June 2009

Olympus Pen E-P1: the Mini Cooper of cameras
Just like the Mini Cooper revived a beloved icon in a retro package with modern technology, Olympus revived its super-compact 1960s era mechanical Pen F SLR camera that recorded on "half frame" 18x24mm film with the new Olympus Pen E-P1. The new 12.3-megapixel E-P1 is a "Micro Four Thirds" camera, which means it can use exchangeable lenses of that standard. Despite its fairly small size (4.7 x 2.7 x 1.4 inches), the camera is essentially the Olympus E-620 dSLR shoehorned into a small body without a mirror, without an optical viewfinder, and without a built-in flash. Prices start at a hefty US$699 for the body and US$799 for kit with a 14-42mm lens. -- Posted Tuesday, June 16, 2009 by chb

Eye-Fi unveils the Eye-Fi Pro cards
Eye-Fi unveiled the Eye-Fi Pro, a new wireless SDHC memory card for digital cameras that lets you automatically upload images straight from the camera to the computer and the Web. The Eye-Fi Pro includes RAW image support and peer-to-peer connectivity for a direct connection between the camera and a computer, no router or Internet connection required. Eye-Fi also announced that all Eye-Fi card users can now select which photos or videos they want to wirelessly transfer, using the new Selective Transfer feature. Eye-Fi wireless SD and SDHC memory cards range from US$49-$149 and are available at www.eye.fi, in store at Apple Retail Stores and Best Buy locations, and at major online retailers such as Amazon.com, Walmart.com and Costco.com. -- Posted Wednesday, June 10, 2009 by chb

Full report from PMA 2009
This year's PMA—the annual international convention and trade show of the Photo Marketing Association—took place at the Las Vegas Convention Center. It was a fairly sizable affair with attendees from almost 100 nations, 200 sessions, 400 speakers, and all the cool new camera and imaging gear that's now hitting the stores. [Read our full conference report of PMA 2009] -- Posted Sunday, June 7, 2009 by chb