I have made a list of the very first hands-on previews of the new Olympus E-620 published on the web:

Dpreview reviews Olympus E-620

DC Resource reviews Olympus E-620

Imaging Resource reviews Olympus E-620

Digital Camera Review reviews Olympus E-620

4/3rds User Preview reviews Olympus E-620

Photography Review reviews Olympus E-620

43photo.com reviews Olympus E-620

Olympus UK Safari Group reviews Olympus E-620

Leica has launched the Super-Elmar-M 18 mm f/ 3.8 ASPH compact wide angle lens. The new Leica lens can be used on both the digital M series as well as analog cameras. It is constructed with eight elements in seven groups, including one aspherical element. In addition, Leica has also extended its rangefinder system accessories with the new Bright Line Finder M 18mm which can be used with the new lens for effective framing. The LEICA Super-Elmar-M 18 mm f/ 3.8 ASPH also features a patented, screw-on rectangular lens hood that contributes to its compact size. The lens will be available at authorized Leica dealers in March 2009.

Press Release:

Leica unveiled SF 58, its new powerful flashgun for the M, R and S systems. The SF58 has a guide number of 58 and features a main reflector that is responsible for the indirect flash, and a secondary reflector that can be used to lighten up the dark areas. The Leica SF58 also has an integrated USB port for firmware updating.

Leica SF 58 Specifications and Press Release:

Olympus has introduced the E-620, a 12 megapixel DSLR with sensor based stabilization, custom 7-point Twin autofocus system, 2.7 inch free-angle LCD screen, Live View, 4fps continuous shooting and Supersonic Wave Filter dust protection. The E-620 also offers the same Art Filters, Multi Exposure mode and five different aspect ratios as the more expensive E-30 model. A range of optional accessories will also be available, including a vertical grip and an underwater housing.The Olympus E-620 will be available at the end of April 2009 for $699.99 body-only and $799.99 body and ED 14-42mm f3.5/5.6 Zuiko Lens kit.

Olympus E-620 Press Release:

Corel has announced Painter 11, a new version of its painting and illustration software aimed at artists, photographers and illustrators. Corel states that Painter 11 has been optimized for professional users, contrary to Paint Shop Pro which is primarily aimed at enthusiasts. Painter 11 incorporates more than 40 new and enhanced features including an expandable Color Palette, new Selection Tools, enhanced Brushes Palette and improved Colour Management. The brushes palette also includes new pressure-sensitive brushes and promises to work 30% faster than the previous versions. The English version of Corel Painter 11 is available now as an electronic download, priced at $399 for the full version and $199 for the upgrade.

Corel Press Release:

Nikon has announced the AF-S DX NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G lens, designed for use exclusively with the Nikon DX-format (1.5x crop factor). Equivalent to 52mm on a 35mm frame, the new 35mm becomes a normal lens on APS-C Nikon cameras. Thanks to its built-in focus motor, D40/D40x and D60 users can autofocus with this lens. This introduction is also important for the future of the Nikon DX line of DSLR, being an indication of dedication to this format. The AF-S DX 35mm f/1.8 lens should be available in March 2009 for $199.95, a cheaper alternative to Nikon 50mm f1.4, Sigma 50mm f1.4 and Sigma 35mm f1.4.

Sigma has announced the 18-250mm F3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM with optical stabilization. The new lens will be available for Canon, Nikon, Sigma, Sony and Pentax mounts. Combination of a 13.9x zoom with Optical Stabilization and Hypersonic Motor will surely attract lot of users. Well Tamron 18-270mm VC is still the Zoom king of the DSLR superzooms but Sigma is getting closer with this attempt.

One thing I wonder is that if the Optical Stabilization will be offered with the Sony and Pentax mount versions, because as you know these bodies already have their own in-body stabilization system and the 3rd party lens manufacturers did remove this feature on the previous models in the past due to this reason. The next question would be what happens if in-lens stabilization and in-body stabilization can work together? Lets wait and see...

Sigma 18-250mm DC OS HSM Specifications and Press Release:

The new Olympus SP-590UZ ultra-mega-super-hyper zoom digital camera offers a whopping 26x wide-angle optical zoom lens that covers an 26-676mm focal length (35mm equivalent). AdWith the use optical system reach up to a focal length of 1149mm. The SP-590UZ also offers a 12 MP image sensor, 2.7 inch LCD screen, Dual Image Stabilisation, P/A/S/M exposure modes, built-in flash and wireless flash control. The Olympus SP-590UZ will be available in early March 2009 for $449.99 / £360.

Olympus SP-590UZ Press Release:

Canon has finally updated the firmware for the EOS 5D Mark II in order to address the famous black dot and vertical banding problems. See the notes from Canon below regarding Firmware Version 1.0.7

Firmware Changes:

I came across this Photoshop action by Noel Carboni which is claiming to remove the famous Black Dot problem of Canon 5D Mark II that occurs in certain conditions. Actually there are two actions: One that removes black dots to the right of the lights and one that removes them from above. I haven't tested the actions myself but samples and discussions on the forums shows that it does work. Great Job Noel!

As you know, Canon already accepted the problem along with the banding issue, and I hope they come up with a final solution for this problem very soon, something that will not require an action or any kind of post processing of course.