If your a photographer, you would have to have been living under a rock not to know that the addition of video to digital still cameras is the current ‘big thing’ in traditional still photography. With virtually every new camera released these days having some sort of video capability of varying quality it was only a matter of time before someone announced the worlds first 3D camcorder. Kudos to Panasonic for being the first – even if the price tag is a little on the high side.

The Panasonic AG-3DA1 will ship this Autumn in the USA with a hefty price tag in excess of $36,000 US for the full suite of products.

The comparatively lightweight 6.6-pound camcorder uses dual 2.07 megapixel 3-MOS imagers to record full HD 1080p video in 3D. Even using AVCHD compression, the camera gobbles up about 350MB every minute, requiring dual SDHC card slots to handle the massive outflow of data. With two 32GB cards in place, directors get about 180 minutes of shooting time. Where are you RED?

Additional specifications and Available for Pre-order from Digital Trends

I am going to have to try and get my hands on one of these… Apparently they were a promotional item at the 2010 Winter Olympics. Cool.

The rumours have been flying for months and we knew it was coming… And now its finally here (we’ll it has been announced and will be here soon) – Apple’s new iPad. If you have not seen the press release head on over to Mac Rumors and have a look at the video.

But is it a new tool for digital  photographers? Michael Reichmamn over at my favourite photographic website the Luminous Landscape has a good article on the new iPad and gives his impression and thoughts as well. Well worth a read.

Time will tell, but my initial impression is this is probably not a tool for most serious digital photographers.

One of the biggest disappointments for me is the new iPad wont run Adobe’s Lightroom or Photoshop (the full versions anyway); which makes it pretty useless for anything except showing a portfolio of images to clients. A task which works perfectly well on my macbook pro (or any laptop for that matter) without any issues (as well as running my image editing software).

In terms of view of using for preview of captured images…. I can ‘sort’ of see this in the field… but in the studio… forget it. A nice big 26″+ monitor is what the client wants to see images on – not a 10″ screen.

The new iPad for me is going to be a great tool for browsing the web and email – unfortunately, I don’t need yet another tool for this purpose. I already have an iPhone, a MacBook Pro and a Mac Pro; all of which serve this function. I dont even know if it will be as good as a kindle for reading books as I prefer the ‘kindle’ style of paper like screen.

Time may well prove me wrong.. but initially.. I can’t see this a tool that will be all that useful for the majority of digital photographers. Or rather, it is not a tool that is going to add anything that is not already widely available in a good laptop.

Canon has today issued a press release announcing an update for the venerable and well respected 70-200mm F2.8L IS tele-photo zoom lens. Full details are on Canon Rumours website. The 70-200mm F2.8L IS has been my workhorse telephoto lens for the last five years and it’s optical quality has been superb. I can’t say I will be rushing to upgrade to this new version; although curiosity is likely to get the better of me at some stage and I may well rent or borrow one for comparison purposes in the future.

Australian Press Release

Sydney, 6 January 2010: Canon Australia today announced an update to its extremely popular EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM telephoto zoom camera lens. Professional photographers and serious enthusiasts alike will be keen to get their hands on the new EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens, which promises high-performance and quality regardless of the shooting conditions.

“This new lens will delight any professional photographer or serious enthusiast with its advanced features,” says Cathy Hattersley, Brand Manager – EOS Professional, Canon Australia. “A robust L-series lens, the EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM allows photographers even greater flexibility in low-light conditions and in subject composition.”

This new high-performance lens improves upon its predecessor with its new Image Stabilizer, which gives the equivalent effect of a shutter speed approximately four stops faster, allowing photographers to shoot in even lower lighting conditions. The EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens also boasts improved optical performance, achieving high-resolution, high-contrast images and reduced chromatic aberration – thanks to a fluorite element not used in its predecessor and an additional UD lens element (bringing the total to five). Optimised lens design and lens coatings minimise flare and ghosting. The combination of these technologies also delivers improved colour balance. The minimum focusing distance has been reduced to 1.2m/3.9 ft throughout the zoom range, which allows photographers another step closer to the subject.

Photographers will welcome the improved usability that the EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens offers with its enhanced switch panel, which makes it harder to accidently knock the selected settings, and the new feel and grip of the lens, improves the usability during manual focusing.

With improved durability and moisture and dust-proof construction, the lens is built for professionals operating in the most demanding conditions.

Key Features

• L series telephoto zoom lens with Image Stabilizer

• Five UD lenses provide compensation for chromatic aberration

• 5 x UD and 1 x Fluorite elements offers unparalleled performance and low distortion throughout zoom range

• 1.2m minimum focus distance at all zoom focal lengths

• Highly dust and moisture resistant

• Inner focusing design plus ring USM for near silent, high-speed AF

• Telephoto zoom lens, 70-200mm focal range, fast f/2.8 aperture

• Inner focus design with Ultrasonic Motor (USM) offers fast and virtually silent operation

• New high-performance Image Stabilizer with optimum control system offers up to 4 stops of compensation

• Increased moisture and dust protection prevents water and dust penetration in extreme conditions

• Manual focusing enabled even during AF mode (full-time mechanical focusing)

Pricing and Availability

The Canon EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM (RRP TBC) will be available from March 2010 through select Canon dealers nationally. For more information customers can contact Canon on 1800 021 167, or visit the website at Canon Australia.

The Canon 1200mm F5.6 lens does not show up very often – but Outdoor Photo Gear have posted a very good video of it in use. Bring your own sherpa! Click Here for the Video.