Rumors

Canon Prematurely Announces 1D X Red AF Points and Cross-Type AF at f/8

Ever since the Canon 1D X and 5D Mark III were released, photographers have been complaining about sometimes not being able to see the black AF points in the new 61-point system. In July we wrote that Canon was reportedly working on a fix. It now looks like the fix may soon be upon us, in the form of a firmware update.

A press release announcing the new firmware appeared briefly on Canon's website today but was quickly taken down once the news started getting around. The release mentioned two impending upgrades to the 1D X: red AF point illumination and cross-type autofocusing at f/8.

Nikon to Unveil a 70-200mm f/4 Lens Next Week With Fancy Next-Gen VR

Since it was announced back in 2006, Canon's 70-200mm f/4L IS lens has been an attractive option for photographers who want a lighter and cheaper alternative to the 70-200mm f/2.8 IS. For the price of one stop, one could get a lens that's nearly half as heavy (1.7lb vs 3.3lb) and significantly less expensive. Nikon shooters may soon have a similar choice as well: Nikon is planning to fill in this gap in its lens lineup by announcing its own 70-200mm f/4 a week from now.

Hacker Reportedly Finds Hidden Features in the Olympus OM-D EM-5

The Olympus OM-D EM-5 is a powerful little camera, but what owners are using these days many only be a portion of what the camera is fully capable of. 43 Rumors writes that an anonymous hacker is claiming to have hacked the camera using some firmware update trickery. What he or she found was quite interesting: hidden and locked features such as clean HDMI 4:2:2 output and focus peaking!

Canon High-MP DSLR Rumors Suggest D-Less Name and Mega Price Tag

From the rumors that have been floating around, it seems pretty clear that Canon will be unveiling a new high-megapixel DSLR at the end of this month. "Canon 3D" is one of the names that has been attached to the rumors, but Canon Rumors reports that a new one has emerged -- along with a hint at what the price might be.

Photo Shared by Google VP Shows That Snapseed for Android is Alive and Well

Google recently reaffirmed its commitment to keeping recently-acquired Nik Software's high-end photography tools alive, which led some to believe that Snapseed -- Nik's popular photo editing app -- would be neglected or shuttered. That doesn't appear to be the case.

If you look at the Supported Platforms page on the Snapseed website, you'll find a note that says Android support is "coming soon". How soon? Well, Vic Gundotra -- Google's SVP of engineering and a major player in the Nik deal -- has leaked through his Google+ page that Snapseed for Android is already up and running.

Canon 3D Appears Briefly on B&H Before Vanishing Into the Night

Canon's rumored-but-yet-to-be-announced 46-megapixel DSLR may be named the Canon 3D after all. While browsing camera store B&H last night, the folks over at Nine Volt randomly decided to search the site for "Canon 3D". They were surprised to find that the actually returned a result.

Canon High-MP DSLR May Have a 1D X-esque Body, 5D Mark II On Way Out?

Two interesting Canon rumors are currently floating around. The first has to do with the 46MP DSLR that Canon is reportedly field testing and may be planning to unveil in late October. Northlight Images received a tip saying the camera's body will be 1D-X-esque:

In an update to the high MP info, we're told that a camera will eventually appear in a 1D X derived body, in the same way as the 1D C. The information said that the actual designation was not known, but it would essentially be a '1 series'. There was also a warning that there would be a long wait between any 'preview' and any cameras being annouced and subsequently shipping.

If true, this means Canon is going for the larger pro-style body rather than following after Nikon's 36.3MP D800.

Epson Patent Shows a Camera That Uses a Tiny Lens to Recognize Old Lenses

Japanese camera blog Egami found an interesting just-published patent by Epson that was first filed last year. The goal of the technology appears to be to make older vintage lenses more useable on newer cameras. Basically, it seems that the company wants to add a small camera/mirror/lens component to the front of camera that's designed to track the settings on old manual lenses. The photos in the patent show what appears to be Epson R-D1 cameras enhanced with special arms that are dedicated to spying on the lens' settings.

Canon Reportedly Field Testing a 46MP DSLR, Possibly the 3D

The frenzy of Photokina 2012 is coming to an end, but that doesn't mean crazy camera rumors are going anywhere. A big one currently floating around is that Canon is working on a DSLR with a massive number of megapixels. Northlight Images writes that we may see a preview of the camera at PhotoPlus 2012 in New York, which starts October 24.

We're told to expect to see a 'preview' of a 'high MP EOS DSLR' at the upcoming PhotoPlus show in New York (Oct 24-27). Although the current official line is that 20ish MP is a 'sweet spot' for DSLRs, D800 specs, price and performance is considered 'worrying' in some market areas.

Nikon's D800 has a highly-acclaimed 36.3MP sensor. Here are the specs that Canon will reportedly respond with: 46.1 megapixels, 5fps continuous shooting, 16-bit RAW images, and an ISO range of 100 to 12800.

Fujifilm May Already Be Working on a Full Frame Camera for the X-Series Lineup

There are currently two interchangeable-lens rangefinder-esque cameras in Fujifilm's X-Series lineup: the X-Pro1 and the X-E1, both of which contain APS-C sensors. Owners are gushing over the cameras, which are actually quite similar aside from the viewfinders (hybrid vs. electronic only). They feature sleek, retro designs that are very similar to Leica's classic M-line of rangefinders. A common sentiment that I've heard is that the X-Series would be absolutely perfect if the company simply introduced a full frame body.

That time might not be too far off.

Sketches Suggest Hasselblad May Also “Luxurify” Sony’s RX100 and DSLRs

It seems that everyone has something to say about Hasselblad's new line of Lunar mirrorless cameras, with "ugly" being one of the common adjectives used. The fact is, Hasselblad is trying to pull a Leica by taking the Sony NEX-7, rebranding it, "upgrading" it with a new look and rare materials, and slapping a $6,500 price tag on the resulting camera. The Lunar's Photokina booth, brochure, and website feature concept sketches that show how the camera's design came about.

What's interesting is that not all the sketches show a modified NEX-7. Some of them appear to show a compact camera, and others a DSLR.

Canon 6D Pre-Order Page Makes Brief Appearance, Confirms Price and Specs

Canon will reportedly launch its new entry-level full frame DSLR, the Canon 6D, along with a bevy of other digital cameras tomorrow at Photokina 2012. We saw a semi-complete spec list and a couple photos leak out earlier this week, but people have expressed doubt as to the leak's reliability and authenticity. If you had any doubts that the camera is in fact coming, check out the above screenshot. It's a pre-order page that appeared briefly today on Adorama.

Canon 6D Photos and Specs Leak: 20MP Sensor and a D600-esque Price Tag

Canon's rumored entry-level full-frame DSLR, the 6D, is becoming more and more real. Digicam-info published a bunch of leaked specs and a couple of photos today. If the information is accurate, then Canon will soon have a DSLR that matches up well against Nikon's new D600 in both price and specs.

The camera will reportedly feature a 20.2 megapixel CMOS sensor, the DIGIC5+ image processing engine, an ISO range of 100-25600 (expandable to 50-102400), a small body (the size of an APS-C sensor camera), a magnesium alloy built (some parts, at least), built-in Wi-Fi (wow), built-in GPS, 11 autofocus points, 4.5fps continuous shooting, a shutter rated for 100,000 actuations, 1/180 second sync, shutter speed that ranges from 30s to 1/4000s, weatherproofing, a 3-inch LCD screen, and 1080p HD video recording.

Instagram Coming to Windows Phone by the End of the Year

Love it or hate it, Instagram is currently a pretty big deal in the mobile space. Big enough, perhaps, that many smartphone users might not even consider switching to a phone running Microsoft's Windows Phone operating system unless the photo sharing app is available. If you're one of those people, get ready to think about jumping ship: Instagram is coming to Windows Phone.

Sony’s Upcoming A99 Flagship Camera From Every Angle

We're a couple of days away from Sony's official announcement of its new flagship single lens translucent full-frame camera, the A99, and all the leaked pieces are starting to come together. These new leaked photographs, first published by sonyalpharumors, shows the new camera from all the standard press shot angles.

More Pentax Q10 Photos and Specs: Tiny and Colorful with Interchangeable Lenses

New details about Pentax's upcoming Q10 interchangeable lens camera have emerged. The tiny camera -- which likely has a tiny sensor -- is the followup to the Pentax Q, the world's smallest interchangeable lens compact. It'll be available in a number of colors, and will feature a 12.4 megapixel CMOS sensor, an ISO range of 100-6400, 5fps continuous shooting, AF face detection, 1080p HD video recording, in-body image stabilization, manual exposure modes, and a built-in flash.

Sony RX1 Leaks: A Full-Frame Fixed-Lens Compact Camera for $2800

A huge leak in the photo world today: Sony is planning to unleash a full frame compact camera called the RX1 that's designed to compete against the Leica X2, which contains a smaller APS-C sensor, and the Leica M9, which is much more expensive. Photoprice Canada and sonyalpharumors published photos of the camera, which looks like a beefier version of the highly-acclaimed RX100 compact camera (which has a smaller 1-inch sensor).

Leaked Fujifilm XF1 Video Shows Twist-To-Turn-On Feature

Fujifilm has uploaded a video to its Japanese YouTube account showing its not-yet-announced XF1 (or XP1) retro-styled compact camera. The video shows that there's a twisting feature that's used to turn the camera on and off. Turning on the camera involves twisting the lens to unlock it, pulling it out of the camera until it clicks, and then rotating it some more to open up the lens cover. Turning it off involves doing the same things in reverse.

New Sony A99 and NEX-6 Sightings and Specs, Unveiling on September 12th

Update: We've removed both leaked photos from this post at the request of photographer Michael Yamashita.

Although the two cameras were leaked together, Sony's NEX-5R and NEX-6 mirrorless cameras are being announced separately (the Wi-Fi-equipped 5R was announced this past Wednesday). Now, detailed specs for the NEX-6 are emerging ahead of its September 12th announcement. We're also seeing some "sightings" of a second major camera that'll be announced on the same day: the high-end A99 DSLR.

Nikon D600 Coming Very Soon, May Offer Full Frame for Just $1500

More details are emerging about Nikon's affordable full frame DSLR, the D600. Nikon Rumors reports that the camera will almost certainly be on display at Photokina next month, which means that the announcement will likely come around the time the show opens on September 18th. The camera is said to offer a full frame sensor at a price previously unseen in the market -- possibly as low as $1500. To put that in comparison, Canon's crop sensor 7D hit the market at $1700 when it was released back in 2009. $1500 for a full frame would be ridiculous and game-changing.