SIGMA is entering into the cinema lens market by releasing a new line of SIGMA CINE LENSES, designed specifically for cinematography. For the first phase, SIGMA will release two zoom lenses in Japan and the USA for Canon EF and Sony E mount camera systems. Another zoom lens and five prime lenses will be released to the market in sequence from 2017 onward.

The CompactFlash Association (CFA) announces the CFexpress Family of high-performance removable storage based on PCIE and NVM Express. CFexpress is the next evolution in an open standard format for a broader set of applications, such as professional imaging, personal computing, servers, IoT and industrial. The PCIE Gen 3 Interface Provides a max theoretical interface speed of 1.0GB/sec per lane of PCIE. This speed enhancement enables a new generation of higher performance cards to meet requirements for professional video recording.

Phase One Industrial has introduced the iXU-RS aerial camera series, featuring a breakthrough central lens shutter design. The new shutter technology is based on an innovative direct drive concept with electronic charging that enhances exposure speed to as fast as 1/2500s, while guaranteeing half a million exposures, an unprecedented shutter life span. The Phase One iXU-RS aerial camera series is available now.

Hasselblad has launched the Hasselblad ‘4116 Collection’ - a range of products and collaborations to celebrate the brand’s 75th anniversary. The company has teamed up with Motorola for the ‘Hasselblad True Zoom’ – a
10x optical zoom Moto Mod compatible with Moto Z smartphones. Offering a physical shutter, Xenon flash and zoom, the ‘Hasselblad True Zoom’ instantly snaps on to the Moto Z smartphone using magnets. The mod allows users to shoot raw images which can be edited using Hasselblad’s Phocus software. Furthermore, Hasselblad and Alpa have formed a collaboration allowing optimised integration of all ALPA technical cameras with both Hasselblad digital backs from H System and CFV as well as Hasselblad HC/HCD lenses in existing and future products. Last but not least, Hasselblad has fostered a relationship with Swedish accessories brand, Sandqvist, creating functional, stylish camera bags to accent the Hasselblad range of offerings. The Sandqvist x Hasselblad collection consists of three high quality bags, created by Hasselblad and Sandqvist, and will be launched at Photokina in September.

Shanghai-based Nicovr has launched an IndieoGoGo campaign for the Nico360, an intriguing little device billed as "the World's smallest consumer 360° virtual reality camera." The diminutive Nico360 lets everyone record and share their moments in 360-degrees anytime, anywhere. Offering a resolution of 32.7 megapixels (and stills capture in Adobe DNG raw format), the Nico360 VR camera allows 360-degree LIVE VR video streaming with image stabilisation on platforms like YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Periscope, Snapchat, Twitter and more. The waterproof device weighs in at 109 grams, measures 1.8"x1.8".and comes with 32GB of internal storage plus a microSD card slot. The WiFi- and Bluetooth-enabled Nico360 is now available for pre-order, priced at $149.

DJI today announced the Zenmuse Z3, DJI’s first aerial zoom camera optimised for still photography. Incorporating a 3.5x zoom lens (plus a 2x digital zoom function), the DJI Zenmuse Z3 is compatible with the Inspire 1, Matrice 100 and Matrice 600 drones and uses the company’s dedicated HD video downlink, Lightbridge and Lightbridge 2, providing up to 3.1 miles of HD transmission range. Weighing in at 263g, the Zenmuse Z3 has a 22-77mm (eq.) f/2.8-5.2 lens and features the same 1/2.3"-type Sony sensor that's found on the DJI Phantom 4. It can shoot still images at 12 megapixels with additional Adobe DNG Raw Support for maximum editing options in post- production. The camera also records video at up to 30 FPS in 4K resolution. Flight time with the Zenmuse Z3 is up to 19 minutes on the Inspire 1. Pilots can extend flight time up to 30 minutes with the dual-battery-equipped M100 and up to 39 minutes with the M600. Available soon, the DJI Zenmuse Z3 is priced at $1,000.

DJI and Hasselblad today announced a fully integrated high-end aerial camera-platform bundle made up of the 50-megapixel version of Hasselblad’s aerial medium-format camera, the A5D, and DJI’s M600 flying platform. The A5D-M600 bundle is the first joint product following DJI’s recent investment in Hasselblad. ‘Combining best-in-class aerial optics with the world’s most powerful aerial platform is a natural development for DJI and Hasselblad. We are delighted to provide this unique bundle to professional photographers, surveyors and mappers’, said Perry Oosting, CEO of Hasselblad. Pricing and availability have yet to be communicated.

Leica are celebrating the tenth anniversary of the launch of the Leica M8, their first-ever digital rangefinder camera, with a special trade-in promotion. The Leica M8 marked the beginning of a new era, bringing the unique characteristics of Leica's rangefinder focusing technology into the world of digital photography. Later models, such as the Leica M9 (2009) – the first Leica camera with a 35mm full-frame sensor – further built on this success and repeatedly set new standards with innovative features and functionality, while always retaining the basic principles of the Leica M-System. Leica UK are celebrating the anniversary with a number of special promotions, available at any authorised UK Leica System Dealer, Leica Boutique or Leica Store. Among these is a trade-in offer allowing customers to trade in any camera for a new Leica M (Typ 240), M-P (Typ 240) or Leica M Monochrom (Typ 246) and receive a special £500 bonus in addition to the value of the camera system traded in. The promotion runs until October 31st 2016.

Leica M à la carte camera personalisation programme has been expanded with the addition of the Leica M Monochrom, bringing the entire portfolio of bespoke options to this special digital rangefinder model. The camera, which incorporates a unique black and white sensor, can now be ordered with a multitude of tailored features, including a choice of classic black chrome or black paint body. Furthermore, for the first time and exclusively via the à la carte programme, customers can also select the camera body in a silver chrome finish. Orders for the personalised Leica M Monochrom à la carte camera can be placed via official Leica Stores and Boutiques, where customers are able to view a variety of samples, illustrating the full range of options offered by the programme.

Leica has officially announced the Leica M-D digital rangefinder camera - the first serial production model of the digital M family to be made without an LCD screen. The standard location of the display on the back of the camera is taken by a very retro looking ISO sensitivity setting dial. "Concentrating entirely on the key parameters required for photography: shutter speed, aperture, distance and ISO sensitivity, the Leica M-D focuses the user on the most essential aspect – the picture they are taking – and brings back the anticipation of discovering the results later in the process, as when shooting with film," the company said in a statement. The Leica M-D features a 24-megapixel CMOS full-frame sensor, and supports neither video recording nor Live View. Exposures are captured exclusively as raw data in DNG format, enabling photographers to apply the required adjustments in post-processing. The barely audible shutter of the Leica M-D ensures the camera is inconspicuous when shooting: an invaluable advantage in scenarios where the photographer wishes to remain unobtrusive. As an aid to this, the camera features a shutter cocking system that is particularly quiet in single-exposure mode. The Leica M-D (Typ 262) is scheduled to be available from Leica stores and authorised Leica dealers in the UK in May 2016, at a suggested retail price of £4,650 including VAT.

London-based Leica specialists Red Dot Camera are listing the as-yet-unannounced Leica M-D (Typ 262) for £4,650 (including VAT)  on their website. The 24-megapixel Leica M-D, billed as "the purest form of the manual digital rangefinder," forgoes the - otherwise ubiquitous - LCD screen and other "extras" we have come to take granted in a modern digital camera, such as video recording and WiFi. The camera's spartan rear plate features only the viewfinder eyepiece, a thumb-operated control wheel and a very retro-looking ISO speed dial with markings from ISO 200 to ISO 6,400, in 1/3-stop increments. The lack of an LCD screen means users will have to make do without live view, image playback and a menu system - just like in the film era. Meanwhile, a German Leica specialist has shared the camera's retail price in euros (€5,995 including VAT and shipping - within Germany, we presume) and a few additional specifications. Accroding to Leica Boutique Dresden, the camera has a 23.9x35.8mm sensor with 5976x3992 pixels and records images in losslessly compressed raw DNG format. The camera supports 6-bit encoding for M-mount lenses from 16mm to 135mm.

Photography Blog attended yesterday’s European launch of the new Hasselblad H6D medium format camera in London, upgrading the previous H4 and H5 models, and got to spend some time with, and take some exclusive hands on photos of, both the 50MP and 100MP versions – outwardly identical apart from their model numbers, but inwardly quite different.

Introducing the new digital medium format camera in its two iterations – the company’s first launch this year – Hasselblad’s CEO Perry Oosting told those in attendance that this was “a completely new electronic platform. We started from scratch and are very proud to launch our first product of 2016.”

Phase One today introduced the A-series IQ3 100MP medium format camera system. Developed in collaboration with ALPA, the A-series IQ3 100MP joins existing Phase One A-series models offering both precision integration with the ALPA platform and complete compatibility with the Phase One XF camera system. Based on the ALPA 12TC camera body, each model comes with the 35mm Rodenstock Alpar lens. Two optional lenses are available, including the ultra-wide 23mm, and the all-round 70mm, ALPA HR Alpagon. Shipping immediately, the A-series IQ3 100MP Camera System is available for $56,000.

A recent survey conducted by X-Rite with almost 500 participants found that photographers in the UK are, on average, losing nearly £10,000 per year by not using colour management. A lack of monitor calibration is proving the most costly with an average of £5,200 per year lost in editing time, compared with a lack of white balance control costing £3,700 per year and wasted ink and paper from inaccurate prints accounting for £1,000 per year. “Talking to our customers, we have known that the benefits of superior image quality, consistency and peace of mind when editing are all powerful reasons why photographers and videographers use X-Rite’s world leading colour management solutions,” says Geoffrey Clements, Managing Director at X-Rite Photo Europe. “This survey has, for the first time, given us clear data on how much time is being lost by photographers who aren’t using colour management. It shows that photographers at all levels should realise the benefits of time and money savings when they start utilising colour management in their workflow.”

We're revealing our favourite products from last year in our annual awards, looking back at the essential photography kit that helped to define 2015.

The Camera of the Year 2015 award goes to the Sony A7R II.

“The Sony A7R II is a remarkable camera, both on paper and in practice. Offering a mouth-watering list of desirable features, the A7R II delivers on almost all of its promises...”

Read the Full Review

Congratulations to Sony and the A7R II!

Leica has announced a partnership with Pro Centre in the UK, providing a rental and sales service for its professional product portfolio. Renny Lee, managing director, Pro Centre, said, “We’re thrilled that Leica has chosen Pro Centre as its rental partner for its premium S-System, SL and M ranges. Having served the pro community for 28 years, customers know that they can count on our reliability and efficiency. The addition of the Leica portfolio gives our customers the opportunity to rent the highest-performance camera and lens technology available on the market, while benefitting from the ultimate service and support from our expert team.” Pro Centre is located at 14 Union Walk, London, E2 8HP.

NCTech has announced that it will be showing its iris360 panoramic camera at the CES 2016 trade show. Remote-controlled from a smartphone or tablet, iris360 quickly captures high-resolution 360-degree images courtesy of its four sensors. With zero setup time, iris360 does not require photographic experience to operate and, with one touch, captures and delivers an 8K resolution, HDR panoramic image in less than two minutes. iris360 is small and lightweight, making it easy to transport and deploy, and is designed for use in both indoor and outdoor environments. At CES, NCTech is located in the Eureka Park Marketplace, Sands Expo, Hall G at stand 81651.

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DxO has released an update to the DxO ONE iPhone app. Version 1.2 adds new ways to view and interact with advanced photo info, and provides more control over the entire photo and video capture process. The manual focus mode now provides one tap access to hyperfocal distance, and the ability to reposition the magnification loupe for critical focusing. At the request of pro photographers, the shutter speed range has been expanded for capturing even faster motion (1/20000) and longer low-light exposures (30s). Users can now capture video with full manual control of aperture, ISO, white balance and more. DxO ONE selfies are now available in every capture setting and mode, including the ability to record high quality video selfies, ready to share with the world. There’s even a new companion app that lets users remotely trigger a DxO ONE camera with their Apple Watch.

Leica Camera have expanded their Leica à la carte programme – a special concept for personalising your Leica camera – and will be offering a selection of styling options for the Leica M (Typ 240) from the end of this month. The Leica M à la carte programme includes various finishes for the camera body itself, with the choice of black or silver chrome, or black enamel. Customers can also select a top plate featuring a Leica logo, or a classic version without the ‘red dot’. As well as the standard black leather trim, the programme offers a further 11 full-grain cowhide options plus classic variations embossed with distinctive lizard- and ostrich-effect patterns. Furthermore, you can personalise the technical specifications of your camera, including a frame selection lever, with which bright-line frames for six different focal lengths can be simulated in the viewfinder. In addition to all the technical features of the Leica M (Typ 240), the Leica M à la carte camera comes with a two gigabyte buffer memory, delivering twice the capacity of the standard model. The price for camera body ranges from £5,100 - £6,050 including VAT. In the United States, the Leica M (Typ 240) à la carte will be available from $6,380.