B&H Gear News Roundup, October 31, 2014

Happy Halloween! It felt like a spooky week, as the camera world was fairly quiet when it came to new product announcements. The calm before the holiday storm? Regardless, there is some cool new stuff out on the market for you to check out!

This week in the news:

PDN PhotoPlus Expo 2014

The Photo District News PhotoPlus Expo is under way this week and weekend in New York City (just a few blocks from the B&H Photo SuperStore!). If you are in the neighborhood, be sure to swing by the Javits Center on Manhattan's West Side—on the banks of the Hudson River—to see some of the latest in the world of photography. But, most importantly, after visiting B&H at the Expo, don't forget to visit the B&H SuperStore at 420 Ninth Ave!

If you cannot make it to the Expo, check out our own Eric Reichbaum's report from his PhotoPlus walkabout yesterday. You can also check out our social media coverage on Instagram and Vine.

HD Pentax DA 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6 ED DC WR Lens

Ricoh has unveiled a new, versatile, everyday zoom for the Pentax K-mount camera line. The HD Pentax DA 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6 ED DC WR lens looks like an ideal travel companion for those who wish to forgo a full camera bag of lenses. The flexible zoom range covers wide-angle to mid-telephoto regions—perfect for a walking tour of a small town, scenic landscapes, or portraits of friends.

The lens sports Pentax's new High Definition coatings, the company’s Super Protect coating, and it is weather resistant to match the rugged performance of many of the Pentax K-mount DSLRs.

Check out B&H Explora for the release announcement here.

Ricoh Theta m15 Spherical Digital Camera

Ricoh has rolled out a new version of its Theta camera. "What in the world is this new Theta?" you may ask.

Well, the Theta m15, available in White, Yellow, Pink, and Blue, is a boldly designed, innovative, and unique camera that allows its users to create 360° spherical images and movies.

You might want to read that last sentence again—this is a very cool product that, thanks to its upgraded Wi-Fi capabilities, will be producing unique and artistic 360° images and videos on a computer screen or social media site near you. Forget the painful process of stitching together multiple shots to make a panorama, or getting crazy distortion as you rotate your phone or camera around trying to make an extremely wide image. The Theta m15 does all of that in a blink and brings it full circle (pun intended).

For more on the new Ricoh Theta, see this B&H Explora article.

HP sprout immersive computer

It is hard to go more than a few weeks without a new computer coming onto the market—one that raises the bar as far as capabilities, convenience, speed, and/or powerful features. Welcome, to the fray, the HP sprout immersive computer!

The sprout isn't just another number-crunching computer. It is designed with an eye on graphic designers, decorators, and other artists, as it features the capabilities of a modern desktop computer, interactive display, digitizer tablet, and a 3D scanner.

The sprout has a 23" HD display, 14.6MP camera, 3D camera, built-in desk lamp, and more. For more information about the sprout, and its 3D capture and display technology, check out this B&H Explora article.

DxO OpticsPro 10 / FilmPack 5

DxO has released the latest versions of its highly regarded image-editing software, OpticsPro 10 and FilmPack 5, and they keep getting even better.

OpticsPro 10 is a very capable raw file processing engine that specializes in removing optical flaws (passed on from your lens), reducing digital noise (passed on from your sensor), and correcting color (passed on from nature). DxO offers two versions of OpticsPro 10—Elite and Essential—featuring different features to match the needs and budgets of photographers.

FilmPack 5 is film-simulation software that keeps expanding in capabilities and adding film stocks to its simulation library. Also available in two versions, Elite and Essential, the software allows you to give your digital images the look of your favorite classic chemical-based film.

For more on DxO software, click on this B&H Explora article.

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