Sony has just announced a new external flash for its Alpha cameras — the HVL-F43AM. The new HVL-F43AM has a guide number of 43 and features Quick Shift Bounce adjustment, wireless ratio control and a design that is dust and moisture resistant. Also announced is the new Sony VCT-55LH bracket, LCS-AMB soft carrying case and ALC-SH111 lens hood.

Sony HVL-F43AM.

Sony VCT-55LH bracket

The VCT-55LH bracket allows for mounting additional ISO cold shoe accessories. It is to be used as an add-on to all A-mount cameras by Sony and can also be used with E-mount cameras such as the NEX-5/NEX-3 and the NEX-VG10E HD camcorder. Other accessories that can be attached to the bracket include shotgun microphones and the CLM-V55 clip-on LCD monitor for use during video shooting.

Soft Carrying Case LCS-AMB
The LCS-AMB soft carry case was designed for carrying Sony A-mount cameras with attached standard zoom lens and is ideal for travelling. The bag features a suspended partition that cradles the camera securely while allowing quick access. Made of black polyester, the case can be slung over the shoulder using the supplied strap, carried by the grab handle or attached to a belt. It also features handy pockets with space for small items such as batteries, memory cards and lens caps.

Lens Hood ALC-SH111
This lens hood is compatible with the DT 35mm F1.8 SAM and 85mm F2.8 SAM lenses and has a round-profile hood shade to prevent lens flare from direct sunlight.

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Overview

“Modular” camera bag systems are popular among pro photographers and among those who simply have a varying amount of camera gear to carry every time they go out on a shoot. A modular system provides the option to mix and match bags, straps, pouches and various other components to suit the day’s work. Despite the versatility and endless customization options that modular systems offer, only a handful of brands out there actually offer complete systems that really work well. This can be largely due to the wide array of accessories and components that are needed to form a proper modular system. Leading the pack is Think Tank Photo and its Modular Component System which has set the standards for modular bag systems for years. Various other brands offer similar systems as well, such as Kata and Lowepro.

Part of the Mudularies Series -- (front left) the MAP-04 top-loading bag, MAL-06C lens pouch and MAL-05 lens pouch.

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With the partnership between Pentax and Warner Bros. Consumer Products, owners of “DC Super Heroes RS1500″ collector pack can now personalise their Optio RS1500 with Green Lantern, Superman or even the Joker.

The compact RS1500 features a 14 Megapixel CCD sensor, 27.5-110mm equivalent lens, HD movie recording capability, 4x optical zoom wide-angle zoom with 3’’ LCD Screen.

The DC Super Heroes RS1500 pack will be available from May 2011 priced at of £119.99. It will include seven DC Super Heroes skins, a 4GB SD card and a Green Lantern protective case based on the forthcoming Green Lantern movie.

Limited edition Pentax RS1500 with Joker skin.

Canon has announced a new enhancement for its XF305 and XF300 professional camcorders that allow for 3D HD video capture. This is done by pairing up two units of camcorders running on Canon’s new firmware upgrades which provides Canon’s 3D Assist Function.

Canon XF305

The new enhancement also includes an updated Scan Reverse function, Double Slot Recording for instantaneous backup and the option to disable Relay Recording. The updated Scan Reverse function allows XF300 camcorders to flip recorded images on horizontal axis, vertical axis or both axis simultaneously to facilitate recording with 3D mirror rigs.

Fujifilm’s latest Finepix Z900EXR boasts not only of good looks but also a 16 megapixel EXR-CMOS sensor that incorporates Back Side Illuminated (BSI) sensor and triple-layer EXR array to provide brilliant pictures in any lighting conditions.

Other specifications include a 3.5 inch LCD with touch-screen technology (able to use two fingers to expand and reduce image size or simply swipe from side-to-side to scroll through your photos) to make it even easier to view and check your photos ; a 5x wide-angle zoom lens covering 28-140mm (35mm equivalent); improved user interface with rounded text and graphics thanks to Vector fonts and Flash-based animation; high speed shooting modes (Pro Low Light and Pro Focus) and high quality video capture (Pixel Fusion Movie technology) among others.

The camera will be available from May 2011 at a price of $279.95/£219 in Brilliant Black, Gloss Red, Hot Pink and Royal Blue.

Fujifilm Finepix Z900EXR (blue).

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Nikon has released its latest entry-level SLR and successor to the D5000 — the new D5100. The D5100, which is priced above the D3100 and sits below the D7000 in Nikon’s range of entry-level SLRs, features a similar 16.2MP CMOS sensor as the one used in the D7000. It also features a 3-inch vari-angle LCD screen, Expeed 2 image processor as well as 1080p video recording. Staying true to its role as an entry-level camera, the D5100 comes with a host of built-in filters and special effects that can be applied to both images and videos in-camera and becomes the first Nikon SLR camera to offer Special Effects mode.

Nikon D5100 with 18-55mm kit lens.

The D5100 offers seven special effects which include Selective Color, Color Sketch, Miniature Effect and Night vision. Other features in the D5100 include 4fps continuous shooting, quiet shutter-release mode, 16 scene modes and built-in HDMI-CEC compatibility. The Nikon D5100 will be available for USD900 from this month onwards with the 18-55 kit lens.

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Top Danish stock photographer Yuri Arcurs shares his latest studio fetishes and lighting equipment in this new video. The studio is located at Aarhus Centrum in a 300-year old building complete with antique boardings and a studio rack that can lift 1000kg of equipment such as lights and models. Yuri’s new studio and 300K Euros worth of Profoto lighting equipment embodies the ultimate wet dream of any stock photographer for sure. Enjoy the video.

On 11 January 2011, Canon reached its new milestone–its 60 millionth Electro Focus (EF) lens was produced. The first EF lens was launched 24 years ago and an EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM marked its 60 millionth.

With a comprehensive range of lenses (over 60 models), Canon lenses include focal lengths ranging from 8mm to 800mm that cover a wide range of specialties like macro, tilt and shift, and fisheye suitable for almost anyone.

Some other milestones in EOS technology include:

• the first lens with an Ultrasonic Motor (EF 300mm f/2.8L USM) in 1987
• the first interchangeable lens with Image Stabilizer (EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM) in 1995
• the first lens to incorporate multi-layered diffractive optics elements (EF 400mm f/4 DO IS USM) in 2001
• the first lens to use Subwavelength Structure Coating (EF 24 mm F/1.4L II USM) in 2008
• the first lens with Hybrid IS (EF 100mm f2.8L Macro IS USM) in 2009
• the first fisheye zoom lens for circular and full frame images (EF 8-15mm f/4L Fisheye USM) in 2010

Canon has released its latest entry-level SLR — the EOS 600D/Rebel T3i.  The EOS 600D succeeds the 500D and sits at the upper segment of Canon’s line-up of entry-level SLRs which includes the EOS 1100D and EOS 550D. The EOS 600D features the same 18MP CMOS sensor used in the EOS 550D and a tilt and swivel LCD screen similar to the one used on the EOS 60D.

Canon EOS 600D/Rebel T3i with EF-S 18-55mm kit lens. Photo by Canon USA.

The 600D is also Canon’s first entry-level SLR to feature an integrated Speedlite Transmitter which gives users the freedom to remotely trigger Canon Speedlite flashguns using the camera’s built-in transmitter — a feature once available only on more expensive models such as the 7D and 60D. Another notable improvement on Canon’s latest Rebel is its improved body design which provides for better handling and grip.

EOS 600D – key features:

• 18-megapixels
• Scene Intelligent Auto mode
• Full-HD video recording
• On-screen Feature Guide
• 3.7fps continuous burst
• Wide-area 9-point AF
• 1,040k-dot vari-angle 7.7cm (3.0”) screen
• Basic+ and Creative Filters
• Built-in wireless flash control

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Sony has released two new models to its H series lineup — the Cyber-shot DSC-HX100V and DSC-HX9V. The two new models sport Sony’s latest 16.2MP back-illuminated Exmor R CMOS sensor and full HD video recording at 60fps (1920×1080 60p). The DSC-HX100V comes with a 27mm Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonar T lens with 30x optical zoom while the DSC-HX9V features a 24mm Sony G lens with 16x optical zoom.  Both cameras are also capable of creating high resolution panoramic images as well as 3D images.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX100V.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX9V.

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX100V and DSC-HX9V will be available in April and will cost about USD450 and USD350 respectively. Black is the only color option available for both cameras at this time.