<p>Canon USA Inc. has filed suit against Get It Digital LLC/AllNewShop on claims of trademark violation from the sale of grey market items over ebay.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.photographybay.com/2015/11/22/canon-is-suing-get-it-digital-and-others-to-stop-gray-market-dslr-sales/" target="_blank">Photography Bay</a> was the first to post the suit, which you <a href="https://dockets.justia.com/docket/new-york/nyedce/2:2015cv06019/376749" target="_blank">can find various places online</a>.</p>
<p>Canon USA Inc. has files two lawsuits, one against Get It Digital LLC & All New Shop LLC, which Canon claims (and we know) are the same company.</p>
<p>The second suit is against F&E Trading LLC, which is the company behind Big Value, Inc., Electronics Valley, Electronics Basket, DavisMax, 6th Ave & Netsales.</p>
<p>The complaints against these companies are as follows as broken down by Photography Bay:</p>
<ul>
<li>Using counterfeit serial numbers on grey market Canon products</li>
<li>Lack of enforceable warranties or inferior warranty coverage</li>
<li>Packaging that does not accurately describe the products contained therein</li>
<li>The inclusion of cheap photocopies of product operating manuals, as opposed to genuine manuals that accompany genuine Canon cameras</li>
<li>Power supplies and accessories that are counterfeit, manufactured by third parties and/or not compliant with applicable laws, regulations and certifications</li>
</ul>
<p>We’re not sure what to make of all of this, as we’ve been advertising these grey market deals since Canon USA instituted MMAP pricing to all the major authorized retailers in the United States. We’ve had very few complaints over the years, most of which were about slow shipping and poor customer service. We stopped advertising for Big Value Inc a while ago, after they botched a big EOS 5D Mark III sale and a lot of people had to get refunds and it was a giant pain for customers. We’ve had less than 5 complaints about Get It Digital and All New Shop over the years and we’ll continue to advertise their deals if there are any this week.</p>
<p>We don’t support MAP pricing and hope Canon USA changes their policy and lets retailers sell products the way they want to. It’s better for consumers in the end.</p>
<p>It’s also going to be interesting to see what happens this week as far as Black Friday sales go, we’re seeing some evidence of authorized dealers getting instant rebates from Canon USA and lowering prices.</p>
<p>You can read more over at <a href="http://www.photographybay.com/2015/11/22/canon-is-suing-get-it-digital-and-others-to-stop-gray-market-dslr-sales/" target="_blank">Photography Bay</a>.</p>

<p>RONKONKOMA, N.Y.–(<a href="http://www.businesswire.com/" rel="nofollow">BUSINESS WIRE</a>)–Sigma Corporation of America, a leading DSLR lens and camera manufacturer, announces Black Friday deals on five of the company’s top lenses, including the popular 50mm F1.4 DG HSM Art from the industry-renowned Global Vision line which was named Imaging Resource’s 2014 Prime Lens of the Year. Offers of up to $300 off are valid starting today, Nov. 20, and can be found on <a href="http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsigmaphoto.com%2Flp%2Fblack-friday-2015&esheet=51228743&newsitemid=20151120005026&lan=en-US&anchor=sigmaphoto.com%2Flp%2Fblack-friday-2015&index=2&md5=2806ddd28c33d874e19915c30141b422" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">sigmaphoto.com/lp/black-friday-2015</a> through Cyber Monday, Nov. 30.</p>
<p>Sigma Corporation of America’s line of award-winning lenses includes recent recognitions such as American Photo’s 2014 Editor’s Choice, Popular Photography’s 2014 Outstanding Product, PCMag’s 2014 Editor’s Choice, and more.</p>
<p>This year’s Black Friday deals include:</p>
<p><!--more--></p>
<p><a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1045458-REG/sigma_311101_50mm_f_1_4_dg_hsm.html/bi/2466/kbid/3296" target="_blank"><b>50mm F1.4 DG HSM Art</b><b><span class="bwuline"> (#311) – $100 OFF</span></b></a>

Originally $949, now $849</p>
<ul>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Completely reengineered, the ultimate standard fast prime, at the best holiday season pricing</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Designed for super-resolution DSLRs and tested with Sigma’s exclusive super-resolution MTF system</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/873391-REG/Sigma_883_101_18_250mm_F3_5_6_3_DC_Macro.html/bi/2466/kbid/3296" target="_blank"><b>18-250mm F3.5-6.3 DC Macro OS HSM</b><b><span class="bwuline"> (#883) – $250 OFF</span></b></a>

Originally $549, now $299</p>
<ul>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">High-performance and versatile, perfect one-solution lens for on-the-go photography and whatever happens next on your family adventures</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">With an easy twist of the zoom dial, get wide-angle for group shots, telephoto for action shots and close ups for details</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Compact, fitting easily into a day bag to capture and preserve family moments</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/689620-REG/Sigma_583101_17_50mm_F2_8_EX_DC.html/bi/2466/kbid/3296" target="_blank"><b>17-50mm F2.8 EX DC OS HSM</b><b><span class="bwuline"> (#583) – $250 OFF</span></b></a>

Originally $669, now $419</p>
<ul>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Compact, constant aperture standard zoom perfect for wedding and portrait photography</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Class-leading performance featuring OS for low-light and one hybrid aspherical lens for sharp images with great contrast</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Step up from the kit lens to a wide, standard zoom designed for APS-C DSLRs at a great price</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/689577-REG/Sigma_589101_70_200mm_f_2_8_EX_DG.html/bi/2466/kbid/3296" target="_blank"><b>70-200mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM</b><b><span class="bwuline"> (#589) – $250 OFF</span></b></a>

Originally $1,399, now $1,149</p>
<ul>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Optically stabilized and highly versatile</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Pro’s choice for sport, portraiture and documentary photography, priced for enthusiasts and students</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Fast, constant F2.8 aperture is perfect for capturing action and sports</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/806377-REG/Sigma_258101_105mm_f_2_8_EX_DG.html/bi/2466/kbid/3296" target="_blank"><b>105mm F2.8 Macro EX DG OS HSM</b><b><span class="bwuline"> (#258) – $300 OFF</span></b></a>

Originally $969, now $669</p>
<ul>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Large aperture macro lens featuring 1:1 magnification, optical stabilization and fast, quiet HSM for advanced performance of close-up photography</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Excellent correction for all types of aberration and distortion</li>
<li class="bwlistitemmargb">Fast F2.8 prime lens for high-quality performance at a great price</li>
</ul>
<p>For information about Sigma, these Black Friday deals or ongoing Instant Savings, go to <a href="http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sigmaphoto.com&esheet=51228743&newsitemid=20151120005026&lan=en-US&anchor=www.sigmaphoto.com&index=8&md5=3ad3665d51728bc727eb79870540d359" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.sigmaphoto.com</a> or follow the company on <a href="http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2FSigma_Photo&esheet=51228743&newsitemid=20151120005026&lan=en-US&anchor=Twitter&index=9&md5=6312e3365c2ee26f62cd992f79fd599a" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Twitter</a>, <a href="http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Finstagram.com%2Fsigmaphoto&esheet=51228743&newsitemid=20151120005026&lan=en-US&anchor=Instagram&index=10&md5=e5fe21e8fa0d453b7c49e116ac8a057c" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Instagram</a> and <a href="http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FSigmaCorporationofAmerica&esheet=51228743&newsitemid=20151120005026&lan=en-US&anchor=Facebook&index=11&md5=66c158fb6fa7bec4a7d2cb36c6b4d4fc" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a>.</p>
<p> </p>

A patent for an optical formula of 20-45mm f/2.8-4 has appeared. <a href="http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/Canon_new_lenses.html" target="_blank">As suggested at Northlight</a>, this sort of optical formula could end up being a 17-40 type of replacement, or even part of the new EF 16-35 f/2.8L II development.</p>
<p>Patent Publication No. 2015-197593 (Google Translated)</p>
<ul>
<li>Published 2015.11.9</li>
<li>Filing date 2014.4.1</li>
<li>Zoom ratio 2.25</li>
<li>Focal length f = 20.00 23.60 45.00</li>
<li>Fno. 2.75 2.90 4.16</li>
<li>Half angle of 47.25 42.51 25.68</li>
<li>Image height 21.64 21.64 21.64</li>
<li>Overall length 158.28 156.32 173.36</li>
<li>BF 42.05 46.10 73.14</li>
</ul>

Even in the camera bag game, there are patent infringement lawsuits. Gura Gear sued Peak Design in September of 2015 for an element of the Peak Design Everyday Messenger, a hugely successful Kickstarter camera bag campaign backed by Trey Ratcliff. It looks like the infrindging patent came from Gura Gear’s acquisition of Tamrac’s assets, including intellectual property.</p>
<p><strong>The Complaint:</strong></p>
<blockquote><p>A container for facilitating rapid access to the interior of the container to remove articles from the container, comprising: a. a generally rectangular body having a base, two end walls and two sidewalls respectively interconnected at their adjacent edges to adjacent edges of the two end walls, the walls extending upwardly from the base to form the body with a top opening; b. a side closure flap attached to a respective one of said two sidewalls and secured against the respective one of said two sidewalls by fastener means, the side closure flap adapted to span over and covering said top opening of said body and forming a top when the side closure flap is in a closed position; and c. said top of said side closure flap having full length double zipper means for opening or closing said top to gain access to the interior of said body; d. whereby the interior of said body of said container is accessed by either flipping over said side closure flap to an open position or unzipping said double zipper means on said top of said body to access the interior through said top opening of said body of said container.</p></blockquote>
<p>It looks like the suit was settled pretty quickly, at just over a month. With Gura Gear voluntarily dismissing the case, I’m going to assume they won, but it doesn’t say how much of that Kickstarter money was sent over the Tamrac/Gura Gear.</p>
<p>However, with the product still available for preorder on Kickstarter, I imagine Peak Design is licensing the infringing Gura Gear/Tamrac design for the Everyday Messenger.</p>
<p>Aren’t patents fun?</p>
<p>You can view the <a href="https://search.rpxcorp.com/pat/US6206567B1" target="_blank">public records of the suit here</a>.</p>

<p>Leica has officially announced their new entry level M digital rangefinder camera. This new camera will replace the Leica M-E and bring to an end the CCD M rangefinder.</p>
<p>Compared to the Leica M (Type 24), these are the main differences in the Type 242:</p>
<ul>
<li class="amzn_view_checked amzn-taggable-text">No Liveview (So no EVF?)</li>
<li class="amzn_view_checked amzn-taggable-text">No Video</li>
<li class="amzn_view_checked amzn-taggable-text">100g lighter, top plate made of aluminum</li>
<li class="amzn_view_checked amzn-taggable-text">Smaller red dot Leica Logo</li>
<li class="amzn_view_checked amzn-taggable-text">Shutter is quieter than the Type 240</li>
<li class="amzn_view_checked amzn-taggable-text">There are only 2 pages in the menu system.</li>
<li class="amzn_view_checked amzn-taggable-text">A closer body design to the M9</li>
<li class="amzn_view_checked amzn-taggable-text">Price: € 5,500/£4,050 (incl. VAT), $5,195 in the US (available for pre-order now)</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>

<p><em>Development of Digital SLR Camera Nikon D5</em></p>
<p><strong>November 18, 2015, TOKYO</strong> – Nikon Corporation is pleased to announce that it is developing the Nikon D5 digital SLR camera, which represents the next generation of professional Nikon FX-format models.</p>
<p>The new Wireless Transmitter WT-6 and Speedlight SB-5000, which will be positioned at the top of Nikon’s Speedlight lineup, are also being developed.</p>
<p>Through the combination of this next-generation professional camera offering an even higher level of performance, these advanced accessories and the rich lineup of existing NIKKOR lenses, Nikon is pursuing further possibilities for imaging expression.</p>
<p>*Details including release date and suggested retail price for this product have not yet been determined.</p>

We’re hearing more about a new EF 16-35 f/2.8L III, which is expected in 2016 along with one of Canon’s new “pro” body announcements. We’re not sure if it’ll arrive around the time of the EOS-1D X replacement in early 2016 or the EOS 5D Mark III replacement later in the year.</p>
<p>We’re told the new lens will be slightly longer and a bit heavier, and will retain the 82mm filter thread diameter of the current lens. Weather sealing, durability and optics will get obvious improvements. The lens hood will also be unique to the new lens, but we weren’t told what “unique” meant.</p>
<p>There is little to no chance of IS making its way into the lens. You can get the EF 16-35 f/4L IS if you want stabilization.</p>
<p>You can see the latest patent for the optical formula <a href="http://www.canonrumors.com/patent-canon-ef-16-35-f2-8l-iii/">here</a>, I think we’ll probably see another one before the announcement.</p>

The Canon EOS C300 Mark II mount conversion that was announced in the early fall is now available in France, Germany, Italy, Sweden and the UK.</p>
<p><strong>From the Canon Professional Network:</strong></p>
<blockquote><p>Owners and purchasers of the Canon EOS C300 Mark II can now benefit from a new lens mount service option which offers the capability to change the 4K Digital Cinema Camera’s original EF mount to EF Mount with Cinema Lock or to a PL mount and back again.</p>
<p>The Lens Mount Replacement service can be booked in at the Canon Regional Competence Centres (RCC) in France, Germany, Italy, Sweden or the UK. Alternatively, the PL lens mount and SHIM kit are also available for direct sale.</p>
<p>Canon has also revealed that from early 2016 a PL mount version of the C300 Mark II will be available to purchase in all EMEA territories. Up until now the camera has only been available in an EF mount but by January 2016 customers can choose whether to purchase an EF mount or a PL mount version. The upcoming PL mount version of the camera will provide support for all of Canon’s PL mount Cinema lenses and other industry-standard PL lenses (Cooke/i not supported), thus allowing for even greater shooting possibilities.</p></blockquote>
<p><strong><a href="http://cpn.canon-europe.com/content/news/eos_c300_mark_ii_lens_mount_updates.do" target="_blank">Read more at Canon Professional Network</a></strong></p>

United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, 18 November 2015 – Canon Inc. today announces it has reached a new camera-manufacturing milestone as combined production of its film and digital EOS-series interchangeable-lens cameras surpassed the 80-million mark on November 10, 2015. The 80-millionth EOS camera produced was an EOS 5DS R, which boasts the world’s highest pixel count in its class¹.</p>
<p>Production of Canon EOS SLR cameras began in 1987 and rapidly increased following the spread of digital SLR cameras in the early 2000s, bringing the company to the present day and the production of its 80-millionth EOS camera.</p>
<p><!--more--></p>
<p>Introduced in March 1987 as a new generation of AF SLR cameras, EOS cameras were the world’s first to incorporate an electronic mount system enabling complete electronic control throughout the entire camera, not just the lens and body.</p>
<p>Canon manufactures all key components employed in the EOS series, enabling the Company to achieve an even more robust product line-up by selecting the optimal sensor for each model. Drawing from this strength, Canon has helped to pioneer a new age for cameras, launching innovative products including the compact, lightweight EOS 500, which helped significantly expand Canon’s user base, and the iconicEOS 5D series, which this year celebrates its 10 year anniversary.</p>
<p>As a result of these manufacturing practices and consistent product innovation Canon has successfully maintained the No. 1 share worldwide² within the interchangeable-lens digital camera market for the 12-year period from 2003 to 2014.</p>
<p>This new milestone comes after Canon’s EF interchangeable lenses, launched alongside the EOS SLR camera system, celebrated a new manufacturing milestone in June 2015 with the production of the 110-millionth EF-series interchangeable lens for EOS cameras, setting a new world record for the most interchangeable lenses produced².</p>
<p>Canon will continue to refine its diverse imaging technologies based on its core optical technologies, striving to produce exceptional and reliable lenses and cameras that cater to the varying needs of photographers—from first-time users to advanced amateurs and professionals—while continuing to pioneer technology and create new experiences in photographic and video imaging.</p>

<p>We’re told that there’s a good possibility that one of Canon’s professional cameras will get a tilting touchscreen LCD. We don’t think such a thing would appear on the EOS-1D X Mark II, but could find a home on the EOS 5D Mark IV. Both the tilting and touchscreen LCD features are asked for by a lot of Canon shooters.</p>
<p>The EOS 5D Mark IV isn’t going to be an incremental update, so expect lots of new technology added to the nameplate.</p>
<p>This comes from a new source.</p>