Canon UK have extended the cashback program on Canon 450D and 500D cameras and kits through February 24, 2010. Discounts range from £30 to £50.
UK shoppers can see all the cameras here on Jessops.com.
Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips
By Eric Reagan
Canon UK have extended the cashback program on Canon 450D and 500D cameras and kits through February 24, 2010. Discounts range from £30 to £50.
UK shoppers can see all the cameras here on Jessops.com.
By Eric Reagan
The Canon 1D Mark IV and Nikon D3s are the two latest powerhouse DSLRs from the respective manufacturers. As a quick rundown on the spec sheet, the Nikon D3s offers a 12.1-megapixel FX format sensor, while the Canon 1D Mark IV features a 16.1-megapixel APS-H (1.3x crop) sensor. Both cameras offer extreme high ISO settings, up to the equivalent of ISO 102,400.
Which one offers the best noise control at these crazy-high ISO settings? Read on to find out. [Read more…]
By Eric Reagan
Alien Skin’s Blow Up 2 is a Photoshop plugin designed to help you create images that are larger than the native resolutions coming out of your camera. Alien Skin provided me with a review sample of Blow Up 2 and mentioned words like “presets”, “single-click” and “take the complexity out.” I took them up on their claims and gave it a spin.
While I don’t enlarge many prints beyond 8×10, I have, on occasion, used Photoshop’s bicubic image sample method to enlarge prints up to 20″ x 30″. I have always thought that this capability in Photoshop works pretty well. That was, however, until I saw the results from resizing using the Blow Up 2 plugin. [Read more…]
By Eric Reagan
The Ricoh CX3 is a 10MP point and shoot camera with a back-illuminated CMOS sensor, a 10.7x optical zoom (28-300mm equivalent) and has the ability to capture HD video. The CX3 should be available in February 2010 at an initial retail price of $399.99.
Ricoh today launched its latest model in the acclaimed CX series of digital compact cameras. With a pedigree of award-winning predecessors, the new CX3 features a host of innovative features, this time including a back-illuminated CMOS sensor to deliver a new level of detail in low light photography.
The essential difference between conventional sensors and the CX3’s improved CMOS sensor is its construction. Using a revolutionary structure to more efficiently capture light coming through the lens, this new sensor greatly increases sensitivity while also reducing noise. When combined with new noise-reducing technology borrowed from the Ricoh GR Digital III, the result is dramatic – beautiful images that have maintained their original resolution, tone characteristics and colour saturation, even at night.
While image quality has been addressed, Ricoh’s commitment to bringing professional photos within reach of the amateur continues with the CX3. A new “scene auto mode” has been added which identifies the image subject and automatically selects the most appropriate scene mode. Whether taking photographs of panoramic landscapes, portraits of the family, action shots at the tennis or getting up close with wildlife, the CX3 takes the guess work and hassle out of mode selection.
Ricoh has also made an effort to increase shooting options with the eagerly-anticipated addition of a 1280 x 720 pixel HD movie function. Adding to its cinematic appeal, the CX3 offers a number of aspect ratios including 16:9 which creates images in a size that delivers maximum impact on a wide-screen television.
Among the other key features, the popular dynamic range double shot mode has been further refined. Using this mode, the camera takes two images with different exposures almost simultaneously, then combines the best exposed parts of each image into a final recorded version. With the introduction of the CX3, photographers are now able to specify the tone range to be given priority – whether it be the highlights or the shadows. Five new settings have also been added to control the dynamic range expansion effect – choose ‘auto’ or four levels ranging from very weak to strong. In scenes which include mixed light, for example, a bright sunlit background with people in the shadowed foreground, images are faithfully recreated with the same detail seen by the naked eye.
The CX3 inherits the 10.7x (28-300 mm equivalent) optical wide-angle zoom lens from its predecessor which, when combined with super-fast continuous shooting speeds of 5 frames per second, user-friendly auto focus (AF) functions which automatically respond to subject movement and scene modes including ‘pets’, ‘high contrast black & white’ and ‘miniaturise’, the photo possibilities are endless.
Available from leading electronics retailers and camera specialists from February 19, the Ricoh CX3 features an inlay handgrip and is available in black, violet and two-tone grey-pink.
By Eric Reagan
The Olympus PEN E-PL1 is a 12.3MP Micro Four Thirds camera that features a number of improvements over the original E-P1. The E-PL1 features a built-in pop-up flash, a direct record button for recording HD video, along with expected features like sensor-based image stabilization and full time live view on the 2.7-inch LCD. The E-PL1 will be offered in a kit with a 14-42mm f3.5/5.6 zoom lens.
The Olympus E-PL1 was first available in March 2010 at an initial retail price of $599.99.
By Eric Reagan
Along with the E-PL1, Olympus has announced two new lenses for the Micro Four Thirds system – the 9-18mm F4.0-5.6 and 14-150mm F4.0-5.6 lenses. With the 2x crop factor of the Micro Four Thirds system, these lenses are the equivalent of an 18-36mm and a 28-300mm lens, respectively, on a full frame camera.
The Olympus 9-18mm f/4-5.6 lens should be available in May 2010 at an initial retail price of $699.99. Check availability on Amazon.com.
The Olympus 14-150mm f/4-5.6 lens should be available in June 2010 at an initial retail price of $599.99. Check availability on Amazon.com.
More details in the press release below. [Read more…]
By Eric Reagan

The Nikon Coolpix P100 is a 10.3MP superzoom camera with a 26x optical zoom lens and optical VR image stabilization. The P100 can capture 1080p HD video, features in-camera HDR image merge and a 3-inch LCD. The P100 should be available in March 2010 at an initial retail price of $399.95.

MELVILLE, NY (Feb. 2, 2010) – Nikon Inc. today unveiled the new COOLPIX P100 digital camera, marking a series of firsts for Nikon with the debut of a CMOS image sensor and full High Definition (HD) movie (1080p) capabilities in the COOLPIX line. Additionally, with an expansive 26x Optical Wide Angle Zoom-NIKKOR ED glass lens and a 3.0-inch 460,000-dot vari-angle Clear Color Display LCD screen, the COOLPIX P100 delivers a compact camera fully equipped and readily able to expand a user’s photographic potential.
The COOLPIX P100 is Nikon’s first compact camera to offer full HD movie (1080p), allowing consumers to entertain audiences with movies that capture the entire impact of a scene at the touch of a dedicated movie-record button. A stereo microphone optimally mounted on top of the camera accurately captures audio to further enhance the video capture experience. Contributing to compositional freedom, both the optical zoom and autofocus functions are available while recording video. Additionally, the high-speed movie function provides the added benefit of recording movies that can be played back in slow motion or fast motion to create artistic effects. To further ease integration into an existing home theater system, an HDMI connector allows for easy playback on a compatible HDTV.
“Our portfolio of cameras is designed to ensure that any photographer, at any level, can find the camera that feels right for them,” said Bo Kajiwara, director of marketing, Nikon Inc. “The P100 blends a stellar lens with creative automatic and manual features to allow the more advanced consumer to explore the boundaries of their photographic capabilities.”
The Nikon COOLPIX P100 digital camera features a 10.3-megapixel backside illumination CMOS sensor, which enables high-speed shooting at 10 frames per second (fps) at full resolution and exceptional image quality even when shooting in low light settings. Other functions benefitting from the lower noise and exceptional image quality of the new CMOS image sensor include an in-camera high dynamic range (HDR) function, which merges images of the same scene to achieve a single image with a broad range of tonal detail. Additionally, the Night Landscape mode combines a series of consecutive shots taken at a fast shutter speed into a single image with reduced noise when taking handheld shots in night scenes.
The versatility of the COOLPIX P100 digital camera is also attributed to its new 26x Optical Wide Angle Zoom-NIKKOR ED glass lens. This lens offers unparalleled compositional freedom, with its wide angle (26mm) to super telephoto coverage (678mm). The broad focal range lets consumers capture a variety of shots and scenes, ranging from sweeping landscapes to action shots taking place far away on a sports field. For further versatility, this extraordinary lens allows the user to take images or video as close as 0.4 inches while in macro mode. As part of the flagship Performance Series of COOLPIX compact digital cameras, the COOLPIX P100 is the ideal photographic tool for photo enthusiasts, sports and travel photographers and consumers with more advanced photography skills who crave a high performance camera.
Additional features of the Nikon COOLPIX P100 digital camera include:
The Nikon COOLPIX P100 digital camera will be available nationwide in March 2010 and will retail for $399.95* MSRP. For more information on the P100 and all COOLPIX cameras, please visit www.nikonusa.com.
By Eric Reagan

The Nikon L110 is a 12.1MP superzoom camera featuring a 15x optical zoom lens (28-420mm equivalent) with optical VR image stabilization, a 3-inch LCD screen and the ability to capture 720p HD video. Check out Photography Bay’s Nikon L110 review.
The Nikon L110 should be available in February 2010 at an initial retail price of $279.95. Check availability on Amazon.com.

The Nikon L22 is a 12MP point and shoot camera with a 3.6x optical zoom lens, a 3-inch LCD and is powered by AA batteries. Check out Photography Bay’s Nikon L22 review.
The Nikon L22 should be available in February 2010 at an initial retail price of $129.95. Check availability on Amazon.com.
By Eric Reagan

Nikon has updated the Coolpix S-Series with 4 new compact point and shoot cameras. [Read more…]
By Eric Reagan

The Hasselblad H4D-40 is a 40-megapixel medium format camera geared toward high-end 35mm photographers. The H4D is packaged with Hasselblad’s Phocus 2.0 software for processing images from the camera. The H4D-40 ships from Hasselblad with the camera body, viewfinder and 80mm lens for $19,995.
More details in the press release below.