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A couple of bargain compact cameras with 12 MP, packed with features and for less than $100!

It’s hard to believe but these two compact cameras are able to accomplish a mission impossible.
They’re both well under US $ 100, both feature 12 Megapixels sensors and 3x optical zoom!

Meet the Kodak EasyShare MD41: a really easy compact camera, with a 35–105 mm (35 mm equivalent) optical zoom, a face detection function that locates faces and automatically adjusts camera settings for great shots, SD/SDHC support.

It supports ISO positions 80, 100, 200, 400, 800 and 1600 on a 1/2.3 inch CCD sensor and weighs 115 grams and sports a 2,7″ LCD.

In the Kodak EasyShare MD41 there are also a lot of on-camera playback features such as cropping, undo-delete, picture rotation and self-timer. You can also tag your images with text and make use of multi-field search.

The Kodak EasyShare MD41 price?
A mere $89.99. You Save: $60.00 (that’s 40% off!)

What about a touchy display and interface? What about the HP PB360?

The HP PB360 offers 12.2 megapixel resolution, 3X optical zoom, and 5X digital zoom.
A wide 3″ touch screen LCD display with on-screen icons allows easy camera control.
More features? Smile detection, digital image stabilization, red eye removal, different scene modes, and more.
With Motion JPEG video capture capability, you can record special moments and easily share them with your friends and family on YouTube.
Capture clear and bright images with a wide range of ISO sensitivities (up to 3200) even in dim light.

Ok, so touch the HP PB360 at US $99.99 and save up to 29% (that’s US $40.00 less!).

Get ready for small yet powerful new gear: Sony Alpha NEX-3 and NEX-5 compact cameras

As expected, Sony has unveiled the NEX-3 and NEX-5 mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras.
Both come packing the same new 14.2-megapixel Exmor APS HD CMOS sensor, which is almost 60% bigger (23.4mm x 15.6mm) than what you’ll find inside a micro four thirds body. Both can capture HD video and stereo audio via the built-in microphone, but the NEX-3 tops out at 720p, while the NEX-5 can crab 1080i video in AVCHD format; meet the new, mirrorless E-mount.

Both offer high-resolution tilt/flip screens, fast continuous shooting and HD video capture, with 720p from the NEX-3 and 1080i, AVCHD from the NEX-5.
Also announced are three E-mount lenses: a 16mm F2.8 pancake, offering a 24mm equivalent field-of-view, a standard 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 stabilized kit zoom, with a 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 stabilized superzoom to follow.

If you’re not satisfied with three lens options (and you have a little extra room in your bag), the optional LA-EA1 Mount Adapter allows both NEX cameras to use the full range of Alpha lenses, plus a “huge range” of other legacy A-mount lenses if you don’t need AF. It’s worth noting that there’s no internal image stablization on the NEX bodies, so you’ll have to opt for the 18-55mm lens if you want to enjoy the Optical Steady Shot functionality.

Despite the extra sensor real estate, both bodies are impressively compact.
The NEX-5, which has a magnesium alloy body, weighs just 10.1-ounces (with battery and media) and the NEX-3 checks in at 10.5-ounces.

The new NEX-3 and NEX-5, which will be hitting shelves in July.

Nikon Coolpix S8000: slim yet powerful 10X superzoom 14 MP compact digital camera

The Nikon Coolpix S8000 lays claim to the title of the world’s slimmest 10x zoom compact. And while tech is dominated by constant chatter about “world firsts”, this nifty little number is every bit as good as its makers reckon.

The zoom is the real big drawer with the Nikon Coolpix S8000.
Use it in conjunction with the ace macro mode and your shots will be imbued with excellent detail and will let you get close up without any nasty blur around the edge of your pics.

Push the lens wider though and your landscape shots will really look the part. The 30mm shots we took looked vast and rich in detail, perfect if you want cracking pics without investing in something bulkier and pricier.

Elsewhere the Nikon Coolpix S8000 is instilled with the camera maker’s excellent and easy-to-use UI.
Accessing scene modes is straightforward via one button, letting you optimise your shots wherever you are.

Moreover the LCD screen slapped on the back is ace too. At 3-inches and featuring 921k pixel it’s more than ample for viewing your handiwork, although we would have preferred AMOLED in order to get a slightly bigger viewing angle and it’s comparable to higher-level Nikon’s D90!

Nikon Coolpix S8000’s short list of features:

• Macro shooting from as close as 1 cm (0.4 in.)
• High-speed performance
• 16 scene modes for optimized shooting in various settings
• Scene Auto Selector
• Subject Tracking
• Quick Retouch
• D-Lighting
• Auto Sort function
• Approx. 32 MB of internal memory
• USB charging via Charging AC Adapter EH-68P/EH-68P (AR) or PC
• HDMI connectivity

The Nikon Coolpix S8000 is available right now at the slim price of US $262.20, so you save $37.75 (that’s 13% off its regular price)!

Want more remote control for your DSLR? Get the Aputure Gigtube, a Digital Screen Remote Viewfinder

Most DSLRs today sport live view features, as we all know, but being able to remotely watch a scene and control your DSLR is another story, isn’t it?

The Aputure Gigtube is a plug-in, external LCD display and camera controller for digital SLR cameras. It works with all the major digital SLRs (except Sony) and provides a live feed via the camera’s LiveView function. If LiveView isn’t available on the camera, the Gigtube will still display the photo that has just been taken so you can review it. The Gigtube’s screen is a 2.5″, 230 kpixel 16 million colour unit and it connects to the camera via it’s video out port and USB control port.

It comes with a 2m extension cable or you can attach it to the camera via the flash hot-shoe. The display rotates 270° and it has a built-in rechargeable battery that will last about 3 hours on a full charge.

Compatible with any camera with a video output, the Aputure Gigtube screen can automatically display an image immediately after shooting it, or can stream the video feed from live view. Moreover, the LCD screen is rotatable for different angle view and this gadget offers the remote shutter release function.

How can you use it? How is the Aputure Gigtube going to come in handy to the pro-am photographer?
Check some examples.

Self-portraits viewfinder
Aputure Gigtube can automatically transfer the live view mode of the camera (if the camera supports) on the LCD screen so you make a shooting toward your side to freely take photos of you and with your friend or family, just like you shoot other object, easily.

High-angle (position) viewfinder
When shooting an object in high position that not easily accessible or overlooking to shoot and more such situations, the Aputure Gigtube can make its powerful effect by its live view and instant photo display function and off-camera remote shutter release function.

Off-camera remote shutter release
When shooting an object in high position that not easily accessible or overlooking to shoot and more such situations, the Aputure Gigtube can make its powerful effect by its live view and instant photo display function and off-camera remote shutter release function.

Low-angle (position) viewfinder
Aputure Gigtube is usefully in the situations where the camera is positioned in a way that makes viewing the camera’s screen difficult or impossible. There is a hot shoe mount for making above-the-head and low-angle shooting easier.

There are different models of the Aputure Gigtube for each camera manufacturer
specifically for Nikon (D700 /D300 /D300s/D3/D3x/D200/D2Xs/D2Hs/D2x/D2H Cameras) or Canon (EOS 5D/50D/40D/30D/20D/1D Mark III/1Ds Mark III Cameras) among others.

The good news is that now the Aputure Gigtube is available with some interesting discount (up to 37%) at around US 189.95!

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX580 with touchscreen: a deal and a touchy digital camera too!

Panasonic’s newest slim and stylish touch-screen digital camera, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX580 (the successor to DMC-FX500), features 12.1-megapixel resolution, 25mm ultra-wide-angle LEICA DC lens with F2.8 brightness, 5x optical zoom, large 3-inch touch sensitive LCD screen and newly developed Venus Engine V processor that includes twin CPUs to boast approximately 2.4x processing capability.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX580 may look like Just Another Ultra-Compact Camera, but it has two features that most cameras in its class do not.
The first is a 3-inch touchscreen LCD display.
While many camera manufacturers have touchscreen cameras, the FX580 is somewhat unique in that it doesn’t force you to use the touchscreen for everything — there are “regular” controls too.

Panasonic’s Lumix DMC-FX580 features:

• 12.1 effective megapixel CCD

• 3-inch LCD screen display (230,000 pixels)
• 25mm ultra-wide-angle LEICA DC lens with F2.8 brightness and 5x optical zoom
• New touch-screen interface and conventional operation system with the cursor key for intuitive control
• Panasonic’s new advanced iA (Intelligent Auto) mode incorporates a system of technologies, including MEGA O.I.S., Intelligent ISO Control, Face Detection, Face Recognition, AF Tracking, Intelligent Exposure and Intelligent Scene Selection
• Panasonic’s newly developed Venus Engine V processor
• High sensitivity up to ISO 6400
• Records High Definition (1280 x 720p) motion images at 30 fps
• New Panorama Assist scene mode allowing users to shoot a number of consistent photos, either vertically or horizontally, by aligning them according to a guide that overlaps the screen
• Bundled PanoramaMaker software

The DMC-FX580’s touch-screen is a hybrid operation system combining the new touch-screen interface and a conventional operation system with the cursor key for intuitive control, and it comes in an aluminum body in silver and black colors.

The Panasonic’s Lumix DMC-FX580is available now with huge savings for $209.95 - that’s 40% less (you save $140.00)!

Right from PMA2010, Pentax Optio I-10: old-fashioned look plus hi-tech features, sleek and compact!

The Pentax Optio I10 is an old-fashioned & retro camera from Pentax just announced at PMA 2010.
The Pentax Optio I10 comes with a 12.1 megapixel CCD sensor and a 5x optical zoom. This old-Fashion Point-and-shoot camera has up to 6400 ISO sensitivity, gyro-based image stabilizer and features an HD Video recording in 1280×720 resolutions. Integrated with a 2.7-inch LCD display, a 26.7MB internal memory, and expandable with SD/SDHC memory card. Other features a Pet Detection mode and Face Detection. Measuring 100.5×65×28 mm and weight 153g. The Pentax Optio I-10 is available in white and black colors.

Retro look but plenty of features!

SLR-inspired design
The nostalgic, eye-catching design of the Optio I-10 resembles classic film SLR cameras. Pentax positioned the flash unit and speaker in the upper mid-section of the camera body to create this original SLR-shaped body, and the leatherette texture and classic 20th century Pentax logo add elegance to the camera design.

Optical 5x wide angle to telephoto zoom lens
The Optio I-10 features an optical 5x zoom lens that covers focal lengths from 5.1mm to 25.5mm (equivalent in the 35mm format to approximately 28mm wide angle to 140mm telephoto). This wide zoom range allows the Optio I-10 to capture a wide variety of subjects and scenes from breathtaking landscapes, majestic architecture and group shots in a confined space, to tightly cropped photos shot from a distance. An Intelligent Zoom function allows even tighter zoom on subjects and extends the digital zoom range to approximately 31.3x.

12.1 effective megapixels for exceptional image quality
With 12.1 effective megapixels, a high-performance imaging engine, and the camera’s high performance Pentax zoom lens, the Optio I-10 delivers brilliant, high quality images with well-defined details. Even when enlarged, the images deliver sharp, high-resolution prints with edge-to-edge sharpness.

Improved Face Detection recognizes dogs and cats
The Optio I-10 features an improved Face Detection AF & AE function that detects up to 32 faces in the image field and captures them all in sharp focus with optimal exposure in just 0.03 seconds. This upgraded Face Detection technology now allows users to adjust the camera to detect dogs and cats. Users may program the camera to automatically release the shutter the moment the subject faces the camera, which is especially helpful for pet photography.

The Pentax Optio I10 sports triple anti-shake protection

CCD-shift-type SR mechanism
The Optio I-10 incorporates an advanced CCD-shift-type Shake Reduction (SR) mechanism that compensates for camera shake by shifting the camera’s image sensor (CCD) horizontally and vertically in relation to the amount of shake detected by the high-accuracy gyro sensor. This offers outstanding camera-shake compensation equivalent to up to 2.5 shutter steps even when shooting telephoto or in lowlight settings such as sunsets or indoors.

The Pentax Optio I10 is available now for US $274.36.

Looking for a smart choice and now a bargain too? Look no further than a Pentax K-7

The Pentax K-7 is the new jewel in the company’s crown, with a long list of specs well beyond any previous Pentax DSLR. Existing Pentax users will be pleased to finally see a much-wanted pro-level upgrade, whereas those familiar with other manufacturers’ systems may also be drawn in thanks to an all-encompassing features list.

The Pentax K-7 has been built from the ground up by Pentax and, unlike the K20D and K10D which had Samsung GX20 and GX10 equivalents, is a standalone venture. The build quality is a key sell; ruggedly made, but following Pentax’s ultimately ‘classic’ design, the body is made from a magnesium alloy that’s both dust and weather-sealed at 77 points. Shooting in sand, getting splashed with rain or other treacherous conditions need not be a bother and, despite this upgrade, the whole camera is even marginally smaller and lighter than the previous K20D. The featured 18-55mm kit lens follows suit, as does the optional D-BG4 battery grip (which offers both AA and li-ion battery options) to complete a fully weather-and-dust-sealed unit in its entirety.

A high-resolution 14.6MP CMOS sensor is at the heart of the K-7’s body, which whilst not a step up over the K20D in terms of resolution, does double the number of output channels. The result? More information can speed through the K-7’s buffer for faster continuous shooting than ever before – a firm 5.2 frames per second sees the K20D’s 3fps barrier officially trounced; ideal for those looking to shoot sports or action photography.

Unlike its key competitors – namely the Nikon D300 and Canon 50D – the Pentax K-7, like many Pentax DSLRs before it, incorporates Shake Reduction (SR) into the camera body itself. Crucially this means even old K-mount bayonet-fit lenses can benefit from this function, and new lenses will not cost as much as their (hypothetical) stabilised counterparts.

A notable – and very much ‘flavour of 2009’ – feature is the inclusion of a 720p HD movie mode, plus the inclusion of a superior 1536×1024 capture that can be output at 1080i, though this is not ‘Full HD’ capture. Mono sound is recorded from the camera’s body, or there is the option to use the 3.5mm jack socket to plug in a microphone and record in stereo. Aperture can be set as fixed via the camera body for recording or there’s an automatic variable aperture mode, which adjusts the aperture according to the amount of light available throughout recording. Whilst in-camera shake reduction can also be used to full effect, it is not possible to autofocus whilst recording – though it is entirely plausible this will be possible in the future, if the clever bods at Pentax fix up the necessary firmware.

In keeping up with the competition, the Pentax K-7 adorns a 920,000 dot high resolution 3in LCD screen. Whilst it’s not a tilt and swivel screen as seem to be creeping into a number of camera bodies of late, it does auto-rotate images on the screen itself and, in keeping with orientation, has a virtual horizon level too – a really nice touch when in live view mode.

With customisable white balance settings, a shutter speed up to 1/8000th second, 77 segment metering system, the new SAFOX VIII+ 11-point AF system with AF illuminator lamp, in-camera HDR, and D-Range shadow and highlight adjustment options, the features list is certainly bulging. The K-7’s viewfinder has the much-sought after 100% field of view too, ensuring what you see is exactly what you’ll capture.

Now it’s your choice: which bargain are you going to take?
It’s either a Pentax K-7 with DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL Weather Resistant Lens bundle priced at US $1,104.99 (saving up to 47% over regular price, that’s $979.11!) or the body-only Pentax K-7 priced at $979.00 that’s $320.95 (-25%)!

Canon EOS 550D - Rebel T2i announced! First impressions

Canon updated the mid-range section of the DSLR cameras with the new Canon EOS Rebel T2i/550D.
Building on the popularity of the EOS 500D, the EOS 550D is designed to give you more access to video as well as Eye-Fi compatibility. Priced at US $ 899.99 with the standard 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens, the EOS 550D will be available from the 24th February onwards.

There are a few basic upgrades on the Canon EOS Rebel T2i/550D. Notably is the ISO sensitivity top limit being raised to ISO6400 although you can still expand that to ISO12800 if you wish. An interesting point on this is that you can now cap the highest ISO point while in AutoISO, so it won’t use ultra high settings to get a decent shutter speed.

The new screen resolution should help with the new video functions of the Canon EOS Rebel T2i/550D. It has a Full HD recording facility of 1080p with manual control as well as selectable frame rates. You can choose from 30, 25 and 24fps at full HD quality while pushing it up to 60 or 50fps will reduce the quality to 720p. Alternatively, putting the camera in program mode means you don’t have to worry about it. There’s also a Movie Crop function that reduces the resolution to a 640×480 area but means you get a magnification of 7x the focal length of the lens.

The metering system now matches the one found on the popular Canon EOS 7D using the new iFCL metering with 63-zone dual-layer sensor. IFCL stands for intelligent Focus, Colour and Luminance metering and it’s this information that the new system uses to meter with. It works in conjunction with the focus points to determine the distance from relative subjects and weights the exposure according to the algorithm results.

Order now, the Canon EOS Rebel T2i/550D is priced at $799.99.

Kodak announces the new Kodak Z981 Superzoom: 14mp, 26X optical zoom along with PASM complete image control, RAW and vertical grip

Kodak is back with the brand new Kodak Z981 superzoom compact digital camera one year after the announcement of the Z980 super-zoom at CES 2009.

The model name “advances” by just +1, but the camera actually jumps to a 14mp sensor and 26X zoom ratio, up from 12mp and 24X.

The lens is also Schneider-branded, f2.6-f5, and has a 26-676mm equivalent focal range, enough for most photo-amateurs, along with image stabilization.

The Kodak Z981 sports a really useful vertical shutter button and a detachable vertical (non-battery) grip.

On the plus side, the camera has RAW capture and PASM which is short for Program, Aperture and Shutter priority, and Manual exposure: that means that Pro-oriented photographers will get their teeth on Pro-features and a less than 0.2 second click-to-capture specification.

Other features include a huge 3-inch display and (as required by 2010 standards!) one-touch upload to popular web-services (flickr, youtube, facebook, etc).

The Kodak Z981 takes four AA batteries, and Kodak actually includes four of the pre-charged (presumably LSD) types. This is a nice touch for AA cameras.

The Kodak Z981 is available for pre-order now at Amazon for $330.

PMA 2010 is forthcoming: Fujifilm introduces the new FinePix HS10 bridge camera featuring BSI sensor and a gorgeous 30x zoom

The Fujifilm FinePix HS10 is a long-zoom digital camera featuring a backside illuminated CMOS image sensor.

I must admit I’m a long time Fuji Finepix fan: I’m still in love with my S9600 bridge camera, which is two generation behind this Fujifilm FinePix HS10!

The Fujifilm FinePix HS10 is based around a 10.3 effective megapixel,1/2.3-inch back-side illuminated CMOS image sensor coupled to a Fujinon-branded 30x optical zoom lens. Maximum image resolution is 3,648 x 2,736 pixels in the camera’s native 4:3 aspect ratio, and both 3:2 and 16:9 aspect ratio modes are also available. The HS10’s lens offers actual focal lengths ranging from 4.2 to 126.0mm, equivalent to 24 to 720mm on a 35mm camera - a generous wide angle to a powerful telephoto. The Fuji HS10 has a two-step aperture, offering either F2.8 or F11.0 at wide angle, and either F5.6 or F11 at telephoto. Minimum focusing distance is ordinarily 1.6 feet at wide angle or 16.4 feet at telephoto, but drops to just 0.3 feet in Macro mode at wide angle, or 6.5 feet at telephoto. A Super Macro mode locks the lens at an unspecified focal length, but allows focusing as close as 0.4 inches

There’s no true optical viewfinder on this model, but as you’ expect on a long-zoom digicam like this, there’s a 0.2-inch, 200,000 dot FLCD electronic viewfinder which takes its place. There’s also a 3.0-inch tilting LCD display with 230,000 dot resolution. Both EVF and LCD provides 97% frame coverage. The HS10 also includes a sensor that detects when the user brings their eye towards or away from the viewfinder, then automatically switches between the EVF and LCD as appropriate!

The sensor in the Fujifilm FinePix HS10 yields an effective resolution of 10.3 megapixels, and sits behind a Fujinon-branded 30x optical zoom lens with a generous 24mm wide angle. The Fujifilm HS10 includes both an electronic viewfinder and a 3.0-inch LCD panel. Images are stored on SD or SDHC cards, or in 45MB of built in memory.

Again, as the old S9600, power for the Fuji HS10comes courtesy of four AA batteries, with alkaline disposables included in the product bundle!
This means that you’ll never run out of power thanks to wide availability of AA batteries worldwide!

The Fujifilm FinePix HS10 offers USB 2.0 High Speed data connectivity, as well as both high-definition Mini HDMI and standard-definition NTSC / PAL composite video outputs.

Pre-order the Fujifilm FinePix HS10now for US $499.95 and get free shipping too!

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