Pink Camera

Samsung S860 8.1MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom (Pink)

2008-12-28T07:10:00.000-08:00

Samsung S860 8.1MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom (Pink)

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Manufacturer Description

Compact and stylish, the Samsung S860 digital camera features a 3x optical zoom, a Samsung SHD lens, and Digital Image Stabilization (DIS) to help minimize the effect of camera shake and produce sharp, clear images, especially in low-light environments. You can also take advantage of advanced features such as Face Detection and Self Portrait mode.

Face Detection technology makes taking pictures of family and friends a snap, as it detects up to nine faces and automatically adjusts focus and exposure to ensure better composition and image quality. Self Portrait mode is a unique functionality that takes the guessing out of taking a self portrait. By utilizing Face Detection technology, the S860 automatically detects the subject's face, adjusts focus and exposure, and will only allow a photo to be taken if the subject is centered in the frame.

Face Detection technology

Self Portrait mode

You can also benefit from the camera's Function Description feature. Designed to reduce the intimidation factor of the cameras' various modes, Function Description automatically provides a brief and easy to understand description of each setting when scrolling through the cameras' menus, helping the end-user determine which setting is appropriate for their current shooting scenario. Additionally, with 11 scene modes to choose from, including Night, Portrait, Children, Landscape, Close-Up, Sunset, Dawn, Backlight, Fireworks, Beach & Snow, and Self Portrait, shooters can rest assured that they'll be able to effortlessly adjust the camera.

The S860 also boasts a special effects "E" button, which gives users instant access to a host of creative controls, including options for resizing and rotating images, adjusting brightness, contrast and saturation levels, fixing red eye, and manipulating color such as saving captured images as B&W, Sepia, Red, Blue, Green, and Negative. Users can also shoot video with the S860. Movie mode lets users capture video in one of two resolutions, 320x240 or 640x480, at 30 frames per second in AVI (MJPEG) format. Just as in still-picture mode, the DIS image stabilization system can be engaged to compensate for camera shake and to reduce blur.

For maximum versatility, the S860 can be powered by two, readily available AA alkaline batteries, a considerable benefit for travelers and photographers on the go.

Samsung S860 Highlights

8.1 megapixels, 3x optical zoom The Samsung S860 is a high-resolution digital camera that is equipped with a true-color filtered 8.1-megapixel CCD. This allows the Samsung S860 to produce even better images and take detailed photos for printing up to poster size. In addition, the Samsung S860 has a 3x optical and 3x digital zoom giving 9x total zoom when combined.

DIS (Digital Image Stabilization) function DIS technology prevents the degradation of image clarity and colour which is sometimes found in flash photography. With DIS the effects of image blur are reduced in lower light conditions.You can even take well exposed, sharper pictures in low light conditions without using a flash at all, which guarantees brighter and more natural pictures.

Digital Image Stabilization in action

Face Detection AF & AE With the Face Detection AF & AE function, the Samsung S860 enables the user to take better portrait pictures more easily. The function detects faces and automatically focuses on them; the brightness of the faces is adjusted optimally for beautiful portrait pictures.

2.4-inch Intelligent LCD The Samsung S860 has a 2.4-inch LCD with improved contrast and color reproduction for easy image framing and reviewing.

11 Scene Modes You have a choice of scene modes to help you get the perfect shot in any situation. By automatically adjusting the camera's setting according to the situation, you can be sure of getting great pictures effortlessly. The scene modes provided are Children, Landscape, Close-up, Text, Sunset, Dawn, Backlight, Fireworks, Beach & Snow, Night and Portrait.

Function Description & Photo Help Guide

Provides a brief description of the main functions and different modes the camera has to offer.
The different icons, scene modes and other features are described in simple and easy to understand terms to improve the interaction between the user and camera.
A guided tour of how to take better images. Easy to follow tips instruct the user how to obtain excellent results.

Product Description
The Samsung S860 is a high-resolution digital camera that is equipped with a true-color filtered 8.1-Megapixel CCD. This allows the Samsung S860 to take detailed photos for printing up to poster size. With the Face Detection AF & AE function, the Samsung S860 enables the user to take better portrait pictures more easily. This function detects faces and automatically focuses on them. The brightness of the faces is adjusted optimally for beautiful portrait pictures. In macro shooting, it is now possible to take clear, natural pictures. Digital Image Stabilization (DIS) technology prevents the degradation of image clarity and color, which is sometimes found in flash photography. With DIS the effects of image blur are reduced in lower light conditions. You can even take well-exposed, sharper pictures in low light conditions without using a flash at all, which guarantees brighter and more natural pictures. The different icons, scene modes and other features are described in simple and easy to understand terms to improve the interaction between the user and camera. ISO - Auto, 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, and 1000 Flash Modes - Auto, Auto & Red-eye reduction, Fill-in flash, Slow sync, and Flash off Range - Wide 0.3m - 4.0m and Tele 0.5m - 2.1m (ISO AUTO) Self-timer - 2 seconds and 10 seconds Still Image File Format - JPEG (DCF), EXIF 2.2, and DPOF 1.1 Scene Modes - Children, Landscape, Close-up, Text, Sunset, Dawn, Backlight, Fireworks, Beach & Snow, and Night System Requirements - Pentium II 450MHz (Pentium 800MHz recommended), Windows 98SE, 2000, ME, XP, Vista, Mac OS 9.2, 10.4 or later, 64MB RAM, 200MB free space, USB port, CD-ROM drive, 1024x768 pixels, 16-bit color display compatible monitor, Microsoft DirectX 9.0C Dimensions - Approximately Width 3.66 x Height 2.44 x Depth 1.04 (93x62x26.5mm) Weight - 123 grams

Fujifilm Finepix Z20fd 10MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom (Hot Pink)

2008-12-28T07:01:00.000-08:00

Fujifilm Finepix Z20fd 10MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom (Hot Pink)

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Continuing the tradition started by its stylish predecessor, the FinePix Z10fd, the FinePix Z20fd is a new, ultra-glam digital camera packed with useful features that let you face it, beam it, blog it and now roll it with a new MPEG-4 movie recording mode for the movie-crazed among us.

The 10-megapixel FinePix Z20fd features an ultra-portable design, a Fujinon 3x optical zoom lens, 2.5-inch LCD screen, and packs 45MB of internal memory to give you some extra room when your memory card is full. The style-savvy FinePix Z20fd also introduces Fujifilm’s handy new Dual Blog Mode that automatically resizes any still image or movie you've captured, letting you post pictures and videos to blogs, video-sharing websites like YouTube, or e-mail to friends with ease.

Face Detection in action

Automatic Red-Eye Removal

As with the FinePix Z10fd, the Z20fd also allows picture takers to Face It with Fujifilm’s innovative Face Detection Technology with Automatic Red Eye Removal for capturing the ultimate group shots and Beam It with Fujifilm’s IrSimple technology to share the image instantly with friends. A one-touch selectable mode that identifies up to 10 human faces in a scene, Face Detection Technology sets the correct focus for a chosen primary face and exposure for all detected faces automatically, regardless of where subjects are located within the frame. After the shot is taken, each detected face is instantly checked for red eye; if found, it is corrected automatically, saving the time consuming process of fixing it later. Fujifilm’s IrSimple technology allows for fast, easy wireless image transfer to any IrSimple-equipped device.

Fujifilm’s Picture Stabilization Technology uses higher sensitivities -- up to ISO 1600 in the Z20fd -- and faster shutter and operational speeds, that help reduce camera shake, allowing photographers to capture the moment just as it was meant to be captured.

This high-style camera can also Roll It with an impressive Movie mode, capturing full motion MPEG4 video with the touch of a separate movie shutter button. Using the Successive Movie mode, in-camera editing allows for the creation of a 60-second movie clip, even when shooting in two or more scenes is desired. Start and restart multiple times to build a 60-second compilation, and edit the start and end points.

Movie Mode makes it simple to capture and share clips

Additional Features

Dual shutter releases One button for still capture, one for movie record, for ease of use.

i-Flash Intelligent Flash i-Flash detects subtle lighting differences within a scene, and then varies the flash intensity accordingly. It also leverages the high sensitivity of the Z20fd to enable the camera to use less flash, preventing that "blasted with light" effect that so many digital camera flashes leave you with. The result is pleasing, natural tones with no flash "wash-out."

Micro Thumbnail View Clear 10 x 10 array on the big display makes navigating photos easy!

Dual Shot mode In this mode, the FinePix Z20fd quickly shoots two images in succession -- one with and one without the flash -- saving both. This convenient function lets the user perform an on-the-spot picture comparison and decide whether the FinePix Z20fd produced the most pleasing photo with flash, or without.

Special scene modes The FinePix Z20fd has 16 scene positions, including Fireworks, Beach and Snow, offering a one-touch setting for almost any situation.

xD/SD/SDHC-compatible slot A single media slot that accepts both xD Picture Card and SD/SDHC media cards.

Stamp It Add a little fun to your images by "stamping" a variety of fun designs to up to three detected faces in your shots!

Battery life Long-life rechargeable Li-ion battery.

Product Description
10-megapixel effective recording * 2-1/2" LCD screen * 3X optical zoom (5 digital/15X total zoom) * 35mm equivalent lens focal length: 40-120 * top JPEG resolution: 3648 x 2736 * face detection identifies people in your frame and adjusts focus and exposure for better portraits * in-camera red-eye detection and automatic correction * high sensitivity mode (ISO 1600) at full resolution for low-light shooting *

Kodak EasyShare C813 8.2MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom (Pink)

2008-12-28T06:56:00.000-08:00

Kodak EasyShare C813 8.2MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom (Pink)

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The KODAK EASYSHARE C813 Zoom Digital Camera takes such beautiful pictures; youll want to keep them all. With 8.2 MP, 3x zoom and digital image stabilization, you get striking, accurate shots time after time. But the pictures are not all you'll keep. The C813 Zoom Digital Camera comes at a price that lets you keep money right where you like it - in your pocket.

Casio Exilim EX-Z9PK 8MP 3x Zoom 2.6-Inch LCD Screen Digital Camera (Pink)

2008-12-27T09:38:00.000-08:00

Casio Exilim EX-Z9PK 8MP 3x Zoom 2.6-Inch LCD Screen Digital Camera (Pink)

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No matter if you're taking photos of your family at the park or your friends at a concert, with 8.1-Megapixels and 3x optical zoom, the EX-Z9 brings together everything a novice photographer needs. With Exilim 8.1-Megapixel resolution, your pictures will look like they're going to pop out of any digital picture frame in panoramic displays for both still and video shots. In addition to high-quality, VGA-size videos in MPEG-4 format, you can record 16.9 aspect-ratio videos compatible with widescreen TVs. Simply select one of the 23 sample scenes that resembles the type of snapshot or movie you want to shoot, and BEST SHOT sets up the camera accordingly for perfect digital images every time. Easy Mode helps set your camera to take sharp photos every time without checking presets or fumbling with adjustments. With Easy Menus in 3 settings (image size, flash and self-timer), Easy Mode assures that crisp, first-rate photos result each time you click the shutter. Movies File Format - Motion JPEG, AVI format, IMA-ADPCM (monaural) Audio File Format (Voice Recording) - WAV (monaural) Image Sensor - 1/2.5 square pixel CCD Shutter Speed - Auto 1/2 - 1/2000 second and Night Scene 4 - 1/2000 second Aperture - F2.8 - F5.6 (ND filter is being used.) Self-Timer - 10 seconds, 2 seconds, and Triple Recording Functions - Snapshot, Marco, Self-timer, Continuous shooting (Normal Speed CS), BEST SHOT, Face Detection, Movie (Normal Movie, For YouTube), and Voice Recording Monaural Microphone and Speaker Dimensions - Width 3.64 x Height 2.17 x Depth. 91 Weight - 4.48 ounces

Sony Cybershot DSCW120/P 7.2MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom with Super Steady Shot (Pink)

2008-12-27T09:32:00.000-08:00

Sony Cybershot DSCW120/P 7.2MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom with Super Steady Shot (Pink)

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The 7.2-Megapixel Cyber-shot(R) W120 features innovative Smile Shutter technology, which photographs smiles as they happen. A Carl Zeiss 4x optical zoom lens provides high quality close-ups, while Sony's Double Anti-Blur solution gives you crisp, clear images. The advanced Sony Super HAD(TM) (Hole Accumulated Diode) CCD design allows more light to pass to each pixel, increasing sensitivity and reducing noise. Because an off-center subject can make your shot more interesting, a 9-point auto focus measures the focus at 9 precision points instead of 5 giving you greater creative freedom to compose your image. The large, bright 2.5" TFT LCD display makes it easy to compose shots, check results, and read menus in sharp natural color, even in bright sunlight. Face Detection technology automatically controls focus, exposure, color, and flash to help reveal faces in shadows, make skin tones look more natural, reduce red-eye, and eliminate harsh facial glare, so your photos bring out every expression on every face in every shot. Super SteadyShot(R) Image Stabilization compensates for shaky hands and minimizes blur with optical sensors that detect camera movement and send correcting signals to a stabilization lens. For great stills and movies, and simple use, the Sony DSC-W120 is a great, all-around camera. Shutter Speed - Auto (1/4 - 1/1,600) / Program Auto (1 - 1/1,600) Flash Modes - Auto, Forced On, Forced Off, and Slow Synch Movie Modes - MPEG VX Fine with Audio (640x480 at 30fps), MPEG VX Standard with Audio (640x480 at 16fps), Presentation (320 x 240 at 8fps) Scene Modes - Auto, Easy Shooting, Program Auto, Movie, High Sensitivity, Twilight, Twilight Portrait, Soft Snap, Landscape, Beach, Snow, Fireworks, and Smile Shutter Operating System - Microsoft 2000 Professional, Me, XP Home and Professional, Macintosh OS 9.1, 9.2, OS X (10.0-10.4)

Casio EX-Z80 8.1MP Digital Camera - Vivid Pink

2008-12-27T09:25:00.000-08:00

Casio EX-Z80 8.1MP Digital Camera - Vivid Pink

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Good things come in small packages. Like the EX-Z80. With 8.1 megapixels, 3x optical zoom, and Exilim Engine 2.0, this sleek little camera can turn out big pictures. An easy mode, one button video function, and an assortment of color options, mean that this camera is ready to be your sidekick?accompanying you out on the town or into the office. YouTube capture mode, H.264, and enhanced video make uploading and sharing a snap. And the although the camera is compact, the LCD isn't?a 2.6 inch wide screen makes it simple to frame your perfect shot. It's small, it's smart, it's stylish. With the wide video-shooting function (16:9 ratio 848x480), the Exilim plays true to your plasma or LCD television, regardless of size. The future of video is in your Exilim. What more do you need? (Required SD Memory card is optional) Sensitivity Setting - Still - Auto, ISO64, ISO100, ISO200, ISO400, ISO800, ISO1600; Movie - Auto Triple self-timer modes Built-in ElectronicFlash - Auto, Off, On, Soft Flash, Red Eye Reduction with range - Approx.33' to 8.53' (W), approx. 1.97' to 4.59 (T) Mono mic and speaker Built-in quartz digital clock - Date and time - Recorded with image date, Time stamp, Auto calendar up to the year 2049, World time 162 cities (32 zones), City, Date, Time, DST Battery Life per charge up to 210 still images (CIPA Standards); Continuous Playback Approx 3 hr. 30 min. (still images); Continuous Recording Approx 3 hr. 30 min. (voice recording) Unit Dimensions - 3.53 (W) x 2.03 (H) x. 75 (D); Thinnest Part -. 70 ; Weight - 3.53 oz (excluding battery and accessories)

Polaroid A520 Pink Digital Camera 5mp Breast Cancer Awareness

2008-12-26T07:21:00.000-08:00

Polaroid A520 Pink Digital Camera 5mp Breast Cancer Awareness

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Polaroid i631 6MP 3x Optical/4x Digital Zoom Camera (Pink)

2008-12-26T07:18:00.000-08:00

Polaroid i631 6MP 3x Optical/4x Digital Zoom Camera (Pink)

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Point and Shoot!Taking great pictures is a snap with this Polaroid i631 6 MP digital camera!With 3x optical and 4x digital zoom getting finely detailed close up shots is a breeze! With 16 MB of built-in storage you can start snapping pictures right away. The SD card slot lets you swap out as many cards as you want! The i631 features ten scene modes for customized images and ultra red-eye reduction reduces that pesky red-eye in pictures! With the battery level indicator you'll know when to change batteries so you are always prepared for that next shot! Preview your photos the 2.5-inch LCD display! This i631 comes in a fun pink and green casing, letting you match your accessories to your personality!For quality digital photography at a price you can't pass up, order the Polaroid i631 today!

SVP DC-12DX-Pink 12MP Max Thinnest DIGITAL CAMERA VIDEO w/ SOUND!

2008-12-26T07:10:00.000-08:00

SVP DC-12DX-Pink 12MP Max Thinnest DIGITAL CAMERA VIDEO w/ SOUND!

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The SVP DC 12DX delivers quality, up to 12MP interpolated resolution images with a High End "One of the Best In The World" Omnivision CMOS Image Sensor, and the ability to produce images that are suitable for printing at sizes larger than 8x10 inches. Record Full Featured Color Videos and share them with friends and family. The Oversized 2.4" Full Color TFT LCD monitor allows you to see the images and examine them in detail before and after you take a photo or video. An autoflash sensor automatically detects lighting conditions and determines whether the flash should be used or not.
The internal 32 MB of memory allows for storage of images without the use of an external card, however the DC 12DX is expandable using a SD Secure Digital up to 32GB with the built in memory card slot. (most cameras only support up to 2GB SD). Download the images to your computer using the included USB cable, enhance, and retouch them with the included easy to use editing software thats included, or any other image editing software.

Digital Pink 626 Disney Pix Click Princess Digital Camera

2008-12-25T06:36:00.000-08:00

Digital Pink 626 Disney Pix Click Princess Digital Camera

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Product Description
Disney Pix Click Digital Camera- Princess (v1). The first affordable digital camera for kids of all ages. Photos are easily downloaded into your computer. Get creative with Disney Pix photo editing software! You're picture perfect and now your photos can be too! Disney Pix photo editing software lets you create awesome photos and graphics. You can even customize your photos with Disney characters, stamps, frames, and more. 2x digital zoom. 1" color LCD display. Includes: camera, strap, Software CD-Rom, USB cord, Quick start instruction manual.

Product Description
Aspiring photographers can record favorite moments in a snap with their very own digital camera. Each one features a cool Disney theme that allows kids to add that particular character on their photos for a special effect. Includes 16MB memory, USB cable and interactive effects software for adding flair to photos. Holds up to 200 pictures. Requires 2 "AA" batteries (not included). 1.1" color LCD view screenMeasures 4.5" x 1.75" x 2.5".

Argus Sprout Pink Digital Camera Li-on Battery

2008-12-25T06:30:00.000-08:00

Argus Sprout Pink Digital Camera Li-on Battery

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Rugged, water-resistant carabiner digital camera

Case Logic ECB-1 EVA Digital Camera Case (Pink)

2008-12-24T17:24:00.000-08:00

Case Logic ECB-1 EVA Digital Camera Case (Pink)

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PRODUCT FEATURES:Lightweight, molded camera case holds most compact to mid-size camerasDurable, semi-rigid EVA material safeguards your camera against daily wear and tearDetachable wrist strap keeps your camera close at handInternal mesh pocket stores accessories a

Fisher-Price Kid-Tough Digital Camera Pink [Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging]

2008-12-23T07:15:00.000-08:00

Fisher-Price Kid-Tough Digital Camera Pink [Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging]

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Fisher-Price and Amazon.com have teamed up to offer this item in Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging, a recyclable, easy-to-open alternative to traditional packaging. This Frustration-Free Package comes without excess packaging materials such as hard plastic "clamshell" casings, plastic bindings, and wire ties. It’s designed to be opened without the use of a box cutter or knife and will protect your product just as well as traditional packaging during shipping. The Frustration-Free Packaging on this toy eliminates all PVC packaging materials (426.4 sq. in. per individual) and replaces them with recyclable corrugated material. This item ships in its own box, without the need for an additional shipping box.

The Kid Tough Digital Camera from Fisher-Price is rugged enough to go everywhere your child goes. With two-eye viewing, sturdy grips and a built-in flash, this real digital camera is designed to survive being dropped, and it is waterproof to protect against spills and splashes. This camera is a perfect way for kids aged three and up to document all their favorite things.

Easy to Start Taking Pictures
An adult will need to use a screwdriver to install the four AAA batteries before kids get their hands on this camera. With a textured button on the front that releases the shutter and large buttons on the back that let little hands turn the camera on and off, browse through pictures and delete images, using this camera is so easy it doesn't need to come with instructions.

The fun, brightly colored body helps distinguish this camera from boring adult models, making it an instant favorite.

Kid-Friendly Technology
Kids can pick between using the live view on a 1.5-inch color LCD preview screen or looking through the two-eye viewer when taking pictures. The preview screen also lets kids look at pictures the moment after they take them. With a built-in flash that automatically illuminates darkened scenes, and a shutter noise that makes it easy to know when a picture has been taken, kids are sure to be delighted by their images.

The 64 MB built-in memory stores up to 500 pictures and eliminates the need for handling fragile and expensive memory cards. Two image resolution settings, 0.3 and 1.3 interpolated mega pixels, let kids take plenty of pictures and make 4 x 6-inch prints.

Fun, Durable Way to Encourage Creativity
With its big rubberized grips and sturdy construction, we found this camera lived up to its incredibly durable reputation. Able to easily withstand being dropped again and again and waterproof for 30 minutes in up to three feet of water, this camera can handle the rough reality of active play.

The heavy-duty construction that makes this camera so durable can also make it seem somewhat bulky for little hands, but this won't prevent kids from wanting to take it on all their adventures.

Older children and adults may be disappointed by the image quality, but higher resolutions would allow less pictures to be stored and decrease the amount of fun children have with this camera. Kids quickly find that there's plenty of resolution for exercising creative urges and documenting the wonders of everyday life.

The camera comes with a USB cable so pictures can be downloaded quickly and easily for editing and viewing. It is compatible with Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Apple Mac OSX, Apple Mac OS9 and requires a USB port 1.1 or higher for computer connectivity.

What's in the Box
Kid Tough Camera, USB cable, user's manual.

From the Manufacturer
The award-winning and best-selling Kid Tough Digital Camera was the first preschool appropriate digital camera that was tough and easy enough to stand up to rough preschooler use. For Fall 2008, the Kid-Tough Digital Camera is tougher and better than ever with the addition of enhanced "kid-tough" styling and the new kid-tough dimension of WATERPROOF! The Camera also maintains its easy-to-use format and simple buttons while also featuring a 1.5” color LCD preview screen which allows kids to instantly see the picture they’ve taken and view or delete previous shots, Image resolution of 1.3 or .3 Megapixels(user selected) for quality 4”x6” prints, Auto-flash, 64MB of Flash memory for storing up to 500 pictures, USB Cable for computer connection, dual handle grips, and a 2-eye view finder that makes it easy for kids to take great pictures. PDCN: Adjusting package to the PVC Oval Window Box (same construction and size as the orginal KT Camera Package).

Vtech - Kidizoom Digital Camera - Pink

2008-12-21T05:48:00.000-08:00

Vtech - Kidizoom Digital Camera - Pink

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Amazon.com Review
Rugged and easy to use, the Vtech Kidizoom Digital Camera is ready to document all your child's adventures. With two-eye viewing, grips designed to fit in little hands, and a built-in flash, this real digital camera can also shoot video. It also includes simple-to-use photo editing software so kids aged three and up can add creative touches to their images.

Get Ready to Show off Your Child's Photos
It's clear right out of the packaging that this camera was designed to stand up to tough play and rough handling. Bright pink rubber grips on each side make it easy for children to grasp the camera with both hands, and two-eye viewing make it easy to conceptualize a photo or a cool video. The camera even comes with two interchangeable faceplates, so your child can pick her favorite look.

Before your child starts taking photos, you'll need to use a Phillips screwdriver to insert four "AA" batteries in the grips of the camera. While the first few photos are being taken, you may want to set up the VTech Photo Editor on your computer. An intuitive installation wizard makes this process quick and easy. You'll need Windows 2000 SP3+/XP or newer to use this software. And don't despair if you're a Mac user. As long as you have Mac OS X 10.0 or above, you can still use the camera in mass storage mode.

Inspire Creative Development
Six buttons and a navigational joystick on the back of the camera let your child pick a mode and scroll through old photos. Between taking photos, shooting videos, and playing simple games on the 1.8-inch color screen, there's lots to do.

A built-in flash makes it easier to get well-lit pictures, especially if the subject of the photo is indoors. The flash does, however, often fire if you are trying to take a close-up shot, resulting in very bright, blown-out pictures. Inexperienced photographers may need to be reminded that the camera is not designed to focus on objects that are less than 1.5-feet from the camera. For super-sized fun, you can also link the camera to your television using the included A/V cable and view creative work on the big screen.

With 16MB of internal memory and an SD card slot so that you can add capacity if you need it, this camera lets kids collect lots of images. The included USB cable lets you upload the images to your computer. The VTech photo editor lets you or your child add cool frames to photos, stamp funny hats on people, and distort images. You can even run fun animations that makes the photo look like it is rotating or underwater.

The photo editor interface is easy to use, with big round buttons for kids to click on and drag-and-drop stamps. More advanced artists may be disappointed that there aren't more ways to creatively control output, but files from the Kidizoom can easily be edited in more advanced programs, too.

Get Ready to Show off Your Child's Photos
It's clear right out of the packaging that this camera was designed to stand up to tough play and rough handling. Bright pink rubber grips on each side make it easy for children to grasp the camera with both hands, and two-eye viewing make it easy to conceptualize a photo or a cool video. The camera even comes with two interchangeable faceplates, so your child can pick her favorite look.

What's in the Box
Camera with 16MB internal memory, wrist strap, A/V cable, USB cable, two faceplates, and photo editing software on CD-ROM.

Product Description

Little girls will have a blast taking candid pics with their Kidizoom Camera. Kidizoom includes a connector cable to plug in and watch a picture slideshow or view the 5-minute movies they've created on any TV or PC. Fun photo-editing features allow kids to distort pictures or add silly frames. The camera also comes with three preschool games to keep the fun going. Plus, changeable faceplates let girls customize its look. Requires 4 "AA" batteries (not included). Measures 11"L x 3"W x 8"H.Type your summary here

Pentax K-m: All white on the night

2008-12-17T06:57:00.000-08:00

Pentax K-m: All white on the night

If you need any evidence that the dSLR market is becoming friendlier, cuddlier, more accessible, look no further than the introduction of colour. Yes, colour! No longer are you restricted to serious, sober black, when you can express your personality through the hue of your camera. Well, just white, so far: the new limited edition Pentax K-m comes in snowy monochrome.

A major trend in the dSLR market this year has been the introduction of entry-level dSLRs to demystify photography. The 10.2-megapixel K-m boasts such friendly compact-style features as auto picture mode, which selects from scene modes such as portrait and landscape. It also uses AA batteries, which are more convenient should you unexpectedly run out of juice.

Strictly speaking, Panasonic's Lumix G1 isn't a dSLR, but is the most consumer-friendly way into the interchangeable lens system traditionally synonymous with the SLR. And that comes in red and blue, as well as black. As entry-level dSLRs become more popular, we reckon there'll be a profusion of coloured DSLRs. Thank the Lord of the Dance this isn't the hideous concept seen at Photokina, which had Swarovski crystals vomited all over it, but it's only a matter of time before there's a pink Hello Kitty dSLR. Now that's progress.

Since our man in the US, Stephen Shankland, compared the K2000, as it's known in the States, to an Imperial stormtrooper, we've been stuck with the Imperial March in our heads. Yes, even more than usual! Pentax only plans to bring 100 of these to the UK, so you'll have to be quick.

If you're speedy enough, you can buy the camera body and two kit lenses, the Pentax DA L 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 AL and DA L 50-200mm F4-5.6. Both are in matching white. Body and 18-55mm lens will set you back £449, or £549 for both lenses, from February 2009.

Daily deal - Canon SD1100IS digital camera + photo printer for $169.95 (in pink)

2008-12-16T16:41:00.000-08:00

Daily deal - Canon SD1100IS digital camera + photo printer for $169.95 (in pink)

My daily deal for today is another of those colored gadgets that is cheaper when ordered in a less popular color.

The Canon SD1100IS is a pretty popular and highly rated digital camera. The SD1100IS shoots in 8 megapixels, and features optical image stabilization and a 3x zoom lens.

The camera usually retails for about $159, but if you have a special someone in your life who likes pink, then you can pick up one of these cameras along with a Canon photo printer for just $169.95.

As part of the Amazon Christmas promotions, you also get a code for a free photo calendar and a $5 credit for the Amazon mp3 store. As always with digital cameras, you only get a very small memory card with the package, so be sure to order a larger card, or you will be out of space after just a few snaps.

When you arrive on the product page, be sure to select the pink camera+printer from the dropdown menu. Free super saver shipping is included, but I highly recommend upgrading this to a better shipping method if you need it on time for Christmas!

Samsung S860Z 8.1MP Digital Camera in Pink

2008-12-13T02:22:00.000-08:00

Samsung S860Z 8.1MP Digital Camera in Pink

Now this Samsung S860Z (S860Z-R) R meaning Refurbished is on sale right now for a very low price. This digital camera looks hot in pink and can see this being a hit with the ladies.

Even thought this camera has been refurbished it does not mean you are getting rubbish; it has been refurbed back to its brand new state.

The main features include 2.4″ Active Matrix TFT Color LCD display screen, 8.1Megapixel, Aspect Ratio 16:9, Maximum Video Resolution 640 x 480, Aperture Range f/2.8 to 5.2, Digital Zoom 3x, Optical Zoom 3x, Video Formats AVI Motion JPEG, Maximum Image Resolution 3264 x 2448, Focal Length 6.3mm to 18.9mm, Red-eye Reduction and so much more.

Samsung S860 Digital Camera Review

2008-12-08T16:45:00.000-08:00

Samsung S860 Digital Camera Review

The Samsung S860 is an entry-level compact perfectly suited to first-time digital camera users or those who have not updated within the previous five years and are feeling completely overwhelmed by the jargon and advanced technologies saturating the modern compact camera market.

While the S860 has adopted a number of popular and valuable elements common to digital compacts toady - including face detection auto exposure and focus, and digital image stabilisation - it is in no way intimidating or complicated: the S860 is cleanly designed, easy to operate, and more than capable of fulfilling the average point-and-shooter’s needs.

For a compact camera within this highly affordable price range, the S860 packs a powerful little punch. High resolution images are created using what Samsung call a ‘true-colour filtered’ 8.1 mega pixel CCD (charge-coupled device), which allows users to print their images any size up to that of a standard poster without loss of quality.

The two-tier, fully-retractable, three times optical zoom lens can combine with three times digital zoom to offer a nine times total zoom capacity, allowing users to get closer to subjects further away and achieve some quite impressive, clear results. Built-in macro mode will help those who would like to get closer to subjects already under their nose in order to capture finer detail and eliminate distractions from the final composition.

During recording of the available 640 x 480 Motion JPEG video, the S860 retains its ability to zoom and is capable of recording either with or without sound. Unfortunately though, both cannot be done at once: at the point where the zoom function is activated, the audio recording will be cut off.

It is advisable that consumers purchase at least a 1GB card at the point of sale to help ensure ample amounts of both video and stills can be taken and stored at a time. Movie mode especially is a fantastic novelty - as well as often being a useful tool - to have on a digital compact camera and as such, should be used without the restriction of a small 512MB card or lower.

Eleven scene modes are incorporated into the S860 and range from portrait to night scene, sunset, dawn, landscape, fireworks and text etc. A photo help guide is also built-in to offer the user tips and tricks to counteract issues such as camera shake, out of focus images, and the difficulty of shooting in low light conditions.

The S860 can be somewhat sluggish when processing images shot using digital image stabilisation. In some cases, it may take up to three or four seconds before the previous image is recorded and the next can be composed and taken. For general shooting however, either with or without the flash, this will reduce to one or two seconds.

The S860 kit comes with two AA alkaline batteries to power the unit but it is highly recommended that rechargeable batteries be purchased (along with a charger if not already owned) as these will quickly prove to be more economically efficient. The kit also includes a wrist strap, software, USB cable, manual and warranty card and the S860 is available in four different colours: silver, black, pink and blue.

Samsung L201 Digital Camera Review

2008-12-03T02:05:00.000-08:00

Samsung L201 Digital Camera Review

The 10.2 mega pixel Samsung L201 has a positively minimal feel about it, which is obvious from the time you first open the boxed kit. The provided USB cable doubles as the power cord (for battery recharge) by having an attachable AC adapter head meaning you can go from having the L201 plugged directly into your computer to having it charging via a wall socket in a matter seconds and with minimal fuss.

Being able to charge the dedicated battery whilst in-camera also allows for greater convenience: no more fiddling around with a battery charger unit nor taking the battery to-and-from the camera after every few uses.

The L201 kit comes complete with a strap, AV cable, software, 14-page manual and warranty card and only requires the purchase of a memory card and camera case before all that is required to shoot, upload, edit, recharge and care for your camera, is at your fingertips.

Keeping in line with the minimalist approach, the L201 is cleanly and compactly designed with a two-tier, three times optical zoom lens that neatly retracts into the camera body when power is off. A wide variety of colours are available including traditional silver and black, while for those who prefer to make a bolder statement, pink, blue and green are additional options.

The L201 has an intelligent 2.7-inch LCD screen that fills two-thirds of the camera’s back and provides a clear, bright picture in most conditions. Start-up time is rapid at less than 1.5 seconds along with auto focus, which proves to be both accurate and swift shot after shot.

There aren’t excessive operational buttons and dials to negotiate on the Samsung L201 and all 13 of them are placed logically and ergonomically for use. The zoom control is the most difficult to handle given its small size and up/down functioning opposed to the standard left/right, but having said that it would quickly become a habit and feel quite natural to the user.

An automatic double flash system is used to help achieve optimum results and Samsung’s auto contrast balance technology (ACB) applies itself when in back lit conditions to help better reproduce detail in the shadowed areas. Face detection technology is also included and when selected, will adjust the automatic exposure and focus to better suit portrait shooting.

Fortunately, the user will not be overwhelmed by scene modes as only ten of the most common are included in the L201: nightscene, children, landscape, close-up, text, sunset, dawn, backlight, fireworks, and beach and snow, making it simpler to narrow down which mode is best for the current shooting situation.

Many users will also appreciate the in-house photo help guide, which offers an assortment of advice given particular tricky situations that may be encountered. For instance, the L201 will instruct you of ways to counteract out of focus images and those resulting camera shake, how to achieve better results in low-light conditions, and ways to adjust brightness and colour etc.

Users also have the ability to resize and/or rotate images, manually adjust brightness, contrast, saturation and colour mode (change to black and white, sepia, red, green, blue and negative) in camera, along with red eye fix and automatic brightness and contrast adjustment meaning that often, little to no editing via a computer is necessary.

medal-platinum-r.jpg The eight-function mode dial includes popular choices: auto, program, manual, scene and movie mode, along with digital image stabilisation, photo help guide, and face detection. It would have been beneficial had digital image stabilisation and face detection run automatically and concurrently when auto mode was selected but indeed, having them as selectable options is preferable to not having them at all. Digital image stabilisation mode does take between five and seven seconds to capture and process a single image however, so realistically could only be used to capture still life or for experimentation.

The L201 menu system is plainly laid out and easy to navigate making it fairly foolproof and likely suit those who desire a simple-to-use point-and-shoot compact camera that reliably delivers high quality images and movie clips with a minimum amount of fuss. At RRP $229 the L201 is extremely affordable and being of a similar size to a standard deck of cards, it is highly portable as well.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T700 Review

2008-12-01T17:37:00.000-08:00

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T700 Review

Touch screen cameras certainly are nothing new at this point. But for everyone except jaded camera reviewers, it seems that the novelty of being able to tap your way through settings changes on a huge screen hasn't worn off. Biases about whether or not a touch interface does more to get in the way of ease of operation than it makes up for with cool touch-responsive integrations aside, there's still something a bit "sci-fi" about a camera with little or no physical interface: even though the convenience of actual buttons means that they'll probably never become a thing of the past, touch screens continue to seem like the technology of the future.

Fujifilm Brings Back Polaroid-Style Cameras

2008-11-30T06:33:00.001-08:00

Fujifilm Brings Back Polaroid-Style Cameras

More than a year ago, the death knell of the Polaroid camera was widely documented. In February, Polaroid began shutting down its film factories, as the technology faded to black.

But lomographs, take heart. Fujifilm has stepped in with its line of Instax Mini instant-film cameras, which can be purchased for about $100 or so: a bit much for an impulse buy, perhaps, but cheap enough that a true fan can resuscitate some childhood fun without paying an arm and a leg on eBay.

While this isn't your mother's Polaroid camera, at least on paper the experience is the same: you take a picture, the camera ejects the film, and in a few minutes or so you have a color picture. What Fuji has done is to take that basic experience and added a bit more sophistication. ( (It should also be noted that in 2009, Polaroid will release a digital camera with a built-in ZINK printer.)

What you can buy and where you can buy them go hand in hand. Until now, the only place to buy the base Instax Mini 7S was at YesAsia.com, where the camera ships in both pink and chocolate colors, for about $76. A ten-pack of film adds about $10, bringing the total package price to $85.98.

Lomography.com said Tuesday, however, that it has added the Fuji's full line of instant-film cameras to its Web store. I'm not sure why, but the Instax line is also alternatively referred to as the "Cheki" line on the site.

For comparison's sake, Lomography offers the Instax Mini S Chocolate/Fuji Cheki 7 for $100, although the site will throw in a free film package for today only, Nov. 26. (Each film pack contains ten exposures, so it appears that a "twin pack" includes two 10-exposure packs.) The camera weighs 320g, uses a f=60mm lens, focusing from 0.6 m through infinity. basic exposure compensation is included, along with a low-light flash and an electronic shutter. All of the cameras include a nifty little mirror for taking pictures of yourself.

Normally, adding an additional twin film pack costs about $25, with discounts for bulk purchases. All of Fuji's cameras appear to produce prints that are credit card sized: 6.5 cm wide by 4.6 cm high. Special widescreen (6.2cm x 9.9cm) film is only compatible with the Instax 200. All of the Fuji instant film for the Instax/Cheki cameras is ISO 800.

The $135 Instax Mini 25/Fuji Cheki 25 adds an additional shutter button for vertical or horizontal shooting, a rudimentary range finder, two focus modes, a programmed electronic shutter, intelligent flash, and even an LCD counter of the available shots.

The $200 Instax Mini 55i/Fuji Cheki 55i adds a self-timer feature, as well as a two-shot mode, where you can set the camera up to take two quick shots -- a good way to burn through your available supply of film. The camera also includes a "close up lens" for focusing from 35 cm away.

It goes without saying, of course, that shooting and printing digital camera prints are far cheaper than these cameras, whether you choose to print at a retail store or at home. But that's not really the point, is it?

Insignia NS-DSC7P09 7.0 Megapixel Pink Digital Camera: Best Buy Black Friday

2008-11-27T06:13:00.000-08:00

Insignia NS-DSC7P09 7.0 Megapixel Pink Digital Camera: Best Buy Black Friday

This is the Insignia NS-DSC7P09 7.0 Megapixel digital camera that is available to buy on Black Friday at the great price of $59.99. There will be a limit of 1 per customer and a minimum of 15 per store.

You will take great shots every time with this camera thanks to the digital image stabilization and the high ISO sensitivity. It also comes with 4 x digital and 3 x optical zooms. You can also record video in AVI format.

There are many other great features on this camera that include a 2.5 inch LCD screen, Face Detection technology, 16MB of internal memory and it’s PictBridge compatible.

Olympus Tough Smart 1050SW Digital Camera Review

2008-11-27T06:08:00.000-08:00

Olympus Tough Smart 1050SW Digital Camera Review

The extensive series of Tough Smart Olympus cameras are one of the best-selling varieties across the current digital camera market for a number of reasons: they are robust enough to withstand a variety of extreme conditions and yet are stylishly designed, they are fun and easy to operate, and they are appropriately priced for the features and functions on offer (RRP $399 for this model.)

The latest edition to the range, the Tough Smart 1050SW, is certainly no exception. If the 10.1 mega pixels, 3 times optical zoom and built-in digital image stabilisation isn’t enough to steal your initial interest, then certainly the 3 meter waterproof, 1.5 meter shockproof, and minus 10 degree snowproof capabilities will be.

Not only do these characteristics make the 1050SW exceptionally practical in the sense that there really aren’t many shooting situations it cannot withstand, they also make owning the unit largely stress-free and operating it good fun.

You wouldn’t need to think twice before taking the 1050SW camping, to the beach, cycling, skiing, snorkeling, to parties, to nightclubs, on road trips, you name it. Nor would you hesitate to let children use the camera wherever and however they can imagine.

The Tough 1050SW can withstand some fairly rugged treatment along with an array of extreme conditions and as such, does not inhibit one’s photo-taking opportunities in any obvious way. This in itself is an extremely enticing quality for a compact camera to offer.

If the sound of the 1050SW’s ruggedness and durability is creating visions of a boxy, unattractive camera lacking in style then you may be pleased to know that, in fact, this unit is both neatly and stylishly designed and comes in a selection of appealing colours including: silver, blue, pink, black and gold.

The box kit includes the camera, a wrist strap, charger with a single dedicated battery, AV and USB cables, manual, software (Olympus Master 2), warranty card and a MicroSD attachment.

While purchasing a protective case may be a good idea, rest assured it is not entirely necessary. The 1050SW has its own lens protect slider built onto the front of the unit, which will look after both the lens and the flash whenever the camera is not in use.

Throw it your handbag, pocket, briefcase or backpack and don’t think about the 1050SW again until your ready to take some photos. Remember that the robust unit is shakeproof, shockproof, and waterproof. Additionally, a nightproof feature is included, which promises to reproduce accurate colours at night with and without the flash and also further illuminates the 2.7 inch LCD to make composing and previewing shots easier.

Shadow adjustment and face detection technologies combine to automatically adjust exposure and focus while the Olympus TruePic III image processor helps to ensure images are reproduced with correct colours and superior clarity and detail. Shadow adjustment does tend to overcompensate in lowlight conditions at night, in which case it can simply be deactivated using tap control mode.

This is an interesting feature that offers a glimpse into the likely direction camera technology is headed: to quickly preview images, engage or disable shadow adjustment, select your flash option, and allow for tap control mode simply double tap the top, back, and sides of the Tough 1050SW body with your index finger and voila, the respective feature control appears on screen.

The main control/arrow pad on the back of the 1050SW may initially prove difficult to operate for some as it contains 9 different action buttons within a space no larger than the size of a 10 cent piece. Other than that, the 8-function mode dial, zoom, power and shutter buttons are placed logically and are easy to use.

A few seconds lapse between turning the camera on and being able to shoot and it will take approximately the same time between shots for the camera to process and ready itself for further shooting.

Navigation throughout the menu system is fairly low-fuss although, as with most cameras, the user will definitely benefit from a thorough read of the included manual to speed this process up and ensure all function options, settings, and controls available are fully comprehended.

Movie mode is an additional feature included in the Tough 1050SW along with a 23-strong scene mode menu, which helps to ensure the best possible settings are automatically assigned during the given shooting conditions including (but not limited to): underwater, beach, snow, portrait, landscape, sport, available light, documents, and night scene etc.

Users have the option to make certain editing choices in camera ranging from cropping to colour edit, adding sound to still mages and creating a calendar from a chosen image. Photographs can also be locked in the 1050SW to ensure accidental deletion doesn’t occur and favourite images can be tagged and made easily accessible via the mode dial or general menu for quick previewing.

Overall, the Tough Smart 1050SW is a worthy edition to the successful Olympus Tough range and it certainly does live up to its name. Perfect for anyone active - be it in the outdoors or generally speaking - or those who travel and like to take their camera with them everywhere and all of the time.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T700 First Thoughts

2008-11-15T08:38:00.000-08:00

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T700 First Thoughts

Sony can largely be credited for making touch screen ultracompacts one of the hottest niches of this market segment, and like clockwork, the manufacturer has delivered a premium touch screen camera with every new model cycle. Thus the announcement of the latest flagship Cyber-shot, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T700, wasn't particularly surprising.

Sony's certainly savvy enough to know a good thing when they see it. Though reviewers have been less than kind about the lackluster images produced by Sony's expensive T models, consumers seeking the latest, most technologically advanced premium pocket camera have flocked to the series, with its unique touch-responsive interface, in droves. If performance hasn't always met the discerning standards of photo enthusiasts, the T models have found a warm reception among teens and young adults looking for style, portability, and snapshot quality.

According to Sony, the latest T700 isn't merely a stylish camera for casual shooting, though. Rather, the idea was to provide a fully integrate picture taking and storage solution. It's widely known that a fair percentage of digital images never make it off the cameras they're taken on, and many users use their digicams to transport shots and show them off to others. With 4 GB of internal memory and a unique file transfer system that allows up to 40,000 shots to be stored on the device itself, the T700 might just represent a new trend in digital picture display and storage system as well.

Touch screen cameras certainly are nothing new at this point, but for everyone except jaded camera reviewers, it seems that the novelty of being able to tap your way through settings changes on a huge screen hasn't worn off. Biases about whether or not a touch interface does more to get in the way of ease of operation than it makes up for with cool touch-responsive integrations aside, there's still something a bit "sci-fi" about a camera with no physical interface: even though the convenience of actual buttons means that they'll probably never become a thing of the past, touch screens continue to seem like the technology of the future.

Sony's got the style thing down with the Cyber-shot T cameras, and although many gentlemen may find our review unit's metallic pink finish an affront to their masculinity, the T700 comes in slick metallic black and charcoal hues as well. No boring silver boxes here.

Half of the visual appeal of a touch screen camera in my opinion is the ultra-minimalist styling it promotes, with its "where'd the buttons go?" visual effect keeping lines clean all around. The T700's few buttons, and especially its zoom toggle, are still tiny (though the toggle is positioned better than on some previous Sony touch models). Without a lot of real estate beyond the screen to work with in positioning dedicated buttons, small controls are simply the price to pay for novelty in this case, though users with larger fingers should note that both the tiny buttons and the screen itself can be a little unforgiving.

Build quality is everything we expect from a pricey Sony ultracompact, with copious metal and basically no plastic. That said, users should note that metal casings, while giving the T700 a high-end feel, are also more prone to denting if dropped. A small nick in our review unit's sliding lens cover is proof.

Sony's touch screen models have been around in the same basic form for awhile now, and jumping into the T700's interface, what you'll find is a system very much like previous T cameras. Touch-responsive "button" areas are laid out on three sides of the image preview by default. Obviously, the lack of physical controls beyond power, shutter release, and zoom toggle buttons means you'll be hunting through menus to get to a setting if you need to change it.

Of course, the T700's entire screen is touch-responsive – not just the sidebars. This allows easy navigation of on-screen pop-ups when making settings adjustments, and supports some features that only a touch interface allows, like the ability to point to any area within the frame and establish an AF lock at that area.

With its very thin metal shell, the T700 is built for heading out and about. Sony has been on the leading edge of building pocket cameras that truly fit in a pocket, and at some under half an inch thick, the T700 certainly does just that. Other than a potential concern about screen damage if you were to tote the camera in a pocket alongside your keys, for instance, there's nothing to stand in the way of throwing the T700 in your pocket as a camera for grabbing casual snaps.

Whether or not you dig the touch interface, there's little to argue about with the T700's screen itself. A rich, vibrant 3.5 inch panel sporting a phenomenal 920,000 dots of resolution makes viewing images and videos on the T700 a sublime experience compared to the poor reproduction you'll get from many ultracompact displays. All the better that the display performs well given that the T700 is also marketed as a portable photo viewing solution.

Otherwise, basic specs for the T700 are conventional. A 4x, folded-optics lens delivers images to the camera's 10.1 megapixel CCD sensor – a spec carried over directly from the T300. Auto options like face detection, automatic scene recognition, and Sony's Smile Shutter automatic smile capture technology abound, and although the camera features a program mode for more in-depth shooting control as well, the assumption seems to be that most users will pull a Ronco-style "set it and forget it" maneuver and never venture much out of the default auto mode.

As luck would have it, some bleak and cold late fall weather accompanied the arrival of our T700 review unit, foiling plans to grab some initial outdoor snaps with the Cyber-shot. No matter: previous T cameras have struggled with inconsistent white balance and unpleasant noise at higher ISOs, and being stuck mostly indoors with the T700 has allowed me to grab some sample captures and form some opinions regarding these crucial performance areas for the new model.

While there seem to be some incremental improvements, first impressions of the T700 are that as a camera, very little has changed from previous T cameras: what I liked about models like the T200 is still here, but much of what I disliked about the overall concept has yet to be addressed. However, four gigabytes of internal storage and a software system for returning screen-res images to the T700 – allowing the camera to store display versions of tens of thousands of shots – take the T series's "portable digital library" concept to a new level. And for many potential buyers, the T700's capabilities as a portable multimedia player may be at least as important as its potential as a camera.

To this end, I'm only just beginning to explore the T700's portable photo viewer functions as enabled through its PC Sync software package. While the general opinion around here is that the T700 will need to make some advances in the picture-taking arena compared to previous T models to earn our wholehearted recommendation, the idea of being able to take your entire photo library with you in your pocket – and show off shots to friends and family on the camera's very nice screen or an external TV/monitor – deserves consideration on its own. While it won't likely suit the file portability needs of professionals or serious amateurs, the T700 appears to do a lot of what much more expensive photo storage/viewer systems do at a fraction of the cost – plus you get an ultracompact camera as well at no extra charge.

Nikon Coolpix S60 (pink)

2008-11-13T05:51:00.001-08:00

Nikon Coolpix S60 (pink)

The good: Optical image stabilization; 3.5-inch touch-screen LCD; pretty; fun features.

The bad: Comparatively slow interface; relatively slow for its class; soft images; all but the power and shutter are touch-screen controlled.

The bottom line: Fun features and chic styling make the Nikon Coolpix S60 a tasty choice for casual point-and-shoot use. However, if you need speed or snapshot perfection, this isn't your camera.

Specifications: Digital camera type: Ultracompact; Resolution: 10 megapixels; Optical zoom: 5 x;

If you're looking for a night-out-on-the-town camera--assuming said night is well lit--where superb picture quality and lightning-fast performance take a back seat to looking good and having fun, then the 10-megapixel Nikon Coolpix S60 may slip nicely into your lifestyle. File the S60 in the "ooh-ahh" category of ultracompacts: its high-gloss metallic finish comes in six colors, with chrome accents, a metal wave body design, and a 3.5-inch touch panel covering its backside in glassy glory.

I'm sure that screen adds some weight to the 5.7-ounce body, too. It just barely classifies as an ultracompact, with dimensions of 0.9 inch deep by 2.4 inches high by 3.8 inches wide. The 5x f3.8-4.8 33-165mm-equivalent internally zooming lens sits in the top-left corner on front, making it very easy to put your finger in the shot.

There's no shortage of touch-screen point-and-shoot cameras around, but most of them have at least some physical controls. The Nikon Coolpix S60, however, provides the bare minimum: a power button and a shutter button. While this helps maintain the S60's fashionable look, it also means that any operation besides turning it on and taking a picture requires touching the screen, and unfortunately, the S60's interface proves that not all touch screens are created equal. Those expecting the snappiness of Apple's iPhone will be disappointed; this camera just doesn't respond as quickly. I never had any problem getting it to register my taps, either with my finger or when tapping with the included stylus, but the interface frequently lagged in the menu and setting screens. This will frustrate those who regularly change settings; those who usually just point and shoot probably won't care. Also, when playing back photos you can drag your finger across the screen to the right or left to move to another photo. Just flicking your finger across the screen a la iPhone doesn't always do the trick and will occasionally cause an image to hang or zoom instead.

However, the onscreen shooting controls are as responsive as other touch screens I've tested. Changing between shooting modes (Auto, Scene, and Video) for example is generally fast, as is selecting the flash mode, activating the timer or Smile Shutter, or switching to macro. The one thing Nikon should not have made touch controlled is the zoom. It's responsive, but can be difficult to control and it's too low on the display, making it difficult to take one-handed shots and a bit too easy to switch into the Home menu system.

Now for the fun stuff you can do with the touch screen. If the camera isn't focusing on the subject you want, simply tapping on the subject in the screen will correctly activate the autofocus and it will track the subject and adjust for proper exposure. In the Portrait or Night Portrait scene modes, a one-touch zoom icon appears, letting you quickly zoom focus from waist up to bust up to face only (depending on the distance you are from the subject). You can handwrite and draw on pictures, too, which is not new for touch-screen cameras, but amusing nonetheless and has practical uses as well.

Other notable features include distortion control to correct for distortion (common with compact cameras), optical image stabilization, a rather overzealous warning that pops up if it thinks someone in the photo blinked, auto scene selection from one of seven options, in-camera contrast enhancement and perspective control, and a mini-HDMI port for connecting directly to an HDTV for slide-show playback. Absent are manual controls, with the exception of exposure compensation and ISO sensitivity--not exactly surprising, given the target user.

The S60's performs adequately, but lags in its class. It takes 0.6 second to focus and shoot in bright conditions and 1 second in dim light. Shot-to-shot time falls slightly below average at 2 seconds, but turning on the flash added only 0.2 second to the wait. In burst mode, it captured 1.3 frames per second, which isn't great, but I was able to get some impressive action shots all things considered. The only real downer is its 2.4-second time from power on to first shot.

Photo quality is mixed. The photos can be good to very good in well-lit conditions. On one hand, it exhibits accurate color and exposure. In outdoor shots, colors are very good and natural. Indoors, as with many cameras, the auto white balance produces overly warm results; I recommend either using the camera's manual white balance or the appropriate preset.

However, the lens isn't very good. In addition to overall soft photos, there's quite a bit of pincushion distortion, making the distortion control setting pretty much mandatory (though it's not the default). And while noise is acceptable and fairly typical for its class up to and including ISO 200, at ISO 400 it looks like Nikon simply throws a strong blur across the photo and it gets progressively worse from there. Video quality was typical of its class: 30fps VGA good for Web use, but not much else, and you can't zoom while shooting.

There's no denying the Nikon Coolpix S60 is a hot camera design. It would be great if the touch-screen interface was a little snappier in areas and a physical zoom rocker or at least moving the onscreen one higher on the display would be welcomed. Finicky snapshooters will definitely find menu navigation frustrating and the photos not up to par with its price; if you fall into that category, look at our list of best compact cameras for better options. But if you're itching for a stylish pocket/purse camera for casual use, the S60 is just that.

Canon PowerShot E1

2008-11-11T07:05:00.000-08:00

Canon PowerShot E1

"Toy-Like Compact Camera From Canon"

It seems that Canon has gone retro with the launch of its new E-series range of digital compact cameras. This compact shooter comes in three colours (blue, pink, and white), has similar features to the A1000 IS, and even sports the same price tag. But how it all stacks up is a different thing altogether.

The PowerShot E1 is mostly made out of plastic, making it look like a child's "my first" camera. Sure, it's hard plastic, but the make of the unit is too 'Mickey Mouse' for our tastes.

The camera is small and compact, with the unit sporting a 10-megapixel sensor, 4x zoom lens with image stabiliser, face detection technology, a 2.5-inch LCD screen, an optical viewfinder, motion detection technology, an ‘Easy' shooting mode, and movie capture (30 fps/VGA).

The package contains two AA batteries, a 32MB memory card, a wrist strap, a mini-USB to AV cable, a mini-USB to USB cable, and Canon's "Digital Camera Solution" CD.

Users can find the Power button, Mode Dial, Shutter Button, and Zoom Lever on top of the unit, while the Tripod Socket and Memory Card/Battery Compartment are located at the bottom of the device. The unit's 2.5-inch screen, Viewfinder, Playback Button, Face Select Button, Print Share Button, Disp. Button, Menu Button, and Navigation keys that have secondary functions (ISO, Macro/Infinity, Timer and Continuous Shot, Flash, and Function Set) are found at the unit's rear.

It runs on two AA batteries, which do not lock into place so make sure you turn the unit around before swapping the memory card. The 32MB card can only hold 6 high-resolution shots (maximum resolution with unit set to superfine), so we recommend users to purchase a memory card (SD, SDHC, MMC, MMCPlus, HC MMCPlus) with a higher storage capacity.

The E1 comes with 10 shooting modes (Video Mode, Scene Mode [Night, Sunset, Foliage, Snow, Beach, Fireworks, Aquarium, and ISO3200], Indoor, Kids and Pets, Night Snapshot, Landscape, Portrait, Easy, Auto, and Program mode) in order to take the best possible shot in any situation.

The unit's Program mode will give you total control of your camera as it comes with various options like Exposure Compensation, Long Shutter Mode, White Balance, Centre-weighted and Spot metering, and ISO settings up to ISO 1600.

While the E1 was able to instantly change modes, we had problems with the flash recycle time. It would take the camera at least four seconds before being able to take another shot. Photos have good resolution, although noise was visible at ISO 200. Smearing was also a problem, making it difficult for us to take highly detailed shots. The unit however, was still able to produce noteworthy night shots and shoot videos without any major slowdown in the frame rate.

Photos can be transferred via USB or card reader, but can also be printed using PictBridge, which negates the need for a PC. Users would only have to connect the camera to any Pictbridge-compliant printer, select the image to be printed, and press the PictBridge icon on the unit (located below the playback button) to print.

The Canon PowerShot E1 is a fairly decent camera for those who dare to be different. The colour choices, build, and form factor may appeal to kids and teens (and maybe even young adults), but it just feels cheap and flimsy for our taste. The unit is available now and has an RRP of $249, the same as the recently reviewed PowerShot A1000 IS.

See page over for product specification and final rating.

Canon PowerShot E1 Digital Camera Specifications:

Effective Number of Pixels: 10.0 MP
Processor: DiG!C III

Lens:
Focal Length (optical): 6.2 (W) - 24.8 (T) mm
35mm film equivalent: 35 (W) - 140 (T) mm
f/number: f/2.7 - f/7.6 (W), f/5.6 - f/16.0 (T)
Shutter Speed : 15 - 1/1600 sec.
Zoom: Approx. 4x

Focusing / Range:
AF System: TTL Autofocus
Focusing Frame: Face detect / 9-point AiAF / 1-point AF (fixed: centre)
Range: Normal: 50cm - infinity, Macro: 3cm - 50cm (W), 30cm - 50cm (T)

LCD Monitor:
Viewfinder: Real-image optical zoom viewfinder
LCD Monitor: 2.5 inch TFT colour LCD

Flash:
Flash Modes: Auto/On/Off/Slow-synchro/Auto Red-eye Correction/Red-eye reduction is available
Flash Range : Normal: 30 cm - 4 m (W) / 30 cm - 2 m (T),

Recording Pixels:
Still Images (Large): 3648 x 2736
Continuous Shooting (Large/Fine): Approx 1.4 shots/sec
Movie Recording (Large) : 640 x 480, 30fps
Self-timer: Approx. 10 sec or 2 sec delay, or custom.

Memory Storage: SD Memory Card / SDHC Memory card / Multimedia Card / MMC Plus Card / HC MMC Plus Card
Supplied Memory: 32MB SD Card

General Features:
Battery: Size AA Alkaline battery (x2) or Size AA rechargeable NiMH battery (x2) NB4-300/NB4-200

Optional Charger/AC Adaptor: AC Adaptor Kit ACK800 (contains CA-PS800)

Dimensions (W x D x H): 101.2 x 63.8 x 31.4 mm (ex. protruding parts)
Weight: 160g

------------------------------------
Canon PowerShot E1 | $249 | XXX.5 | www.canon.com.au

F or: Easy to use; Good value for money; Easy battery replacement
Against: Plastic construction; Slow flash recycle; Smearing and noise issues
Conclusion: Good for children, not recommended for aspiring photographers

Canon Powershot E1 Review

2008-11-08T03:11:00.000-08:00

Canon Powershot E1 Review

The Canon PowerShot has a new addition in its popular line, the E1. This digital camera represents the starting point for their new sub-range. These new camera’s have been designed by women, for women.

What makes these so appealing to women, is their curvaceous design as well as their funky colors, in pink, white and cyan. The Cano E1 has 10-megapixel and a 4 x optical zoom, complete with optical image stabilization.

The Canon PowerShot E1 has a 2.5-inch LCD screen as well as an optical viewfinder, which I find pointless. There are a number of cool features on the E1, like Face Detection, Infinity Focus, 17 shooting modes, Macro mode, and much more.

Polaroid 2.0: Not as groovy as the original but still fun

2008-11-07T06:18:00.000-08:00

Polaroid 2.0: Not as groovy as the original but still fun

Ask your parents, and they'll probably tell you Polaroid cameras were the iPhone of their day. I'm not that old, but I still remember them being all the rage when I was growing up because you could see your snapshots almost instantaneously. Thank goodness for the digital camera though, because no matter how awesome Polaroids were, the quality of those photos was just terrible.

The good news for Polaroid fans is the company is trying to bring back the instant photo experience. Its most recent attempt was the PoGo Instant Mobile Printer which uses Bluetooth to print out 2x3-inch photos taken with your cell phone. The problem with this device is price, and unlike a real Polaroid camera, the PoGo printer doesn't include a camera. In contrast, a similar device that uses Zink's technology and comes with a built-in digital camera was just announced in Japan. This is exactly what I was waiting for.

Aimed at young people, the Tomy xiao TIP-521 is a five-megapixel camera with a built-in full color Zink printer. Xiao, like PoGo, can print 2x3-inch color photos, and features an IrDA receiver so you can print photos sent from other IrDA devices.

Other features include a 2.48-inch LCD screen, 16MB of internal memory, 4x digital zoom, infrared port, and memory card slot that supports SD and SDHC cards. The great thing is this printer doesn't use ink, but you do have to buy special Zink paper which is usually pretty expensive.

The xiao will be launched in Japan on November 28 and in America sometime in May according to Crunchgear. The starting price is $320, and you get to choose from pink, black, and blue.

Sony Cybershot DSC-T700

2008-11-05T06:22:00.000-08:00

Sony Cybershot DSC-T700

With great image-sharing options, 4GB of internal memory, and fun extras, this pricey camera is a great option for the design-conscious.

A trendsetter in digital cameras, Sony takes design to new heights with its 10.1-megapixel Cyber-shot T700. The main innovation with this good-looking touch-screen camera

is its 4GB of on-board storage, as well as a few other features that may be irresistible despite the camera's $400 price tag.

Making up somewhat for its high price, the T700 has 4GB of internal flash memory, as well as the usual Memory Stick slot. If you use both the internal memory and a 16GB Memory Stick (the highest capacity currently available), you get a hefty 20GB of storage inside this camera, without having to swap out cards.

The T700 also sports the highest-resolution LCD in its class. In fact, at 3.5 inches diagonally, it very nearly constitutes the entire back of the camera. Aside from the power and shutter buttons, the touch screen contains all of the camera's controls. The unit is slim and compact, too, measuring a little over a half-inch in depth and weighing a slightly heavy 5.6 ounces.

On the exterior, this camera looks cool. The T700 has a brushed-metal finish that comes in several colors (red, pink, silver, and gray). Our test unit was gray, and out of the box its iridescence was mesmerizing: Tip it one way, it takes on a violet sheen; another direction, it becomes a slight pink or blue. It also has a neat sliding cover that's an attractive and functional design choice.

Sony's menu system is intuitive, and I had the camera up and running in no time at all. You can elect to view a simplified on-screen menu, which offers greater breadth for composing images, or you can see more information on your settings (including histograms, if you're technically inclined).

The camera also has some editing and playback capabilities that are, I have to admit, very fun to use. You can add effects such as star filters, fisheye, and the typical black-and-white or sepia, and you can even paint right onto your pictures using the stylus. The slide-show feature kept me entertained for a long time. It's highly customizable, with cool transition effects and music; you can add your own MP3s, too, which makes all that on-board storage even handier.

In practical use, though, the combo of the internal memory and a Memory Stick wasn't as convenient as I'd hoped it would be. In effect, you can't use both at the same time. You can use the T700 while the Memory Stick is in place, of course, but you cannot view or access pictures stored in internal memory. But because I rarely take 4GB of shots in a day, operating on the internal memory alone--and simply moving the day's pictures to my PC later--was easy.

The lovely design of this camera presented a few minor problems in my tests. For example, the sheer size of the huge touch screen leaves little room for a grip, and someone with larger hands may find that a serious problem. The slick front of the camera doesn't give your fingers anything to grab onto, either. In addition, the position of the lens at the upper left of the camera meant that until I got used to the T700, my index finger was often part of the shot. However, the touch screen offered just the right amount of sensitivity, meaning I could use my fingertip or the stylus (which stows away inside the camera) equally well. Also, my grip on the camera never accidentally set off any features.

Another drawback: The big touch screen takes a toll on the T700's battery life. In the PC World Test Center's battery test, the camera lasted through just 201 shots on a single charge. That's enough for a Good battery rating, but it falls well short of the 250-to-300-shot battery life of many other point-and-shoot cameras we've tested.

Picture quality on the T700 was reasonably good; in the PC World Test Center's jury testing, the camera's images earned a score of Very Good, with its strengths being color accuracy and overall image quality. Its glaring weakness was sharpness, and in my hands-on tests I too found soft focus to be an ongoing problem at the 4X end of the optical zoom.

The T700 handled color, contrast, and saturation well in my test shots. This camera incorporates Sony's Bionz processor, which may alleviate some of the overprocessing that I've observed with previous, lower-end Sony models. The T700 responded quickly to focus, shoot, and write to the internal memory. My daylight snapshots looked good, reasonably sharp, and exposed properly. On the other hand, in low-light situations, especially at higher ISOs, this camera stumbled a bit, even after I set it to ISO 200.

The T700 offers an "intelligent scene" option, which takes two shots at once; the first uses your own settings, and the extra shot uses settings that the camera determines may be superior to your choices. Cool as the feature sounds, I thought the results were spotty, particularly in low light.

In general the camera's other modes--macro, metering, nighttime, beach/snow, smile detection (which snaps a shot when a selected subject in the frame smiles), and even blink detection (which warns you when someone in the shot has their eyes closed)--worked well. Its video mode, while not in HD, allows for zooming. That was enough for my usual habits, and certainly good enough for YouTube.

Sony includes Picture Motion Browser desktop software, which lets you export images to your PC, resize them at VGA resolution, and reimport them to the camera. Why would you want to do that? Because it lets you include up to 40,000 snapshots (in the T700's internal memory) in the T700's great-looking slide shows. The app also allows easy uploads to image-sharing sites and YouTube.

The $400 price tag may make potential buyers shy away from the T700, but this great-looking camera offers enough features--most of which are flat-out fun--to merit serious consideration.

Casio Exilim EX-Z1080 (pink)

2008-11-03T06:08:00.000-08:00

Casio Exilim EX-Z1080 (pink)

The Casio Exilim EX-Z1080 is a 10.1-megapixel, ultra-compact camera.Compared to other ultra-compact digital cameras on the market, it is midpriced at around $220.

Specifications: Digital camera type: Ultracompact; Resolution: 10.1 megapixels; Optical zoom: 3 x

Description: The Casio Exilim EX-Z1080 is a 10.1-megapixel, ultra-compact camera.Compared to other ultra-compact digital cameras on the market, it is midpriced at around $220.

Pros: Has a 10.1-megapixel resolution, which is considerably higher than some similarly priced digital cameras.Also, this digital camera has a 2.6 inch viewscreen, which is larger than some similarly priced digital cameras.Weighing only 4.5 ounces without battery or media, this digital camera is very light for a compact camera.

Cons: None noted, given available product data.

Suitability: An ultra-compact digital camera, suited for everyday snapshot photography.A recommended use, based on key features, is semi-professional photography.The largest recommended print size, estimated from the camera's resolution, is 12x16 or larger.

Value: Overall, this digital camera's features are as expected for this price.

Suggestions: For more help in deciding if this is the best digital camera for you, visit the buying guide for digital cameras at CNET Reviews.

CNET's Product Briefs are generated by a software tool that combines product specifications with knowledge of our editorial experts. They do not reflect hands-on assessment or labs testing. For more information about how we create Product Briefs, contact us.

Casio Exilim Keitai W63CA Camera Phone launched

2008-10-31T08:32:00.000-07:00

Casio Exilim Keitai W63CA Camera Phone launched

With a camera becoming a necessity on all mobile phones today, it only makes sense that the quality of them is being improved all the time.

Many manufacturers have included 8 mega pixel cameras in their new phone releases and Casio have jumped on the bandwagon, but also gone a step further by adding their successful Exilim brand to the phone.

The Casio Exilim Keitai W63CA has 8 mega pixels and is a clam shell phone but when closed looks just like a digital camera with a larger than average lens and a finger grip on one side, as well as the Casio Exilim logo.

Other features included are a 28mm lens, 9 auto focus points, Face detection, and video recorder at 30fps. The phone itself appears to be pretty cool too, with a rotating clam shell with 3.5" OLED display, Opera Mobile Browser, 4 hours battery life of talktime, 600MB internal memory and a micro SD card slot. The four colours it will be available in are White, Pink, Gold and Green.

No availability dates as yet.

Casio EXILIM Keitai W63CA Cellular phone has advanced camera

2008-10-30T08:24:00.000-07:00

Casio EXILIM Keitai W63CA Cellular phone has advanced camera

A while ago, I got to chance to try out the Casio EX-Z9, and I found the camera very simple to use with great specs. It appears that Casio has put the power of an 8.1 megapixel camera on a cellular phone with the EXILIM Keitai W63CA flip phone.

My source doesn’t say much about the phone, but it goes on and on about the camera. For instance, it has nine point autofocus function, face detection, backlight correction, anti-shake, as well as a 10.2 x digital zoom. It can also record VGA clips at 30 frames per second, which makes it perfect for YouTube videos.

The screen of the Casio EXILIM W63CA has a 3.1 inch OLED for about 26 million colors and 384,000 pixels, and it has a 1-Seg TV viewing feature. The phone has 600 MB of memory, a microSD card slot, and it can be used in 21 different countries.

I have to admit this is one of the most advanced cameras that I have ever heard of being put on a cellular phone. Most of the time, the camera is added on as some sort of convention, with very little megapixels or adjusting features. I hope the W63CA is the start of a new standard when it comes to cell phone cameras.

Unfortunately, the Casio EXILIM W63CA will only be available in Japan, and I’m not certain of the price. It will come in four colors including Ice White, Shiny Pink, Titanium Gold, and Metal Green.

Casio EXILIM Keitai W63CA with 8.1 MP Camera Now Out in Japan

2008-10-29T07:47:00.001-07:00

Casio EXILIM Keitai W63CA with 8.1 MP Camera Now Out in Japan

Previewed earlier this year, Casio's EXILIM Keitai (Japanese cell phone) W63CA flip phone is now available in Japan via telco, KDDI au. The W63CA comes with an impressive 8.1 megapixel camera and with a 480 x 800 pixels resolution 3.1-inch OLED screen. That means the display has 26 million colors and 384,000 pixels.

The camera itself has a nine point autofocus function, face detection, backlight correction, anti-shake, 10.2 X digital zoom, and a mode that records VGA clips up to 30 frames per second that's optimal for uploading to YouTube. Of course, just like many, many keitai, the Casio EXILIM W63CA has 1-Seg TV viewing feature. Other features include 600 MB memory, microSD card slot, and the ability to be used in 21 different countries. It's available in Shiny Pink, Ice White, Titanium Gold and Metal Green.

New Olympus models dazzle at GITEX

2008-10-23T07:54:00.000-07:00

New Olympus models dazzle at GITEX

Al Sayegh BrothersAl Sayegh Brothers
Al Sayegh Brothers Trading Company
Alsa Group
UAE | Conglomerates
News | Profile | Officers
distributors for Olympus opto-digital products in the UAE, Qatar and Iraq, have launched seven new digital camera models during Gitex Technology Week 2008.

Speaking at the launch of the camera models, Linus Monteiro, Managing Director, Al Sayegh BrothersAl Sayegh Brothers
Al Sayegh Brothers Trading Company
Alsa Group
UAE | Conglomerates
News | Profile | Officers
Imaging, said: "With this new lineup, Olympus will further strengthen its leadership position in the UAE digital camera market."

Monteiro said that Olympus always has a wide range of models from Digital SLR to Compact, Ultra-Slim, Weatherproof, Ultra Zoom and Waterproof, to suit ones requirement. Olympus digital camera models have unique features that other brands cannot match. Olympus assists you to bring your creativity to life using these sophisticated digital cameras and to satisfy your every photographic need.

The Olympus DSLR E-3: An all-round professional masterpiece
The new flagship of the Four Thirds Standard-based Olympus E-System. The E-3 gives photographers a high-performance tool that is primed for any assignment and satisfies the most stringent demands for D-SLR photography. It represents the ultimate choice for the professional photographer and provides the highest levels of speed and image quality as well as Live View capabilities and the ultimate in reliability.

The E-3 features the world's fastest auto-focusing speeds thanks to an advanced AF system and new ZUIKO DIGITAL SWD (Supersonic Wave Drive) lenses. Matched with shutter speeds of up to 1/8000th sec. and 5fps sequential shooting (with a 19 image RAW buffer in burst mode), the E-3 gives photographers a crucial edge to help capture that decisive shot.

Ensuring the best image quality in the widest range of situations, this new professional model also incorporates a powerful built-in image stabilisation system which is capable of compensating against the effects of camera shake to the equivalent of up to 5 EV steps. This is complemented by a 10 Megapixel High Speed Live MOS sensor and Olympus' TruePic III image processing engine. Together with the ZUIKO DIGITAL lenses - which are custom-made for the needs of D-SLR photography - photographers can rely on optimal results each time.

Meanwhile, the camera's Live View capabilities provide the freedom to shoot with more versatility: Whether wanting to keep eye-contact with the subject or shooting above the head or close to the ground, compositions can be framed with ease on the 2.5"/6.4cm multi-angle HyperCrystal LCD, which also faithfully displays the effect of camera adjustments in real time.

In addition to Live View, photographers can also choose to use the camera's large viewfinder which provides 100% coverage. Like all Olympus E-System cameras, the E-3 incorporates the most effective dust reduction system available - the Supersonic Wave Filter. Reliability of the camera system is further heightened under all types of shooting conditions thanks to dust and splashproof protection of both body and most E-System lenses. Moreover, a shutter life of 150,000 operations guarantees that the E-3 will tolerate the treatment of even the most active photographer with ease.

The Olympus Mju 1060: Style and muscle with a 7x optical zoom
Featuring a timeless design and a range of fascinating new features including ultra-fast shooting, the Olympus Mju 1060 is the ideal stylish and compact companion. A liberating 7x optical zoom (37-260mm) gets you right up close to subjects, while integrated Dual Image Stabilisation eliminates blur caused by camera shake to keep shots sharp. That, plus a generous 3.0" HyperCrystal LCD and advanced technologies - which include Advanced Face Detection Technology, Shadow Adjustment Technology and the exciting new Intelligent Auto Mode - make the 10 Megapixel Olympus Mju 1060 a compact model to covet.

The Olympus Mju 1040: super-slim metal body
Uniting powerful features in a completely redesigned super-slim metal body, the 10 Megapixel Olympus Mju 1040 is an extremely elegant performer. Measuring in at a depth of just 16.5mm at its thin end, it combines a precision 3x zoom (38-114mm) with such cutting-edge features as Advanced Face Detection and Shadow Adjustment Technology. Furthermore, the new Intelligent Auto mode can detect the five most commonly-used scenes and then automatically adjust camera settings including focus and exposure. A large 2.7" HyperCrystal LCD helps users frame and review their shots. In addition to the camera's internal memory, photos can be stored on xD-Picture Card or - thanks to a bundled attachment - on optional microSD Card.

The Olympus Mju 1050 SW: Your hero
Take great photos and turn heads while you're at it with the latest addition to Olympus' ever-expanding Mju Tough series. The newly-redesigned Mju 1050 SW is ready for practically any adventure: toss it about, dunk it in the pool or bury it in the snow without thinking - because you don't have to. The incorporation of an innovative TAP control interface makes adjusting settings and reviewing shots as easy as the tap of a finger. Coming with a bundled microSD attachment, this model affords users even more flexibility when it comes to storing memories. Do what you will to the 10.1 Megapixel Mju 1050 SW: drop it, wash it or shoot with it in below-freezing temperatures - the possibilities are virtually endless. Shockproof to 1.5m, waterproof to 3m and freezeproof to -10°C, this extension to Olympus' most robust compact line-up sports a chic new design that makes it even more fun to take with you everywhere you go. The newly-developed TAP control interface lets users trade the press of a button for the tap of a finger: adjust settings and review images on the Mju 1050 SW's extra large 2.7" HyperCrystal II LCD by applying a simple tap or two to the exterior. The integrated 3x optical zoom (38-114mm) guarantees safety in action with its use of an inner-folded light path - one of the keys to this camera's uniquely compact design.

The Olympus FE-360 : slim all metal body
For those looking to step their style up a notch, the FE-360 offers the amazing features - 3x optical zoom and 8 Megapixels - and even packages them in a chic metal body. Naturally, Face Detection Technology is also incorporated, making the FE-360 the life of any party! Digital Image Stabilisation with up to ISO 1000 is similarly included, ensuring that pictures will be sharp and blur-free. A 2.5" LCD display makes it easy to frame and review your shots. The FE-360 comes in five eye-catching colours: silver, black, blue, red and pink.

The Olympus FE-370 : slim 5x optical zoom
The FE-370 delivers a surprising level of performance in a compact package. Its precision 5x zoom lens (36-180mm) captures the exciting details of every scene. Thanks to Dual Image Stabilisation, a feature that combines both mechanical and digital image stabilisation and is incorporated in an FE series model for the very first time, clear images are always ensured. In addition, Intelligent Auto Mode makes it easy to take great images - it can automatically detect a range of common shooting scenes and then adjust settings accordingly. With Advanced Face Detection Technology, the FE-370 is the ideal camera for perfect pictures of human subjects. It's able to recognise up to 16 distinct faces and select the ideal shooting parameters - and matched with the Smile Shot function, it will automatically take the picture when it detects your subject's smile. Like its fellow FE series cameras, its small and sleek metal body features 8 Megapixels. Shots can be framed and reviewed on the large 2.7" LCD. Additional features such as TruePic III, Perfect Fix and Perfect Shot Preview, all ensure top image results.

The Olympus SP-565 UltraZoom : A 20x wide optical zoom for ultimate control
Raise your photographic potential with the world leader in the ultrazoom category. Featuring a 20x wide zoom lens (26-520mm), the affordable Olympus SP-565 UZ lets you shoot like a pro without having to lug around tons of equipment. Zoom in ultra-close to any subject, or back out for an ultra-wide shot - all with a single lens. Meanwhile, integration of Dual Image Stabilisation ensures protection against camera shake. Photos are stored to internal memory, xD-Picture Card or - thanks to a bundled attachment - microSD Card optional.

Capture the excitement of a football match from the sidelines, yet feel the immediacy in your results as if you had been right there on the field. Using the 5x digital zoom and optional TCON-17 Teleconverter (with CLA-10 Conversion Lens Adapter) even more is possible. How much more? Up to a massive focal length equivalent of 4420mm! The 10 Megapixel SP-565 UZ also presents users with flexibility for wide-angle shooting. This is not only perfect for capturing sweeping landscapes and group photos, but also for getting a wider perspective when photographing interiors or other architecture.

All Olympus digital cameras have one year world-wide warranty and are available at KliK, E4U, FotoFun and all major Hypermarkets, Dealers and Duty Free Shops in the UAE, Qatar and Iraq

Sony's slim offering

2008-10-12T00:44:00.000-07:00

Sony's slim offering

SONY has launched its slimmest Cyber-shot digital camera yet, the Skinny T (DSC-T755), which is only 15mm thick but is still feature-packed.

The 10.3-megapixel camera includes features such as Super SteadyShot, optical image stabiliser, ISO of up to 3200, Smile Shutter and face detection.

According to Sony, the optical stabiliser and higher ISO range allow for sharper shots in low light conditions.

The Smile Shutter function automatically captures images when the camera detects a smiling face. Users can select adult or child as the subject and adjust the sensitivity of the smile detection.

The face detection option allows users to quickly search for images by choosing one of four options — children, infants, smiles and all people.The PhotoMusic application allows users to create and watch slideshows with background music.

Other features include a 4x optical zoom, a 3in LCD screen, 11 shooting modes (including two new underwater and gourmet modes), auto orientation and PictBridge support.

The Skinny T also has a number of in-camera retouching options such as unsharp, radial blur and fisheye lens effect.

Also, with an optional HD output adaptor, the camera can be connected to an LCD TV.

The Skinny T, which is available in black, expresso, green, pink and silver, retails for RM1,299. — ZAM KARIM

Sony unveils new T-Series Cyber-shot cameras

2008-10-07T06:05:00.000-07:00

Sony unveils new T-Series Cyber-shot cameras

Sony Gulf has launched two new T-Series Cyber-shot cameras, packed with amazing features to help take great pictures.

Slim, colourful and easy to carry, they’re the perfect partner for any occasion, from fun-filled nights out to holidays, parties and family moments, said a statement.

The Cyber-shot T77 is billed as the world’s slimmest camera with 4x optical zoom. It’s available in a range of five amazing colours including black, silver, pink, green and brown.

Its sleek, chic looks are accentuated further by the big, beautiful 3-inch touchscreen LCD.

It can store up to an incredible 40,000 images in its huge 4GB internal memory.

Like the Cyber-shot T77, the T700 is available in five colour options of black, silver, gold, pink or red. There are no buttons on the camera’s back – just a 3.5-inch widescreen LCD.

The Cyber-shot T700 features enhanced smile shutter, improved face detection, anti-blink technology and refined intelligent scene recognition.-TradeArabia News Service

Casio introduces the Exilim Zoom EX-Z19 compact

2008-10-02T09:03:00.001-07:00

Casio introduces the Exilim Zoom EX-Z19 compact

Casio has introduced the Exilim Zoom EX-Z19 compact camera, adding a whole megapixel on its predecessor the EX-Z8, while saving a few pounds off it too.

The camera features 9.1 megapixels and has a 3x optical zoom. It can take photos in HD and has a 2.6-inch LCD screen to preview your images on before you upload them to your computer.

Features on the camera include face detection and an "easy" mode for complete beginners that features a cut down menu to avoid confusion.

The camera comes in a tange of colours, from silver and black to pink and green. You can also select your menu screen to match the colour of your camera with six to choose from.

Body measurements for the EX-Z19 are 92.5mm wide by 55mm high by 23.mm thick, making it pocket friendly.

Although perhaps not a camera for the budding amateur photographer, it's a nice little camera for your snapshots on days and nights out, and at £119 won't break the bank either.

The EX-Z19 is available now.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W110

2008-10-02T08:56:00.000-07:00

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W110

Design

With its brushed black body that contrasts nicely against the metallic accent both on the border around the camera and on the circular frame around the lens, the DSC-W110 has a certain masculine aesthetic. To this end, Sony has denied it the colour options made available in its W-series comrades, which can be picked up in various hues, such as pink, red and gold. The DSC-W110 has instead been restricted to the tech staples of black and silver. The brushed finish on the DSC-W110 is welcome, as fingerprint marks and smudges do not show up on its surface.

Rather than being flush with the back of the camera, the DSC-W110's control buttons protrude out from its surface allowing bigger fingers to intuitively find them, although some may find them too small for their liking. The raised zoom rocker on the back of the camera is easy to use, while the ridged mode dial clicks through its options with a satisfying level of resistance. Rather than remaining flush with the camera's surface the LCD is also raised up.

Features
Scene modes are accessed by turning the ridged mode dial at the back of the camera. Each turn of the wheel displays the mode and a brief descriptor of its function to the right of the LCD — providing easy navigation around the camera for those who want a highly automated and guided digital camera experience. This description appears only briefly, acting as a useful prompt rather than an annoyance.

You can plug and play your photos straight from the DSC-W110 to your TV through the camera's slideshow option. There are five slideshow styles through which you can view your happy snaps, which can be accompanied by either eight underwhelming preloaded music clips or your own music onto the camera to accompany the show. As is Sony's wont there's proprietary which combines data transfer and AV functions. The port for which, incidentally, is left open and exposed to the elements.

As is to be expected on an entry-level camera, there's an absolute dearth of on-board editing features in the DSC-W110. Photos can be organised into folders and that is about it — don't expect the likes of red-eye reduction editing. Disappointingly for a cut-price camera you'll have to fork out extra dosh for a Memory Stick, Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick Pro or Memory Stick Pro Duo card.

On the plus side, the DSC-W110 has Sony's smile detection function, which allows the camera to automatically take pictures whenever a smiling face ventures across its path; sensitivity for which can be adjusted along a sliding scale. There's also face detection, that can be configured to preference adults or children, and sensitivity of up to ISO 3200. To assist beginners, the ISO menu gives you information on the available image sizes, such as VGA-sized pics being useful for small images intended as email attachments, and that a full-sized 7-megapixel image gives you the flexibility to create quality images of A3 dimensions.

Performance
The good image quality produced by this 7.2-megapixel compact, with its Carl Zeiss lens and 4x optical zoom, is let down slightly by the loss of clarity in the camera's 2.5-inch LCD. It's hard to enjoy the end product when setting them up properly is disturbed by the screen's tendency to motion blur. Some salvation comes in the camera's inclusion of an optical viewfinder, but this is relatively small and ungainly to use.

When it comes to viewing moving images through the LCD you'll find that you get a lot of motion blur. The lag is fairly significant, which could make life difficult when trying to set up shots on busy streetscapes, let alone trying to take advantage of the camera's quick shot time to capture action scenes such as sports.

Generally speaking the performance of the DSC-W110 is good for an entry-level unit. It is able to collect its first shot after start up within four seconds, without a flash you'll be able to get a shot every 0.8 second in burst mode. When taking shots manually with a flash you can gather an image every three seconds.

Conclusion
The DSC-W110 is a camera designed for ease of use and a low price point. If you're happy to have a point-and-shoot without much in the way of features, then this compact digital camera will point and shoot for you and then ... well ... point and shoot some more.

L201

2008-10-02T08:48:00.001-07:00

L201

The Samsung L201 is an ultra-slim camera with 10.2 megapixels, a 3x optical zoom lens, Dual Image Stabilisation and a 2.7-inch intelligent LCD which will automatically brighten or dim based on available lighting.

The Samsung L201 Camera is available in silver, black, green, pink and blue at a recommended retail price of $299 bundled with a piece of 4GB SD card.

NV9

2008-10-02T08:45:00.000-07:00

NV9

The slim 21.3mm Samsung NV9 packs a punch with 10.2 megapixel performance and a large 2.7 inch LCD screen, internal 5x optical zoom as well as Dual Image Stabilisation. A true digital convergence device, the NV9 is equipped with multimedia features including a portable media player, MP3 player and text viewer.

This stylish metallic travelling companion is designed with a mini dashboard, allowing the user to conveniently check the battery life and memory capacity at one glance. The NV9's Perfect Portrait System consists of six diverse modes consisting of Face Detection, Beauty Shot, Red Eye Fix, Smile Shot, Blink Detection, Self Portrait modes, ensuring a stress-free photo-taking experience. Its Face Detection technology detects up to nine faces and automatically adjusts focus and exposure to ensure better composition and image quality.

The Samsung NV9 Camera will be available in black, silver and pink versions from October 2008 with recommended retail price to be available closer to the launch date.

Kodak EasyShare M1033

2008-09-30T09:58:00.000-07:00

Kodak EasyShare M1033

The good: Solid photo quality for its class; well-rounded if rudimentary feature set; slim, sturdy body; simple operation.

The bad:
Lackluster video; only a three-shot burst.

The bottom line:
Kodak's EasyShare M1033 is a better-than-average budget ultracompact.

Specifications:
Digital camera type: Ultracompact; Resolution: 10 megapixels; Optical zoom: 3 x; See full specs

At first glance the 10-megapixel Kodak EasyShare M1033 is a fairly basic budget pocket camera. It's basic at second, third, and well, every subsequent glance, too. But that's the M1033's greatest asset: it's a simple-to-operate, stylish ultracompact camera that takes good--occasionally excellent--pictures without much thought from the user. It won't blow you away with features and performance, but it doesn't disappoint either.

Measuring 2.3 inches tall by 3.7 inches wide by 0.8 inch deep, the M1033 slides easily into a back pocket, and at 5.2 ounces, it won't weigh you down, either. The camera's mostly metal body comes in six colors--black, silver, pink, copper, red, and gray--feels sturdy, and has a clear-cut design, so you can hand the camera to anyone and let them shoot away.

Buttons for the shutter, power, flash, and mode selections are on top, flush with the body, adding to the camera's streamlined looks. On back is a 3-inch LCD that's bright enough to remain visible in sunlight. A relatively large rocker zoom switch for the 3x 35-105mm-equivalent f3.1-5.7 lens is well positioned to the top left of the screen. Below it sits a five-way joystick for navigating menus and for the playing of images and video. That's flanked by Delete, Playback, Menu, and Kodak's standard Share button, which lets you tag an image to be printed or e-mailed the next time the camera is connected to a computer.

Powering on to first shot takes 1.7 seconds on average and typically takes the same amount of time from shot to shot. Using the flash adds nearly a second to that. Shutter lag is very good for its class at only 0.4 second in bright conditions and 0.9 in dim. Burst mode offers only a three-shot spurt in approximately 1.4 seconds. It's important to note that if you let it--by pressing the shutter button completely rather than halfway and waiting for a focus confirmation--the M1033 will take a picture without locking focus. This does let you capture images extremely quickly, but they'll frequently be blurry.

Press the Mode button and you get four options: Smart Capture, Program, Scene, and Video. Smart Capture mode integrates scene and face detection, optimized auto ISO, and a broader dynamic range among other things, so you truly don't have to worry about a setting to take a decent picture. This mode also applies Kodak's PerfectTouch technology to help improve detail and contrast. In general this system works, producing fine photos regardless of subject or lighting conditions. Which is good, since the camera always starts in Smart Capture, regardless of your settings at power off.

The M1033 also has 22 Scene modes you can switch to in seconds. These include standards like portrait and landscape as well as things like in-camera panorama (left to right and right to left), candle light, panning, and blur reduction. The Program mode gives you slightly more control for exposure compensation and metering, color (natural, low, black and white, sepia), white balance, and ISO. It's nice to have, though I'm not sure it's wholly necessary.

Again, the M1033 is capable of shooting some very nice photos for its class, though more often they're a mixed bag. Like most budget models, the Kodak performs best in bright sunlight. Overall, colors are pleasing, though white balance is quite inconsistent. For example, when shooting a mix of plants, the colors would shift depending on which plant was the subject. There's also some serious vignetting--darkening around the edges--and modest distortion at the camera's widest angle.

Lastly, one of the hyped features on the M1033 is its 720p (1,280x720) video recording at up to 30fps. However, the HD-recording performance was a little disappointing. The picture is good, but my results display some stuttering when panning, and while you can zoom while recording, focusing is slow and you could hear it working in the recorded audio. Exposure control seems to be a bit of an issue, too. The image stabilization can't be turned on when recording at 1,280x720, either (you'll have to drop to 640x480, since electronic image stabilization requires the extra pixels to do its work). The moral: if you are considering buying this to shoot handheld HD clips longer than 30 seconds, don't.

The Kodak EasyShare M1033 might not be overflowing with features or staking major performance claims, but it is a respectable budget ultracompact with good looks and simple operation. And there's nothing wrong with that.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T77

2008-09-30T09:54:00.000-07:00

Kodak EasyShare M1033

Like mobile phones, music players, PDAs and other modern high-tech gadgets, compact digital cameras tend to get slimmer and lighter with every passing year. Today I’m taking a look at the slimmest camera I’ve seen so far, the new Cyber-shot DSC-T77. At just 15mm thick and with a shooting weight of 151g it sets a new benchmark for ultra-compact cameras.

Launched in August this year, the T77 is a 10.1 megapixel, 4x zoom ultra-compact that features optical image stabilisation and a 3.0-inch touch-screen monitor. Like all of the models in Sony’s style-conscious T-series it has a sliding front panel that serves as both a lens cover and the main power switch. It shares a lot of its features and functions with the earlier Cyber-shot T70 an 8.1-megapixel, 3x zoom model, launched late last year and currently selling for around £150.

Any high-spec luxury ultra-compact will inevitably be compared with something from Canon’s IXUS range. Perhaps the closest match would be the 10MP, 5x zoom IXUS 970 IS (£210), but that camera is much larger and heavier. A better fit is the new Nikon CoolPix S60. The S60 has a 10MP sensor, a touch-screen interface and optical image stabilisation, but has a 5x zoom lens. It also sells for around £250, which actually makes the Sony look reasonably priced at £210

There’s no denying that the T77 is a very cool looking gadget. Everyone to whom I showed it was impressed by its slim body, elegant styling and solid build quality. It is available in a wide range of colours including silver, black (shown here), pink, brown or bright green. Despite its low weight the camera’s body is made of steel and is exceptionally well built. The sliding front cover is solidly mounted and feels very secure, and when closed it provides good protection for the lens and flash.

T700 and T77 available in New Zealand

2008-09-30T08:10:00.000-07:00

T700 and T77 available in New Zealand

Sony's ultra-slim T-series Cyber-shot digital camera range gets another couple of additions.

DSC-T700 captures and displays it all on a 4GB internal album
With a 4GB internal memory, creative display options, in-camera retouching and a 3.5-inch widescreen extra-fine LCD screen, the T700 may be better described as a 'portable photo album with a powerful inbuilt camera.'

All pictures can be stored by date and in themed folders to make them really easy to track down. It's also simple to upload images to favourite image sharing websites via the PC Sync and Easy Exporter functions.

The T700 features up to 10.1 mega pixel image capture, a 4x optical zoom, Optical SteadyShot, Carl Zeiss lens, and Sony's Face Detection and Smile Shutter technologies.

DSC-T77 is one of the slimmest cameras on the scene
Weighing just 151g with accessories, the T77 Cyber-shot is 15mm at its widest point making it an unobtrusive addition to a pocket or handbag on a night out with the pals.

Available in five colours (metallic black, silver, green, pink and brown), the DSC-T77 Cyber-shot features 10.1 effective mega pixels, a Carl Zeiss 4x optical zoom lens and Sony's BIONZ image processor for fast capture of detailed images.

This camera also has many automatic settings to get only the best images when you want a portrait on the spur of the moment or even a close-up of a fast-moving subject, such as Intelligent Scene Recognition, Smile Shutter, Face Detection, Anti-blink and Optical SteadyShot technologies.

Casio Exilim, say hello to Kitty

2008-09-24T18:44:00.000-07:00

Casio Exilim, say hello to Kitty

It's not unusual to see electronic manufacturers associate their products with popular cartoon characters to make them more appealing. Casio's latest Exilim offering, however, may just be a tad too pink, even for a Hello Kitty-themed camera.

Using its bright pink Exilim Z80 as the base, Casio has given its shooter girlish charm by adding Hello Kitty's face and a couple of hearts on the front face. Although this point-and-shoot is probably targeted at girls, we're sure some guys will take a liking to this camera, too.

This is not Casio's and Sanrio's first collaboration. The two companies first worked on the Hello Kitty Exilim Digicam 720 last year.

Here's the interesting part. A plain Z80 will set you back US$179, but after adding the feline character's face, GeekStuff4U is touting the camera for US$538.70. Is it worth that much? Well, hardcore collectors will probably pay any amount to add this shooter to their collections. I'll pass.

Fisher Price cameras

2008-09-10T21:02:00.000-07:00

Fisher Price cameras

Win one of eight Fisher Price Kid-Tough digital camerasToday's tots love to keep busy on the go with high-tech toys. The Fisher-Price Kid-Tough digital camera, now with a waterproof shell, is designed to keep kids busy and still be strong enough for even the toughest of use.

We are giving away eight Fisher Price Kid-Tough digital cameras in assorted pink and blue colourways.

The Kid-Tough digital camera is now even tougher than ever! This colourful camera not only takes great shots but, with its new waterproof specification, it can capture bath-time and paddling pool adventures too!

There's no need to worry about putting it in the hands of the roughest of tots, the Kid-Tough camera will stay waterproof for up to 30 minutes in up to 1 metre of water.

The camera features a simple to use format, with two-eye viewing, sturdy dual hand grips and big buttons that make it easy for little hands to operate. And, it comes with a 1.5'' colour preview screen so little David Baileys can instantly see their shots.

With a USB cord for computer connection, auto-flash, image resolution of up to 1.3 megapixels and 128MB of memory to store up to 500 pictures, mum and dad will be competing for the best holiday snaps this year!

PowerShot E1 digital camera targets tweens

2008-08-28T18:24:00.001-07:00

PowerShot E1 digital camera targets tweens

Canon Canada announced today that it is expanding its PowerShot digital camera line with the PowerShot E1 digital camera, targeted to the teen and tween markets.

Sporting a rounded and curvy form factor, the camera incorporates a 10-megapixel resolution, 4x Optical Zoom-lens; with Optical Image Stabilization and Canon’s Face Detection Technology.

The E1 includes 17 shooting modes including Easy Mode which limits the shooting and playback functions to the basics for easy operation, creating ease-of-use for even the most entry-level camera owner.

The PowerShot E1 digital camera will be available this September in three colours including white, blue and pink for $229.99.

Olympus asserts its rule with camera flood

2008-08-28T18:19:00.000-07:00

Olympus asserts its rule with camera flood

Olympus introduces quintet of new digital cameras. Image: Stylus 1050 SW/Olympus.

If you want to convincingly grab market attention, then product grasp really must be squarely aimed betwixt the legs of unsuspecting consumers, which is a tactic mercilessly executed by Olympus this week following the unveiling of a whole host of new and appealing digital cameras.

First up is the new Stylus 1050 SW, a rugged compact that offers itself up as shockproof, waterproof and freezeproof camera that’s even sensitive to touch via the innovation of Tap Control technology, which means common menu interactions can be delivered via finger taps against the top, back and sides of the camera’s body.

“For example, to turn on the flash or Shadow Adjustment Technology, tap the camera’s side twice,” outlines Olympus. “In adverse climates, where the Stylus 1050 SW thrives, the new Tap Control ensures fast results – so you get the shot – even if you are adjusting settings while fighting frostbite with large gloves that would make traditional buttons nearly impossible to maneuver.”

Providing 10.1 mega pixels of performance, the Stylus 1050 SW comes in a choice of four “trendy” colours and has been designed to withstand the rigours of everyday life. According to Olympus, the 1050 SW will survive five-foot drops, operate in freezing conditions and even swim with the fishes.

Other features include Face Detection, Smile Shot, In-Camera Panorama, Shadow Adjustment Technology, Perfect Shot Preview, Perfect Fix In-Camera Editing, Red-Eye Fix, TruePic III Image Processing, Digital Image Stabilization, a HyperCrystal II LCD display, Master 2 software, an LED Illuminator, and support for microSD memory expansion.

Set for arrival in October, the Stylus 1050 SW will hit retail for around $300 USD.

Following close behind the new Stylus is its 1040 counterpart, which is described as a streamlined camera “perfect for style-conscious consumers.”

The Stylus 1040 comes equipped with 10 mega pixels of performance, a generous 2.7-inch HyperCrystal LCD display and Intelligent Auto Mode. As with the 1050 SW, other features include Face Detection and Smile Shot, In-Camera Panorama, Shadow Adjustment Technology, Perfect Shot Preview, Perfect Fix In-Camera Editing, TruePic III Image Processing, Digital Image Stabilization, Master 2 software, and support for microSD memory expansion.

Also available in October, the Stylus 1040 will come attached to a price point of around $200 USD.

Not finished polishing its consumer appeal, Olympus has also announced the FE-360 and FE-370 point-and-shoot digital cameras, which combine easy operation and smart performance to capture brilliant images at the push of a button. And. while small and compact, the two cameras offer “impressive imaging technologies” packed into colourful slimline metal casings for people on the move.

Both entrants come with 8.0 mega pixel performance, Image Stabilization, Face Detection, Perfect Shot Preview, In-Camera Help Guides, Master 2 software, a microSD adapter, a rechargeable lithium-ion battery and an LCD backlight boost. Both are also available in choices of red, blue, pink, black and silver.

Individual attributes include a super-slim 0.7-inch metallic body, 20 custom shooting modes and a 3x Optical Zoom on the FE-360, while the FE-370 comes with Dual Image Stabilization, TruePic III Image Processing, Intelligent Auto Mode, a 5x Optical Zoom, 2.7-inch high-res LCD display, Smile Shot and Expression Edit.

Due to hit store shelves before the close of August, the FE-360 will cost around $150 USD, while the FE-370 comes in at approximately $200 USD.

Last, but certainly not least, is the SP-565 Ultra Zoom (UZ), which Olympus lauds as a smaller and lighter version of the SP-570 UZ, “the world’s most powerful ultra zoom digital camera.”

Balancing the amazing precision of its 20x wide-angle telephoto zoom lens along with point-and-shoot simplicity, the SP-565 UZ offers 10 mega pixel performance, Dual Image Stabilization, enhanced Face Detection, Shadow Adjustment Technology and Perfect Shot Preview.

Other features include, Manual Controls, High-Speed Sequential Shooting and Pre-Capture (up to 13.5 frames per second at 3.0 mega pixels), Perfect Fix In-Camera Editing, TruePic III Image Processing, Master 2 software, microSD memory support and 33 Shooting Modes.

Scheduled to land in October, the SP-565 UZ will sting prospective consumers for around $400 USD.

Canon Preps For Xmas With New Powershots

2008-08-28T18:05:00.001-07:00

Canon Preps For Xmas With New Powershots

Even though the big Canon news of the moment is the official announcement of the 50D (which you can expect in AU from October 1 for a price still to be determined, incidentally), they've actually flooded the market with new product releases, from scanners and printers to these new PowerShot models (My inbox literally has 7 emails from Canon in a row).

The new Powershot range, including the A1000, A2000, SX110 and E1 models, all take a much more streamlined approach to design, so much so in the case of the E1 that journalists were asking why they weren't branded IXUS instead.

Aside from the engaging design, each of the new Powershot models is powered by AA batteries, plus the E1 comes in a selection of colours (including pink - huzzah!). They're all packed with Megapixels and zoom, as well as some of the more useful features like face detect and optical image stabilisation.

Prices atart at $249 for the A1000, the A2000 costs $299 and the E1 will cost $229. The SX110 IS is yet to be priced, but my money's on it being a similar price to the others.

This Christmas looks like it's going to be very competitive in the digital compact market, with Fujifilm and Olympus also offering low-cost cameras that are packed with features.

Canon launches PowerShot E-series cameras...you know, for kids

2008-08-28T18:01:00.000-07:00

Canon launches PowerShot E-series cameras...you know, for kids

Canon's keeping it real with the new PowerShot E1 digital camera line targeted at the teen and tween markets. According to the press release, "whether taking photos with a 'BFF' at a slumber party, snapping shots while watching a hot band perform, or capturing cap-and-gown moments for a scrapbook or brag book, the PowerShot E1 digital camera offers just the right combination of intuition and style." (Oh jeez. You gotta love it when a major corporation tries to "get down" verbally with the youth.)

The E1 is a 10-megapixel compact with a 4x optical zoom and available in three colors (blue, pink, and white). Of course it comes packed with shooting modes (17 in all) including--and probably most importantly--face detection, and it has a 2.5-inch LCD.

You can also apparently take "customization and expression to the max" as the E1's shutter, start-up, and operation sounds can be customized as can the color of the menus and start-up screens. (Hmmm, where have I heard this before?)

The PowerShot E1 will hit stores mid-September for $199.99.

Two new entry-level 8-megapixel cameras, the Olympus FE-370 and FE-360, have now been released in five different colors.

2008-08-28T17:57:00.000-07:00

Two new entry-level 8-megapixel cameras, the Olympus FE-370 and FE-360, have now been released in five different colors.

Announced a while ago, Olympus now releases two new FE-series point-and-shoot digital cameras that combine easy operation with slim metal bodies; the Olympus FE-370 and Olympus FE-360. Check out a comparison of them here.

The Olympus FE-370 and FE-360 are available in red, blue, pink, black and silver. Both cameras can detect up to 16 faces, and takes advantage of smile detection and Perfect Shot Preview (lets users preview added effects live on the LCD screen before taking a shot).

The Olympus FE-360 comes in a super-slim (0.7 inch) metal body, and features 3x optical zoom (36-108mm equivalent) and 20 custom shooting modes. It's also got an 8-megapixel 1/2.35" CCD sensor and a 2.5-inch screen.

The Olympus FE-370 takes it all one step further, adding sensor-shift image stabilization, TruePic III image processor and a Intelligent Auto Mode. The latter selects the appropriate shooting mode automatically based on where the camera is aimed (Portrait, Landscape, Night + Portrait, Macro, Sports).

Furthermore, the Olympus FE-370 offers 5x optical zoom (36-180mm equivalent) and a 2.7-inch screen. The camera sports an 8-megapixel 1/2.35" CCD sensor, and also offers a high ISO 3200 mode at 3 megapixels.

The Olympus FE-370 and Olympus FE-360 is available now for $200 and $150, respectively.

Casio launches four new EXILIM digital cameras

2008-08-28T17:23:00.000-07:00

Casio launches four new EXILIM digital cameras

Casio announced the release of four new, high-profile additions to its EXILIM family of digital cameras. The 10.1 effective megapixel EXILIM Zoom EX-Z300 and the 9.1 effective megapixel EXILIM Zoom EX-Z250 both deliver beautiful high resolution images and outstanding functionality made possible by a new Casio imaging engine for high speed image processing. The 9.1 effective megapixel EXILIM Zoom EX-Z85 and EX-Z19 cameras feature a stylish design and are packed with the kind of innovative features users have come to expect from Casio.

EX-Z300 and EX-Z250 combine high resolution and high speed image processing to produce beautiful photos of people and night scenes:
Thanks to Casio’s new EXILIM Engine 3.0, these two cameras produce beautiful image quality with low noise and moiré. Both are high resolution models, and they boast excellent resolving power, offering precise, smooth rendering of images. The image processing speed and power of Casio’s new engine make possible entirely new functions that deliver fantastic photos of people’s faces, night scenes and other subjects that have challenged photographers for years. These cameras automatically detect and correct for difficult situations, such as night scene photography where camera shake could be a problem, or backlit subjects where faces often come out too dark. This all means that users get great, well-balanced photos of family and friends against any background with no more worry than it takes to press the shutter button. These cameras also feature a Makeup function that creates beautiful photographs of people’s faces: high end image processing can smooth skin and soften facial shadows caused by sunlight. The photographer gets to choose to apply such image processing at one of twelve levels, from weak through strong, and can shoot while checking the results of the effects in the LCD monitor. At last, a camera that brings out all the beauty of the human face, creating images worthy of keeping forever as special memories.

EXILIM Zoom EX-Z85 and EX-Z19 — Two 9.1 effective megapixel cameras with stylish designs:
The EX-Z85 comes with a Face Recognition function that can detect the presence of up to 10 people’s faces and then give priority to the faces of pre-registered people for correct focus and exposure, and an Auto Shutter function, which automatically takes a photo the instant camera shake ceases, as well as a Movie button that lets users easily record widescreen movies. The design of the focus frame and the color of the menu screen can be customized in accordance with each user’s wishes, and the camera comes in eight colors — silver, black, vivid pink, pink, blue, green, brown and orange. The EX-Z19 features a BEST SHOT feature that allows the camera to be set up to optimally capture images according to user-selected scene types. In Easy Mode, the camera’s settings menu has been simplified to just three items — flash, self timer and image size — making it a snap for even total beginners to use. Both of these cameras deliver high performance with a compact, stylish look.

Olympus FE-370

2008-08-21T17:37:00.000-07:00

Olympus FE-370

A month before the Photokina 2008 show starts a new Olympus camera is introduced. Olympus introduces a sleek and stylish FE-Series point-and-shoot digital camera that combines easy operation and smart performance to capture brilliant images at the push of a button. While small in size, the new Olympus FE-370 is full of impressive imaging technologies packed into colorful slim metal body ideal for people on the move. Raising the bar for entry-level digital cameras, the camera features 8.0 megapixels of resolution; Image Stabilization for virtually blur-free images; Face Detection for crisp portraits and a Perfect Shot Preview to see various shot options before the shutter is pressed.

Olympus FE-370 Specs
Leading these impressive specs, Dual Image Stabilization virtually eliminates blur from shaking hands or moving subjects and joins with the TruePic III Image Processor to produce crystal clear images. A new Intelligent Auto Mode selects the appropriate shooting mode automatically based on where the camera is aimed, and optimizes the settings accordingly. Its powerful 5x Optical Zoom captures action at a distance that is displayed on a big and bright 2.7-inch high resolution LCD; and Smile Shot automatically triggers the shutter only when a subject smiles, and Expression Edit can even turn frowns upside down.

Image Stabilization
Dual Image Stabilization adds mechanical Sensor-Shift Image Stabilization to Digital Image Stabilization to provide one powerful anti-blur solution for capturing great images even if the photographer or the subject is moving. Olympus' mechanical Sensor-Shift Image Stabilization keeps images sharp by adjusting the CCD image sensor to compensate for camera movement, which often occurs in low-light conditions when shutter speeds are slower. By combining the two technologies, Olympus FE-370 users are able to take crystal clear images in virtually any shooting situation.

Face detection
Tired of changing the settings on your camera every time you're shooting something different? Included in the Olympus FE-370, the Intelligent Auto Mode automatically identifies what you are shooting (Portrait, Landscape, Night + Portrait, Macro, Sports) and adjusts the camera's settings to capture the best quality results. First-time users will enjoy this quick and hassle-free feature, which does the thinking for them and produces incredible images like a pro. Face Detection tracks faces within the frame and automatically focuses (Face Detection AF) and optimizes exposure (Face Detection AE) for sharp, brilliant portrait pictures. Even if your subject is moving, the camera continuously tracks your subject's face without having to press the shutter button. The Olympus FE-370 can detect up to 16 individual faces in one shot.

Olympus FE-370 included perfect shot preview
The new Olympus FE-370 camera offers Perfect Shot Preview mode, which enables users to preview and select various photographic effects on a live, multi-frame window on the LCD before snapping the shot. This feature allows users to see precisely what the image will look like when adjustments are made, ensuring they are capturing the exact image desired. It is a great way for novice users to learn about the effects of different photography techniques, such as exposure compensation, white balance and metering.

Olympus FE-370 offers pre-set shooting modes with Smile Shot
The Olympus FE-370 camera offers numerous pre-set shooting modes, such as Sports, Fireworks and Night Scene with Portrait. The camera also offers VGA & AVI-quality video and sound, which enable users to shoot and share movies on the big screen or on the Web. The Olympus FE-370 features Smile Shot, which tracks your subject's face to detect a smile and automatically fires off three consecutive shots so you never miss that perfect smile. This feature is great for parents hoping to capture hard-to-predict baby smiles. The FE-360 offers 18 shooting modes (including three for underwater shooting with the camera's optional housing).

Photo editing in Olympus FE-370 digital compact camera
The new Olympus FE-370 camera offers Red-Eye Fix, Exposure Fix and in-camera editing features such as resizing and cropping that enable photographers to edit images after the photo has been captured. Photographers sometimes struggle with making subjects say "cheese." Now they can really turn a frown upside down when their subjects refuse to smile for the birdie. This fun feature on the Olympus FE370 uses Face Detection technology to edit a subject's facial expression after the image is captured. Four different expressions can be previewed in a multi-frame window on the LCD, and users can select their favorite expression at the touch of a button.

Olympus Camera Help Guides
The new FE-Series camera features an enhanced In-Camera Help Guides that make digital photography simple and fun for users of all ages and skill levels. The Olympus FE-370 offers Program Auto Mode. Located on the cameras' mode dial, this option enables consumers to easily adjust ISO and white balance. A tutorial "shooting guide" educates users on tips for achieving specific effects, such as "shooting into backlight," perfect for bright situations such as a day at the beach, and "adjusting image quality" for uploading images to auction sites. The shooting guide not only provides detailed descriptions for various situations and environments, but also sets the camera for optimum results with the touch of a button.

Olympus TruePic 3 Image Processor
The Olympus FE-370 features Olympus' exclusive TruePic III image processor, which was developed for the demanding performance of professional Digital SLR (single lens reflex) cameras. Olympus' enhanced TruePic III Image Processor produces crystal-clear photos using all the pixel information for each image to deliver superior picture quality with more accurate colors, true-to-life flesh tones and faster processing speeds. TruePic III also captures crisp, clear images at high ISO settings, which are traditionally associated with increasing image noise or producing grainy photos.

Memory Solution for the Olympus FE370
All Olympus digital point-and-shoot cameras accept xD-Picture Card media. The Olympus FE-370 will also come equipped with an adapter, which will enable microSD memory cards to be used when capturing images. The microSD cards are emerging in consumer electronic devices, including mobile phones and PDAs. Users can also easily display photos on their HDTVs.

Olympus Software
Olympus Master 2 Software provides the ultimate in digital imaging management. An intuitive user interface makes downloading to your computer quick and simple, and images are easily organized by folders or albums and searchable by date in Calendar view. Additionally, with one-click editing tools, such as red-eye removal, images can be touched up before printing or e-mailing. Online support, templates, firmware upgrades and other user services are just a mouse-click away. Use the optional muvee Theater Pack to create professional quality slide shows and DVDs from your pictures using any of several built-in templates.

Olympus FE-370 Price
The Olympus FE-370 will be available in August 2008. The Olympus FE-370 includes a new LI-60B Li-Ion Rechargeable Battery and Charger, USB Cable, Audio/Video Cable, Wrist Strap, Manual, CD-ROM with Olympus Master 2 Software, Warranty Card and microSD adapter. Furthermore the new FE-series digital camera features an user-friendly In-Camera Help Guides that make print manuals obsolete; a rechargeable lithium-ion battery for convenience; and an LCD backlight boost for viewing in bright light. The new Olympus FE370 compact camera is available in red, blue, pink, black and silver and offers a unique set of features so consumers can choose the FE camera that best meets their needs. The Estimated Street Price for the Olympus FE-370 digital compact camera is $199.99 (U.S.).

Casio Exilim Z85

2008-08-20T17:40:00.000-07:00

Casio Exilim Z85

Casio Exilim EX-Z85 digital camera : Casio announced the release of a new, high-profile addition to its Exilim family of digital cameras. The 9.1 effective megapixel Exilim Zoom EX-Z85 camera feature a stylish design and are packed with the kind of innovative features users have come to expect from Casio. The Casio Exilim Z85 comes with a Face Recognition function that can detect the presence of up to 10 people's faces and then give priority to the faces of pre-registered people for correct focus and exposure, and an Auto Shutter function, which automatically takes a photo the instant camera shake ceases, as well as a Movie button that lets users easily record widescreen movies. Casio will showcase the Casio Z85 at the Photokina 2008.
Casio Exilim Z85 body measurement
The design of the focus frame and the color of the menu screen can be customized in accordance with each user's wishes, and the camera comes in eight colors - silver, black, vivid pink, pink, blue, green, brown and orange. The Casio Exilim Z85 camera delivers high performance with a compact, stylish look. This high performing model with 9.1 million effective pixels takes high definition photographs. The Casio Z85 features a stylish design contained within a compact size. Body measurements for the EX-Z85 are 89.7mm wide by 51.7mm high by 19.0mm thick.
Casio EX-Z85 - LCD monitor and Body colors In addition to the standard body colors, this camera comes in a rich variety of expressive colors such as vivid pink (available in a total of eight colors: silver, black, vivid pink, pink, blue, green, brown and orange). In addition to the usual rectangular focus frame that is indicated on the LCD monitor, users can choose from frame designs featuring a heart shape or a butterfly, for example. When the scene is properly focused, a clear heart shape is displayed, and when the scene is out of focus the heart shape breaks up. This makes it easy to see when the picture is in focus, and users will enjoy it, too. Casio Z85 captures H264 video format
Users can choose their preferred option from six different colors (black, chocolate, cinnamon, rose, sky blue and olive) as the color for the menu screens. The Casio Z85 uses the H.264 video format, which records beautiful, high quality movies in highly compressed video files. When the Movie button is pressed, the camera records widescreen movies with an aspect ratio of 16:9. This camera comes with a highly visible 2.6 inch widescreen display. Information on camera settings is displayed in the "Control Panel" on the right hand edge of the screen, so settings can be changed quickly and easily. Casio Exilim EX-Z85 self-portrait photography Using blur detection technology, the Casio EX-Z85 can automatically take a photo the instant that hand shake or subject movement stops, even without the need to push the shutter button. This reduces photo blur caused by the movement involved in pressing the shutter. The camera will also automatically release the shutter at the moment of a smile or the moment subject blur ceases in a panning shot. A shot can also be taken the moment the user's face fills the frame when taking a self-portrait. Casio Exilim Z85 includes automatic face recognition The Face Recognition function allows users to detect the presence of up to 10 people's faces, and then, prior to shooting, the camera automatically recognizes the pre-registered face or faces that should be most clearly photographed, and gives those faces priority for correct focus and exposure. The settings menu in the easy mode has been pared down to just three items - flash, self timer and image size - making it easy for even beginners to understand and use.

Zit zapper leads Casio digital camera trio

2008-08-20T17:36:00.000-07:00

Zit zapper leads Casio digital camera trio

Casio UK today announced several cameras, including one that may be the ideal camera for self-conscious teenagers. The EX-Z300 is said to be the first compact digital camera to offer a Make-Up mode, which airbrushes photographs and removes even the smallest blemishes. The 10MP camera sports a 28-112mm (35mm equivalent) optical zoom lens, YouTube compatible video capture, face recognition, and a 3-inch LCD monitor. Companion Casio cameras unveiled today include the EX-Z85, a 9.1MP camera with face recognition that gives focus and exposure priority to pre-registered faces, the Z250, a 9.1MP model that is said to have improved low light performance. U.S. availability and pricing to be announced.

For details, read the Casio UK press release:

CASIO Releases Three New EXILIM Digital Cameras

EX-Z300 and EX-Z250, with new imaging engine for superb photography of people and night scenes, and EX-Z85, a stylish new 9.1 megapixel camera

Norderstedt, August 20, 2008 - CASIO Europe GmbH and its parent company, CASIO Computer Co., Ltd., today announced the release of three new, high-profile additions to its EXILIM family of digital cameras. The 10.1 effective megapixel EXILIM Zoom EX-Z300 and the 9.1 effective megapixel EXILIM Zoom EX-Z250 both deliver beautiful high resolution images and outstanding functionality made possible by a new CASIO imaging engine for high speed image processing. The 9.1 effective megapixel EXILIM Zoom EX-Z85 camera feature a stylish design and are packed with the kind of innovative features users have come to expect from CASIO.

EX-Z300 and EX-Z250 combine high resolution and high speed image processing to produce beautiful photos of people and night scenes Thanks to CASIO's new EXILIM Engine 3.0*, these two cameras produce beautiful image quality with low noise and moir้. Both are high resolution models, and they boast excellent resolving power, offering precise, smooth rendering of images. The image processing speed and power of CASIO's new engine make possible entirely new functions that deliver fantastic photos of people's faces, night scenes and other subjects that have challenged photographers for years. These cameras automatically detect and correct for difficult situations, such as night scene photography where camera shake could be a problem, or backlit subjects where faces often come out too dark. This all means that users get great, well-balanced photos of family and friends against any background with no more worry than it takes to press the shutter button. These cameras also feature a Makeup function that creates beautiful photographs of people's faces: high end image processing can smooth skin and soften facial shadows caused by sunlight. The photographer gets to choose to apply such image processing at one of twelve levels, from weak through strong, and can shoot while checking the results of the effects in the LCD monitor. At last, a camera that brings out all the beauty of the human face, creating images worthy of keeping forever as special memories.

* EXILIM Engine 3.0: This is an image processing module that packages a new, dedicated high speed image processing CPU (central processing unit) with the high performance CPU used to date. Digital cameras are constantly developing and evolving new levels of "beautiful imagery" and "convenient shooting functions." This new module quickly processes complex images, making it possible for customers to shoot and view wonderful photos with simplicity and ease.

EXILIM Zoom EX-Z85, 9.1 effective megapixel camera with stylish design

The EX-Z85 comes with a Face Recognition function that can detect the presence of up to 10 people's faces and then give priority to the faces of pre-registered people for correct focus and exposure, and an Auto Shutter function, which automatically takes a photo the instant camera shake ceases, as well as a Movie button that lets users easily record widescreen movies. The design of the focus frame and the color of the menu screen can be customized in accordance with each user's wishes, and the camera comes in eight colors - silver, black, vivid pink, pink, blue, green, brown and orange. This camera delivers high performance with a compact, stylish look.

EXILIM Zoom EX-Z300 and EX-Z250 - Two high quality digital cameras with excellent functionality that allows users to take beautiful pictures of people's faces and night scenes

One model with 10.1 effective megapixels and the other with 9.1 effective megapixels

The two new cameras are the 10.1 effective megapixel EX-Z300 and the 9.1 effective megapixel EX-Z250. Thanks to CASIO's original image processing technologies, these cameras achieve an extremely precise, smooth rendering of high-resolution images, reducing a great deal of noise in pictures taken at high sensitivity levels. This is the result of CASIO's pursuit of the beautiful image quality that users expect from cameras with very high resolution.

28mm wide angle, 4X optical zoom lenses

These lenses zoom from 28mm to 112mm (35mm film camera equivalent). Users can enjoy a wide range of shooting options, from wide angle photography that is convenient when shooting large objects or many people in a small space, to telephoto shooting which brings distant subjects close.

New functions that take advantage of the high speed image processing of CASIO's newly developed EXILIM Engine 3.0:

Handheld night scene:

The cameras can automatically detect night situations where there would normally be camera shake if a tripod wasn't used. Users get clear, bright photographs of both people and night scenes as the camera compensates for camera shake.

Lighting function:

When blue skies are washed out, or when faces are dark because subjects have their backs to the light, these cameras are able to automatically detect such situations and select just the right balance between light and dark. Washed out and overly dark areas are controlled, allowing for a natural tonal range to be reproduced, so both people and backgrounds are evenly exposed.

Makeup function:

When users want to smooth facial skin, or reduce the depth of facial shadows in sunlight, etc., they can apply image processing from a relatively low level 1 right through to a high level 12, all the while checking the effect of the processing level chosen in the LCD monitor. The higher-end model EX-Z300 also has a "Makeup button" that allows effects to be applied with one touch.

Multi-motion:

Just as if multi-exposure had been used, the EX-Z300 (only) can take a series of shots of a moving subject and combine them in a single photo (image size must be set to 3 megapixels.)

CCD shift stabilization

Camera shake is compensated for by the mechanical movement of the imaging element in the camera. Of course, both cameras also incorporate Anti Shake DSP, which reduces photo blur due to moving subjects by raising the camera's sensitivity and allowing faster shutter speeds.

EX-Z300 comes with HD Movie function, which enables high definition (1280x720 pixel) movie recording

The EX-Z300 comes equipped with a high definition movie recording function, which allows beautiful movies with an image size of 1280 by 720 pixels to be recorded with just a push of the Movie button. They also feature the H.264 video standard, which records beautiful, high quality movies in highly compressed video files.

Large, high definition 230,400 pixel 3.0 inch LCD monitor

These cameras use a large, clear 3.0 inch LCD monitor. The high contrast screen produces sharp, bright images that can be viewed easily from any angle, and the monitor's high brightness means that it can be easily viewed even when the surrounding light is bright.

EXILIM Zoom EX-Z85, stylish 9.1 effective megapixel digital camera Compact 9.1 effective megapixel camera with 3X optical zoom

This high performing model with 9.1 million effective pixels takes high definition photographs. The camera features a stylish design contained within a compact size. Body measurements for the EX-Z85 are 89.7mm wide by 51.7mm high by 19.0mm thick.

Available in a rich lineup of colors In addition to the standard body colors, this camera comes in a rich variety of expressive colors such as vivid pink (available in a total of eight colors: silver, black, vivid pink, pink, blue, green, brown and orange).

Focus frames and menu screens that can be customized according to users' preferences Focus frames: In addition to the usual rectangular focus frame that is indicated on the LCD monitor, users can choose from frame designs featuring a heart shape or a butterfly, for example. When the scene is properly focused, a clear heart shape is displayed, and when the scene is out of focus the heart shape breaks up. This makes it easy to see when the picture is in focus, and users will enjoy it, too.

Menu screens:

Users can choose their preferred option from six different colors (black, chocolate, cinnamon, rose, sky blue and olive) as the color for the menu screens.

Auto Shutter function shoots automatically when the subject smiles or when there is no blur

Using blur detection technology, the EX-Z85 can automatically take a photo the instant that hand shake or subject movement stops, even without the need to push the shutter button. This reduces photo blur caused by the movement involved in pressing the shutter. The camera will also automatically release the shutter at the moment of a smile or the moment subject blur ceases in a panning shot. A shot can also be taken the moment the user's face fills the frame when taking a self-portrait.

High quality widescreen movies in H.264 video format

The EX-Z85 uses the H.264 video format, which records beautiful, high quality movies in highly compressed video files. When the Movie button is pressed, the camera records widescreen movies with an aspect ratio of 16:9.

Automatic face recognition function

The Face Recognition function allows users to detect the presence of up to 10 people's faces, and then, prior to shooting, the camera automatically recognizes the pre-registered face or faces that should be most clearly photographed, and gives those faces priority for correct focus and exposure.

Easy Mode makes it simple for beginners to operate

The settings menu in the easy mode has been pared down to just three items - flash, self timer and image size - making it easy for even beginners to understand and use.

2.6 inch widescreen LCD

This camera comes with a highly visible 2.6 inch widescreen display. Information on camera settings is displayed in the "Control Panel" on the right hand edge of the screen, so settings can be changed quickly and easily.

Olympus announces 2 new digital cameras

2008-08-20T17:32:00.000-07:00

Olympus announces 2 new digital cameras

Olympus announced two new compact cameras late yesterday the Olympus FE-360, and Olympus FE-370. Both of the new digital cameras are pocket-sized and lightweight and are sporting an 8-megapixel resolution.

Here’s a rundown of the basic specs for each of the cameras:

Olympus FE-360

The Olympus FE-360 has a 3x zoom, and a 2.5-inch LCD. The camera is exceptionally thin, coming in at just .07-inches. The FE-360 comes programmed with 20 pre-set shooting modes for shooting in different lighting conditions and movie recording at 640 x 480 or 320 x 240 resolution stored in motion JPEG format. Without batteries the FE-360 weighs in at 3.5 oz. Look for the FE-360 later on this month for an MSRP of $149.99.

Olympus FE-370

The Olympus FE-370 is exceptionally similar to the FE-360. The FE-370 has a 2.7-inch LCD display rather than a 2.5-inch, and has a larger 5x zoom to the FE-360’s 2x. The FE-370 has 10 built-in preset modes for shooting in different lighting conditions and also has movie recording at 640 x 480 or 320 x 240 resolution stored in motion JPEG format. Without batteries the FE-370 weighs in at 4.5oz. Look for it later this month for $199.99.

Both cameras are expected to be available in a variety of different colors. Rumored color choices for the FE-360 and FE-370 include the traditional black and silver as well as red, blue, and pink.

There have been a lot of cameras announced so far this year in an array of colors. I’ve always been a fan of the traditional black camera, although I’m also pretty fond of my silver Canon Powershot.

How many of you would purchase a colored camera when a traditional colored camera was also available? What do think the motivation is for digital camera manufacturers to create so many different color options for their new cameras?

Dufri unveils new products from Sony and Casio

2008-08-19T18:57:00.000-07:00

Dufri unveils new products from Sony and Casio

NETHERLANDS. Dufri International has unveiled three new camera models: two T-Series Cyber-shot cameras from Sony, as well as the Exilim Zoom EX-Z150 from Casio.

Sony Cyber-shot T77: “World’s slimmest camera with 4X optical zoom”

The Cyber-shot T77 is 15mm thin (13.9mm at thinnest point) and comes in five colours: black, silver, pink, green and brown.

Its sleekness is complemented by the 3-inch touch screen LCD. All functions are controlled with a touch of the screen, cutting down on fiddly controls while giving users a widescreen view of their pictures.

The Cyber-shot T77 is equipped with smart Sony technology, Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens, and a 4x optical zoom range for detail-packed close-ups. Sony claims that the T77 is the thinnest Cyber-shot ever to feature a powerful 4x optical zoom range.

The model also comes with the Smile Shutter function. Just select Smile Shutter mode and aim the camera: the Cyber-shot T77 automatically fires the shutter when someone smiles. Face Detection has also been improved for better results, allowing users to prioritise children or adults for natural portraits with accurate skin tones, exposure and focus.

The new ‘Anti-blink’ technology aims to cut the risk of closed eyes spoiling portraits: The Portrait Mode shoots two images in quick succession, automatically throwing away pictures where the subject’s eyes are closed.

Intelligent Scene Recognition has been further refined. Now it will automatically adjust settings for great results over a wider range of common shooting situations such as portraits, landscapes and close-up macro pictures.

Cyber-shot T700: “the photo album in your pocket”

Just 16.4mm slim (15.2mm at thinnest point), the new Cyber-shot T700 can store up to 40,000 images in its 4GB internal memory.

Like the Cyber-shot T77, the T700 is available in five colour options: black, silver, gold, pink and red. The camera doesn’t come with any buttons – users navigate using just a touch screen 3.5-inch Xtra Fine LCD.

The T700 claims to be smarter than the average photo album. All pictures are stored in handy folders for easier management. Whether users are on holiday or taking a business trip, the camera will recognise when shots were taken, indexing them automatically for easy reference. Album mode organises pictures into folders containing babies, children or adults – or even smiling faces. Users can also select shots and upload them to their photo blogs or favourite image sharing website.

PC sync allows easy synchronising between the Cyber-shot and a PC. With a single click, Easy Exporter in Picture Motion Browser transfers full-sized images to the computer for storage and transfers smaller, resized copies of the images back to the Cyber-shot to allow mobile viewing of photos. The original full-sized data remains stored on the PC.

Like the T77, the Cyber-shot T700 features enhanced Smile Shutter, improved Face Detection, anti-blink technology and refined Intelligent Scene Recognition.

The Cyber-shot T77 and T700 will be available from September.

New Kodak digital camera does it all

2008-08-19T18:54:00.000-07:00

New Kodak digital camera does it all

George Eastman must have had a premonition when he coined the phrase “you press the button, we do the rest.”

Kodak has introduced an easy to use compact point-and-shoot that makes it much easier to take good pictures. The M1033 retails for $199.95, has a 3x zoom lens, sports a big 3-inch CCD display, uses SD memory cards and is available in red, pink, pewter, black, silver and dark grey.

Kodak’s digital history is an interesting one. After being one of the first to enter the digital market, Kodak faded away as fast as its film sales. And it missed the boat on being a leader in digital film card sales. Kodak has now been creeping back into the market with its Easy Share cameras which give anyone the ability to share their pictures with the world. This gives Kodak the potential element of surprise in the market.

Adding to this, Kodak has now figured out a way to make just about anyone able to take great pictures. Kodak’s new invention, Smart Capture, makes more than 50 calculations involving exposure, focus and image processing adjustments before it even writes a picture to disk.

Smart Capture figures out what type of scene you are shooting, automatically sets the appropriate exposure and even readjusts the exposure after the picture is taken.

Among the most impressive aspects of this 10-megapixel camera are its face-detection technology and its post-exposure processing.

The face-detection technology will wow you with its amazing ability to not only detect faces but to follow them in live action. If your subject bobs and weaves, the detector bobs and weaves right with them. This works really well with young children and fast-moving adults, too.

As far as the post-exposure processing goes, a magic act occurs after you push the shutter button. Details that were lost in a brilliant sky suddenly come back to life, snapping into detail.. The experience mimics having a well-trained lab team work up your picture.

Add to that an automatic macro function that detects when things are too close for normal focus and a 30-frame-per-second HD video capability and you’ve got one powerful little camera. The only thing that is hard to do with this camera is to use the zoom control. It is very low profile - maybe a little too low profile - which makes it especially hard to zoom while holding the camera one-handed.

For years, the Canon Elph has set the standard in the compact camera market. Kodak has just taken a leap over the leader with some amazing American innovations.

George Eastman would be proud.

Sony fires two new Cyber-shots

2008-08-14T17:32:00.001-07:00

Sony fires two new Cyber-shots

Sony gave it both barrels today with the introduction of two new still digital cameras to its Cyber-shot range. “The Cyber-shot T77 is the world’s slimmest camera to feature 4x optical zoom and optical image stabilisation,” a Sony suit told us. “Meanwhile, the Cyber-shot T700 boasts a 4GB hard drive for storage of a massive 40,000 photos.”
Sony said both cameras had been designed with the eye-catching style that people expect of Sony products, and both are bursting with amazing features to help you take great pictures.

Here’s the company’s official word on both models:

Cyber-shot T77 – little camera, big personality
“At just 15mm thin, the super-svelte Cyber-shot T77 will fit in the pocket of even the skinniest of jeans. It’s the slimmest camera ever to feature 4x optical zoom and optical image stabilisation, so whilst its diminutive size is impressive, it’s the pin sharp images you can capture at the touch of a button that will bowl you over.
The impressive zoom capability is complemented by 10.1-megapixels, 3-inch touchscreen LCD, Smile Shutter technology for automatic capture of smiling faces, and Face Detection and Anti-blink technology to make sure everyone looks perfect. All-in-all it’s the friendliest little camera you’ll come across.
The Cyber-shot T77 comes in five vibrant colours; midnight black, mauve, apple green, chocolate brown and silver.”

Cyber-shot T700 – your life in pictures
“The Cyber-shot T700 offers the best possible image quality and the latest technology to easily share images after shooting. The massive 4GB in-built memory provides enough space for 40,000 images, making the T700 a portable photo album. The 3.5-inch 921K dot LCD screen allows the user to view images in stunning high resolution, and the Sharemark technology makes uploading images to photo-sharing sites incredibly easy. The T700 is perfect for students wanting to document their gap year travels, families not wanting to miss a moment of children growing up, or that last-minute night out with friends.
This new camera also boasts 10.1-megapixels and a host of Sony favourite features, including Smile Shutter, Face Detection and Anti-blink technology. It will be available in a choice of colours - gunmetal grey, silver, candy pink, raspberry red and champagne colours.” Both models can be slotted inside a new marine housing that means users can capture the action above and below the water.

The Cyber-shot T77 and Cyber-shot T700 will be available from September 2008, with prices to be confirmed.

Sony’s Slim, Colourful T700 Digicam has 4 GB Internal Memory

2008-08-12T17:23:00.000-07:00

Sony’s Slim, Colourful T700 Digicam has 4 GB Internal Memory

Sony of Canada has introduced a pair of new T-Series Cyber-shot digital cameras, one of which it deems the “world’s slimmest camera with optical image stabilization”, and the other with an impressive 4 GB of internal memory for storing images right in the camera.

In addition to an attractive outer exterior, the 15 mm-thin T77 also boasts a 10 MP sensor, 3-inch, 16 x 9 touch-screen LCD, intelligent scene recognition technology that can automatically select from up to eight scene modes, and face detection. As fun but functional features, the camera also includes Smile Shutter, which waits to snap a photo once the subject is smiling; and anti-blink, which will take two shots (in portrait mode), and record only the images where the subject’s eyes are open.

The T77 will be available in late September for approx. $350. It will come in five vibrant finishes: dark gray, silver, gold, pink, and red.

Sony calls the T700 ($450) a “photo album in your pocket”, adding to the aforementioned features an ample 4 GB of internal memory for storing photos within the camera rather than on a memory card. Although the T700 doesn’t have a touch-screen interface like the T77, its LCD is a slightly larger 3.5”, and supplies high contrast coupled with a wide viewing angle. This model is just 16.4 mm thin, and comes in the same colour options.

Both models also integrate a newly-developed Carl Zeiss lens with 4x optical zoom, and Optical SteadyShot image stabilization. An internal, searchable database lets users search for images by event, date, smile or face, and display them in calendar mode, chronologically, in folders, or via slideshows and scrapbooks.

Picture Motion Browser (PMB) software, which comes with each camera, lets you automatically down-size images to VGA on your computer, then export them back to the camera’s internal memory. This way, you can save more photos to the camera itself, while saving the high-resolution versions on your PC. Additionally, the software can be used to upload images and video to popular social networking sites like YouTube.com.

Thank : http://marketnews.ca/news_detail.asp?nid=3974

Sony's T700 camera says goodbye to memory cards

2008-08-10T17:17:00.001-07:00

Sony's T700 camera says goodbye to memory cards

Words can not describe to you how much I love the new cameras released today by Sony (not good news for you or I, actually). But I'll try. I love love love them, for their colouring, their body, and yes, even their specs.

This is the T700 model, which comes in silver, as well as this rather lovely pink and grey. It's superslim (16.4mm thin), has a 3.5-inch LCD touchscreen and packs in a mammoth 4GB internal memory, making memory cards not much more than a distant memory.

There's also the Smile Shutter function, anti-blink mode, face detection and intelligent scene recognition.

No price yet, but we can expect them in September this year.

Sony DSC-T700 and DSC-T77 Digital Cameras Announced

2008-08-07T17:55:00.000-07:00

Sony DSC-T700 and DSC-T77 Digital Cameras Announced

Sony is making the grade with the introduction of the stylish Cyber-shot® DSC-T700 and DSC-T77 digital cameras with "intelligent" shooting functions.

The 10-megapixel T77 camera is Sony’s thinnest model at less than 5/8 of an inch with a 3-inch, 16 x 9 touch panel LCD screen. It features updated intelligent scene recognition technology, Smile Shutter™ and face detection technologies with child and adult priority, as well as high sensitivity shooting (up to ISO 3200), eleven scene modes, and in-camera image management. The T700 model (above) earns extra points as a “photo album in your pocket.” It has all the features of the T77 unit plus 4GB of internal memory that can store nearly 1,000 full-resolution or 40,000 VGA-quality photos; a 3.5-inch, wide touch panel Xtra Fine LCD™ screen for photo-like viewing (210 pixel-per-inch resolution) with high contrast and wide-angle viewing; and a thin profile (slightly more than 5/8 of an inch) so it can easily slip into a pocket or purse.

“Sony is taking the lead in developing “intelligent” cameras so that taking great pictures is an automatic function and not a complicated process,” said Phil Lubell, director of digital camera marketing at Sony Electronics. “This is part of our effort to enhance the camera experience for customers by offering new functionality.”

Substance and Style
While rich in technologies, style was a key factor in the development of both cameras, said Lubell. They feature a newly-developed Carl Zeiss® lens that integrates a 4x optical zoom and Optical SteadyShot™ image stabilization, yet achieves a slim form factor. They will also be available in a wider selection of color options than previous T-series cameras.

Both cameras feature updated intelligent scene recognition technology that can now select up to eight different scene modes, including macro, portrait and landscape modes.

This technology also includes a new anti-blink function in portrait mode that will virtually make closed-eyed photos an “old school” memory. The cameras will automatically take two shots and then determine whether the subject(s) have closed eyes using their advanced face detection technology. They will only record images with open-eyed subjects. If both pictures have subject(s) with closed eyes, the cameras will record one and display a warning so you can try again.

Sony’s Smile Shutter technology has also been improved. It is easily accessible as a “smiley face” icon, which is now a permanent fixture on the camera’s LCD screen in record mode, and can be toggled off and on at the touch of a finger. And during smile capture, auto focus and zoom functions are available, as well as the ability to take a limitless number of shots.

Not One, But Two Photo Libraries in Your Pocket
The T700 camera (above) is ideal for anyone who wants to have what Lubell calls “bragging” photos of their kids, pets, vacation or sports highlights with them at all times.

Owing to the model’s internal database, thousands of photos can be searched in-camera by event, date, smile or face, including children and infants; displayed in calendar or chronological views; organized in folders; and shared as slide shows or fun scrapbooks.

Unlike previous models, this one allows you to store and manage images on both its 4GB internal memory and an optional Memory Stick® media card. You can maximize the number of pictures stored on the camera with the bundled Picture Motion Browser (PMB) software application and its new PC Synch feature.

This new feature lets you downsize images from full-resolution to VGA and export them back to the camera’s internal photo album. The application operates intelligently with the camera so you can shoot more photos. It will only detect, downsize and export the new shots. This allows you to store literally thousands of your favorite photos in the camera

It is also possible to export photos shot by other cameras or archived on other media into the camera.

The PMB Portable software inside the camera lets you easily upload photos or videos to popular social networking sites like YouTube™ (a trademark of Google Inc.) using an internet connection with any compatible PC via the supplied USB cable. It even has pre-programmed sites in the camera.

The camera also has a scrapbook function that automatically creates simulated scrapbook pages. Now you can share, print or save your scrapbooks unlike previous models.

Pricing and Availability
The DSC-T77 camera replaces the former T70 model and will be available in brown, green, pink, black and silver in late September for about $300. The new DSC-T700 cameras ships at the same time in red, champagne gold, pink, dark gray and silver for about $400.

All cameras and a range of accessories can be purchased online at sonystyle.com, at Sony Style® retail stores (www.sonystyle.com/retail), at military base exchanges, and at authorized dealers nationwide. Pre-orders begin on Aug. 29 at www.sonystyle.com/.

Sony Unveils Two 10MP Compacts

2008-08-07T17:41:00.000-07:00

Sony Unveils Two 10MP Compacts

Today Sony announced two new 10.1-megapixel cameras, the DSC-T700 and DSC-T77. Both feature Carl Zeiss lenses and touch-screen LCDs. Sony has added improved “Smile Shutter” functionality and blink detection. The new blink detection implementation, shared by both cameras, will warn if your subject’s eyes were closed when you pressed the shutter and, in scene recognition mode, will automatically take a second photo immediately after the first to catch the blinker with open eyes. Both the DSC-T700 and the DSC-T77 are scheduled to ship in late September.

The DSC-T700, with a 4x optical zoom lens (35-140mm equivalent) is designed to serve as both camera and digital photo album. It boasts a 3.5-inch LCD screen with an unusually high 921,000-dot resolution (210ppi). With 4GB of internal memory, the T700 can store up to 40,000 photos on the camera. When coupled with Sony’s Picture Motion Browser synching application, photos are transferred from the camera to a Windows computer, which then sends a downsized version back to the camera for on-screen display. The photos can be sorted by date, event, folder, favorite or face type. Face recognition sorting allows filtering for children, infants or smiles to quickly find the exact picture you’re looking for. The T700 will come in five colors (black, silver, gold, pink and red) and sell for $400.

The DSC-T77 is Sony’s thinnest camera, less than 5/8” (15mm) thick, and will be available in five colors: black, silver, green, pink and brown. This new model has a 3-inch, 230,000 pixel 16:9 LCD screen and a 4x optical zoom 35-140mm (35mm eq.) lens. The updated “Smile Shutter” function employed here is activated with a single tap on the LCD. The camera will then automatically take photos when detected faces are smiling, and will continue to take them as long as the Smile Shutter mode is enabled. The slim T77 will sell for $300.

Fisher Price Kid Tough Digital Camera with Case - Pink

2008-08-06T07:59:00.000-07:00

Fisher Price Kid Tough Digital Camera with Case - Pink

Product Features

-Fisher Price Kid Tough Digital Camera - Pink (New Version)
-1.3 interpolated Mega Pixels or 640 x 480 resolution for 4" x 6" prints
-Bonus PINK Camera Case

Product Details

Product Dimensions: 13 x 4.5 x 12 inches
Shipping Weight: 4 pounds

Product Description

This product is a re-stage of the Kid-Tough Digital Camera J8028. 1.6" color LCD preview screen (WAS 1.3") Dual-handle grips Two-eye view finder. Compatible with Mac - Comes with built-in auto flash, wrist strap, and Camera compatible with Windows 2000/ME/XP/VISTA and Macintosh 1.3 interpolated Mega Pixels or 640 x 480 resolution for 4" x 6" prints

VistaQuest 3.0 Megapixel Digital Camera, Pink

2008-08-06T03:00:00.000-07:00

VistaQuest 3.0 Megapixel Digital Camera, Pink

SPECIFICATIONS:
- Lens: F 2.8 Aperture
- Shutter: 1/15 ~ 1/1500 second (Electronic Shutter) Auto Control
- Viewfinder: Virtual type: optical, Magnification 0.32 or higher, Coverage: 80% or higher

- White Balance: Automatic
- Exposure: Automatic
- Frame Size - Still Camera Mode: 2304x1728, 2048x1536, 640x480
- Frame Size - Video Camera Mode: 320x240
- PC Camera Mode: 320x240
- Compression: JPEG (EXIF 2.1), MPEG
- Display: B/W Status LCD
- PC Interface: USB 1.1
- Image Sensor: 3 Megapixels CMOS Sensor
- Storage: 32MB Flash Memory
- Power: 1 AAA 1.5V Alkaline battery included
- Auto Power Saving: System auto power-off: 60 seconds.
- Operating System: Microsoft Windows 98SE / 2000 / ME / XP / Vista
- Software Included: ArcSoft Photo Impression and Video Impression
- Dimensions: 2.56” x 2.5” x 1.19”/ 63 x 65 x 30mm

Samsung goes pink with NV4, i8 and L110 cameras for Valentine’s Day

2008-08-05T17:24:00.000-07:00

Samsung goes pink with NV4, i8 and L110 cameras for Valentine’s Day

Valentine's Day - when we used to show our love with a token of our affection - which Samsung hopes will be a digital camera this year, in particular the pink NV4, i8 and L110 cameras.

The 8 mega pixel NV4 has Advanced Shake Reduction (ASR) system, Red-Eye Fix technology and Samsung's Smart Touch User Interface. It's priced at £149. The 8.1 mega pixel i8 packs in a media player with in-built 'World Tour Guide' function (travel information covering 2,600 regions in 30 countries), along with Intelligent Face Recognition Technology. It also sells for £149.

The 10.1 megapixel L110 features Digital Image Stabilisation and Intelligent Face Recognition Technology, 3x optical zoom, a 2.5-inch LCD display and a suite of advanced video and editing features. Yours for £129

Fujifilm Z200fd: Skinny compact digital camera

2008-08-04T17:31:00.000-07:00

Fujifilm Z200fd: Skinny compact digital camera

Fujifilm have announced a new, slim, feature packed camera, the Z200 in the US. The camera uses Couple and Group timer modes that will make use of Fujifilm’s face-detection technology.

These Couple and Group timer modes just show how advanced these cameras are becoming these days as both serve as primary functions for the camera. The Couple timer will take a picture when it detects two faces getting closer together and has three settings for the distance between faces, meanwhile the Group timer will delay taking a picture until it detects the correct number of faces in the frame, pretty cool if you ask me.

Customers who are intrigued by this camera will have to wait until September to get their hands on one, and it will price around $299.95. The good news is that you will be able to choose from a variety of colours: Black, Red, Pink and Silver.

Here is a summary of the Z200’s features:

- Ultra slim (19.8mm thick) styling with two-tone all metal body

- 5x optical zoom lens (33-165mm equivalent)

- Dual Image Stabilisation

- Face Detection Technology and automatic intelligent red-eye removal

- 52MB internal memory plus xD-Picture card, SD and SDHC compatibility

- ISO 100-1600 sensitivity at full resolution

- Wide view 2.7-inch high resolution screen

- Playback features including Face Zoom and Micro Thumbnail (100 shot) view

- IR Communication (IR simple™)

- Blog mode and Auction mode

- VGA movie capture of 30 frames per second with sound

- New modes including Folder Select (categorise your photos using handy preset folders) and Illustration Mode.

- PictBridge™ compatible for direct printing without a PC

Samsung NV4 multimedia camera

2008-08-04T17:16:00.000-07:00

Samsung NV4 multimedia camera

ProductSamsung NV4 compact camera

VerdictIt looks good, but isn’t so great to handle. Plus, we’re not convinced that many people want a digital camera that’s also a multimedia player

Rating60%

Suggested Price£150

Fujifilm FinePix Z200fd Camera Unveiled in US

2008-08-03T18:29:00.000-07:00

Fujifilm FinePix Z200fd Camera Unveiled in US

After Samsung and Pentaxhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentax , now it looks like its Fujifilmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fujifilm ’s turn to unveil a new camera in the US. The stylish new FinePixhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fujifilm%23FinePix Z200fd camera by Fujifilm delivers sharp images with its 10-megapixel sensor.

Besides, the camera features 5x optical zoom lens and dual image stabilization. The FinePix Z200fd also possesses some usual features like Face Detectionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Face_detection Technology and automatic intelligent red-eye removal. It also equips some unique features like Blog mode and Auction mode.

The Blog mode resizes images thus making it easier to upload images on social networking sitesMost-Networked-Executives . While the Auction mode combines up to 4 images in one frame. This mode is useful for retailers selling their products at online shopping sites like eBay. In addition latest Folder Select mode allows users to categorize their photos with the help of handy preset folders. Illustration Mode another latest attribute added in the Z200fd.

Moreover the Fujifilm’s latest camera comes with 52MB of internal memory which can be expanded with xD-Picture card, SD and SDHChttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SDHC compatibility. The FinePix Z200fd sports a 2.7-inch high resolution display that allows users to view the captured images.

Apart from images, users can also capture their memories in video formathttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_formats at 30 frames per second with sound.

At the launch of the camera David Troy, marketing manager, Consumer Digital Cameras, Electronic Imaging Division, Fujifilm US said, “The FinePix Z200fd lets you focus on your style with the perfect digital camerahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_camera for consumers looking for a combination of cutting-edge technology and a chic, sophisticated design,”

“We believe consumers shouldn’t have to sacrifice performance for form or function,” added Troy.

The slim Z200fd camera is available in four trendy colors red, pink, silver and black.

The Fujifilm’s FinePix Z200fd is scheduled to be available in the US market from September 2008 at $299.95.

Fujifilm’s FinePix Z200fd puts photographers in their photos

2008-08-03T18:24:00.000-07:00

Fujifilm’s FinePix Z200fd puts photographers in their photos

Fujifilm announced the FinePix Z200fd today. The compact digital camera will have a 10 megapixel resolution, a 2.7-inch LCD screen. In addition to the traditional digital camera stats, the Finpix Z200fd also has added two features the “Couple Timer” and “Group Timer” modes that are designed with the intention of letting the photographer get in the shot.

The Couple Timer automatically shoots a picture when two faces get together. You can adjust the distance that’s required for the shot to be taken based on your relationship to the other subject, for instance you would probably be closer to your girlfriend than you would one of the other guys on the football team.

For shots of the whole football team the Finepix Z200fd has the Group Timer mode. Group Timer lets you specify the number of faces you plan on having in the shot, and won’t take the picture until everyone’s in.

Having been the photographer of many a group shot, I have to say that I’m a little hesitant to endorse the Finpix’s timer modes as something that’s going to be actually useful. While in theory the idea is a good one, just because someone’s face is in the shot doesn’t mean that they’re ready to take a picture. I can also picture a ton of situations where the camera doesn’t realize everyone’s there, or you’re not quite close enough to grandma to trigger the timer.

The FinePix Z200fd is expected to become available in September in silver, black, pink and red for $299.95. This is going to be a great one to check out once it’s released to the public just to see how the timer option works. The $300 price tag makes it a little more expensive than its competitor’s comparable digital cameras this season, it’ll be interesting to see if it’s worth it.

Fujifilm FinePix Z20fd

2008-08-03T18:19:00.000-07:00

Fujifilm FinePix Z20fd

As a colorful update to the Fujifilm FinePix F10fd digital camera, the FinePix Z20fd comes in one of five vibrant colors: red, pink, light green, blue, and black. The camera features a 10-megapixel sensor with a standard 3x optical zoom lens (covering a 35mm-equivalent range of 35-105mm).

Designed as a pocketable point-and-shoot, the Fujifilm Z20fd is extremely compact, and its rainbow of body colors will get you noticed in a crowd. In addition to the 3x optical zoom, there's another 5.6x of digital zoom (though remember that also means losses in resolution and overall quality).

Exposure control remains automatic, though a range of preset shooting modes aims to accommodate many commonly tricky situations, such as beach scenes and fast action. Additionally, there's Face Detection for better portraits, Picture Stabilization for reducing blur at higher sensitivity settings, and high-tech improvements such as IrSimple compatibility for wireless communication and even a Blog mode.

The FinePix Z20fd is suitable for a range of experience levels, from novices to more advanced users, and retails at an MSRP of about $200.

Fujifilm FinePix Z200fd 'couple cam' debuts...again

2008-08-03T17:52:00.000-07:00

Fujifilm FinePix Z200fd 'couple cam' debuts...again

We reported on the global announcement of the Z200fd back in May, but Thursday at 12:01 a.m. Fujifilm announced this slim, feature-packed camera for the U.S. You can read the full announcement and spec sheet on Fujifilm's press site.

It's actually--from a feature standpoint at least--an interesting read, giving you an idea of just what it takes to compete in this space. The hook for the Z200fd, for example, is its use of Couple and Group Timer modes that take advantage of Fujifilm's face-detection technology.

The Couple Timer takes the picture as the camera detects two faces getting closer together and has three settings for distance between faces. (Presumably allowing you to take pictures with people you love, like, and don't necessarily hate enough to not want to be in a picture with them.) The Group Timer sounds particularly nice, since it'll hold off on taking the shot until it detects the correct number of faces in the frame.

Unfortunately, you won't be able to capture your summer crush with the Z200fd; it won't be for sale until September at a price of $299.95. It'll be available in four colors: black, silver, red, and pink.

Sanyo releases new and improved Xacti 720p camcorder (HD800)

2008-08-03T17:45:00.000-07:00

Sanyo releases new and improved Xacti 720p camcorder (HD800)

Sanyo announced the successor model to its Xacti HD700 720p camcorder today, the HD800 [JP]. The new cam comes with an 8 megapixel 1/2.5-inch CMOS sensor, and shoots 720p video (1280×720) at 30fps in MPEG4 format.

Features include SD/SDHC support, a “face chaser” function for up to 12 persons, 5x optical zoom and a 2.7-inch LCD screen. Sanyo also developed a “three-dimensional digital noise reduction” (3DDNR) filter to improve the video quality over the HD700.

The HD800 will be sold in Japan from August 22nd for $460 (in gold, pink and black). No word yet on availability and pricing outside this country.

Press release in English after the jump (original text).

SANYO’s Sleek, Slim HD*1 Xacti Digital Video Image Quality ImprovedOne unit takes both HD videos and high-resolution stills, and easy to use with the Internet!

Tokyo, July 30, 2008 – SANYO Electric Co., Ltd. (SANYO) announces the DMX-HD800, a new sleek, slim high definition dual camera Xacti that can take both stills and videos. The camera sports a compact and light-weight body, and easily saves data onto SD/SDHC memory cards for convenience. The DMX-HD800 will take stills and videos used on a personal computer or for the Web, houses a new three-dimensional digital noise reduction (3DDNR) filter, and adds the ‘Face Chaser’ for both stills and videos with an active scanner visible on the monitor.
On the new product launch, Hideki Toyoda, General Manager of SANYO’s Digital System Company, DI Company Products Planning Department, said, “The DMX-HD800 has not only has it been designed to be sleek and stylish, but it now offers our unique three-dimensional digital noise reduction (3DDNR) filter, which allows clear, beautiful images with simple operation of a dual camera offering high resolution stills and HD videos in a single unit.”

1. Compact, light-weight camera capable of high definition movies compatible with personal computers and/or upload video data to the Internet
- Easily drag and drop recorded files on to the hard drive or upload to the Internet
- Ideal for website-use/blog-use videos as well as standard video creation
- Take either high definition videos (1280 x 720, 720p) or 8.0-Megapixel stills with one unit
- Snap photos anytime, even during video filming, without changing modes or pausing the viedo
- Preview the frame for photos while still recording video with the one-push ‘Photo View’ button
- Uses AVC/H.264 codec format for longer, higher quality recording than traditional codecs

2. Built-in, newly developed ‘3-dimension Noise Reduction’ (3DDNR) filter allows for more vivid and clear videos
- Uses the same, low-power consuming engine as the Full HD DMX-HD1010
- Through new 3DDNR filter, it is possible to decrease significantly the random noise that vacillates over time
- New CMOS sensor adoption allows faster image processing, up to 1.7 x more than the previous equivalent model
- CMOS sensor allows sharper feeling images by increasing the diagonal high-frequency component (sharpness)
- Image compression codec algorithms have been updated
- Optimized signal processing functions such as compression codec algorithm, gamma characteristics and edge treatment as well as the enhancement of basic performance functions all contribute to the improvement of quality in resolution, coloration and recording in dark places

3. Create beautiful memories easily with newly developed high-precision ‘Face Chaser’ function for both videos and stills
- Able to detect up to 12 faces in both videos and stills
- Face recognition database has been increased 5 times over the previously used database for face recognition
- Function upgraded with new method for regulation for even diagonal movement, improving precision
- Upgrades allow for higher quality photographic subject recording in both videos and stills
- Functions for face detection in videos upgraded to adjust focus and follow subject in real-time during recording, prioritizing the subject (person) as the focus of the recording

4.Other Features
- ‘Digital Image Stabilizer’ senses camera revolution and photographic subject movement
- Original DVD authoring and editing on the computer made easy with bundled ‘Adobe Premiere Elements 4.0’
- Continuous shot function allows more photo opportunities (8.0- /2.0-Megapixels)
- ‘Simple Mode’ operability available for first time users and and ‘Manual Mode’ operability for more advanced users
- Long-lasting battery allows up to 250 stills or 90 minutes of continuous video filming
- ‘Photo view button’ for smooth transition of monitor between videos and stills
- In-camera video editing (cutting & pasting) function
- Allows recording and playback of videos up to 4GB continuously
- Record in low-light scenes with camera’s low-light mode compatible down to 3 lux
- Confirm that faces are being detected with new LCD monitor display showing which subject is main
- Optional AV-connection kit available for camera to be used with ‘Xacti Library’ which includes saving of files by dates taken

Pentax announces the Optio M60

2008-08-03T17:40:00.000-07:00

Pentax announces the Optio M60

Pentax has launched the new Optio M60 compact camera, the latest model in its Optio M series of lightweight digital cameras.

Boasting 10 megapixels, a 5x optical zoom and a large LCD monitor, the M60 has built on the features of its predecessor, the M50, and also improved a number of others.

This includes the strengthening of the face recognition function to recognise 32 faces at once, and further advancement of the convenient “Auto Picture” function unique to Pentax, where the camera automatically detects the conditions of the subject and selects the optimal scene mode.

A total of eight scenes can be recognised with this function on the Optio M60, which is the most in this series. Modes include Landscape, Portrait, Night Scene, Night Scene Portrait, Standard, Flower, Sport and the new Candlelight.

The Optio M60 also comes with application functions such as Smile Capture, which automatically distinguishes smiles and takes photos, and Blinking Detection, which is a function where the camera warns the photographer if the subject blinked at the moment the shot was taken.

The Optio M60 will be available in three colors - silver, pink, and blue, and has been given a release date of August 22nd, at a price of around £90.

Kodak Zi6 (pink)

2008-08-03T17:33:00.000-07:00

Kodak Zi6 (pink)

Product Summary
The good: Solid 720p video; comparatively large LCD; memory-card expansion slot; AA rechargeable batteries included along with protective carrying case and video output cables.

The bad: Insufficient onboard memory and price doesn't include an optional memory card; can't recharge batteries via USB connector; included software isn't Mac compatible.

The bottom line: While bigger than most of its competitors and high priced for a mini camcorder, the Kodak Zi6's attractive design and decent video quality adequately compensate for some usability drawbacks.

Specs: Video input type: Camcorder; Effective sensor resolution: 1.6 megapixels; Optical zoom: 2x

Like many inexpensive competitors, the Kodak Zi6 is technically an HD camcorder the way a tomato is technically a fruit: it meets the definition, but doesn't deliver the experience. True, the Zi6 records video in 1,280x720-pixel resolution at both 30 frames per second and 60fps--720p resolution--which technically qualifies it as an HD camcorder, but a lot of factors go into creating an image, not just a CMOS sensor capable of capturing an image at a certain resolution and frame rate. Still, the 720p video it does capture is a step up from the 640x480-pixel VGA resolution video you typically find on competing sub-$200 direct-to-YouTube camcorders from Flip Video, RCA, and Creative.

That higher resolution comes at a price. To accommodate the larger 1/4.5-inch 1.6-megapixel sensor and generous 2.4-inch LCD, the Zi6 is bigger than most of its competitors, particularly the similarly priced Flip Video Mino. Weighing 5.6 ounces, it's not huge and it fits in most pockets, but if supercompact is what you're after, there are better alternatives.

Instead of a built-in or removable lithium ion rechargeable battery, Kodak opted to include a set of two rechargeable AA nickel metal hydride batteries and a charger. The upside is that in a pinch you can use readily available standard AA alkaline batteries to power the unit. The downside is you can't just charge the battery with the built-in USB connector like you can with some models, such as the Mino and Creative Vado. Also, a smaller lithium ion battery would probably have helped trim the size of Zi6 a bit.

Like other products in this category, the USB connector is of the flip-out variety. Cleverly, the button for the connector also serves as a tiny mirror for recording yourself. Another nice touch: a switch that toggles between standard and macro focus distance. We also appreciate that the Zi6 incorporates an expansion slot for SD cards. However, the onboard memory is a paltry 128MB--only 30MB of which is available for storage. That 30MB only lets you capture 36 seconds of video recorded at the highest quality (HD, 60fps). Extrapolating--since Kodak hasn't published any capacity information--that's about 50MB per minute, or 41 minutes of video on a typical 2GB card. The Zi6 will accept cards up to 32GB, but you must supply your own cards, whatever the capacity. Kodak includes an inexpensive neoprene carrying case, hand strap, video cables for output to a TV, and there's a threaded mount on the bottom of the unit in case you want to use a tripod.

As with all these mini camcorders, the Zi6 is meant to be easy to use--and for the most part, it is. Unfortunately, we have a few problems with the design. First, it takes some effort to get used to the controls. There's a joystick button flanked on either side by a video/playback button and stop/delete button. When the same button performs two functions it can be a little confusing for some people. and I found myself accidentally hitting the play button at times when I should have been clicking the joystick button. Second, the camcorder doesn't turn on when you plug the USB into your computer, the way the rest of the mini camcorders we've tested do. That's just a bit annoying. But the real kicker is there's no way to completely erase and format a memory card--or even delete more than one image/clip at a time--within the Zi6. Kodak expects you to do that when connected to the PC via its bundled software; that's a serious usability problem in general.

When in video recording mode, you can use the joystick to toggle down the setting to HD, VGA (640x480), and finally, still image capture. The lower VGA setting is useful if you're low on memory (files sizes are much smaller when you capture in lower resolution) or know you're going to be compressing your video for Web distribution or e-mail distribution. That said, it's always better to capture the best possible image and keep that as your "master" and work down from there.

We do appreciate the four speeds of fast-forwarding and rewinding, and you can advance or rewind your footage frame-by-frame if you want. The 2.4-inch LCD is pretty sharp and the sound played back loud enough through the Zi6's little speaker so long as I cranked up the volume (the mic seems sensitive enough). No complaints there.

What do you do after you've captured your video? Well, like most of these types of mini camcorders, Kodak loads software into its memory. Windows-only ArcSoft MediaImpression is included with the Zi6 and it automatically installs when you plug the Zi6's USB connector into your desktop or laptop PC. There's the usual shortcut upload to YouTube, as well as some editing features that allow you to trim your clips, adjust contrast, color, and brightness, and splice you clips into a cohesive movie, complete with customized background music and titles. If you own a Mac, you can copy your video and still images to your computer by dragging and dropping the files from the camcorder as you would with any USB storage device (and upload them to YouTube easily enough) and then edit your video using iMovie. So, all is not totally lost.

The Zi6's extra resolution helps when comparing its video with that of the Flip Mino and Ultra, but image noise and lack of sharpness keep it from overshadowing those models. Though the video looks softer overall, it looks that way at a larger size, which some people may find ample compensation. Typically, you only view these video files in a small window on your computer. However, with the Zi6's footage you can actually blow the video up full screen and it retains more detail. Video shot in the Zi6's VGA-resolution mode does look comparably sharp to that of its competitors. In low light, however, the Zi6's footage looks perceptibly noisier than that of the other camcorders. But it remains usable.

The Zi6 delivers reasonably accurate color and exposure, but performance feels a bit slow. While it adjusts properly moving from brightly lit environments to darker scenes and compensating for overly backlit subjects, it doesn't do so particularly quickly and its autofocus is relatively sluggish. When you pan and move the camera around, things tend to go in and out of focus. For rock-solid video, you really have to keep the camera still.

When you factor in that you have to buy an additional memory card, its price runs it up against a whole other class of products, such as the Aiptek Go-HD, which offer features like higher resolution stills and optical zoom rather than digital zoom. Despite its problems, I generally liked the Zi6. The video is pretty good and plays larger than Flip Video's current lineup offers; with its big screen, support for removable memory and the ability to use AA batteries it all adds up to an attractive package.

Samsung launches L201

2008-07-21T19:12:00.000-07:00

Samsung launches L201

Samsung has announced the L201 (SL201 in the US), a 10.2 megapixel compact camera. It has Samsung's Auto Contrast Balance feature to brighten dark areas in high-contrast and back-lit scenes. It also has the potentially handy ability to charge batteries, in-camera. Photography purists will be able to buy the camera in black or silver, while more adventurous purchasers can splash out on the pink, turquoise or lime green versions.

Samsung Cameras reinforces the Next Generation of L-series cameras
16 July 2008 - Samsung is building on the fantastic success of the L Series range with the launch of the ultra-compact and stylish L201, a premium quality 10.2 megapixel camera. Coupled with a 3x Optical Zoom lens and Intelligent 2.7” LCD screen, the L201 combines all the features demanding photographers require with intuitive ease-of-use, in an affordable package.

The L201 includes Samsung’s Face Detection technology which detects the subject’s face, automatically adjusts auto focus and auto exposure to ensure better composition and image quality for portraits. The camera also features the Auto Contrast Balance (ACB) which will correct shadows in back-lit conditions making it perfect for taking pictures in a variety of conditions.

The elegant L201 has a slim, metal body design featuring a chic white detailing to ensure it really stands out from the crowd. The camera comes in classic black and silver as well as three eye-catching new colours – pink, turquoise and lime green. The camera also boasts features such as Digital Image Stabilisation, which helps compensate unwanted camera movement and subject blur - so pictures are always in sharp focus.

The L201 also features a suite of advanced video and editing features including:

MJPEG VGA 30 fps Movie recording mode, which lets users pause and zoom during recording
An ISO equivalent of 1600 for better pictures in low light
Auto Red Eye Fix
In-camera rechargeable battery system
Various scene modes, continuous shooting and exposure bracketing to help photographers of all levels of ability get the best shots
The L201 is priced at £129 and will be available from leading high street and online retailers from August 2008. All Samsung Cameras include a two year warranty. Customers requiring further information should call 0845 726 7864 or visit samsungcamera.co.uk

FUJIFILM’S POPULAR Z-SERIES FOR EXPRESSIVE YOUTH GETS AN UPGRADE

2008-07-01T17:47:00.000-07:00

FUJIFILM’S POPULAR Z-SERIES FOR EXPRESSIVE YOUTH GETS AN UPGRADE

The New 10 MP FinePix Z20fd Boasts New Colours, New Video Technology and New Dual Blog Mode

Mississauga, ON, January 24, 2008 - Continuing the tradition started by its stylish predecessor, the FinePix Z10fd, FUJIFILM Canada, Inc. today unveiled the FinePix Z20fd, a NEW ultra-thin digital camera packed with useful features that let you face it, beam it, blog it and now roll it with a new MPEG-4 movie recording mode for the movie-producer in all of us.

FUJIFILM introduced the FinePix Z10fd in 2007 to address the digital demands of a younger generation that weren’t being met. However, like any product targeted towards this fast moving demographic, it needs to adapt rapidly to the latest trends to be successful and, the FinePix Z20fd does just that.” said Greg Poole, VP, Imaging Division, FUJIFILM Canada Inc. “With new Technology and features, like Dual-Blog Mode, the Z20fd provides Generation Z with a convenient all-in-one device to capture all their favorite moments in style.”

The 10-MegaPixel FinePix Z20fd comes in five bright fashion-trend colours – Jet Black, Wasabi Green, Hot Pink, Cherry Red and Ice Blue. It features an ultra-portable design at less than 20mm thick, a Fujinon 3x optical zoom lens, 2.5" LCD screen and packs 45MB of internal memory to give you some extra room when your memory card is full. The style-savvy FinePix Z20fd also introduces FUJIFILM’s handy new Dual Blog Mode that automatically resizes any still image or movie you've captured, letting you post pictures and videos to blogs, video-sharing websites like YouTube, or e-mail to friends with ease. It also comes with a two-year Canadian Manufacturer’s Warranty.

The Z20fd also allows picture takers to Face It with FUJIFILM’s innovative Face Detection Technology with Automatic Red Eye Removal for capturing the ultimate group shots and Beam It with FUJIFILM’s IrSimpleTM Technology to share the image wirelessly and instantly with friends. Face detection identifies up to 10 human faces in a scene and sets the correct focus and exposure for all detected faces automatically, regardless of where subjects are located within the frame. After the shot is taken, each detected face is instantly checked for red eye; if found, it is corrected automatically, saving the time consuming process of fixing it later. FUJIFILM’s IrSimpleTM Technology allows for fast, easy wireless image transfer to any IrSimpleTM equipped FUJIFILM digital camera or other device.

FUJIFILM’s Picture Stabilization Technology uses higher sensitivities -- up to ISO 1600 in the Z20fd -- and faster shutter and operational speeds, that help reduce camera shake, allowing photographers to capture the moment even in low light.

This high-style camera can also Roll It with an impressive Movie mode, capturing full motion MPEG4 video with the touch of a separate movie shutter button. Using the Successive Movie mode, in-camera editing allows for the creation of a 60 second movie clip, even when shooting in two or more scenes is desired. Start and restart multiple times to build a 60-second compilation, and edit the start and end points.

In addition to these innovations, the FinePix Z20fd is packed with the following extraordinary features:

Intelligent Flash: Intelligent Flash detects subtle lighting differences within a scene, and then varies the flash intensity accordingly. It also leverages the high sensitivity of the Z20fd to enable the camera to use less flash, preventing that “blasted with light” effect that so many digital camera flashes leave you with. The result is pleasing, natural tones with no flash “wash-out”.
Dual Shot Mode: In this mode, the FinePix Z20fd quickly shoots two images in succession -- one with and one without the flash -- saving both. This convenient function lets the user decide whether the FinePix Z20fd produced the most pleasing photo with flash, or without.
Special Scene Modes: The FinePix Z20fd has 14 scene positions including Fireworks, Beach and Snow, offering a one-touch setting for almost any situation.
xD / SD / SDHC Compatible slot: A single media slot that accepts both xD Picture Card and SD/SDHC media cards.
Stamp It: Add a little fun to your images by “stamping” a variety of fun designs to up to three detected faces in your shots!
Battery Life: Long-life rechargeable Li-ion battery.
The FinePix Z20fd will launch in April at a MSRP of CDN $199.99 and comes with a two-year Canadian Manufacturer’s Warranty.

About FUJIFILM Canada Inc.
FUJIFILM Canada Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of FUJIFILM Corporation of Tokyo, one of the world’s leading imaging and information product developers and manufacturers. FUJIFILM Canada is based in Mississauga, Ontario, with regional offices in Montreal and Vancouver. A leader in the development of technologies that provide the backbone for state-of-the-art imaging, graphic arts, photofinishing and recording media products, FUJIFILM Canada stands proud as a proven solutions provider. For more information, please visit www.fujifilm.ca.

Ten New Cameras from Nikon

2008-07-01T17:42:00.000-07:00

Ten New Cameras from Nikon

Nikon has today announced the addition of ten new cameras to its India portfolio, although these have been around for sometime. The new range includes a DSLR plus Nikon's compact COOLPIX range comprising S, P, and L series cameras.

Joining the line of D-series digital SLR (DSLR) cameras, the much talked-about D60 has been announced by the company. With 10.2 effective mega pixels and a wealth of innovative and user-friendly features, the D60 enables both photo enthusiasts and those new to digital SLR photography to capture incredible images like never before.

The Nikon D60 is available at a retail price of Rs 36,680.

The new cameras in the COOLPIX Style or S series include the S52, S210, S520, S550, and S600. These stylish cameras are ultra-compact, feature Vibration Reduction (VR) Image Stabilization (IS) technology, Nikkor lenses, and are available in an array of color options.

The COOLPIX S210 and S520, both, offer 8 effective mega pixels resolution, 3x Zoom-NIKKOR glass lens, and Electronic/Optical VR IS technology.

The S210's aluminum body is 18mm (less than 3/4-inch) thin, whereas the S520 adds a "Food Mode" to its existing scene modes. This is intended to allow capturing close-up images of food at high ISO settings in restaurants or other locations where flash photography is not permitted. The S210 is available in color options such as Black, Silver, Blue, and Pink.

The COOLPIX S550 features 10 mega pixels effective resolution, 5x Zoom-NIKKOR lens, Electronic VR IS, and two new modes that enhance portrait photography including the Smile Mode that automatically triggers the shutter when the subject smiles and Blink Warning that displays a warning message when the subject blinks. The S550 will be available Silver, Black, Blue, and Purple colors.

The COOLPIX S600 features 10 effective mega pixels, 4x wide-angle 28-112mm Zoom-NIKKOR lens, Optical VR IS, as well as the fastest claimed start-up time for any camera in its class. It also features an Active Child Mode to capture action shots or fast moving kids in addition to the existing 14 scene modes that come standard in COOLPIX cameras. The S600's all-metal body will be available in Slate Black.

Lastly, the COOLPIX S52 offers 9.0 effective mega pixels resolution; it comes with a built-in right-angle optical lens shift VR 3x Zoom-NIKKOR lens, ISO up to 3200. The camera lets users compose and view shots with ease, even out in the Sun, facilitated by its 3.0-inches LCD monitor. The Pictmotion function in this camera allows sharing as well as creatively combining favorite movies and photos with music and visual styles.

The S210 is priced at Rs 11,950; the S520 for Rs 14,450; the S550 costs Rs 15,950; the S600 is for Rs 18,450; and the S52 retails for Rs 14,950.

Nikon's COOLPIX P series includes the P60 and P80. The P60 offers 8.1 effective mega pixels resolution and 5x Zoom-NIKKOR glass lens with VR IS. It also offers an electronic viewfinder, claimed to be a first in the COOLPIX line. The camera's mode dial includes two exposure modes -- Programmed Auto, and Manual. It also sports an extended light sensitivity range up to ISO 2000.

Meanwhile, the COOLPIX P80 features 10.1 effective mega pixels resolution and 18x Zoom-NIKKOR lens that covers focal lengths from 27-486mm (35mm format equivalent). It has a new digital image processing engine that, the company says, reproduces fine details and subtle tones, delivers quick response, and maintains image quality and clarity when taking advantage of extended light sensitivity settings as high as ISO 6400*2. This camera is available in a black leather-tone finish for both the body and lens.

The COOLPIX P60 is available for Rs 14,950, while the COOLPIX P80 is priced at Rs 22,950.

Finally, the COOLPIX L Series comprises the L18 and L16 point-and-shoot cameras. The L18 and L16 offer 8.0 and 7.1 effective mega pixels resolution, and 3x Zoom-NIKKOR lens. They also offer extended light sensitivity as high as ISO 1600 to prevent blurred shots in lower light, or when capturing fast-moving subjects. Other features of these cameras include an Easy auto mode and automatically -enabled D-Lighting and Anti-shake AE.

DXG Launches the DXG-567V HD Camcorder With Easy Upload to YouTube and Other Web Video Sites

2008-06-30T20:35:00.000-07:00

DXG Launches the DXG-567V HD Camcorder With Easy Upload to YouTube and Other Web Video Sites

Priced at Only $179, the DXG-567V HD Is the "Everyman" HD Camcorder With All the Bells and Whistles at an Affordable Price

CITY OF INDUSTRY, CA--(Marketwire - June 26, 2008) - DXG USA (www.dxgusa.com), one of the fastest growing digital camera manufacturers in the U.S., today unveiled the new DXG-567V high-definition (HD) camcorder with direct uploading capabilities for sites such as YouTube™. The DXG-567V is not much bigger than an average mobile phone, is available now at retailers nationwide in 4 eye-popping colors including black, red, pink and sky blue, and is priced at just $179 (MSRP.)

The DXG-567V HD camcorder is perfect for anyone looking for a fun, pocket-sized, easy and reasonably priced way to capture high-quality video and quickly upload and post it online. The DXG-567V also ships with all of the required cables including S-video for connecting the camcorder directly to a TV as well as composite video and rechargeable AA batteries, making it the ultimate multi-function video camera for the entire family.

"Rapid Blog Manager" Software Offers Fast Video Upload

The DXG-567V camcorder comes with Rapid Blog Manager software, which allows users to upload and share videos on the Internet. Simply connect the DXG-567V's retractable USB connector to a computer to automatically launch its menu and instantly upload videos from the camera to YouTube, a blog or other Web video site.

Experience HD at an Affordable Price

With the DXG-567V, it's never been easier to capture and share high-definition video, up to 1280 x 720 at 30 frames-per-second (FPS). The camcorder's buttons are all within reach, eliminating complex menus and making it easier to record spontaneous moments in high-definition video. When back at home, consumers can easily connect the DXG-567V to any plasma or HDTV with the included cables to experience the videos they've shot in HD.

Out of the box, the DXG-567V includes the ArcSoft TotalMedia™ Extreme software (a $99 retail value,) to create, edit and watch videos. The software features two unique applications that enhance the movie-watching experience with features and options right and a separate program that allows consumers to make amazing customized movies.

About DXG USA

DXG USA, The Digital Camera Company, is one of the fastest growing digital camera manufacturers in the U.S., providing intuitively designed digital cameras and camcorders for the youth and mainstream markets. Compact, fashionable and affordably priced, DXG digital cameras are setting trends for quality and utility. DXG USA is a fully owned subsidiary of DXG Technology Corp., one of the world's leading manufacturers and designers (OEM/ODM) of digital cameras and camcorders. DXG Technology has won numerous design and innovation awards and employs more than 4,000 people worldwide. Complete information on DXG USA can be found at www.dxgusa.com.

The names of companies mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners.

Casio EX-Z9

2008-06-30T18:02:00.001-07:00

Casio EX-Z9

A few months ago, Casio introduced the EX-Z9, and I had a chance to try it out. The camera has 8.1 megapixels of image resolution, and has a 3x optical zoom.

I was amazed that it worked so easily from out of the box. I was ready to take pictures as soon as it was done charging on the included charging station. Easy is definitely the rule as the EX-Z9 was clearly designed with the consumer in mind.

One of the best features is the YouTube Capture mode, which allows videos to be recorded and then uploaded onto the famous video clip site in just three simple steps.

The 2.6 inch wide LCD allowed me to go through operations, and there was an alarming 23 Best Shot Modes, with categories such as Fireworks and Pets. In other words, the company figured out what people are photographing, and designed a camera around it.

Other features include the Anti Shake DSP to reduce photo blur, as well as the Easy Mode that can simplify the camera settings to three easy menus (image size, flash, and self timer). The Face Detection technology also makes it easier to take pictures than ever.

See what I meant earlier about the EX-Z9 being easy? Maybe they should have named it the EZ-X9. By the way, it was also easy to upload photos to the computer. All you need to do is plug it in and the computer recognized them like a thumb-drive.

If easy is what you want, than easy is as the EX-Z9 does. The Casio EX-Z9 is available now for $159.99, and comes in pink, black, silver, and orange.

Vivitar ViviCam 5399 digital camera review

2008-06-16T17:17:00.001-07:00

Vivitar ViviCam 5399 digital camera review

Budget digital camera
By: Chris Hall
Manufacturer: Vivitar
Price as Reviewed: £ 44.99
Latest Price: £ compare price

16 June 2008 - Vivitar offer a range of budget cameras, under the company’s tagline of "we make it easy". But do they make it easy, or is this budget model not worth the bother? We get snapping to find out.

There is a sense of fun about the Vivicam 5399, from the brightly coloured box to the lurid pink of the camera itself. Coming with a waterproof case in the box, this camera is very much aimed at those off on holiday, who want a digital camera, without breaking the bank.

The Vivicam 5399 contains a 5-megapixel CMOS in a fixed lens arrangement. Although the lens protrudes from the body of a camera a bit, there is no optical zoom, only digital, which helps keep the price down.

The body of the camera is plastic, and build quality is certainly an issue here. Overall quality is poor, for example, the switch to engage the macro mode has a slack, indistinct, feel to it. Around the screen the plastic is so thin, you can see the light from the LCD shining through the body. On the back are two LEDs, one for "Busy" and one for "Macro". Both are extremely bright and the "Busy" LED appears the really be an indicator that the camera is turned on, so it is always staring you in the face.

Moving aside from build quality, the back of the camera is dominated by the 2.4in TFT LCD display, which is reasonable, but not great, and at this price you can’t really complain. Controls on the back include the zoom buttons, playback button, Menu, delete and a four button roundel with a central OK button, for navigating the menus and enabling various shortcuts.

The top plate features the power on/off and the shutter release, whilst the aforementioned slider to engage (literally) the macro mode lives on the left, about a USB out. The Vivicam will take an SD card through a slot in the underside, up to 2GB. There is a modicum of internal memory, 32MB, enough for 17 shots or so. Power is supplied by two AAA batteries.

So how does it perform? It is not too dissimilar to a camera phone, in fact. Shutter lag is long and there is a distinct buffering delay as the image is dumped to the card or the memory. The shutter lag means you miss the moment completely, in all but static or posed shots. See the test shots, the taxi managed to drive into frame and the horse looked away before the image was captured, so for fast action, this is a definite no go.

You’ll also find that if you make a basic change, like enabling the flash, you’ll have a long lag whilst the camera thinks about it before you can start snapping pictures. This suggests there is very little by the way of processing power within the camera.

We found that the camera had a tendency to over expose, with highlights blowing out completely, including, in some cases, lighter skin tones. There is no way to change the exposure and there are no scene modes to try and find a different setting to compensate for this. By contrast, in darker conditions, you can’t get a clear picture. The on-board flash is also far too powerful (or the camera just can’t manage it); we failed to take a flash image that was useable, which is going to be a problem especially in portrait shots.

Barrell distortion was also noticable, although this is perhaps less of an issue for the type of pictures you'll be taking with this type of camera.

Overall, getting a decent image from the camera is something of a challenge, but we did get some passable pictures, so casual holiday scenery snaps are fine, especially if you are going to put them onto the internet, in which case you may as well turn down the resolution and get more images on the card.

The macro mode is interesting as it shifts focus from middle to close distance, as this is a fixed focus camera, so if you need to go closer to something, you then have to use the zoom as the image will be out of focus. This also ties into the underwater dimension to the camera, so focusing won’t be an issue, but once in the case you can’t switch between standard and macro modes, so you’ll need to decide what you want to snap before you get in the water.

The underwater case does let you access a number of features, although the labelling is rather indistinct, so if you were wearing a mask, you’d probably be guessing. The literature states that the case will stand a depth of 15 metres, so should see you fine for all snorkelling adventures. We didn’t get a chance to test the case underwater, however.

When it comes to buying a digital camera, you have a whole host of options, and Vivitar tend to be the cheapest available, certainly with a waterproof case. However, for not much more and with online discounts, you are not far from Kodak and Fujifilm cameras, which will certainly give you better results, more options and improved quality overall.

However, if you fancy a cheap and cheerful point and hope camera for taking shots on the beach, then the ViviCam 5399 won’t break the bank. Alternatively, spend a little more on your "dry" camera and by a disposable waterproof camera.

Ultimately, if you are looking for archival images to remember your holiday, the image quality is too poor except in ideal conditions to recommend this camera: you may as well stick with your phone camera.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX35

2008-06-15T18:18:00.000-07:00

Panasonic FX35 Overview

by Mike Pasini

Review Date: 06/13/08

The super-slim Panasonic FX35 features an ultra-wide 25-100mm zoom lens, a 10.1-megapixel CCD sensor, and Panasonic's Intelligent Auto mode.

The Panasonic FX35's lens is the big story, as it's a very wide-angle Leica DC Vario-Elmarit-branded f/2.8 to f/5.6, 4x optical zoom lens. Images are framed and reviewed on a 2.5-inch LCD display with 230,000 pixel resolution, and stored on SD/SDHC/MMC cards or the camera's own 50MB built-in memory. Power comes from a proprietary Lithium-ion battery pack, rated for some 290 shots on a charge (CIPA standard testing with 50 percent flash usage at room temperature).

Panasonic's Advanced Intelligent Auto mode actually guesses what kind of scene you're looking at and selects the appropriate exposure mode to match. The Panasonic FX35 features the Venus Engine IV, designed to deliver higher-quality digital photos than its predecessor, with an advanced signal processing system that produces a quick response time.

A slide show feature on the Panasonic FX35 includes a selection of music, from mellow to more "urban" sounds. The Panasonic FX35's intelligent LCD can detect the lighting condition and raise or lower the brightness level in 11 steps. The FX35's High Angle mode brightens the screen to help when composing images with the camera held high to shoot over crowds.

The Panasonic FX35 can shoot 720p High Definition movies and 1,920 x 1,080 pixel High Definition-ready photos that perfectly fit a wide-screen (16:9) HDTV.

The Panasonic Lumix FX35 is available in silver, black and blue variants, with an MSRP of $350, though you'll find it a lot cheaper if you check the shopping links above right or below.

Panasonic FX35 User Report
by Mike Pasini

Whenever I get my hands on a Panasonic digital camera I tell myself, "This is as close as you'll ever get to a Leica." Not only do Panasonic digital cameras bear a striking and not coincidental resemblance to Leica digicams, but Panasonic uses Leica glass.

There's something else Leica-like about the Panasonic cameras. Build quality. The minute you get one in your hands, you realize this isn't a cheap plastic camera you're going to ruin before the week is out.

So right from the start, the Panasonic FX35 broadcasts two distinguishing traits. But there's a lot more to it.

That zoom lens, for example, doesn't start out at a measly 35mm. No, the Panasonic FX35 starts you out at 25mm, a true wide-angle. And with its 4x optical zoom, you get to 100mm without bothering to slip into digital zoom.

Then there are those Scene modes to contend with. On most digital cameras you have to memorize them or scroll through them, perhaps never finding the one you want. On the Panasonic FX35, Scene modes can be automatic. The camera can figure it out for you.

Look and Feel. Substantial, let's call it. You lift the Panasonic FX35 from the table and you know immediately it is well built. There are no cheap compartment doors on the Panasonic FX35, no rubber flaps that never get out of the way, no plastic where metal is required.

Like the tripod socket, which is metal, the door to the connectors on the Panasonic FX35 is also metal -- with three hinges. And the metal door is stamped with labels for each connector. When it's open, it stays open. When it snaps shut, it stays shut. Nothing to click, no fingernail to split.

The Panasonic FX35's Power switch is another example of this intelligent design motif. I prefer the lens cover slides of ultracompacts because you don't have to look for the Power button, no question. I very much dislike Power buttons that have to be pressed in to cycle the power. They are usually too small and very hard to activate, or tell when they have been activated. And you have to look for them.

But the Panasonic FX35 has a switch just short of the middle of the top panel. The button that protrudes is easily felt with your shooting finger, so you really don't have to look for it. And all you do is move it right to turn the camera on or left to turn it off. No mystery.

There's another switch on the side of the Panasonic FX35's back panel of camera to select between Shooting and Playback modes. Up is for recording, down is for viewing. And that matters on the Panasonic FX35, because the lens extrudes. If you want to keep the lens protected when viewing images, slip this switch down before powering the camera on. It's very easy to figure out, hardly any effort to learn, and works every time.

Another bright design choice is the Zoom lever, which is a ring around the large Shutter button. I prefer the ring to the toggle switch used for zooming on many cameras. Your finger is right there on the Shutter button to begin with, so moving the toggle left for wide angle and right for telephoto is intuitive.

The Panasonic FX35's Mode dial is different, too. You can't see the whole dial. A small window cut out of the top panel shows you at most three settings. A white dot reinforces the obvious setting. It's surprising how many cameras make this confusing with some piece of trim conflicting with some raised indicator. The Panasonic FX35 is simple. And the dial only spins to real settings.

There aren't many other buttons on the Panasonic FX35. The navigator is a set of five discreet buttons, not my favorite arrangement, but certainly functional. The usual functions populate the arrow keys: EV, Flash, Macro, and Self-Timer, with the middle Menu/Set button to confirm choices. There's also Display and Quick Menu buttons below the navigator. Simple.

The rounded edges of the Panasonic FX35's body seem like PBS's resident carpenter Norm Abrams took a router to them. Closed up, it's smooth enough to slip into any pocket and go anywhere with you.

The Panasonic FX35's LCD is a 2.5-inch polycrystalline TFT display with a generous 230K pixels (that's high resolution) that displays 101 percent at wide angle and 100 percent at telephoto of the captured scene. That's called accurate, in plain English. The shiny surface is easy to clean (just a rub against your cotton T-shirt gets rid of fingerprints) and, amazingly, you can see it in direct sunlight.

The Panasonic FX35's 4x optical Leica zoom lens has four aspherical lenses and six aspherical surfaces including an Extra High refractive index aspherical lens. The DC Vario-Elmarit lens starts at 25mm and cranks out to 100mm. And, yes, that 25mm matters, even when compared to a 28mm, but especially compared to the more common 35mm+. You can get the whole room from the corner with the Panasonic FX35.

The FX-35 enjoys Panasonic's optical stabilization system to reduce the effects of camera shake in low light situations. A built-in gyrosensor detects when the camera is moving and instantly calculates the compensation needed to stabilize the lens. A linear motor shifts the lens just that much, all in tenths of a second.

You can set optical stabilization in either of two modes. Mode 1 sets stabilization on continuously, which is helpful in composing shots where the subject is hard to track. Mode 2 activates stabilization when you press the Shutter button, which can be slightly more effective.

Interface. While the Panasonic FX35's LCD menu itself was serviceable, it was still a disappointment. The graphic design elements are amateurish. Menu items are displayed in uppercase, for example (no doubt to crowd one more line of them on the screen) with grammar-school level icons on both sides (to indicate function on the left and the selected setting on the right).

Using the Panasonic FX35's menu system is funky, too. I was constantly pressing the Menu/Set button to explore an item rather than the Right arrow.

Submenus slide in from the right side of the screen so you never lose your bearings, a point in the system's favor.

But even the organization of items struck me as peculiar. Why is the Clock setting in the Shooting menu when it is also in of the Setup menu? How often do you fiddle with that? And why could I never get to the Format option efficiently, even after I knew (approximately) where it was?

While the same graphics are at work on the Quick Menu system, it does give you one-button access to a set of options tailored to the shooting mode you're in. Movie mode, for example, offers image stabilization, autofocus mode, white balance settings, picture mode, and LCD mode (with a helpful High Angle option that really cranks up the brightness of the LCD so you can see it when you hold the camera overhead). Intelligent Auto offers stabilizer, burst shooting, picture size, and LCD mode. Normal Auto offers stabilizer, burst shooting, white balance, ISO, intelligent exposure, picture size, and LCD mode.

The options are arrayed along the top of the screen and expand downward as you scroll across them.

That, at least, is a good idea in an otherwise poor menu system.

Modes. Modes on the all-automatic Panasonic FX35 are a bit different than they are on other cameras. There is no Manual mode, where you can set aperture and shutter speed independently. But there are two Auto modes: Normal and Intelligent.

In Lake Wobegon, of course, everyone uses Intelligent Auto (iA on your Mode dial). But Normal Auto lets you customize more settings yourself. It's as close as you're going to get to a Manual mode. As noted above, the Quick Menu provides access to settings for the stabilizer, burst shooting, white balance, ISO, intelligent exposure, picture size, and LCD mode. Color mode and audio recording are also available from the regular LCD menu system.

That is the mode I use when I test a camera because I can push it around to see what it can do. Panasonic calls it "taking pictures with your favorite settings" but they aren't etched-in-stone favorites. Instead, they're flexible, changing from situation to situation and moment to moment.

But Intelligent Auto is an intriguing feature worth more study, so I took a peek.

What's so intelligent about it?

Well, it's really a bundle of five technologies, all active at once (so you don't have to be). Those five are:

Intelligent Exposure. According to Panasonic, this feature compensates for backlit subjects or very dark ones. Backlight compensation, however, can force the flash to fire, too.
Intelligent Scene Selector. The camera will try to determine whether it is looking at a portrait, scenery, macro, night portrait, or night scenery. A blue icon is supposed to indicate the decision, displaying for a couple of seconds before it turns red (but I never saw the blue icon myself). If the Panasonic FX35 can't figure it out, it reverts to standard settings.
Optical Image Stabilization. The gyrosensor-based lens-shift image stabilization is activated so if you move the camera during exposure, the lens tries to compensate.
Intelligent ISO Control measures subject movement in the scene and sets ISO accordingly to prevent subject blur. Normally, you want to shoot with the lowest ISO possible to achieve the highest quality image. But if the subject is moving (like Junior jumping on his bed), grain is the least of your problems. To eliminate blur, the camera sets ISO higher to be able to use a faster shutter speed.
Face Detection. Both focus and exposure are set to capture any of up to 15 faces in the scene.
The intelligent thing about this is that on most digicams, you have to enable all these things. On the Panasonic FX35, you turn them all on by selecting iA.

Still, it isn't foolproof photography. It's more assisted living. But when you need help, there's nothing quite like it.

There is a healthy set of Scene modes, too. You can't really expect a camera to know if you're shooting from a helicopter, or if the subject is a party and not fireworks. That takes some actual human intelligence.

Scene modes include Portrait, Soft Skin, Scenery, Sports, Night Portrait, Night Scenery, Self-Portrait, Food, Party, Candle Light, Fireworks, Starry Sky, Beach, Aerial Photo, Snow, High Sensitivity, Baby 1&2, Underwater, Sunset, Pet, and Hi-Speed Burst.

There's yet another still recording mode that Panasonic calls Clipboard mode. When you're in Clipboard mode, the camera takes either two megapixel or one megapixel images, storing them to its built-in memory. You can get about 94 two-megapixel images and 140 one megapixel images total in the approximately 50MB available. You can also record up to five seconds of audio to go with the shots. To see them, just switch to Playback mode with the Mode dial set to Clipboard.

Panasonic suggests using Clipboard mode for taking visual notes, shots of train schedules, maps, etc. that you might otherwise be writing down in a notebook.

And then there's Movie mode. To its credit, Panasonic gives you an HD option for movies. After all, they sell HDTVs, too (some of them with SD card readers). You won't get 1080 resolution, but you do get 720 and that's really plenty good enough; at least it's the right shape.

But our first attempt to shoot HD movies with the Panasonic FX35 resulted in an error message. The movie was canceled due to the speed of the card, the camera told me.

That made sense, though. I had an Eye-Fi card in the Panasonic FX35 (a special WiFi-enabled SD card), which is admittedly too slow for video capture, at least HD capture (it worked with 640 x 480 captures). A faster card did the trick for HD.

Set the Panasonic FX35 to 16:9 (which is also available in still modes) to take HD movies. That fills the screen nicely. There are two resolutions available: 848 x 480 (indicated by L in the Quick Menu) and 1280 x 720 (indicated by H). You want H, which will give you 720 vertical pixels. If you select a 4:3 aspect ratio, you can record at 640 x 480 or 320 x 240 (not too shabby for Web display).

You can record at 30 frames per second or 15 fps (perfect for those Best Man toasts) at 720 HD, too (Low res HD gets you 30 or 10 fps). You can also record at either 30 or 10 fps in 4:3 mode.

You do get sound (and can't avoid getting it either). But you don't get zoom. And that's a killer. Much as I like having 720 resolution, I need zoom. I even had zoom on my Super8 Bolex, for crying out loud.

Playback. Speaking of playback, the Panasonic FX35 has some tricks up its sleeve for stills.

In addition to a Calendar display mode, which shows a monthly calendar populated with images taken on that date, you can display images in a slide show with music.

Slide Show offers five effects with music to match: Natural, Slow, Swing, Urban and Off. Off just cycles through the images automatically (which the Normal slide show option doesn't bother to do, forcing you to manually go through them). Natural plays some piano and pans (the music sequence is very short, though, and noticeably repeats). Slow has some hammering industrial music (perfect for the workplace) and more pans and some fancy transitions. Swing brings in the woodwinds and some zoomed images as well as pans and fancy transitions. Urban is as noisy as any city and just as discombobulated.

On the whole, the effect to spice up the old slide show was a disaster. None of these modes is particularly well done. Sony does this much better, and any camera with muvee built in (the Nikons, for example) does better still. If building slideshows on your camera is your cup of Red Bull.

Image Quality. But my cup is image quality. So how did the Panasonic FX35 do on our image quality tests in the lab?

In some respects, the Panasonic FX35 did very well.

The Leica lens, for example, delivered very low distortion at both wide angle and telephoto focal lengths. That's particularly impressive at wide angle because the Panasonic FX35 has a wider angle than most digicam zooms.

Chromatic aberration was also low at both wide angle and telephoto focal lengths. We almost never see that either. And detail was strong to around 1,500-1,600 lines of resolution. Very impressive, especially when you consider that extinction of detail didn't occur until about 2,000 lines.

On the other hand, the Panasonic FX35 disappointed in a number of tests.

The Panasonic FX35 showed strong blurring in the corners of the image at both wide angle and telephoto focal lengths. And "strong blurring" is putting it kindly. You can see this in the images, which is generally not the case.

While color was good overall, the Panasonic FX35 is one of those digicams that likes to oversaturate slightly, pumping up the red and blue tones, while undersaturating bright yellows. Skin tones were a little pink, particularly with Caucasian skin tones.

But most disappointing was the sensor noise, which seemed to be evident even at ISO 100. It's rare to see a camera that exhibits noise at ISO 200, but the Panasonic FX35 is one of them. Usually when you see so much grain at lower ISOs you can expect to see good color capture at higher ISOs, but not with the FX35. Color starts to fall apart at ISO 800.

Flash and low-light performance were two more disappointments. Even at ISO 400, the flash failed to adequately illuminate the test target at 9.8-feet and at full telephoto focal length -- and that's the manufacturer's specification. We needed a +1.3 EV correction to get enough light on our subject. And in low light even our brightest scene was a dim capture at ISO 100.

Our still life test shot seemed among the better examples I've examined. The WhiBal at the top center is fairly sharp, as is the white proportional scale. That may be because the highlights really did not bloom on the FX35, obscuring that detail. You can see them under control in the Samuel Smith label and the white napkin under the brown coffee cup.

But you can see that noise in the shadows even in this ISO 100 shot.

Performance. If image quality was somewhat disappointing, performance was not.

Startup time with the extruding lens was not brisk but average at 2.9 seconds. Shutdown at 1.3 seconds was, however, above average.

While combined autofocus lag was a bit below average (and pretty much the same for both wide angle and telephoto focusing), prefocus lag was exceptional at 0.008 second. Cycle time was quicker than average, too.

Flash cycle time was about average at just six seconds for a full charge, but a full charge wasn't quite enough to light up any scene. This is the one test that is most misleading. High power flashes take longer to recycle but weak ones recycle quickly.

Download speed was briskly above average so connecting the Panasonic FX35 by cable won't be an issue, although we prefer to simply load the card into a PCMCIA adapter or use the Eye-Fi card to wirelessly transmit the images to our box.

LCD size was average (but its resolution was above average) and optical zoom, while unusual for a compact digicam, was not impressive enough to escape the average category. You can get a similarly sized camera with as much as 10x zoom.

Despite its solid feel, the Panasonic FX35 scored among the lighter compact digicams we've tested. Which is good news because a little heft goes a long way in keeping a small camera stable.

Shooting. I was disappointed at how dark some of our images were at EV 0.0. Look at those roses, shot in the shade (see the Gallery tab for these images). Every one of them is much too dark, especially the white JFK rose. On the one hand, this prevents blowing out highlights, but on the other, it prevents highlights altogether.

For anyone curious about iA mode's effectiveness, our NuLOOQ closeup was shot in iA mode which did register it as a Macro shot. And the landscape I shot just after it did register as "Scenery," so iA is no dummy.

While there's almost no color in the Shirley Temple doll shot, it pretty accurately represents the actual conditions. There is a bit more color in realty, no question, but it's close. Unfortunately, a close examination shows how much noise there is at ISO 1,600, something the thumbnail obscures.

Even my ISO 800 doll fares poorly, showing little detail and lots of noise in better light.

One thing I did like, however, was the wide angle lens, particularly coupled with the 16:9 aspect ratio. My shots of the road on Twin Peaks at both 4:3 and 16:9 demonstrate the dramatic difference that wide angle makes with the right aspect ratio.

And the logs laid out as a barrier along one crest are another illustration of the drama that the Panasonic FX35's lens can deliver.

Appraisal. What at first glance seemed like a very nicely designed compact digicam turned out to be a disappointment. Not only were the Panasonic FX35's menus unsightly and awkward to use (with as many as five screens to page through) but functions were hard to find and some simply didn't operate as expected (like digital zoom). The higher-end features sound impressive, but if you can't get the basic functions right, you don't make friends. Weak image quality made the above disappointments difficult to ignore, as well. So while I had a good time with the Panasonic FX35, I think there are better choices on the market.

Panasonic FX35 Basic Features
10.10 megapixel sensor
4x zoom with 25-100mm 35mm equivalent
2.5-inch LCD
ISO sensitivity from 100 to 6,400
Shutter: 60-1/2,000 sec.
Max Aperture: f/2.8
SDHC/SD memory card support
Custom lithium-ion battery
50MB built-in memory

Panasonic FX35 Special Features
Intelligent Exposure to compensate for backlighting and other tricky situations
Optical image stabilization using gyrosensor
Intelligent ISO that increases ISO for moving subjects to avoid blur
Intelligent Scene Selector to set the camera for Scenery, Portrait, Macro, Night Portrait or Night Scenery mode
Face Detection focus and exposure for up to 15 faces
Quick AF
HD video capture
Slide show with music

In the Box
The Panasonic FX35 ships with the following items in the box:

Battery Charger
Battery Pack
Battery Carrying Case
AV cable
USB Cable
Strap
CD-ROM with PhotofunStudio viewer, ArcSoft MediaImpression, ArcSoft Panorama Maker, QuickTime, Adobe Reader, USB Driver

Recommended Accessories
Large capacity SD/MMC memory card. These days, 2-4GB is a good tradeoff between cost and capacity.
Small camera case for outdoor and in-bag protection

Ixus 80 IS 8 Megapixel Digital Camera with your choice of colour, SRP £219!*

2008-06-12T18:30:00.000-07:00

Ixus 80 IS 8 Megapixel Digital Camera with your choice of colour, SRP £219!*

Cartridge Monkey are offering you a chance to win a Superb 8 Megapixel Ixus 80 Camera!.Be in with a Chance to WIN a Superb 8 Megapixel Ixus 80 Camera!!

Camera specification:

-8.0 Megapixels
-3x Optical zoom with Optical IS
-2.5" PureColour LCD II screen
-Face detection technology
-Motion detection technology
-Aluminium body
-Red eye correction
-18 shooting modes
-Creative Movie options

Available in four colours – Classic Silver, Candy Pink, Caramel and Chocolate – the Digital IXUS 80 IS is a must-have camera. The colours and curves are enhanced by pure aluminium bodywork.
Advanced Ultra-High Refractive Index Aspherical (UA) lens technology from Canon fits a 3x optical zoom lens into the compact form of the Digital IXUS 80 IS. An optical Image Stabilizer (IS), helps you capture blur-free images in low-light and when shooting with the zoom.
There’s no need to worry about blur with Motion Detection Technology. This clever feature detects camera shake and subject movement, and then adjusts ISO to combat blur while maximising image quality.

Samsung introduces i8 digital camera to KSA market

2008-06-09T09:20:00.000-07:00

Samsung introduces i8 digital camera to KSA market

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. a market leader in consumer electronics, announced its newest camera in the Saudi market, the i8, a multimedia digital camera supporting various functions other than shooting, such as watching movies through the PMP, MP3 music playback, travel information and text viewer.

'Over the years, Samsung has built and reaffirmed its reputation for pairing groundbreaking technological advancements with innovative and cutting-edge designs,' said Inamullah Butt, Marketing Manager Samsung Saudi Arabia. 'In order to keep with this tradition, the i8 design inspiration was a smooth round pebble; that each customer would like to feel it in his hand'.

A Samsung i8 is as ultra small as a business card, but it provides excellent camera capabilities.

8 Mega pixels with a high definition image sensor is fitted, and the optical 3x zoom inner lens method enables one to get shooting ready without any sound when turning on the power.

The i8 is equipped with a 2.7in (6.86cm) high definition LCD, and shows images which have been shot. SVGA size video recording is possible, and the optical zoom can be used while recording.

The i8 has also optimized camera shake correction using an enforced image processing technology.

Shaking is minimized in shooting situations where there is a poor light source, through the support of the ISO 1600, which is high speed sensitivity shooting.

The DIS (Digital Image Stabilization) function, Samsung's unique technology, that can display natural colors in a dark environment without using the flash, is also a main feature of the i8.

The i8 displays a variety of other functions such as the Photo Style Selector function that enables one to shoot various selected styles of pictures as they are in preview mode, a Colour Filter function that turns unwanted areas into a black and white tone and a Smart Tools function that can achieve various fun pictures in an environment without a PC and satisfies the creative nature of photography.

The Samsung i8 is available in 4 different colours suitable for the younger generation namely white, black, blue and pink.

The new FinePix Z200fd digital camera from FujiFilm

2008-06-08T19:35:00.000-07:00

The new FinePix Z200fd digital camera from FujiFilm

On the surface, the new FinePix Z200fd digital camera from FujiFilm looks like any other point and shoot on the market, but it comes equipped with a special feature for all the couples in the audience.

Apparently, it has something that FujiFilm calls “ai suru taimaa”, which roughly translates to self-timer for lovers.

The self-timer on this camera has three stages. It will recognize where there are two faces in the frame and then the stage of the timer is indicated by the number of hearts on the display. A single heart is when it just sees to faces next to one another. The second heart appears when the two heads are a little closer together. The third and final heart appears when the two people are in a deep lip-lock in physical contact with one another.

Aside from the lover’s self-timer, the FujiFilm FinePix Z200fd has a 10-megapixel sensor, 5x optical zoom, 2.7-inch LCD screen, SD/SDHC/xD memory card slot, and ISO 6400. It’ll launch in Japan on June 7th for $390. Look for it in pink, silver, black/red, and solid black.

Fujifilm 7.2 MP FinePix Z10fd Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom & Face Detection, Pink NEW

2008-06-05T17:19:00.000-07:00

Fujifilm 7.2 MP FinePix Z10fd Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom & Face Detection, Pink NEW

Take better photos with this sleek model. It's packed with advanced yet easy-to-use features, such as face detection technology, red-eye removal and movie mode with sound at 30 frames per second. Blog mode enables you to copy images for quick and easy uploads to the web or email. Plus, this camera offers an ISO sensitivity of 1600, which helps you take bright and blur-free photos, even in dim lighting.

Key Features & Benefits:

8 megapixel resolution

Delivers detailed pictures that can be enlarged up to 11" x 14"

3x optical zoom lens and 4.8x digital zoom

Brings subjects closer for better close-ups

2.5-inch color LCD screen

Lets you compose and review your shots

Image stabilization and face detection

Uses electronic stabilization technology, and automatically sets focus and exposure for the faces of up to 10 people per frame

Auto focus and macro focus

Enable you to be more imaginative with a focus range from 3.1 inches to infinity

18 shooting modes and 6 white balance settings

Provide creative options for taking eye-catching photos with accurate color

Two movie modes

Capture videos at 30 frames per second in VGA or QVGA resolution with sound

54 MB internal memory and xD/SD memory card slot

Stores images in the camera itself or on optional xD Picture cards, SD media or higher-capacity SDHC memory cards

Sony 8.1 MP Cyber-Shot DSC-T20 Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom, Image Stabilization, Face Detection, and HD Output in Pink NEW

2008-06-05T17:06:00.000-07:00

Sony 8.1 MP Cyber-Shot DSC-T20 Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom, Image Stabilization, Face Detection, and HD Output in Pink NEW

Add a touch of technology to your lifestyle when you accessorize with the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T20/P Digital Still Camera. Boasting a 8.1 megapixel resolution for greater detail in big prints and tight comps, the DSC-T20/P delivers superb clarity to group photos and snapshots. The innovative Carl Zeiss 3X optical zoom lens design brings the action close while the Face Detection feature optimizes natural tones in faces. With HD (high definition) output, photos can look even more spectacular when you share them with friends and family on HDTV screens.

Key Features & Benefits:

8.1 megapixel resolution

Permits beautiful oversize prints as well as extensive cropping (selecting, then enlarging only part of your photo) while maintaining excellent quality

HD output

Share your memories with family and friends in spectacular high-definition clarity on compatible HDTV screens

Stamina power

Take up to 380 shots Â— ideal for extended shooting

Pretty Pink Camera + Good Causea

2008-06-05T09:17:00.000-07:00

Pretty Pink Camera + Good Causea

Polaroid I533P Exclusive Breast Cancer Awareness Digital Camera

Not only is this camera a great value at only $119, it’s also Pink! Pink! Pink!

Basic specs:

Point & Shoot Digital Camera for Simple Operation
5.1 MP
2.5” LCD Screen Size
3x Optical Zoom
4x Digital Zoom for Minor Cropping
Adorable Pink Color
Affordable Price

Kodak EasyShare M863

2008-06-03T17:13:00.000-07:00

Kodak EasyShare M863

This small camera packs a big screen and useful dial mode, but inconsistent image quality holds it backby Daniel Grotta and Sally Wiener Grotta on June 2, 2008

Kodak loads on the extras with its $149 EasyShare M863 and does so in a very compact package. And the camera’s compatibility with Kodak’s HDTV dock and printer make it a tempting option for one-stop shoppers. Unfortunately, the image quality isn’t quite up to snuff.

M863 Design
Definitely on the small and light side, the 3.6 × 2.2 × 0.8-inch M863 is available in a bevy of colors, including silver, pink, black, red, copper, and blue. It sports a large and legible high-resolution 2.7-inch LCD monitor. Buttons are haphazardly placed around the camera, unfortunately. Because the Flash button is next to the Power button, and the Delete button is positioned right under the Zoom lever, it’s possible to hit the wrong control by accident.

Kodak’s menu structure is deceptively simple. It’s easy to navigate, but some of the options, such as Sharpness, Maintain Settings, Multi-Pattern, and Multi-Zone, are more appropriate for advanced users than the entry-level market for which this camera is intended. We like that the memory card door is on the side, though.

Modes and Extras
Like the Canon PowerShot A580, the Kodak camera comes equipped with a rotary dial, but it has fewer positions than the A580 for setting the most frequently used modes. However, the SCN position brings up 18 additional modes, which is more than the Canon camera offers. Landing on each mode or pressing the OK button briefly displays a helpful explanation of what each mode does, and sometimes, how to use it. There are even two Panorama modes, one that lets you shoot from left to right, the other, from right to left.

The best thing about the M863 is that Kodak created a system rather than simply an individual camera. Like other models in the series, the M863 plugs into Kodak’s $80 G610 snapshot printer and interfaces with its $100 HDTV Dock for displaying stills and videos on your widescreen TV.

Fast Shooter, Mixed Photo Quality
The M863 operates relatively fast. It powers up within 2 seconds, has a shutter lag of less than half a second, and can shoot a full-resolution image every 2.5 to 3 seconds. And it’s always ready to shoot, even in Playback mode; just press the shutter halfway, and it instantly switches to Capture mode.

Image quality was somewhat uneven, and all images were slightly soft. Our flash pictures, even macro shots, were all perfectly exposed, but indoor pictures without flash were slightly underexposed and had a bluish tint. In our daylight photos, colors were muted, and highlights tended to blow out. On the plus side, face recognition worked well in both Auto and Portrait modes.

Mediocre Video
The M863’s largest video resolution is 640 x 480 pixels but at a jerky 15 fps. We wish the camera offered a widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio. It’s possible to zoom while filming video, something most other digital still cameras can’t do, but for the most part the results aren’t worth the effort.

Kodak EasyShare M863 Verdict
The Kodak EasyShare M863 is a decent choice for users who want an ultra-slim camera at an entry-level price and appreciate its ability to interface easily with a compatible printer and HDTV adpater. But those interested in better picture quality should look elsewhere. We recommend the Casio Exilim EX-Z9.

Samsung i8 Compact Digital Camera

2008-06-02T04:54:00.000-07:00

Samsung i8 Compact Digital Camera

By Sutlej Soin & Seow Tein Hee

Some people are under the impression that low price equals low quality. While that statement may ring true for some products, the Samsung i8 begs to differ, encased in an attractive rectangular design with smooth rounded corners that fits comfortably into the palm of your hand in a variety of colors including pink and blue.

Portraying the Fun

As the direct successor to the Samsung i7, the i8, being a relatively new introduction to Samsung’s lineup of compact digital cameras, looks worlds apart from the former. Slimmer and without any protruding features, the i8 sets the tone for a fun-loving compact camera, which is precisely what this camera is all about.

The i8 comes with a standard 3x optical zoom, which ought to suffice in most conditions today, and is accompanied by a 2.7-inch LCD screen, which takes up most of the real estate at the rear. The absence of a function dial is remedied with the clustered and small control buttons. Navigating the controls is easy enough, with the main menu clearly organized into different sections, using just the navigation pad to scroll through the lists.

Beyond the Call of (Camera) Duty
Though the i8 may not be as feature-heavy as the Samsung NV Series' Schneider-Kreuznach lenses, it manages to throw a bit of weight around with its Samsung-made lens and several fancy features tucked nicely under its belt such as built-in MP3 player, movie viewer, voice recorder, text viewer and a world tour guide that provides key information on tourists’ hot spots in over 29 countries. This should prove to be a time killer and helpful in your travel plans on foreign soil. Other features on the i8 include face detection as well as photo enhancers which fix red-eye, contrast adjustment, scene modes like backlight, landscape and more.

For landscape or portrait shots, the 8.2-megapixel sensor delivered good amounts of detail and color saturation on its images. In terms of resolution, the i8 does expectedly well with a resolution reading of 12 on both the horizontal and vertical axis on our ISO Resolution Chart.

Besides being able to shoot MPEG-4 videos at 800 x 592 resolution, the i8 is also touted as portable media player, allowing you to watch MPEG, AVI, MOV, WMV and ASF files right on the LCD, with MP3 playback to boot. The only setback users might face is the need to encode videos using the bundled Samsung software and in turn copying them over to the i8. The built-in 190MB of internal memory might be enough for occasional snapshots, but our recommendation is to stick with the removable SD media for your multimedia files.

Concluding Thoughts

At a very affordable and attractive price of S$389, the Samsung i8 is a fun camera that has enough shooting power and special features to make it a useful tool for camera amateurs and buyers on a budget alike. In short, the i8 manages to produce relatively impressive digital snapshots, marrying both quality and affordability under one device for the consumer's photography and multimedia needs and wants.

Olympus FE-340

2008-05-30T07:20:00.000-07:00

Olympus FE-340

I really wish Olympus would make up its collective mind about the FE range of mid-priced digital compacts. Are they supposed to be good, or are they crap? Last August we saw the disappointing FE-230, then in September we had the really rather good FE-250. In January this year we saw the truly horrible FE-290. Logically, extrapolating that trend to the top-of-the-range FE-340, it should be really, really good. But then again, logic is little tweeting bird chirping in meadow. Logic is wreath of pretty flowers that smell bad.

The FE-340 is an 8.0-megapixel, 5x zoom compact camera with a 2.7-inch, 230k monitor. It has an aluminium body and is available in a range of colours including black, grey, silver and the rather fabulous metallic pink of my review sample (and boy did I get some funny looks while testing it!). Currently available for just £120 it is definitely towards the budget end of the price spectrum, comparing well with similarly-specified cameras like the Pentax Optio L50 (£130), the Nikon CoolPix S550 (£150), the Sony Cyber-Shot S800 (£150) and the Samsung i85 (£160). Of the major brands only the new Fujifilm FinePix J50 is cheaper at around £106. However the low price is reflected in the camera's features and capabilities. If you're looking for sophistication and versatility then the FE-340 is not for you.
It also has to be said that even in pink it's not a particularly attractive camera. The design is an asymmetrical lumpy mish-mash of parts that look like they've been stuck onto the body as an afterthought. It is fairly light and compact though, measuring 96.9 x 57.5 x 22.6 mm and weighing only 131g including the battery. It is fairly easy to hold, with the chrome detail on the right edge providing some purchase for the fingers and the mode dial on the back doing double duty as a thumb rest. However while the overall build quality is good, the finish has some uncomfortably rough edges.