Nikon 1 uses aptina sensor (+ more reviews).

Chipworks (Click here) dismantled one of the new Nikon 1 cameras and discovered that it actually sues an Aptina sensor. It will be interesting to see if Nikon will in future use Aptina sensors instead of Sony sensors even on larger sensors! Maybe Nikon’s plan is to become completely independent from Sony.

There is a new Nikon J1 review at Trustedreviews (Click here): “The Nikon J1 is a stylish looking compact system camera that delivers class-leading shooting speeds, super-efficient AF performance and vibrant, punchy images. However, given the highly competitive nature of the CSC market this isn’t really enough to elevate it above its peers and many rival CSCs offer richer feature sets and better value for money“.

The same camera has been reviewed by Cnet Uk (Click here): “It is a lot of money and some buyers may be put off by the conservative resolution, which tops out at 10.1 megapixels. Look beyond the pixels because the J1 is about quality not quantity, and here it delivers in spades to fully justify its asking price“.

Mirrorless news roundup….(X10, X100, M9)

Shawn Low from Cnet Asia (Click here) reviewed the Fuji X10: “the X10 impressed us with its retro classic design, pleasing colors and good low-light performance for its class. However, the poor battery life and high price–at S$999, it’s about 30 percent costlier than competitor models“.

And there are two more Fuji X10 reviews at DC.watch (google translated) and Nikkeibp (Click here)

Cnet UK (Click here) posted a new Leica M9 review: “If you can afford it, and you’re prepared to spend time getting to know the M9 or M9-P, then you’ll be rewarded by some of the best pictures you’ve ever taken. It’s very easy to grab some technically excellent results after just a couple of days’ play.“

The invisiblephotographer (Click here) posted a short X100 field review.

Nikon V1 and J1 make into the Amazon top 10 mirrorless ranking. And plenty of new reviews!

You can finally buy the Nikon 1 and it is already showing on the Amazon Rankings:
Amazon US mirrorless ranking (Click here): At the moment of writing I counted four different Nikon 1 kits into the top 20!
Amazon UK mirrorless ranking (Click here): here we have a completely different picture. Only Nikon V1 double kit made it into the top 20.
Amazon DE mirrorless ranking (Click here): Same situation as UK. Also here the V1 ouble kit is the only selling well.
Amazon FR mirrorless ranking (Click here): French people doesn’t like Nikon :)

Reviewers are quite busy testing and posting their Nikon 1 findings. You can read them on Hybridcams, Pocket-Lint, Photoxels, Techradar and Photoscala.

Ricoh will “fill the gap”

Marketing Magazine (via Rice High via Noisycamera) interviewed the Ricoh UK marketing director said that Ricoh will “fill the gap” in 2012. Of course he didn’t unveil what Ricoh means with the word “gap”. But it’s easy to guess that we are talking about a new high end module, probably with full frame sensor? Would be nice! My dreams about a cheap Leica M9 could become true! :)

Fuji Brazil confirms that the X interchangeable camera will come in February 2012.

The brazilian website Ztop (Clcik here) posted a full Fuji X10 review. But it contains a small interesting info about the upcoming interchangeable X system. A Fuji powerpoint shows that the first X camera will be announced in February 2012.

Can’t wait to see that new system. Fuji promised that it would dliver a better image quality than any Fullframe system! My money is ready for you Fuji! :)

Leica says: “optical finders will get less and less important”

Mr. Stefan Daniel (Director Product Management at Leica Camera AG) had an interview with Leica Blog (Via Megapixel). And there are first small hints about the future Leica mirrorless system with electronic viewfinder:
1) “The experience with the very successful Leica X1 leads us to the opinion that a Leica with an interchangeable lens should have at least an APS-sized sensor.“
2) “I think that the quality of the 1.4MP finders is already very good, and sometimes even more accurate than an optical finder, think of white balance or exposure. Over time, as technology is improving, optical finders will get less and less important. The X100 finder is a very nice concept and well executed.“
3) “Offering additional functions such as video and live view would extend the usability of the M camera significantly. CMOS is a prerequisite for it, therefore it will be the technology of the future.“

Now that sounds intriguing. Stefan praises the Fuji X100 finder concept. So will they try to use a hybrid viewfinder on their cameras? Would be amazing!

New firmware for Samsung, Olympus, Fuji and Ricoh!

There are a couple of new firmwares for your mirrorless  cameras:

1) Fuji X100 – Download here
The firmware update Ver.1.11 incorporates the following issues.
1.Performance of auto focus at near distance has been improved.
2.When “SHADW TONE” is set to “MEDIUM SOFT” or “SOFT”, live view in LCD may display with abnormal pattern (so-called “solarisation”) just after pressing the shutter halfway. This update improves the phenomena.
3.When self-timer mode is selected, focus and exposure (AE/AF) are set just after pressing the shutter button and these settings are remained for the final shutter releasing.

2) Ricoh GR Digital III firmware version 2.50 – Download here
1. The displayed text for aperture / shutter speed may be lacking when auto rotating. Modified the display correctly.
2. Improved focus accuracy when Spot AF is used under brightness environment.
3. Corrected the focus-bar display under the following conditions. Aperture Priority mode or Manual Exposure mode for mode dial; [Snap] for Focus; and [1.5 m] for Snap Focus Distance.
4. White Balance Compensation in the Playback mode is now available for JPEG files that are recorded with RAW images.

3) Samsung NX5, NX10, NX11 and NX100 (found via OpenPn)
– NX5 version 1.21  Download here.
– NX10 version 1.31 Download here.
– NX11 version 1.11 Download here.
– NX100 version 1.12 Download here.

4) Olympus E-P3 version 1.1 Download here
1. The issue of the buttons not working when the Monitor (Touch screen) is touched while using the Electronic viewfinder has been resolved.
2. The issue of the AF target not displaying while using the Eye-Fi card has been resolved.