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Opinion Soup: Future of Cameras theme continues, Gear Lenses, Pinterest, Fashion, etc

Sunday is a day of reflection, editorials, opinions and shouting, so it is a good time for a new edition of the Opinion Soup... A number of posts may fit in multiple sections below, but pick exactly one section for each post.

Gear
+ future of cameras theme continues from last week
+ Will the DSLR die? Will Small Cameras Rule the World at Visual Science Lab
+ on the future of DSLRs and the camera market at Qlakk
+ death of point and shoot cameras? at iPhotoCourse
+ what camera gear needs a Kickstarter campaign? at Cinescopophilia

Gear - brand specific
+ why Leica rules by George Sutton at Steve Huff Post
+ opinion on the Olympus E-M5 by Jonathan Hrovath (via mu-43.com)
+ opinion on Sony situation at Sony Alpha Lab

Gear - Lens related
+ seven reasons why your kit zoom is not complete crap by Illya Reddy at Steve Huff Post
+ on 50mm lenses (revisited from 2009) at Visual Science Lab
+ when is an ultra-zoom better than a DSLR? at Neo Camera
+ stop using filters by National Geographic Director of Photography (via r3dd1t, Petapixel)

Controversy?
+ on Henry's of Canada allegedly firing their top photography teacher because someone complained about seeing a nude picture on the photographer's personal (unrelated to Henry's) website at Peter West Photo (via Speedlighter)
+ quickly, fire everyone, most of them are nude under their clothes

DIY + .edu
+ how and why to keep a location catalog by Strobist GPS
+ how to convert a shoulder pod for digital cameras at DIY Photography
+ on learning from past photographers at LensWork Daily (via APE)
+ be careful when taking pictures of the sun at Pop Photo

Creativity, Inspiration, Etc
+ differences in perception of fashion between Los Angeles and other Fashion Capitals (from a fashion photography perspective) part #1 by Benjamin Kanarek
+ Creating Meaningful Photographs by Alain Briot at Luminous Landscape
+ Dynamic Patience by Bors Vesterby at Luminous Landscape
+ Pros, Please Be Kind, Episode #3 by Rick Sammon
+ on street photography by David Hurn at Eric Kim
+ seat of the pants shooting at Lightning Essentials

Pinterest
+ is Pinterest a Yes or No for photography professionals at Rising BlackStar (video)
+ why Pinterest is important for photographers at Photocrati with Pinterest infographic at Mashable (via Scott Wyden)

Software
+ reflections on the Photoshop CS6 Beta from an Adobe Engineer at the Adobe blog
+ Final Cut Pro X for news shooters? at DSLR News Shooters

A Minute at the Improv
+ camera snobbery on HBO's new Veep TV show - via PetaPixel VP

Cameraholic Digest: many comparisons, X-Pro1, NEX-F3, etc

Time for an icy cold beverage and a new edition of the Cameraholic Digest, it's like The View for camera gear, except (fill in the blanks)... Lens Reviews, as usual, can be found at the Lens Reviews primery (a primery is a place where you store prime lenses?)... One more housekeeping item, a new edition of the Opinions round-up will come out during the weekend, so if you have written or read any opinions, please let me know using the online contact form... In this edition, since there are quite a few comparisons, we group them together at the top instead of weaving them through the brand-specific sections...

Deal Digest: LR4 discounts, Panasonic M43 lenses, free Snapseed, etc

The camera gear action is rather sleepy at the moment, so time for a new edition of the Deal Digest! For breaking deal alerts as they happen, check the Camera Deals blog. This post is a summary/digest of some of the general-interest specials. Items come with free shipping unless otherwise indicated below (it keeps the post more readable if we don't have to mention free shipping in every single line - since many retailers offer free S&H these days).

In-stock Bundle: Nikon D3200 w/18-55, 55-300, 55-200 DX VR for $1100~

The black Nikon D3200 with the 18-55mm DX VR kit lens is, as of the time of writing, in-stock and shipping at Amazon, and there, it is eligible for the stackable Nikon Lens Instant Rebates (55-300 and 55-200, both DX VR). The whole bundle is $1100~ if you buy them all together in the same shopping cart. If you get the D3200 w/18-55 with only one extra lens, the total is $950 if you only get the 55-300 DX VR and $850 if you only get the 55-200 DX VR.

Cameraholic Digest: D800, D3200, X2, E-M5, K-01, GX1, K30 colors, D20, TG1, etc

A new edition of the Cameraholic Digest has arrived! All apologies for the delays, unfortunately this is a Jenny from the Block blog, so we can't offer non-stop coverage all the time. Just some of the time :)... Lens reviews, as before, can be found at the Lens Reviews opera house, with the latest ones for the Tamron 24-70mm f2.8 Di VC and Voigtlander 17.5mm f0.95... Note: DC Watch Impress has not gone post-crazy, we simply fell behind in keeping up with them :)

New reviews added to Camera Reviews stream

The latest _completed_ camera reviews have been added to the Camera Reviews stream and latest completed lens reviews added to the Lens Review stream. This wave includes the D3200, K-01, X2, D800, Coolpixies, Voigtlander 17.5mm f0.95, etc.

Free Getty Images Year In Focus 2011 for the iPad/Books2

We mentioned this at the Camera Deals blog yesterday, but since it is also of more general interest, it might be a good idea to mention it here: Getty Images is offering the Year in Focus 2011 iPad Book (iTunes USA store link) for free! An iPad with Books 2 is required in order to read it.

This is an interactive book with pictures and video, 47 pages long, a 450MB download. It was first published on iTunes on May 22, 2012.

Even if you don't have an iPad right now, you can still get it for free on iTunes. You can read it at a later time when you have a compatible device. You can always pause the download and delete it from the iTunes downloads queue if you don't want a 450MB download against your data cap. You can download at a later time when you need it or when you are on Wifi.

Quick Stock Updates: IN (D3200, D700, 5DMk3) & OUT (E-M5, D4, D800s)

We have a quick update on some of the inplay hard to find instock cameras. Here is a lightning summary:

+ IN-STOCK: Canon 5D Mark III (both kits at regular prices), Nikon D3200 (and 28/1.8G with +$80 premium), and D700 (body only for $2200 now at B&H Photo)
+ OUT-of-STOCK: Olympus E-M5 and Nikon D4 and D800 & D800e

Impact review: Nanoha 5X macro lens at Megapixel

The launch of the many new different mirrorless systems has had a pleasant side-effect in the market, it opened things up in the world of lenses, as it is no longer just the house brands and TamTokSig. For fans of super-macro, Yasuhara released the Nanoha 5X macro lens for NEX and Micro Four Thirds, and today, Megapixel.co.il has published an in-depth review of the Nanoha 5X (in English) using the Sony NEX-7 as the test base camera!

For more lens reviews, check the Lens Reviews stream.

The lens is currently in-stock at B&H Photo for $500 in Sony NEX E-mount and Micro Four Thirds flavors.

PS: "TamTokSig" is short for Tamron + Tokina + Sigma

Mobile Noise: Samsung Galaxy S III reviews edition

The continuing advancements in technology make smartphones more and more useful (or less and less useless) for photography in the best-camera-is-the-one-you-have-with-you spirit. The iPhones have developed their own cult following. On the non-Apple side, the Samsung Galaxy has emerged as a stand out among the sea of Android phones (according to many but not everyone obviously). Samsung has just unleashed to the world their latest flagship, the Galaxy SIII (S3), also known as the GT-I9300 when unlocked.

Daily Deal: Eneloop bundle with reusable case for $40 w/free S&H

If you are an Eneloop power user (pun intended!), the super power pack, model SEC-N16SETEVP, had dropped to $40 with free shipping at Amazon by Amazon itself. This is a live price, so you can buy as many kits as you like. Because it is not part of a structured deal, the price can change (or not change) at any time.

Cameraholic Digest: NEX-FS700, X-Pro1, E-M5, Leicas, 5DMk3, K30, A77, superzooms, etc

Welcome to a new edition of The CameraHolic DiGest. It was supposed to come out last night, but we fell behind. As a penalty for that, we will memorize and recite ten "reviews" written by Ken Rockwell ;-)... The in-play Stock Status pages have been updated - you can also find a quick summary. They won't be added to this post below.

The Connected Camera (baby steps edition): Panasonic FX90 gets its own app

In perhaps a sign of the shape of things to come in the next few weeks/months/years, Panasonic has announced brand new Android and iTunes apps for the Panasonic FX90 P&S digital camera, in conjunction with a new firmware update. The combination of the app and new firmware will give you some control over the camera through the apps. Baby steps because this is only and specifically for the Panasonic FX90 digital camera.

Recap of recent posts

The last few hours we had some fast and furious action with long posts, so a summary is in order for those of you just now catching up:

+ teaser: Pentax Spain teases June 1st
+ new Opinion Soup round-up with a future of cameras theme and lots of gear talk (for previous editions, check the archives)
+ most recent Cameraholic Digest episode posted Friday afternoon; next one either tonight or tomorrow
+ summary of Memorial Day Weekend discounts and specials with updates as they happen at the Camera Deals blog

Memorial Day Weekend Digital Camera Discounts: D7000, D5100, free 18-70 DT, etc

The action never stops! Time to recap some of the current Memorial Day weekend digital camera discounts and specials! Some of the promotions are specific to this weekend, others simply coincided. This blog-post is a summary of the specials. For more complicated specials, we include "more details" at the Camera Deals blog. Having detailed posts posted only once makes it more effective to post updates and corrections.