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Pentax has unveiled the Optio RZ10 compact superzoom digital camera. It features a 28-280mm equivalent stabilized zoom lens and 14 megapixel CCD sensor. It can shoot 720p HD video and up to 9.1 five megapixel frames per second. It also includes a 2.7quot; 230k dot LCD and comes in a variety of vibrant colors and is designed to be compatible with Eye-Fi wireless memory cards.

Pentax has announced the Optio RS1000, a compact camera with interchangable, user designable covers. It comes with a 28-110mm equivalent unstabilized lens and is built around a 14.1 megapixel sensor. It offers all this season's standard compact camera features such as 720p HD movie recording and digital filters such as fish-eye and toy-camera. The RS1000 is available in white or black with the option to download or create your own cover that secures behind a transparent front-plate.

Pentax has released the SMC-DA 35mm 1:2.4 AL, a lightweight inexpensive 'normal' prime for its APS-C SLRs. With an angle of view roughly equivalent to a traditional 50mm standard lens, it becomes one of the lightest SLR lenses available at a mere 124g, and is also compact at just 45mm in length. The design includes a hybrid aspherical element to minimise aberrations, and has a minimum focus distance of 0.3m. It will be available from mid-October at a price of $219.95 / pound;179.99.

Pre-Photokina 2010: Pentax has announced the K-r, its latest mid-level DSLR. Initially sitting above the K-x in the range it offers more angular, K-7-esque styling, 6 fps continuous shooting and HD movie recording. It also regains AF-point illumination in the viewfinder. It features a high-res 920k dot (VGA) LCD display and the ability to shoot at up to ISO 25600. Unusually for a Pentax at this level it uses a rechargeable Lithium Ion battery pack but can be used with AAs via an optional adapter. We've had a chance to get to grips with the K-r and have prepared a brief hands-on article discussing its features and additions.

PhaseOne did an email blast today about a dedicated black-and-white digital back they make, the Achromatic Plus, and I've been hearing about it all day from readers. The Achromatic+ has actually been available for about a year. It's made by... Michael Johnston

As expected, Nikon has introduced the "Swiss Army knife" P7000, a do-everything digicam intended as a travel camera, an enthusiast digicam for advanced amateurs, and as a small, portable carry-all complement to a larger DSLR. The 10.1-MP P7000 is the... Michael Johnston

By AFotS I've been following the Leica X1 since its introduction a year ago this week (hard to believe 9/9/09* was only a year ago!) and have been quite intrigued by it. Contrary to one TOP commenter's remarks, people have... Michael Johnston

...'Til our fall print sale, the final Print Offer of 2010. I'm getting really psyched about it. The reason I mention it so many times in advance is just so nobody misses it. Our print sales only go on for... Michael Johnston

Nikon USA has launched the Coolpix S8100. It closely resembles the S8000 but makes use of a 12MP back-lit CMOS sensor in the place of the 8000's 14MP CCD. In most other respects the cameras are similar, with the S8100 retaining the 30-300mm equivalent stabilized zoom lens and 3.0quot; LCD. The CMOS sensor helps it offer 10 fps shooting and 1080 HD movie recording. The model is currently only being released in the US.

Carl Zeiss has announced that its CP.2 compact cine lenses with interchangeable mounts will become available for the Micro 4/3 and Sony Alpha systems. The already announced Nikon F mount versions will be available in the fourth quarter of 2010, the company says. In addition to the seven focal lengths already publicized, Zeiss says it will introduce a 50mm T2.1 macro lens and a 100mm T2.1 in the Nikon F mount.

Nikon has introduced three new Coolpix cameras today, and it shouldn't take more than a cursory read of the specs to figure out who this first model is going after. The new Coolpix P7000 is undoubtedly targeted at the Canon PowerShot G11, with a similar design and feature set. Of course, we both will have to wait for review units to arrive before we know how it compares in the real world. Here are its features and specifications:

Next up is the Coolpix S8100 which, as you might have guessed, replaces the S8000. This compact ultra zoom camera features a back-illuminated CMOS sensor, which allows for high speed continuous shooting, plus Full HD video recording. Intrigued? Read on:

Last, but certainly not least, is the ultra-compact Coolpix S80, which features a large OLED touchscreen display. Here's more:

Nikon has announced the Coolpix S80, a touch-screen card-style compact camera. It features a multi-touch OLED screen to offer both improved responsiveness and image contrast. The 17mm deep S80 is based around a 14.1MP sensor and a stabilized 5x optical zoom that offers a 35-175mm equivalent range. It also includes stereo microphones to complement its 720p movie recording capability.

Nikon has launched the Coolpix P7000 high-end enthusiasts' compact camera built around a 1/1.7quot; sensor and featuring a 28-200mm equivalent image stabilizaed lens. Coming over two years after the P6000, the P7000 is a considerably larger camera featuring bulky, faux-rangefinder styling that is more than a little reminescent of Canon's G Series. The P7000 has a 10MP CCD sensor, VGA-resolution fixed LCD and a usefully bright F2.8-5.6 aperture range. We've been able to borrow a P7000 and have prepared a hands-on preview.

The SD Association has announced an extension to the format that will allow SDHC and SDXC cards with transfer rates of up to 300 MB/s - three times faster than the theoretical maximum of the UHS-I cards that are starting to appear and sixteen times quicker than conventional cards. The as yet unnamed standard will use a second row of connection pins located behind the existing ones to allow the greater transfer rates. The association says the cards will be defined by the SD 4.0 specification expected in early 2011 and will be backwards-compatible with existing SD, SDHC and SDXC devices, albeit without the speed benefits.

Just posted: our updated review of Sony's SLT A55. Following Adobe's launch of RAW support for the SLT cameras, we've taken an in-depth look at the noise, dynamic range and image quality of the camera's RAW output. We've also conducted tests and sifted-through our 1500+ real-world images to address the much-discussed 'ghosting' phenomenon caused by the A55's innovative semi-transmissive mirror design. With this work completed we're now able to round-off the review by giving the camera a final score.

By John Kennerdell Used photographers tend to get recycled into new teachers, and through no plan of my own I now appear to be one of them. My qualifications? Well, I’ve already developed a teacher-like knack for hammering on the... Michael Johnston

This was kind of funny. These two comments came in right next to each other, about twelve minutes apart, albeit to different posts. I'm sure the first is meant to tweak my tail a bit, and they don't exactly speak... Michael Johnston

This point came up in the comments to the previous post, and I thought it might be worth moving up to a post of its own. "Film vs. digital" has never been at issue for me at all. Rather, it's... Michael Johnston