News

Multiblitz USA introduced the new monolight-battery-bundle GLAMKIT to the North American market. The GLAMKIT combines the TIPA Award winning PROFILUX PLUS studio flash system (named Best Flash System 2010) optional with 200 Ws (7 f-stops), 400 Ws (7 f-stops), or 800 Ws (8 f-stops) with the Multiblitz PROPAC 1 battery pack, and the 3 ft. octagonal softbox GLAMBOX 90. A sturdy trolley with a snug-fitting soft case and harness for the PROPAC battery pack with Velcro fastening straps for the included 8 ft. air-cushioned light stand completes the GLAMKIT. The battery pack/trolley combination serves as a counterweight for the flash unit on the stand, often prone to strong air drag in windy conditions – especially with the use of larger light shapers. A perfect pick for a quick 1-unit on-location set-up for glamour and wedding shoots.

Jill-e Designs has expanded its popular Jack Collection for men with three casual day bags that blend protection with eye-catching good looks – including the Jack CSC Camera Bag made specifically for today’s new Compact System Camera equipment.

Sigma Corporation of America has announced that its updated 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 II DC OS HSM is now available in Canon and Nikon mounts for the MSRP of $720.

Sigma’s 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 II DC OS HSM is the successor to the Sigma 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 DC OS , which was launched in 2007. The lens has been updated to include the company’s new “F” Low Dispersion (FLD) glass elements, which perform like fluorite glass and significantly improve lens performance. The FLD glass now complements the lens’ other, Special Low Dispersion (SLD) glass elements and aspherical lenses, which already provide excellent correction of color aberration.

Ideal for beginner and professional photographers alike, this 11.1x high-zoom ratio lens is designed exclusively for digital SLR cameras and incorporates Sigma’s Optical Stabilization (OS) system, which allows for high-performance, handheld, close-up photography.

The enhanced multipurpose zoom lens offers photographers the opportunity to capture wide-angle shots such as scenic, landscape and group photos, and, at the long end, is well-suited for candid portraits and sports action photography. With a compact body and length of just 3.5 inches, the lens is lightweight and easy to handle for photographers who are on the move.

Arca-Swiss previously released the Mini L-bracket for compact cameras such as the Olympus E-PL1, E-PL2, Panasonic Lumix GF and LX3, Samsung NX-100, and Canon G10. Their latest offering is a new mini L-bracket specifically designed for the Nex 3 and Nex 5 cameras from Sony.

Wacom® introduces an all new lineup of Bamboo™ pen tablets, bringing together an elegant new design and value added software that enhance the use case interests of computer users better than ever. Consisting of three new choices, Bamboo Connect, Bamboo Capture and Bamboo Create, the Bamboo family of tablets bring ideas and creativity to life by delivering a flexible and fun computing experience. Bamboo Connect is designed for visual communicators in a home or office environment who want to express their ideas visually and collaborate with digital ink. Bamboo Capture is the ideal choice for the photo hobbyist who wants to have fun editing or retouching photos with the benefits of Wacom pen input. For the artistically inclined, Bamboo Create is the platform of choice to turn creative ideas into works of art. Bamboo Capture and Bamboo Create also feature multi-touch input capabilities, giving users up to 16 touch points for gesture-based input such as scrolling, zooming and many more, depending on application support.

Pentax has a long history of innovation as well as a rabid fan base that loves the company’s tradition of optical excellence and originality. In fact, this fan base is the reason I’m writing this review. If you’re not already a Pentaxian you probably didn’t know that Pentax (derived from PENTAprism refleX) built the first camera to incorporate a penta-prism viewfinder and reflex mirror system in 1957 and went on to introduce the first TTL metering system in 1964. While late to the digital SLR game, when they finally arrived it was with a series of entry-level cameras that delivered impressive image quality at affordable prices. Over time they’ve dipped their toes into the semipro market and the K-5 is the latest model with professional aspirations yet it retains all the quirky uniqueness that all Pentax cameras have and that endears them to so many photographers.