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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.

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.

Canon has released three EF lenses, including an updated 24-70mm F2.8 II USM. The latest version features what is promised to be a more durable body, despite being a little smaller. In addition to this high-end full-frame standard zoom, there are completely redesigned semi-fast 24mm  and 28mm F2.8 primes, both of which feature USM focus motors and image stabilization. Ultimately, the most interesting thing about these launches is the fact that Canon feels the need to update various full-frame lenses, almost as if something likely to test the quality of its existing versions was in the offing.

Canon has launched the ELPH 530 HS and ELPH 320 HS, Wi-Fi and touchscreen versions of its recently released style compacts. The cameras, sold as the IXUS 510 HS and IXUS 240 HS respectively outside North America, have several different ways to allow wireless sharing to home networks, smartphones or the internet. The ELPH 320 HS, like its non-Wi-Fi  ELPH 110 HS brother, is a 16MP camera while the smaller ELPH 530 HS uses a 10MP section of the same 16MP sensor. The 530 HS uses Micro SD but this is less problematic, thanks to its wireless capabilities.

Canon has launched six 16MP A-series entry-level PowerShot cameras, completely refreshing the lineup. The models are best understood as three distinct groups within the range: the A810 and A1300 are traditional AA-battery A-series cameras with 5x, 28-140mm equivalent zooms, the A2300, A2400 and A3400 are slim cameras with the same lens and lithium ion batteries, and the A4000 tops the range with an 8x zoom.

Canon has launched its second waterproof rugged camera, the 12MP D20. It has a 5x, image stabilized 28-140mm equivalent zoom lens, featuring the company's latest 7-mode IS system. It also includes GPS and a 460,000 dot 3.0" LCD. The camera's back-lit CMOS sensor allows the D20 to shoot 1080p24 movies accessible with a dedicated movie record button. Unlike the company's D10, the D20 is a relatively small, periscope-lens card camera. It is waterproof to a depth of 10m and shockproof from a height of 1.5m.

Canon has launched two SX series compact superzooms, the SX 260 IS and SX 240 IS. The difference between the two is that the SX 240 IS doesn't include GPS and isn't being announced by Canon USA, so may not be widely available if it reaches North American shores. Beyond that, both are 20x compact superzooms with 25-500mm equivalent lenses featuring the company's latest 7-mode image stabilization system. They feature 460k dot screens and the ability to shoot burst of images at 10.3 frames per second. Both use 12MP back-lit CMOS sensors.

We've had some time with a pre-production D800 and have prepared a detailed in-depth preview. Nikon's latest DSLR boasts core technology borrowed from the top-end D4, married with a 36.3MP CMOS sensor that comfortably eclipses the rest of the DSLR market in resolution terms. As well as first impressions of handling and operation, and an in-depth look at the D800's specifications we've also dived a little deeper into the D800E, the D800's sister model, which lacks an anti-aliasing filter.

Nikon has announced the D800 and D800E 36MP full-frame DSLRs. The pixel count of the long-awaited replacement for the D700 means it also trumps the D3X as the highest-resolution camera in Nikon's lineup. As well as the 'stock' D800, Nikon has also revealed a more expensive model, the D800E that will be free from the effects of an anti-aliasing filter. Aimed at studio and landscape professionals the D800E should theoretically begin to rival medium format digital equipment in terms of resolution.

Tamron has announced a 24-70mm F2.8 zoom for full frame cameras that features inbuilt optical stabilisation - a first in this class of lens. The SP 24-70mm F/2.8 Di VC USD, to give it its full name, also incorporates an Ultrasonic Silent Drive motor for autofocus, which allows full-time manual focus. The lens is moisture-resistant and features a circular aperture diaphragm for the attractive rendition of background blur. It will be produced in Canon, Nikon and Sony mounts, with price and availability to be confirmed at a later date.