Via one of its online forums, Blackmagic Design has announced that its Pocket Cinema Camera is now shipping. "There are some new features in the software for the Pocket Cinema Camera," says Blackmagic's CEO Grant Petty. "You can now focus by pushing the focus button when using an active MFT lens. This makes it very easy to accurately focus. The focus peaking feature is still there and you enable it by double pressing the focus button. The focus zoom feature is enabled by double pressing the OK button." The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera is available for $995. Meanwhile the suggested retail price of its bigger brother, the original Blackmagic Cinema Camera, has been reduced to $1,995.

Blackmagic Design has reduced the suggested retail price of its Blackmagic Cinema Camera. Announced in April 2012, the Blackmagic Cinema Camera includes features such as 13 stops of dynamic range, built-in high-bandwidth SSD recorder, open file format support, colour correction with full version of DaVinci Resolve and a built in capacitive touch-screen with metadata entry. Other highlights include sensor cooling, built in high-speed Thunderbolt connection, 3 Gb/s SDI output and a passive Micro Four Thirds or Canon EF lens mount. The sensor is capable of capturing both 2.5K and Full HD footage at frame rates of 24, 25, 29.97 and 30fps. The Blackmagic Cinema Camera now carries a suggested retail price of $1,995, down from the original SRP of $2,995.

The Canon Legria mini is a new digital creative camcorder with an ultra-wide angle Canon lens, multifunctional vari-angle LCD and built-in stand. Available in black, silver and white, the portable and lightweight form breaks from traditional camcorder design, and thanks to its built-in stand, gives enhanced flexibility in hands-free recording. The vari-angle 2.7” LCD touchscreen can be flipped out to either the rear side or subject side, giving users an array of different shooting options and styles to play with. For example, the screen can be flipped into a front-facing position to enable accurate self-shooting, or kept closed to capture creative low angles. Other highlights include Full HD video recording, 12.8-megapixel stills capture and Wi-Fi connectivity. The Canon mini will be available in the UK and Ireland from mid-September 2013 with an SRP of £269 and €329 respectively. In the USA, the camcorder is called the Vixia mini and sells for $299.99.

JVC has unveiled a new and upgraded version of its Adixxion action camera. The new JVC GC-XA2 Adixxion model offers a range of performance and feature enhancements that boost image quality and versatility, and the camera remains ready for most any situation, no external housing necessary. Like its predecessor, the new GC-XA2 is water-, shock-, dust- and freeze-proof with built-in LCD and Wi-Fi. Performance improvements in the new model include 1920 x 1080 60p/50p Full HD recording, and1280 x 720 high-speed recording at 120fps/100fps for 4x slow-motion playback. Other upgrades include a brighter (f/2.4) and wider-angle (137°) lens, a higher-resolution LCD monitor with Auto off and Auto brightness functions, a higher-resolution (8Mp) image sensor, a higher audio bit rate and improved noise reduction. The JVC GC-XA2 Adixxion will be available in late July for $299.95.

JVC has launched an interchangeable-lens 4K camcorder that takes Nikon F mount lenses. The JVC JY-HMQ30 comes with a "1.25-type" 8-megapixel  CMOS sensor, and is capable of shooting 4K Ultra HD videos at 24, 50 or 60 frames per second. Other highlights include quadruple SD card slots with SDXC support, four HDMI terminals and a "Full HD trimming function." Auto focus is not supported. The JVC JY-HMQ30 is available to pre-order for 1,700,000 yen in Japan.

Rollei has unveiled a new Wi-Fi enabled action camera. The Rollei Actioncam 5S WiFi Diving Edition is equipped with a 7x multi-layer coated glass lens with an angle of view of 175 degrees and a 14-megapixel CMOS sensor, and comes bundled with a 1.4" external TFT display. In addition to capturing stills, the camera can also record Full HD videos. The Rollei Actioncam 5S WiFi Diving Edition will go on sale this month at a recommended retail price of €349.95.

Rollei has launched its second Full HD car camera, the Car DVR-100. Featuring a 5-megapixel CMOS sensor and 3mm wide-angle lens, the Rollei Car DVR-100 comes with a built-in 3-axis accelerometer, an integrated LED light, a 2.4" LCD screen and an internal lithium-ion battery. The Rollei Car DVR-100 will go on sale from the end of June for a recommended retail price of €109.95.

Polaroid is expanding its line of mountable hi-definition action video cameras with an affordable Full HD model called the Polaroid XS80. Capable of recording 1080p movies at 30fps, the Polaroid XS80 is waterproof to a depth of 30 feet and boasts a lens with an ultrawide 120-degree angle of view. Available now, the Polaroid XS80 carries an SRP of $129.99.

The Sony Handycam HDR-GW66VE is a waterproof Full HD pocket camcorder that’s ready for anything life throws your way. Waterproof to a depth of 10 metres, the slim new Handycam HDR-GW66VE also shrugs off dust, dirt, freezing temperatures (to -10 °C) and accidental knocks or drops (from heights of up to 1.5m). Other highlights include a 30-298mm (eq.) f/1.8-3.4 lens bearing the prestigious 'G' designation, Optical SteadyShot image stabilisation with Active Mode and a 3" LCD screen with a resolution of 460,000 dots. The Handycam HDR-GW66VE Full HD pocket camcorder by Sony will be available in the UK from June 2013. Pricing to be confirmed.

Sony has launched a new range of accessories for its HDR-AS15 Action Cam. These include the AKA-WM1 wrist mount strap, the AKA-SM1 surfboard mount, the AKA-FL1 float - which prevents the Action Cam from plummeting into the depths if you drop the camera while swimming -, the ADP-BH1 ball head, the AKA-SF1 skeleton frame - which is claimed to be ideal for secure tripod mounting - and the AKA-DM1 dog harness. There’s also a new firmware update that powers up Action Cam with extra features and a new High Frame Rate mode. The new range of sports-focused mounting accessories and firmware update for the HDR-AS15 Action Cam Full HD video camera are available from June.

Canon U.S.A. has just launched the interactive Cinema EOS C500 4K Digital Cinema Camera Menu Simulator. With this innovative training tool, prospective users of the EOS C500 can navigate the simulated menu system with a mouse, keyboard arrow keys or their fingers (when using a touch screen device). To access this simulator feature, visit the website below.

In addition to the competitively priced Pocket Cinema Camera, Blackmagic has unveiled a 4K Ultra HD model with an EF lens mount and Super35 sized sensor with a global shutter; called the Blackmagic Production Camera 4K. Featuring Apple ProRes 422 (HQ) and CinemaDNG raw file recording, timecoding, a capacitive touchscreen and a built-in SSD recorder, the camera offers 6G-SDI output, a Thunderbolt port, 1/4” jack mic/line inputs plus 12V to 30V DC input, a 3.5mm headphone socket and LANC remote control. “Customers have been asking us to design a camera with global shutter and a large sensor. With the Blackmagic Production Camera 4K we have delivered that, plus the high resolution needed for the latest Ultra HD production work,” said Grant Petty, CEO, Blackmagic Design. The Blackmagic Production Camera 4K will be available in July for $3,995.

The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera is a new pocket sized digital cinema camera that breaks the magical $1000 barrier. It includes powerful features such as a Super 16mm sized 1080HD sensor, super wide 13 stops of dynamic range, built in SD card recorder for Apple ProRes, lossless compressed CinemaDNG RAW capture and active Micro Four Thirds lens mount. The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera is available in July for $995.

The new Rollei Actioncam 5S WiFi is a Full HD action camera with a 175-degree ultra-wide angle lens, a 14-megapixel CMOS sensor and integrated Wi-Fi. The latter feature allows the camera to be controlled remotely, using a tablet or smart phone. The wireless radio remote control has a range of 10 metres. The Rollei Actioncam 5S WiFi has an all-weather protective case, which is shockproof from heights of up to three metres and waterproof down to a depth of 60 metres. The Rollei 5S WiFi Outdoor and Motorbike editions will be available in stores from the beginning of June for a recommended retail price of €349.95.

Canon is expanding its handheld video camera range with three compact models for professionals and video enthusiasts. Two new professional X-series models, the Canon XA25 (£2099/€2799, pictured) and XA20 (£1699/€2199), combine a powerful, all-new imaging system with professional audio and Wi-Fi connectivity in a “versatile, compact package that fits neatly in the palm of a hand,” the company says. Highlights include a 1/2.84” HD CMOS PRO sensor, 20x zoom with dynamic optical image stabilisation, 3.5” OLED touchscreen, a tilting 1.56-million-dot electronic viewfinder, dual-format recording, built-in Wi-Fi and IR lamp, 2x XLR inputs as well as fast- and slow-motion movie recording capabilities. The Canon XA25 additionally features HD-SDI output offering the high capacity, uncompressed connectivity useful for many broadcast applications. The enthusiast-focussed Canon Legria HF G30 (£1299/€1699) comes with the same lens (with “optical intelligent IS”), OLED touchscreen and HD CMOS PRO sensor, Wi-Fi connectivity and full manual controls but lacks the XLR inputs and built-in infrared lamp of the XA models. All three models will be available from June 2013.

Canon is developing firmware updates for three of its interchangeable-lens Cinema EOS System cameras. Following the release of these upgrades, the Canon EOS C500 (pictured), EOS C300 and EOS C100 will offer support for a new Magnify function that will allow users to check focus in different parts of an image, on the camera LCD, as well as the centre. The EOS C300 will also be upgraded to support an additional range of features designed to assist independent videographers. Push Auto Iris and One Shot AF will provide further versatility on small-crew shoots, offering a quick, easy way to check and adjust exposure and focus prior to recording. The EOS C300 will also gain additional support with 1440x1080 HD video recording at 35Mbps. A further upgrade for the EOS C100 will add support for Continuous AF when used with Canon’s EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens. In addition to these updates, Canon will also add new features to the Cinema Raw Development (CRD) software. The firmware updates for the EOS C500, EOS C300, EOS C100 and CRD software will be available later in 2013.

JVC has developed two new professional camcorders, branded as “Mobile News Cameras.” The JVC GY-HM600 and the JVC GY-HM650 are nearly identical handheld camcorders, designed for traditional HDTV broadcast productions as well as Internet distribution. Each features three Full HD 1/3” CMOS sensors and a Fujinon 23x zoom lens, with a 35mm equivalent focal range of 29-667mm, and separate controls for zoom, focus and iris. The JVC GY-HM650 additionally boasts Wi-Fi connectivity with the ability to upload footage directly to a remote server as an FTP client. The JVC GY-HM600 and the JVC GY-HM650 digital video cameras are available from B&H.

The new Rollei Racy Full HD is a new action camera capable of shooting five-megapixel stills as well as 1080p movies. Weighing in at 72 grams and measuring just 74x52x33mm, the Rolley Racy is supplied with an underwater housing that’s waterproof down to 10 metres, and features a 135° ultra-wide lens and a 6cm touchscreen. The camera comes complete with a remote control, a helmet fixture, 3M attachment stickers, the underwater housing and a USB cable. The Rollei Racy Full HD will be available from the end of April in silver and black for a recommended retail price of €139,95.

Olympus Japan has announced that no less than five new companies have joined Micro Four Thirds. The newcomers include Kodak licensee JK Imaging, innovative digital cinema camera manufacturer Blackmagic Design - which has already launched a Micro Four Thirds model, the Blackmagic Cinema Camera MFT (pictured) -, high-speed digital imaging expert Photron, as well as Germany’s SVS-VISTEK and Japan’s ViewPLUS. “With the addition of exciting new products from these companies, the Micro Four Thirds lineup will become much more diverse, further increasing the potential of this advanced digital imaging system,” Olympus said in a statement.

Rollei has added a new “4-in-1” model to its Bullet range of action cameras. “The Rollei Bullet Youngstar is an action, photo, driving and diving camera all in one,” the company says. The camera has a fixture on the camera housing to which lanyards can be attached. The package also includes a helmet mount, four 3M adhesive stickers, a USB cable and underwater protective housing for recordings at a depth of up to 10 metres. Outfitted with a 135° ultra-wide angle lens and a 5cm touch panel, the Rollei Bullet Youngstar is capable of capturing 5-megapixel stills as well as 720p HD videos. Priced at €59.95, the Rollei Bullet Youngstar records videos and photos on microSD memory card and comes complete with a proprietary 440mAh Lithium-ion battery