Canon's building on its well-received XL H1 prosumer, interchangeable-lens video camera with the new XL H1S and XL H1A. The primary addition shared by the new cameras is the updated 20x HD Video Lens III, but there are also improvements to the image and color settings, audio input capabilities and an external LCD monitor output plug. The XL H1S bests the H1A with uncompressed HD-SDI output, but will run you a full three grand more when it hits in June for $9,000, with the H1A landing mid-July for $6,000.

We know, some of you out there probably already bit the bullet and picked up one of Fujifilm's FinePix S8000fd cameras, but for those holding out for a little reassurance, here goes. PhotographyBLOG was able to spend some time with this 18x zoomer, and on almost every account, this thing performed admirably. Deemed Fujifilm's "best attempt yet to fuse the advantages of compact and DSLR cameras together," it managed to warm the hearts of reviewers. Granted, they weren't exactly pleased with the noise performance, but the zoom is really what vaulted this piece to a 4.5 out of 5 rating. So, if you're not kosher with carrying around a number of lenses for your DSLR, but would like to snap closeups from the nosebleeds, be sure and hit the read link for the full skinny on what was eventually dubbed "their current ultra-zoom camera of choice."

If you're set on keeping it compact and fashionable, but still want to take some legitimate pictures, Nikon would like to tempt you with its new P5000 cam, which along with a 10 megapixel CCD, 3200 ISO and 3.5x zoom can accept add-on lenses or accessory shoe peripherals. We're pretty skeptical about that ISO 3200 mode, pictures at that ISO rarely look passable with a DSLR, much less a compact like this, and Nikon limits such pics to 5 megapixel shots, but we suppose having the option doesn't hurt anything, and Nikon claims its new image processing engine with "enhanced noise reduction and an improved signal-to-noise ratio" should help. The camera includes all those Face-priority AF, In-Camera Red-Eye Fix and D-Lighting perks in the new S and L Series cameras, along with optical image stabilisation. The 2.5-inch LCD doesn't sound stellar in an age of 3-inch viewfinders, but Nikon did leave room for an optical viewfinder, which is always nice. We're also digging the i-TTL compatible accessory shoe, which supports external flashes, and the optional 24mm wide-angle lens and 378mm telephoto converter lenses. You can pick one of these up in March for $400, but be sure to pick up a hefty SDHC card while you're at it, those 10 megapixel pics are going to want some leg room.

Canon has officially announced the PowerShot G7, the latest camera in the G-series which was last updated with the launch of the G6 way back in 2004. The key new features of the G7 are its 10 megapixel CCD sensor and the new 6x zoom lens with a f/2.8 to f/4.8 focal aperture, a 35mm-210mm focal length, and hardware optical image stabilization. Canon decided to drop the G6's 2-inch foldout LCD screen, instead opting for a fixed 207,000 pixel 2.5-inch screen. The G7 is internally different too, with a Digic III image processor that enables improved noise reduction, better color rendering, faster response times and most importantly, ISO 1600 sensitivity. There are also 25 different shooting modes -- including a manual mode and an impressive 1024 x 768, 15fps video capture mode -- along with support for SDHC cards as well as the usual MMC and SD cards. If you think the G7 is the right camera for you, then you'll have to wait until next month to part with the $599.99 that this one'll cost ya.

[Via Dpreview; thanks, spiky-haired]

Kodak's top-tier P712, announced in June, sure has some good specs for its price range, like a 12x zoom, 0.07 click-to-capture rate (which Kodak claims is the best in its class), RAW image capture and the always welcome optical image stabilization. The folks at Digital Camera Review have been doing what they do, and seem to like like the camera for the most part. The image stabilization does its thing without a hitch, shutter speed is practically instantaneous, and the 2.5-inch LCD and EVF were some of the best the reviewer has seen. There do seem to be a few chromatic aberrations and noise problems with the image quality, though overall it's pretty good, and the autofocus can be sluggish at times, nullifying the gains of that speedy shutter. The P712 also suffers from a shortage of battery life, managing around 150 shots with most of the features engaged, but the 14.2 ounce camera does feel good in the hand. Overall, it's hard to match for the $500 pricetag, and should make a good choice for a beginner photog or a DSLR wannabe.

The good folks at Digital Photography Review have come through with a typically thorough review of Sony's latest prosumer camera, the Cybershot DSC-H5 --  the bigger, blacker counterpart to Sony's DSC-H2, both of which were announced way back in February. On the whole, they found the camera to perform virtually identical to the H2, which they also gave a big thumbs up, once again digging the big 12x optical zoom, great image quality, loads of features, and decent battery life out of a pair of AAs. Also like the H2, the H5 lacks a RAW or TIFF mode and the image stabilization isn't quite as effective as that from some other camera manufactures. That means you'll have to decide for yourself if the extra megapixel of resolution (seven as opposed to six), larger LCD (three inches versus two), and black body is worth the extra hundred bucks or so over the H2.

Although not as much of an upgrade from the 20D as photography enthusiasts would have liked, the Canon EOS 30D DSLR nonetheless retains the quality performance and full feature set of its predecessor while addressing some key concerns that users had with the 2004 model. DPreview comes to these conclusions prior to bestowing their "Highly Recommended" rating on the 30D -- which obviously fared well in their rigorous testing -- finding it to be a strong competitor in its category for both image quality and value. Most welcomed by the reviewers was the addition of spot metering, variable continuous shooting rates, and the jump to a 2.5-inch LCD, although problems that plagued the 20D such as AI Servo banding with certain lenses and poor incandescent lighting results were not improved to their satisfaction. Still, besides these relatively isolated issues, most of the gripes with this model are minor quibbles, and it seems safe to say that anyone in the market for a mid-range DSLR would be more than satisfied with Canon's offering.