Photography Bay

Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips

Polaroid Z2300 Instant Digital Camera

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Polaroid Z2300

The Polaroid Z2300 is a new instant digital cameras that spits out 2″ x 3″ prints directly from the camera using Polaroid’s ZINK paper.  The Z2300 features a 10MP sensor and a 3-inch LCD.

Frankly, I find these Polaroid cameras and printers a lot of fun – even if they do get a little pricey on the printing side of things.  I’ve used the Polaroid GL10 printer quite a bit and really like it for fun projects.  As a casual camera, the Z2300 looks like it could strike the right chords.

Even the paper has come down in price with 50 packs at $24.99 and 30 packs at $14.99.  The camera itself retails for $159.99 and is expected to ship August 15, 2012.  Check availability in the Polaroid store and B&H Photo.

More details in the press release below. [Read more…]

 

Sony RX100 Compact Camera With a Big Sensor

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Sony RX100 Front

The Sony RX100 official details have dropped, revealing the new 20.2MP compact camera with a much larger sensor than other compact zoom cameras around.

The 1-inch CMOS image sensor is the same size as the Nikon 1 Series interchangeable lens models.  The fixed zoom lens provides 28-100mm equivalent zoom range with a max f/1.8 aperture.

The RX100 sports AVCHD 2.0 video capture at full 1080/60p at 28Mbps data rates.  The sensitivity ranges up to ISO 6400 for low light capture, or up to ISO 25600 using a multiframe capture feature.

The Sony RX100 retails for $650 and should be available in July 2012.  Check availability at B&H Photo.

More details in the press release below. [Read more…]

Sony Cybershot DSC-RX100 is a New Compact Camera Using the Nikon 1 Series Sensor Format

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Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100

The Sony Cybershot RX100 has leaked on the Japanese website Digicame-info.  The camera looks very much like a compact point and shoot camera; however, one key difference (based on rumored specifications) is the presence of a much larger image sensor in the RX100.

The CMOS imager is rumored to be 13.2mm x 8.8mm, which is the same size as the Nikon 1 Series cameras (or CX format sensor / 2.7x crop).  Of course, this makes a lot of sense – given that Nikon has sourced larger image sensors from Sony for years now.  It looks like Sony will be making use of its own manufacturing efficiencies for this format.

Check out the chart below for a comparison of how the Sony RX100 sensor stacks up against other mirrorless and DSLR cameras. [Read more…]

Leica V-Lux 40 Compact Camera

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V-Lux 40

The Leica V-Lux 40 is a new compact camera that follows the V-Lux 30 in the point and shoot lineup.  The V-Lux 40 sports a 15.3MP CMOS image sensor and a 20x zoom lens (24-480mm equivalent).  The camera captures full-HD video and sports a built-in GPS module.

The Leica V-Lux 40 ships with Photoshop Elements 10 and Premiere Elements 10.  Priced at $699, the V-Lux 40 is available here at B&H Photo.

More details in the press release below. [Read more…]

Sony Set to Launch an APS-C G1 X Competitor?

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Canon G1 X

Sony Alpha Rumors is pegging a compact Sony APS-C camera that will go head-to-head with the Canon G1 X.  Reportedly, the camera would use a pancake zoom lens to keep the size down.

I think Sony has a great thing going with the NEX line. So, I’m very interested to see what such a camera could add to Sony’s lineup.  If anything, I think a fixed-lens camera seems more accessible to a larger market.  This isn’t necessarily in terms of price (the Canon G1 X isn’t cheap), but rather in terms of perceived user experience. [Read more…]

New Nikon Point and Shoots: P510, P310, S30, S9300, S6300, S4300, S3300, L810 & L26

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Nikon P510

Nikon P510

Nikon has unveiled its latest round of a new Coolpix point and shoot models, from the top P510 with its 42x zoom lens (24-1000mm equivalent) down to the budget-oriented L26.

Check out the rundown of features and price points from Nikon below. [Read more…]

Canon G1 X Hands-On

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Canon G1 X

The Canon G1 X was a bit of a surprise from the only major camera manufacturer without a mirrorless interchangeable lens system.  While it doesn’t offer interchangeable lenses, the G1 X features an image sensor that’s bigger than the Nikon 1 and Micro Four Thirds (Panasonic and Olympus) cameras.  I had some time with a pre-production model at CES 2012.  Check out my initial hands-on impressions below. [Read more…]

Polaroid SC1630 Hands-On

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Polaroid SC1630

The Polaroid SC1630 is a new Android-based camera that was unveiled at CES 2012.  I had a chance to check it out up close and get a little taste of its performance.

I found it more than a little ironic that Polaroid would produce a camera that looks and feels like a phone while other manufacturers are fighting to differentiate the point and shoot camera from smart phones.

Polaroid SC1630

Even more intriguing is the fact that the Polaroid SC1630 offers a SIM-card slot, along with a speaker and mic that make it possible to use it as a phone. [Read more…]

Canon Announces G1 X and New PowerShot Cameras

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Canon G1 XCanon has dropped a big one here at CES 2012 with the new PowerShot G1 X, which features a 1.5-inch CMOS sensor.  The big sensor is the largest sensor Canon has ever put in a PowerShot camera and looks to rival the compact mirrorless camera market.

The G1 X’s sensor dimensions measure 18.7 x 14mm.  Compare this to Canon’s APS-C DSLRs at 22.3 x 14.9mm, Micro Four Thirds at 18 x 13.5mm, and Nikon’s 1 Series at 13.2 x 8.8mm.  The sensor size on the G1 X provides about a 1.85x crop factor.

Even with such a large sensor, Canon has managed to put a 4x fixed zoom lens on the camera, which is down from a 5x zoom on the Canon G12.  The 15.1-60.4mm lens translate to a full frame equivalent of 28-112mm zoom range.

The big sensor offers 14MP resolution for still images and 1080p video capture.  While the lens starts a f/2.8 on the wide end, as you zoom out, the max aperture drops to f/5.8 at the tele end.  That’s physics though – and what you get when you stuff a 4x zoom in such a compact package using a sensor this big.

The Canon G1 X should be available in February at a retail price of $799.99.  Check availability at B&H, Amazon and Adorama.

I’ll have a full hands-on report here at CES 2012 within the next day or so.  So stay tuned.

In addition to the new G1 X, Canon announced a couple other PowerShots, the ELPH 520HS and ELPH 110HS.  Check them out, along with more details on the G1 X in the press release below. [Read more…]

Fuji FinePix T350 and T400

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Fuji T400

Fuji T400

The Fuji T350 and T400 are the latest addition to Fujifilm’s T-series Travel compact cameras, announced just prior to CES 2012.

The T350 and T400 offer 10x zoom lenses (28-280mm equivalent), 720p HD video capture and sensor-shift image stabilization.  The T400 features a 16MP CCD image sensor, while the T350 packs a 14MP CCD image sensor.

The Fuji T400 should be available in March at a retail price of $149.95. Check availability on Amazon.com.

The Fuji T350 should be available in March at a retail price of $129.95. Check availability on Amazon.com.

Fuji T350

Fuji T350

More details in the press release below. [Read more…]