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This week in the news: Micro Four Thirds comes out with some fast new lenses; Pentax releases the toughest new entry-level DSLR on the market; Fujifilm lets Leica users adapt their lenses to their X-Pro 1, and more...
This is your B&H Photo Pulse News Roundup for May 25th, 2012.
Fast Lenses for Micro Four Thirds from Panasonic and Olympus
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The big news this week is the announcement of two new lenses for the Micro Four Thirds camera system. For those of you who love zoom lenses, Panasonic announced the latest addition to their X series line, in the form of the 12-35mm f2.8 Power OIS. Due to the crop factor of Micro Four Thirds cameras being 2x, this lens will render a 24-70mm field of view.
If f2.8 isn't fast enough for you, Olympus also announced their already-pre-announced 75mm f1.8 MSC lens. On a Micro Four Thirds camera, this will render a 150mm field of view, which isn't traditional by any aspect. Many portrait photographers often shoot at an 85mm, 100mm or 135mm field of view.
With that said, the fast f1.8 aperture should prove to render extremely shallow depth of field at such a long focal length.
Via B&H InDepth and Mirrorless Rumors
Fujifilm's X-Pro 1 Will Now Work with Leica M Mount Lenses
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The news of the pre-announced Leica M to Fujifilm X Mount adapter has now gone official, according to Pop Photo. The new lens adapter will not only adapt your lenses to the camera system, but the X-Pro 1 also has lens profiles built in with the latest firmware update. That means that when a lens is mounted onto the adapter, and the adapter is then placed onto the camera body, the camera will recognize the lens.
So what does this mean in practice? The framelines in the viewfinder will change accordingly. Pop Photo has more on the new adapter.
Pentax's K-30 Can Take Lots of Abuse
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Pentax updated their entry-level DSLR in the form of the new K-30. Indeed, it is the world's first weather-sealed DSLR targeted at the entry-level crowd, complete with 81 weather seals. It is capable of shooting at below-freezing temperatures, has a 100% viewfinder, a 3-inch, 921K dot LCD screen, and can take rechargeable lithium ion batteries or AA's.
Beyond this, there is also a newly-developed AF module for the camera, named SAFOX IXi+. The new AF has 11 focus points, with 9 of them being cross type. The camera features a 16MP sensor, with ISO output of 100-12,800.
Via B&H InDepth
The New ION Air Pro is a WiFi-Connected Sports Camcorder
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How about something a bit different?
Ion announced their new Air Pro Camcorder designed for sports, action, and extreme videographers. In brief, it is the first camcorder that allows you to shoot video and upload your footage instantly via WiFi, using the free ION CAMERA app for iOS (iPhone/iPad/iPod). It also sports a wide-angle lens, and records video in 1080p, 960p, and 720p resolutions as well as WQVGA, with a field of view up to 170°.
Via Cameratown
Hedler's New HMI Fresnel Light
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HMI lights are often used on video sets, and Hedler has announced a new Fresnel light to give videographers a bit more spotlight.
Coined the DF-15, it is a 150 Watt HMI, putting out the equivalent intensity of light of a 650W tungsten lamp. The new light features an aluminum shell. It can also attach to various light modifiers, if needed.
The beam is adjustable, from a 65° flood to a 15° spotlight.
Additional specs: Color temperature is 5800K, and it weighs 2.9kg.
Via Lighting Rumours
And that's your news for May 25th, 2012. Be sure to follow all the consumer electronic news you care about, on B&H Pulse.