When Kodak announced that it had reached a brand licensing deal with JK Imaging, hardly anybody questioned the move. It meant that Kodak-branded cameras were not a thing of the past — there’s even an upcoming Micro Four Thirds offering — and after all, Kodak probably has standards when making deals like this.

Interestingly, that’s exactly what Kodak said. The company’s corporate affairs spokesperson Krista Gleason was clear that the company has “guidelines and standards in place to protect the brand that each of [its] licensees must follow.” But nevertheless, there is surprisingly little information out there about JK Imaging Ltd itself. Read more…

To capture “portraits of the sun” and to illustrate its power, General Electric filled 20 weather balloons with hydrogen and helium, surrounded them with 24 Canon DSLR cameras (18 7Ds and 6 60Ds), and shot the balloons exploding Matrix-style.

(via Laughing Squid)

We may soon see an unexpected player enter the mirrorless camera market: CNET Asia is reporting that GE will be introducing a mirrorless camera by the end of this year:

[...] GE is looking to introduce its first Micro Four Thirds-like camera before the end of 2011. While no other details were revealed, it is clear that the company is hoping to be treated more seriously as a camera-maker. And with GE’s strategy focused on producing affordable cameras, it will be interesting to see how it will change the ILC industry. For consumers, this may also mean that ILCs will finally hit mainstream prices.

General Electric-branded cameras first hit the market in March 2007, and are also known by the brand name “General Imaging”. Who knows… maybe in the future they’ll be one of the dominant players in the camera market.

(via Mirrorless Rumors)

Image credit: General Electric Automatic Iron Box by Marion Doss

Fashion label LeSportsac will be joining with Canon in its release of a case designed exclusively for the PowerShot camera, the companies announced today.

No big surprise here; the fashion industry has always worked hand-in-hand with the photography industry. Photography has always played an integral part in marketing fashion.

However, the tables are turning, and designer names are now a major marketing point for photo gear.

Consumer-level cameras are abundant. Every major manufacturer has several new models of point-and-shoots each year, a testament to the power of the consumer in the imaging industry. However, in a market flooded with similar products, manufacturers scramble to distinguish themselves from the next big company.

Late last year, Lady Gaga contributed some star power to Polaroid as she joined the company as a creative director. Polaroid’s most recently garnered a prominent feature in Gaga’s latest music video, Telephone, featuring Beyonce. Celebrity spokespersons such as Ashton Kutcher for Nikon are also a recent marketing trend in drawing public interest in photo products.

Last month at PMA, GE announced a new point-and-shoot collaboration with fashion designer Jason Wu called Create by Jason Wu, whose line includes colorful cameras and stylish carrying cases. The cameras will be released this April, but GE’s running a contest this month for autographed editions of the product.

Any thoughts on this trend? Would a designer name interest you next time you shop for a camera?