News / New Cameras & Lenses

Pentax has announced a wide range of new colors options for its K-30 weather-sealed mid-level DSLR. Available in either a shiny 'Crystal' or matte 'Silky' finish, the 16MP DSLR now comes in dramatic tones like orange, yellow and blue. The cameras are available for pre-order at a retail price of $799.95, including the 18-55 kit lens. Click through to see a complete list of available color options.

Sony has released two new apps on its PlayMemories App Store for owners of their Wi-Fi-equipped NEX-5R and NEX-6 cameras. The apps, Light Shaft and Motion Shot, are priced at $4.99 each. If you've been yearning to add fake lens flare effects to your photos, then read on.

Sigma has announced a delay in the shipping of its new USB dock for lenses and 120-300mm F2.8 DG OS HSM lens for Canon that was expected to retail this month. According to the company, this delay is due to supply issues of the parts. Announced at Photokina 2012, the USB dock enables users to easily update lens firmware and fine-tune focus parameters, while the 120-300mm F2.8 lens comes with a button to adjust the focus speed and the focus limiter. Sigma has not given details about when it will start shipping the products.

Samsung has announced that its NX300 mirrorless camera will be available in both US and European markets by the end of this month as a kit with the 20-50mm lens for $749.99 and £599 respectively. The 3D-capable camera is built around a 20MP sensor, 3.3" OLED screen and built-in Wi-Fi. The kit will also include a free copy of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 editing software. The company has also announced that the 45mm F1.8 2D/3D lens will be available at the same time for $499.99. There is currently no information about its European price.

Canon Singapore has launched a 'Try and Buy' lens scheme allowing customers to borrow more than seventy of the company's EF and EF-S lenses at a fee for 48 hours. While a similar service is currently available globally to Canon Professional Services (CPS) members, Canon Singapore has opened this up for non-members as well. The service will start from March 28, 2013.

Fujifilm has announced the Wi-Fi-enabled S8400W superzoom camera with 44x (24-1056mm equiv.) optical zoom lens. It features a 16MP BSI-CMOS sensor, 3 inch 460K dot LCD and an electronic viewfinder. The S8400W records 1080i60 video alongside stereo audio, and offers 10 fps continuous shooting speeds, 0.3 second auto-focus speed and manual exposure modes. Users can share images wirelessly via the 'Fujifilm Camera Application' app for iOS and Android devices. The camera will start shipping from May 2013 at a suggested retail price of $349.95.

Fujifilm has launched the XP200 rugged compact camera with built-in Wi-Fi. It is waterproof to a depth of 15m, shockproof for drops of up to 2m, freezeproof to -10°C and dust/sand proof. It is based around a 16MP CMOS sensor and 28-140mm equivalent lens. The camera's Wi-Fi capability allows users to share photos via the 'Fujifilm Camera Application' app for iOS and Android devices. The XP200 will be available in black, yellow, blue and red from May 2013 at a suggested retail price of $299.95 / £229.99.

Canon has announced the EOS 100D/Rebel SL1, the world's smallest, lightest DSLR. It shares the 18MP resolution, DIGIC 5 processor, 3" touchscreen and 1080p30 video capability of the mirrorless EOS M. The camera does introduce much wider scene coverage of Canon's Hybrid AF system and shoots at up to 4 fps. The 100D has a recommended price of $799.99/£799 with the co-announced EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM kit lens.

Canon has moved early to replace last year's 650D/Rebel T4i with the 700D/T5i. Like its predecessor, the new camera has an 18MP APS-C Hybrid CMOS sensor with built-in phase-detection autofocus, a DIGIC 5 processor, a 9-point cross-type AF system, and Full HD movie mode. Among only a few minor changes, the Canon 700D is bundled with a new 18-55mm STM lens, which should offer better movie AF at a recommended price of $899.99/£849.

Canon has launched two SX series compact superzooms, the PowerShot SX280 HS and SX270 HS. The difference between the two is that the SX280 HS includes Wi-Fi connectivity and GPS, whereas the SX270 HS, which is not being announced by Canon USA, does not. Beyond that, both are 20x compact superzooms with 25-500mm equivalent image-stabilized lenses and 3 inch 460k dot LCD screens. Both feature 12MP back-lit CMOS sensors and the company's latest Digic 6 processor.

Olympus has announced the Stylus VH-520, an affordable 10x compact superzoom with a 14MP CMOS sensor. It offers a 26-260mm equivalent stabilized zoom lens and the ability to shoot 1080p video. It also offers 'Magic Filter' processing effects that can be applied to both stills and video, along with high-speed movie mode. The VH-520 will be available from April at a price of around £130.

Minox has released the latest generation of their 'Digital Classic Camera', whose miniature rangefinder body harkens back to the 1950's. The DCC 14.0 features a 14 Megapixel CMOS sensor, 41mm-equivalent fixed lens, optical viewfinder, 2" LCD display, and VGA video recording. The camera will be available soon in your choice of black or silver for $239. 

Tokina has announced it will be shipping the AT-X 12-28 F4 PRO DX lens from April 2013 in Nikon mount, and June 2013 for the Canon version. Announced at the CP+ tradeshow, the lens is a replacement for the company's existing 12-24mm F4 wideangle zoom for APS-C cameras. But rather than making the lens wider to match its competitors, Tokina has chosen to extend it further into the 'normal' range, to give an 18-42mm equivalent zoom. The Japanese RRP of ¥90,000 is the same as that for the existing AT-X Pro DX 12-24mm F4 II lens. (via DCWatch)

DxOMark has tested 61 lenses on the Nikon D800, and drawn some conclusions about the results. So far it has published two sections of an eventual four-part article: the first discusses how much benefit the D800's 36MP sensor really offers over the 24MP chips in cameras such as the D3X and D600, while the second looks at which lenses in the 50-100mm range come out with the best DxOMark scores. Further parts later this month will look at telephoto and wideangle lenses. Click through for the link.

Rokinon has announced the T-S 24mm F3.5, a wideangle perspective control lens, for release in May 2013. Rokinon rebadges and distributes Samyang lenses for the US market, and this lens first appeared at Photokina 2012 as the Samyang T-S 24mm 1:3.5 ED AS UMC, but without a specific date for launch. The lens features manual focus and aperture setting, offers up to 12mm of shift and 8.5° of tilt, and is designed for full frame cameras. It'll initially be available in Canon, Nikon and Sony mounts, at an RRP of $1299.99.    

Nikon and Canon UK have announced Spring 2013 rebates with savings ranging from £30-£235. The Nikon offer applies to D3100, D3200, D5100, D5200, D7000 and D600 digital SLRs. The rebates are available on purchases made between March 14th- May 31st 2013. Canon UK is offering rebates on a number of DSLRs, lenses, printers and camcorders including the EOS 5D Mark III DSLR, 24-70mm f/2.8L II lens, G1 X compact camera and Pixma Pro-1 printer for purchases made between March 7th- May 31st 2013. Click through for links to the rebates.

Samsung UK has announced it will include a copy of Adobe Lightroom 4 photo-editing software for free with its NX300 APS-C mirrorless camera shipments. Announced at the CES 2013 tradeshow,the 3D-capable camera is built around a 20MP sensor, 3.3" OLED screen and built-in Wi-fi. We do not know whether this is a UK-only bundle, but we will update the story if more information becomes available.

Pentax US has announced mail-in rebates on its 645D medium-format DSLR and select Limited series lenses when purchased with the K-5 IIs DSLR. Buyers of the 645D body will receive a free D-FA 55mm lens and $500 rebate on the purchase of the D-FA 25mm and HD 90mm lens. Those buying the K-5IIs camera body will receive a $250 rebate on the purchase of FA 31mm, 43mm and 77mm lenses. The rebates can be claimed from March 11th through March 31st 2013 and will be paid in the form of a Visa gift card.

Sigma US has announced the price and availability for its three latest 'Art' series prime lenses - the 19mm f/2.8 DN and 30mm f/2.8 DN for mirrorless cameras, and the 30mm f/1.4 for APS-C DSLRs. The DN lenses will be available for street price of $199 and the redesigned 30mm f/1.4 will be available in Canon, Nikon and Sigma mounts for $499. All three will start shipping from the end of this month. No details were given about the 60mm f/2.8 lens also announced during the CP+ tradeshow.

Fujifilm UK has given more details of the upcoming XF 55-200mm F3.5-4.8 R LM OIS telephoto zoom for its X system cameras. Full specifications include an inner focusing system driven by no fewer than four linear stepper motors, and a promise of class-leading OIS with four to five stops correction, to go alongside the maximum aperture that's half a stop faster than typical SLR lenses covering the same range. The company says the lens will be available in May 2013. Meanwhile the promised XF 23mm F1.4 R and XF 27mm F2.8 R pancake are expected to appear in the middle of the year, and the XF 56mm F1.4 R and XF 10-24mm F4 R OIS at the end of 2013.