Now that the dust has settled from the Consumer Electronics Show, we've got the lowdown on the good, the bad and the baffling from all the major players

 

1. The Nikon D4S exists and that is all we know

Nikon were quite literal with the term ‘announcement’ this year. The D4S was announced, and that was pretty much it. It’s coming, at some point in the future, and will assuredly cost an amount of money. It will have a new processor of some description. The autofocus will be better. It will have internal parts. It exists. To view more images of the Nikon D4S, visit our Nikon D4S first look page.

2. Polaroid unveils the Socialmatic

The name ‘Polaroid’ never seems to die, and it came out fighting this year. As well as promising a new line of bridge cameras and showing off some adorable (but for the moment non-functioning) action cams, the folk behind Polaroid also debuted the Socialmatic, a camera-tablet-printer for the Instagram crowd. Yep, not only can you instantly upload your images to social networks, but a touch of a button will also cause the device to spit out a 2×3 print, with a QR code embedded in the bottom corner just like you always wanted.

3. Kodak finds itself inspired by the Sony QX series

In one of the sincerest forms of flattery we saw at the show, JK Imaging, one of several companies licensed to use the Kodak name, unveiled the PixPro SL10 and SL25. These two-lens-style bodies look a whole lot like Sony’s QX cameras and it appears that they behave a whole lot like them too. No doubt Kodak is hoping to undercut the technology giant on price, with the SL10 retailing at $199 (£121) and the SL25 at $299 (£181), considerably cheaper than the QX10 and QX100, which initially retailed at £179 and £379 respectively.

4. Canon reveals the N100, it is weird

The first digital camera ever to do a credible impression of the Roman
god Janus, Canon’s dual-camera N100 definitely ranks among the odder
things we saw this year in Las Vegas (which is saying a lot when you
think about it). Featuring an additional rear-mounted camera, the N100
can take an additional shot of the photographer at the moment of image
capture, which it can then embed into the corner of the main image, if you’re into that.

5. Sony officially ditches the NEX branding with the a5000

The launch of the a5000 officially marks the end of the NEX series, news that broke to us with the launch of the a7 and a7R back in October. The diminiuitive a5000 is the harbinger of the new direction of the Alpha series – styled like the NEX series, it’s the smallest and lightest Wi-fi equipped CSC on the market. On the inside however it resembles its Alpha predecessors, with a 20.1MP APS-C sensor and the Bionz X processor from the a7 and a7R.

6. Fuji unleashes the fastest lens in the X Series

Following the success of several splendid lenses in Fujifilm’s X-series comes the Fujinon XF56mm f/1.2, a portrait lens with a beautifully fast aperture that should make it an excellent performer in low light situations. With extra-low dispersion elements, one double-sided aspherical element and four elements with a convex surface facing the subject, the XF56mm’s image resolution should be more than able to keep up even at maximum aperture.

7. Leica DG Nocticron brings f/1.2 to Micro Four Thirds

The XF56mm wasn’t the only superfast lens to debut at CES – the new Leica DG Nocticron 42.5mm f/1.2, unveiled by Panasonic, also looks rather lovely, and has the distinction of being the fastest lens yet produced for the Micro Four Thirds standard. We were lucky enough to get hold of one for a hands-on first look, and while it’s got a good deal of heft to it, the near-silent operation and quick focusing are both seriously impressive.