Digital Cameras Reviews

Archive for February, 2009

What’s this, Samsung? Announcing a few new cameras each week until PMA hits us when we least expect it? Just days after the firm expanded its less than enthralling SL lineup comes two new 12 megapixelers. The TL320 is the same one we spotted earlier at Amazon, though some of those specs were — shall we say, preliminary. The official specs sheets lists a 12.2 megapixel sensor, 5x optical zoom, 3-inch HVGA AMOLED display, 720p movie recording, HDMI output, dual image stabilization and twin analog gauges for checking out memory capacity and battery life. As for the ZH15W, that one checks in with a dozen megapixels even, a 10x optical zoom, a 3-inch LCD monitor, 720p movie mode and most of the same features as the aforementioned cousin. Both shooters should be available this May for $379.99 and $329.99, respectively, and you can catch the full release after the break.

Continue reading Samsung intros 12 megapixel duo: TL320 and HZ15W

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Samsung intros 12 megapixel duo: TL320 and HZ15W originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Feb 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We were pretty impressed by the unique design of the iriver SPINN media player when we got our hands on it last year, but that doesn’t mean it’s a design that’ll instantly improve any device, as fully exemplified by this little wonder now making the rounds in China. Apparently dubbed the SWIVEL-CAM, this one’s a 5-megapixel shooter that packs an 8x digital zoom (and digital zoom only), along with a 3-inch LCD, 16MB of internal memory, an SD card slot for expansion, and video recording in either 4:3 or 16:9 modes, not to mention the usual e-book reader, voice recorder, and “game player.” Intrigued? Then you can get your order in right now for $120.

[Via PMP Today]

Filed under: Digital Cameras

iriver SPINN gets knocked off as… a digital camera originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 21 Feb 2009 17:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Canon certainly isn’t cutting any corners with its pre-PMA batch of digital cameras, and the folks at PhotographyBlog look to be doing their best to keep up with them all, with them now churning out some hands-on looks with just about all of ‘em, plus a couple of Canon’s new lenses for good measure. Those include the SX200 IS pictured above, which they describe as “bigger and chunkier” than its rival Panasonic DMC-TZ7, as well as the “sleek and sophisticated” A2100 IS, the “toy-camera-like” D10, and a number of other compact shooters that stay a bit closer to their predecessors in terms of appearance. Of particular note to more serious photographers, Canon was also showing off its new TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II lens, which is replacing the 17-year-old original model, and its new TS-E 17mm f/4L lens, which is apparently the world’s shortest focal length Tilt-Shift lens with full-frame 35mm coverage. Hit up the link below to check out the whole lot, just be prepared to do a bit of digging.

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Canon’s latest batch of cameras get the hands-on treatment originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Feb 2009 17:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve seen some interesting looking shooters from Samsung before, but nothing quite like this latest charmer, a 12 megapixel mystery model that’s just appeared on Amazon’s site. It features a 5x stabilized zoom lens on the front, which is nice and all, but the real bits of intrigue are elsewhere. Beaming back at ya will be a 3-inch OLED screen, a rarity for a digi cam, but it’s also got a pair of those analog gauges we loved on the NV9 on top that show battery life and remaining storage. Sadly, other than Amazon saying it’ll sell for a penny under $330 we don’t know a thing about it’s availability, but we’ll be keeping an eye out for it and its dashing red arrows.

[Via OLED-Info]

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Samsung’s TL320: the mystery digital camera with analog gauges originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Feb 2009 10:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While high dynamic range is only recently getting some attention in the gaming and display worlds, for decades it’s been a tool of serious photographers wanting eye-popping exposures. Now Ricoh’s gone and offered it to the masses with its latest consumer digi cam, the CX1, creating a “dynamic range double shot” mode that takes two images nearly simultaneously with different exposures, then combines them automatically to present the best bits of both. It features a 9 megapixel CMOS sensor fronted by a 7.1x (28-200mm) lens and backed by a 3-inch LCD. VGA videos are a bit disappointing these days, but 120 frames per second can be captured at that resolution, which is good news for slow-mo junkies. UK release is mid-March for £299, about $430, and we expect/hope it’ll be lighting up dim photos Stateside around the same time.

[Via PhotographyBLOG]

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Ricoh’s CX1 point and shoot combines two shots for greater dynamic range, glory originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Feb 2009 09:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Just how the Samsung OmniaHD‘s video could reach directly from phone to TV screen was a bit of a mystery until the Engadget Spanish crew spotted the WMG100. Don’t already own one of Samsung’s high end sets with WiFi and DLNA built in? This dongle bridges the gap with all the necessary tech built in, pushing a max 480p (whether HD streaming to other devices from the OmniaHD will work is unknown) from its mini HDMI or component outputs for around €160 ($200), and is already available in Korea with a European debut planned for this spring. The idea that we’d ever get tired of watching that sweet AMOLED display is a bit of a reach, but just in case check out the gallery for some hands on pics.

Filed under: Digital Cameras, HDTV, Home Entertainment

Samsung WMG100 brings OmniaHD video to the television, via WiFi originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Feb 2009 14:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Not to be outdone by Sony, Samsung, or FujiFilm, Canon has unveiled nearly a dozen digital cameras bound for the US ahead of March’s PMA. Of the ten, the big guy is that 10 megapixel SX1 IS we originally heard about last September, which sports 1080p Full HD movie mode and a built-in HDMI connector. Not too far off is the SX200, SD970 and the already-leaked SD960 / SD780, which all record 720p and also feature HDMI ports. The more rugged D10 boasts it’s freeze proof down to 14 degrees Fahrenheit, shockproof up to four feet, and can withstand depths up to 33 feet deep. As for the rest, well, they’ve certainly got more appealing price tags. Full rundown of the specs after the break.

Continue reading Canon PowerShot SX1 IS coming to US in April, nine others unveiled

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Canon PowerShot SX1 IS coming to US in April, nine others unveiled originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Feb 2009 00:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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These aren’t completely official just yet, but an impromptu appearance on Canon’s own website certainly seems to indicate that the company’s new PowerShot SD780 IS and SD960 IS should be getting the official treatment sooner rather than later. Both of these are 12-megapixel compacts and, most notably, each pack an HD movie mode (720p) and the requisite HDMI port to go along with it, along with Canon’s trademark DIGIC IV image processor, and a 3x optical zoom on the SD780 (pictured above) and a 4x on the slightly larger SD960 (after the break). Unfortunately, there’s no indication of a price, but both are apparently on track for a release sometime in April in a range of colors. Oh, and as if those weren’t enough, we’ve also seen a stable of new models names leaked, though there aren’t any images to back these up: A480, A1100 IS, A2100 IS, SD780 IS, SD960 IS, SD1200 IS, SX1 IS and SX200 IS. Is PMA just around the bend, or what?

[Thanks, Craig]

Read – PowerShot leaks
Read – Model name leaks

Continue reading Canon PowerShot SD780 IS, SD960 IS make brief, semi-official debut

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Canon PowerShot SD780 IS, SD960 IS make brief, semi-official debut originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Feb 2009 20:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung sure has made some high claims about its OmniaHD supermegaphone, and now we’ve got some HD footage and stills to put those claims to the test. The camera does seem pretty stellar for a phone, and the video is undoubtedly HD, but we saw pretty sluggish performance in the HD recording mode, both in the on-screen preview and in the finished product. We’ll chalk that up to the super-early build of the device software, but hopefully this will be resolved before the phone ships. The phone also does ultra-slowmotion video, which is awesome, but seems similarly inconsistent and stuttery in frame rate. We’ll shut up and let you see it all for yourself, both in the gallery below and the videos after the break. Again, this is all from a pre-production phone, and we’re really expecting (or at least hoping for) the frame rate to smooth out by launch. The video was shot in 720p, but it was downsampled for web playback — it looks pretty sharp in native form, and the first image in the gallery is a screencap from the video in full resolution for your perusal.

Continue reading Samsung OmniaHD’s camera put to the test

Filed under: Cellphones, Digital Cameras, Handhelds, HDTV

Samsung OmniaHD’s camera put to the test originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Feb 2009 19:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s official, folks — PMA is on. Er, almost on. At any rate, it’s on enough for Sony, FujiFilm and Samsung to dole out a smattering of new cams today in their respective lineups. Today, Sony is introducing five new Cyber-shot models, all of which seek to remove the burden of taking the perfect picture from you. The DSC-T900, DSC-T90, DSC-W290 and DSC-H20 all feature an intelligent auto mode, which automatically detects scene conditions and adjusts settings to best take advantage of the situation. The whole April-bound lot sports Optical SteadyShot and Smile Sutter, while the W290, H20, T90 and T900 all feature 720p movie recording at 30fps. Here’s a rundown of the specs for each:

• DSC-W230: 12.1 megapixels, 4x (30mm) Carl Zeiss optical zoom lens, 3-inch LCD; available in silver, black, blue and red for about $200.
• DSC-W290: 12.1 megapixels, 5x (28mm) Carl Zeiss optical zoom lens, 3-inch LCD; available in silver, black, blue and bronze for $250
• DSC-T90: 12.1 megapixels, 4x Carl Zeiss Vario Tessar optical zoom, 3-inch touchscreen LCD; available in silver, black, pink, blue and brown for $300
• DSC-T900: 12.1 megapixels, 4x Carl Zeiss Vario Tessar optical zoom, 3.5-inch Xtra Fine touchscreen LCD; available in silver, black, red and bronze for $380
• DSC-H20: 10.1 megapixels, 10x Carl Zeiss Vario Tessar optical zoom, 3-inch LCD; available in black for about $280

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Sony’s Cyber-shot T900, T90, W290, W230 and H20 do the thinking for you originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Feb 2009 11:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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