Nikon’s 12-Megapixel D2x has been around since 2004 so it’s high time for a replacement. Rumours of a new high-end Nikon - being called the D3 for obvious reasons - are hotting up with sources predicting a June launch and August/September availability.

All Nikon’s digital SLRs so far, by comparison, use the company’s DX sensor size with a 1.5 factor. Some D3 rumors, though, say the D3 will use a 1.1 factor, meaning that the sensor is nearly full-frame. That constraint would likely mean that the newer DX-specific lenses wouldn’t work. Some French info also suggesting the new DSLR will have a 18 megapixel sensor, manufactured by Sony.

A new processor is also reportedly in the works which would mean improvements to low-light shooting with better noise reduction for high ISO shots.

Such improvements would see Nikon’s professional level digital SLR range brought up to date in order to better compete with Canon’s successful high-end offerings. Not sure what the report means by “near” full-frame. But if this comes true, it will be an interesting landscape with the full-frame DLR cameras.

Website : Reports suggests high-end 18 Megapixel Nikon “D3″ for summer

Olympus has introduced new underwater housings and accessories for several of its digital cameras, as well as an underwater flash unit. All of the new gear is rated for use down to depths of 40 meters (approximately 133 feet). A tight O-ring main seal with safety lock, along with stainless steel and nickel-plated brass hardware, help to ensure protection from corrosion for years to come.

A fluorite (FL) glass window gives your digital camera’s powerful Olympus lens the protection and clear gateway it needs to deliver crisp detail and vibrant color. And an easy-to-see LCD panel lets you admire the beauty that lies beneath the surface instantly. Each housing features a large, responsive shutter button, precision zoom lever, and durable controls to lend you access to everything your Olympus digital camera has to offer. They’re even great on the slopes and in other extreme conditions.

Website :  Underwater Housing for Olympus E-410 DSLR Camera

Jill-e has introduced a line of camera bags designed for professional and serious amateur female photographers. The line will launch with eight bags and a small wrist pouch. The bags offer sturdy padded interior compartments for holding professional gear, with exterior materials and designs that are more akin to those of high-end handbags than the typical camera bag.

The Jill-e line will launch with the following bags:

• Large black nylon rolling backpack with brown crocodile-pattern trim ($309.99 retail price)
• Large black leather and suede rolling case with laptop sleeve ($259.99 retail price)
• Large moss suede bag with brown leather trim and laptop compartment (price not yet announced)
• Medium black leather bag with cream trim ($209.99 retail price)
• Small cream leather bag with brown crocodile-pattern trim ($159.99 retail price)
• Small red leather bag with brown crocodile-pattern trim ($159.99 retail price)
• Small yellow weatherproof nylon bag with cream leather trim ($129.99 retail price)
• Small brown weatherproof nylon bag with black leather trim ($129.99 retail price)
• Yellow weatherproof nylon wristlet with bone leather trim for point-and-shoots ($24.99 retail price)

The bags feature padded interiors with Velcro-attached dividers, interior net pockets, carrying handles and detachable padded shoulder straps, outside pockets, and detachable matching pouches for carrying personal items. The rolling bag can be carried as a shoulder bag or pulled with a telescoping handle.

The new bags will be available in July 2007.

Website :  Camera Bags for Serious Amateur Female Photographers

Bibble Labs has released version 4.9.8 of its Pro and Lite raw image workflow software. The new version adds support for more cameras, including the Canon EOS 1D Mark III, Fujifilm S5 Pro, Nikon D40x, Panasonic FZ8, and Olympus E-510, E-410, and SP500 UZ. This release supports tethered shooting with the Fuji S5 Pro (with Windows only) and newer Canon cameras. It also supports Canon’s sRAW format and Fujifilm’s Wide Dynamic Range technology.

Bibble Pro 4.9.8 is available for $129.95 and Bibble Lite 4.9.8 for $69.95. Owners of previous Bibble 4 versions can upgrade for free, and purchasers of the current version will receive a free upgrade to Bibble 5 when it is released. A 14-day trial version is also available on Bibble’s Web site.

Website : Bibble Labs product features information

Download : Bibble Labs trial software and PDF documentation download

Canon U.S.A. Inc. has finalized an agreement to purchase 52 acres of land in Melville, N.Y., to build a new, state-of-the-art corporate headquarters and remain on Long Island. The purchase of the land was made from The Holiday Organization, a Long Island-based commercial and residential real estate developer, and the Tilles Companies.

“Canon has been a proud member of the Long Island community for more than 35 years, and we look forward to remaining an active and growing part of the community for years to come,” said Joe Adachi, president and chief executive officer for Canon U.S.A. Inc.

The site for the new Canon U.S.A. headquarters is located just off of the Long Island Expressway at Exit 49. The site is bordered by the Long Island Expressway service road on the North and Walt Whitman Road on the East.

Canon currently employs more than 1,000 employees on Long Island and occupies nearly 400,000 square feet of office space in Lake Success. It is expected that the new location will allow Canon to substantially expand its office space, depending on the final approved design and plan. Canon U.S.A. Corporate Headquarters is responsible for more than 10,000 employees in 35 facilities across North, Central and South Americas.

Canon U.S.A. began in 1955 with five employees as the New York branch of an up-and-coming camera company. Canon has been a fixture in the Long Island community since 1971 when the company moved its headquarters to Lake Success, N.Y., from Woodside, Queens, N.Y. When Canon moved to Long Island in the 1970s, the company employed approximately 80 people.

According to the 2007 PMA U.S. Digital Imaging Survey, 72 percent of digital camera owners transfer their images onto computer hard drives for storage and 53 percent burn CDs and DVDs. Still 54 percent of digital camera owners leave their images on their camera’s memory card. Combined with the fact that almost a third of memory cards sold in 2006 were 1GB or larger, the needs for on-camera organization and better kiosk upload capacity is certain to intensify in the near future.

The trend of cheaper, larger memory cards becoming more readily available to consumers is not expected to stop or ease soon, either, especially in light of flash memory technology expanding into the laptop hard drive space.

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Could this be the ‘High Amateur’ camera that Sony announced back in March at PMA and is it really geared with a highly rumored fullframe CCD sensor with In-Camera Image Stabilization SSS (Super Steady Shot)? If true, finally something to compete with the popular Canon 5D fullframe DSLR.

Website : Sony Announces ‘High Amateur’ DSLR Camera at PMA

Japanese lens maker Sigma Corp. announced its all-in-one zoom lens for DSLR with an APS-C size sensor will be available with a Canon mount today in the domestic Japanese market, reports JPEA International PEN News Weekly. Sigma and Nikon versions will follow though dates of launch are yet to be announced.

The list price will be ¥79,000 (US$660) with tulip-shaped hood. The 18-200mm f3.5-6.3 DC OS, equivalent roughly to 29-300mm in 35mm format, is characterized by its built-in optical stabilization system in which a pair of sensors detects movement of camera in four directions and corrects it by shifting part of optics.
The lens adopts an SLD (Super Low Dispersion) elements and a pair of aspherical elements in the 13-in-18 construction to minimize aberrations and performs well in the all zooming range. The all-in-one zoom lens focuses down to a minimum range of 0.35m to achieve magnification of 1:3.9.

Website :  Sigma launches in Japan an all-in-one zoom lens for DSLRs