[Gear] Everything Announced This Week and Then Some

A new Tokina 11-16mm lens, two new possible Leica cameras, Nikon and Canon’s new mid-sized DSLRs…!? From the already-announced to the soon-to-be released, we have this week’s updates on gear news. Read below for the goods.

New Tokina AT-X 11-16mm f/2.8 Pro DX II lens:

This week, Tokina announced its new AT-X 11-16mm f/2.8 Pro DX II lens for APS-C cameras. The already extremely popular lens has been improved with a new coating, an aspherical element, and a fast, silent autofocus motor, bringing compatibility with Nikon’s smaller DSLRs that require AF-S lenses (such as the Nikon D3000 series). Image quality should improve drastically thanks to these new coatings. The Nikon version is due out in March, while Canon shooters will have to wait until July. We’ll bring you pre-order information when available.

Holga 135 PAN Panoramic Camera w/ Interchangeable Lenses:

If affordable is what you want, you can’t do much better than a Holga. Those interested in extra (meaning one or more) light leaks, film, and an undeniably raw (if not accurate) visual experience, the new Holga 135 panoramic camera might fit the bill. Users can even change lenses to a new f/236 (!) pinhole lens. I’m a huge fan of panoramic photography, as I believe it’s more natural to the way we (humans) see the world anyway. My Hasselblad Xpan lets me accomplish this, but for a almost $2000 less, I might have to buy into the Holga: it’d be a fun and cheap way to have some fun on the weekends.

The Rumor Mill:

This week is mostly filled with more rumors rather than product announcements as we come up on early February (Nikon’s alleged D800 announcements) and as companies prepare for Photokina 2012.

Photorumors.com has been saying for a while that Pentax will be announcing a new 16MP, full HD video, APS-C mirrorless camera, the K-01, in February. We’re looking forward to see their offering in a now-broad market with many competing mirrorless solutions.

Two new Leica cameras might appear at Photokina 2012, as evidenced in a twitter post by FotoActualidad.com. A new M10 could be in the works alongside Leica’s possible introduction into the mirrorless format (perhaps something more ‘affordable’). The latter has been known for some time, but it’s great to have further confirmation and hope for an on-time realization of the product given numerous delays in the technology industry due to inclement weather in major manufacturing regions.

While the Nikon D800 has long been expected to see a 36MP FX sensor, rumors surrounding Canon’s 5D Mk III (or 5D Mk II successor) continue to point to a 22MP sensor. Additionally, news came out suggesting that it may feature a frame rate of 7.5fps. In other news, the Nikon D700 and D300s are both officially discontinued. The D700 is obvious, but I haven’t read anything about a D300s replacement. Let’s brace ourselves for February 7th! That’s when Nikon’s supposed to have a big DSLR announcement (or maybe two? Is that too hopeful? Share your thoughts in the comments section). Canon shouldn’t be far behind (if they’re behind at all) with a 5D Mk II replacement.

Sony might be announcing new Cybershot cameras on Monday. Recently, they also announced a new HDR sensor that could end up in the next iPhone (or other smartphones). Yes, this is just a phone, but as has been proven time and time again by many in the Fstoppers community, that is all you really need. Sony’s new sensor could take smartphone cameras to the next level in photographic imaging. Short video demoing the new HDR features of the camera, below:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fM2xYCcbV5U&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]