Sony has developed a new next-generation back-illuminated CMOS image sensor with higher image quality, faster speeds, lower power consumption and better functionality. This image sensor layers the pixel section containing formations of back-illuminated structure pixels onto chips containing the circuit section for signal processing, which is in place of supporting substrates for conventional back-illuminated CMOS image sensors. Models have been developed with Sony’s unique “RGBW Coding” function, which facilitates low noise, high quality image capture even in low light condition, and the proprietary “HDR (High Dynamic Range) Movie” function, which achieves brilliant color even when taking pictures against bright light. Samples of the new Sony BSI sensor will be shipped from March 2012.

Olympus are running a teaser advert in the UK magazine Amateur Photographer which hints at a new OM branded camera. Taking up the entire back page of AP, the letters O and M in the opening and closing lines “Oh! My Goodness! are in bold, suggesting to us that a digital OM model is on the way, especially as 2012 is the 40th anniversary of the Olympus OM system.

Furthermore Photo Rumors have pointed out that Olympus registered the trademark, OM-D, at the start of January, perhaps strongly hinting at the full “Olympus OM-D” name of the new camera.

With the Japanese photography show CP+ just around the corner (it opens on February 9th), we’d expect to see the official announcement sooner rather than later. In the meantime you can pre-register for updates and exlcusive pre-launch events by texting “Olympus” to 88802 or going to http://bit.ly/olympusOMG All v.ery mysterious…

Click through to see the full advert.

A detailed hands-on look at the new Polaroid Android HD Camera.

The Polaroid SC6130 Android HD Camera is the world’s first digital camera to have the Android mobile operating system built-into it. Running Android 2.3.4, it offers all the benefits of that OS and you may even be able to make calls on it too, as it looks and feels very much like a smartphone. Camera wise, there’s a 16 megapixel CCD sensor, 3x optical lens and 3.2 inch touchscreen display. Due to be released in April and available in 6 colours, the Polaroid Android HD Camera will cost around $300.

Take a closer look at the Polaroid Android HD Camera in our photo gallery.

Who would have thought that a digital camera inspired by the almost-bygone era of film would become an instant best-seller for a company that has been mostly absent from the higher-end of the market? That’s what the X100 achieved for Fujifilm in 2011, a retro product with a very modern twist that has proved to be by far the biggest surprise of the year, and a clear winner of our Camera of the Year 2011 award.

“The X100 delivers all of the goods and more in terms of its overall handling and image quality. Fujifilm have married the best of the past, in the multitude of external controls, leaf-shutter, optical viewfinder and stunning appearance, with some cutting-edge features, most notably the hybrid optical / electronic viewfinder, which really is a revelation to use.”

Read the Full Review

Congratulations to Fujifilm and the X100!

Leica has issued a firmware update for the Leica M9 full-frame digital rangefinder camera. Version 1.176 enables M9 owners to use “any SD card that is in accordance with the respective standards”, with practically no restrictions. While stressing that “it is impossible to test the compatibility of every single card of every single supplier”, Leica now says that all SD cards manufactured by SanDisk should function properly in the M9 once the firmware update is installed (when the previous firmware version was released, the company “mistakenly stated” that San Disk Extreme Pro SDHC I UHS-I and San Disk Extreme HD Video SDHC I memory cards might not be compatible with the camera). You can download Version1.176 from the website below.

Ilex Press has released the pilot issue of Photographer’s i Magazine, which is billed as “the world’s first interactive, multimedia tablet magazine for photographers”. Photographer’s i offers informative articles about the world of photography in the form of text, photos, video and audio as fully integrated elements that add up to an informative experience greater than the sum of its parts, the publisher says. The pilot issue — available for US $1.99 / UK £1.49 after downloading the free app from iTunes or the Android Market — features internationally acclaimed professional photographers such as Abbas, Julian Broad, Michael Freeman, Steve Simon, Jay Maisel, Romano Cagnoni, Bob Krist, Haje Jan Kamps, Stephanie G. Roberts, Natalie “Miss Aniela” Dybisz, Robert Golden, Laura El-Tantawy, Steve Sint and others. Future issues will be available for a single issue price of US $5.99 (UK c. £3.75) or through money-saving subscription offers.

Canon UK has launched its 2011/2012 Winter Cashback with offers on 18 models across their EOS, IXUS and PowerShot camera ranges, Legria camcorders, Pixma and Pixma Pro printers. The promotion runs until 25 January 2012, and all claims must be received by 24 February. The offers are valid on purchases made in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland only. Click through / scroll down for a detailed list of the promotional products.

Leica has issued a firmware update for the Leica M9 digital rangefinder camera. Version 1.174 addresses a compatibility issue related to select types of new memory cards, which has caused some users to lose photos captured with the camera. Note that Leica still warns against using San Disk Extreme Pro SDHC I UHS-I and San Disk Extreme HD Video SDHC I memory cards in the M9, as “some misbehaviour occurred in the test phase” and “100% freedom from errors cannot yet be guaranteed with them”. The company stresses that other SanDisk cards have been found to work fine in cameras equipped with the latest firmware, which you can download from the website below.

The SanDisk Memory Vault is a photo album for the digital age. It provides consumers with peace of mind that their precious photos and videos will be preserved for up to 100 years. The SanDisk Memory Vault is available in 8 GB and 16GB capacities and costs $49.99 and $89.99 respectively.

Jessops has announced a number of deals and the chance to win a superzoom digital camera at its Isle of Man store in Douglas. To celebrate the Commonwealth Youth Games, the Jessops store within the Strand Shopping Centre is offering a £100 discount on the Sony A35, a temporary 50% price reduction on in-store photo books and in-store canvas prints, and 25% off 1 hour in-store photo printing services. You can also buy the Tamron 70-300mm f.4/5.6 Di lens for £99.95 and the Velbon UP-400 monopod for £14.95, representing savings of £20 and £5, respectively. Additionally, SanDisk Extreme and Extreme Pro memory cards can be purchased at a 20% discount. All offers are for a limited period only from Wednesday 7th to Tuesday 13th September.  The company has also announced a competition: those who e-mail their action shots to jessopsfacebook@gmail.com will see them featured on Jessops’ Facebook page and also get a chance to win an Olympus VR-320 camera (pictured).

Leica M9 owners who like the discreet look of the new Leica M9-P but are not willing to fork out $7,995 for a new camera can take advantage of a new service announced by Leica. Through the North American Headquarters in Allendale, NJ, Leica will be offering a “Sapphire Glass” upgrade package ($1,295) and a “Top Cover and Sapphire Glass” upgrade package ($1,995). The first package offers the replacement of the M9 monitor cover with the M9-P’s scratch-resistant, sapphire crystal cover, while the second includes the replacement of the monitor glass and the replacement of the top deck and base plate. Interested customers are encouraged to schedule appointments starting 8 August 2011 for upgrades from 3 October 2011 through Leica Camera. All upgrades will be performed by specifically trained technicians and will be a part of Leica’s regular repair service. Customers taking advantage of either service will also receive a one-year warranty extension.

Online backup experts MiMedia have teamed up with Digital Memories to offer customers a combined digitisation-backup service. Customers who enlist Digital Memories to scan photos will have the option to automatically pre-populate a MiMedia account. MiMedia offers 7GB of free storage space to any and all consumers, and Digital Memories customers with media collections larger than 7GB will still receive three months of MiMedia for free, with a discount on conversion.

Lytro says it will soon be launching “light field” cameras that can capture all of the light rays in a scene to offer photographic capabilities never before possible, such as focusing a picture after it’s taken. Unlike conventional cameras, which can only record a scene in two dimensions, light field cameras can capture all of the light travelling in every direction through a scene “in four dimensions”. A light field picture taken with a Lytro camera can be manipulated after the fact in ways not possible with editing software. The company says the new light field cameras will be available later this year. An interactive demo gallery is available at the website below.

Leica has released a firmware update for the Leica M9 full-frame digital rangefinder camera. Enhancements in version 1.162 include an “improvement of the sensor homogeneity for wide-angle lenses”. There is an additional colour calibration for all wide-angle lenses, which minimises chromatic deviations between image centre and image corner, especially in critical shooting situations. Additionally, internal software processes have been optimised in order to improve overall system stability. You can download the update from the website below.

Website: Leica M9 Firmware Version 1.162

Leica has issued a firmware update for the Leica M8 digital rangefinder camera. Version 2.014 adds support for the new Leica Super-Elmar-M 21mm f/3.4 lens and optimises internal processes for better overall stability. The Leica M8 firmware upgrade can be obtained from the website below.

Website: Leica M8 Downloads

The Leica M9-P is a new, re-styled variant of the Leica M9 full-frame digital rangefinder camera. Billed as the “new ultra-discreet version of the Leica M9”, the Leica M9-P loses the famous Leica ‘red dot’ logo and M9 lettering that decorate the M9’s front plate but the top plate is now engraved with the Leica name in classic script form. In addition, the Leica M9-P includes a scratch-resistant, sapphire crystal covering on the LCD screen. As a result, the sapphire glass LCD cover is extremely resistant to wear and almost unbreakable. The external covering of the body of the Leica M9-P, finished in vulcanite leatherette, features a more coarsely-textured finish that ensures a steady grip when shooting. Otherwise the new model is identical to the M9. The Leica M9-P, which will sit alongside the Leica M9 in the company’s rangefinder camera portfolio, is scheduled to be available in the UK from June 2011 from authorised Leica dealers at £5,395 including VAT.

GigaPan Time Machine is a system that enables viewers to explore gigapixel-scale, high-resolution time-lapse videos. Created by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute, GigaPan Time Machine allows you to pan or zoom in and out of high-resolution panoramas while simultaneously “moving back and forth through time”. Viewers, for instance, can use the system to focus in on the details of a booth within a panorama of a carnival midway, but also reverse time to see how the booth was constructed. Or they can watch a group of plants sprout, grow and flower, shifting perspective to watch some plants move wildly as they grow while others get eaten by caterpillars. And so forth. You can view a few examples created with this system at the website below. Do note that you need Google Chrome or Apple Safari to take advantage of this technology.

Demand for digital cameras is shifting from the developed markets of Western Europe, the USA and Japan to emerging economies such as Brazil, China, India and Russia, according to a report by Futuresource Consulting. In developed markets - with nearly 80% household penetration - vendors are focusing on existing owners in an effort to shorten the upgrade/replacement cycle, as well as differentiating digital cameras from smartphones, which continue to pose a growing threat, the analysts say. “As we move forward, the primary opportunity for digital cameras is as a ‘one in every household’ device as opposed to one in every pocket,” James Wells, Research Consultant at Futuresource. “Despite lacking the imaging capabilities of most digital cameras, the smartphone will satisfy the personal role and will help complement the overall photo experience.”

Online backup experts MiMedia have teamed up with DiJiFi to offer customers a combined digitisation-backup service. Those who enlist DiJiFi to scan photos and transfer videos will have the option to automatically pre-populate a MiMedia account. Following a 60 day free trial, they will receive a 30 percent discount. An annual subscription for 100GB of data will be $70, versus the $120 retail value.

We've compared the Fujifilm X100's noise performance against three of its main rivals. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 is representing Micro Four Thirds, the brand new Canon EOS 600D is in the DSLR corner, and the Leica X1 is the most obvious rival to the X100.