Leica introduces new imaging format and boosts resolution

Image credit: Leica

Although Leica is more renowned for its rangefinder cameras, it makes SLRs shooters, too. At Photokina, the German company bucked the trend by using a radically designed sensor for its new shooter and unveiling new lenses to use with this system.

With a 37-megapixel sensor, the Leica S2 steals the title of "highest-resolution dSLR" from Sony, which held the title briefly with the Alpha A900, a 24.6-megapixel full-frame shooter. But what's more interesting is that Leica is using a non-traditional-sized sensor, one that is 56 percent larger than the current 24 x 36mm full-frame offering. To process such large files, Leica is utilizing the MAESTRO image-processing engine, which was co-developed with Fujitsu.

The camera body is weather sealed and can protect the internals against dust and splashes. This is especially important for photographers looking to use this shooter as their workhorse.

Leica was unable to provide pricing and availability at press time, but knowing the prestige of the brand, we'll probably have to pay a lot more for the S2 than other dSLRs.

Lexar intros 16GB high-speed SD card

Lexar Media, a maker of digital storage cards, announced on Monday its 16GB version of the Kodak-branded Secure Digital High-Capacity (SDHC) high-speed card.

The new card offers speeds up to 60x, which translate into about 9MB per second, allowing for capturing full-motion video without interruption. However, this speed is still not fast enough for dSLR cameras, whose photos can easily be as large as 9MB each, especially when you want to snap multiple photos at a time.

The new SD card works not only with Kodak cameras, but also any SDHC-compatible digital cameras, camcorders, and PDAs. It comes with a lifetime warranty and will be available in October, at which point you will also find 8GB and 4GB versions. At the moment it's unclear how much the new cards will cost.

Via Crave CNET

Olympus goes retro with Micro Four Thirds concept camera

Olympus has taken a trip back in time with the design for its Micro Four Thirds camera. Our predictions turned out to be quite accurate that the Japanese firm would style its new shooter similar to its Pen-series rangefinder cameras.

Bearing a striking resemblance to its ancestors, the unnamed camera would strike a chord with those who have a penchant for retro designs or who have owned a Pen camera before.

Without the prism hump on the top and losing the handgrip, the unconventional design (by today's standard) of Olympus' new shooter deviates from Panasonic's Lumix DMC-G1 which looks more like a dSLR.

However, this gizmo is currently still a concept piece, so the actual product look may not be the same. But we like this design and hope to see Olympus continue developing the camera along this line.

Pentax announces budget dSLR

Joining the budget dSLR market is Pentax with its entry-level offering, the K-m. This shooter houses a 10.2-megapixel sensor in a compact stainless steel chassis and has an onboard image stabilizer to compensate for blur caused by shaky hands. The Japanese company has upgraded the Auto Picture function and claims the K-m's scene recognition technology is more accurate than before.

A quick glance at the specifications sheet indicate that the dSLR has a 2.7-inch LCD, five-point autofocus system and maximum ISO of 3,200.

Compared with other affordable models such as Canon's EOS 1000D, Nikon's D40 and Olympus' E-420, it seems the Pentax is the most feature-rich among the pack. While the shooter's pricing and availability in Asia are not confirmed, the approximate retail price for the camera body is US$735.

Announced with the K-m are two lightweight kit lenses. The standard 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 DA-L and telephoto 50-200mm F4-5.6 DA-L lenses will be sold as part of the package with the dSLR.

RCA releases "HD" version of Small Wonder budget camcorder

Got a look at RCA's new EZ300HD Thursday and at first touch it appears to be a significant step up from the other budget camcorders in the company's Small Wonder line.
The highlights here are a 720p (1,280 x 720) HD shooting mode, a 2.4-inch LCD with "improved viewing in bright sunlight", and a swiveling lens that gives you more flexibility when shooting. The 2GB of built-in memory gives you 1 hour of recording time in HD mode or 6 hours of recording time in the lower-resolution YouTube capture mode. The EZ300HD is powered by a rechargeable Lithium-ion battery pack and its memory can be expanded by purchasing a higher-capacity SD card.
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