Hasta La Gadget!

If you’ve been torn between Samsung’s NX300 and NX1000 mirrorless cameras, you should know the company has officially split the difference with its new NX2000. While it likely won’t sway NEX-3N lovers away from Sony, the $650 NX2000 is only a Benjamin more than Sammy’s lower-end NX1000 and packs the same 3D-capable DRIMe IV processor and NFC functionality as the pricier NX300. Of course, you still get the 20.3-megapixel APS-C sensor seen across the line. The differentiating factor from its siblings is the Galaxy Camera-like 3.7-inch, 1,152k-dot touchscreen (fixed) on the back, rather than the usual assortment of rear buttons. The 100 to 25,600 ISO range and maximum JPG burst rate of 8 fps is just like the 300’s, though this is only capable of recording 1080p video at 60 fps. Unfortunately, the autofocus is only contrast-detection, but Samsung claims that it’s one of the fastest to the draw.

As you’d expect, this shooter features WiFi (single band) for connecting through AllShare or the Smart Camera app, plus there’s a microSD slot for transferring files physically. Sure, it’s not the most exciting update to Samsung’s camera line, but it’s clearly a big leap up from the NX1000 — on paper, anyway. The NX2000 will be available soon in your choice of white, black or pink, and it comes bundled with Adobe Lightroom 4, a 20-50mm lens and a hotshoe-powered flash. Grab more looks in the gallery below and hit the press release after the break for all the technical details.

Edgar Alvarez contributed to this report.

Filed under: Cameras

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Now with a patent sale, new financing and asset offloads under its belt, Kodak’s homing in on when it might emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy. In January, the imaging giant predicted it might finally exit its financial default by mid-2013, and now it’s filed paperwork with a New York court indicating it’s on track to meet that goal sometime during its third quarter this year. In addition to the timeline update, the Plan of Reorganization and Disclosure Statement outlines how the firm’s debts have been settled and its future plans, which place heavy emphasis on its commercial imaging business. A hearing for the document and associated strategy is anticipated to be scheduled in mid-June, and creditors will arrange a vote afterwards to decide if everything’s to their liking. Kodak’s certainly not out of the woods just yet, but it’s plodding steadily towards the clearing.

[Image credit: Viktor Nagornyy, Flickr]

Filed under: Cameras, Misc

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Source: Kodak

Almost by definition, Hasselblad is a company steeped in tradition — it’s hard to be ultra-trendy when your camera systems cost as much as a new car. We shouldn’t be surprised, then, that the company is only just getting around to halting production on its last V System camera, the 503CW, 17 years after the first models rolled off the assembly line. Interest has simply dropped off quickly in the past five years, the company says. Support will continue, and accessories will sell while they last, but the emphasis from now on will be squarely on digital-first H System cameras like the H5D. Whether or not you’re mourning the loss, there’s no question that the V System has survived a lot during its lifetime, including the transition to digital shooting and new management. We’d say it’s worth pouring one out for a true veteran of medium format photography.

Update: Just to clear the air, the 503CW has been in production for 17 years — the V System in any form has been active since 1957, since before digital was even a twinkle in Hasselblad’s eye.

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Source: Hasselblad (1), (2)

Kodak may have offered to sell key parts of its document imaging unit to Brother for $210 million, but even that amount is just a small step on the company’s long road out of bankruptcy. The company has been looking for a sweeter deal — and it just found one by settling with its very own UK Kodak Pension Plan. The agreement offloads control of both the document and personal imaging units (read: scanners and film) in return for eliminating a hefty $2.8 billion in claims and receiving $650 million in ‘considerations’ that include cash. Kodak has already received approval from the UK’s Pension Regulator and expects to submit its plans to a US bankruptcy court on Tuesday. We’ve also confirmed with Kodak that this will supercede the Brother deal as long as it’s approved, so there shouldn’t be any legal entanglements from changing suitors. As such, Kodak is well on its way to a healthier (if much smaller) company.

[Image credit: Pittaya Sroilong, Flickr]

Filed under: Cameras, Peripherals

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Via: The Guardian, Wall Street Journal

Source: Kodak

Developed in 1936, the Minox subminiature camera quickly became a secret agent’s preferred tool for copying classified documents, as seen in many spy movies. Here’s a look at some of the most famous Minox models still available to collectors.