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LG L-03C has 3x optical zoom, 12 megapixel CCD sensor, Xenon flash -- and it can make phone calls!
Dear Nokia and Samsung, please come to reception to collect your old and busted 12 megapixel cameraphones. The new king of the phonecamera heap, in appearance at least, has arrived in the shape of LG's L-03C. It comes with a retractable 3x optical zoom lens from Pentax, a 12 megapixel CCD sensor, a Xenon flash, and a 720p movie recording mode. The L-03C is also intentionally styled to remind users of the more timeless compact camera designs of the past (and present) and it's only by entering the NTT DoCoMo OS and hitting up the dialer that you discover that it's also a cellular phone to boot. In spite of its 3-inch display and 800 x 480 resolution, this is still strictly just a featurephone, but it's sure put in a lot of work to make sure one of those features stands out. Look out for it in Japan from this January.
Ricoh Caplio 500SE Model W rocks WiFi and Bluetooth
If you're looking for the perfect camera to take on your next vacation to the Amazon rainforest or Sahara desert, look no further than Ricoh's upcoming Caplio 500SE; like the 500G that preceded it, this 8 megapixel ruggedized shooter also sports a water-, shock-, and dust-resistant casing, but throws in some sweet wireless action to offload your pics no matter where you are. The high end Model W not only features a WEP- and WAP-secured WiFi radio like several other products on the market, but is one of the first imaging devices to also include Bluetooth 2.0 in the mix. No hotspot? No problem -- just transfer the pics over to your smartphone and release them onto the Internet wherever a cellular connection is available. Besides the dual radios, you're getting a 3x optical zoom, 2.5-inch LCD, 26MB of internal memory (enhanced via SD), and rather underwhelming QVGA video capture that may not even include sound. Still, this is a hell of a package (both in terms of its feature set and its weight: 482 grams fully loaded) with a price to match -- ¥130,200 ($1,100) for the Model W and ¥115,500 ($990) for the WiFi-less Model B when they ship sometime this winter and September 1st, respectively.[Via The Raw Feed and dottocomu]
Casio announces seven megapixel Exilim EX-Z700
Casio just announced a new addition to its popular lineup of Exilim ultracompacts, the EX-Z700. This model is almost exactly the same as the six megapixel EX-Z600 -- both devices feature a 3x optical zoom, 2.7-inch LCD, and 112-gram weight -- but as the model number indicates, it bumps the resolution up to seven megapixels. The only other real difference here lies in the preset scene modes: Casio added Auto Framing and Layout Shot (which creates a composite image from two or three separate photos) to its suite of Best Shot settings. Expect the Z700 to hit stores sometime next month, and although pricing has not yet been revealed, we're thinking it'll go for around $350.
Sanyo's similar VPC-S7 and VPC-E7 compact cameras
Without much fanfare, Sanyo has added two compact 7.1 megapixel cameras to its lineup, and other than a few minor differences, the SDHC-compatible VPC-S7 (pictured right) and VPC-E7 (pictured left) are almost exactly the same. Both models feature an oh-so-standard 3x optical zoom and 2.5-inch LCD display, along with VGA-quality video with mono sound, maximum ISO settings of 800, and the usual suite of preset scene modes and white balance settings. As far as we can tell, only a few grams of weight and the E7's inclusion of red-eye correction differentiate the two models, plus the fact that the E ships with a rechargeable battery while the S only comes with a pair of AAs. Overall, it seems like Sanyo isn't terribly excited about these two point-and-shooters, judging from the lack of a press release or even the slightest hint as to when or where they'll be available, or for how much. Read- VPC-S7Read- VPC-E7[Via Photography Blog]
Fujifilm's six megapixel F20 thrives at night
Besides the S6000fd that we just brought you, Fujifilm has another six megapixel shooter slated to hit stores in September, though this model is more at home in a pocket than a camera bag. Being touted as the little brother to the company's already-compact F30, the new F20 sports many of the same features as its big bro -- besides the 6.3 megapixel CCD, they both share a 3x optical zoom and 2.5-inch LCD -- with the major differences being size, display resolution, and battery capacity. Also like the F30, this model is designed to perform in low-light conditions that would prove difficult for other compact cameras which don't share its relatively high maximum sensitivity of ISO 2000. The other nice touches here center around the flash: it automatically adjusts its intensity based on ambient lighting, and is part of the innovative "Natural Light & Flash" feature that snaps two consecutive shots -- one with flash and one without -- to provide users with a so-called "photographic safety net." No word yet on pricing, but since you can pick up the F30 for under $400, we imagine that this model will be available for around the same cost.
Casio introduces 7.2 megapixel Exilim EX-Z70
So Casio's just announced that it's taking the six megapixel Exilim EX-Z60 and bumping the resolution up to 7.2 megapixels in a new model whose name you can probably guess, while at the same time managing to make it just a little more pocket-friendly by shaving a few millimeters off the depth. Besides those extra million or so pixels, though, the Exilim EX-Z70's specs remain nearly identical to its sibling's, so the 2.5-inch LCD, 3x optical zoom, and digital image stabilization will come as little surprise. Retailing for around $425, a black version of this 118-gram point-and-shooter will be available at the beginning of July, while a silver edition will hit the streets about a month later. Keep reading to get a view from the back, though if you're familiar with Z60, you'll have seen it all before...
Another forgettable compact from Rollei: the da6324
You'd think that a company like Rollei with such a proud history of manufacturing fine cameras with quality optics would be a little more discriminating about the digital models they release under the esteemed brand name, but lately all we've seen is a bunch of generic, re-badged OEM offerings that probably don't really represent the vision of founders Paul Franke and Reinhold Heidecke. Take the "new" 6.36 megapixel da6324 that the company introduced today, which is the exact same camera we saw yesterday being sold by Pentacon as the "Praktica Luxmedia 6203" -- 3x optical zoom, 2.4-inch TFT and all. Instead of watering down the brand with forgettable $250 models like these, maybe the company should concentrate on those medium format cameras they're famous for, and leave the crowded compact digicam market to players who want to offer the consumer some innovation.
