Lake Success, NY—Along with four PowerShot cameras—the PowerShot SX230 HS, Elph 500 HS, Elph 300 HS and Elph 100 HS—Canon USA announced the EOS Rebel T3i and EOS Rebel T3 digital SLRs. Canon’s new flagship Rebel T3i was designed to offer fun, easy-to-use features for beginning photographers, and the EOS Rebel T3 provides a more attractively priced option for those looking to shoot with a DSLR. User-friendly features include Canon’s “feature guide” instruction, which walks Rebel T3i and T3 shooters through functions and provides recommendations. An enhanced quick settings screen now includes detailed descriptions of camera settings and guided recommendations...

Melville, NY—Nikon Corporation launched the Nikon Professional Services (NPS) Global website, which will serve as one of the measures in which the company reinforces its services for pro photographers. NPS is a membership organization through which Nikon offers support and services to pros throughout the world. For nearly half a century, NPS has not only provided routine maintenance and repair services for professional photographers’ equipment but has also provided support for them at international events. With the expansion of Nikon’s lineups of high-end DSLRs, Nikkor lenses and other accessories, the NPS Global site was developed to serve as a portal that...

After calling photographers "cranky and opinionated" New York Times tech guru David Pogue posts one representative example of a cranky photographer arguing that when it comes to a digital camera, the lens is the most important part: The camera is nothing more than a box that holds the film or memory card. It's secondary to the lens. To which Pogue responded that the image sensor and software in a camera are "incredibly important" and "makes all the difference." I'm not particularly cranky today, so I don't have a dog in this particular fight. But if you're feeling opinionated, sound off in comments.

Cologne, Germany—On display at photokina 2010 is the new Olympus E-5 digital SLR, which the company says is built to meet the “rigorous demands of professional photographers and experienced amateurs.” The E-5 provides HD video in an E-System DSLR for the first time, capturing 720p HD video at 30 fps. A built-in microphone records monaural audio, and photographers can record in stereo by plugging any microphone with a 3.5mm jack into the E-5’s stereo microphone terminal. Incorporating such Olympus technologies as support for its 100 percent digital-specific lenses, a supersonic wave filter dust-reduction system, full-time live view and a completely splashproof...

Cologne, Germany—Pentax Imaging Systems is exhibiting the new Pentax K-5 digital SLR camera, which it says boasts a “true high-end prosumer design and features normally found only on the most costly of professional cameras.” Built for reliable, user-friendly operation and with a more compact, lightweight body than its predecessor, the Pentax K-7, the K-5 offers several new and improved features that are a direct result of feedback from prosumer Pentaxian shooters. 
 Its pro-oriented prosumer assets include: a high-resolution 16.3 megapixel CMOS sensor; 7-frames-per-second burst shooting to capture fast action shots; high sensitivity with ISO 80-1,2800, which is expandable to 51,200, with...

Melville, NY—Nikon’s D7000 digital SLR, aimed at photo enthusiasts, features enhancements and updated Nikon technologies, including a 16.2 megapixel DX-format (APS-C) CMOS sensor with augmented low-light ability, a new 39-point autofocus system and 2,016-pixel RGB 3D matrix metering, as well as 1080p Full HD movie capability with full-time autofocus. “The D7000 DSLR creates a new class of Nikon camera by delivering exceptional quality, control and an innovative feature set; this is a camera that enables DSLR users to achieve a true expression of their creative vision, while concentrating primarily on image quality above all else,” said Lisa Osorio, general manager, Marketing,...

San Diego, CA—Sony introduced the α (alpha) SLR- α560 DSLR camera, which leverages the company’s Exmor APS HD CMOS sensor. Along with the α33 and α55 cameras, also announced, the α560 is one of the only DSLRs with multi-frame noise reduction, sweep panorama mode, 3D sweep panorama and Full HD 1,920x1,080 60i video capture. Additionally, Sony added to its line of more than 30 A-mount lenses with three models—the Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 24mm f/2 ZA SSM, DT 35mm f/1.8 SAM and the 85mm f/2.8 SAM. “These new lenses and camera show our commitment to the DSLR market and that we will...

Six L-Series EF Lenses Also Debut, Including Wide Fisheye Zoom and Two Super Telephotos with Optional Extenders Lake Success, NY—Canon USA announced its EOS 60D digital SLR, which boasts 18 megapixels of resolution, a 3.0-inch vari-angle LCD screen, Full HD video recording with manual overrides, in-camera functionality for RAW image processing plus creative filters. Aimed at advanced amateurs, the 60D replaces the EOS 50D and provides an array of new features to make it easier to add personal creativity to images. “The EOS 60D has been designed to offer the image capture and the Full HD video features customers are looking...

Melville, NY—Nikon’s D3100 digital SLR was developed to provide an easy-to-use and affordable entrance into the world of Nikon DSLR cameras. The 14.2 megapixel D3100, which debuted with four new Nikkor lenses, offers Full HD 1080p video recording and includes an enhanced guide mode that displays on its 3.0-inch LCD to offer suggestions or adjust settings. And, the D3100 is the first to introduce full-time autofocus (AF) in live view and D-movie modes. Housed in a compact, lightweight body are such Nikon technologies as a new Expeed 2 image-processing engine, a 14.2MP DX-format CMOS sensor, a fast 11-point AF system and...

Golden, CO—For consumers looking to add a trendy colored digital SLR to their imaging arsenal, Pentax announced that its K-x DSLR, already offered in an array of colors, is now available in olive, pink, chocolate and beige. The compact and lightweight Pentax K-x first shipped in October 2009, boasting a one-handed shooting design and easy operation that makes it geared for users stepping up from a point-and-shoot digital camera to their first digital SLR. The K-x offers high-end features not normally found in an entry-level camera, including: a high-resolution 12.4 megapixel CMOS image sensor with sensor-shift shake reduction for stabilized...