Photokina 2012

Walking around the Photokina trade show can have a numbing effect on the mind. It's amazing to be surrounded by so much cool photography gear, but it can also make you lose perspecitve. So, I'm taking a moment to appreciate the fact that the Broncolor parabolic reflectors in this photo alone would set you back more than $40,000. And that's before you add a single light.

 Sigma used the 2012 Photokina as an opportunity to announce a couple different initiatives, but the main focus is still obviously on the lenses. Here's a rundown of the new glass followed by some of the other stuff they're talking about here at the conference.35mm F/1.4 DG HSM

We got the chance to lay our hands on Olympus' newly announced XZ-2 iHS advanced compact on the Photokina tradeshow floor this afternoon. Our initial reactions to the brief time spent with the XZ-2 were quite positive--the ergnomics and button layout scream of a professionally-oriented compact. However one thing specifically caught our attention: the new Hybrid Control Ring.

In addition to the new flagship Leica M, the German camera manufacturer also announced two new iterations of it compact camera line today in the form of the Leica D-Lux 6 and V-Lux 4. And, as would be expected, they are both essentially carbon copies of their Panasonic counterparts, the DMC-LX7 and FZ200 respectively.The Leica D-Lux 6 features a newly redesigned 1/1.7” 10MP (effective) CMOS sensor, full HD video recording at 1920 x1080p at 60fps (AVCHD) and an ISO range of 80-12800.