Photo News Roundup, 9/3/11

Keep your eyes peeled…

Yup. It’s Saturday. Time for your weekly photo fishwrap. Links go to full articles at sources’ websites.

Something interesting: a low-definition wearable video recorder that transmits to your smartphone or tablet via BlueTooth. So if you felt you didn’t look sufficiently silly walking around all day with a phone earpiece dangling off your ear, you can now proudly sport a miniaturized video camera instead. (Adorama)

Rumors abound — and please, let’s underscore rumors — that Panasonic is interested in Olympus’s imaging division. On one hand, it doesn’t seem far-fetched (the two companies are already part of the Four Thirds consortium); on the other, it also doesn’t seem like a good thing, necessarily, as there’s at least some semblance of competition between the companies now, which tends to spur innovation and keep everybody on their toes. (4/3 Rumors)

Possible new Canon products in the offing; press events are scheduled for the 16th, 27th, and 28th. These may be announcements for more printers and compacts, so if you’re salivating over the prospects of a new Canon SLR, you may not want to hold your breath. Also, the folks at Canon Rumors have a giveaway for one of the Canon fans among you: a Canon lens mug. Click through for details. (Canon Rumors)

Fuji announces the X10, which has similar styling to the popular, retrofied, X-100. Reportedly, it will sell for half the price, have a 28-112 f/2-f2.8 fixed zoom, and have a larger sensor than other cameras (like Canon’s G12 and Nikon’s P7100) in its class. No image samples posted yet, but if quality’s on par with the X100, this camera will be worth a second look. Specs, product photos, and more are available on the Fuji X10 microsite.

Well, now we know why all those Leicas are having problems all of a sudden: Leica’s supposed to announce an M10 at the 2012 Photokina. And that expensive Leica gear is about to get still more expensive. (Leica Rumors)

Panasonic announces power zoom lenses, releases firmware update for some of its cameras. (Micro 4/3 Users’ Group)

Samsung announces NX-200; a pile of press releases in several languages is available on Mirrorless Rumors.

Under market pressure from Korean and Chinese manufacturers, Japanese companies Toshiba, Sony, and Hitachi are spinning off, then merging, their LCD units in a move they hope will make them more competitive, especially in the smartphone and camera manufacture segments. (New York Times)

Press events in Germany and Austria coming September 21-23. It’s entirely possible that the upcoming mirrorless camera from Nikon will be announced in Vienna on the 21st. The camera is also rumored to have a new processor that’s supposed to dramatically improve video performance. (Nikon Rumors)

JVC introduces its second hybrid camera, the GC-PX10, while Pentax France coyly announces that there’s… well, something new coming from Pentax, to be announced in October. And the RED EPIC, a video camera whose hype has heretofore only been surpassed by its delays, is finally going into production. (Photo Rumors)

PopPhoto has a list of 9/11 exhibits — some temporary, others permanent — just days ahead of the tenth anniversary of the attacks.

Sony Alpha Rumors has links by the ton this week, both to sample images from the new round of Sony products, and also to product documentation.

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