CES 2012 kicked off this evening, Las Vegas time, with Unveiled, a pre-show event featuring over 70 companies.

Sadly there was little to report from a photography viewpoint, the highlight being the Lytro camera, which has been awarded the Best of Innovations Digital Imaging prize. Other highlights included new Thunderbolt hard-drives from Lacie, a Samsung surveillance camera called the SmartCam, and the PowerBag which promises to recharge your camera on the move by the end of the year.

We’ll have to wait until Monday’s press day for the real photo news, when Fujifilm, Panasonic, Samsung and Sony all have press conferences scheduled, so make sure to keep checking back regularly.

Even though it doesn’t officially exist yet, US readers can now pre-order three lenses for the Fujifilm X-Pro1 camera, courtesy of none other than Amazon. Widely rumoured to be Fujifilm’s new compact system camera, the X-Pro1 will probably be announced tomorrow at Fujifilm’s CES 2012 press conference.

In the meantime, you can jump to the head of the queue and pre-order the X-Pro1 18mm F2.0 lens ($499.99), X-Pro1 35mm F1.4 lens ($499.99) and the X-Pro1 60mm F2.4 Macro lens ($599.99), or more conservatively check out the specifications for each one.

Update: Amazon has now pulled the pre-order pages for the lenses and for the X-Pro1 body, which also briefly appeared for an hour. Expect them to magically re-appear tomorrow if the X-Pro1 is officially announced.

The Nikon J1 is currently the most popular compact system camera in the UK. According to figures supplied by Nikon, the J1 was the best-selling CSC model in the week before Christmas, outperforming its nearest rival (the Panasinic G3) by almost two to one.

The Nikon J1 also achieved the distinction of registering the most ever sales for a mirrorless camera in a single week since the category was first established, helping Nikon to become the number 2 brand for compact system cameras in the UK.

Aimed predominantly at people upgrading from a compact camera, the J1 is Nikon’s entry-level mirrorless camera, sporting a 10.1 megapixel sensor and a built-in flash and retailing for just over £500 with the standard 10-30mm kit lens.

Read our in-depth Nikon J1 review here.

Want to see exactly what the new Nikon D4 DSLR camera looks like in the flesh?

Then check out our extensive hands-on gallery of photos of Nikon’s new flagship DSLR camera.

Nikon gave a detailed presentation of the impressive new Nikon D4 DSLR camera at yesterday’s UK press event.

Click through for all the slides, which are also available in PDF format.

The Nikon D4 is a new flagship D-SLR for photographers who are looking for the ultimate digital SLR camera. This professional FX-format camera brings new levels of image quality, speed and precision to both still photography and video. The Nikon D4 has a 16.2-megapixel FX-format sensor, EXPEED3 image processing engine, 11 fps burst shooting, ISO 50-204,800 and Full HD (1080p) movies. The new WT-5 Wireless Transmitter (£649) features HTTP and FTP connection modes. The Nikon D4 will cost £4,799.99 / €5,658 and be available from 16th February.

The AF-S NIKKOR 85mm f/1.8G is a new fast aperture medium-telephoto lens.

Sony has announced its new range of XQD memory cards, which support the recently adopted XQD specification for high-speed, high-performance digital image capture. Using the new cards, Nikon D4 camera users can capture up to approximately 100 frames in raw format in continuous shooting mode. Sony is also introducing a USB 2.0/3.0 compatible XQD card reader and an XQD ExpressCard Adapter. The new family of XQD Memory Cards by Sony is available from end of January.

Nikon has posted five full-resolution sample images taken with the new Nikon D4 digital SLR camera. Three of the sample photos were taken at a sensitivity setting of ISO 100, while the other two were captured at ISO 6400, using lenses of varying focal lengths. Do note that while the images are full resolution, they are quite strongly compressed..

Website: Nikon D4 Samples

Update: Nikon has apparently pulled the full-resolution versions of the photos from its website.

Datacolor has unveiled Spyder4, a line of advanced colorimeters able to calibrate monitors, laptops, projectors, TVs, iPads and even iPhones. A range of Spyder 4 devices are available, enabling users to choose the model that best matches their colour management needs. Spyder4 Express is a cost-effective colorimeter that quickly calibrates a single display computer or laptop right out of the box, Spyder4 Pro is ideal for those that want more control over light and colour management, while Spyder4 Elite offers the highest level of customisation. All models feature a simple install wizard, and deliver an average of 26% more accuracy and improved low-luminance performance over previous Spyder3 technology. The Spyder4Express is priced at $119, Spyder4Pro is $169, and Spyder4Elite is $249.

Fantasea Line has announced the FP7100 underwater housing for the Nikon Coolpix P7100 high-end compact camera. Ergonomically designed and fully functional, the shock-resistant FP7100 housing features easy-to-use and clearly labelled controls and is depth rated to 60m. The housing is compatible with the complete FP7000 dedicated accessory line, including wide angle and macro lenses. Additional accessories include a variety of colour correction filters and lighting sets, which enable photographers to further enhance the quality of their images and videos.

Burrard-Lucas Photography has launched a new nature photography competition. The contest is open to anyone who is a member of their Facebook community. The winner receives a new Canon EOS 60D digital SLR camera (pictured) and a $100 Amazon gift voucher. , while two runners-up will be awarded with $25 gift vouchers. Entry to this contest is free and you will retain copyright over any pictures you submit. The submission deadline is 31st December 2012.

The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) has announced the IFES 2012 photography contest. The competition, which seeks photographs of individuals taking part in the electoral process or other activities that demonstrate the values of democratic governance and citizen engagement, is open to amateur and professional photographers, and entries are accepted through 16th February 2012, 11pm ET. Full contest rules and entry information are available online at the website below.

Lexar today announced the industry’s first 1000x CompactFlash memory card. The UDMA-7 compliant Lexar Professional 1000x CompactFlash card will be available in 16GB, 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB capacities, and supports the VPG-20 specification, meaning the card has been tested and guaranteed for professional video capture streams at up to 20MB per second.

Six weeks after Fujifilm UK’s announcement of the Fujifilm X-S1 26x zoom digital bridge camera (and Fujifilm Japan’s posting of the first official sample images), Fujifilm USA re-announced the camera along with its pricing for the US market. Featuring a 2/3”, 12-megapixel CMOS sensor and a 24-624mm equivalent lens, the Fujifilm X-S1 also offers a high-resolution EVF, articulated rear screen, flash hot shoe, full manual controls, raw image capture and Full HD video. In the US, the camera will be available later this month at an estimated retail price of $799.95.

The Fujifilm FinePix Z1000EXR is a slim, ultra-compact 16-megapixel camera with sensor-shift image stabilisation, 5x optical zoom and a Wireless Image Transfer function. The EXR-CMOS sensor has been redesigned to prioritise light sensitivity with a 30% reduction in noise levels, while the Z1000’s wide 3.5-inch LCD offers touchscreen control with multi-touch capabilities for smartphone-style navigation. The Wireless Image Transfer function allows users to connect their Android smartphone/tablet or iPhone/iPad with the camera and upload their images to social networking sites. Other highlights include Full HD movie capture with stereo sound, Face Tracking auto focus and a mini HDMI port. The FinePix Z1000EXR will be available a range of different colours.

The Fujifilm FinePix Z110 is a sleek all-metal camera with a 14-megapixel sensor and a 5x Fujinon zoom lens (though no mechanical or optical image stabilisation). The sliding front panel powers on the camera, while the rear-mounted buttons are illuminated with a blue LED light for easy operation in the dark. In addition to capturing 14-megapixel stills, the FinePix Z110 can also record 720p HD movies at a touch of the dedicated movie record button. The Fuji Finepix Z110 will be available in six colours: pink, purple, jade, blue, white and black.

The 16-megapixel Fujifilm FinePix JZ200 and the 14-megapixel Fujifilm FinePix JZ100 offer 8x optical zoom in a compact and affordable package. The 25-200mm equivalent lens has a close-focus point of 5cm and comes equipped with an Optical Image Stabiliser. In addition to capturing stills, the cameras can also record high-definition videos at a resolution of 1280x720 pixels at a touch of the dedicated movie record button. Both the JZ200 and JZ100 (pictured) are available in five colours: Black, Silver, Pink, Red and Blue.

The 16-megapixel Fujifilm FinePix JX550 and the 14-megapixel Fujifilm FinePix JX500 both come equipped with 26-130mm equivalent zoom lenses. Each camera features a 2.7-inch rear screen that has been redesigned to make it easier to see in direct sunlight, and a metal front cover with rounded, soft edges that make the cameras pleasing to hold. Other highlights include Smile & Shooting, Blink Detection, Motion Panorama and 720p HD movie modes, as well as a dedicated movie button.

The Fujifilm FinePix HS30EXR is a 16-megapixel superzoom/bridge camera with 30x optical zoom, Full HD movie recording, raw image capture and a flash hot-shoe. Compared to the HS20EXR it replaces, the Finepix HS30EXR has a greatly improved, 920,000-dot electronic viewfinder and a tilting, 460,000-dot LCD screen, while a switch in power supply to a Lithium-ion rechargeable battery promises up to 600 pictures per charge. Additionally, the HS30EXR features an improved EXR-CMOS sensor delivering cleaner images at higher ISO settings. Start-up time is now just around a half compared with that of the HS20EXR. The writing period after continuous shooting has also been dramatically cut to approximately 2 seconds (compared to 20 seconds on the earlier model). Finally, the handling of the FinePix HS30EXR has also been improved through the addition of a customisable Function button.