From the Adorama News Desk: Big Changes for Little Cameras

Over the past few weeks, we've seen a flurry of intriguing news about mirrorless interchangeable-lens compact (MILC) cameras at the Adorama Learning Center.

But before we get to that, if you're planning on photographing fireworks this 4th of July weekend, be sure to follow these helpful tips!

This Thursday, Olympus provided some fireworks by relaunching its Digital Pen camera system, replacing two cameras with three new ones featuring a new 12MP sensor, what they claim is the world's fastest Autofocus system, and virtually no lag time! Read all about the Olympus pro-level E-P3, the enthusiast-oriented E-PL3, and snapshooter-friendly Pen Mini at the Adorama News Desk, as well as a hands-on first look at the E-P3 on the Adorama Tech Tock Blog.

Pentax last week announced the Q, the world's first interchangeable-lens subcompact camera. With a body that's the size of a deck of cards and a sensor that's about the same size as a sensor found in a premium compact camera, the Pentax Q promises a truly pocketable interchangeable-lens camera system that will provide more creative options for snapshooters and enthusiasts. Learn more at the Adorama News Desk.


A few weeks ago, Panasonic announced the Lumix GF3, a stripped-down Micro Four Thirds camera with full HD video that is the smallest interchangeable-lens Panasonic to date. Read all about the Panasonic Lumix GF3.

Finally Sony has announced the NEX-C3, which they say is the world's smallest and lightest APS sensor-based mirrorless interchangeable-lens compact camera, as well as a 30mm Macro lens. How'd they get so many features and larger sensor into an 8-ounce body? Read about it, as well as Sony's new A35 Fixed-Mirror DSLR, in the Weekend Wrap.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, Leica has unveiled a stealth version of the digital edition of its fabled rangefinder camera, the M9-P. The red dot is gone! Find out why, and learn about the new Leica 21mm f/3.4 ASPH Super-Elmar lens also introduced by Leica at the Adorama News Desk.

Just as we were preparing to send out this email, we learned that Ricoh will buy Pentax, creating a powerful new camera company that combines two of the world's most innovative camera makers. Read our full news coverage.

Focus on Travel and Street Photography

Have you ever tried photographing strangers on the streets? Street Photography can spice up your travel photography portfolio. Read Sandy Ramirez's f8 and Be There, where he discusses the philosophy and practical reasons behind the ideal documentary/street photography lens setting, and watch Mark Wallace's video where he talks about how he approaches and photographs total strangers and shoots Street Portraits of them – with their permission. Read Mark Wallace's first blog posts for Adorama, in which he talks about Getting Closer to his subjects, and How To Make a "Disgusting" Photo. Read all of our articles about street photography here.

Not sure which camera to bring with you on your travels? Whether you're shooting street photography or more general fare, check out our new Buying Guide: 12 Great Travel Cameras for the latest in full-featured cameras to take with you anywhere in the world.


Finally, the eagerly-anticipated Fujifilm Finepix X100 aspires to be the ultimate digital street camera. Its intriguing retro design immediately summons visions of classic rangefinders, so we had our world-class classic rangefinder camera expert. Jason Schneider, put the X100 through its paces. Read his full test of the Fujifilm Finepix X100 and find out if it's street worthy.

Blue clues and moving stills
A new way to use animated GIFs has surfaced recently that turns brief video sequences into still photos with isolated seleted moving parts, known as Cinemagraphs. It's not quite video, but it's not quite still photography, either. Guest writer Pontus Edenberg shows How to Make a Cinemagraph in Adobe Photoshop CS5, with step-by-step instructions.

Blue is one of the most popular colors, but can be hard to tame. Adorama's online learning partner site PPSOP instructor Cheryl Machat Dorskind provides practical advice about controlling the blues in Some Things Blue. Learn how to tame your color balance in Photoshop, color theory, and more.

Keep up with the latest at the Learning Center!
Be sure to visit the Adorama Learning Center's AdoramaTV for the latest instructional videos and product reviews, the News Desk for new product news, and the Tech Tock Blog for more personal perspectives on the world of photography. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to keep up with the latest articles, buying guides, product reviews, and videos!