TechRadar reports that the momentous mark has taken 23 years to achieve, with the first lens an Ultrasonic Motor – EF 300mm f/2.8L USM arriving in 1987. It was a lens considered an essential piece of kit for wildlife and sports photographers.

The article goes into other lens firsts that have occurred in the 23 year period, before speculating on what the next 23 years might bring – holo-lenses, 3-D ready kit and, of course, the ability to see through walls…

Sadeh Halbrecht's entry - Infinity

Product makers and organizers of the competition, Kata, have been looking to find the ‘Dream Bag’ since November and are offering some amazing prizes for finalists. Kata say,

We believe that in opening this channel to the general public greater advantage is actually for you the photographers out there who never get heard and whose ideas can help us make products that meet your actual real needs.”

It isn’t just the winning designer who will get to walk away with some great Canon products (and of course their unique bag design made) the second and third place designers will also win a 7D complete with lenses and accessories.

Kata will be putting all applicants through an extensive judging process using online voters, Kata representatives and a panel of independent judges to help find the perfect camera bag.

Entrants have until March 1st to submit their designs.

For more details on the competition and how to get involved, head over to http://www.dreambagchallenge.com.

Canon Camera Buzz stalwart and trialist Phil Campbell has posted a video showcasing the low light capabilities of his HG10 on his five minute pre-dawn drive to work. It’s overlaid with a seriously good bit of music and worth checking out.

Over at Schwammy Says, Andrew ‘Schwammy’ Schwam has written a detailed review about his new HG10. There are common themes coming through – as in other reviews we’ve linked to, he loves the overall compact size and design, and the excellent LCD playback quality, but he’s not keen on the ‘weak’ navigation wheel and comes up against some problems with HD playback on his PC. He also cautions against getting accessories from Best Buy, who gave him some bad advice and customer service. He’s testing the camera further and editing the footage, so visit the blog to keep up to date with his progress.

Peter Hui from Pasadena, California reports in the DV Info forum that he has just taken delivery of an HG10 and would love to hear from anyone in his area. Peter states that despite having years of digital camera experience, he is new to the world of camcorders, so if you have any advice follow the link and let him know. Peter is also asking experienced camera users for advice on what accessories are essential There’s already been a couple of suggestions, but if you can spot anything that’s not been said, head over and broadcast your wisdom to the world.

Those of a sporting bent will be interested to read the ‘Diary of a Pool Shooter’ in which FastMikie tells of the delivery of his new HG10 in an almost poetical manner:

UPS delivered my Christmas present
late this afternoon.
It’s a present from me, to me.

FastMikie is very taken with the concept of not having to use tapes any more, though he does find transferring footage to the computer to be a bit slow. Despite this, he’s very keen to film his pool games, as there is a much lower risk of running out of space now he has 40 gigs of hard drive to fill.

Have you recently bought an HG10, or are you planning on getting one? Let us know and we’ll be happy to report your experience!