It’s not the cheapest, and it’s not the first, but if you’ve been holding out on picking up an M-Mount adapter for your X-Pro1 with the hope that Fujifilm will launch a Leica-friendly accessory of its own, your patience does appear to have paid off. The camera maker just announced its very own M-Mount Adapter, featuring a 27.8mm distance between the lens mount and the sensor, an aluminum and stainless steel construction, and three levels of distortion correction. After you upgrade your camera firmware to version 1.10 (or later), you’ll have access to an advanced M-Mount Adapter Settings menu, which utilizes pre-registered lens profiles and corrections. The software includes presets for 21mm, 24mm, 28mm and 35mm Leica lenses, leaving two additional slots for adding your own settings. You’ll need to hang in there for a few more weeks — the M-Mount Adapter is expected to ship for $200 in June.

Pentax didn’t wait long after a rather conspicuous leak to make the details official: welcome the K-30, the company’s spiritual successor to the long-serving K-r. The camera makes its biggest numerical jump in sensor size, from 12.4 megapixels to 16, but you’re primarily shelling out for a much tougher body that’s both resistant to rain as well as to dust and temperature extremes; one of the cheapest cameras to do so, if you go by Pentax’s word. We’re slightly down on the light sensitivity being unchanged from three years ago at ISO 100 to 25,600, though you can now shoot video at a much higher 1080p at 30 frames per second — and that French catalog was wrong about a drop in burst speeds, which still top out at a healthy 6 fps. Should you be committed to the K-mount ways, stores will have the K-30 in July at $850 body-only and $900 for an 18-55mm kit. While you’re in the shop, there will also be a new 50mm f/1.8 prime lens to pick up for $250.

SOURCE via Pentax

As powerful as they’ve become, Mirrorless camera systems can’t match the versatility of a full-size DSLR. One key component we haven’t seen is a constant-aperture lens, offering a consistent large aperture size throughout the zoom range. That changed today. Panasonic’s new Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm optic packs one incredible advantage over its compact competitors — a constant f/2.8 aperture. Because of the Micro Four Thirds system’s 2x multiplication factor, this 12-35mm lens covers the same zoom range of 24-70mm glass on a full-frame camera, in a significantly smaller package. The optic consists of 14 elements in nine groups, and includes UED and UHR lenses to increase image quality and minimize distortion, along with built-in image stabilization and Panasonic’s Nano Surface Coating to reduce ghosting and lens flare. It’s also splash- and dust-resistant, and features a metal mount on the rear. Panasonic has yet to release pricing in the US, but the European price tag has been estimated at €1,100 (about $1,400) — by comparison, Canon’s equivalent optic (from a specification perspective) will run you $1,600. For its part, the 12-35mm MFT lens is expected to hit stores in August.

SOURCE via DSLR Magazine

Hasselblad is typically known for everything but price cuts, and sometimes goes in the opposite direction. As such, we’re more than a little caught off-guard by a round of price cuts on what’s usually considered the definitive medium format camera line. The ‘entry’ H4D-31 has been cut down by as much as 23 percent; we’re not sure we’d call it a steal at $11,995 without a lens, but it’s now an option if you think even a Nikon D800′s full-frame sensor is puny. Price slashes aren’t reserved for the bargain models, either, as even the 200-megapixel, status symbol H4D-200MS shaves enough off the cost (now $35,995) to be a worth look for those sitting on the fence. You can get the full details at the source link, and you won’t have to survive on ramen noodles for a year to shoot billboard-sized photos.

SOURCE via Hasselblad

Looks like the whole prediction for cheaper, full-frame cameras from both Canon and Nikon is coming closer to fruition. The guys over at Nikon Rumors have given the D600 rumor an 80% chance of happening and if they say so, chances are they are right. Slated to be shown to the world before Photokina, here are some of the specs for the supposed entry-level full frame shooter:

     •    39 AF points (with an option of 11 AF points)
    •    5 fps (same as the D700, the D800 has 4fps)
    •    2 SD card slots with Eye-fi support
    •    Build-in retouching images functionality
    •    Built-in flash with sync speed of 1/250s
    •    Two user settings: U1 and U2
    •    GPS
    •    HD video
    •    The sensor inside the D600 will probably be 24MP (made by Sony, modified by Nikon)
    •    Auto DX crop mode
    •    In-camera RAW editor
    •    Built in time-lapse functionality
    •    Possibly with build-in HDR
    •    Possibly with integrated GPS
    •    New external battery grip
    •    To be released this summer
  •    The D600 will probably not have an internal AF motor, which means it will work only with AF-S lenses (just like the D3200 and D5100)
    •    The price of the D600 is rumored to be very low – maybe as low as $1500
    •    Announcement before Photokina (September 2012)
    •    One or more low-priced f/4 lenses will be announced with the D600. For example, Nikon recently filed a patent for a 24-70mm f/3.5-4.5 full frame lens which seems to be designed for a cheaper FX DSLR body

So what do you think? At US$1,500, is this the perfect bridge camera for DX to FX? All I know is that I can’t wait to see what Canon has as an answer to this!

SOURCE via Nikon Rumors

If you’ve ever wondered if designer names alone can send a product’s price tag through the roof, this should suffice as confirmation. Hermès, the Parisian fashion giant best known for its prohibitively expensive wearable accessories, has teamed up with Leica for some creative marketing.

Two special M9-P editions will be available — a total of 300 Edition Hermès digital rangefinders will ship beginning in June for $25,000, while 100 “very special” (even more exclusive) Edition Hermès – Série Limitée Jean-Louis Dumas models will be available in July for, ahem, $50,000 (that’s fifty thousand, in case you assumed it was a typo).

Likely realizing that it would be insanely absurd to unload the M9-P for either price without lenses included, Leica has opted to offer both as complete kits. The less expensive version uses some fancy calfskin leather with a silver chrome finish, and ships with a Leica Summilux-M 50 mm f/1.4 ASPH. optic. The “very special” version, on the other hand, includes a Leica Summicron-M 28 mm f/2 ASPH., a Leica Noctilux-M 50 mm f/0.95 ASPH. and a Leica APO-Summicron-M 90 mm f/2 ASPH — all finished in anodized silver.

It also comes with a bag and a book. Due to the incredibly limited production run, you’ll probably want to pitch a tent (or have your assistant park their assistant’s Maybach) outside the Washington DC Leica Store, beginning sometime later this month.

Leica has built a name for itself in the compact market over the years with a handful of Panasonic rebrands — these Lumix models come equipped with a matte black housing, Leica lens and that famous red dot, with the inflated price tag to match. With this latest batch of cameras, the company appears to be taking a more respectable approach — at least with its high-end X2. But first, let’s tackle the V-Lux 40.

On the Panasonic front, this camera looks strikingly similar to the Lumix DMC-ZS20 we saw emerge after CES. Both cameras include 14.1-megapixel 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensors, a 20x, 24-480mm f/3.3-6.4 optical zoom lens and 1080p video capture. The housing has been modified slightly to include a recessed control panel, Panasonic branding has been removed and the Leica logo added. Such luxuries more than double the camera’s price from $269 to $699. Ouch. You can pick up the V-Lux 40 beginning today, or you can grab two virtually identical ZS20s for the same amount, with significant cash to spare.

You may remember the Leica X1, but you probably don’t. This $2,000 shooter was determined to be overpriced when it launched way back in 2009, and now the APS-C-equipped series has returned for a refresh. Dubbed the X2, this year’s flavor ups the ante with a 16.2-megapixel CMOS sensor (boosted from 12.2) while retaining that beloved $2k sticker price.

The compact all-in-one includes a fixed 24mm Leica Elmarit f/2.8 ASPH lens, which the company validates as a “classical focal length for photojournalism,” and a 2.7-inch 230k-pixel LCD on the rear. There’s also an option to add a Viso-Flex 1.4MP viewfinder with a 90-degree swivel function, along with a shoe-mounted mirror finder. The $1,995 camera’s price tag may be tough to swallow — but only until you discover the gratis copy of Adobe Lightroom in the box. Both the V-Lux 40 and X2 are available now.

Wildly colorful photos got you down? There’s an 18-megapixel full-frame sensor for that. The Leica M Monochom may seem an unlikely proposition, with its monochrome-only sensor and $8,000 price tag (not to mention the added financial burden that comes along with investing in a Leica M-mount), but the camera offers some unique benefits that, for some, may justify the cost.

Because the sensor is capable of outputting one pixel of data for each pixel captured — there’s no hint of color mucking about — the resulting images are incredibly sharp. There are low-light benefits as well, with the Monochrom offering a top ISO setting of 10,000, compared to 2500 with the aging M9. Other features include a 2.5-inch 230k-dot color LCD, a rangefinder-type optical viewfinder and a 14-bit uncompressed RAW mode that yields 36MB DNGs.

The camera itself offers an appearance consistent with other Leica snappers, and includes a magnesium alloy construction with hints of brass and chrome. Naturally, there’s no video features to speak of, so no 1080p black-and-white shoots for you. We do have pricing and availability, however, though we don’t exactly have the funds to match.

The body-only M Monochrom is expected to retail for $7,970 when it hits stores (beginning with Leica’s Washington DC showroom) in July. A new Leica APO-Summicron-M 50 mm f/2 ASPH prime lens will be available around the same time, for the modest sum of $7,195.

SOURCE via DPreview

When Canon promised a fix for the EOS 5D Mark III’s preview LCD leaking light, photographers wondered just what the “countermeasures” would be to prevent the display from affecting exposure readouts. The remedy, it turns out, is a simple patch — of the physical kind, not software. Roger Cicala at LensRentals was brave enough to tear down one of the DSLRs shipping with a fix already in place and found black electrical tape covering the LCD area that would otherwise spill light into the exposure meter. While basic, the solution does the trick, and will no doubt be a relief to shutterbugs who want to know exactly what exposure they’ll get while snapping photos in the dark.

SOURCE via LensRentals

As Contour continues to do battle with GoPro over the action-sport POV camera market, its latest offensive centers around prepackaged activity-specific mount kits that should make it easier for customers to pick one up and go. Also new is an all-in-one ContourRoam watersports kit that includes the HD camera and waterproof case that’s capable of keeping it dry at depths of up to 60m. The mount kits include sets for skiers, cyclists, motorcyclists, hikers and an all-purpose helmet mount kit. All of these are available starting today on the company’s website and at select retailers, with the mount kits going for between $59 – $99 and the Roam Watersports kit for $249. We appreciated the Contour+’s sleek package in our head to head test with the Hero 2 last month and the addition of these packages should help it compete on price and ease of use right out of the box.