New gear

There's a new captain on the good ship Nikon Coolpix tonight in the form of the P7700. The update to the P7100 shares quite a bit with its predecessor, but has also gotten some notable upgrades.

 The 18-55mm kit lens has become ubiquitous, which is a big part of why so many entry-level shooters also opt for a 55-300mm telephoto to complement it. Starting in September, Sony will be offering a version for their Alpha DSLRs and translucent mirror cameras.

 We first encountered Sigma's substantial new macro lens back at CES where we were impressed by its promise of a true 1:1 magnification ratio. There was no release date or pricing info at the time, but now we find out that it's just about ready to go. Starting around July 24th, you'll be able to pick one up for $1,699. B&H already has them up for pre-order.

The Rebel T3i has been one of Canon's most popular DSLRs to date, and now it'll have a big brother sitting just above it in the Rebel line. The T4i isn't wildly different than its predecessor, but there are some notable improvements, as well as a new 40mm F/2.8 "Pancake" lens and an 18-135mm IS kit lens with their new STM technology which I'll explain in a bit.