Equipment

Initial shipments of the Nikon D4 to retailers have been pushed into next month. The pro digital SLR had originally been scheduled for worldwide release beginning late next week. Now, says a Nikon USA PR representative, a "minor production delay" means dealers can expect to start taking delivery of the company's new flagship in the middle of March.

The Atlantic features The Civil War, Part 1, The Places, an historic gallery of interesting old black-and-white photos.

Peter Turnley features an interesting slideshow called Moments Of The Human Condition on his website.

Getty Images photojournalist Peter Macdiarmid shares the Top 7 things I've earned as a Getty Images news photographer but what is more interesting is the video below the list.

Sigma today announced that the price of its SD1 DSLR camera has been reduced to US$2,299 in the U.S. (That is the Minimum Advertised Price, or MAP, which is normally also the actual street price.) This is a reduction of more than $4,500 from the previous MAP. At the same time, the company announced updated versions of the DP1 and DP2 large-sensor compact cameras, which now use the same 14.75 million image pixel, 3-layer Foveon sensor as the SD1.

Sigma has totally reinvented its DP series of large sensor compacts with the DP1 Merrill  and DP2 Merrill. The DP Merrill models are named after Dick Merrill, inventor of the Foveon sensor and include the most recent version of his technology - the 15x3MP APS-C sensor first seen in Sigma's SD1. Because the Merrill cameras feature full APS-C sensors, they also feature totally redesigned lenses, with the DP1M including a 19mm F2.8 lens to offer a 28mm equivalent field of view and the DP2M having a 30mm F2.8 lens to give a 45mm equivalent field-of-view.

Sigma's new CEO, Kazuto Yamaki has announced the re-branding and re-pricing of the company's flagship camera. The SD1 DSLR will now be know as the SD1 Merrill, in honor of the Dick Merrill, inventor of the Foveon sensor technology on which it is based. The price will also be revised, falling to what should be a street price of around $2,299, which Yamaki attributes to work conducted to reduce production costs of the sensor. Despite these changes, his letter promises the performance and characteristics of the sensor have not changed. To avoid disappointing existing SD1 customers, Sigma will offer a support program with 'points' that can be exchanged for Sigma products.

Cosina has announced the Voigtländer Nokton 17.5mm F0.95 manual focus prime lens for the Micro Four Thirds system. The lens gives a 35mm equivalent field-of-view on the system and has been designed with silent, stepless aperture control for videography. The lens offers a wider-angle alternative to the company's Nokton 25mm F0.95. The Japanese price translates as around $1500. (via DCWatch)

Alongside its E-M5 enthusiast-class mirrorless camera, Olympus has launched the M.Zuiko Digital ED 75mm F1.8 and M.Zuiko Digital 60mm F2.8 Macro lens to its Micro Four Thirds lineup. It's also announced the FL-600R the latest in its range of wireless-compatible flashguns and its first to feature an LED continuous lamp for video work. The 75mm lens is a higher-end portrait lens than the existing 45mm F1.8 we rather like, and features the same solid build-quality as the premium 12mm F2.0. Meanwhile the 60mm Macro offers true 1:1 magnification and is weather-sealed to match the E-M5.

Olympus has updated its rugged offerings with the TG-820 iHS. It's based on a 12MP back-lit CMOS sensor, which allows it to keep up with the recent trend of Full HD-capable underwater cameras. The back-lit sensor has prompted the company to apply its 'iHS' branding, indicating 'Intelligent High-Sensitivity and High Speed' capabilities.

The E-M5 is the first of Olympus' OM-D range of Micro Four Thirds cameras and is styled to look like the its classic OM series SLRs. We've had a chance to use one of the most rumored and speculated-about cameras of recent years and have prepared a full, hands-on preview. We take a look at the camera's features and explain its levels of customization. Click here to find out more about what goes on behind the E-M5's pretty exterior.

Olympus has launched the SZ-31MR iHS, a 24x superzoom featuring the company's iHS intelligent high-sensitivity / high-speed technology. This stems from its use of a 16MP back-lit CMOS sensor that allows high-speed capture and 1080p Full HD video capture. The camera features a 25-600mm equivalent zoom lens and twin TruePic V processors and a high-res 920k dot touchscreen.

To inaugurate a new lineup of Micro Four Thirds format interchangeable-lens compact system cameras called the OM-D series, Olympus has announced the E-M5. Designed for advanced photographers, the new camera boasts a 15.93 million image pixel sensor and a built-in high-resolution electronic viewfinder in a weather-sealed magnesium alloy body styled to evoke the Olympus OM-series 35mm film SLRs of the 1970s and 80s.

Olympus has finally announced the long-rumored E-M5, the first of its OM-D range of Micro Four Thirds cameras. The E-M5 is built around a 16MP sensor and features the company's latest 5-axis image stabilization system that works for both stills and movies. It can shoot 1080i60 movies in MOV format (h.264 compression) and includes a 1.44M dot EVF in its weather-sealed magnesium alloy body.

Pentax has beefed-up its compact camera lineup with updated versions of its rugged models, the WG-2 and WG-2 GPS. The WG-2 is built around a 16MP back-illuminated CMOS sensor, allowing 1080p30 Full HD movies to be captured. Both versions build on Pentax's macro light design by adding an extra LED for illuminating objects close to the lens, they also feature upgraded 460k dot LCD screens. As before the WGs offer 28-140mm equivalent stabilized zooms. The GPS version features the latest GPS chip to improve acquisition times and reduce battery consumption.

Pentax will use the CP+ show in Japan to show a series of lenses and accessories it has in development, including a 50mm F1.8 for the K mount and a thin lens for the recently launched K-01. There are also super-telephoto lenses for the K mount, three additional lenses for the Q camera and a 90mm F2.8 for the 645D, many of which the company says will be available before the end of the year.

Pentax has announced tethering software to allow the 645D to be triggered from a computer and its images transferred across to a designated location. The Pentax Image Transmitter software, available for both Mac and Windows, doesn't allow any other camera control over the camera but is still likely to broaden the camera's appeal for studio work. It will be available from March 2012 at a recommended price of $199.99.

We've managed to get a bit more information about the Nikon D800E and have had a little longer to prepare our side-by-side comparison images, so have updated our preview. Nikon has given us more detail about how the D800E cancels-out the effect of its optical low-pass filter and we're now able to show how the D800 compares to the D700 and Canon EOS 5D Mark II. Click here to read our updated preview.

Firmware updates for the Nikon 1 J1 and V1 correct a flash overexposure bug and, in the V1 specifically, an instance of the camera malfunctioning when switching between the rear LCD and the EVF.

The D800 appears to be slowing down web servers right and left today, as photographers clamor for more information on the new Nikon digital SLR. Here are links to stories, pictures and videos on and from the D800 and its near-twin, the D800E.