So, I get the feeling that Nikon's about to announce something in February of 2009 and it's going to be... not small. This anti-petite happening will be taking place at the decidedly non-humble MGM Grand Arena during the WPPI photography convention in Las Vegas. The event might be an official announcement of the 41 megapixel MX sensor, or perhaps the long awaited D3x DSLR. You know what it won't be though? Lilliputian. Call it a hunch. [Photography Bay via CrunchGear]

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As teased a couple of days ago, here's the absolutely stunning video from Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Vincent Laforet, the one that shows how incredible Canon's 5D Mark II's video capabilities really are. Remember, this video is totally unenhanced, completely raw from the $US2700 DSLR (with a ton of nice lenses). I saw it a while ago in full HD on a 50-inch TV and I was completely blown away. [Canon]

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Sony's Alpha A900 practically blew us away when we first had an opportunity to grope it, which was way back during PMA '08 in January. Well, it looks like the Sony lads are again showing off their 25MP full-frame pro sensor toting DSLR in Japan, along with a launch date of August/September. Our pals at Master Chong were able to grab a whole slew of new images of the device, as well as shots of the neat looking, clear-bodied iteration pictured above. [Master Chong; Thanks, Felix]

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If you follow Nikon, you know that the newly released D60 entry-level DSLR is really just a refresh of the popular D40x. As you can see above, the only thing that looks different head-on is the tag in the upper left corner of the body identifying the camera model itself. But as you can see below, in addition to some small cosmetic changes, there are new yet subtle hardware benefits, plus a stop-motion video treat that's mostly novelty, but as easy as it gets.

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The calendar tells us that the 5D, Canon's second best DSLR range, is due for a refresh. It comes from a message board, so take this with a grain of salt, but someone on DP Review forums has posted specs for a second generation 5D with the following changes: A modest 15.3MP up from 12.8MP, and a massive 2 stop bump in light sensitivity to 25600 ISO.

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MINOX aims to bring "affordable digiscoping to everyone" with its new Digital Eyepiece Camera 5.0. Unlike traditional digiscoping methods of attaching a digital camera to a telescope, the 5.0 is an all-in-one solution that combines a camera, scope and eyepiece into a single device. Features include a 2.4-inch TFT screen, 40x magnification, 128MB of internal memory, SD card expansion up to 4GB, and its waterproof and shockproof. At a price of US$449 it is a hell of a lot cheaper than a good DSLR with a telephoto lens, and more convenient to use than a pieced together digiscope. [MINOX via Crave Asia]

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The big shebang on Sony's latest entry-level DSLRs, the a300 and a350, is their two-way tilt-y live view. Pogueman takes a peek today and really digs it: "Live View on existing cameras is slow, noisy and deeply confusing" but on the a300 it's "a completely different experience."

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In case you were worried that digital SLRs would remain priced higher than point-and-shoots, Olympus is breaking down the US$500 barrier with its, well, US$499.99 E-420. (Kinda makes you feel like sparkin' a doobie, don't it?) Sure, it'll cost you an extra hundred to get a 14-42mm starter lens, but this is the beginning of the truly affordable DSLR. That's not the only thing Olympus is excited about though: the 380 gram E-420 is up to 40% lighter than other DSLRs in its class, and is being declared the "world's smallest digital SLR" by its maker. All that while retaining Live View, a 10-megapixel sensor and a 2.7" LCD. We can't wait to try it out. Jump for press release and chart of freakishly detailed specs. Just one question, Olympus: What happened to the Evolt brand?

AU: Pricing is yet to be announced for Australia, but you can expect to see it on shelves in May.

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The guys at Pop Photo have managed to get their hands all over the much-hyped Sigma DP1. Apparently, the DP1 has a build quality comparable to the solid Canon PowerShot G9, and the mega sensor monster does away with any fuss with regards to shooting options; you'll find Manual, Auto, Aperture-priority, Program, and Shutter-priority modes for image capture, as well as QVGA video mode (320 x 240 @ 30fps) and an audio capture mode, but beyond that, there are absolutely no ludicrous scene selections to choose from. The chaps at Pop Photo found this a refreshing turn to minimalism, and we would have to agree. All in all, the hype is looking to be well founded. Checkout the full tear down by hitting the link. [Pop Photo]

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Sony announced its high performance DSLR last year after many rumours and much anticipation. The Alpha A700 features a new CMOS sensor with 12.24-megapixel resolution, faster image processing, and a 3.0-inch high contrast LCD monitor.

“With the A700 we aim to provide a high performance solution that meets all of the diverse, sophisticated demands of high-end enthusiast and professional photographers alike,” says John Wallace, Sony Australia’s Business Development Manager for the Digital SLR Division.

The body design of the A700 features contoured grip for comfortable handling and thoughtful control layout for visibility, fast and accurate autofocusing and accurate exposures. Dual slots are provided for Memory Stick PRO Duo and CompactFlash cards, which can be supported simultaneously and users can select which card to record to.

The A700 introduced a new 'Quick Navi' interface that enables key camera settings to be accessed via a joystick plus icons on the screen. The 3.0” LCD monitor with 921,000 dots of resolution boasts a hybrid structure and anti-reflective coating to provide better viewing in sunlight. Furthermore, the HDMI terminal allows viewers to experience images in Full HD.

Under the skin, the Alpha A700 boasts Sony’s custom-designed CMOS sensor. The integrated 12-bit A/D conversion and Dual Noise Reduction Circuit enables the camera to read out the image signals at high speed with reduced image noise. The image data is then passed to the new and more powerful BIONZ image processor (capable of 5 frames/second at 12 megapixels) that further reduces noise before the image data is compressed into JPEG files. An all-new shutter mechanism offers a maximum speed of 1/8,000 second with flash synch at 1/250 second without SuperSteady Shot.

The Alpha A700 body is available for $2,249, an extra $150 for the single lens (18-70mm) and $2,999 for the A700 body plus 16-105mm lens.

[Product page – Sony Australia]