DCR in Switzerland
The DCR editorial team spent a week in Switzerland, heavily packed with compact cameras, but it's not how taking along cameras used to be. Here's what we took: a Canon G10, a Pentax K2000 dSLR, two GoPro Hero2 in a 3D setup, two iPhone 4s, and two new iPads. What did we use most? Everything! Each device had its particular strengths. The giant screen of the iPads opened whole new vistas and were great for document capture as well, we did 3D video with the GoPros, we used the Pentax for great zoom shots, the workhorse Canon for tons of general shots, and the 360 app on the iPhones to capture those awesome Swiss landscapes. We used the iPhone and iPad cameras much more than anticipated (including Facebook uploads), and they were great to quickly show pictures to local friends. It's a whole new photography world out there! -- Posted Thursday, April 12, 2012 by chb

Olympus to pare camera lineup
Olympus Corp. will pare its lineup of digital camera products in an effort to return its money-losing camera division back to profitability, the company's President-nominee Hiroyuki Sasa said. We hope the mood will help Olympus return to its former glory soon! -- Posted Tuesday, April 3, 2012 by chb

Smartphones increasingly taking the place of point-and-shoots
Bloomberg Businessweek reports that according to IHS digital camera shipments will be down 4.3% this year to 115 million units, the lowest since 2009, while smartphone shipments will be up 35% to 642 million units. What this means is that traditional camera makers will increasingly see the market for dedicated compact cameras diminish. The move away from low-margin, low-priced cameras to dSLRs and higher-end compacts is well underway, of course, but the higher end photography market will always be much smaller than that for quick point-and-shoots. -- Posted Friday, March 16, 2012 by chb

Android on digital cameras?
Engadget reports that Samsung is considering the use of Android in its digital cameras. The idea of using a standard OS and interface in digital cameras, of course, isn't new. A good decade ago a company called Flashpoint tried to convince camera makers to use its standardized Digita operating system. A few tried it (Kodak, Minolta, HP) but Digita failed because the last thing camera makers wanted was to all operate the same. So to this day, every camera works differently, and once you get used to a certain system you're pretty much locked in. So one OS for all cameras is a nice idea, but it would have to provide compelling advantages over all those cobbled-together interfaces we have now. -- Posted Wednesday, March 14, 2012 by chb

Edelman PR refuses review
Edelman PR refuses to let us review Adobe Lightroom. Talk about alienating the media. -- Posted Monday, March 12, 2012 by chb

Cinematography nominees discuss film versus digital
The LA Times ran a very interesting article discussing the increasing use of digital photography and video in film making. See "Oscars: Cinematography nominees discuss film versus digital" -- Posted Monday, February 20, 2012 by chb

Kodak to end digital camera production
While Kodak never was a leading maker of digital cameras, over the years we've seen a good number of interesting, innovative and very useful EasyShare cameras and a variety of equally interesting camcorders and digital photo frames. Now, Kodak has decided to stop production of all of those devices in the first half of 2012 and instead concentrate on printers, photo labs, enterprise services and licensing. -- Posted Sunday, February 12, 2012 by chb

Kodak files for bankruptcy
Very sad. Kodak, the company that for generations represented photography, filed for bankruptcy, citing debts of almost US$7 billion. While Kodak did much of the original groundwork in digital imaging, the company simply did not manage to make the transition from almost exclusively relying on film sales to a successful business model in the digital era. In truth, few thought the digital revolution would happen so quickly and so thoroughly. Even a decade ago, expert insisted that digital would never replace film. It did. Kodak also slept through the opportunity to establish itself as an early photo sharing network, passing on opportunities until it was too late. -- Posted Thursday, January 19, 2012 by chb

The GoPro phenomenon: how much better is the new GoPro Hero2?
No sooner did we publish a big feature on GoPro and its tiny Hero high definition camera that's taken the world by storm than GoPro released the Hero2. Is the new Hero really twice as fast and twice as sharp, as GoPro claims? And have some of the issues we had with the original Hero been fixed? We gave the tough little Hero2 a full workout. [Read The GoPro phenomenon: how much better is the new GoPro Hero2?] -- Posted Tuesday, January 10, 2012 by chb

Canon releases the G1 X
They finally did it. Canon introduced the long-awaited next version in their "G" line of PowerShot high-end compact cameras. Rather than calling it the G13, the new model is the G1 X. It carries on the look of older G models, but has vastly improved technology with a large size 14.3 megapixel high-sensitivity CMOS imager that has an ISO range of up to 12800. The G1 X has a 3-inch 920k pixel vari-angle CD and an EOS-like feature set that includes 14-bit RAW+JPG shooting, high-speed burst, and full 1080p video. At US$799, the price, though, is much higher than that of the G12, and also higher than several of Canon's lower end dSLRs. [See Canon G1 X product page] -- Posted Monday, January 9, 2012 by chb

Ambarella announces wireless streaming technology for HD cameras
Those crafty folks at Ambarella, the company that brought the world the video compression technology that makes inexpensive high-definition cameras possible, now introduced the Ambarella Wireless Camera Developer's Kit. The kit, in essence, makes it possible to stream video, via Atheros WiFi technology, from one of those tiny cameras (which sometimes don't have their own displays) to a smartphone. The smartphone can then also act as a remote control device for the camera, and it can be used to upload video to YouTube and similar video sharing sites. The kit will work with Ambarella's recently introduced A7 solution that can capture 1080p video at 60 frames per second (see A7 PDF). What all this means is that high definition cameras will take a big step closer to becoming fully internet-integrated devices. [See Ambarella press release] -- Posted Thursday, January 5, 2012 by chb

Remember the Polaroid? There's a new one now.
Anyone who's been around the block a few times will fondly remember the Polaroid cameras that let you get actual prints on the spot. Sure, the picture quality wasn't great (much worse, in fact, than that of Kodak's instant cameras that were sued out of existence by Polaroid), the cameras were bulky and ugly, and the "film" was quite expensive, but it was fun. Well, you can have that again with the US$299 Polaroid Z340, a digital version of the old instant-print camera. The Z340 recreates the look of the old Polaroid cameras, but offers modern digital camera features such as a 2.7-inch LCD, SD Card storage, micro-USB port. It's essentially basic digital camera circuitry grafted onto a small printer. Paper for the 4x3-inch prints runs 20 bucks for 30 sheets . [See the Polaroid Z340 instant digital camera] -- Posted Wednesday, December 28, 2011 by chb

Exploring underwater fluorescence with your camera
Did you know that a lot of coral and sea creatures are fluorescent? You normally can't see the fluorescence, even on night dives, unless you use special lights and filters. Digitalcameraroundup.com procured some special fluorescence detection gear from a company called NIGHTSEA and used it on night dives at Coco View Resort on Roatan. Talk about experiencing and exploring an entirely new world! [See "Night dives like you've never experienced before"] -- Posted Tuesday, December 27, 2011 by chb

Will smartphones replace conventional compact cameras?
With smartphones becoming ubiquitous and their integrated cameras better and better, smartphones may well be on their way to replacing point & shoot cameras as we know them. According to market research company NPD. the percent of photos taken with a smartphone went from 17 last year to 27 this year while the share of photos taken on any camera dropped from 52% to 44%. -- Posted Tuesday, December 27, 2011 by chb

Adobe releases Lightroom 3.6
Adobe announced the release of Lightroom 3.6, the latest version of its digital photography workflow solution designed to help serious amateur and professional photographers quickly import, manage, enhance and showcase all their images within one application. The upgrade is free for Lightroom 3 customers. We've always been impressed by Lightroom's all-in-one approach and clever tools (and did a detailed review of an earlier version, Lightroom 2 (see here), but realize that working ith Lightroom requires a full commitment. For more info and to download the updates, check Adobe's download page. -- Posted Thursday, December 15, 2011 by chb

Users increasingly demand HD video in digital cameras
InfoTrends released a research report on European market digital camera usage and found that high definition video is increasingly considered a very important feature. In 2011, over 37% said HD video was a somewhat or very important part in deciding on the purchase of their next digital camera. That's up from just 27% a couple of years ago. -- Posted Thursday, December 1, 2011 by chb

Kodak posts larger loss, warnings
Eastman Kodak warned on November 3rd, 2011, that its very survival over the next year will depend on its ability to sell its digital-imaging patents or raise extra funds by selling debt. Kodak's Q3/2011 revenue fell to US$1.46 billion from $1.76 billion a year ago, with film sales falling to just US$389 million. Consumer digital-imaging sales dropped 38% to $408 million as Kodak shifts to higher end camera models to try to offset increasing competition from smartphones and video cameras. Its third quarterly loss in a row — its ninth such loss in the last three years — amounted to 83 cents per share in the quarter. That compares with a loss of $43 million, or 16 cents per share, a year earlier. -- Posted Thursday, November 3, 2011 by chb

Review: Bonica/JVC HM650 Dual Light Package
Many compact cameras and dSLRs can do very good video now, but it still takes a dedicated vidcam to offer 1080p video, 40X optical zoom, gigabytes of internal storage, and the ability to take stills while shooting video. Add to that a good underwater case and two strong 1,500 Lumen LED lights and brackets, and a travel bag, and you have the Bonica/JVC HM650 Dual Light Package. ScubaDiverInfo.com tested the setup extensively and it earned our recommendation. [See full review and video of the Bonica/JVC 1080p HD video package] -- Posted Tuesday, October 25, 2011 by chb

Colors at depth
Divers learn in class that colors disappear underwater because as we go deeper, water filters out more and more of the wave lengths that allow us to see color without artificial light (such as a flash). Except that sometimes we see color at depth anyway. The picture to the left was taken off the Caribbean island of Saba at 90 feet. See more examples of color at depth at Scubadiverinfo.com [see colors at depth] -- Posted Saturday, October 22, 2011 by chb

The GoPro phenomenon: what the world-beating little 1080p vidcam can (and cannot) do
For the past half year, the amazingly inexpensive little GoPro Hero 1080p video camera accompanied ScubaDiverInfo.com to wrecks, reefs, a sea lion nursery, and some of the most remote dive locations on earth. Read about our experiences with the GoPro, what it can do and where we ran into issues. [Read GoPro Hero review] -- Posted Monday, October 17, 2011 by chb

Kodak continues to struggle
Kodak posted a wider Q2/2011 loss and a decline in revenue as the erstwhile leader in photography continues to struggle to gain momentum in its digital camera and printing businesses. Revenue fell 4.5% to $1.49 billion from $1.56 billion, and Kodak expects a 2011 loss of $200 to $400 million. -- Posted Tuesday, July 26, 2011 by chb

Pana expands FZ-Series with 24x optical, full HD FZ47
Panasonic also introduced the LUMIX DMC-FZ47 as the newest addition to the company's super-zoom FZ-Series. The 12.1mp FZ47 has a 24x optical zoom in a 25mm ultra-wide angle LEICA DC VARIO-ELMARIT lens, full-HD 1080i video, and new creative controls while shooting both still and video images. The Leica lens has Panasonic's Nano Surface Coating technology to minimize light reflection that causes ghosting and flare. There is also a wind-cut function for better audio, 3D photo shooting, and faster start-up time compared to the LUMIX FZ40. List price is US$399. -- Posted Monday, July 25, 2011 by chb

Panasonic announces easy-to-use camera with 26mm wide-angle F2.8 lens, ideal for low-light shooting
Panasonic announced the new 14.1-megapixel LUMIX DMC-LS5 with a F2.8, 26mm wide-angle, 5x optical zoom lens, and optical image stabilization. The camera also has 720p HD video capabilities and runs on AA batteries, perfect for the user who is looking for added convenience. No pricing was announced yet as the camera won't be available before November. -- Posted Monday, July 25, 2011 by chb

Ricoh buys Pentax
In a somewhat surprising move, Ricoh is acquiring Pentax (technically HOYA Corporation's PENTAX Imaging Systems Business) and will begin to use the PENTAX brand name for some of its digital camera products. Tradition-rich Pentax has been hanging in there over the past few years, offering interesting and innovative digital compacts and dSLRs, but probably found it hard to compete with the likes of Canon, SOny and Nikon. It will be interesting to see how Ricoh, which has largely concentrated on special purpose cameras, will handle the Pentax acquisition. [See Ricoh/Pentax press release and explanation] -- Posted Friday, July 1, 2011 by chb

Ricoh introduces water-resistant camera
Ricoh announced their new 16-megapixel PX compact digital camera with a 2.7-inch 230k display, a 5X optical zoom that stars wide at 28mm, and 720p HD video recording. The PX records on SDHC cards, has 28 scene modes, measures 3.95 x 2.2 x 0.8 inches, weighs 5.5 ounces, and is available in green, silver and black. Best of all, the US$249 Ricoh PX is waterproof to ten feet and shockproof to five feet. Ricoh has been concentrating in special purpose cameras for a while now, and the PX looks like an interesting addition for anyone enjoying the great outdoors. [See Ricoh PC product page] -- Posted Monday, June 13, 2011 by chb

Network giant Cisco dumps Flip video
Two years ago, in March of 2009, network giant Cisco bought Pure Digital, the folks who made the lovable, quirky Flip video a surprise success. Back then, Cisco said, "the acquisition of Pure Digital is key to Cisco's strategy to expand our momentum in the media-enabled home and to capture the consumer market transition to visual networking." Today, Cisco announced it'll close down Flip and said, "as we move forward, our consumer efforts will focus on how we help our enterprise and service provider customers optimize and expand their offerings for consumers, and help ensure the network's ability to deliver on those offerings." Cold, very cold. Why did Cisco buy Flip in the first place just to then destroy it? -- Posted Tuesday, April 12, 2011 by chb

Over a billion cameraphones to be sold in 2011
According to Strategy Analytics, over a billion cameraphones will be sold in 2011, up from about 920 million in 2010. High-end models with resolutions of 8-megapixel and higher will grow especially quickly, as manufacturers are attempting to make ever more advanced imaging applications possible. This will doubtlessly have an impact on the dedicated camera market. -- Posted Sunday, April 10, 2011 by chb

Digital camera sales set record in 2010
Total worldwide shipments of digital cameras in 2010 reached 121.5 million units, marking a new record. Digital camera shipments reached 100 million units for the first time in 2007, but dropped in 2009 due to the global recession. At the beginning of the 2010 term CIPA (Camera & Imaging Products Association) announced a return to growth in its shipment forecast, and even that forecast was substantially surpassed. Of the total, compact cameras with built-in lenses totaled 108.6 million units, a year-on-year increase of 13.2%, shipments of cameras with interchangeable lenses (dSLRs and interchangeable unit cameras) reached 12.9 million units, a 30.0% increase. CIPA's 2011 forecast is 131 million units, a year-on-year increase of 7.8%, with dSLRs growing faster than compacts. -- Posted Wednesday, February 9, 2011 by chb

Kodak hurting
Not that very long ago, Kodak was simply on top of the world. Then digital happened, and nothing has ever been the same since for Kodak. Its current work force of 20,300 is the smallest since before WW II, and down from about 70,000 as recently as 2002. The latest quarterly revenue is now under US$2 billion, with less than a quarter of that still coming from Kodak's once world-beating film business. And with digital cameras becoming low-cost commodity items and Kodak not being in the increasingly lucrative digital SLR market, that pretty much only leaves printers and ink as a potential venue back up. To add insult to injury, Kodak also just got rebuffed in its patent lawsuits against Apple and RIM. -- Posted Wednesday, January 26, 2011 by chb

Lady Gaga unveils Polaroid glasses, printer, camera
Polaroid uses none other than Lady Gaga to unveil some cool new products at the Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show. Gaga demonstrated glasses with built-in LCDs and camera, a remote Bluetooth printer, and the latest retro/digital Polaroid camera. What's amazing about all this is that Gaga did the entire presentation and all the demos, and she did at least as well as many techie presenters, never missing a beat. [See Gaga present Polaroid on YouTube] -- Posted Friday, January 7, 2011 by chb

Kodak releases first waterproof digital camera
Kodak introduced its first waterproof (up to 10 feet) digital still camera that is also dustproof to withstand dirt, dust and sand. The 12mp EASYSHARE SPORT has a 2.4-inch LCD, Kodak’s Smart Capture feature, multiple scene and color modes, and will be available in white, grey, red, yellow and blue for US$79.95 in spring 2011. -- Posted Wednesday, January 5, 2011 by chb

First aid for wet electronics
A company named DRY-ALL introduced electronic device drying kits at CES that works by placing the device in an emergency kit bag with their proprietary blue bead desiccant/liquid absorption technology. Primarily designed for wet smartphones, they are now branching out into kits for tablets and more. Might be useful when a non-waterproofcamera gets wet. [See DRY-ALL] -- Posted Wednesday, January 5, 2011 by chb

Eye-Fi announces Direct Mode
Eye-Fi, which makes those handy wireless memory cards, announced Direct Mode at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. With Direct Mode consumers can wirelessly connect their camera to a mobile device to seamlessly move pics for browsing, editing, saving and sharing. Direct Mode will be available as a free upgrade to all Eye-Fi X2 cards later in 2011. -- Posted Wednesday, January 5, 2011 by chb

General Imaging launches new lineup at 2011 CES in Vegas
General Imaging (GIC), the worldwide licensee of GE Digital Cameras, unveiled the latest additions to its Power, Power Pro and Smart Series lines, and the brand's first handheld 1080p HD digital video camera. The lineup features the $129.99 GE DV1 (waterproof up to 16 feet, shockproof up to five feet, 1080p HD video), the $149.99 GE X500 (16mp, 15X optical zoom), and the $119.99 GE J1470S (14mp, flip-out USB plug, 7X optical zoom, 720p video. 3-inch LCD). -- Posted Wednesday, January 5, 2011 by chb

Digital photography landscape changing
According to an article in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, US retail sales of digital point & shoot cameras were down 6% for the first 11 months of 2010 compared to 2009, and in 2009 they were already down 10% compared to 2008. Digital SLR sales, on the other hand, are booming, up 20% in 2010. That's primarily because you can now get a very decent dSLR for what you used to pay for a point & shoot just a few years ago. But point & shoots are facing another problem: smartphones. People increasingly take pictures with their smartphones, and by 2014, there may be 2 billion cameraphones, which just may squeeze inexpensive point & shoots out of business. -- Posted Wednesday, December 29, 2010 by chb

Who needs a manual? There's an app for that!
Once upon a time, cameras came with print manuals. They were impressively thick because the manual included six or more languages, but contained little useful or comprehensible information. Then came PDF manuals on DVDs that were an improvement, but who carries a DVD along on a photo trip? Now there's an app for that, and one that's much better than any manual ever was. If you own the wildly popular Canon Rebel T21/550D dSLR, check out David Busch's Canon EOS Rebel T2i/550D Companion App for the iPhone and iPad! It includes a 3D guide to camera controls, interactive command cards for menus; handy set-up, fine-tuning and advanced functionality tables, graphs and other info, and Instructional videos featuring David Busch, the world's #1 selling digital camera guide author.
-- Posted Tuesday, November 30, 2010 by chb

Full review: Olympus E-PL1 and PT-EP01 housing
If you like the size, weight and cost of compact digital cameras, but can't live without the interchangeable lenses of a dSLR, you should look at the new class of interchangeable lens cameras that seek to combine the best of both worlds. We conducted a detailed review of the Olympus E-PL1 camera with its PT-EP01 underwater housing, and found much to like. The PL1 is capable of excellent performance even under trying conditions, at lower cost and less bulk than a dSLR system. [Read full review of the Olympus E-PL1 with PT-EP01 housing] -- Posted Monday, November 22, 2010 by chb

Will smartphones affect sales of single-purpose devices?
Will digital camera sales fall because our smartphones and tablets can take pictures? Yes they will, says research firm Berg Insight, and it will not only affect cameras, but also other single-purposes dedicated devices such as GPS systems. Past efforts at "convergent devices," i.e. one gizmo that does it all, have all failed, but that may now be changing as smartphone/tablet devices increasingly can do it all. -- Posted Monday, November 22, 2010 by chb

Phone cameras instead of camera phones?
Almost all phones have cameras now, and most are crappy. So why not have a camera that's also a phone and GPC? That's apparently what LG is thinking with the upcoming LG L-03C, a 12-mp camera with a high-res 3-inch display, 720p video, and a PDA/Android-style 4-tab button arrangement instead of a confusing old-style camera layout. LG will apparently first try the concept in Japan where the L-03C will be sold by NTT DoCoMo. Problem we see is that in the US few will want to engage in another 2-year contract, or any contract, with a phone company for a camera. -- Posted Tuesday, November 9, 2010 by chb

Canon and Nikon strong in compacts, dominant in dSLRs
According to an article in TWICE, Canon ranked No. 1 in digital compact cameras through July 2010, with a 20.5% unit share and 27.1% dollar share, and No. 1 in the growing dSLR market, with a 48.5%t unit share and 53.3% dollar share. In compact camera unit sales, Nikon ranked second with 18.8%; Sony 17.1%; Kodak 10.1%; Samsung 5.3%; and Panasonic 3.1%. In digital SLR unit sales, Nikon was No. 2, with 40.5%; Sony had 4.6%; Olympus 3.3%; Pentax 1.6%; and Panasonic 1.5%. -- Posted Tuesday, November 9, 2010 by chb

Japan outsourcing more camera production to Taiwan
According to Digitimes, Taiwan's digital camera makers are getting more business from Japanese camera companies which are caught between a strong yen and rising costs. Panasonic's acquisition of Sanyo is also expected to result in additional outsourcing of camera production to Taiwan. -- Posted Thursday, November 4, 2010 by chb

Kodak facing difficult times
Once the undisputed leader in the world of photography, Kodak is facing increasingly more difficult times. Its latest quarterly sales are just US$1.76 billion, less than a tenth of what Apple sells. Traditional film-based revenue continues to slide, and revenue from digital products, including printers and Kodak's low-end consumer cameras, is slow. Kodak, however, has over a thousand digital imaging patents, and that brings in hundreds of millions in annual license revenues. Still, either its digital printing business takes off, or Kodak will face very hard times. -- Posted Monday, November 1, 2010 by chb

Kodak releases iPad app
KODAK Gallery announced the release of a new application for the Apple iPad. The Gallery HD iPad App for KODAK Gallery is an easy-to-use application designed to help users upload, browse and share photos stored on the KODAK Gallery Photo Service directly on the iPad. -- Posted Wednesday, October 27, 2010 by chb

Canon: between a rock and a hard place
As a Japanese company, Canon is facing the frustrating situation of facing a combination of a long-stagnating domestic economy, a very high yen, and, like any other company, pressure to increase sales and profits. Unfortunately, the rising yen, according to wsj.com, will lower sales by about 200 billion yen, forcing Canon, which gets 75% of its sales from abroad, to cut costs and moving production overseas, which is not good for the Japanese economy. As is, Canon's profits for 2010 are expected to be 245 billion yen on sales of 3.71 trillion yen. The much higher profits are attributed to Canon's strong performance in printers and dSLRs. [See wsj.com article] -- Posted Wednesday, October 27, 2010 by chb

Casio announces Hybrid-GPS camera
Ever at the very forefront of new technology and always adding features no one else has, Casio has released the 14.1 megapixel Exilim EX-H20G Hybrid GPS camera. Part of its Exilim Hi-Zoom lineup, the new H20G not only has a 24mm wide-angle, 10x optical zoom lens that actually offers a 15x zoom range, but differentiates itself with GPS-tagging that works indoors! It does that by starting with the last-known actual GPS coordinates, then uses motion sensing and internal maps to know where it is. Very clever. [See press release] -- Posted Monday, September 27, 2010 by chb

Can Samsung catch up with Canon and Nikon?
While Korea's Samsung and LG dominate vast areas of the world's consumer electronic markets, they've been underachieving in the digital camera sector. The Korea Times ran an interesting article entitled "Can Samsung elbow away Canon, Nikon?" that examines Samsung's current position. [Read article] -- Posted Monday, September 27, 2010 by chb

1080p HD video everywhere: Microsoft's new LifeCam
All of a sudden 1080p HD video is everywhere, and very affordably so. Microsoft just introduced a new addition to its LifeCam series with the LifeCam Studio that can do true 16-9 aspect ratio 1080p video. The cam will be available for an estimated retail price of US$99.95 at BestBuy. [See LifeCam Studio product page] -- Posted Wednesday, September 15, 2010 by chb

Casio adds two Exilims with new single frame SR zoom
Casio announced two new EXILIM cameras, the Card EX-S200 and Zoom EX-Z800. Both cameras sport advanced features in a slim, compact and stylish body, including a single frame SR Zoom that maintains image quality through 1.5 times the range of the optical zoom. Both have 14.1mp resolution and a 4X optical zoom that starts wide at 27mm. The card-sized S200 retails for $179.99 and the Z800 for $149.99. -- Posted Tuesday, September 14, 2010 by chb

Canon released the G12, now the HD video
If there's more need for proof on how fast the digital camera market advances, take Canon's G-Series of high-end compacts: the company just introduced the 12th generation "G", now with 720p high-definition video at 24fps. The 1/1.7-inch CCD remains at 10-megapixel, there's a 2.8-inch articulating LCD with 460k resolution, a 5X zoom (28-140mm equivalent) that starts wide at 28mm, a nice new HDP scene mode, but still no internal memory to tide you over if your card is full or you forgot to put it in (it happens!), all at a price of US$499, the same as the new Coolpix P7000. [See Canon G12 product sheet] -- Posted Tuesday, September 14, 2010 by chb

The Nikon Coolpix P7000
Perhaps a little sick and tired of all the attention Canon has been getting over the years with its G-Series of premium compact cameras, Nikon introduced the P7000, a compact, high-performance 10.1-mp digital camera with a 921k pixel 3-inch LCD, an optical viewfinder, 5-way image stabilization (optical, hybrid, motion detection, high ISO, and best shot selection), a 7X zoom 28-200mm zoom that starts wide, a large 1/1.7-inch CCD sensor, 720p High-definition video at 24 frames per second, SD Card storage, 80MB of internal memory, and a US$499 price that matches Canon's new G12. [See Nikon Coolpix P7000 product sheet] -- Posted Tuesday, September 14, 2010 by chb

Interested in underwater photography? Check the SeaLife DC1200
We reviewed the 12-megapixel SeaLife 1200 camera on location at a dive resort in Honduras and came away impressed. The new "piano key" controls make using the camera much easier, even with gloves. Shutter and zoom controls are large, too, as is the 3-inch display. The camera was fast, forgiving, and very well matched with the external strobe. Our DC1200 Elite package (list US$899) included the camera, underwater case (200 feet), external flash, wide angle pop-on lens, bag, cables, and represents an excellent buy. [See full review of the SeaLife DC1200] -- Posted Tuesday, September 14, 2010 by chb

A Flip Ultra HD underwater? Yes, with an Ikelight housing and a PRO-V8 light
Flip has sold millions of their little vidcams, and the latest ones record 720P HD video. Add an Ikelite housing and light and you have a very handy underwater video setup that is very affordable and lets you shoot very good video without weighing you down. We tested the setup on dives at the California Channel Islands and on Roatan. [See review of the Flip Ultra HD with Ikelite housing and PRO-V8 LED light] -- Posted Wednesday, August 25, 2010 by chb

Nikon releases D3100 dSLR with 1080P video and full-time AF

Nikon announced a new entry-level dSLR that packs a punch (several, actually). Following on last year's D3000, the new D3100 is Nikon's first dSLR that can record 1080p HD video (albeit only at 24 fps and not full 30 fps), and it is also the first to offer full-time autofocus both in live view and during video capture. Making it all possible is a new 14.2-megapixel CMOS sensor and Nikon's EXPEED 2 image processing engine. There is a 3-inch LCD, an enhanced "Guide Mode" to help first-timers get the max out of the camera, a HDMI port, SDHC/SDXC card storage, and the F3100, including a NIKKOR 18-55mm lens, retails for US$699. [See Nikon product page] -- Posted Thursday, August 19, 2010 by chb

Camera with projector: Nikon Coolpix S1100pj
And another technology demonstration that may or may not go mainstream: a camera with a built-in projector. Micro projectors have become quite useful and powerful, so why not integrate one into a camera? This is what Nikon did with its second generation integrated projector offering, the US$349 Coolpix S1100pj. It's a handy 14-megapixel camera with a 5X optical zoom, a 3-inch touch LCD, and the ability to record 720p video. The big deal though is the integrated 0.4-inch reflective LED projection panel with a 4:3 aspect ratio and a brightness up to 14 lumens, and able to project a 47-inch image from a distance of about 7 feet. The onboard battery can power the projector for about an hour. [See Nikon Coolpix S1100pj] -- Posted Tuesday, August 17, 2010 by chb

Fujifilm releases updated 3D camera
In the 1950s and 60s, kids and adults alike were dazzled by "View-Master" reels that showed things in glorious 3D. Now, in the age of James Cameron's "Avatar," 3D is making another strong push, with 3D movies, 3D TVs, 3D computer screens, and new 3D cameras. Fujifilm's just announced FinePix REAL 3D W3 digital camera is the latest example: it's a 10 megapixel camera with two CCDs that records still pictures and even 720p HD video in 3D. You can view pics and video on the camera's special 3.5-inch "autostereoscopic" LCD that directs a different image to each eye, or you can view it all in full glory on most 3D TVs via HDMI. The REAL 3D W3 is a smaller, sleeker update to Fuji's initial FinePix W3 and will cost about US$500. The big question is whether 3D is the way of things to come, or just another fad (who wants to always wear 3D glasses when watching TV?). -- Posted Tuesday, August 17, 2010 by chb

Emerging markets fuel Japan's camera industry
tradingmarkets.com reports a boost to Japanese camera makers due to strong sales in emerging markets (China, India, Russia, Brazil, etc.). As a result, Nikon has raised its full-year sales forecast to 17.75 million cameras, and Canon raised theirs to 26.5 million, a 17% increase compared to 2009. Panasonic, aided by aggressive sales incentives, also reported higher unit sales. Continuing price erosion, however, is making for fierce competition and declining profits. Olympus director Hironobu Kawamata is quoted as saying, "We're really struggling at the lower end of the price range for compact models." [see report] -- Posted Friday, August 6, 2010 by chb

Rugged HD vidcam with G-sensor and GPS contest!
Oregon Scientific has long been known for supercool, yet affordable electronic gadgets. They're doing it again with a rugged, all-terrain, waterproof (to 65 feet), shock-resistant HD video camera that can record 1080P video onto microSD cards up to 32GB. The Oregon Scientific ATC9K camera comes with numerous mounting options and can be attached to a helmet, handlebars, surfboard, snowboard, etc., can measure G-force during acceleration, deceleration and hang time, and there's even an optional GPS module to record location, speed and distance using Google Maps or Google Earth. You can even share video of your outdoor adventures on the ATC9K’s Facebook page for a chance to win a grand prize package worth $750! [See Oregon Scientific ATC9K camera Facebook contest] -- Posted Tuesday, August 3, 2010 by chb

Panasonic introduces much improved TS10 waterproof camera
Panasonic has released a follow-up to its initial rugged and waterproof camera. The new Lumix TS10 seems to have addressed almost all the issues we had in our detailed review of the Lumix TS1. The new TS10 is now freezeproof, its controls are easier to read, the tiny mode wheel has been replaced, the zoom is in a normal position, and the lens has been slightly moved so that your fingers are less likely to interfere. Oh, and the price has come way down (US$249 instead of the TS1's initial US$399). Way to go Panasonic! Now let's hope the TS2 will soon become the equally improved TS20! [See Panasonic Lumix TS10 product page] -- Posted Thursday, July 22, 2010 by chb

Canon increases sales estimates, will launch small high-end camera
According to Reuters, Canon is raising its forecast for its 2010 camera sales from the current 26 million figure (21 million of which are compacts), and the company is expected to post a 180% increase in first half 2010 profits. Canon is also expected to release a mirror-less smaller version of its dSLRs to compete with Olympus, Sony and Panasonic. -- Posted Tuesday, July 20, 2010 by chb

Polaroid to be on HSN
Instant photography pioneer Polaroid engaged in a partnership with HSN where tech expert Katie Linendoll will plug the retro-cool Polaroid 300 instant camera as well as Polaroid-branded LCD TVs and conventional digital cameras. -- Posted Tuesday, July 6, 2010 by chb

Can the iPhone 4 take pictures like a "real" camera?
Can a top-of-the-line smartphone like the Apple iPhone 4 take pictures as a "real" camera? To see if people can detect the difference, Washington Post blogger Rob Pegoraro took a series of shots with the iPhone 4 and also with a three year old digital camera. Much commentary ensued, and Pegoraro will publish the results later. [See "Can you tell an iPhone 4 photo from a 'real' camera's?"] -- Posted Tuesday, June 29, 2010 by chb

Full review: 33-feet rated 14mp Panasonic TS2
Panasonic is rapidly establishing itself as a major digital camera manufacturer, and also offers cameras for underwater use. The Lumix TS2 is Panasonic's follow-up on last year's somewhat limited TS1. With a maximum depth of 33 feet, the 14-megapixel TS2, which lists for US$399, can now be used for scuba diving. It also has a much wider temperature range and is altogether tougher yet. We gave the Lumix TS2 a good workout in the cold waters off the California Channel Islands. [Read full review of the Panasonic Lumix TS2] -- Posted Sunday, June 27, 2010 by chb

Altek releases 3.5G phone with 14mp CCD camera
Taiwanese Altek Corporation announced the launch of the Leo, a combination of 14-megapixel camera with a true 1/2.3-inch CCD imager (virtually all cameras in phones use CMOS imagers) with a 3.5G (HSDPA) smartphone based on the Android OS. The Leo has WiFi, a 480 x 800 pixel optically treated 3.2-inch multi-touch LCD, Xenon flash, LED illuminator, a 3X optical zoom that starts at 36mm equivalent, and can do 720p HD video with H.264 compression. According to Altek, the camera uses their own "Sunny 9" processor. Available later this year, products like the Altek Leo will face one big question: do consumers want a full-function camera in their phone, or will they continue to uses separate devices. [Read Altek press release and description] -- Posted Wednesday, June 16, 2010 by chb

US$149 waterproof Kodak Playsport 1080p vidcam
Earlier this year, Kodak joined the ranks of camera manufacturers offering waterproof models with the Kodak Playsport video camera that can also do 5mp stills. The Playsport shoots full 1080p high definition video (as well as 720p and WVGA), has 128MB internal memory, a SDHC card slot, comes in three colors (purple, black, blue). You can take it down to ten feet, and it costs just US149. -- Posted Monday, June 14, 2010 by chb

Smartphone cameras getting better
Despite increasing resolution, smartphone cameras have a reputation for shooting lousy pictures. This may now change as some smartphones are not only approaching dedicated digital cameras in resolution, but also in much improved image quality. The new Sprint HTC EVO 4G, for example, has a very decent autofocus 8MP camera and you can even find optional magnetic macro lens attachment for it! -- Posted Monday, June 14, 2010 by chb

Hackers targeting digital cameras with malware
Normally, PCs become infected with virus and other malware code from downloading unknown content. But it can increasingly happen when using software shipped with consumer items, such as digital cameras. Apparently, according to The Register, this happened to Olympus where malware on some Japanese market Olympus Stylus Tough 6010 cameras. So be careful out there! -- Posted Monday, June 14, 2010 by chb

What happens when your Canon dies?
I thought Canons were built from the ages, at least the more expensive ones. So when my 15-month-old Canon G10 suddenly died with nothing but snow on its display and a stuck lens barrel, I was shocked and surprised. It was no longer under warranty, but Canon has an easily accessible repair website. So the G10, which has been seeing heavy daily duty as one of Digital Camera's main workhorses, went to one of Canon's two US repair centers, where, for a flat fee of US$159, it was mended. It came back within ten days, all fixed and as good as new. Sole criticism: Canon didn't say what was wrong with it. -- Posted Tuesday, June 8, 2010 by chb