Want to see exactly what the new Leica M, S, M-E and X2 Paul Smith cameras look like in the flesh?

Check out our hands-on gallery of photos of the M, S, M-E and X2 Paul Smith edition cameras.

The new Leica M is a 24-megapixel full-frame digital rangefinder camera with Live View and Full HD video recording capabilities. This means - among other things - that Leica M users will, for the first time ever, be able to see exactly what their M lens sees prior to taking a photograph (if they so wish, that is). In Live View mode the Leica M offers a choice of two focusing aids, focus peaking and up to 10x magnified view. In addition to these the traditional rangefinder focusing method is, of course, fully retained. The brand new “Leica Max” CMOS sensor was designed and constructed in collaboration with CMOSIS specifically for this camera and its use with Leica M- and R-Lenses. According to Leica, “[t]his new development successfully transfers the characteristic advantages of CCD sensors, such as natural and brilliant colour rendition and impressive reproduction of detail, to a CMOS sensor.” The Leica M in black paint or silver chrome finish is scheduled to be available in the UK at a suggested retail price of £5,100 including VAT from early 2013.

The Leica M-E is an “affordable” (ahem) version of the Leica M9 full-frame digital rangefinder camera. Featuring a classic “Leica format,” i.e. 35mm full-frame, sensor with 18 million pixels, the Leica M-E is claimed to represent “the essence of rangefinder photography.” Described as the “ideal entry-level model for photographers wishing to experience the fascination of M-photography in its purest form,” the Leica M-E retains most of the core functionality of the M9 while setting you back “only” £3,900 including VAT (for reference, the M9 retails for £4,950).

GIMP Magazine, a brand new, free publication featuring works created by the worldwide community of GIMP users, is launching on 5th September. “Photography, digital arts, graphic arts, web design, tips & tricks, step by step tutorials, master classes, help desk questions, product reviews and so much more are showcased and explored in this quarterly publication,” says Steve Czajka, Managing Editor, GIMP Magazine. “We will be hosting a launch party on the popular Canadian Technology and Pop Culture Podcast called Dyscultured.  Everyone is invited to attend this event and meet some of the GIMP Magazine team members, ask questions, and provide suggestions for upcoming issues!  The event will be LIVE to the world!” The launch event is taking place from 10pm EST on 5 September 2012.

Canon announced today the first photography-inspired film festival in history.  Eva Longoria, Jamie Foxx, Biz Stone, Georgina Chapman and James Murphy will direct short films under the tutelage of two-time Academy Award winner Ron Howard. The “10” in “Imaginat10n,” represents ten storytelling elements and ten films that will ultimately be produced, five of which will be directed by our creative icons to be showcased at a special Canon “Project Imaginat10n” Film Festival in 2013. The other five film directors will be announced at a later date.

The Sinarback eXact is a new professional digital back offering a resolution of 192 megapixels. Equipped with a 48x36mm Dalsa FTF 6080C sensor with a native resolution of 48 megapixels, the Sinarback eXact achieves its 192-megapixel output via its multi-shot mode. Available from October, the eXact can also be used at resolutions of 12, 21 or 48 megapixels, depending on the photographer’s needs. The Sinarback eXact can be attached to Hasselblad H and V as well as Mamiya 645 cameras via appropriate adapters. The recommended retail price is CHF 29,800 / €23,840 + VAT.

The new Sony XQD S Series memory card is faster than the maximum speed limit of Compact Flash. Offering actual sustained read/write transfer speeds of 168MB/s, XQD surpasses the 167 MB/s maximum interface speed limit of Compact Flash. On the Nikon D4 DSLR, the XQD S Series captures a non-stop burst of 108 RAW frames at 10fps, enough to record the men’s 100m final from start to finish in one burst. The XQD S Series memory card will be available in 64GB capacity from July 2012. A 32GB card will also be available later in 2012.

Electrical engineers from Duke University and the University of Arizona have built an imaging apparatus consisting of 98 synchronised microcameras and a large, ball-shaped central lens. “Each one of the microcameras captures information from a specific area of the field of view,” said Professor David Brady of Duke University. “A computer processor essentially stitches all this information into a single highly detailed image.” Stitched images from the prototype offer a resolution of one gigapixel, but in the long run, the researchers aim to produce a 50-gigapixel camera. Another direction for future development is miniaturisation: “within five years, as the electronic components of the cameras become miniaturised… gigapixel cameras should be available to the general public,” the scientists say.

Source: University of Arizona Photo: Duke University Imaging and Spectroscopy Program

Omnivision has annonced two new, 1/2.3” type16-megapixel sensors that are capable of recording 4K video at 60fps. Built on OmniVision’s 1.34-micron OmniBSI-2 pixel architecture, the OV16820 and OV16825 sensors are capable of operating in full resolution (4608 x 3456) at 30 fps, 4K2K (3840 x 2160) video at 60 fps, and 1080p HD video at 60 fps with extra pixels for electronic image stabilisation.

Via Engadget via 1001 Noisy Cameras

Last Sunday marked the 35th anniversary of Kodak’s filing its first patent for a digital camera. It was on 20 May 1977 that the company submitted a patent application for an “electronic still camera,” 1.5 years after a group of employees had put together a working prototype at its Elmgrove Plant in Rochester. Research scientist Steve Sasson who, as the project leader, is credited with inventing the device, described the prototype as “a rather odd-looking collection of digital circuits that we desperately tried to convince ourselves was a portable camera.” Consisting of a Super 8 movie camera lens, a “highly temperamental” new area-array CCD imager, an A/D converter, dozens of circuits and circuit boards, with a cassette recorder thrown in for storage, the world’s first digital camera used no less than 16 NiCd batteries and captured images that could only be viewed on a TV set with the help of a dedicated playback device. The patent (US4131919) was granted on 26 December 1978. Sasson was voted into the Consumer Electronics Hall of Fame in 2007 and received an Innovation Award from The Economist in 2009.

Website: Kodak - Plugged In

Hasselblad has announced plans to cut the prices of a number of models - including nearly 23% off the entry-point H4D-31 (with 35-90mm lens) and more than 20% off the 60 megapixel H4D-60 camera (pictured). Under the revised pricing structure the H4D-31 kit will be available for €11,995. The H4D-60 cost is down €6,200 to €23,900. Additionally, customers who buy a new Hasselblad camera and lens before the end of July will be eligible to purchase a second lens at just 50% of the manufacturer’s recommended sales price.

Want to see exactly what the new Leica M9-P Edition Hermès limited edition rangefinder camera looks like in the flesh?

With only 300 available worldwide, the Leica M9-P Edition Hermès carries a UK suggested retail price of a mere £18,000, with Hermès contributing the Veau Swift calfskin leather finish in ochre colour.

Check out our hands-on gallery of photos of the Leica M9-P Edition Hermès limited edition rangefinder camera.

Want to see exactly what the new Leica X2 digital camera looks like in the flesh?

We spent some time shooting with the new Leica X2 yesterday at an exclusive press event in London.

Check out our hands-on gallery of photos of the Leica X2 digital camera.

Want to see exactly what the new Leica M Monochrom rangefinder camera looks like in the flesh?

We spent some time shooting with the new black and white only Leica M Monochrom yesterday at an exclusive press event in London.

Check out our hands-on gallery of photos of the Leica M Monochrom rangefinder camera.

The Leica M Monochrom is a new, black-and-white only, full-frame digital rangefinder camera with a highly sensitive 18-megapixel monochromatic sensor. Lacking a colour filter array (CFA) and an anti-aliasing filter, the Leica M Monochrom is capable of producing extraordinarily detailed black-and-white photographs with no Bayer interpolation. The lack of a CFA also means that the sensor is significantly more sensitive to light, resulting in an ability to produce unusually clean image files at sensitivity settings up to ISO 10,000. In most other respects, the camera is similar to the existing Leica M9. The Leica M Monochrom is scheduled to be available in the UK from the end of July 2012 from authorised Leica dealers including the Leica Store Mayfair for an SRP of £6,120 including VAT. The scope of delivery also includes a copy of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom and Silver Efex Pro 2.

Leica has unveiled a special edition of the Leica M9 full-frame digital rangefinder camera: the Leica M9-P ‘Edition Hermès’. Following the Leica MP ‘Edition Hermès’ (in 2003) and the Leica M7 ‘Edition Hermès’ (in 2009), this is the third in a line of premium special editions of the Leica M-System to be created in collaboration with the renowned Parisian house Hermès. The highlight of the camera is the Veau Swift calfskin leather in ocre colour, supplied by Hermès for the leather finish of the silver-chrome Leica M9-P. This extremely fine and supple leather is applied not only to the camera body, but is also used for the shoulder strap included in the set. The Leica M9-P ‘Edition Hermès’ is offered in a choice of two different sets, containing either one or three lenses. The first kit is scheduled to be available from May 2012, at a UK suggested retail price of £18,000. The second set, which is called the Leica M9-P ‘Edition Hermès’ – Série Limitée Jean-Louis Dumas, will be available form June for £36,000.

Mamiya Leaf today introduced a newly designed medium format digital camera back platform - the Leaf Credo. Available in three different models, the Leaf Credo 80, Credo 60, and Credo 40 digital camera backs feature sensors with 80, 60 and 40 megapixels of resolution, respectively. The flagship of the Leaf Credo platform is a 53.7 x 40.4 mm 80-megapixel CCD imager with a dynamic range of 12.5 f-stops. New to Mamiya Leaf is a similarly sized 60MP CCD sensor with 3:4 aspect ratio providing great detail, colour and tonality as well as low noise. Also available is a smaller 40MP CCD sensor which offers the fastest capture speed in the Leaf Credo platform at 1.2 frames per second. All Leaf Credo backs come with a large, high-resolution multi-touch screen with 16 million colours, a fast dual-core processing unit and a new, intuitive graphical user interface. Pricing for the Leaf Credo 40 starts at 14,995/$19,495. The Leaf Credo 60 is listed at 24,995/$32,495 and the Leaf Credo 80 for 29,995/$38,995.  Shipping is planned for June.

Effective April 1, 2012, Pentax has assumed responsibility for the sales and marketing initiatives for Ricoh Americas’ entire line of consumer cameras. The line of Ricoh-branded consumer cameras will now join the Pentax point-and-shoot and compact system cameras, as well as digital SLR models, to create a centralised business subsidiary for marketing, distribution, and sales of all of the company’s consumer cameras. The new strategy will allow Ricoh Americas to focus on its business-to-business markets. Camera maintenance and repair for all Pentax and Ricoh consumer cameras will continue to be handled by theirconsumer camera repair service in Arizona. “We are excited about incorporating Ricoh cameras like the GXR and GRD IV into our current product offering,” said Ned Bunnell, President, Pentax Ricoh Imaging Americas Corporation (pictured).  “The addition of these advanced enthusiast cameras will bolster our product line, extend the reach of our brand, and provide new options for our customers and retailers.”

The new Phase One iXA is billed as a fully integrated aerial camera system with features that rival large-format cameras at a fraction of their price. “The Phase One iXA’s rugged construction incorporates 6061 aluminum alloy to enable a robust solution capable of superior performance under tough aerial conditions, while secured connectors firmly hold cables in place,” the company says. “Designed for flexibility and scalability, the iXA operates effectively either in single or in a multiple camera configuration, capturing synchronized images within 100 microseconds of each other and eliminating post production sync issues.” With a choice of 80 megapixel or 60 megapixel models, in either RGB or NIR versions, the iXA offers high dynamic range and outstanding image sharpness. The 60-megapixel version sells for €40,000 / $53,000, while the 80-megapixel model is available for €45,000 / $60,000.

Phase One Industrial has introduced the Phase One iXR, billed as the world’s first dedicated medium-format digital reproduction camera system. Formed in 2011, Phase One Industrial is a division of Phase One focused on the research, development and manufacturing of specialised industrial camera systems. “The Phase One iXR was built from the ground up to meet the exacting needs of the reproduction photographer and was designed to streamline workflow by enabling full control of the entire process,” the company says. “The iXR incorporates a rugged industrial design that has done away with both the mirror and viewfinder to reduce moving parts and subsequent vibrations.”  The iXR camera system is available in three different configurations - 80MP, 60MP and 40MP. The iXR is also available as a stand-alone camera body for existing Phase One digital back owners. Prices for a complete iXR camera system including lens begin at €22,990 / $29,990. Availability is slated for May.