8Megapixel
Latest
Panasonic unleashes a trio of wide angle, 8 megapixelers: Lumix FX33, FX55, and FZ18
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.%Gallery-5175%[Via LetsGoDigital] Read -- DMC-FX55 Read -- DMC-FX33 Read -- DMC-FZ18
FujiFilm's FinePix F45fd: an F40fd in Argos clothing
Attention Argos shoppers, their "only available at Argos" exclusive on the FujiFilm FinePix F45fd is not all that exclusive. Spec for spec, the F45fd is none other than the F40fd rolled up special for the on-line UK and Republic of Ireland retailer. Your 200 Quid ($407) takes home an 8.3 megapixel CCD, 3x optical zoom, 2.5-inch LCD, 300 shot battery, ISO 2000 sensitivity, and storage on xD or SD cards. Not bad but no reason to get uppity with your mates about an "exclusive." [Via LetsGoDigital, thanks David]
Kodak's four slim shooters: the M753, M853, M873, M883
More from Kodak in the form of these four from Kodak's M series of ultracompact shooters. The 7 megapixel M753, 8 megapixel M853 (pictured), and 8 megapixel M873 each sport 2.5-inch LCDs while the 8 megapixel M883 dials it up to a 3-incher. The top-end M883 offers face detection technology, a full metal chassis, and ISO 3200 sensitivity. All the cameras feature a panorama stitching mode and MPEG-4 video capture which maxes out with a 640 x 480 resolution at just 15fps. The $149 M753 hits in June, the $179 M853 and $199 M873 in August, and $229 M883 in September -- each available in several colors. More photos as we get 'em. [Via Photography Blog]
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]
Kodak's new EasyShare C875 leaks into Europe
There's no official release from Kodak for this one, at least that we could spot, but it seems they've got a new consumer shooter for Europe in the 8 megapixel EasyShare C875. The semi-compact unit has a 5x zoom lens, includes 32mb of built-in storage, a 2.5-inch screen and uses SD memory to store that megapixel overkill. At 1.4-inches thick and 3.5 ounces heavy, Kodak seems to have packed this one pretty well, but the £249 pricetag ($467 USD) is a quick reminder that those megapixels don't come cheap.
Olympus Stylus 810 reviewed
C|net just layed mits to the 8 megapixel Olympus Stylus 810. In their review of this weatherproof (not waterproof) shooter with image stabilization, c|net calls the 810 a "very good" camera with "solid" image quality. Sure, noise is the "biggest problem" with the 810 -- quite visible at ISO 400 until becoming a "distinct texture" by the time you reach IS0 3200. However, the reviewer still considered the quality "acceptable" when compared to the alternative of dark and blurry shots taken under low lighting conditions. But by now, no one should really expect the small CCDs found in these compact shooters to perform any differently, right? Notably, the camera suffered from an "easily washed-out" LCD when used in sunlight which is potentially crippling at times due to the lack of a glass viewfinder. Still, the $349 cam pulled a 7/10 rating largely due to its hot (for a compact) burst mode capable of 12 shots in about 2.6 seconds (at 3 megapixel resolution) and generally good image quality. Still, if you're looking for an 8 megapixel camera, you can probably do better.[Via Digital Photography Blog]
HP's 8 megapixel Photosmart R927 reviewed
It's still seems a bit silly to be shooting 8 megapixel shots out of such a compact camera, but we're not going to stand in your way, and neither will HP with their flagship compact offering, the Photosmart R927. Besides the 8 megapixel CCD, the camera has a 3-inch LCD, along with HP specific software enhancements to help you get the most out of those 8 million pixels. The reviewer found the image quality solid, with "controlled noise" at ISO 400, good low light focusing, and HP's adaptive lighting functionality, though there were purple fringing problems that are evident when making large prints. The interface is easy enough for a grandparent to use, along with being easy to see on the 3-inch LCD. HP's image undelete, in-camera panorama stitching, and automatic red eye reduction software enhancements were all easy to use and fairly functional. After a brisk startup, the camera is a bit sluggish shot to shot, which is worsened by the red eye processing, but if you can deal with that, and the lack of an optical viewfinder or optical image stabilization, you might find this to be a pretty good cam for the roughly $400 price.
Canon EOS 30D 8.2 megapixel DSLR reviewed
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.
