Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips
Nikon Rumors thinks (90% sure) that the Nikon D5000 will appear at PMA 2009 based on intel from a source that NR considers very reliable.
(Source: NR)
More rumors/news at Photography Bay’s Nikon D5000 rumors page.
If you were curious about the art filters in the Olympus E-620 and E30, this video gives a good rundown on how they can be used in everyday shooting. The E-620 really does seem like a fun DSLR and it’s priced very competitively. I can see the E-620 being a great family-friendly camera for vacations, soccer games or just artsy fun.
You can connect with Olympus more at Get Olympus on Facebook.
The Samsung TL320 is a 12 megapixel point and shoot camera. The TL320 carries the trendy form that is becoming rather expected among Samsung cameras. The immediate standout features are two analog gauges on the top of the camera, which give you readouts on remaining battery life and memory card capacity. [Read more…]
The Samsung HZ15W is the big brother to the 10 megapixel HZ10W. The HZ15W is a 12 megapixel point and shoot camera which includes most of the key features that we’ve seen in point and shoot cameras that have been released in 2009. [Read more…]
The Canon PowerShot D10 is Canon’s take on the latest trend in digital cameras – rugged and waterproof bodies. The key feature of the D10 is that it can swim with you as deep as 33 feet. It carries a price tag of $329.99 and should be available in May just in time for the beach.
Check availability at Amazon.com.
The somewhat playfully styled camera is is a bit on the bulky side, but is also well equipped to handle most of the abuse it may encounter outdoors.
If you would like a robust digital camera that will stand out from the crown take a good look at the Powershot D10. It takes a good snapshot and is easy enough to use.
More details from Canon’s press release below.
PRESS RELEASE
Consumers looking for an all-around waterproof, freeze proof and shockproof camera should look no further. The Canon PowerShot D10 Digital Camera, a first of its kind for Canon, comes equipped with a 12.1-Megapixel resolution and 3x Optically Stabilized Zoom lens, making it an ideal companion for thrill-seekers of all types. This uniquely styled camera is amazing for capturing high-resolution images and off-camera editing. The PowerShot D10 Digital Camera can withstand depths up-to-33-feet deep, is freeze proof from 14 degrees Fahrenheit and shockproof up-to-four feet. To add a little fun and funky style to this great camera, an optional accessory kit is available containing distinctive accessories, such as a customized strap, cool face plates and a carabineer hook (attached to a strap). The PowerShot D10 IS Digital Camera is scheduled to be available in early May for an estimated retail price of $329.99.
Canon offers no rest for the weary with its line up of no less than 4 new PowerShot SD-series cameras (making it 10, yes 10, new point and shoot camera models from Canon). Packed with every bell and whistle you can put in a pocket-sized camera, Canon is refreshing a line of cameras that’s still plenty fresh.
Check availability at Amazon.com.
The Canon PowerShot SD970 IS Digital ELPH is a very good camera for those seeking a compact camera with a large, ultra-sharp LCD, extra zoom power, and lots of point-and-shoot features.
The Canon PowerShot SD970 Digital ELPH takes good, vivid photos up to ISO 200 and there’s some detail smudging from ISO 400 onwards (something that’s common as compact cameras increase noise reduction levels).
Check availability at Amazon.com.
Check availability at Amazon.com.
Check availability at Amazon.com.
Small, very user-friendly and capable in most situations, the Canon SD1200 upholds the ELPH reputation for style and quality.
Simple and stylish, the Canon PowerShot SD1200 IS is a fine back-pocket camera as long as your photo-quality expectations are reasonable.
More details from Canon’s press release below.
Whether the activity du jour involves dancing ’til dawn, attending a black-tie gala or a quiet evening for two, Canon’s colorfully clad Digital ELPH Cameras are there to capture the magic of the moment and preserve the memory for years to come. Their substantive and stylish box and circle design, and striking colors, are the perfect complement to any situation and offer both the fashion-forward and feature-hungry photographer an all-in-one must-have camera.
The Canon PowerShot SD970 IS Digital ELPH Camera offers consumers the “ultimate” in design and feature-set. The camera comes fully loaded with 12.1-Megapixels for amazing resolution and editing, plus a 5x Optical Zoom lens with Optical Image Stabilization, all with easy viewing on a large 3.0-inch PureColor LCD II screen. Additional features found on the PowerShot SD970 IS Digital ELPH Camera include Smart AUTO, Blink Detection Technology, Active Display and 720p HD Movie Mode with built-in HDMI connector to view photos and videos on an HDTV. What’s more, the PowerShot SD970 IS Digital ELPH Camera uses advanced features such as Zoom Blur and Creative Light Effect to produce fun and original effects with the camera. Zoom Blur allows the user to zoom during exposure, thus providing a haze-like effect to the image, while Creative Light Effect allows the user to shoot pictures by converting the light from light bulbs and sparks from fireworks into various shapes, such as stars and hearts. The PowerShot SD970 IS Digital ELPH Camera is scheduled to be available in mid-April for an estimated retail price of $379.99.
The elegance and beauty of the Canon PowerShot SD960 IS Digital ELPH Camera epitomizes the ELPH series persona. The camera comes in four subtle hues, including silver, blue, pink and gold, and is equipped with a simple button layout, wide-screen 2.8-inch PureColor LCD II screen, new Active Display and an improved user interface which will intrigue both new and experienced consumers alike. Additional features include Smart AUTO, Blink Detection Technology, 12.1-Megapixel resolution, wide-angle lens (28-112 mm equivalent) and 4x Optical Zoom lens with Optical Image Stabilization. Like the SD970 IS Digital ELPH model, the PowerShot SD960 IS Digital ELPH Camera can shoot 720p HD video and it has an on-camera HDMI connector for easy playback of video and photos on an HDTV. The PowerShot SD960 IS Digital ELPH Camera is scheduled to be available in early March for an estimated retail price of $329.99.
The Canon PowerShot SD780 IS Digital ELPH Camera is for the “fashionista” or “fashionisto” who craves the refined design of a Digital ELPH Camera. The ultra-slim, modern look combined with a choice of four colors – black, red, silver or gold – defines a person’s right to choose a color that truly represents them. However, while color and personalization is top-of-mind, so is substance and feature-set. Compact yet feature-rich, the PowerShot SD780 IS Digital ELPH Camera is equipped with 12.1-Megapixels of high-resolution image capture and 3x Optical Zoom with Optical Image Stabilization. For on-camera viewing, the camera features a 2.5-inch PureColor LCD II screen with optical viewfinder. Additional features found on the PowerShot SD780 IS Digital ELPH Camera include Smart AUTO, Blink Detection Technology and 720p HD Movie Mode with built-in HDMI connector for viewing video and photos on an HDTV. The PowerShot SD780 IS Digital ELPH Camera is scheduled to be available in mid-March for an estimated retail price of $279.99.
The Canon PowerShot SD1200 IS Digital ELPH Camera is a great entry-level ELPH camera and comes in six bright colors, including dark gray, blue, pink, green, light gray and orange. With features such as Smart AUTO and 10.0-Megapixels of resolution, printing large-size images with clarity and detail is a breeze. The PowerShot SD1200 IS Digital ELPH Camera is scheduled to be available in mid-March for an estimated retail price of $229.99.
Canon has updated its PowerShot A-series with three additional camers that come in 12.1 megapixel and 10 megapixel flavors. Geared toward the budget shopper, prices range from $129.99 to $249.99.
Check availability at Amazon.com.
Canon’s PowerShot A2100 IS is a good value compact with a longer than average zoom range, excellent image quality and very effective image stabilisation.
Check availability at Amazon.com.
Aside from a couple performance quibbles, the Canon PowerShot A1100 IS provides a good point-and-shoot experience with great pictures as a result.
Check availability at Amazon.com.
More details from Canon’s press release below.
PRESS RELEASE
From the tentative first-timer to the passionate photographer, the PowerShot A-Series product line provides the ever-present convenience and cost-effectiveness of being power driven by two AA batteries. With bright, bold, new colors, no wonder the A-Series line is a convenient must-have among consumers.
Now the Canon PowerShot A2100 IS Digital Camera design has evolved to be smaller in size and higher in performance, but has maintained the essence of the A-Series persona with a mode dial for more creative control. Features such as 12.1-Megapixel resolution, 6x Optical Zoom lens with Optical Image Stabilization, large 3.0-inch LCD screen and new Smart AUTO enables this camera to be a go-everywhere and shoot anywhere product. The PowerShot A2100 IS Digital Camera is scheduled to be available in early-April for an estimated retail price of $249.99.
The Canon PowerShot A1100 IS Digital Camera is ideal for the color-conscious consumer. The camera comes in four captivating shades, including gray, blue, pink and green, and the fun doesn’t stop at colors. Features such as 12.1-Megapixel resolution, 4x Optical Zoom lens with Optical Image Stabilization, large 2.5-inch LCD screen with Optical Viewfinder and the new Smart AUTO enables this camera to also be a go-anywhere and match any lifestyle accessory. The PowerShot A1100 IS Digital Camera is scheduled to be available in March for an estimated retail price of $199.99.
The Canon PowerShot A480 Digital Camera is designed for the person on a budget, while offering the perfect balance of features for anyone who just wants to take the camera out of the box and start taking pictures. The new A480 Digital Camera is packed with Canon imaging technology features, such as a 10.0-Megapixel sensor and 3.3x Optical Zoom, with Canon’s DIGIC III imaging processor and a 2.5-inch LCD screen. Enveloped in color, the new model gives consumers four color options to fit their style, including red, blue, silver and black. The PowerShot A480 Digital Camera is sure to be a hit as a starter camera for younger photographers and people looking to upgrade from a traditional film camera. The PowerShot A480 Digital Camera is scheduled to be available in March for an estimated retail price of $129.99.
Fuji has added the J250 and J20 to is budget model lineup at $199.95 and $129.95, respectively. Each camera has a 10 megapixel sensor. The J20 has a 3x optical zoom and a 2.7″ LCD, while J250 has a 3″ LCD and 5x optical zoom.
Check availability on Amazon.com:
More details in the following press release. [Read more…]
The Fuji FinePix F200EXR is a 12 megapixel point and shoot camera, which features Fuji’s EXR technology. The Super CCD EXR technology offers some pretty lofty promises for those who demand better performance from point and shoot cameras. The sensor operates in 3 modes depending on the situation: (1) high resolution; (2) high sensitivity; and (3) wide dynamic range. If the F200EXR lives up to Fuji’s promises, it could be a new step for point and shoot camera image quality.
The F200EXR was initially available in February 2009 for $399.95. Check availability and current prices on Amazon.com.
Photography Bay (hands-on preview)
Based on my first impression of the new F200EXR, I think it is going to be one of the handful of truly standout cameras in the sea of boring “me too” point and shoot cameras released in the first quarter of 2009.
There’s some to-die-for technology going on behind the lens of the F200EXR. The pixel-level control of the sensor is well implemented, with even an Auto option that intelligently selects the best exposure method.
The Fuji Finepix F200exr is a good all round camera, offering some innovative extra features. Although it can be used as a point and shoot camera you will need to spend some time getting to know the features available if you are to get the most out of this camera.
I can very well imagine the user leaving the EXR in auto mode and leaving the other functionalities for what they are. And this is also what the Fujifilm FinePix F200EXR is made for.
The Fuji FinePix F200 EXR is well-made premium compact that represents a major technological breakthrough in terms of sensor design and performance, and a welcome return to form for Fuji’s flagship compact series.
The Fuji Finepix F200 EXR turns in an exceptional level of image quality, better than any camera in its class by a wide margin.
Buy this camera if . . . You’re looking for a well-built, slimline digicam with moderate zoom, good wide-angle coverage, image stabilisation and plenty of point-and-press shooting modes.
The new EXR mode is as effective in practice as it is revolutionary in principle. The D-Range Priority (DR) mode in particular is literally a real eye-opener, recording much greater dynamic range and preserving more detail in the shadows and highlights than either the F200EXR’s own high-resolution mode, or any other compact camera that we’ve ever reviewed.
Valhalla, N.Y., February 4, 2009 – Following the long line of award-winning F-series models, FUJIFILM U.S.A., Inc., today announced its latest and greatest, the FinePix F200EXR digital camera, introducing the world to Super CCD EXR technology. Combining the 12-MegaPixel, Super CCD EXR with a powerful Fujinon 5.0x wide angle optical zoom lens and a larger 3.0″ high-resolution LCD, the FinePix F200EXR is Fujifilm’s most advanced compact digital camera yet.
First announced in September 2008 on the tenth anniversary of Fujifilm’s FinePix cameras, Super CCD EXR is a revolutionary new sensor developed in the rigorous pursuit of high image quality.
“There is strong demand in the digital camera market to increase the number of pixels on a sensor, which, all too often, is used as a convenient yardstick for image quality,” said David Troy, marketing manager, Consumer Digital Cameras, Electronic Imaging Division, FUJIFILM U.S.A., Inc. “Consumers have realized there’s more to a good picture than just the number of MegaPixels, and with our Super CCD EXR sensor we prove that true image quality is about a combination of many factors like tone, hue, color fidelity, dynamic range, sharpness, and resolution – all brought to life vividly in the FinePix F200EXR.”
As with previous award-winning F-series models such as the FinePix F10, F31fd, F50fd and F100fd, the F200EXR is a powerful, feature-packed compact digital camera aimed at consumers looking for the most sophisticated in feature-rich point and shoots.
The FinePix F200EXR offers 3 selectable modes in one sensor:
Fine Capture Mode (High Resolution), which deploys all twelve million pixels, and is designed to offer the finest detail of intricate subjects when light is full and even;
Pixel Fusion Mode (High Sensitivity and Low Noise), which caps two adjacent pixels together to produce six million large photodiodes, which are big enough to absorb light in the darkest of conditions, to produce low-light shots of extraordinary quality with minimal noise and grain; and
Dual Capture (Wide Dynamic Range), which captures different exposures with two sets of six million pixels, which, when combined, gives an excellent level of detail in highlights and low lights that would otherwise be lost.
In addition to the new Super CCD EXR sensor, the F200EXR offers the most advanced technologies available, including Dynamic Range Bracketing, Dual Image Stabilization, Face Detection 3.0, and ISO settings of up to an unprecedented ISO 12800, allowing you to capture any shot, any place and at any time with the lowest noise signature to date.
EXR AUTO
With EXR AUTO, the F200EXR recognizes the subject and scene, and automatically decides the optimum EXR shooting mode. With three options of Fine Capture Technology with High Resolution, Pixel Fusion Technology for High Sensitivity and Low Noise, and Dual Capture Technology for Wide Dynamic Range – that users can also select manually – the camera combines the best of EXR selectable sensor modes with SR Auto Automatic Scene Recognition.
New to the F200EXR are an extra-large 3.0” LCD (the better to see all your great photos), HD Photo to capture still photos at 1920 x 1080, HD output (to view high image quality on your HDTV) and new film simulation modes (based on Fujifilm’s legendary Velvia, Provia and Soft lines), including Sepia and Black and White modes.
Wider Dynamic Range – Up to 800%
Dynamic Range, or the gradations of light that exist between bright and dark in any setting, can be easily detected by the human eye, but not by most cameras. Through a combination of advances in Fujifilm’s new Super CCD EXR and Real Photo Processor, this wide dynamic range dramatically broadens tonal capability and guarantees exceptional rendition of photos with both bright highlights and dark shadows. This expansion of sensitivity captures greater detail, and subtle nuances of brightness and tonality that bring the photo closer to what the human eye actually sees.
In addition to these advances, the FinePix F200EXR has a number of other impressive features:
• Super Intelligent Flash: The new “Super Intelligent Flash” is the flash control technology that lets you take flash-assisted macro shots without flash washout. Integrated in the AUTO mode, this next-generation flash system makes it easy to capture subjects and background in bright, clear and natural detail over the full flash range including ultra close-ups.
• Face Detection 3.0: Featuring automatic red eye removal, it can detect up to 10 human faces in a scene with super fast speed, automatically correcting focus, exposure, and white balance, regardless of where subjects are located within the frame.
• Dual Image Stabilization: Combines mechanical sensor shift image stabilization with the effects produced with higher ISO.
• Continuous Shooting: Top 3 /Final 3 at 1.4 frames per second at full resolution and Top 12/ Final 5 frames per second at 3-MegaPixels.
• High Speed Playback: No waiting for high resolution images to load during playback. The FinePix F200EXR can display images at full resolution at 10 frames per second.
• Portrait Enhancer Mode: Mimicking a professional photo studio setting, by using Face Detection and preset camera settings, Portrait Enhancer minimizes fine lines and small skin blemishes for smooth, natural looking portraits.
• Dual Shot Mode: In this selectable mode, the FinePix F200EXR quickly shoots two images in rapid succession – one with the flash and one without – and saves both. This convenient function lets users perform a comparison at their convenience and select the most pleasing image.
• Special Scene: The FinePix F200EXR has 17 pre-programmed scenes, including a special underwater scene mode for use with a special underwater casing.
• White Balance (Underwater): Adjusts color temperature for more beautiful blues; you are ready to dive into another world of photography.
• Micro Thumbnail: A playback feature that allows for viewing an index-style print on the LCD. The FinePix F200EXR will show up to 100 images in micro form, and the control buttons are used to select specific images.
• xD / SD / SD-HC Compatible slot: The FinePix F200 EXR features a “xD/SD Compatible slot” which accepts not only Fujifilm’s traditional xD-Picture Cards but also Secure Digital (SD) and SD-High Capacity/SD-HC cards too.
The FinePix F200EXR will debut in February 2009 at a retail price of $399.95.
The Fuji A150 is a 10 megapixel point and shoot camera featuring a 3x optical zoom and 3″ LCD. Conveniently, it is powered by AA batteries. The A150 should be available in February 2009 for $129.95. Check availability on Amazon.com.
More details in the press release below. [Read more…]