Sony have announced that a new mid to high-end Alpha mount camera body is currently under development. Due to be released in 2014, the new body confirms that Sony are still committed to the A-mount system. No further details about the new body have been released at today's London press briefing.

Meanwhile, it seems that the company's NEX branding is to be officially ended, as Sony focuses on promoting the Alpha naming convention for all of its mirrorless cameras. So expect to see future E-Mount cameras without that familiar NEX nomenclature...

The SIGMA 24-105mm F4 DG OS HSM is a wide to mid-telephoto for 35mm full-frame DSLR cameras. The Sigma 24-105mm can pparently "bring out the potential of a high-resolution sensor" and boasts a constant aperture of F4, OS (Optical Stabilizer), HSM (Hyper Sonic Motor), and a 9 blade rounded diaphragm. The price and availability of the SIGMA 24-105mm F4 DG OS HSM will be announced shortly.

Nikon UK is launching a bumper Christmas promotion, offering cashback on a huge amount of products including selected digital SLR cameras, selected lenses and speedlights and selected Nikon 1 cameras. The promotion is limited to one claim per person per product and will run from today until 26th January 2014 (inclusive) and all claims must be received by 28th February 2014. Click through / read on for the details.

We've just got the Olympus OM-D E-M1 in for testing, and thought it would be a Fun Friday thing to do to compare its size directly alongside the full-frame Canon EOS 5D Mk III.

The Canon EOS 5D Mk III is fitted with the excellent Sigma 35mm f/1.4 lens, and the Olympus OM-D has the original version of the Panasonic 20mm f/1.7 mounted, so they offer a similar angle of view - the Olympus/Panasonic pairing actually provides a slightly longer focal length of 40mm, in 35mm full-frame terms.

David and Goliath, eat your heart out...

Ricoh has released half a dozen high-resolution sample images captured with the new Pentax K-3 APS-C format digital SLR camera. The 24-megapixel Pentax K-3 samples were taken with a variety of lenses including the smc PENTAX-DA FISH-EYE 10-17mmF3.5-4.5ED[IF], the smc PENTAX-DA★300mmF4ED[IF] SDM, the HD PENTAX-DA 70mmF2.4 Limited, the smc PENTAX-D FA MACRO 100mmF2.8 WR and the smc PENTAX-DA★16-50mmF2.8ED AL[IF] SDM. All of these sample photos were captured at low sensitivity settings (ISO100/21° and ISO200/24°). You can download the full-resolution Pentax K-3 sample images from the website below.

Website: Pentax K-3 Samples

The Nikon D610 is a new 35mm full-frame digital SLR camera with a 24-megapixel FX sensor and a new Quiet Release Burst mode. In regular continuous shooting mode, the Nikon D610 can capture up to six frames per second (up from 5.5fps in the Nikon D600), while in the new Quiet Release Burst mode - which reduces the sound of the camera’s mirror return mechanism - the maximum shooting speed is 3fps. In virtually all other respects, the Nikon D610 is essentially the exact "replica" of the D600, with headline features such as a 24.3-megapixel full-frame sensor, sensitivity range of ISO 100-6400 (extendable up to 25,600), lockable mode dial, pentaprism viewfinder with 100% coverage and 0.7x magnification, a (mostly) magnesium alloy body shell, a 39-point auto focus module, in-camera HDR exposure blending and Full HD video recording capabilities. The Nikon D610 will go on sale later this month, priced at £1799.99 / €2199.00 / $1999.95 for the body only. A kit consisting of the camera and the AF-S Nikkor 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5G ED VR FX lens will be available for £2299.99 / €2799.00 / $2599.95.

Want to see exactly what the new Pentax K-3 DSLR camera looks like in the flesh?

Here are 41 hands-on photos of the Pentax K-3, a new enthusiast DSLR camera with a 24 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor, full HD movies, 27-point AF system, 8.3fps burst shooting, 3.2-inch LCD screen, excellent build quality and weather-resistance.

Click through to view the Pentax K-3 gallery, including pictures of the new 55-300m lens that has also just been announced.

The Pentax K-3 is the new flagship model of the PENTAX K digital SLR camera series. The new K-3 features 24 megapixels, a 27-point AF system, high-speed continuous shooting at approximately 8.3 images per second, a newly designed 86,000 pixel RGB light-metering sensor, a large 3.2-inch high-resolution LCD monitor, Full HD movies at 60fps, dustproof, weather-resistant body construction, and an optical viewfinder with the largest, brightness subject image in its class. It also has an anti-aliasing simulator, rather than an optical anti-aliasing filter, providing a choice of filtered or filter-free shooting for a given scene or subject, plus Dual SD card slots and a USB 3.0 port.

Available in black or limited edition silver, the Pentax K-3 will be available from November for £1,099.99 body-only, £1,199.99 with the DA L 18-55mm WR lens, £1,349.99 with the DA L 18-55mm WR & DA L 50-200mm WR lenses, and £1,449.99 with the DA 18-135mm WR lens. The K-3 Silver Limited Edition will cost £1,399.99. Optional accessories include a battery grip, FLU card for wireless LAN connection to a compatible smartphone, and a camera strap.

The Pentax HD PENTAX-DA 55-300mm F4-5.8ED WR is a versatile telephoto zoom lens for K-mount DSLR cameras. The new lens features PENTAX-original HD coating to deliver sharp, clear images, and a weather-resistant construction. The Pentax HD PENTAX-DA 55-300mm F4-5.8ED WR will be available from November 2013 for £399.99.

One of the big selling points of the new OM-D E-M1 camera, at least according to Olympus, is its size in comparison with an equivalent DSLR. To illustrate this point, Olympus literally weighed the E-M1 and the Nikon D7100 on the same set of scales, together with three lenses each. The D7100 with the 24-70mm, 10-24mm and the 105mm lenses weighed in at 2765g, whilst the E-M1 and the 12-40mm, 9-18mm and the 75mm lenses came in at a mere 1348g, half the weight of its Nikon rival.

Food for thought if you're thinking of building a camera system, especially for street and travel photographers - but would the size difference be enough to tempt you to choose the OM-D E-M1 (or compact system cameras in general) with their smaller sensors, instead of a DSLR?

The Canon EOS-1D C has recently been independently tested in accordance with European Broadcasting Union standards for HD content acquisition and found to be the first DSLR ever to provide an image of high enough quality for use as a broadcast production tool. Results indicated that the EOS-1D C provides ‘exceptional’ HD resolution from a 4K source with ‘very low’ aliasing, and ‘good’ colour performance and motion portrayal. The test results also confirm that the EOS-1D C camera system and its imaging performance comply with the recommended specification for inclusion in HD Tier 1 for HD production.

Sony has released a firmware update for its SLT-A99 digital "single lens translucent" camera. Version 1.02 adds an HDMI simultaneous output mode, provides support for thirteen "Dual AF" function compliant lenses and half a dozen automatic compensation compliant lenses. You can download the firmware upgrade fromt the websites below.

Website: Sony SLT-A99 Firmware Version 1.02 for Mac
Website: Sony SLT-A99 Firmware Version 1.02 for Windows

This year, Sony has won two photography-related EISA awards. The company's flagship camera, the Alpha SLT-A99, has been recognised with the 'European Advanced Camera of the year 2013-2014' title, while the Cyber-shot DSC-HX50 superzoom (pictured) has scooped up the 'European Compact Camera of the year 2013-2014' award. Beyond photography, the company has also received accolades in the television, HT receiver and tablet categories.

Canon has been honoured with three product awards by the European Imaging and Sound Association (EISA). The Canon EOS 100D has been awarded the ‘European SLR Camera 2013-2014’, the EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4x lens (pictured) has been named ‘European Professional Lens 2013-2014’ and the Canon EOS 6D has won the ‘European Advanced SLR Camera 2013-2014’ award. “Offering first-class products that enable creative expression is what drives Canon, so we’re honoured to receive these awards,” said Steve Marshall, Product Marketing Director, Consumer Imaging Group, Canon Europe. “By offering truly innovative products and technologies, our vision is to help photographers at all levels take the next step in their imaging journey. These products are a great example of that vision, and this recognition from the EISA judging panel is a testament to their outstanding quality.”

The European Imaging Sound Association (EISA) has recognised the Nikon D7100 digital SLR camera with the ‘European Camera of the Year’ award. Marina Gurevich, Product Manager for Consumer DSLRs at Nikon Europe, said: “We are very proud to receive this important award from EISA for our enthusiast-level DX format D7100. Since launching the camera in February this year, it has earned rave reviews – which we believe is down to its impressive resolution, professional-level 51-point autofocus system and a combination of powerful features in a durable body.”

Expedition Iceland is a beautiful short film including slow-motion and time-lapse sequences, shot by Eric Hines on a Canon EOS 5D Mark III. The footage used in this video was recorded during the photographer's 17-day, 4000-mile voyage around the country during the midnight sun in 2013. The motion control equipment needed for the shots - including a Kessler Crane CineDrive - was provided by Kessler Crane. The music is For A Minor Reflection by Flóð. Click through / scroll down to watch the video.

Nikon has released updated lens distortion control data for a number of its DSLR cameras including the Nikon D4, D90, D600, D800, D800E, D3100, D3200, D5000, D5100, D5200, D7000 and D7100 (pictured). Version 1.009 is now available from the websites below.

Website: Nikon Lens Distortion Control Data for Mac
Website: Nikon Lens Distortion Control Data for Windows

Canon has released an annotated sample movie shot on its new EOS 70D digital SLR camera, which features new 'Dual-Pixel CMOS AF' technology for fast and smooth auto-focus performance in Live View and video mode. The movie Handmade is intended to show off the benefits of the new AF system as well as the general video recording capabilities of the Canon EOS 70D camera. The sample movie is complemented by an interesting behind-the-scenes video. You can view both after the jump.

The Canon EOS 70D is a new digital SLR camera with a 20-megapixel sensor and 'Dual-Pixel CMOS AF.' The latter is a phase-detection autofocus technology on the camera's image sensor plane, which provides for quiet and fast focusing in Live View as well as when shooting video. When using the optical viewfinder, photographers can take advantage of the 70D's 19-point all cross-type AF system (including a high-precision f/2.8 dual cross-type AF centre point) and high-speed continuous shooting of up to 7fps. In addition, the Canon EOS 70D features a built-in wireless transmitter that offers users several connectivity options to easily share their images as well as control aperture, shutter speed, and ISO from their smartphone. The EOS 70D Digital SLR camera is scheduled to be available in September 2013 for an estimated retail price of $1199.00/ £1079.99 / €1399.99 for the body alone and $1349.00 / £1199.99 / €1599.99 kitted with an EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM stabdard zoom or $1549.00 / £1399.99 / €1849.99 bundled with the EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens.

Nikon have released a new firmware update for the D7100 DSLR. Version C 1.01 includes 8 modifications, including when movie recording at 1920 × 1080/24p in M exposure mode, subject brightness did not change, even when shutter speed was adjusted.