At Photokina 2012, Olympus will be challenging visitors to directly compare their own digital SLRs against the Olympus OM-D E-M5 in a low-light shoot-off. At the Olympus booth - Stand A11-B10 in Hall 2.2 - visitors will have a chance to put their camera’s picture quality to the test by pitting their own dSLR against an OM-D in the hands of a professional photographer. A model will pose for pictures taken by the public and the resident professional. A0-sized prints will show how well the OM-D E-M5 measures up. Other booth highlights include professional video making in the Audio Lounge and a Hello Terminal where you can have your picture taken against a backdrop.

If you can’t wait until Photokina, check out our own Olympus OM-D vs. Nikon D7000 head-to-head review!

Hama has announced the launch of its Quick Shoot Strap SC, a smaller version of the original Quick Shoot Strap. Featuring a three-point safety lock, the Hama Quick Shoot Strap SC allows the camera to be “moved from the carrying position to the ready position in a snap, without even moving the strap.” In addition, fourteen air cushions are integrated into the neoprene shoulder pad in order to absorb shocks. The Hama Quick Shoot Strap SC carries a recommended retail price of €45. The product will be on display at Photokina 2012, Hall 4.2, stand D 020 / E 029.

Hama has announced a new lineup of aha: camera bags called Skipp. Available in two sizes, Skipp bags feature rounded, overlapping cover flaps and flat accessory compartments divided into three sub-compartments. The 120 model (€49.99), in black or silver, is perfect for smaller system cameras with one additional interchangeable lens and no flash. The 150 size (€59.99) is ideal for larger single-lens reflex cameras with standard equipment. The new bags will be on display at Photokina 2012, Hall 4.2, stand D 020 / E 029.

DxO Labs released DxO Optics Pro v7.5.4 for Mac and Windows. With this update, DxO Optics Pro 7 now supports the Pentax K-30 (pictured) and the Sony DSC-RX100 cameras, and adds 400 new DxO Optics Modules, meaning the program now offers a total of 8,000 camera/lens combinations in its library. This update is free of charge for all owners of DxO Optics Pro 7, as well as for photographers who purchased a license for DxO Optics Pro 6 after 1 September 2011.

Successor to the Compact Prime CP.2 25/T2.9 and designed with professional cinematographers in mind, the new Carl Zeiss Compact Prime CP.2 25/T2.1 is a faster lens with virtually no chromatic aberrations. By using the interchangeable mounts for PL, EF, F, MFT and E, the lens can be easily adapted to numerous camera systems, ensuring compatibility with future cameras as technology changes. Carl Zeiss will start shipping the new Compact Prime CP.2 25/T2.1 on October 1st, 2012. The expected retail price is €3,300 (+VAT) or $ 4,500.

The new Compact Zoom CZ.2 28-80/T2.9 is the second Compact Zoom CZ.2 lens from Carl Zeiss, complementing the Compact Zoom CZ.2 70-200/T2.9 presented in April. Thanks to the five different mounts (PL, EF, F, MFT and E), this new zoom lens can be easily adapted to numerous camera systems both now and in the future, for use on HDSLR cameras, HD video cameras and professional cine cameras. “Thanks to the interchangeable mount and the 36x24mm image-circle illumination, the new Com- pact Zoom CZ.2 28-80/T2.9 is highly versatile and a future proof investment,” says Michael Schieh- len, Director of Sales of the Camera Lens Division of Carl Zeiss AG. The recommended retail price is €14,900+VAT or US$19,900. Availability is slated for Q2 2013.

Want to see exactly what the new Samsung Galaxy Camera digital camera looks like in the flesh?

Check out our hands-on gallery of photos of the Samsung Galaxy Camera digital camera.

The Samsung Galaxy Camera is a sixteen-megapixel superzoom camera with a 4.8” high-definition capacitive touchscreen, 21x optical zoom, optical image stabilisation, and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system with Wi-Fi and 3G/4G connectivity. The 4.1-86.1mm f/2.8-5.9 lens offers an angle-of-view range equivalent to that of an imaginary 23-483mm lens on a 35mm camera body. In addition to taking 16-megapixel stills, the Samsung Galaxy Camera can also record Full HD movies as well as slow-motion video at up to 120 frames per second. The remote viewfinder feature allows you to see what the camera sees on the display of your smartphone and take a picture from a distance - useful for shooting timid wildlife, for instance. The Samsung Galaxy Camera even offers voice control - you can command the camera to zoom in, zoom out and take a shot without touching it.

Want to see exactly what the new Sony NEX-5R digital camera looks like in the flesh?

The NEX-5R launches in October and replaces the NEX-5N, which is now discontinued. The NEX-5 series accounts for around 70% of NEX sales in the UK, so a lot is expected of the new 5R with Christmas just around the corner.

The Sony NEX-5R is a new compact system camera with Fast Hybrid AF, Wi-Fi and PlayMemories Camera Apps. The NEX-5R offers 16.1 effective megapixels, DSLR-like AF tracking for shooting at up to 10fps, built-in Wi-Fi with PlayMemories Camera Apps, and a 180° tiltable LCD touchscreen. The Sony NEX-5R compact system camera is available in the UK from mid-October 2012 in silver, black or white for around £670 with the 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 OSS kit lens. In the US, the camera body will be available for around $650, and the NEX-5R+18-55mm lens kit will retail for ~$750.

PlayMemories Camera Apps is the world’s first application download service for cameras. It initially lets you install extra functions on demand to boost the capabilities of the new NEX-5R compact system camera, also announced today. New PlayMemories Camera Apps will be initially available in the UK from October 2012.

Sony have officially announced their HD sports video camera, the Action Cam HDR-AS10. Weighing in at approximately three ounces (with battery), the new Action Cam will ship with a rechargeable battery, adhesive mounts, and a ruggedised waterproof case featuring a universal tripod mount built to handle extreme environments. Within the case, the camera is waterproof down to 197 feet and has a shock resistance rating for up to five foot drops plus dirt and dust resistant seals that help make it impervious to mud, snow, rain, and grime. Sony will add a Wi-Fi® enabled version of the HD video action camcorder (HDR-AS15, pictured) to its new lineup as well. The HDR-AS10 and the HDR-AS15 will be available in September for about $199.99 and $269.99 respectively. In Europe, the HDR-AS-15 will hit the shelves in mid-October.

Canon has expanded its Cinema EOS line-up with two new cameras, the Canon EOS C100 Digital Video Camera and the Canon EOS C500 4K Digital Cinema Camera. As promised back in April, the Canon EOS C500 (pictured) is Canon’s high-end professional 4K (4096x2160-pixel) cinema camera capable of originating uncompressed raw output for external recording to meet the demands of premium cinematic productions and other top-quality production markets. The C100 digital video camera is a compact, “entry-level” model delivering Full HD video using the AVCHD codec. The C500 will be available in both EF- and PL-mount versions; while the C100 will be offered in EF mount only. The Canon EOS C500 and C500 PL 4K Digital Cinema Cameras are scheduled to be available in October for an estimated list price of $30,000. The Canon EOS C100 Digital Video Camera is scheduled to be available in November 2012 for an estimated list price of $7,999.

Canon today announced the development of two new cinema prime lenses, the EF 14mm T3.1 (pictured) and the EF 135mm T2.2. “Both the 14mm T3.1 and 135mm T2.2 cinema prime lenses will be engineered for exceptional optical performance for Canon’s latest large-format single-sensor 4K and 2K digital cinematography cameras,” the company said in a statement. “As part of the Cinema EOS System, the lenses will be compatible with standard sensor sizes including Super 35mm, the standard format in the motion picture industry, as well as HD-compatible EOS Digital SLR cameras using 35mm full frame, APS-H and APS-C image sensors.” The 14mm T3.1 and 135mm T2.2 EF cinema prime lenses are expected to be available in the first half of 2013, and will be showcased from 6-11 September 2012 at IBC2012 in Amsterdam.

Coinciding with the launch of the EOS C100 and C500 cameras, Canon has announced the addition of two new zoom lenses to its Cinema EOS system. Available in both EF- and PL-mount versions, the CN-E15.5-47mm T2.8 L S/SP wide-angle cinema zoom lens (pictured) and the CN-E30-105mm T2.8 L S/SP telephoto cinema zoom lens are engineered to deliver exceptional optical performance for the latest large-format single-sensor 4K and 2K digital cinematography cameras. The Canon CN-E15.5-47mm T2.8 L S/SP wide-angle cinema zoom lens is expected to be available in November 2012 and the CN-E30-105mm T2.8 L S/SP telephoto cinema zoom lens is expected to be available in January 2013, both for an estimated list price of $24,500 each.

Adobe has updated Revel, a set of photo viewing, browsing and editing applications and cloud-based storage service formerly known as Adobe Carousel, to version 1.5. “We’ve added many great improvements to Revel with this latest update, but the one we are most excited about is the addition of Albums,” Adobe said in a blog post. “You can now organize all the photos in your library by creating albums for family vacations, photos of the kids, or even random photos you take everyday.  And just like everything else in Revel, albums are synced automatically everywhere you have the Revel app.”

Canon has posted a firmware update for the Canon EOS-1D X digital SLR camera. According to the company, Version 1.0.6 incorporates the following fixes:

1. Fixes a phenomenon in which the AF Microadjustment cannot be correctly carried out.
2. Fixes a phenomenon such that when using the camera with combinations of certain lens*1) and extender*2), the images captured become back-focused.

*1) EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM or EF200mm f/2L IS USM

When used with
*2) Extender EF 1.4x III or Extender EF 2x III

Website: Canon EOS-1D X Firmware Update 1.0.6 for Windows
Website: Canon EOS-1D X Firmware Update 1.0.6 for Mac

Datacolor has just announced a number of additional dates to their series of free monthly webinars on colour calibration. The next scheduled webinar in the series, taking place on 12th September from 3:00 PM to 4:15 PM EDT, addresses colour management for fine art reproduction. Other webinars will highlight such topics as calibration for display devices including iPhones and iPads, using Spyder technology for colour management, and holiday gift ideas from Datacolor. Click through / scroll down for a detailed list of webinar dates and times.