Canon wants to counterattack the Mirrorless competition with a “super compact camera” with fixed zoom lens!

And finally we know what Canons plan is to counter attack the mirrorless systems. An super compact camera with FIXED(!) zoom lens and with ASP-C sized sensor(!) is coming! Here is the full info:

Wellsfargoadvisors reports that “Canon is unveiling two PowerShot Elph-series point-and-shoot cameras and a new flagship Power-Shot G-series model. The G1X (shipping in February at a $799 suggested retail) will be positioned for advanced amateurs and professionals looking for a walk-around point-and-shoot model and offers a large 1.5-inch 14.3-mega-pixel CMOS image sensor and a 4x (28-112mm) optical zoom lens.
It is said to have a shallow depth of field and an aperture range of F/2.5-16 affording better low-light capability.
Other new features include 14-bit RAW file support, a new DIGIC 5 image processor with improved low-light support, high-speed burst HQ shooting of up to 6fps/4.5 fps at full resolution, multi-area white balance adjustment, expanded Smart Auto settings, child-weighted face detection system, handheld night scene and HDR mode. It will shoot up to FullHD 1080 video and includes a 720p Movie Digest mode to automatically compile a video log of all still shots.

So Canon doesn’t want to create a new interchangeable system but instead launch a terrific high end compact camera. Don’t know what you think guys. But this sounds like a pretty amazing camera. I wonder how the lens will look.  Will it be retractable like in normal compact cameras? Smart move from Canon! Let’s see if it’s enough to scare the mirrorless camera producer.

Samsung NX20 and Fuji X PRO 1 (or LX10) to be unveiled on Wednesday.

After all it seems that Samsung and Fuji only will announce some new mirrorless stuff. Olympus, Panasonic, Sony and Nikon will not have any new mirrorless camera or lens announcement. Maybe Sigma will show some m43 prototypes but that’s it.

On the CES website (Click here) you can see the full press event schedule. On Wednesday January the 12th we will have the Fuji announcement at 12.45pm Las Vegas time. That’s about 3.45pm in New York, 20.45pm in London, 21.45 in Berlin or 3,45 in the morning on Tokyo. Two hours later Samsung will announce the NX20.

I will be here to give you live updates about any news I can find. Let’s see if that Fuji camera is really going to affect my (and your) bank account :)

Next Fuji leak right before the official presentation!

Right before the official announcement there has been another Fuji mirrorless camera leak at Omuser (via Photorumors). The original image has been removed from the chinese website. As you see the camera has a grip and comes in a full black version. As noticed by one of our readers it really has the same . Difficult to guess what size the sensor has but it doesn’t look like it is a fullframe. Anyway, you will not have to wait a long time to see the real camera along the real specs. It’s going to be displayed on Monday at the CES show in Las Vegas!

Samsung puts on hold the medium format mirrorless launch.

I have been just told by our sources that Samsung has no plan yet to release the medium format camera prototype you can see on the image on top. The project is still on hold and Samsung is still considering if it makes sense to release such a system. One more interesting backstory: The latest sensor tested for the medium format prototype was 42x28mm big!

If you aree looking for a mirrorless medium format camera than you have to cross the fingers and hope that Pentax will get serious with their alike mirrorless project hinted a couple of weeks ago at Impressjapan!

SLRmagic announces a superfast Hyperprime 50mm M-mount lens!


Even in these days of holiday I cannot rest :) SLRmagic just announced a superfast 50mm M-mount lens that aims to compete against the super expensive Leica Noctilux lens (which costs over $10.000 at Bhphoto).

Click on the thumbnails below to enlarge the images.

PRESS RELEASE
NEW: THE SLR Magic HyperPrime CINE 50mm T0.95
SLR Magic expands its M mount lineup with a new normal focal length lens

Hong Kong, China (January 1, 2012)  – SLR Magic opens up the M mount lens lineup with the new SLR Magic HyperPrime CINE 50mm T0.95 ultra fast normal focal length lens. The world’s fastest interchangeable camera lens with an image circle beyond full frame coverage in its focal length, the SLR Magic HyperPrime CINE 50mm T0.95 concept lens will be publicly available for experience testing in September 2012 at Photokina in Cologne, Germany.

The field of view of this new HyperPrime Lens corresponds to a 50mm lens in 35mm format. It is optimized to be shot wide open. This ultra fast normal focal length prime lens opens up many new creative composition opportunities, particularly in the fields of available light, in portrait, and street cinematography. Built with modern non aspherical lens technology, the lens excels at defocusing busy backgrounds at T0.95. A minimum focus distance of 0.70m allows for artistic bokeh effect. A fast maximum aperture of T0.95 makes the SLR Magic HyperPrime CINE 50mm T0.95 ideal for available-light photography.

Our highest priority in the development of all HyperPrime lenses is to fulfill the demands of professional cinematographers and photographers. The design and build of the SLR Magic HyperPrime CINE 50mm T0.95 is solid and reliable.

The SLR Magic HyperPrime CINE 50mm T0.95, a concept lens, will be available from authorized SLR Magic dealers by the end of September 2012.

Technical Data
SLR Magic HyperPrime CINE 50mm T0.95
Lens Type: Fast normal lens with seven Tantalum glass elements to  ensure superior cinematic performance.
Compatible Cameras: All RangeFinder M mount, LM mount for cinematography,  E-mount, and micro four thirds cameras
Optical Design: 12 elements in 7 groups
Distance range:  0.70m to ?, combined scale meter/feet
Aperture:  Manually controlled diaphragm, 12 aperture blades (circular), Lowest value 16
Bayonet:  M-mount, E-mount, micro four thirds
Filter Mount: 62mm; filter mount does not rotate.
Surface Finish: Black anodized
Length to bayonet mount: approx. 95mm (approx. 3.74in) without hood approx. 110mm (approx. 4.33in) with retractable hood
Largest diameter: approx. 73mm (approx. 2.87in)
Weight: approx. 975g (approx. 34.39oz)

Andrew Chan
Product Manager

The Fuji X PRO 1 is coming. Costs around 1.500 Euro (body only)!

Response Photo interviewed MR. Franck Portelance from Fuji France. The interview itself doesn’t unveil anything about the upcoming new Fuji interchangeable lens system. But it’s quite “curious” to notice how the same Interviewer added some info about the new system inside the same article. Basically he says that he heard from his “source” that the new Fuji camera will be named “Fuji X Pro 1”. It will be announced in February and the body only will cost 1.500 Euro. The camera willf eature the new organic sensor. Doens’t sound like it’s a pure guess ;)

P.S: The Fuji X100 costs around 1.000 Euro (Check here at [shopcountry 100018]). So what do you think about the rumored X1 price?

 

A rumor about the Samsung EX1 successor….

I got a news form a trusted source about the upcoming new EX1 successor:
Samsung will announce the EX1 substitute at CES on January. The new sensor is a CMOS 2/3″ 12MPx BSI. The body is very similar to EX1 but with an on-body EVF, the same on NX-10, it makes the camera a little taller than EX-1. The zoom is a 24-75mm with mechanical ring control and optional 21mm setting as WB210.The lens has an additional ring with Ifunction like on NX lenses for camera control and manual focus. It keep the swivel amoled screen.

Sounds like a terrific nice compact camera!