The Japanese site BCNRanking published their 2012 BCN Awards for various products:
Back in May of 2011 Nikon filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Sigma over lenses with VR technology. I was told that the negotiations between the two companies should be finalized in the coming weeks and a press release will be issued. Nikon was initially looking for a compensation of 12.6 billion yen (around 150 million dollars) which I assume is a lot of money for Sigma. I am not sure of the final outcome, or least not confident enough to post it online.
make sure you check NR on Feb. 2nd and 7th for the latest updates
I already mentioned about the Nikon event on February 7th, 2012 but I was not sure what would be announced on that date. It will be the Nikon D800. The camera will have 36MP (not 24MP like reported on several websites). The new Coolpix cameraswill be introduced on February 2nd, 2012.
For all US readers this means the official press release will be around midnight on February 6th and February 1st respectively.
Tokina just announced a new version of their popular 11-16mm f/2.8 lens. The new lens will have an aspherical element, new coating for improved performance and a SD-M (Silent Drive-Module) autofocus motor (AF-S equivalent). You can now use this lens even with Nikon DSLR cameras that don't have an integrated AF motor (D3100, D5100). The Nikon version is expected to start shipping in March, 2012. The old Tokina 11mm-16mm f/2.8 lens currently has a $40 mail-in rebate.
Specs:
Nikon D700 and D300s are now officially listed as discontinued on Nikon's website.
The surprise here is the phase out of the D300s, because I have not received any reliable information about a potential replacement.
I believe the D700 will be available for sale for at least few more months after the D800 announcement.
Update: I was told that the Nikon D700 is no longer on display at the Nikon flagship store in Ginza.
