VholdR’s 720p ContourHD wearable action cam was all the rage in the market a few months back. Then GoPro unveiled its 1080p HD Helmet Hero about two months ago, and the ContourHD no longer looked like the premier choice for shooting your action video–especially  since the HD Helmet Hero dropped in at the same $300 (or at least it will when it hits shelves next month). Well, predictably enough, VholdR is back with its very own 1080p version and, of course, some mandatory promo action footage showing off its new cam’s talents. While GoPro holds onto the claim of “world’s first true 1080p wearable cam”, VholdR is claiming the smallest, and its cylindrical design is certainly more streamlined than the boxy HD Helmet Hero. The ContourHD 1080p will retail for $330. So now you have a variety of options to capture stunning action footage on your next big backcountry adventure. [via Crunch Gear]

RED, purveyor of all types of exotic, professional-level camera equipment, has recently teased some new accessories with images on a RED forum board. The accessories are due for release next month and include the RED Bomb Electronic View Finder, the EPIC and Scarlet Camera bodies, and the REDmote, which will provide the user wireless control of the EPIC and Scarlet cameras. Also included in the teaser are the REDVolt hot-swappable battery pack, the RED Pro I/O connections portal for lights, audio, cameras and power sources, the RED Mini LCD, and the REDGunner shoulder mount. The Pro I/O includes a variety of connection options including HDMI out, HD-SDI out, two channels of Balanced Mic Audio in, + 48v Phantom power, headphone out, Power in, RS-242, Genlock/GPIO and CompactFlash slot. No pricing information was announced, though you can expect costs to run a few bills more than your Canon PowerShot. [via Electronista]

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Hasselblad cameras aren’t the cameras of choice to snap casual candids at the weekend house party, but if you’re a serious photographer looking for an uncompromising set-up, these new upgrades for its H system camera line are certainly a good choice. The most exciting upgrade of the H4D cameras is True Focus–a true off-center autofocus system that uses a yaw rate sensor to detect and compensate for horizontal and vertical movement away from the focus. Automatic adjustment is available for image qualities such as color and vignetting. The camera can connect to a computer via FireWire to bypass internal storage, and features newly-upgraded version of Hasselblad’s Phocus software that will run faster. Here’s where we get to the average-cameramen-need-not-apply portion of the show: the 50MP H4D-50 will run $29,299 and be available in January while the 60MP H4D-60 will be available in November for $42,486. [via Slippery Brick]

Someone blew up Pentax’s spot by releasing everything we want to know about the Pentax K-x camera. It’s an entry-level DSLR, with a 12.4-megapixel sensor, a 2.7-inch LCD screen and 720p, 24 frames per secondHD video, compatible with any Pentax 35mm lens. For your photos, there’s face detection auto focus on up to 16 faces, auto picture and scene modes, creative processing and filters, 4.7 fps burst mode and HDR image capture that blends 3 images into one. ISO ranges from 100 to 12800 and autofocus uses 11 points. Anything else? Why, yes. The K-x runs on AA batteries, of all things. Let’s hope pricing and availability comes with the official announcement.

Canon 7D Review Roundup – Canon today announced its new EOS 7D camera, a DSLR with 18MP APS-C CMOS sensor, dual Digic 4 processors, continuous shooting at 8 frames per second and full HD video. Rather than continue on giving you a breakdown of Canon’s press release and spec sheet, we’ve hit the Web and found a number of insightful reviews. DSLR experts from the top blogs have weighed in on the new camera, in some cases getting their hands on it for field testing. If you’re in the market, or just curious how this new Canon stacks up, check out some of these excellent reviews before it hits market at the end of the month.

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Sony has made the A850, A550 and A500 DSLRs official today. The A850 has the same 24.6 MP sensor as the A900, albeit with less features and a price tag cut by around $1,000. The A550 and A500 feature 14.2 and 12.3 megapixel sensors respectively and get tilt-out LCD displays, with the A550 receiving a higher-resolution version. Surprisingly, none of the new cameras have video recording capability. Pricing is set around $2,000 for the A850, $950 for the A550 ($1050 with kit lens) and $750 for the A500 ($850 with kit lens). [via Engadget]

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A forum member of DPReview took these shots at a dealer of what appears like a new Olympus camera, the E-600, a low-end DSLR. The camera appears to be a cheaper, slimmed-down version of the entry-level E-620 and will likely get many similar features including swing-out LCD and in-body image stabilization. Unfortunately, no spec or pricing information was on display at the dealer, so there isn’t too much more information provided by the photos. Check out the rest of the photos below and have a closer look. [via Electronista]

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Here’s a feature that will be handy once in a while: a front facing LCD designed to help you better pose for a self-portrait. Unless you’re taking a one-man tour of Machu Picchu, I don’t know that this feature will be used that often–miming hitting the camera button is pretty universal sign language–but I suppose it’s a lot better than getting a shot straight up your nose with your eyes half-closed and half of the monument angled slight right. The 1.5-inch, front-facing LCD displays will be a part of the Samsung DualView TL225 and TL200 Tap and Take cameras. In addition to self-portraits, the front LCD serves as the “Tap and Take”; instead of traditional shutter button, simply tap the screen to focus in and take your shot–it even provides haptic feedback. Outside of this interesting, but slightly-underwhelming feature, the cameras feature 12.2-MP sensors, Schneider-Kreuznach lenses, 4.6 x optical zooms and  digital image stabilization. Both are set for a September launch with price points of $350 and $300 respectively. [via Electronista]

It looks like Joe Francis may have a way of getting even richer. The Sony Party-shot dock lets you to plop your  new Cyber Shot TX1 or WX1 down in the middle of an event where you want to take home a slew of photos. You set the rotation angle, frequency of photos and flash, and Party-shot takes care of the rest. You can then go get down to business with your man Jose Cuervo while Party-shot rotates around and snaps all kinds of pictures for your later delight. So you get your pictures, and you get your party.  The dock runs for up to 10 hours on two AA batteries, which should cover pretty much any party or event. For the time, it’s unclear whether loose co-eds will be as inclined to show-off all their favorite assets to an automated camera dock, but provide a few more jello shots, and we think they’ll oblige. The Party-shot will retail for $150. [via CNET] Continue Reading