lens

Mirrorless interchangeable lens camera systems such as Micro Four Thirds, Sony NEX, and Samsung NX were designed to cater to users who find dSLRs too heavy and bulky to operate. Well, these formats now have a new competitor--sort of.

The Chobi Cam One is a miniaturized dSLR that comes with different lens attachments users can deploy for varying picture results. However, don't expect this to dethrone dSLRs or mirrorless system cameras anytime soon. The pictures from the Cam One measure 1,600x1,200 pixels, and it captures video in VGA resolution only.

The mini shooter has a microSHDC slot … Read more

The good folks over at rumor blog 43rumors are quite certain that come April, Nikon will unveil a professional mirrorless interchangeable lens camera (ILC). The article has been stamped "FT5," a label the site uses to indicate that its sources are almost certainly correct.

While there have been plenty of rumors about Nikon entering the mirrorless ILC segment to compete with Olympus, Panasonic, Sony, and Samsung, it seems those speculations have so far remained, well, speculations.

43rumors has a good track record when it comes to accuracy. Rumors deemed FT5 on the blog site always turn out to … Read more

To get a general idea of how many Nook Colors will be sold this holiday season, you can look to some quotes from Barnes & Noble Chairman Len Riggio in a recent Publisher's Weekly article naming Riggio PW's Person of the Year.

Riggio says, "B&N is manufacturing Nook Colors at a rate of 18,000 per day and is loading up a 747 every four to five days to bring devices to the U.S. from China." He adds that, "We'll be up against it to produce enough for the [holiday] season.&… Read more

DigiTimes reports that Taiwanese camera lens manufacturer Largan Precision will supply lenses for Apple's forthcoming iPad 2, widely expected to support at least a front-facing camera for use with applications like FaceTime.

With FaceTime available on every iPhone 4 and new iPod Touch, as well as on the Mac, there is little doubt a front-facing camera will be included on the second-generation iPad.

Largan Precision declined to comment when asked about market rumors that pegs them as the sole supplier of lenses for the iPad 2 update, most likely to be released in the first quarter of 2011. These … Read more

We saw an early mock-up of Ion's dual-lens Twin Video mini camcorder at last year's CES. Now, almost a year later, the product is finally shipping, and it doesn't really look like the mock-up. However, it still has two lenses that allow you to shoot rear and front video feeds with the touch of a button.

What's the purpose of that? Well, the idea is that the person shooting the video can easily--and smoothly--get in on the action. Ion's billing the Twin Video as perfect for "blogging, interviewing, and creating videos with an easy-to-use, … Read more

Update, 10:51 a.m. PT: Per Nikon Rumors, the above photo is actually a picture of a concept from at least as far back as 2009 that's displayed in the Nikon Sapporo showroom, where photography is banned--hence the lack of a previous viewing.

Rumors of Nikon's mirrorless system shooter have been circulating on the Web for a while, but this time there are pictures to prove the Japanese firm may be introducing such a camera soon.

Over at DCHome's forum, a user posted a photo of what seems to be Nikon's concept for a snapper … Read more

Sitting somewhere between point-and-shoot bridge cameras and digital SLRs are mirrorless interchangeable-lens cameras (ILC). Panasonic, Sony, Samsung, and Olympus are the manufacturers leading the way, while Canon and Nikon are seemingly waiting it out. However, according to Taiwan's DigiTimes, Nikon is ready to move forward.

Of course, there are no specifics about the cameras, but a comment sourced to Nikon says its new mirrorless camera will help expand its ILC market share in Asia Pacific to 40 percent in 2011 and 50 percent in 2012.

Not that Panasonic, Sony, Samsung, and Olympus aren't big names, but it's … Read more

Carl Zeiss, a venerable German maker of camera lenses, is showing new ambitions by trying to tap into the market of video SLRs and by expanding into the realm of accessories.

The company has announced two new lenses in its Compact Prime CP.2 line, a second generation of hybrid lenses designed for use either on cinema cameras or on newer SLRs that can shoot video.

The new CP.2 models are a 50mm f2.1 macro with 0.24-meter close-focus distance and a 100mm f2.1 with a 0.7-meter close-focus point. The new products debuted at the IBC Conference for the media and entertainment industry.

The CP.2 models are notable for an adapter ring that makes it possible to fit the lens to a variety of camera bodies--initially those using Canon's EF mount and the PL (positive lock) mount used in filmmaking circles. Now Zeiss has released an adapter that lets the lenses attach to the F mount of Nikon SLRs as well. That helps with photographers or videographers who might have a variety of cameras in use. … Read more

Just after Canon announced second-generation 300mm and 400mm telephoto lenses for its SLRs, the Japanese camera maker also said Friday that it will show prototypes of revamped supertelephoto lenses with 500mm and 600mm focal lengths.

The two prototypes, officially called the EF500mm f/4L IS II USM and EF600mm f/4L IS II USM, are second-generation successors to the current products introduced in July and September 1999, respectively. They'll be on display at the Photokina show in Cologne, Germany, later in September, at which the spotlight shines brightly on high-end gear.

Canon was characteristically reserved about the prototypes, saying release dates and specifications haven't been decided, but the company appears to be applying the similar revisions that it brought to the 300mm and 400mm lenses: better image stabilization, better image quality, and lighter weight.

"The EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM and EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM are being developed as L (Luxury)-series lenses equipped with a high-performance image stabilization system," Canon said. "Employing fluorite and other special optical materials to correct for a variety of aberrations, the lenses aim to realize high-resolution, high-contrast imaging performance in a lighter-weight body design." … Read more