Sony has scooped up three TIPA awards. The Sony A65 has been named the Best Advanced DSLR of the year, the Best Expert CSC title has been awarded to the Sony NEX-7, while the new XQD memory cards have won the ‘Best Imaging Storage’ Media award. On the latter, the jury commented, “Sony’s XQD Memory Cards are made for the demanding needs of today’s pro still and DSLR videographers. Offering read/write speeds of up to 125 MB per second (currently, when used with the Nikon D4), the card can record approximately 100 raw images in continuous shooting mode.”

Review: Read our in-depth review of the Sony A65
Review: Read our in-depth review of the Sony NEX-7

Jorge Torralba, the mastermind behind the highly successful Rangefinderforum.com, ZeissImages.com and LeicaImages.com websites, has announced the launch of JustNEX.com, an online gallery dedicated to images captured with Sony NEX series cameras. Besides being a gallery, JustNEX is also an image forum.where participants can comment on and discuss the photos uploaded by members. Additionally, the website lets visitors search for photos taken with a specific lens, camera, focal length or any other combination, while the online Market allows photographers to sell equipment they no longer need.

Want to see exactly what the new Panasonic LUMIX GF5 compact system camera looks like in the flesh?

The Panasonic LUMIX GF5 is a Micro Four Thirds camera sporting a brand new 12 megapixel image sensor with an ISO range of 160-12800 and full 1080p HD video.

Check out our extensive hands-on gallery of photos of the Panasonic LUMIX GF5 camera, including a side-by-side comparison with the GF3 model that it replaces.

The Panasonic LUMIX GF5 is a new compact system camera that produces DSLR image quality and HD video from an ultra-compact body. The Panasonic GF5 has a brand new high-sensitivity 12.1 megapixel Live MOS image sensor, Venus Engine VII HD2 processor, top ISO speed of 12,800, 0.09 second Auto Focus, 1080p Full HD video and with stereo sound, and an LCD touchscreen interface. The Panasonic LUMIX GF5 will be available in black and white from June for £579 with the 14-42mm X lens and £449 with the standard 14-42mm lens.

Fujifilm has teamed up with luxury British luggage manufacturer, Globe Trotter, to create a limited edition, Vulcanised Fibreboard suitcase for the Fujifilm X-Pro1. The Vulcanised Fibreboard suitcase is handmade on original Victorian machinery at the Globe-Trotter factory in Broxbourne, Hertfordshire. The case is finished with an embossed leather ‘Harrods Exclusively’ tag and brass plaque. Each of the 12 casese has handcrafted compartments to house the X-Pro1, the flash, filter and the camera’s three lenses and lens hoods: 18mm, 35mm and 60mm. The partnership between Fujifilm and Globe-Trotter coincides with the much anticipated launch of Harrods’ Technology Department. The Globe-Trotter case, including Fujifilm’s X-Pro1, lenses and accessories will be available exclusively in Harrods for £5695.

Olympus has issued firmware updates for a number of its Micro Four Thirds cameras (including the PEN E-PM1, E-PL2, E-PL3 and E-P3) as well as the Olympus E-5 Four Thirds DSLR. For all of these cameras, the firmware update improves compatibility with SDXC cards of 48GB capacity and higher. Additionally, wireless flash control using RC capable Olympus flashes has been enhanced in the case of the Olympus E-PM1 and E-PL3. You can update your camera’s firmware through the Digital Camera Updater software.

Website: Olympus Japan

Rioch have released a major firmware update for the GXR system. Version 1.50 includes the firmware for the following GXR modules:

- GXR body
- GR LENS A12 28mm F2.5
- GR LENS A12 50mm F2.5 MACRO
- GXR MOUNT A12
- RICOH LENS S10 24-72 mm F2.5-4.4 VC
- RICOH LENS P10 28-300 mm F3.5-5.6 VC

New features include 1 EV or 1/3 EV ISO settings, ISO bracketing, interval shooting, RAW only mode, and Bulb / Time shutter speed settings.

Download the Ricoh GXR 1.50 Firmware

Sony has released a firmware update for the Sony NEX-5N compact system camera. Version 1.01 improves the AF response in certain situations, enhances stability when operating the camera using the [Lens Compensation: Distortion] “Auto” and [Picture Effect] “Miniature” settings at the same time, and improves camera operations when using the [Exposure Compensation] and [Intelligent AF] settings.

Website: Sony NEX-5N Camera Firmware Update | Mac
Website: Sony NEX-5N Camera Firmware Update | Windows

Sony has updated its roadmap for E-mount lenses. Currently, the NEX system offers seven Sony and Zeiss branded lenses alongside a few recently announced Sigma, Tamron and Kenko/Tokina products. As this is a relatively narrow selection of optics. especially when compared to the dozens of lenses available for the system’s main rival, Micro Four Thirds, Sony has decided to introduce eight new lenses in the course of less than two years. On top of the wide zoom, high-performance standard zoom and medium telephoto lenses that were already on the roadmap, the company has now added a new standard zoom, a new superzoom, a large-aperture standard prime, a “mid-magnification zoom” and a pancake lens. This should bring the total number of E-mount Sony/Zeiss lenses to 15 by the end of 2013.

The specifications of the new lenses have not been released yet.

Source: Sony Blog

Nikon has released a firmware update for the Nikon 1 J1 compact system camera. Version 1.11 resolves an issue that sometimes caused images captured using the built-in flash to be over-exposed. You can download the firmware update from the website below,

Website: Nikon 1 J1 Firmware Update A 1.11, B 1.10

Nikon has issued a firmware update for the Nikon 1 V1 compact system camera. Version 1.11 contains fixes for the following bugs:

Images captured using the Speedlight SB-N5 were sometimes over-exposed.
When switching from framing photos in the monitor to using the electronic viewfinder, or vice versa, with focus mode set to MF (manual focus) and the display zoomed in, the camera sometimes did not function properly.

Website: Nikon 1 V1 Firmware Update A 1.11, B 1.10

Want to see exactly what the new Olympus OM-D compact system camera looks like in the flesh?

Ushered into a blacked-out stretch limousine back at the CES show in January, we were wondering exactly what Olympus had in store for us. The surprise was the exciting Olympus OM-D, the company’s new flagship mirrorless camera.

Check out our extensive hands-on gallery of 40 photos of the Olympus OM-D camera.

Olympus gave us a detailed presentation of the impressive new Olympus OM-D camera and accessories at a secret CES event.

It includes a look at Olympus’s market share, how the OM-D fits alongside the current PEN range, technical aspects of the OM-D and the new lenses and accessories.

Click through for a gallery of all the slides.

The dust- and splashproof, metal-bodied Olympus OM-D is a retro styled 16.1-megapixel compact system camera featuring a body-integral 5-axis image stabiliser, 1.44-million-dot EVF and best-in-class auto focus with 3D subject tracking. In sequential shooting mode, the camera is capable of capturing up to 9 frames per second (4.2fps with AF, when fitted with the M.Zuiko DIGITAL ED 12-50mm f/3.5-6.3 lens). Also called the Olympus E-M5, the OM-D has an eye proximity sensor that allows automatic switching between the EVF and the articulated OLED touchscreen. The camera is capable of recording Full HD videos that benefit from the improved in-body image stabiliser, and can store them in either AVI or MOV format with M.JPEG or MPEG-4 encoding. The Olympus OM-D is available from April 2012 as a kit with the M.Zuiko DIGITAL ED 12-50mm f/3.5-6.3 lens for £1149.99. Body only price to be confirmed.

Along with the OM-D camera, Olympus also announced a number of new accessories including the dust- and splashproof MMF-3 four thirds mount adapter, the HLD-6 power battery holder grip (also dust- and splashproof), and the FL-600R flash with a guide number of 36 (in metres at ISO 100/21°), improved recharge time as well as a wireless control option. Two new lenses, the weatherproof M.Zuiko Digital ED 60mm f/2.8 macro and the M.Zuiko Digital ED 75mm f/1.8, are also under development.

Pentax is displaying new interchangeable lenses and camera accessories that are currently under development at the Japanese camera show, CP+ 2012. On show will be the smc PENTAX-D FA645 90mm f/2.8 medium-format lens, smc PENTAX-DA 560mm f/5.6 and smc PENTAX-DA 50mm f/1.8 K-mount lenses, telephoto zoom lens and standard lens with “body cap” design for the Pentax Q system, super-thin interchangeable lens for the K-01 compact system camera, and a lens adapter for mounting a K-mount lens onto a Q-mount body. Names and prices of these products will be confirmed at a later date.

Fujifilm USA has announced the recommended retail price of the new Fujifilm X-Pro1 compact system camera and three Fujinon XF lenses. The body-only price of the X.Pro1 camera is $1,699.95, the Fujinon XF 18mm f2 and 35mm f/1.4 lenses will cost $599.95 each, while the Fujinon XF 60mm f/2.4 Macro will set you back $649.95. The Fujifilm X-Pro1 camera body and lenses will be available at the end of February.

Want to see exactly what the new Pentax K-01 compact system camera looks like in the flesh?

The Pentax K-01 is a CSC camera that’s been developed in collaboration with Australian designer Marc Newson, sporting a unique design that’s unlike anything else currently on the market.

We tried the K-01 out with the new super-slim 40mm panake lens and a variety of existing K-mount lenses.

The K-01 is available in three colours - black, yellow and white - with the first two versions only being released in the UK.

Check out our extensive hands-on gallery of 51 photos of the new Pentax K-01 camera.

As well as unveiling the new K-01 compact system camera and new 40mm pancake F2.8 lens, Pentax have also unveiled their K-Mount lens roadmap for 2012 and 2013.

Shown at today’s UK K-01 press launch, the roadmap predicts that 3 new lenses will be released in 2012 - a DA Standard lens, DA High Magnification Zoom lens, and a DA Telephoto lens.

In 2013 4 new lenses will make an appearance - the DA Zoom Limited, DA Tele Zoom, DA Wide Zoom and DA Zoom, with a new DA AF RC 1.4x teleconvertor too.

A Pentax UK spokesperson was keen to point out this roadmap is subject to change.

The Pentax K-01 is a compact system camera with a Pentax K lens mount and a 16.28-megapixel, APS-C sized CMOS sensor. Designed in collaboration with Marc Newson, the Pentax K-01 features sensor-shift shake reduction, a dust removal mechanism, a new-generation HDR mode, continuous shooting at 5fps, 19 digital filters and full HD video capture at either 24, 25 or 30 frames per second. Also introduced today is a new K mount “pancake” optic, the smc Pentax-DA 40mm f/2.8 XS, which is billed as the world’s thinnest interchangeable lens. The Pentax K-01 will be available for £629.99/$749.95 body only or £679.99/$899.95 with the DA 40mm f/2.8 XS. Other configurations include a bundle with the DAL 18-55mm lens for £679.99 and a double-zoom kit with the 18-55mm and the 50-200mm DAL lenses for £799.99.