Nikon D4 and D800 prices increased in UK: Will your camera be going up £500?


If you've got a pre-order in for a D4 or a D800, your biggest worry has until now been how long will it be before you get your mitts on your lovely new camera.

But now a potential spanner has been thrown into the works -- in the form of a blunder prompted price hike.

It's being reported that due to a 'systems error' at Nikon the D4 and D800 have been accidentally underpriced by £500 and £200 respectively.
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Nikon D800 video samples look impressive

Anyone looking at the tech sheets knows the Nikon D800 can shoot Full HD (1080p) movies in 30p, 25p and 24p, with 60p, 50p and 25p options at 720p and that movie clips can be up to 29:59 minutes long… but what does that actually mean?

Well if these samples -- released to show of the video quality of the camera -- and anything to go by, quite a lot. So much in fact the Canon 5D MK II might have something to worry about.

The above video, Joy Ride, from photographer Sandro features a motorcycle scene and shows off what the camera can do in a series of lighting conditions.
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Nikon announce the D800 a 36.15MP FX monster


Just a couple of weeks ago Nikon announced their flagship camera, the D4, a 16MP shooter which should cater to the needs of news and sports photographers.

But not everyone needs all that speed and some would rather have a bigger bang… which is why Nikon are rolling out the D800 a 36.15MP FX monster.

Nikon say the D800 -- aimed at studio photographers and landscape fans -- offers imaging potential to rival medium format cameras, but with all of the agility of the D-SLR format.
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Pentax K-01 and the world's smallest fixed focal lens


It seems that almost every week a new mirrorless camera is being launched at the moment -- and this week it's the turn of the Pentax K-01.

Designed by Marc Newson the 16MP CMOS sensor camera comes with all the features you'd expect, including full HD video, shake reduction and HDR mode.

While the K-01 is also compatible with all Pentax K-mount lenses, it is also delivered with the world's smallest fixed focal lens -- the new XS  40mm f/2.8.
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Canon facial recognition will focus on you and friends


While most point and shoot cameras now come with a facial recognition focus system, Canon are said to be going one further with their latest cameras.

The new PowerShot ELPH 520 HS and ELPH 110 HS will apparently feature a 'Face ID' system which will identify your friends and family and ensure they are always the ones in focus.

The cameras will remember the faces of up to 12 people who will receive preferential focus when you are taking photos.
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Fujifilm unveils the impressive-looking X-Pro1

We were impressed by the X100 when Fujifilm released the retro-looking camera, and we were intrigued when they rolled out the similarly styled X10.

So we were bound to be interested when the firm announced their intention to release a new interchangeable-lens camera -- and now they have at CES, we can't wait to get our hands on it.

Fujifilm describe their X-Pro1 as a new category of camera which they're calling 'Premium Interchangeable-Lens Camera' thanks to the APS-C sensor and quality lenses.
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Nikon D4 announced as new flagship DSLR


Nikon have this week announced the launch of their latest flagship digital-SLR camera, the Nikon D4. And it looks great.

Equipped with a new Nikon FX-format 16.2-million pixels CMOS image sensor, Nikon say this pro-targeted shooter also packs more than 45 new or improved features from the already impressive D3s.

These include the latest EXPEED 3 image processing engine which allows for shooting 11fps (making it the fastest Nikon DSLR) and a 91K-pixel RGB sensor for the more accurate Advanced Scene Recognition System.
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Canon Vs. Nikon rivalry takes a violent turn

The rivalry between Nikon and Canon shooters is normally limited to photographers claiming the superiority of their camera brand of choice.

But a video which is currently doing the rounds imagines what it would be like if that rivalry was notched up from spec-comparisons to warfare.

'Double Exposure – Canon Vs. Nikon' follows the action as a group of Canon commandos is sent out on a mission. Their objective: to save an innocent girl who has been taken hostage by Nikon terrorists.
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Lytro: The camera you can focus after taking a photo


Any photographer knows that getting your focus spot-on is one of the most important things when taking an image… or at least is was.

That's because a revolutionary new camera is being released which allows you to focus your images after you have uploaded them to your computer.

The Lytro Digital Camera works by capturing the entire light field -- rather than a single plane of light -- including colour, intensity, and direction of all the light.
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Video reveals how Leica lenses are made


Leica lenses are some of the most precise and impressive glass ever made to be attached to a camera and we've spent many a spare moment wondering how the German firm produces such exacting products.

Well, luckily for us, Leica have just released a video showing the "hand-crafted" and "meticulous" manufacturing process in action. And we have to say it's a thing of beauty itself.

The video covers the 100 different types of glass, the 60 quality control checks each lens is subjected to and the 30+ production processes… and that's just the start.
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Fujifilm X100 gets firmware update to 1.10



The Fujifilm X100 is a pretty impressive camera, with its retro styling, compact body and a big APS-C sensor it's one of the most appealing devices on the market… and it just got better.

That's because Fujifilm have just released a firmware update for the 12.3MP shooter, offering a host of glitch-fixes and improvements.

In fact Fujifilm say loading the new new firmware gives 23 updates which should significantly improve the user's shooting experience.
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Sigma DS1 DSLR has a 46MP sensor, yes 46MP


For years we have been telling people not to fuss too much about buying megapixel-heavy cameras. "After a certain point it doesn't make much difference" we've been saying.

Which is why we feel a bit bad about drooling over the upcoming Sigma DS1, a 46 megapixel sensor-packing beast. But we can't help it.

The classically 35mm-styled camera - which is due for release in Japan on 10th June - has a light-weight magnesium alloy body and a Foveon 23.5×15.7mm APS-C X3 direct image sensor.
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Microscopic camera is one of the smallest ever produced


 
So this camera isn't going to replace our DSLR (unless we suddenly give up landscapes in favour of endoscopy) but from a technological point of view the miniaturisation of all sorts of photography gear is interesting to us.

And this is miniaturisation to the extreme. This microscopic camera - created by boffins at the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany - measures a tiny 1x1x1mm… that's about the same size as a grain of salt.

Apparently they've managed to make it so small by developing a new way to access the electrical contacts and only connecting contacts and sensors to one side of the lens wafer.
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Transparent Sony camera will never go on sale


 
We know this ridiculously futurist-looking Sony camera will never really go on sale… but we can't help wishing it would.

The see-through camera has gone on show at the Japanese CP+ photography conference and was created to promote the Sony SLT technology.

In case you were wondering, SLT stands for Single Lens Translucent and the cameras feature a translucent mirror (we don't understand how that works either).
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This tiny 'DSLR' won't replace your Canon 5D


 
We love our DSLR, but sometimes it feels like too much to carry around with us all day every day. So when we heard a pocket-sized DSLR had gone on sale we were pretty impressed.

However, our enthusiasm was short-lived when we realised the diminutive Chobio CamOne wasn't exactly going to replace our Canon 5D… but it's still worth a more detailed look.

The keyring-sized little plastic shooter measures 2.5cm x 2.5cm x 2.6cm and weights just 12g. It takes images at a resolution of 1600x1200 pixels and video at 640x480.
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Hasselblad H4D Ferrari Launched… And Priced


If you're in the market for a 40 megapixel camera, but also happen to be a fan of Italian sports cars (and have £19,000 burning a hole in your pocket) this could be for you.

Hasselblad have officially launched the Ferrari-branded edition of their H4D camera which was first announced at Photokina.

Limited to just 499 cameras world-wide, the Hasselblad H4D Ferrari is said to be targeted at users "who appreciate the innovation, quality and design that symbolize both brands."

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Panasonic G2 Camera Can Now Shoot 3D

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If you've got a Panasonic DMC-G2 sitting in your camera-bag, you may want to download and install the latest firmware… especially if you fancy shooting 3D.

That's because the 1.1 firmware adds compatibility with with the 3D interchangeable lens (H-FT012). As well as improved operability of AE lock.

Panasonic say the software adds the "function for recording and playing back 3D pictures"… though they point out you'll need a suitable lens before you can rival James Cameron.

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Lomography Cameras - Retro Revisted

Most modern cameras do everything as perfectly as possible. They automate focus, aperture, shutter, film speed, white balance and everything else you would care to think of. They recognise faces and switch to portrait mode - even taking the picture when your subject smiles.

Lomo cameras don't. They leak light, over and under saturate your images, over-expose your images and sometimes stop taking pictures altogether. Why would you want such a device? Well I asked myself the same question when I bought my first Holga.

Most of you, I'm sure, will have heard of Lomography. It has been around since the early 90s and it just keeps getting bigger and bigger; it now has more of an established following rather than cult status, but this is why I recommend you spend some time shooting with a lomo as these cameras often provide very satisfying results with the minimum of input.

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GE 1035 Camera Giveaway - Help Us Celebrate!

As you may have seen we are kicking off a month long celebration of Cool Photo Ideas 1st birthday!

In order to help spread the word and make the events more fun, we have decided to do a fun promotion for our fellow bloggers and readers whom want to take part in helping us make this event a huge success!

What Do You Get?

The chance to win a GE 1035 Digital Camera! This small camera packs a BIG punch with 10MP and 3x optical zoom - it is a great everyday camera that produces great quality pictures!
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