR mode, sensitivity of up to ISO 25,600 and 3D Sweep Panorama mode. Priced at €900 and €800 respectively, the A580 will be available from October 2010, while and the A560 will arrive in the first quarter of 2011.

Along with the latest SLTs and DSLRs, Sony has also announced the 24mm F2, 35mm F1.8 and 85mm F2.8 Alpha lenses in the US. Announced a month ago in the European market, the 24mm and 85mm lenses will start shipping from late September at retail prices of $1,250 and $250 respectively, followed by the 35mm which will be available from mid-October at a retail price of $200.

Phase One, Mamiya and lighting manufacturer Profoto have jointly announced the V-Grip Air, a vertical grip with built-in wireless flash trigger. The V-Grip Air, designed for the Phase One and Mamiya 645DF cameras allows wireless flash control at sync speeds up to 1/1600s. The wireless system works with all current and most modern Profoto flash systems and can be used with other makers' flashes using an optional Profoto transceiver unit. The grip will be priced at $1290/€990 while the transceiver unit for third-party flashes costs $199/€149.

Metz has introduced the Mecablitz 58 AF-2 and 50 AF-1 flashguns for Canon, Nikon, Sony, Pentax and Four Thirds cameras. Successors to the 58 AF-1 and 48 AF-1, the latest models feature metal mounts with enhanced locking systems for faster mounting and wider angle diffusers for focal lengths from 12 mm equivalent. In the 58 AF-2, its slave/servo sensor has been integrated to the front of the unit to increase transmission of wireless flashes, meanwhile the 50 AF-1 sees a power increase to guide number to 50.

Kodak has released what it calls the world's thinnest 5x optical zoom compact. Measuring 15mm on its thinnest side, the EasyShare M950 digital compact offers 14Mp sensor, 35-175mm equiv. lens and 2.7" LCD. It includes features such as 720p HD recording, direct online sharing options and takes Micro SD/SDHC memory cards. The company has also announced the Pulse 10-inch touchscreen digital frame with internet access. Both the camera and digital frame are priced at $199.95 each and will be available from the end of this month.

Ricoh has released the CX4 compact superzoom with a 10 megapixel back-illuminated CMOS sensor. It offers the same 10.7x (28-300mm equiv.) zoom lens, 920k dot 3 inch LCD and 720p HD video recording as the company's CX3, but with enhanced image stabilization. The company says its latest version reduces blur to a degree equivalent to using a shutter speed 3.7 EV faster than actually being used. Other features include subject-tracking AF and additional shooting modes.

Ricoh has released the CX4 compact superzoom with a 10 megapixel back-illuminated CMOS sensor. It offers the same 10x (28-300mm equiv.) optical zoom lens, 920k dot 3 inch LCD and 720p HD video recording as the CX3 compact, but offers enhanced image stabilization that claims to reduce blur on average by the equivalent of about -/+3.7 EV usable shutter-speed stops. Other features include subject-tracking AF and additional shooting modes.

Nikon has unveiled the D3100, its latest entry-level offering and its first DSLR that can record full 1080p HD videos. Successor to the popular D3000, it is built around a 14.2 CMOS sensor and a 3 inch LCD. As well as movies it gains Live View shooting, a wider ISO range ( 100-3200 expandable to 12800) and a host of small revisions. The camera will be available soon at a retail price of £579.99 / €599 with the 18-55mm VR lens. We've been given access to a pre-production version of the camera which we've used to prepare a hands-on preview, looking at the changes Nikon has made to its best-selling DSLR.