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Sony Electronics Inc. has today revealed a new Alpha-mount telephoto zoom lens for cameras with APS-C sized sensors, the Sony DT 55-300mm F4.5-5.6 SAM lens. 35mm-equivalent focal lengths vary from 82.5 to 450mm.

With an affordable pricetag of just US$300, the new lens--model number SAL55300--will ship this September in the US market. Its design features twelve lens...

The first part of this series confirmed what we already new: live view autofocus is more accurate than phase detection AF.

This part is going to (sort of) look at something I’ve wondered about, along with some related old wives’ tales. And unlike the first article, at the end of this we’ll have learned something today.

One Click or Two?
That something I’m wondering...

The folks over at the PMA Newsline tipped us off to an interesting--and likely rather controversial--project from filmmaking accessories company Zacuto, today. Back in 2010, Zacuto pitted a selection of digital SLRs against 35mm film for the Great Camera Shootout, and a year later the concept was revisited. Now, they've returned with a second followup: Revenge of the Great...

Yesterday, we shared one photographer's rough memories about covering the Olympics in the age of film, now here's another film product that's going down the drain. It's a toilet paper dispenser/tissue box that's designed like a film canister.

We're told the "Fun Film Canister Toilet Paper/Tissue Dispenser" from HDE holds "a normal size toilet paper roll" and "makes a...

The Cocoagraph Company of Philadelphia has come up with a product that is sure to appeal to every sweet-toothed photographer on the planet. For as little as $8.50 a photo, they will turn your plain old vanilla images into tasty, chocolate bars that look just like old-fashioned Polaroids.

Last month, we told you about photos printed on scented paper that can be made to...

Once upon a time I wrote an article attempting to explain phase-detection autofocus and its limitations. That was a lot like trying to explain what happened to the Mary Celeste or why Stonehenge was built.

Actually we probably have a better handle on the Stonehenge thing than we do on the Mary Celeste or phase-detection autofocus. So rather than rehashing and speculating,...

With the Summer Olympics in London coming up in just a few days, thousands of digital images of atheletes will be flying wirelessly around the globe every few minutes. Ever wonder how wire service sports photographers got their images out to editors in the days of film?

Take a look at the device on the right. It's called a Dixel CM, and it's the last of the original film...

Japan's Sigma Corp. might not be among the world's largest camera makers, but that's not preventing it from providing an impressively quick update schedule for its flagship Sigma SD1 digital SLR, in both original and SD1 Merrill variants.

Just a couple of weeks ago, Sigma released a firmware update for the SD1 that brought improvements including a shorter startup time....

The Nikon 18-300mm f/3.5-5.6VRII travel zoom was released by Nikon in June, competing in the hot all-in-one vacation lens market. It's a big, beefy lens, but offers a huge range of focal lengths, meaning it might be the only lens you need to take with you on your next trip. We've put it through its paces in our test lab: is it worth a place in your travel kit? Click here to...

For some time now, the rumors have swirled, and today they bear fruit. Just two weeks short of the fourth anniversary of Olympus and Panasonic's debut of their joint Micro Four Thirds system standard for compact system cameras, long-time mirrorless holdout Canon becomes the last major manufacturer to acknowledge the burgeoning market for interchangeable-lens cameras that do...

Why would you carry a heavy camera when a lighter one would do the same job? That's a question they have been asking at Olympus for decades. Waaaay back in 1974, I was the proud owner of an Olympus OM-1 MD. It was a trend-setting 35mm film camera in many ways, not the least of which was its light weight.

Fast forward to today and Olympus has done it again - they've...

Although the bread and butter of Zoom Corp.'s product line is aimed at musicians, there are several gems among the Japanese company's products that have also gained popularity with videographers. Among all the drum machines, effect processors, amplifiers, and the like, several of Zoom's audio recorders pair nicely with video-capable SLRs and mirrorless cameras. The Zoom H1,...

The first M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 75mm F1.8 Micro Four Thirds lens arrived at LensRentals today, courtesy of Tyler’s connections with the King of Siam, or wherever it is he gets these things. I had to test it, of course, because that’s what I do. I hadn’t planned on writing about it; the lens has already been reviewed thoroughly at SLRgear.com, sample images posted at Imaging...

While the new Google Glass geeky camera glasses have received a lot of press, it turns out that even before these devices are in the marketplace, a recent encounter at a Paris McDonald’s may foreshadow the unexpected legal, moral and social problems they will create.
 
University of Toronto professor Steve Mann developed computerized vision aiding goggles for himself back...

A new digital camera from Korea's Samsung Electronics promises to save you walking back and forth adjusting your photo framing--and perhaps, to have passers-by giving you an unusually wide berth. The reason? An interesting gesture-control system that lets you control zoom and self-timer from a distance without a remote, simply by waving your hand.

The Samsung MV900F...

If you've read a few of our compact camera reviews over the last couple of years, there's a good chance you'll have heard of accessory maker Richard Franiec. We've tried several of his custom-made accessory grips for cameras such as the Canon PowerShot S100, Nikon V1, and the Olympus XZ-1. Richard's handgrips are CNC machined from aircraft-grade aluminum, which is then...

The other day, I went to an exhibition of photographs by W. Eugene Smith. Entering the museum, I spotted a sign that said, “No Flash Photography!” Out of curiosity, I walked over to a museum guard and asked him why flash photography was prohibited.

His response was "le froid de la lumière est mauvaise pour l'art" - "the cold from the flash is bad for the art." Cold from...

Photographer Jeff Lautenberger of The Dallas Morning News recently had what would seem to be a plum assignment: photograph actor/comedians Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis together as part of a story about the duo's upcoming movie, The Campaign.

But, as with all "plum" assignments in journalism, there was a catch. Lautenberger would only get three minutes with Ferrell...

Rounding out Panasonic's camera announcements this week, we have three new models that are likely aimed closer to the entry-level point of the market, although again, the company has yet to reveal pricing or availability.

The Panasonic SZ5 is interesting for its inclusion of built-in WiFi connectivity. Relative to the specification of last year's WiFi-capable model, the...