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Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ50 reviewed
While the DMC-FZ50 was never intended to be a complete overhaul of the well-regarded DMC-FZ30 it replaces, it seemed that Panasonic was trying to address the gripes on the prior model, as well as toss in a few unexpected niceties to boot. Apparently the upgrade was a success, as the folks at DPReview found a lot to love about the evolutionary camera, especially for the price. Sporting the obligatory 12x zoom, 10.1 megapixels (up from 8), a TTL flash hot shoe, SDHC support, 16:9 movie / still mode, Venus III Engine (upgraded from the Venus II), and an Intelligent ISO that adjusts up to 1600 on the fly, this hybrid megazoom packs an impressive spec list. Reviewers were quick to praise the high-end feature set, and felt that it outpaced the competition in terms of amenities, but did point out that image quality suffered due to the small sensor used to compensate for all those megapixels. The biggest digs came from the added noise and bleeding colors found at any ISO above 100 (like many Panasonics), but these qualms were quickly solved by downsizing the images for normal viewing / storage. Overall, DPReview slapped a "Highly Recommended" tag on the FZ50, and apparently weren't too dissatisfied with the image hiccups, as they pronounced it "the best equipped, best specified, and best handling bridge camera on the market today." With a claim like that backing it up, dropping $650 on this shooter doesn't seem all that painful.
Samsung announces 6-megapixel SDC-MS61 compact
Yet more news outta IFA today, with Samsung taking the occasion to announce a new compact digital camera for anyone looking for a little widescreen action. The SDC-MS61 is a six megapixel cam with a 3x optical zoom that'll take pics at up to ISO 1600, as well as 30fps MPEG-4 video in 16:9 aspect ratio (which should give your home movies that much-needed cinematic edge). You'll also be able to view those vids properly thanks to the camera's 3.0-inch widescreen LCD on the rear. The MS61 will also double as a webcam and an MP3 player/recorder, although little details like price and availability have yet to be made readily available.
Nikon D80 DSLR review roundup
After months of teasing, sifting through tons of officially unofficial deets, finally getting some good pics of the camera itself, and being envious of all those previewers who got their grubby hands on this beauty before anyone else, the dust has begun to settle and the verdicts are out. It probably doesn't come as a surprise that the Nikon D80 DSLR is essentially everything we hoped for, and the bottom line seems to be that this digicam borrows a myriad of features from the wallet-abusing D200, but won't force you to refinance your home (well, hopefully not) in order to own one. For the Nikon faithful, this one's a no-brainer, but for those without any particular allegiance, it probably wouldn't hurt to give Sony's Alpha A100 a once over, considering its noteworthy bonuses -- such as the Super SteadyShot and anti-dust features that you won't find on the D80 -- before pulling the trigger. Nevertheless, reviewers are (practically) unanimous in giving their recommendations to this camera, especially at the sub-$1,000 (sans lens kit) price, but comb these reviews with your own discerning eyes before jumping on (or off) the D80 bandwagon yourself. Read - HardwareZone Read - Imaging Resource Read - CNET Read - ePhotoZine Read - Nikonians
Rollei rolls out the dt6 Tribute
Rollei is certainly not a new name in the underwhelming digicam market, and it has struck yet again with a ho hum offering that wouldn't actually be all that disappointing had it arrived a year or two ago. But as it stands, the dt6 Tribute is another prime example of "too little, too late," as the feature set on the matte black pocket cam hasn't been remarkable for quite some time now. Regardless, this presumed Chinese-made and Rollei-branded camera sports a 6 megapixel CCD, bold silver accents, video / voice recording, scant ISO options, and a fairly large 2.5-inch TFT monitor on the rear. While these specs may induce a series of yawns (and rightfully so), the company apparently figured that touting its "combined 38x zoom" (of which 4.8x is actually of the worthwhile optical variety) would spruce up the overall package. The camera does offer a built-in flash and "red-eye reduction" -- which if every other compact camera is an example, won't do you very much good -- and utilizes a rechargeable battery so you don't burn through those AAs. Although the dt6 Tribute is little more than a run-of-the-mill compact, it actually wouldn't be an awful choice for a shooter on a budget -- but since Rollei decided to slap a €279 ($355) pricetag on it (and forgot the "buy one, get one free" sticker beside it), this one's probably best left on the shelf.
Sanyo intros water-resistant Xacti CA6 still/video camera
Sanyo's introduced yet another entry in its catch-all line of Xacti digital cameras, the Xacti CA6, a fairly minor update to the C6. We're not sure what the "A" stands for, but the biggest addition to this model, apart from the new sporty colors, is its water-resistant casing -- although Sanyo's quick to cover its bases and point out that it isn't completely waterproof, so don't go all Jacques Cousteau with it. In terms of specs, however, the cam looks to be pretty much identical to the C6, packing a 5x optical zoom, 2-inch flip-out LCD, and taking 6 megapixel still pics and 30 fps VGA MPEG-4 video. Sanyo's also managed to knock a full $200 of the original list price of the C6, with the CA6 now coming in at a more reasonable $400 US. Look for it in August.[Via LetsGoDigital]
Rollei dx63 Tribute compact digital camera
The world just had to have one more middle-of-the-road compact digicam, or at least Rollei figured it did. Their upcoming dx63 Tribute's 6.36 megapixel sensor is accompanied by an average 3x optical zoom and the usual worthless 4x digital, as well as 32MB of internal memory, and a SD slot stifled by a 1GB limit. Sure, it can shoot full motion VGA movies at 30fps and utilizes USB 2.0, but even the inclusion of a 3-inch LCD can't make the dx63 Tribute a camera that's not past its prime -- such is the way for a camera company whose pristine brand is tarnished by Chinese ODM after ODM. For those looking for a perfectly mediocre digital camera, the dx63 Tribute will begin shipping this month for €299. [Via Ubergizmo]
DIY camera for the Nintendo DS
We're all aware that a digital camera/webcam for the Sony PSP is right around the corner, but how many of you knew that you could also snap photos with your Nintendo DS? Don't feel bad; we didn't know it was possible either until we spotted modder Kako's handiwork on YouTube -- apparently he's taken a Treva CMOS chipset, done a bit of rewiring, and written software that allows the unit to output images directly to his DS Lite. We can't vouch for the picture quality, and the frame rates are positively sluggish, but at least this mod gives Nintendo fanboys one less missing feature to defend when the PSP crowd goes into one of those regular, tiresome diatribes listing the many reasons why their product totally "pwns" the little dual screen console -- in fact, you'll probably catch a few examples of said diatribes right here in the comments section of this very post.[Via DS Fanboy]
Kodak's EasyShare V610 10x ultra-zoom reviewed
The EasyShare V610 is Kodak's ultra-zoom followup to their world's first, dual-lens digital cam, the V570. Unfortunately, just like its wide-angle bro, the V610 is getting a mixed reaction from reviewers. DCRP got their hands on the V610 and were certainly pleased by the slim design, MPEG-4 movie recordings, new Perfect Touch feature to brighten and generally improve shots at the touch of a button, decent performance, and Bluetooth 2.0 wireless transfer capabilities. However, the cam had "more than its share of annoyances" with "so-so" picture quality including above-average noise, a "miserable" 135 shot capable battery, and a poorly designed four-way navigation control around back. But this cam's all about that fat, 10x zoom right? Well, those two lenses result in a slow, non-continuous zoom with a 16-millimeter "jump" in focal length when switching between lenses -- this was especially "jarring" when zooming in movie mode. And the lack of image stabilization in this expensive cam makes it "awfully hard" to produce a sharp photo on a camera billed as an ultra-zoom model. Bottom line: forget the V610 and pick up the 10x Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ1 for $100 less. [Via Digital Photography Blog]
Fuji's six megapixel Finepix F470 reviewed
When it comes to ultracompact digital cameras, they don't get much more pocketable than the Fujifilm Finepix F470 we first spotted at CES, which at 122-grams, is one of the lightest six megapixel shooters you can buy, Yet according to Digital Camera Review, the diminutive F470 is also an excellent performer, with almost insignificant startup times and shutter lag, low to acceptable noise levels up to ISO 400, and most importantly, accurate color and white balance -- save for some purple fringing on shots captured at full 3x zoom. You're also getting a 2.5-inch LCD, VGA video at 30fps, and 16MB of onboard memory, plus, the few downsides here don't sound all that bad: below average life from the included rechargeable battery, only six steps on the optical zoom, and an Exposure Compensation setting that doesn't auto-reset are the only gripes this reviewer had. Oh, that and the fact that you'll have to shell out for an xD card along with your purchase, because chances are you don't already have one, and Fuji doesn't include one in the box.
Samsung Digimax i6 reviewed
DigiCamReview got a chance to play with Samsung's Digimax i6 digital camera, which you may recall was touted by the company earlier this year as "the world's first PMP slim camera," and even promised to deliver "big-screen performance - in the palm of your hand!" While Samsung may have gone overboard in the hype department, DigiCamReview nevertheless found the Digimax i6 to be a very solid camera, with good image quality, a great 2.5-inch screen, 3x optical zoom, and a nice and sturdy design. And the PMP functions, while obviously not living up to Samsung's hyperbole, proved to be a welcome addition. They also found the price to be very reasonable, at just £179 (about $330US).
Creative announces DiVi CAM 525D
Creative's just announced the DiVi CAM 525D, a typical run of the mill digital video camera that also doubles as a 5 megapixel still camera. The pocket-sized camera will record MPEG-4 video at VGA resolution and 30 frames per second and uses SD cards for storage, maxing out at 2GB (it also has 32MB of built-in memory). The camera also packs a fair bit of PMP functionality, incuding realtime recording from any source via its audio/video inputs, and playback of MP3 and WAV audio and AVI video. And that 2.5-inch LCD should make playing back your video at least roughly as bearable as using an iPod. Price is $229 US but, like most things Creative, its only available in Singapore for now.
FujiFilm's FinePix Z3 Zoom, for the ladies
Ok grrrls, FujiFilm has gone all pearls-in-the-kitchen with their new FinePix Z3 Zoom camera, calling it the ideal "handbag companion" for the ladies. The Z3 is nothing more than the Z2 (or Z1 for that matter) dolled-up in pink of course, with the addition of a picture stabilization mode, intelligent flash, and a new flash mode which snaps both a natural light and flash shot with a single press of the shutter. So like the Z2, you get a 5.1-megapixel, 1/2.5-inch CCD, 3x optical zoom, 2.5-inch LCD, an xD Picture card slot, and 640 x 480 videos recorded at 30fps. Oh, and it's available in blue and silver too in case your man-bag is looking for a little action.[Via Let'sGoDigital]
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]
Polaroid PDC 5080 reviewed/trashed by PC Mag
If you ever needed proof that megapixels aren't everything in a digital camera, look no further than PC Magazine's review of Polaroid's PDC 5080 5 megapixel cam, which sells for just $90. You know things are bad when the best they can come up with on the pro side is "light" and "cheap." The problems with the camera, on the other hand, read like a comedy of errors, from the open-at-your-own-risk blister pack the camera comes packaged in (rule #1, don't buy a digital camera in a blister pack), to the way below average image quality compared to other 5MP cameras, to the 9 frame per second "video" capabilities, to the images that mysteriously dissappear from the SD card. Stay away from this one, folks, and warn your friends.
Sony expands 4x6 printer line with DPP-FP55 and DPP-FP35
We're still a little baffled by the continued rollout of new 4x6-in photo printers from the likes of Epson, HP and Sony. Sure, they're handy, but how about a little more flexibility? Where's the printer that can do both 4x6 and 5x7 shots (we know, it's the letter-size photo-capable printer we already own)? That said, we shouldn't be surprised that Sony has expanded its line of dye-sub 4x6 printers with two new models, the DPP-FP55 and DPP-FP3.5 Both use print packs that include both paper and toner, which Sony says keeps printing costs at about 29 cents per print, and both are PictBridge compatible for direct printing with most recent digicams. The DPP-FP55, which includes a 2-inch LCD for image previews, is expected to roll out next month for $150, while the DPP-FP35, which skips the screen, will go for $100.
Nikon Coolpix S5 reviewed
Nikon's Coolpix S5, unveiled earlier this year, is a svelte 6 megapixel shooter with a 2.5-inch LCD, non-extending 3x zoom lens and lots of scene modes for point-and-shoot novices. And, as reviewed by DCViews, it offers good image quality, with "excellent" color and "perfect" auto-focusing and auto-exposure, at a price of about $300. Those looking for manual controls should look elsewhere, of course. However, DCViews, perhaps with an eye towards Mother's Day, sees this as "an elegant ladies' camera." We assume there are plenty of guys who would be happy with this one's features, or with its big brother, the S6, which adds WiFi for about $50 more.
Canon PowerShot S3 IS reviewed
Digital Camera Resource got their mits on the Canon PowerShot S3 IS recently and were kind enough to post a detailed review for our perusal. While the S3 isn't exactly "an exciting upgrade" over its S2 IS predecessor, the reviewer still found it to be an "excellent" ultra zoom camera. Besides the bump from 5 to 6 mexapixels, the camera's two most touted new features are ISO 800 sensitivity and 60fps QVGA / 30fps VGA recording. Well, the ISO 800 snaps shot under low light were found to be, er, "not usable" while those taken under normal light should be limited to 4x6 prints with the aid of some noise reduction software. However, the overall noise level was still considered "low for a 6 megapixel camera." Meanwhile, the video capabilities were found to be excellent due to stereo sound recording and the ability to zoom silently while filming. However, lacking an MPEG-4 codec means your flicks will hit the 1GB per recording wall in only 9-minutes under the highest quality settings. Overall, the camera earns the reviewer's "enthusiastic recommendation" due to its "very good photo quality" and "snappy performance" in a "solid and capable" ultra zoom camera.
Bella Catapult enables camcorder-to-iPod recording
Camcorder accessory manufacturer Bella has just announced a new device that will let you toss those MiniDV cassettes straight out of your bag and replace them with your iPod or nearly any other USB 2.0-compliant storage system. The Catapult, as it's known, is a paperback-sized digital encoder that plugs into any standard or HD camcorder with a FireWire port and processes the video as you're recording, eliminating the need to convert your footage later on. Besides saving time and offering access to higher storage capacities, the Catapult also enables your cam with a number of features not available out of the box, such as time-lapse recording, remote trigger capabilities, and both pre- and post-recording ability. Pre-recording is an especially attractive option, as it seems to buffer whatever your CCD is capturing for a preset timeframe, allowing you to essentially "turn back the clock" and preserve events that already happened once you hit the record button. Bella tells us to expect their new product sometime during the second half of the year, for some amount of money less than $300.[Via T3]
Unannounced JVC Everio G GZ-MG505 already winning awards
We have to admit we did a double-take when we saw the JVC Everio G GZ-MG505 on the TIPA Awards web site. It's not that the video camera, with 3CCDs, a 30GB hard drive and 5 megapixel resolution doesn't sound sweet. It definitely does. Problem is, it doesn't seem to exist -- at least not yet. We can only assume that the team at TIPA got a glance at an early pre-production unit, and just liked it so much that they handed over the award on the spot. Regardless, merging the 3CCD imaging system found on the GZ-MC500 with the high-capacity hard drive found on some of JVC's 1CCD models seems like a no-brainer. But we won't be giving any awards until we're sure this thing is for real.
Casio's Exilim EX-Z1000 10 megapixel shooter
Casio just gave a bump to the top-end of their Exilim Zoom line-up by introducing the 10.1 megapixel EX-Z1000. The Z1000 features the same anti-shake DSP and meager 3x zoom we saw in Casio's 8.1 megapixel Z850, but doubles the pixels count on the LCD to 230k. They also double the ISO sensitivity to a massive ISO 3200, (likely) just for show -- but let's hope that tiny 1/1.8 inch CCD can cut through the noise a bit better than Z850 can, eh? All this largenessing of the camera impacts the device's size as well, giving the case a bump by a few millimeters in all directions. Still, at 22.4-mm thin, she ain't no fatty. Hey Casio, how about some pricing and release date? Picture of the LCD on the flip.[Via Akihabara News]
