Lexar presents ARMOR GOLD SD Card with a stainless-steel construction that is 37x stronger than typical SD cards

Lexar announced the launch of an ‘indestructible’ SD card made entirely of stainless steel. Something like the Cybertruck of SD cards :)

The ARMOR GOLD SD Card with a stainless-steel construction that is 37x stronger than typical SD cards, it is designed to withstand grueling usage out in the wild while offering up to 210MB/s[1] write speed and Video Speed Class 60 (V60) to seamlessly capture 6K footage.

There is yet no info about when those cards will be available to market.

Additional note: Lots of Lexar gear has big discounts on their Amazon page (Click here) and at BHphoto.

Firmware update for two Sigma zooms

【Applicable product and version】

【Benefit of the update】

  • When AF mode is set to AF-C (continuous AF), the camera’s ability to track the subject while zooming has been improved.

【How to update】

Please click on ‘For Windows’ or ‘For Mac’ in the firmware download page below for your lens in Sony E-mount, read “Before updating” and follow the update procedure.
https://www.sigma-global.com/en/support/firmware/lenses/?mount=sony-e

These were the ten best-selling cameras in Japan in 2024

2024 is over and BCN finally shared the accurate data showing the top 10 best selling cameras of this year:

  1. Sony VLOGCAM ZV-E10 – 16.0% market share
  2. Canon EOS R50 – 11.6% market share
  3. Canon EOS R10 – 6.7% market share
  4. Sony α6400 – 5.8% market share
  5. Sony α7C II – 4.9% market share
  6. Nikon Z50  – 4.3% market share
  7. OM Digital Solutions OLYMPUS PEN E-P7 – 3.9% market share
  8. Nikon Zf 40mm f/2 (SE) Lens Kit – 3.4% market share
  9. Sony VLOGCAM ZV-E10 II – 3.2% market share
  10. Panasonic LUMIX G1000 – 3.1% market share

Nearly looks like the ZV-E10 is the one camera making money for the Alpha system :)

Reminder: BCN collected the real sale data of nearly half the Japanese Store.

Update your OWC cards to fix a minor issue!

Just recently I reported about a major price drop on the 4.0 generation Type A cards from OWC. Now you get it for $339 at BHphoto and Amazon. That’s a near 40% price drop! But there is an important info to share if you now own one of those cards:

PetaPixel reports that:

OWC discovered an unusual bug. After extended, continuous use, the card can lock up. OWC explains that this only occurs during “extreme” use, which it describes as an “edge case,” but it is technically possible to experience the issue.
If a user pushes their Atlas CFexpress Type A card to this extreme limit and runs into the issue, it will no longer be usable. However, OWC explains that the data on the card is not lost or inaccessible; it is simply that new data cannot be written on the card until the problem has been fixed.

Just announced: New SmallRig Cage Kit for Sony Alpha 1 II / Alpha 9 III (with Airtag support)

Press text:
SmallRig is thrilled to announce the upcoming release of the SmallRig Cage Kit for Sony Alpha 1 II / Alpha 9 III (preorder here).
The All-Round Cage Three-point locking system Comfortable leather grip Rich expansion options
L-Shape Mount Plate Unobstructed orientation switching AirTag compartment Intergrated bottom Arca-Swiss Quick release plate for convenience
Key features:
  • Brand-new streamlined design with precision-fit protection and unobstructed button access
  • Three-point secure locking installation that does not require removing the D-rings
  • Various interfaces including 1/4″-20 threaded holes, 1/4″-20 locating holes, ARRI 3/8″-16 locating holes, cold shoe mounts,
  • HawkLock H21 NATO rail, strap slots and QD socket. Unlimited expansion options with handles, microphones, LED video lights, monitors, shoulder straps, wrist straps and more
  • Built-in NATO rail enables quick assembly and disassembly of handles (ID 4485). The baseplate, compatible with quick release mount plates (ID 4486), ensures secure mounting with a one-click auto-lock mechanism
  • Built-in Arca-Swiss quick release plate for quick switch between handheld, tripod, or gimbal (DJI RS 2 / RSC 2 / RS 3 / RS 3 Pro / RS 4 / RS 4 Pro) shooting