5DtoRGB is a standalone tool that converts footage shot with Canon EOS series cameras (5DMkII, 7D) to Apple’s ProRes or to high-quality DPX sequences for use in special effects.  RareVision, the tool’s maker, claims that this conversion is better than Canon’s Final Cut Pro plugin called “E1″.  The tool is in beta right now, and there’s no indication about how much the tool will cost once it leaves beta.  I’m interested to see how it will compare with the E1 plugin after the new version is released in mid-September.

Sony’s introduced some new DSLR cameras that use a pellicle, or semi-transparent mirror.  The upshot to this is that you never have a moment of blackout while the mirror inside the camera swings up and out of the way of the sensor to take a shot.  On a very slightly sardonic note, we can’t help but point out that Canon did this in 1965 (Canon Pellix), and Nikon did the same in 1976 (Nikon F2H).

While I tend to shy away from rumors, this one seems pretty well substantiated, especially in light of Sony recently announcing they’d not be manufacturing full-frame sensors any longer. So this leaves us thinking that Nikon will indeed find itself designing and manufacturing sensors for its cameras.

Mamiya, Phase One, and Profoto have teamed up to deliver a new battery grip that can also fire Profoto flashes wirelessly, called the V-Grip Air.

The Mamiya/Phase One V-Grip Air is not only the first vertical grip with a built-in wireless flash trigger; it is also the first and only wireless flash sync solution for a medium format camera system that is capable of delivering sync speeds as fast as 1/1600s. The new V-Grip also offers owners of Phase One and Mamiya 645DF cameras more shooting styles, and delivers longer camera battery life through power integration and easy firmware upgrades.

To go along with their new 60D, Canon will be updating their EOS Movie Plugin-E1, which converts the native H.264-encoded files from the camera to Apple ProRes, at approximately twice the speed of Apple’s normal conversion. Here’s where you’ll find info and a download link for the current revision of the plugin.

At the upcoming Photokina 2010, Carl Zeiss will be bringing accessories to the table for the first time.  I’d wager it has something to do with DSLR’s and their new CP.2 lenses, but that’s likely just wishful thinking on my part.

Canon recently unveiled a new 120 Megapixel sensor.  It’s unlikely this will ever find it’s way into one of its camera bodies, but personally I’d like to see it find it’s way into a telecine.

Canon’s got a lot to announce today.  They’ve unveiled four new EF Lenses, which our friend Rob Galbraith has been kind enough to enumerate and comment on for us, and Gizmodo has a great review of the new 60D.  If we’re being short and sweet about the new 60D, we can say it’s better than th T2i, not as good as the 7D, and has a new swivel screen.

Via Vincent Laforet

“Canon has just filed a patent application for Wi-Fi-controlled flash. Using radio to communicate with a remote flash-gun, a camera could control the amount of light popped-out and automatically adjust exposure, all without wires.”

Yeah, I know Pocket Wizard’s been doing something similar for years, and Canon’s had its infrared wireless for quite a while, but this is really the way it should have been done in the first place, in my almost-humble opinion.

According to CNET, “Adobe issued a release candidate for Lightroom 3.2 on Tuesday that fixes dozens of bugs, lets users publish photos to Facebook, adds automated optical corrections for dozens of lenses, and supports Pentax’s new medium-format digital camera among other models.”

SlashGear and CrunchGear are both reporting he a fully assembled and ready-to-film RED Scarlet has been posted on the RED forums.  Looks like that nasty bug that kept the Scarlet and EPIC in an extended and vaporous state was truly squahed afterall.

‘Amélie’ has been chosen as the best-shot film of 1998-2008.  Other nominees included ‘Saving Private Ryan’, ‘The Lord of the Rings’ trilogy, ‘Fight Club’, and many others. Congratulations to Bruno Delbonnel, who shot ‘Amélie’.

Here’s a bit of tongue-in-cheek for you on this fine Friday afternoon. It’s funny. Laugh.

The Criterion Cast is reporting on RED’s CEO Jim Jannard announcement that Steven Soderbergh’s new feature film – Contagion – will be shot entirely using the RED EPIC, which has yet to be released to the general public, and has been codenamed “tattoo”.  Soderbergh has long been a RED user, and this will be the 6th film in a row which he’s shot using RED cameras.

The fine folks over at PetaPixel are showing us a fascinating bit of camera history: the world’s first digital camera.  Made by a Kodak engineer named Steve Sasson, this is what happens when you throw together a first generation CCD imaging sensor, a super 8 lens, a tape recorder, and a bunch of custom electronics.  The first images taken by this camera took 23 seconds to create, and had to be sent to a television for viewing.