March is a big month for the leading camera manufacturers. All the big brands are releasing new and attractive models across a wide gamut of styles and form factors.
Nikon has unveiled the latest in its series of mirrorless cameras, the Nikon 1 V3, which the company describes as, “A superb step-up or secondary camera, the Nikon 1 V3 is built for serious photographers who want speed, power and reliability, plus the freedom to travel light”. The Nikon 1 V3 has an 18.4-megapixel sensor, Full HD video recording and the (self-claimed) world’s fastest continuous shooting.
Panasonic will soon be releasing the new Lumix DMC-GH4, which can shoot video at 3,840 x 2,160 — four times the pixels as Full HD. This 16.05-megapixel camera has a 2.3 million-dot Live View Finder and newly developed dual OLED displays for reviewing images and video with crystal clear resolution.
Olympus has a new range of compacts, including the world’s first tough camera with a tilt screen (TG-850) and a 50x super-zoom model (SP-100EE). These new releases coincide with a new entry-level model Micro Four-Thirds model in the OM-D range, the E-M10.
Canon has released seven new consumer products: the entry level EOS 1200D, the high-end PowerShot G1X Mark II compact, the tough PowerShot D30, the 30x zoom PowerShot SX700HS and three new IXUS compacts at the entry level.
CR Kennedy is also a hive activity, releasing new Ricoh waterproof cameras (WG-4 and WG-20) in a range of funky colours. The WG-4 offers outstanding waterproof performance — down to 14 meters underwater—and shock resistance against a fall from heights up to two meters. While inheriting the easy-to-hold, non-slip design of the previous lineup, they provide a choice of new body colors that stand out in the outdoors,” said a CR Kennedy spokesperson.
At the higher end of the market, Fujifilm has the X-T1, which claimed at launch to have the world’s fastest AF speed — just 0.08 seconds — as well as a 2.36 million-dot OLED electronic viewfinder. Unfortunately for Fujifilm, however, within days of this announcement, Sony trumped this with the new world’s fastest autofocus — just 0.06 — on the α6000. Sony’s model also has 24.3 megapixels, plus Wi-Fi and NFC connectivity. Unlike all the other cameras being unveiled, the α6000 also has an RRP: $1,199.
