There was a surprise announcement at the Leica Day last week - Leica’s answer to the new Micro Four Thirds cameras from Panasonic and Olympus - the cool, compact Leica X1. A quick glance and I thought they’d shrunk the M series. Though smaller than the new M9, the X1 has a large, APS-C CMOS sensor - the same size used in most mid-range DSLR cameras. The X1 captures a 12.2-megapixel image file in DNG (RAW) + fine JPEG or DNG+ superfine JPEG, as well as two additional JPEG-only settings. It has a fixed, Leica Elmarit 24mm f/2.8 (35mm equivalent) auto focus lens.
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Alan Davis and I have mountain biked together, taken pictures together and worked for each other - me as a freelance photographer and writer when he was editor of the now defunct Mountain Biking magazine; and Alan contributed a pro review for the Lowepro Primus AW camera backpack to this site. We see each other a few times a year at mountain bike races and tradeshows and connect regularly via the magic of the Internet and cell phones. One of our regular meetings is the annual Sea Otter Classic in Monterey, California. It’s sort of the season-opener for the North America cycling community. It’s also one of the first events of the year where all the cycling photographers get to check in with each other, hang out, compare notes, and talk some sh**. This year I asked Alan if he’d like to share some of the reality of covering an event like the Sea Otter Classic. My mini-interview with photographer Alan Davis follows…
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2009 PMA Camera And Photography Tradeshow

March 3-5, 2009 - Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas Convention Center, South Hall

This year’s Photo Marketing Association tradeshow, otherwise known as PMA, takes place at the Las Vegas Convention Center from March 3rd to 5th. Every spring all the major camera, photography software and photo accessory manufacturers assemble to show off their latest wares. PhotographyREVIEW.com has attended the show every year since 2000 and this year is no exception. This is our chance to visit with camera makers, ask tons of questions, and get a look at as much camera gear as possible. Let us know what you want to see and learn. We’re there for you! We’ll be meeting with all the main manufacturers, taking pictures, shooting video and writing about all the cool new digital cameras and photo gear.
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Hands-On In Miami With The Panasonic Lumix ZS3 & TS1

Panasonic 2009 Lumix Digital Camera Intro
I’m wearing shorts and sandals and I’ve got a greasy film of sunscreen on my pale, winter skin. Forty-eight hours ago I was skiing knee deep Utah powder at 10,000 feet. Now I’m on a beach taking pictures of a girl in a bikini with a huge albino snake. Is this a dream? Nope – it’s Panasonic’s 2009 Global Lumix Seminar. I’m on Miami’s famous South Beach and I’ve got two pre-production Panasonic digital cameras to play with and pretty girls to point them at. It’s a crazy paradigm shift to be sure. But I’m a pro and I can handle it.

The word “Lumix” comes from combining “lumi,” meaning light and “mix,” for the combination of technologies Panasonic uses in their digital cameras. Panasonic introduced the Lumix designation in 2001. They manufacture nearly all of the critical camera elements in their own factories, which means they have the ability to really control the quality of their digital cameras. They got outside help for one part of the camera, and for that they went to one of the most respected names in optical design and manufacturing – Leica. The Leica DC Vario-Elmar lenses on Panasonic’s Lumix cameras are all made in Leica certified factories.
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2008 Photokina Tradeshow
September 23 to 28 - Cologne, Germany

The Photokina tradeshow takes place every two years in Cologne, Germany. It is the largest photography tradeshow in the world. The 2006 show had 1500 exhibitors and over 160,000 people attended. Photography equipment manufacturers traditionally make some of their biggest announcements at Photokina. This year is no exception, with the announcement of the Nikon D90 - the first digital SLR with video capture; Sony’s first pro digital SLR - the 24.4-megapixel Alpha A900; the long awaited 21-megapixel Canon EOS 5D Mark II; the new Micro Four Thirds camera format; world’s fastest lens, the new Leica Noctilux 50mm f/0.95; and lots of new compact digital cameras, including the exciting Panasonic Lumix LX3 / Leica D-Lux 4. And that’s just what’s been announced to date (September 19th)!
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Professional photojournalist and PhotographyREVIEW.com writer, Nhat Meyer, is in Beijing for the 2008 Olympics. He’s covering the Olympics for the San Jose Mercury News newspaper and MediaNews Group. He’s a veteran news photographer who’s traveled in Asia extensively and also shot the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy. His 2008 Beijing Olympics blog is a personal journal about his experiences there as a photographer. It has behind the scenes photos as well as Nhat’s excellent sports photos from the competitions. So far he’s posted photos from the opening ceremonies, swimming, basketball, and gymnastics. We also sent along a new camera for Nhat to review - the Canon PowerShot SD790 IS point-and-shoot. Hopefully his review will include some cool photos from China and the Olympics!

Nhat Meyer’s Beijing 2008 Blog »

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Nhat Meyer’s Digital Camera Reviewer Profile
Nhat’s Most Recent Pro Review: Pentax K200D DSLR
Nhat Meyer’s Gallery
Sports Photography Forum
Sports & Action Photography Gallery