The UK Policing and Crime Minister has reasserted that anti-terrorism should not be used to stop photographers and photojournalists. In a meeting with a Parliamentary photography group and journalists, David Hanson MP said the Sections 44 and 58A of the 2000 Terrorist Act should not be 'used to stop ordinary people taking photos or to curtail legitimate journalistic activity'. He also said guidance to that effect has been provided to the UK police forces, advising that these powers should not be used to stop innocent members of the public, tourists and journalists.

In conjunction with its announcement of the 645D medium format camera, Pentax has announced the smc D FA 645 55mm F2.8 AL[IF] SDM AW lens. First in the D FA 645 lens series, this weather-resistant prime lens features a Supersonic Direct-drive Motor (SDM) autofocus drive and Quick-Shift for instant AF/MF switching. It is also the company's first 645 system lens to incorporates a rounded diaphragm.The 55mm lens will be available alongside the 645D camera at a suggested retail price of ¥100,000 (~ US $1,100).

Five years after announcing its development, and following a month-long online campaign trailing the launch, Pentax has finally unveiled its much anticipated 645D medium format digital camera. The first digital version of the company's 645 medium format camera system, it features a 40MP, 44 x 33 CCD sensor, 921k dot 3.0" LCD and is compatible with the existing 645 system lenses. The camera will initially be available only in the Japanese market at a suggested retail price of ¥850,000 (~ US $9,400) from May 2010.

Tamron has announced the development of a 70-300mm f/4-5.6 zoom lens featuring image stabilization and an ultrasonic auto-focus drive. The SP 70-300mm F4-5.6 Di VC USD is the company's first lens to feature its latest Ultrasonic Silent Drive (USD) autofocus motor, with full-time manual focus override. The optical design includes an element made from Extra-Low Dispersion (XLD) glass, said to have optical properties similar to fluorite. Designed for both full-frame and APS-C digital SLRs, the lens will be initially available in Nikon mount followed by Canon and Sony versions.

Mamiya has announced the price and availability of its new DM40 medium format camera and a digital back of the same name. Priced at $21,990 for the camera and 80mm f/2.8 lens D series lens, and $19,990 for the digital back, they will start shipping from this month onwards. Both incorporate 40MP, 44 x 33 mm sensors and feature true 16 bit/channel RAW capture, ISO range of 80-800 and capture images at 0.8 seconds per frame. The DM40 digital back can be used with compatible medium or large format cameras via an adapter.

Focus on Imaging 2010: Alongside the Lumix DMC-G2 and G10 Micro Four Thirds cameras, Panasonic has also released the Lumix G Vario 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 ASPH Mega O.I.S. image stabilized lens. Offering an equivalent zoom range of 28-84mm, the lens is a new optical design but offers a similar specification to the original 14-45mm G System zoom. The new lens, known as the H-FS014042, loses the image stabilization on/off switch and metal mount of its predecessor and comes in a slightly larger body.

Focus on Imaging 2010: Panasonic has released what it calls 'the world's lightest interchangeable lens camera with a viewfinder' in the shape of Lumix DMC-G10. It features the same 12.1MP Live MOS sensor and Venus Engine HD II as the DMC-G2, also announced today. It also comes with a 460K dot 3" LCD but without the tilt/swivel and touch options of the G2 and gets a lower resolution viewfinder. The G10 can record 720p HD movie in Motion JPEG format. Both cameras can accept the high-capacity SDXC format cards and are offered with a new 14-42mm kit lens.

Focus on Imaging 2010: Eighteen months after unveiling the worlds first Micro Four Thirds camera, Panasonic has introduced its successor- the Lumix DMC-G2, with touch control shooting. Built around the same body design as the G1, it records 720p HD videos in AVCHD Lite format and features a touch sensitive 460K dot 3.0" LCD. Its advanced touch features allows shooting by just tapping the subject on the LCD. Other features include AF tracking, a dedicated movie mode and a faster Venus Engine HD II processor. We've had a pre-production example in the office and have put together a hands-on preview.

The UK has embraced the Micro Four Thirds camera format, making up over 10% of interchangeable lens camera sales (by volume) in December 2009. According to figures from market research company GfK Retail and Technology, around 6,600 Micro Four Thirds cameras were sold in the UK, accounting for more than half of the system's sales volumes in 11 major Western European countries.

Olympus has released a firmware update for its E-P1 Micro Four Thirds camera. Version 1.3 resolves the issue where the camera's Level Gauge display did not move when focusing manually. The firmware update can be downloaded via the Olympus Master or Studio software.