Through the agreement, Onkyo garners access to TEAC’s established marketing and distribution networks covering a variety of retail channels. TEAC products will join the company’s growing suite or brands including Onkyo, Pioneer, Pioneer ELITE, Integra and Esoteric-branded home theater electronics.

Onkyo USA said Tuesday it has reached an agreement for the exclusive distribution rights to market and distribute TEAC-branded home entertainment products in the United States and Latin America

Things are going in reverse now :-)

Will see that happens to Tascam if it will survive coming months.

The number of people who live in their vehicles because they can’t find affordable housing is on the rise, even though the practice is illegal in many U.S. cities.

The number of people residing in campers and other vehicles surged 46 percent over the past year, a recent homeless census in Seattle’s King County, Washington found. The problem is “exploding” in cities with expensive housing markets, including Los Angeles, Portland and San Francisco, according to Governing magazine.

Capitalists try to sole issue their way

A recent survey by the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty (NLCHP), which tracks policies in 187 cities, found the number of prohibitions against vehicle residency has more than doubled during the last decade.

Think Tank Photo Inc. (“Think Tank”) and MindShift Gear LLC (“MindShift”), today announced the merger of the two companies, creating an integrated product suite for professional and advanced photographers. The merger is effective today, and the companies have immediately combined their business operations.

The combined company will be privately held and operate under the Think Tank brand. MindShift will continue as a distinct product line for outdoor photography bags and accessories. Doug Murdoch, Think Tank's founder, president, and lead designer, will continue as Chairman of the Board and president of the combined company. Corporate headquarters will remain in Santa Rosa, CA.

“We celebrate a milestone today as we formally join two of the top brands in camera bags and photo accessories, Think Tank and MindShift,” said Doug Murdoch. “Combined under the Think Tank umbrella, and with MindShift's powerful position in the outdoor photography market, we will draw on our decades of experience to push the boundaries of carrying solutions and enhance our reputation as 'The Choice of Working Professionals'.”

Logitech has agreed to acquire Blue Microphones, a leader in studio-quality microphones these past 20 years.

Logitech’s acquisition of Blue Microphones will accelerate our entry into a growing market, and offers another way for us to help bring people’s passions (from music to blogging) to life. Joining with Blue is an adjacent opportunity for us – a new way to grow – with additional synergies related to our existing gaming, PC webcam and audio categories. It’s exciting!”

http://blog.bluedesigns.com/posts/logitech-steps-up-to-the-mic

TRON has officially closed its acquisition of BitTorrent. BitTorrent has more than 100 million active users worldwide, and has one of the top-rated apps on Google Play and other products, including BitTorrent Play (iOS), uTorrent Web, and desktop clients for PC and Mac.

BitTorrent will continue operating from TRON’s new San Francisco location, which is now the center of operations for the company’s global market expansion. The division will provide robust support for TRON’s global business development and partnerships, while pursuing its vision for the world’s largest decentralized ecosystem.

http://blog.bittorrent.com/2018/07/23/its-official-bittorrent-is-now-part-of-tron/

Fujifilm to boost its production capacity for interchangeable lenses

Addressing the ever-increasing demand for mirrorless digital cameras

Production Capacity to increase 70% by 2020

FUJIFILM Corporation (President: Kenji Sukeno) has announced that it will substantially reinforce its production capacity for interchangeable lenses in response to a growing demand for mirrorless digital cameras. Additional production facilities will be set up at the Taiwa Factory of FUJIFILM Optics Co., Ltd. (“FFOP”), a subsidiary for producing cameras and lenses in Japan. The new facilities will go operational in stages starting in September 2018. This expansion will boost the production capacity by approx. 70% in 2020, when all of the new facilities go fully operational.

Fujifilm entered into the mirrorless digital camera market in 2012 and continued to expand the lineup of the X Series of highly maneuverable APS-C mirrorless digital cameras. In March 2017, the company introduced the FUJIFILM GFX 50S ( “GFX 50S”), a medium-format mirrorless digital camera featuring a large sensor 1.7 times the area of a 35mm full-size sensor. Its superior image quality based on Fujifilm unique color reproduction technology, elegant design and outstanding operability have given the camera a strong reputation from professional photographers and photo enthusiasts. Tapping into the optical technologies nurtured through the production of FUJINON lenses, widely used in the broadcasting and cinematography industries, Fujifilm has worked on developing interchangeable lenses with excellent descriptive performance. The current lineup of interchangeable lenses includes 36 models, with sales expanding at the rate of over 20% per annum.

Fujifilm is substantially reinforcing the production capacity of FFOP’s Taiwa Factory in response to a growing demand for mirrorless digital cameras and to achieve further sales expansion of interchangeable lenses for the X Series and GFX Series. Among new facilities to be installed are a large-scale cleanroom featuring the cutting-edge cleanroom analyzer, and other latest facilities that use AI and IoT to improve accuracy in optical adjustments. This will enable the production of interchangeable lenses at high quality and efficiency, resulting in advanced productivity in manufacturing ultra wide-angle lenses and large-diameter lenses, which require a high level of image resolving performance. Through this investment, the Taiwa Factory’s production capacity will be raised by approx. 70% from the current level by 2020, when all of the new facilities go fully operational.

After the upgrade, the Taiwa Factory will combine the state-of-the-art facilities and production technology of skilled workers to manufacture not only the GF lenses, which draw out the advanced resolving performance of the GFX 50S, but also other interchangeable lenses which require highest manufacturing skill. They include an ultra wide-angle zoom lens announced today with a maximum aperture of F2.8 and focal length range equivalent to 12-24mm*, addition to the lineup of XF interchangeable lenses for the X Series, as well as a large-diameter telephoto lens, being developed for anticipated demand during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, with a maximum aperture of F2.0 and focal length equivalent to 305mm*. Interchangeable lenses with “Made in Japan” quality, manufactured at the Taiwa Factory, will be distributed worldwide.

Fujifilm will continue to tap into its optical, precision processing and assembling technologies that have been nurtured in the cutting-edge imaging field over many years, to further expand the lineup of mirrorless digital cameras and interchangeable lenses, thereby broadening the photographic appeal of the X Series and GFX Series.

Just one problem - growing demand must be looked up with microscope.

Light, the leader in advanced computational imaging, today announced a Series D funding round of $121 million, led by the SoftBank Vision Fund. The renowned Leica Camera AG also participated in the financing. Light’s groundbreaking imaging platform enables machines to see like humans do, using sophisticated algorithms to combine images from multiple camera modules into a single high-quality image and enabling highly-accurate 3D depth extraction.

Welcome to the era of the software-defined camera.

In this era, pocketable, connected cameras can reconstruct the world in three dimensions and superhuman detail, cars are able to perceive the objects around them without the need for special sensors, and robots are able to thread the elusive needle autonomously.

Light’s highly accurate depth mapping can be used to create rich and complex environments for a wide-range of applications including augmented reality.

The new funding will allow Light to expand the reach of its imaging platform beyond consumer photography and into security, robotic, automotive, aerial and industrial imaging applications. Later this year, the first mobile phone incorporating Light’s technology will be available to consumers around the world. It will shatter the expectations of mobile photography.

“Light’s technology is a revelation, showing that several small, basic camera modules, combined with highly powerful software, can produce images that rival those produced by cameras costing and weighing orders of magnitude more. We’re just getting started. Having the support of SoftBank Vision Fund as a strategic investor means this technology will see more of the world sooner than we could have ever imagined,” said Dave Grannan, Light CEO and Co-founder.

“Light is a world leader in computational imaging. By replacing mechanical complexity with digital sophistication, they have been able to drastically reduce the size, weight, and cost of traditional cameras. This has paved the way for a whole new era of intelligent imaging applications” said Akshay Naheta, Partner, SoftBank Investment Advisers. “We believe that the opportunity to proliferate these technologies across other data-rich imaging platforms means that Light will completely revolutionize the world of mobile imaging and we are excited to be supporting the team in realising this ambition.”

Whole thing is like black hole eating money. It seems like main value is in some patents and algorithms, as products are subpar for now.

My prediction that they'll close without fanfares within 2 years. Or will be bough for their patents.

UK-based investment trust Caledonia has bought 89 percent holding in film lenses manufacturer Cooke Optics Group Ltd for 96.5 million pounds ($127 million).

Caledonia said it subscribed $82.66 million of equity and $39 million of debt. Cooke's management team have reinvested $10.3 million of sales proceeds for the remaining equity.

A statement released by the company says that the current management team — Les Zellan (Chairman), Robert Howard (Chief Executive Officer) and Alan Merrills (Chief Operating Officer), — all remain in place and that day-to-day activities at the Leicester-based company will continue unchanged.

“We have been experiencing a sustained period of growth, and the time was right to look for a new investor to help us develop further,” said Zellan.

I’ve known for some time that Nikon actually designs their own sensors, to a fairly minute level of detail. I think this is almost unknown in the photo community; most people just assume that “design” in Nikon’s case simply consists of ordering-up different combinations of specs from sensor manufacturers, picking a feature from column “A”, another from column “B” and so on, like a Chinese restaurant menu. In actuality, they have a full staff of sensor engineers who design cutting-edge sensors like those in the D5 and D850 from the ground up, optimizing their designs to work optimally with NIKKOR lenses and Nikon's EXPEED image-processor architecture.

Nikon really needed this PR article. Especially as 100% of all mass cameras have Sony sensors now.

Yes, in the past at this place they designed sensors and still do something now, but not for any mass camera (D5 is not mass camera, for D850 mentioned in article I have huge doubts). So, mostly they can only do slight changes to Sony design.

https://www.imaging-resource.com/news/2018/07/17/pixels-for-geeks-a-peek-inside-nikons-super-secret-sensor-design-lab

Multiple sources told me that Olympus will NOT have a stand at this years Photokina. Instead they will have a “Perspective Playground”. This means there is a 99,9999% chance Olympus wont announce a new camera

https://www.43rumors.com/ft5-olympus-will-not-have-a-stand-at-this-years-photokina-they-will-only-have-a-perspective-playground/

One of the reasons can be that digital camera part of Olympus will merge with other m43 strong manufacturer (I khow you get the idea), but later in the year or early 2019.

Under the terms of the agreement, which has been approved by the boards of directors of both companies, CA's shareholders will receive US$44.50 per share in cash, according to the announcement. This represents a premium of approximately 20% to the closing price of CA common stock on July 11, 2018, the last trading day prior to the transaction announcement, and a premium of approximately 23% to CA's volume-weighted average price (VWAP) for the last 30 trading days. The all-cash transaction represents an equity value of approximately US$18.9 billion, and an enterprise value of approximately US$18.4 billion.

CO also was mix of big number of software companies - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CA_Technologies

All management now prepared for big launch of expensive mirrorless cameras lineup.
I had been told it'll be most expensive PR company with paid bloggers special meetups in luxury places and celebrities.
Discussion being that focus will be rich modern people.
Similar to Sony Nikon top managers insisted to set record ever margins on new cameras.

Coverage: Alan, Main US team.

Site: http://www.cinegearexpo.com/

Our Telegram Channel: https://t.me/personal_view

Make sure to support us and get chance to propose questions to our team - https://www.patreon.com/personal_view

Today they announced cut of another 1500 high qualified employees.
It is also expected that HTC will stay for about 1-2 years in premium segment only and after this will shut the doors.

It looks and feels bad. As their first camera tanked and got very bad reviews. Yet with exact same approach and software they want to talk to big brands to help them do something to stand their product apart.

PR

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a world leader in advanced semiconductor technology, today introduced its new 'ISOCELL Plus' technology, which allows CMOS image sensors to capture more light, significantly increasing light sensitivity and color fidelity. Smartphone consumers can now expect even more accurate and clearer photos in challenging light environments.

To take high-quality photographs, CMOS image sensors need to hold as much light, or photons, as possible and transmit the right color information to the photodiode. Such requirements were resolved by the introduction of Samsung’s ISOCELL technology in 2013. ISOCELL forms a physical barrier between the neighboring pixels, reducing color crosstalk and expanding the full-well capacity. This enables each pixel to absorb and hold more light than the conventional backside-illuminated (BSI) image sensor design for superior image quality.

With the introduction of ISOCELL Plus, Samsung pushes pixel isolation technology to a new level through an optimized pixel architecture. In the existing pixel structure, metal grids are formed over the photodiodes to reduce interference between the pixels, which can also lead to some optical loss as metals tend to reflect and/or absorb the incoming light. For ISOCELL Plus, Samsung replaced the metal barrier with an innovative new material developed by Fujifilm, minimizing optical loss and light reflection.

“We value our strategic relationship with Samsung and would like to congratulate on the completion of the ISOCELL Plus development,” said Naoto Yanagihara, corporate vice president of Fujifilm. “This development is a remarkable milestone for us as it marks the first commercialization of our new material. Through continuous cooperation with Samsung, we anticipate to bring more meaningful innovation to mobile cameras.”

The new ISOCELL Plus delivers higher color fidelity along with up to a 15-percent enhancement in light sensitivity. The technology also enables image sensors to equip 0.8-micrometer (µm) and smaller-sized pixels without any loss in performance, making it an optimal solution for developing super-resolution cameras with over 20 megapixels.

“Through close collaboration with Fujifilm, an industry leader in imaging and information technology, we have pushed the boundaries of CMOS image sensor technology even further,” said Ben K. Hur, vice president of System LSI marketing at Samsung Electronics. “The ISOCELL Plus will not only enable the development of ultra-high-resolution sensors with incredibly small pixel dimensions, but also bring performance advancements for sensors with larger pixel designs.”

The ISOCELL Plus will be showcased at the Mobile World Congress Shanghai, held from June 27 to 29.

Rotolight, British LED lighting manufacturer, today announced a unique summer promotion with Sony, UK. Photographers will receive an award-winning Rotolight NEO 2 – an all in one High Speed Sync (HSS) Flash and continuous on-camera LED, worth £299 - completely free of charge, when they purchase a Sony A9, A7RII, A7RIII or A7SII from the coveted Alpha range.

Unlike traditional on-camera flash, Rotolights NEO 2 has zero recycle time, which ensures users never miss a shot, making it the perfect light choice for Sony's high-frame-rate-capable cameras. NEO 2 can be simultaneously a continuous modelling light and HSS flash, allowing the photographer to easily acquire focus in dimly lit situations and optimise composition.

We're incredibly excited to announce this unique joint promotion with Sony, whose Alpha series of cameras are constantly redefining the boundaries of innovation in the mirrorless camera market. There is a natural synergy between Sony's class leading mirrorless cameras, and Rotolight's pioneering shoot what you see continuous LED lights that enable you to preview your results and perfect image composition ahead of time, speeding up your workflow and maximizing your creative time on shoot." said Rod Aaron Gammons, managing director of Rotolight.

"We know that a large number of our customers are already shooting with the Sony Alpha system because of the unique benefits the two technologies offer photographers, and so this promotion will offer them, and indeed those considering upgrading or switching to the latest Sony camera, the ultimate bundle for portrait, sports or event photographers" said Gammons.

This unique offer will run from 20th June 2018 for a limited time only, and available exclusively from the following retailers: Clifton Cameras, Castle Cameras, Camera Centre Cardiff, CameraWorld, CVP, London Camera Exchange, Jessops, Park Cameras, Harrisons, Wex Photo Video and Wilkinson.

Rotolight Master of Light and professional photographer, Terry Donnelly, says "the NEO 2 perfectly compliments either of my Sonys (A9 or A7RIII) to create high quality results, every single time. I love the quality of light I get from a Rotolight NEO 2, even when it's completely unmodified."

"Sony, like Rotolight, have been huge disruptors in the photographic industry over the last few years with their industry-first solutions, innovative features and high quality design" Gammons continues. "The NEO 2 offers a lighting solution that can keep up with the speed, power and portability of the Sony Alpha range. The two together provide photographers with the creative tools that open up a vast new world of imaging opportunities."

For more information, please visit http://www.rotolight.com/sonyImage

June 21, 2018 – Intel Corporation today announced the resignation of Brian Krzanich as CEO and a member of the board of directors. The board has named Chief Financial Officer Robert Swan interim chief executive officer, effective immediately.

Intel was recently informed that Mr. Krzanich had a past consensual relationship with an Intel employee. An ongoing investigation by internal and external counsel has confirmed a violation of Intel’s non-fraternization policy, which applies to all managers. Given the expectation that all employees will respect Intel’s values and adhere to the company’s code of conduct, the board has accepted Mr. Krzanich’s resignation.

“The board believes strongly in Intel’s strategy and we are confident in Bob Swan’s ability to lead the company as we conduct a robust search for our next CEO. Bob has been instrumental to the development and execution of Intel’s strategy, and we know the company will continue to smoothly execute. We appreciate Brian’s many contributions to Intel,” said Intel Chairman Andy Bryant.

And they even made up nice excuse to not scare markets.

As it is real shit going on with 10nm process, it is not even clear if they could do something before end of 2019.

The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that internet retailers can be required to collect sales taxes even in states where they have no physical presence.

The decision, in South Dakota v. Wayfair Inc., was a victory for brick-and-mortar businesses that have long complained they are put at a disadvantage by having to charge sales taxes while many online competitors do not. And it was also a victory for states that have said that they are missing out on tens of billions of dollars in annual revenue.

Writing for the majority in the 5-to-4 ruling, Justice Anthony M. Kennedy said the Quill decision caused states to lose annual tax revenues of up to $33 billion.

“Quill puts both local businesses and many interstate businesses with physical presence at a competitive disadvantage relative to remote sellers,” he wrote. “Remote sellers can avoid the regulatory burdens of tax collection and can offer de facto lower prices caused by the widespread failure of consumers to pay the tax on their own.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/21/us/politics/supreme-court-sales-taxes-internet-merchants.html

Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix and Micron Technology - the world's top-3 DRAM vendors - could be fined up to US$8 billion in China over alleged price fixing, according to industry sources.

Regulators launched investigations into Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron, which collectively hold an over 90% share of the global DRAM market, the sources said.

Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron have all confimed the visits of China's antitrust regulators to their local offices. The companies said they would cooperate but did not elaborate.

According to China's antitrust law, Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron could be fined between US$800 million and US$8 billion if found to have engaged in price fixing, the sources noted. The estimated fines are based on their DRAM sales to China in 2016-2017.

Nice news.

A certain level of light is required when shooting with a digital camera or camcorder, and without it, images cannot be captured due to insufficient sensitivity.

In the pursuit of further improving the sensitivity of imaging elements, Canon has embraced the challenge of achieving higher levels of sensitivity and larger element sizes while maintaining high-speed readout performance, and has succeeded in developing the world's largest class of CMOS image sensor measuring approximately 20 cm square. At present, the standard diameter of the silicon wafers on which CMOS sensors are fabricated is 12 inches (approx. 30 cm). As such, a 20-cm-square sensor is the largest size that can be manufactured based on these dimensions, and is equivalent to nearly 40 times the size of a 35 mm full-frame CMOS sensor.

Increasing the size of CMOS sensors entails overcoming such problems as distortion and transmission delays for the electrical signals converted from light. To resolve these issues, Canon not only made use of a parallel processing circuit, but also exercised ingenuity with the transfer method itself. As a result, the sensor makes possible the shooting of video at 60 frames per second with only 0.3 lux of illumination (approximately the same level of brightness as that generated by a full moon).

Possible applications for this ultrahigh-sensitivity CMOS sensor include the video recording of celestial objects in the night sky, nocturnal animal behavior and auroras, and use in nightwatch cameras.

When installed in the 105 cm Schmidt camera at the Kiso Observatory operated by the University of Tokyo's Institute of Astronomy, the ultrahigh-sensitivity sensor made possible the world's first video recording of meteors with an equivalent apparent magnitude of 10, a level so dark that image capture had not been possible until now. As a result, the sensor provided proof that the frequency with which faint meteors occurred coincided with theoretical estimates to date. By supporting more detailed recording and statistical analysis of meteors, the technology could lead to an increased understanding of the influence that meteors may have exerted on the development of life on Earth.

Other firms can follow within 1-2 months.

Specs

• 8T global shutter pixel with true Correlated Double Sampling (true-CDS)
• Resolution of 7920×6004 at 30 frames per second
• Low noise (8.8e) and high sensitivity (QE=60%), with on-chip noise reduction
• Capable of using standard optics
• 35mm full frame optical format sensor
• Capture fast moving objects
• Designed for high performance applications
• Use in low light conditions

PR

Premstaetten, Austria (12 June, 2018) — ams (SIX: AMS), a leading worldwide supplier of high performance sensor solutions, today announced its CMV50000, a high-speed 48Mpixel global shutter CMOS image sensor for demanding machine vision applications, has gone into mass production.

It is available for purchase in high volumes now.

The CMV50000, which features a 35mm-format 7920 x 6004 array of 4.6µm-sized pixels based on a patented eight-transistor pixel architecture, is a breakthrough in CMOS image sensor performance. It operates at a fast 30 frames/s with 12-bit pixel depth at full resolution or a binned 4K and 8K modes, and even faster – up to 60 frames/s – with pixel sub-sampling at 4K resolution.

This means the CMV50000 can provide the detailed views of a large surface area that are required in factory automation applications such as automated optical inspection (AOI) equipment and systems for the inspection of displays of mobile phones, tablets, laptops and TVs. The combination of high frame rate and high resolution enables manufacturers to increase their already high throughput rates at consumer product assembly plants.

The low-noise ams pixel architecture offers excellent electronic shutter efficiency, and the global shutter operation produces distortion-free images of fast-moving objects. The sensor offers 64dB optical dynamic range at full resolution and up to 68dB in binned 4K mode. The image sensor benefits from the implementation of sophisticated new on-chip noise-reduction circuitry such as black-level clamping, enabling it to capture high-quality images in low-light conditions.

The outstanding performance of the CMV50000 lets manufacturers replace the charge-coupled device (CCD) image sensors which have traditionally been used in applications requiring ultra-high resolution. Now they can use a CMOS image sensor which is easier to implement in camera systems, uses less power and operates at higher frame rates.

The superior imaging performance of the CMV50000 was recognized earlier in 2018 when it was named the Biggest Breakthrough Development at the Image Sensors Europe Awards 2018.

“During recent months, ams has seen great demand for the CMV50000 from design teams developing new automated optical inspection systems and vision systems for testing flat panel displays,” said Wim Wuyts, Marketing Director for Image Sensors at ams. “The CMV50000 is now fully qualified and available to these manufacturers in production volumes. It is also about to be supported by a full demonstration system for evaluating the sensor’s performance.”

Both the monochrome and color versions of the CMV50000 are available in production volumes now. The per unit pricing is €3,450.

For sample requests and for more technical information, go to www.ams.com/Image-Sensor/CMV50000.

Ronkonkoma, NY -- June 19, 2018 -- Sigma Corporation of America, a leading still photo and cinema lens, camera, flash and accessory manufacturer, today announced availability of five of its interchangeable Art prime lenses for Sony E-mount camera systems -- Sigma 20mm F1.4 DG HSM ($899 USD), Sigma 24mm F1.4 DG HSM ($849 USD), Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM ($899 USD), Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSM ($949 USD) and Sigma 85mm F1.4 DG HSM ($1199 USD).

Offering the same high-performance optical design as other lenses in the Art line, the new Sony E-mount models feature a newly developed control algorithm that optimizes the autofocus drive and maximizes the data transmission speed. In addition, these lenses are compatible with Sony's Continuous AF (AF-C) and high-speed autofocus, which are not addressed by Sigma Mount Converter MC-11. Like MC-11, the lenses are compatible with in-camera image stabilization and in-camera lens aberration correction, which includes corrections for peripheral illumination, chromatic aberrations and distortion.

Key Features and Benefits

Autofocus Tuned for Each Lens

Thanks to an autofocus drive control program tuned for each lens and high-speed data transmission, the lenses offer a high-speed autofocus at the same performance level as that of a lens designed exclusively for mirrorless cameras. In particular, in E-mount cameras offering Sony's Fast Hybrid AF, AF-C mode delivers exceptional subject following performance. Autofocus remains\ extremely precise even in those E-mount cameras offering only contrast AF.

Compatible with In-Camera Image Stabilization

The lenses are compatible with in-camera image stabilization. The Sony E-mount camera senses the focal length of the lens and automatically optimizes image stabilization performance.

Data Loaded for Compatibility with In-Camera Aberration Correction

The lenses are fully compatible with in-camera aberration correction, which includes corrections for peripheral illumination, chromatic aberrations and distortion. By matching corrections to the optical characteristics of the lens, this function takes image quality to an even higher level.

Native Mount for a More Rigid and Stable Feel

Making the mount native to the lens means a more rigid and stable feel to the lens. Featuring a special surface treatment to enhance strength, the brass bayonet mount offers a high-precision fit and exceptional durability. The mount connection area incorporates rubber sealing for dust- and splash-proof construction.

Available Mount Conversion Service

This service converts the mount of Sigma lenses to that of a different camera body, allowing photographers to continue using their favorite lenses over the long term regardless of camera system.

The Mount Conversion Service is different from a normal repair. In order to apply for the service, please contact your nearest authorized Sigma subsidiary or distributor: http://www.sigma-global.com/en/about/world-network/.

This service is performed exclusively by Sigma.

PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun. 13, 2018-- Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA) issued the following statement:

Today, Comcast Corporation (“Comcast”) delivered a letter to the Board of Directors of Twenty-First Century Fox, Inc. (“21CF”) setting forth the terms of a superior proposal by Comcast to acquire the businesses that 21CF has agreed to sell to The Walt Disney Company (“Disney”) for $35.00 per share in cash, which represents a premium of approximately 19% to the value of Disney’s all-stock offer as of 12:00 p.m., noon (Eastern Time) on June 13, 2018. The structure and other terms of Comcast’s proposal, including with respect to the spin-off of “New Fox” and the regulatory risk provisions and related termination fee, are at least as favorable to 21CF shareholders as the Disney offer.

https://www.cmcsa.com/news-releases/news-release-details/comcast-makes-superior-all-cash-proposal-acquire-twenty-first

Actually all Zeiss does not like is similar exterior design. Pure shame on Zeiss who start losing lower end market lately to the likes of Samyang.
Rumors are that it is form of threat as Samyang did not wanted to participate in private price fixing talks that Zeiss and Japan firms are doing privately, mostly in one on one format.

ARRI is enabling owners and operators of AMIRA cameras to record in ARRIRAW.

The change will involve the installation of the new Software Update Package SUP 5.3, and the purchase of a license. It will give cinematographers the option to record ARRIRAW 2.8K up to 48fps, which increases the versatility of their AMIRA even further, and gives them more options to offer clients.

“It’s a response to an increasing demand”, said Markus Duerr, the ARRI AMIRA product manager. “With the growing popularity of ARRIRAW more and more AMIRA users have been asking us to make it available to them”.

The move has been well received by AMIRA users, with wildlife filmmaker Tom Rowland giving it an enthusiastic welcome. "With the onset of ARRIRAW to the Amira it will certainly strengthen its place in the wildlife filmmaking game,” he said. “It will certainly add a whole new level of post-production flexibility to rushes.”

ARRIRAW data produced from an ARRI AMIRA can be considered a digital version of a camera negative. It is the only format that retains the camera's natural color response and great exposure latitude as uncompressed and unencrypted sensor data. The originally recorded raw data remains pristine, providing flexibility in postproduction and raw data archiving.

The ARRI AMIRA is a versatile camera system that combines exceptional image quality and affordable CFast 2.0 workflows with an ergonomic design optimized for single-operator use and extended shoulder-mounted operation. Ready to pick up and shoot straight out of the camera bag, AMIRA is tough enough to take anywhere and features in-camera grading with preloaded 3D LUTs, as well as 200 fps slow motion. It is suitable for a great variety of production types, from reportage and corporate films, to TV drama and low-budget movies.

Simple software unlock key cost is 3,180 € or around $3,730 USD.