Digital Cameras Reviews

Archive for September, 2008

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Panasonic might be the first to ship its new micro Four Thirds G1, but Olympus definitely stole the hotness crown with that retro concept cam, and the company just confirmed that it’ll join the ranks of the shipping — Olympus European marketing director Miquel Angel Garcia told Pocket-lint that we should expect a camera similar to the prototype within the next 12 months. According to Garcia, micro Four Thirds is “about design and style, not about a smaller black box” — take that, Panny. Hopefully this means we’ll be seeing the DSLR-sized micro Four Thirds sensor shake up the fashion cam market, but we’ll see what Olympus has in store — the sooner the better, guys.

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Filed under: Digital Cameras

Hurry on over! We had originally thought that Kodak had this award in the bag, but now that General Imaging (GE) has pumped out a trio of cameras that nearly put us to sleep, we’d say the race for the lamest introduction at Photokina is officially back on. Up first on the chopping block is the E1055W, a GE-branded point-and-shoot with a 3-inch LCD monitor, 10.1-megapixel sensor, blink / smile detection and a 5x optical zoom. Following that is the E1050TW, which packs most of the same hardware but also includes a 720p movie mode. Lastly, we’ve got the 10-megapixel A1030, which features a 3x optical zoom, 2.5-inch LCD, ultrathin design and super-simplistic button arrangement. All three cameras should be landing real soon for under three bones each, and no, they aren’t really that awful… on paper.

[Thanks, David]

Read – GE E1055W
Read – GE E1050TW
Read – GE A1030

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Filed under: Digital Cameras

This enterprising EOS 40D owner wants a DSLR that records video, too — and he’s taking action. This hack uses CHDK — the free firmware enhancement for Canon PowerShot cameras — and LiveView to capture video to the camera’s CF Card. There are still a few issues: LiveView shuts down after a period of inactivity, video can’t be transferred via USB, and unlike your $79 consumer grade camera, the EOS 40D won’t record audio. But what’s a little challenge in the face of a good camera mod? There’s no word on file format, frame rate or resolution (though the camera’s display weighs in at 320 x 240), but there are lots of other juicy details available once you hit the read link. And be sure to catch the video after the break.

[Via Hack A Day]

Continue reading Canon EOS 40D owner hacks camera, records silent movie

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Filed under: Digital Cameras

Hasselblad’s doing a fine job of pimping its mildly fresh 50-megapixel H3DII-50 at Photokina 2008, but being that we’re hardly ever satisfied with the here and now, we’ve latched onto a few juicy tidbits flowing from the lips of CEO Christian Poulsen. Reportedly, the exec made clear at the show that a 60-megapixel version of the camera (H3DII-60) would be made available in April of 2009, and while it would demand a £4,000 ($7,393) premium over the £14,750 ($27,261) H3DII-50, that increase would pay for a sensor that provides 94% full-frame coverage. It’s okay, your D40 is still bombastic in its own right.

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Filed under: Digital Cameras

We noticed that the writeup for Leica’s newly unveiled S2 made mention of a new Kodak sensor, but we’ll leave it to Kodak to do the boasting. Sure enough, the outfit responsible for this atrocity has rolled out a few new image sensors at Photokina 2008, one of which — the KAF-37500 — proudly resides in the aforementioned S2. The company is showcasing sensors for medium format rigs such as the Sinar HY6-65 (KAF-31600) and Hasselblad H3DII-50 (KAF-50100), though quite honestly, it spends more time gloating about what manufacturers it’s partnering with than describing the technology. Oh well, so long as it keeps Kodak from focusing on its pathetic point-and-shoot lineup, we’ll keep smiling.

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In celebration of the firm’s 75th anniversary, Nikon has launched a redesigned Nikkor 50mm f/1.4. Read More…

• - Samsung HZ1 served up under glass
• - Canon PowerShot SX1 previewed
• - Olympus 1050 apparently indestructible
• - Camera Armor debuts $100 housing

Read More…

• - Fujifilm developing next Super CCD
• - Pentax K2000 handled, previewed
• - Casio EX-FH20: 40 fps shot sequence
• - Leica S2 on the horizon tomorrow?

Read More…

Samsung is making a strong bid to be taken seriously in the high-performance compact segment with their announcement of the 10x zoom Samsung HZ1. Read More…

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[tags]digital camera review, camera reviews[/tags]

Filed under: Digital Cameras, Peripherals, Wireless, Storage

Frustrated by somewhat sluggish transfers from your otherwise spectacular Eye-Fi card? Fret not, as the company has just announced a forthcoming update at Photokina that will reportedly enable new and existing Eye-Fi owners to make “the upload of digital photos from camera to computer twice as fast.” Also of note, as of October 5th, users can even add features that aren’t already included on their card and renew annual services by tapping into the updated Eye-Fi Manager Web application. In related news, the outfit will be pushing its wares to Japan and Canada by the year’s end, and in even more related news, Eye-Fi now supports direct photo uploads to Apple’s MobileMe and the AdoramaPix service.

Read – Eye-Fi getting 2x faster
Read – Eye-Fi going international

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Filed under: Digital Cameras, Displays

Just in case you’re not kosher with covering up your entire wall with a 32-inch digital photo frame, Smartparts is also introducing an entirely more reasonable frame at Photokina. The 8-inch SPX8WF packs the same 802.11b/g support as its (much) larger sibling, enabling it to integrate nicely with Windows Live Photo Gallery and display customized RSS feeds. Also of note, this little bugger comes with its own unique e-mail address which is hosted on Smartparts servers. What for, you ask? In order to send out any of your loaded images to friends who you think care, that’s what for. As for specs, you’ve got an 800 x 600 resolution LCD, multicard reader, 512MB of internal memory and a real wood frame. Check it this November for $149.99.

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Filed under: Digital Cameras, Displays

There comes a point in a digital photo frame’s life in which it grows beyond being “just a simple digiframe.” For Smartparts’ SP3200WF, that time is now. This 32-inch monstrosity is easily the world’s hugest WiFi digital photo frame, packing a 1,366 x 768 resolution, natural wood frame with espresso finish, an SD / MS / CF multicard reader, RF remote support, and the ability to play back slideshows, videos, PDFs and even PowerPoint files. Furthermore, it’s among the firm’s first to integrate with Windows Live Photo Gallery, and the built-in RSS reader keeps your eyes occupied when the snaps grow stale. Too bad there aren’t any video inputs (and a price to ponder).

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Filed under: Digital Cameras, Wireless

Samsung has just introduced a product with a name we can’t help but love: NaBee. The smooth sounding device is actually a system for bringing wireless USB technology to any camera with a USB connector. Packed within is Alereon’s AL5000 Worldwide Wireless USB Chipset, which enables cordless communication between one’s PC and digicam so long as the receiver and transmitter are within reach. Yeah, it’s not nearly as elegant as inbuilt WiFi solutions, but at least it gives those a year or two out from upgrading a shot at enjoying wireless USB transfers in the here and now. Mum’s the word on pricing, but it should be out this December.

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