Archive for category: News

Olympus is offering a free VF-4 electronic viewfinder with every PEN E-P5 14-42mm Kit or PEN E-P5 body purchased from now until 5 January 2014.

Purchasers will have until 2 February 2014 to claim their free VF-4 and details of this promotion, and others, can be found on the Olympus Cashback & Promotions website.

Rollei has launched a new range of three tripods and monopods for professional photographers.

The iFootage range, which includes the Wild Cat Stabilizer, the Mini Crane M1 and the Mogopod 1, hopes to solve common problems for the professional photographer or budding enthusiast.

The Wild Cat Stabiliser helps to stabilize any video shot, the camera is guided using a non-slip carbon fibre handle that rotates smoothly in all directions. As a result, the DSLR quite simply remains horizontal – whatever the movement. This is because even jerky movements are not transferred to the camera. The handle can be extended with matching accessories. The rubber foam makes it softer and more flexible – it also provides noise insulation and thermal insulation.

The Rollei Mini Crane M1 is compact, light and easy to set up. The Rollei Mini Crane M1 has a large working radius, can be adjusted quickly and has multiple practical functions. The side panels have eight ¼-20 drill holes to which video lights, supporting booms, monitors or other accessories can be attached. The screw connection has a 4 inch extension and two 3/8 inch extensions to connect all tripods and ball heads.

The Rollei Mogopod 1 is a multifunctional accessory for cameras and video cameras, designed for photography hobbyists and professionals. It is both multi functional and easily transportable. Possessing a unique rotation system for rapid height adjustment, it can be used as monopod, flash holder or microphone stand. Thanks to its smooth retraction and extension, it can also be used as camera boom. The special ball head prevents unintended horizontal rotation.

Pricing is yet to be announced. For more information, take a look at the Rollei website.

Olympus has announced the launch of a new premium compact camera styled on the OM-D range.

The Stylus 1 features a DSLR look and feel, and a slim, full range constant aperture i.ZUIKO Digital lens which produces excellent image quality and brightness. It also features the same electronic viewfinder featured on the OM-D E-M5.

Olympus say the camera combines a larger high quality sensor with a versatile zoom and full manual control yet remains truly pocketable. It features a 10.7x optical zoom, as well as an f/2.8 aperture.

Olympus Stylus 1 Key Features:

• 12 megapixel BSI 1/1.7inch CMOS sensor
• i.Zuiko Digital 10.7x optical zoom lens
• 28-300mm equivalent, f/2.8, ZERO coating
• Optical image stabilisation
• 3inch tilting touch screen, 1040k dots
• Electronic Viewfinder (EVF), 1.44million dots
• Dual-axis electronic level
• Fn1, Fn2 function buttons
• P,A,S,M shooting modes
• Analogue / Digital Hybrid Control Ring
• Wi-Fi and remote operation
• 11 Art Filters and 5 different frame / art effects
• 1080p Full HD Movie with sound and high-speed movie recording (120fps/240fps)
• ISO 100- 12800
• 7fps continuous shooting, 200 shots

The Stylus 1 will be priced at £549.99, and will be available in classic black from late November 2013.

From Olympus: 
Ambitious photographers demand excellent picture quality. One look at the STYLUS 1 spec sheet and you know you’ve found it. Despite a casing depth of just 52mm, it has a brand new 28-300mm* high-power i.ZUIKO DIGTAL lens that offers a constant 1:2.8 aperture from wide to telephoto shots, with a 10.7x optical zoom. Olympus designed this lens to work seamlessly with its large-format BSI CMOS sensor, as well as the TruePic VI image processor that is already familiar to users of its high-end OM-D E-M5 system camera.

Other tried-and-tested OM-D features include the rock-solid handling and grip that comes from the D-SLR-style casing and layout. For accurate and professional framing, there is the large, 1.44 million dot electronic viewfinder, Fast AF for near-instant, precision focusing via touch screen and built-in WiFi for real-time smartphone access – likewise all OM-D-proven.

The STYLUS 1 has superb dynamic range and low-light capability, plus the same Hybrid Control Ring for manual or digital control of key settings that has proved so successful on the Olympus XZ series.

New leader, new lens
Compact users shouldn’t have to compromise on the single most crucial component of any camera – the lens. So for the STYLUS 1, Olympus developed a remarkable piece of optical engineering. The ultra-slim, ‘fullrange’, constant-aperture 1:2.8 10.7x (28-300mm*) high-power i.ZUIKO DIGITAL lens has the versatility and quality for everything from wide to telephoto shots. The large-diameter lens features a powerful, built-in VCM image stabilization mechanism that virtually eliminates camera shake and blur.

Unlike lesser rivals, deliberate defocusing generates bokeh approaching D-SLR standards and the lens’ brightness enables high-shutter speeds even in dark scenes. Another significant advantage of the lens is only apparent when it’s not in use – it retracts fully into the camera body (behind an automatic lens cap), so the STYLUS 1 fits easily into a coat pocket. Bulkier cameras can’t match that.

What you see is what you get
What the lens is to image quality, the viewfinder is to ease of use. Unlike most compact cameras, for eye-on-camera shooting the STYLUS 1 has an electronic viewfinder. It’s the same very large, fast-response,high-definition model as the O-MD E-M5, that puts the EVF on many entry-level D-SLR style cameras to shame. 1.44 million dots, a level gauge and shadow highlighting make shot and pre-shot setting selection a joy.

With VCM image stabilization mechanism readings visible in the viewfinder, it’s a lot easier to shoot sharp at long focal lengths. Automatic backlight control ensures accurate reproduction of dark and bright parts of the scene and there is no noticeable time lag. The STYLUS 1 automatically detects your eye behind the viewfinder and shuts off Live View on the tilting LCD.

Compact dimensions, D-SLR style
The STYLUS 1 measures just 116mm x 87mm x 56.5mm, which is less than half as deep as several bulkier rivals. Despite its diminutive dimensions, it looks every inch a professional camera. The front grip makes the classic black design easier to hold steady, leaving you free to focus on creative expression. The intelligent layout of the controls also makes the camera easier to operate. For example, you can operate the Hybrid Control Ring and zoom lever with your left hand and concentrate on the shutter release with your right. A lack of clutter and attention to design details such as button size, shape and surface texture is an inspiration to anyone who aspires to pro-standard creativity.

Control is king
The STYLUS 1 offers the ideal blend of effective, hands-on controls and intuitive, high-tech aids like finger-triggered Fast AF and Touch AF Shutter via the LCD. The customizable analogue / digital Hybrid Control Ring on the front lets you assign the parameters you adjust most frequently (e.g., aperture, shutter speed, exposure time and program shift) to the ring or subdial on the top of the camera. This way you can adjust them manually without taking your eye off your subject – in the style of a pro. In analogue mode, the ring turns smoothly for zooming and focusing. In digital mode, you can assign functions to a single menu and click through it with the Fn2 button.

Camera loves smartphone
Built-in WiFi combined with OI.Share software makes your camera one with your smartphone, which becomes a portal for image sharing. Pairing is quick and easy: one touch of the WiFi field on your camera display reveals a QR code, which you scan with your smartphone before opening the app. You then effectively mirror the LCD on your phone – to focus and release the shutter remotely via WiFi (in P, A, S, M modes) directly on the phone’s touch screen.

Accessories: 

• Eye cup for electronic viewfinder – The EP-11 eye cup cuts out peripheral light for improved visibility in bright conditions.
• Full-body jacket – This smart jacket protects your camera against damage and comes with a tailored cover.
• 1.7x teleconverter lens – Extend the focal length of your camera to 510mm with this high-grade lens via the CLA-13 converter adapter, and retain the outstanding brightness of a constant 1:2.8 aperture. Ideal for shooting distant subjects and animals unobserved.

For more information, take a look at the Olympus website.

DxO Labs has announced the availability of DxO Optics Pro 9 image processing software.

DxO Optics Pro 9 introduces PRIME, a revolutionary noise reduction technology which produces detailed and vividly-colored images even under the most extreme shooting conditions.

Based on DxO Labs’ exclusive approach of prior calibration of equipment in its laboratories, DxO Optics Pro integrates many powerful tools for automatically processing RAW and JPEG images: precise optical and geometric corrections, intelligent optimization of exposure and contrast, preservation of colors and details. Its numerous presets can be adapted to photographers’ personal tastes and will help them bring out the best in their photos in just a few clicks.

Thanks to PRIME (Probabilistic Raw IMage Enhancement) denoising technology, which analyzes the structure of RAW images in depth in order to differentiate between noise and fine details, DxO Optics Pro 9 offers a gain in image quality of up to one full stop over the best noise reduction algorithms currently on the market.

The exclusive DxO Smart Lighting feature optimizes the overall contrast of an image by intelligently adapting to its contents. This tool has been further improved in DxO Optics Pro 9, which now offers even more powerful highlight management: details that once were thought lost are revealed, even when the information is missing in the original RAW data, and colorimetric errors are minimized.

DxO Optics Pro 9’s library of presets has been completely redesigned. Portrait, Landscape, Black & White, Single-shot HDR: the new DxO presets respond to different use cases that photographers frequently encounter, and are supplemented by “Atmospheres,” a new set of creative renderings.

A new visual presets window makes it easier for users choose which preset to apply to their images by letting them preview thumbnails of the rendering effects prior to application.

The DxO Optics Pro interface has undergone another evolution, with a new workspace that highlights essential correction tools, optimizes vertical space, and reorganizes toolbars and palettes in an even more logical fashion. Further, it is now possible to access context-sensitive help directly in the correction palettes.

The Standard and Elite editions of DxO Optics Pro 9 for Mac and Windows are now available in the DxO Labs online store and at photo resellers at a special discount until 20 November, 2013.

DxO Optics Pro 9 Standard Edition will be £79 instead of £119, and DxO Optics Pro 9 Elite Edition will be £159 instead of £239. Photographers who acquired a DxO Optics Pro 8 license on or after 1 September 2013, are entitled to a free upgrade to version 9.

For more information, take a look at the DxO Labs website.