Hasselblad have today launched the new H4D medium format camera series, featuring revolutionary True Focus technology. The H4D-60 will feature True Focus with APL (Absolute Position Lock), making auto-focus substantially easier and more accurate for photography professionals. “This technology takes AF to an entirely new level, correcting for the vertical and horizontal focus-shift that results from the rotation of the camera around an axis close to camera,” says Christian Poulsen, CEO of Hasselblad. Two models have been unveiled, the 60 megapixel H4D-60 and the 50 megapixel H4D-50. The Hasselblad H4D-60 will be available in November 2009 at a price of 28,995 €. The Hasselblad H4D-50 will replace the H3DII-50 and will be available in in Q1, 2010 at a price of 19,995 €.

To celebrate the merging of the two premier brands in medium format photography: Leaf and Phase One, Peartree are introducing two major promotions for professional photographers in the UK. Those purchasing a new 56 Megapixel Leaf Aptus II 10 digital back will receive a free Phase One 645 camera and two lenses. Photographers opting to buy a Leaf Aptus II 6 back and a Phase One 645 camera system get an 80mm and a 150mm lens gratis. For pricing and more information, call 020 7033 7371.

DxO Labs have posted detailed raw-based image quality data on the Olympus E-P1 mirrorless interchangeable-lens system camera and the Phase One P40+ medium-format digital back / camera system. The findings are available on the DxOMark website, a free online resource that delivers key objective sensor performance metrics measured directly on the raw image for a variety of cameras.

Website: DxOMark

Panasonic has issued firmware updates for its Lumix DMC-G1 and GH1 Micro Four Thirds cameras. Version 1.4 of the G1 firmware improves AF performance with low-contrast subjects and optimises AE control for the upcoming Leica 45mm Macro lens that is due for release in October. Version 1.2 of the GH1 firmware also includes these improvements, plus decreases the operational noise of the auto-focus system during movie recording with the Lumix 20mm f/1.7 lens. N.B.: this modification also brings about a decrease in AF speed while recording a video clip with this lens, but does not affect AF speed or noise when taking stills.

Website: Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 Firmware 1.4
Website: Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 Firmware 1.2

Hartblei has announced the Hartblei CAM, which allows you to mate a Nikon F or Canon EF mount lens to a medium-format digital or film back. The Hartblei CAM uses a 35mm lens mount as an interface to support all lenses, no matter whether 35mm or MF. Hartblei claims that you can mount any of the currently available medium format backs, and points out that a combination of a 14mm lens and a Phase One P65+ back will give medium-format users an extremely wide 135-degree angle of view. The Hartblei CAM comes with a built-in shutter boasting a top shutter speed of 1/2000th of a second, and offers a motorised slider to move the back back and forth. The camera is available now at €4985 plus shipping and taxes.

Website: Hartblei

With effect from October 1, 2009, Sinar Photography will take over the Development, Sales, Service and Support divisions for the products of the Sinar brand. Sinar Photography originates from Tekno AG, which has already been marketing the Sinar products in Switzerland up to now. The German and Swiss markets will be served directly by Sinar Photography from Switzerland, with support from an existing service, repair and sales office in the Hamburg region. Additional sales support offices will be announced shortly. The ongoing product development at Sinar Photography will focus predominantly on the tried-and-tested analogue and digital camera systems. This includes the digital backs, the globally renowned Sinar view cameras for studio applications, and the specialist cameras for architecture and document photography. The continuation of the Hy6 medium-format camera is currently under negotiation, but the existing business alliance guarantees long-term technical support.

Panasonic’s Living in HD community is looking for bloggers, video bloggers, photographers, podcasters and other content creators on the Social Web to participate in the Living in HD Insider programme. Living in HD Insiders will have the opportunity to see new Panasonic HD technology before products hit store shelves and spend time with Greg Harper, technology expert and Living in HD Answerman.  As part of the programme, one winner will receive a full content creator suite of Panasonic High Definition products to fuel their creativity, as well as the unique opportunity share their experiences with HD technology with community members. The winning Living in HD Insider will also receive a Panasonic LUMIX G1 camera to give away to their own online network to encourage their readers and followers to join the Living in HD community. To enter for a chance to become the next Living in HD Insider, people should visit www.livinginhd.com/lihdinsider/ until 9 October. Along with their application, entrants must also submit a video that compellingly and convincingly answers why they believe they should win the content creator suite and how they would encourage their community to get involved with LivinginHD.com.

Olympus has issued firmware updates for the Olympus E-P1 camera and the two Olympus-branded Micro Four Thirds lenses released so far. Version 1.1 improves the continuous autofocus (C-AF) performance of the camera and lenses alike. In order to install the firmware updates, hook up the E-P1 - with lens attached - to the computer, run Olympus Master and select ‘Update Camera’ from the Online Service menu.

Review: Read our in-depth review of the Olympus E-P1

Kodak have issued a press release about the KAF-18500 image sensor built into the Leica M9 digital rangefinder camera. The M9 is now the fourth Leica camera to utilise KODAK CCDs, building on Kodak’s earlier support of the Leica Digital Module-R, the Leica M8 (Leica’s first digital rangefinder camera), and the new Leica S2. With an image capture area that matches the size of traditional 35mm film, M-series lenses can now be used without the imposition of artificial image cropping, Kodak remarks. Matching this larger image capture area with the rangefinder’s unique optical design required a redesign of both the sensor’s pixel and microlens configuration compared to the sensor used in the M8 camera, which Kodak was allegedly able to achieve without compromising on Leica’s stringent image quality requirements. In addition, the sensor incorporates a new IR-absorbing cover glass as well as a new red colour pigment for improved color fidelity and improved image quality.

We attended the UK launch of the new Leica M9 digital rangefinder camera in Mayfair, London. Available today, £4850 will buy you 18 megapixels of full-frame goodness and the classic Leica M-series handling. Click through to see 17 up close and personal photos of the Leica M9.

Leica has unveiled the Leica M9, an 18-megapixel, full-frame digital rangefinder camera. Currently the smallest full-frame digital camera in the world, the Leica M9 has a 23.9x35.8mm Kodak sensor with an IR cut filter but no anti-alias filter. The viewfinder has a magnification of 0.68x and offers automatic parallax correction. The rangefinder is of course coupled to the viewfinder. The Leica M9 has an electronically controlled, vertically running metal focal plane shutter, with a shutter speed range of 1/4000-32 seconds. Flash synchronisation is via a dedicated hot-shoe, with the x-sync speed being 1/180 second. A special discreet mode allows shutter cocking to be delayed until the photographer takes his finger off the shutter release button. The Leica M9 can shoot continuously at up to two frames per second, and records images on SD and SDHC memory cards, in a choice of DNG and JPEG formats. The suggested retail price of the Leica M9, which shall become available in the next couple of days, is £4,850.

An advanced prototype of the Samsung NX camera and three lenses is being shown behind glass here at the IFA show in Germany. The NX camera looks more refined than the model that first made an appearance back at the PM show in March. At first glance the Samsung NX seems to be rivalling the likes of the Panasonic G1 / GH1 in terms of its size, despite having a larger APS-C sized sensor inside. Click through for some close-up shots of the high-end camera system that Samsung will be concentrating on for the immediate future.

The Samsung NX series of cameras will be launched in either late 2009 or early 2010. Samsung’s Michael Zoller revealed that the NX series is still in the “field test stage” at today’s Samsung IFA press conference.First announced in March 2009 and slated for release in the second-half of 2009, the NX Series utilizes an APS-C sized image sensor and replaces the mirror box of a DSLR with an electronic viewfinder, rivalling the likes of the Olympus E-P1 and recently announced Panasonic GF1. It also seems that the NX series will use interchangeable lenses, as Samsung were briefly showing 3 prototype lenses behind glass here at the IFA show in Berlin, Germany, alongside an NX body.

We spent some quality time with the new Panasonic GF1 Micro Four Thirds camera at yesterday’s European Launch, held in sweltering Berlin, Germany.

Click through to see 24 up close and personal photos of Panasonic’s brand new rival to the Olympus E-P1.

The new Panasonic DMC-GF1 is the world’s smallest and lightest system camera with a built-in flash. Based on the Micro Four Thirds standard, the Panasonic GF1 weighs just 285g body-only and is 35% smaller than the DMC-G1. Standout features include the 12.1-megapixel Live MOS sensor, a built-in flash, 3 inch LCD with 460k dot resolution, Venus Engine HD image processor and in-built Dust Reduction system. The DMC-GF1 offers 8 artistic effects via the My Color mode, plus nine Film modes and 16 Scene modes, including a new Peripheral Defocus mode that keeps the subject in sharp focus while softening the focus around it. It can record 1280 x 720 high-definition video in the AVCHD Lite or Motion JPEG formats, and the GF1 can focus in 0.3 seconds via its contrast AF system. The Panasonic DMC-GF1 will be available in October. In the UK pricing is still to be announced. In the US the GF1 will ship in two kits, one with the new LUMIX G 20mm/F1.7 ASPH pancake lens, and the other with the existing 14-45mm/F3.5-5.6 ASPH/MEGA O.I.S. zoom lens, both priced at $900. An optional electronic external viewfinder is also available for $200.

New Leica cameras will be unveiled in a live webcast on Wednesday September 9th.

Announced in a Youtube / Vimeo video, Leica’s CEO Rudi Spiller commented “On September 9th Leica will introduce a collection of ground-breaking new products designed and manufactured for all photographers, novice and professional alike.”

You can signup for the live webcast here - the global times are:

9am New York City
2pm London
3pm Berlin
5pm Moskow
9pm Beijing
10pm Tokyo

A big Gigapan photo shoot is taking place tomorrow on London’s Southbank. Timed to coincide with the launch of a new campaign called 10:10 (http://www.1010uk.org/), the Gigapan shoot will be outside Tate Modern on Tuesday evening. Gigapan ss the same technology that created incredible images from President Obama’s inauguration (http://gigapan.org/viewGigapan.php?id=15374). Everybody is welcome to come and join in.

The Leaf AFi looks set to be one of the first victims of the latest turmoil in the medium format camera industry - unless a new initiative can persuade Phase One to keep it alive. A recent petition, which you can read in its entirety at SaveTheLeafAFi.com, states, “We the undersigned would like to encourage Phase One to consider taking steps towards keeping the Leaf Afi-II camera alive and a viable option to professional photographers everywhere.” The Leaf AFi-II is indeed a remarkable system camera, offering flash synchronisation right up to 1/1000 of a second, an ingenious adjustable control grip, an option to switch between landscape and portrait orientation simply by turning the camera back etc. But will this be enough for Phase One to keep it alive?

Website: Save The Leaf AFi

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