These days nearly all digital cameras can shoot video, but only a small handful give you the power to manually select aperture and shutter speed while doing so. The Lumix FZ47 is Panasonic’s latest high-end point-and-shoot to sport this functionality, providing full control over both video and still photo capture with its Creative Control mode.

The 12.1-megapixel superzoom can shoot 1080i HD at 30 fps, though it’s notably lacking in the 1080p department. There’s also a 3-inch LCD, 24x Leica zoom lens with a 25mm wide-angle focal length, and an option to shoot 3.5-megapixel stills while recording video.

For photographers willing to settle for a good deal less power, Panasonic also just announced its entry-level Lumix LS5, which includes a 14.1-megapixel sensor, optical image stabilization, and 720p video, all powered by a pair of AA batteries. The $400 FZ47 will ship next month, while the LS5 hits stores in November, with pricing yet to be announced.

Do you love Pentax very much? If you don’t fall into either of the Nikon and Canon camp, and love the Pentax so much, then you’ll probably like what you see above. It’s not a normal DSLR mind you. Also, it could be yours… if you’re willing to wait four months. Pentax is giving a very limited edition high-five to its medium-format 645D DSLR. The 40 megapixel stunner, recently crowned 2011 “Camera of the Year” at the Camera Grand Prix Japan, is getting a luxe lacquered makeover in this made-to-order kit. If you’re the type to collect overpriced (we assume) pieces of photographic paraphernalia, then this custom paulownia-wood box and its contents are probably up your alley. What do you get for all this premium exclusiveness? Well, there’s the aforementioned specially-designed body, a leather strap, body mount cap and center-spot-matte focusing screen. Not included is an actual photographer to take the pictures for you (or keep your swag clean) — now that would be high-end. There’s no word yet as to what this stately beauty’s gonna cost, but that shouldn’t stop you from pre-ordering it on the company’s site right now. Money may not buy you happiness, but it can get you a rare toy.

This isn’t the Ultraman GAIA that we come to know and love, but it does have to do with our planets at least. Back at the turn of the millennium, the European Space Agency devised an ambitious mission to map one billion stars in our Milky Way galaxy — in 3D. To do this, it enlisted UK-based e2v Technologies and built an immense digital camera comprised of 106 snugly-fit charge coupled devices — the largest ever for a space program.

These credit card-shaped, human hair-thick slabs of silicon carbide act like tiny galactic eyes, each storing incoming light as a single pixel. Not sufficiently impressed? Then consider this: the stellar cam is so all-seeing, “it could measure the thumbnails of a person on the Moon” — from Earth.

Set to launch on the Soyuz-Fregat sometime this year, the celestial surveyor will make its five-year home in the Earth-Sun L2 Lagrange point, beaming its outerspace discoveries to radio dishes in Spain and Australia.

SOURCE via Slashdot

Leica’s new M9-P digital rangefinder taps the till at $7,995 — the same price the original M9 commanded when it was released in 2009 — but you don’t stay in the business of making pricey cameras for nearly a century without doing something right. The new version adds a virtually unbreakable sapphire crystal covering on the LCD, produced using diamond cutting tools, and an anti-reflective coating. The body includes a vulcanite leatherette body finish, for a more secure grip, but curiously lacks the familiar red Leica logo and M9 lettering on the front, in line with the camera’s elegant “minimalist styling.” Beyond that, the P includes the same full-frame 18 megapixel sensor featured on the M9, an “almost silent” shutter, and is compatible with Leica’s full range of astronomically expensive M lenses. The M9-P will be available in black or chrome for $7,995 beginning next month or $15,990 for two — since we know you’re planning to buy both, so it’s still pretty much the same anyway.

SOURCE via Leica

First shown nearly a year ago, what appears to be a leaked official photo might finally mean the forever teased A77 is on the horizon. If you’ll recall, the high-end Alpha was sporting a svelte see-through body, and the only tidbits the Japanese firm would confirm were the 2011 ship date and that all forthcoming Alpha’s would have translucent mirrors — you know, the spiffy kind that enables DSLRs to focus while shooting video. Opportunely, the above pictured image also came with a bevy of specs, which we’ll have to assume apply to the pricier A77: a 24 megapixel sensor, 11 point AF, 10 frame per second burst and an ISO of 102,400. Also on the docket is USB 3.0, and a ship date of October. Whether or not the August announcement pans out remains to be seen, but you’ll certainly know when we do.

SOURCE via Sony Alpha Rumor

Ever since Sony discontinued their NEX-3, we heard lots of rumours regarding the successor, the NEX-C3, and now it’s officially official. Announced today, the NEX-C3 appears identical to the model leaked in April, and uses the same format APS-C image sensor as its predecessor, bumping resolution to 16.2 megapixels in a camera body smaller than the NEX-5.

Sony says the new entry-level cam is designed to fill the gap between point-and-shoot and DSLR cameras, and is the smallest body to pack an APS-C sensor, offering DSLR-level image quality — the same 16.2 MP chip is also included in its new full-size Alpha A35, which replaces the A33. Both cameras can shoot at up to 5.5 fps (the A35 adds a 7 fps mode at 8.4 megapixels), and include 3-inch LCDs, with the NEX keeping its hallmark tilt display, and the A35 adding Sony’s Translucent Mirror live-view mode, and an electronic viewfinder. Read more…

Don’t want to lose out to those DSLR-fags that use auto-mode on their Canon 7D with 50mm f1.4 L lens, but also don’t want to be caught using a DSLR and get classes the same as them? Well, here’s something that will put you out of the league from those low class cool cats. Let us welcome the 200-Megapixel Hasselblad HD4-200MS!

This latest piece of kit is nearly identical to the 50 megapixel H4D-50MS externally, but is squeezed with some magical dust to have an additional astonishing 150 more megapixels to the sensor — yes, that’s an astounding 200 megapixels! Cannot brain? Me too. Get five of those and you’ll be on your way to making your own personal Gigapixel photo in one shot!

The new 200MS combines six shots to create ridiculously detailed 200 megapixel still images, and it handles less intensive photos with a four-shot 50 megapixel still mode. If you need to move out of the studio and take quick shots of birdies, there’s a 50 megapixel single-shot live mode for quick shots as well. Then again, the price is still too mind-boggling.

SOURCE via Hasselblad

Is Samsung going to invade the high-end digital camera market? The picture above was posted on Samsung’s blog about lens design, and the boxy camera above is an old-school-like medium format film shooter, from Samsung itself! That’s odd; we never see that on the market. There was a rumor kicking around last summer that Samsung was working on a medium format CMOS sensor and this could be a test rig for just such a slice of silicon. Is this a prototype of what’s coming from the Korean giant?

SOURCE via Akihabaranews

It seemed like Sony’s delayed NEX-C3 micro-four-third camera is indeed coming, though they’re still keeping quiet about its launch date. but the camera’s instruction manual has now made a brief appearance on the company’s Czech Republic site, offering yet more evidence that the successor to the NEX-3 is set for an imminent launch. The camera mock-up on the description page appears to be identical to previously leaked photos, and judging by control layout, NEX-3 and NEX-5 users should find it fairly familiar. Of course, the manual has been taken down, but as the Internet goes, nothing sleeps away untouched. DPReview points out that the camera is smaller than both previous models, and includes a 16 megapixel sensor, a new 30mm f/3.5 macro lens priced at €259 (about $383).

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When Sony discontinued the NEX-3, we can guess why. But the only reason we though we knew, are to avoid clashing with the NEX-5’s sales as the NEX-3 is stuck in between. However, now we had another reason to refer to. Apparently Sony is hard at work on developing the next NEX-3.

The successor will probably be called the NEX-C3, and is rumoured to include the same 16.2 megapixel image sensor used in the Sony Alpha A55 DSLR, as well as HD video capture (as expected) and the new flash seen in the image above. Leaked photos on Sony Alpha Rumors reveal an LCD with the same tilt capability we love on the NEX-3, as well as minor adjustments to the controls. The blog also got its hands on some leaked images of the Sony Alpha A35 DSLR (pictured below), though there’s no details about it yet.

Apparently Sony is said to have both cameras launched this month, but was set back by the catastrophic earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan in March. No pricing has been rumoured yet, but we expect the NEX-C3 to be priced similarly with the now-discontinued NEX-3.

SOURCE via Sony Alpha Rumor
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