PMA 2007: Pentax were showcasing their 645 medium format digital camera again, following its appearance at Photokina in Autumn 2006. Nothing seems to have changed since then, so I’ve just included a couple of photos to prove that it’s still on the roadmap. Pentax are still undecided about exactly how many megapixels the final product will actually have, with anything from 18 to 30 possible. A very tentative release date of sometime in 2007 was suggested.

PMA 2007: Despite what seems like months of rumours, guesses, bad Photoshop mockups, leaks and dodgy Belgian websites, Canon did not announce a replacement for the EOS 30D DSLR at PMA. PhotographyBLOG ignored the rumours that were widely reported by many other websites and discussion forums in the run-up to the show, preferring to stick to the facts and the real news. This is the approach that I have taken since the site began 4 years ago, and the approach that I will continue with in the future. As well as the new EOS 1D Mk III, accessories and digital compacts which I’ve extensively covered before, Canon were celebrating 70 years as a company, and 20 years of EOS.

PMA 2007: Olympus were showing the prototype of their professional DSLR camera under glass at the show. Code-named the Olympus P-1 (this may not be the final name), Olympus haven’t released any firm details about the new camera, preferring to keep things close to their chests at the moment. A 2007 launch for the Olympus P-1 is highly probable though, with the new DSLR aiming to compete with the likes of the Nikon D200.

PMA 2007: Tamron have a couple of exciting new lenses,the 70-200MM F/2.8 DI LD (IF) MACRO and the 28-300MM F/3.5-6.3 XR DI VC LD ASPHERICAL (IF) MACRO with vibration compensation. Unfortunately they were both displayed under glass, which meant that I couldn’t actually try them out. Both lenses are suitable for APS-C and full-frame sensors.

PMA 2007: Sigma were showcasing the new 200-500mm lens on their stand, which is the world’s first Ultra-Telephoto zoom lens that offers a fast aperture of f/2.8 throughout its focal length. The 200-500mm lens is massive, both in terms of weight and size, dwarfing the new SD14 DSLR camera that it was attached to and requiring two people to carry it! A dedicated tele converter can be used so that the lens becomes a large aperture 400-1000mm F5.6 telephoto. No details on pricing or availability have been released yet.

PMA 2007: The second new lens from Sigma is the 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 DC OS. As the OS acronymn suggests, it has Sigma’s own unique OS (Optical Stabiliser) function. This function uses two sensors inside the lens to detect vertical and horizontal movement of the camera and works by moving an optical image stabilizing lens group, to effectively compensate for camera shake. The Sigma 18-200mm OS lens will cost £439.99 in the UK, availability to be announced.

PMA 2007: 4 new Kodak digital cameras have been announced at PMA - the Z712, Z885, C763 and C613. The Kodak Z885 looked the most interesting, with a 5x optical zoom, 8 megapixels and the headline-grabbing ISO speed of 8000. Kodak showed me some 6x4 inch and 10x8 inch prints taken using ISO 8000. At the smaller print size they were roughly comparable to a good 3 megapixel cameraphone image, while the larger size was less acceptable as you’d expect, with obvious jaggies. The Z885 offers full manual control and is a nice size, but sadly there’s no RAW mode for the more discerning photographer.

PMA 2007: Sony opened their PMA show with a press launch for two new Alpha DSLR prototypes and a selection of lenses. Details about the new DSLRs are sketchy to say the least. On display behind glass was a high-end prosumer model, apparently more advanced than the current A100 DSLR, and a professional level camera, with a pentaprism that looks like it came straight from a Pentax medium format camera. The Sony spokesperson was unclear about which model would be released first, but confirmed that one of them will definitely be released before the end of 2007. Also on show were 8 lenses (again mockups rather than production products) covering a wide range of focal lengths. These are all new Sony designs and not rebadged versions of old Konica Minolta lenses. I’ve posted 9 photos after the jump.

PMA 2007: The Sony G1 was the other new product that Sony announced at the show today. Unlike the Alpha DSLRs and lenses, the G1 camera is actually a real product. The Sony G1 features a huge 3.5 inch screen with 921,000 pixels and offers 2Gb of built-in storage (yes, 2Gbs!) and wi-fi connectivity, the first Sony camera to do so. On the downside, the Sony G1 only offers 6 megapixels and a 3x zoom lens, so may prove to be slightly disappointing on the image quality front.

PMA 2007: Further details have been released for the Sigma DP1. The DP1 will feature a 14 megapixel FOVEON X3, APS-C size image sensor (2652 × 1768 × 3 layers) as used in the new Sigma SD14 digital SLR. The size of the image sensor used in the Sigma DP1 camera is 10 times larger than in a normal compact digital camera. The DP1 has a 16.6mm f/4 Sigma lens, equivalent to 28mm on a 35mm film camera. The Sigma DP1 will be available in Spring 2007, price to be anounced. Sigma have also launched a website dedicated to the DP1 at http://sigma-dp1.com/ (thanks to Bob van Ooik for the tip).

PMA 2007: Shutterfly announces an expanded version of its free Shutterfly Studio desktop photo management software, which now includes personalized screen saver options, 20 photo editing tools with a new close up preview, templates for composing elegant picture collages, and new desktop “Picture Frames”. Users can also select from more than 140 collage templates in various sizes, or they can use the “Composer” feature to design their own collage layouts.The free software download is now available to Windows users at http://www.shutterfly.com/studio .

PMA 2007: DxO Optics Pro 4.2 adds SmartVibrancy, a new intelligent color feature which selectively intensifies the colors in an image. This free upgrade for all existing version 4 users also includes Flickr connectivity (available in the near future), Windows VISTA support and more. Pricing of full versions of DxO Optics Pro v4.2 remains unchanged.

PMA 2007: DxO FilmPack 1.1 simulates the grain and color of popular films and includes new “toning” options. It’s now also available as a stand-alone application, Adobe Photoshop plug-in, as well as add-on to DxO Optics Pro. DxO FilmPack v1.1 is available immediately at the introductory price of £45 until May 31, 2007.

PMA 2007: Micron’s new 5 megapixel HD image sensor is designed specifically for hybrid cameras and is capable of capturing HD video at 60 frames per second (fps) in 720p (progressive) format. Micron’s 8 megapixel image sensor is now available for mass production. Micron is sampling the new sensors now with mass production expected in the third quarter of 2007.

PMA 2007: The Nikon D40x DSLR camera was on show at today’s Sneak Peek event at PMA. As you’d expect with no external changes from the D40, it looks exactly the same as its predecessor! There’s a new 10 megapixel sensor, extended ISO range of 100-3200, and faster continuous shooting of 3fps. Also on show was the new 55-200mm VR lens, which was quite compact and light, matching the D40x well, although the lens does protrude quite a bit at full zoom.

PMA 2007: Two of the three lenses that Pentax first announced at Photokina last year have now made it to full production status. The smc PENTAX-DA* 16-50mm F2.8ED AL[IF] and smc PENTAX-DA* 50-135mm F2.8ED were both on the Pentax stand at this afternoon’s Sneak Peek event at PMA 2007, mounted on a K10D DSLR. These lenses are designed for use with PENTAX K- and *istD series of digital SLR cameras. They are positioned as premium, high-end ‘star’ (*) lenses, which will deliver exceptional performance and optimal image quality. They both feature the PENTAX KAF2 mount, which incorporates additional electrical contacts to drive a built-in supersonic motor used in auto focusing.

PMA 2007: The Olympus E-510 DSLR camera was on show at today’s Sneak Peek event at PMA (so-called because a large number of exhibitors show off their wares to the press). I got 5 minutes of hands-on time with a working sample of the E-510, which feels smaller than it looks in the glossy brochure shots, but still large enough to hold comfortably. Tomorrow morning Olympus are organising a dawn trip to the desert, so more pictures of the E-510 and E-410 (and maybe some sample photos) to follow…

PMA 2007: The Olympus E-410 DSLR camera was also on show at today’s Sneak Peek event at PMA. I got a few minutes of hands-on time with a working sample of the E-410, which I find a little too small for my largish sized hands, but will appeal to all the Olympus OM fans out there. Tomorrow morning Olympus are organising a dawn trip to the desert, so more pictures of the E-510 and E-410 (and maybe some sample photos) to follow…

PMA 2007: Delkin Devices have announced their new eFilm ExpressCard 54 CF and eFilm ExpressCard 34 mm 6-in-1 readers. The Delkin ExpressCard 54 CF reader is the first UDMA enabled ExpressCard reader, whilst the ExpressCard 34 6-in-1 reader offers transfers from Secure Digital and SDHC memory cards. The eFilm CompactFlash ExpressCard 54 will cost $59.99, available in early April, 2007. The eFilm ExpressCard 6-in-1 reader is $59.99, available immediately.

Nik Software’s noise reduction tool Dfine 2.0 now includes the company’s patented U Point technology for selective editing control and a completely new user interface. Dfine 2.0 addresses the issue of digital image noise with unprecedented selective control and a revamped image processing core, which provide superior noise reduction while maintaining detail and sharpness in an image. Dfine 2.0 will be available in Q2, 2007 for $99.95.