News and Reviews
The photo industry is developing at a rapid rate and so are the technologies that drive it. Be the first to find out all the news on MCP Actions™! MCP Actions™ brings you the latest photo news from the digital imaging world and more. Fresh announcements, the most important events, and everything that happens with Canon, Nikon, Sony, Fujifilm, Olympus, Panasonic, and many others, are right here. Be the first to find out all the important news in the camera industry!
Raspberry Pi announces $25 camera module
A $35 computer was just a dream until recently, but Raspberry Pi dully delivered. After that, the company upped the stakes with a $25 computer and sold about one million units in less than one year. Now, Raspberry Pi is looking to upset camera makers by introducing a very cheap camera module.
Nikon cuts net income forecast, blames poor sales in Europe and China
Nikon published its third quarter financial results with not so good numbers. Although the company is still profitable, it reported poor earnings during the third quarter of the 2013 financial year. Blaming price declines and poor sales on European and Chinese markets, Nikon has decided to cut down its annual profit forecast.
Canon 35mm f/2 is the second best wide-angle prime lens, says DxOMark
DxOMark is considered by many as the industry standard test for camera and lens performance. The engineers at DxO Labs took the Canon EF 35mm f/2 IS USM lens for a spin and tested the wide-angle prime’s sharpness. The new lens coped pretty well with the pressure and it ranked second best wide-angle prime lens.
Lynny Lens pulled from sale
Lynny Lens, the product that could be physically manipulated to control the focus and blur of the photographs thanks to its flexible rubber exterior, was removed from sale, as found on Lynny website. The company declares that they had to resort to this action in order to avoid legal confrontations with a brand famous for making similar products.
Photographing Portland’s iconic White Stag sign now costs money
When visiting a new city, people want to capture shots of its iconic buildings or signs. Some photographers even invest money to travel to landmarks around the world to create special photo shoots. Well, their job got more expensive if they want to photograph the White Stag sign located in Portland, Oregon because city officials will charge them a licensing fee.
Sunday Times refuses freelance photographer’s images from Syria
British newspaper The Sunday Times communicates to freelance photographers not to submit photographs shot during the conflict in Syria, a statement clearly made when they refused the images of freelance photographer Rick Findler. The publication explains that the decision is an act of discouraging freelancers to risk their lives while documenting such dangerous events.
IBE Optics 26mm f/1.4 lens announced for Micro Four Thirds
After launching the fastest lens in the world for mirrorless cameras at CP+ 2013, IBE Optics immediately got back to work and revealed one of the fastest lenses for Micro Four Thirds. There 26mm f/1.4 lens has been officially introduced by IBE Optics as a lens for big sensors which should provide “excellent image quality”.
Canon announces 5D Mark III firmware update to fix slow focus issue
Recently, photographers have noticed that the Canon 1D X and 5D Mark III appear to focus slower when using the Speedlight AF Assist Beam system. Well, all problems will go away soon as the company has acknowledged the issues on its forum and has confirmed that a firmware update is inbound for both cameras.
LockCircle launches Prime Circle XT-F cine-lenses for Nikon cameras
LockCircle has decided to tune-up what it calls the “most technologically advanced” lenses from Carl Zeiss, in order to develop the Prime Circle XT-F Custom Lenses. They are cine-style optics specially designed for Nikon F-mount cameras to improve sharpness and create “outstanding” bokeh effects.
Instagram introduces image feed on the web
Instagram is one of the most important success novels of the mobile world. In under two years, Instagram managed to become one of the most popular mobile apps and, as a result, it was purchased by Facebook. Although it is still looking to grow on the mobile market, the company has introduced full Instagram feed support on the web.
Olympus launches new M.Zuiko 75-300mm lens for Micro Four Thirds
There are not too many zoom lenses available for Micro Four Thirds cameras, therefore Olympus decided to redesign one of its lenses specially for MFTs. The new M.Zuiko DIGITAL ED 75-300mm II f4.8-6.7 is a super telephoto lens with ZERO coating and an affordable price for a glass of its caliber.
LPA Design introduces new PocketWizard G-Wiz Vault bag
Storing accessories can be a problem for many photographers and especially for professionals, because they have so mean camera gear. LPA Design has come up with a solution for them. The name of the solution is PocketWizard G-Wiz Vault bag, a convenient storage for multiple accessories.
Panasonic creates new sensor that doubles low-light image quality
Image quality has improved in recent years, however, photographers are still not satisfied with the current level of technology. As a result, companies are constantly working on improving photo quality. Panasonic has developed a breakthrough technology that allows better light transmission, thus doubling low-light image quality.
Nikon celebrates the 80th anniversary of Nikkor lenses with new video
Nikon is being serious about promoting its brand, therefore it is showing how Nikkor lenses are manufactured in a new video, which is celebrating the lenses’ 80th anniversary. The company released a video showing the entire manufacturing process of a Nikkor lens, to assure people that it is paying attention to all the details.
Lynx A to become world’s first point-and-shoot 3D camera
Lynx Laboratories is looking to get $50,000 in funding to develop world’s first point-and-shoot 3D camera. With more than 70% of total amount obtained in five days, the Kickstarter project will become a reality, but is it really worth the money? 3D modeling, enhanced battery life, a large screen, and high-capacity storage all say “Yes!”
Nikon 1 V1 1.21 and Capture NX 2.4.0 updates available for download
Nikon has decided to update the firmware of the 1 V1 interchangeable-lens mirrorless camera up to 1.21, in order to fix a bug which annoyed users even since the camera’s introduction. The Capture NX software has also been update to version 2.4.0 to add support for Microsoft’s Windows 8 operating system.
Ibelux 40mm f/0.85 becomes world’s fastest lens for mirrorless cameras
Many people would have never believed it to be possible, but IBE Optics and Kipon have announced world’s fastest lens for mirrorless cameras with an impressive aperture as large as f/0.85. It will be released in the near future for mirrorless cameras under the name of HandeVision Ibelux 40mm f/0.85.
Kodak completes $527 million patent sale
January 2012 was a bad month for Kodak as the company was forced to file for bankruptcy. February 2013 appears to be a good month for the digital camera inventor thanks to a $527 million patent sale to a consortium of organizations. Following the sale of its patents, Kodak is now entering a crucial phase of its business and a lot of work still needs to be done.
UK Dragon’s Den star, Peter Jones, buys Jessops brand
Last January, Jessops became the first High Street company to enter administration with PricewaterhouseCoopers as the administrator. After less than a month, PwC found a buyer for Jessops. It fell into the hands of Dragon’s Den star and businessman, Peter Jones, who bought the brand and other assets.
Nikon D4 firmware update A:1.04 / B:1.02 now available for download
The Nikon D4 is the flagship camera for professional photographers. It was released early last year and the company worked constantly at improving the DSLR. As a result, a new Nikon D4 firmware update is available for download. Despite being a minor upgrade, it fixes a major bug which affected the photographers.
Ricoh unveils omnidirectional camera concept
Smartphones and digital cameras can take beautiful panoramic shots, but what if users want to go a step beyond this? Well, Ricoh has already thought of that and it has revealed an omnidirectional camera, which can take full 360 degree shots in a split second, at the CP+ 2013 digital imaging show.
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