Panasonic just unveiled a trio of new Lumix shooters: the wide angle DMC-FX33 and DMC-FX55 (pictured) with 3-inch LCD and FZ18 with 18x optical zoom. Kicking things off are the two nearly identical 28-mm wide angle compacts. The FX33 bests its FX30 sib by packing an 8.1 megapixel 1/2.5-inch CCD and new light sensor to increase the 2.5-inch LCD's brightness when in direct sunlight. The FX55 then, brings the same pixel count along with that monster 3-inch LCD and same 28-mm wide angle, 3.6x optical zoom LEICA DC lens. The DMC-FZ18 meanwhile, brings the same CCD sensor only with a 28-mm wide angle, 18x optical zoom Leica DC Vario-Elmarit lens. All three ship in a variety of colors with face detection tech and Panny's optical image stabilization which will definitely come in handy on the biggie zoom.

[Via LetsGoDigital]

Read -- DMC-FX55
Read -- DMC-FX33
Read -- DMC-FZ18

If you had high hopes for Olympus' new feature-packed 7.1 megapixel SP-550UZ digicam, PopPhoto's review is sure going to dent -- but not burst -- your bubble. Olympus made sure to hype the SP-550UZ as having the first wide 18x optical zoom on a compact digital camera, shooting from a wide 28mm to an impressive 504mm supertelephoto focal length. Other pluses include RAW capture, and bright 2.5-inch LCD with EVF, good color accuracy, a solid, comfortable body, and user-friendly guide mode. The downsides mostly revolve around a bundle of features that sound great, but only work by sacrificing image quality and resolution. First we have the shockingly fast 15 fps Burst Rate capturing at a relatively low 1.2 megapixels, then slowed way down to 3 frames in a bit two seconds if you want full resolution. Olympus also stresses ISOs up to 5000, however shots taken at ISO 5000 and 3200 suffer a resolution of only 3.2 megapixels. ISO speeds overall were iffy, where certain settings, with or without blur filtering, would yield high-noise shots with unacceptable resolution. To break it down, at about $500, the SP-550UZ is a pretty decent choice if you're looking to go compact digital -- it's just too bad Olympus put a few too many compromises in the fine print.

[Via Photography Blog]

Prepare to kick your pathetic, 3x optical zoomer to the curb kids. Olympus just announced what they are calling the world's first, wide 18x optical zoom on a compact digital camera. The SP-550 UZ features a smokin' 28-504mm (35mm camera equivalent) focal length with "Dual-Image stabilization" (high 6,400 ISO value combined with CCD-based mechanical image stabilizer) to protect against blurring. The 7.1 megapixel CCD is joined on the feature list by a 2.5-inch 230,000 pixel LCD, 15fps high-burst rate in 1.2 megapixel resolution, BrightCapture low light shooting technology, a super macro mode for taking shots as close as 1-cm, and xD-Picture Cards support with 4x AA batteries providing the juice. Available February 2007 for an estimated street price of $500.


[Thanks, David]