Kodak cameras are available again...
You can now buy Kodak digital cameras again... as long as you don't mind that they come from JK Imaging Ltd., which acquired a global licensing agreement from Kodak under which they can manufacture and sell digital imaging products with the Kodak name. The first product is the Astro Zoom AZ361, a 16mp camera with a 36x (24-864mm) optical zoom, a 3-inch LCD and 720p video. MSRP is US$229. [See the JK Imaging Ltd/Kodak website] -- Posted Friday, April 5, 2013 by chb

Compact digital cameras getting clobbered by smartphones
The conventional digital camera industry has a problem. Seems that digital camera sales in the U.S. will drop more than half from the roughly 38 million in 2011 to an anticipated 18 million this year. Problem is that with smartphones having ever better integrated cameras that can shoot high quality pictures and HD video, and then send and share images and video instantly, there's just not that much of a need to carry around a usually bulkier separate digital camera. Our suggestion to the digital camera industry: concentrate on making compacts that do things smartphones can't. -- Posted Tuesday, April 2, 2013 by chb

Fujifilm introduces rugged freeseproof XP200 camera with wireless, 1080p/60 video and 50 foot depth rating
With the 16-megapixel FinePix XP200, Fujifilm adds a most impressive offering to the rugged/waterproof camera space. Its 50-foot depth rating makes the camera truly useful for many dives, and is a definite and much appreciated step up from the 33 feet that was the maximum for these types of cameras for several years. And it's freezeproof as well and can handle drops from more than six feet. Add to that 5X optical zoom, 1080p HD video at 60 frames per second, and the ability to wirelessly view and transfer pictures, all for a MSRP of US$299. [See description, analysis and specs of the Fujifilm FinePix XP200] -- Posted Friday, March 22, 2013 by chb

Panasonic technology to double color sensitivity in digital cameras
Panasonic says it has developed a way to dramatically increase color and light sensitivity of digital cameras. Instead of using a simple filter that separates light into a red, green and blue component, blocking more than half of the light, Panasonic proposes separating light via tiny prism-like color splitters into white, red and blue, with no loss of light. It's not clear yet when the new technology will reach products. -- Posted Monday, February 4, 2013 by chb

Ambarella introduces A9 SoC for 4K Ultra HD video
Ambarella, which makes the HD video compression and image processing semiconductors enabling today's tiny sports action cams and numerous other advanced integrated video applications, introduced the A9 camera System-on-Chip (SoC) with support for the new 4K Ultra HD video standard. The A9 enables development of the next generation of mirrorless, sports, and digital still cameras (DSCs) with leading-edge video features and exceptional still image quality. In addition to 4K Ultra HD video, the A9 supports 1080p/120 and 720p/240 video. The A9 uses dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 CPUs and supports wireless connectivity for video streaming or image sharing. [See Ambarella A9 product brief] -- Posted Thursday, January 10, 2013 by chb

Kodak cameras will be back, but...
Soon you'll be able to buy Kodak cameras again, despite Kodak's bankruptcy, but they won't actually be cameras made by Kodak or even commissioned to be made by Kodak. Instead, Kodak sold the right of the Kodak name on cameras to JK Imaging, a subsidiary of a Florida based consumer electronics distributor. There will also be a new Kodak Digital Cameras website here.[See Kodak press release] -- Posted Tuesday, January 8, 2013 by chb

Foxconn buys large stake in GoPro
GoPro announced that Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd, the world's largest electronics manufacturing company also known as Foxconn, has acquired an 8.88% full-diluted stake in GoPro for US$200 million, valuing the company at US$2.25 billion. Terry Gou, Foxconn's Founder and CEO, will join GoPro's board. Notable products manufactured by Foxconn include Apple's iPhone and iPad, Sony PlayStation, and the Microsoft Xbox. -- Posted Thursday, December 27, 2012 by chb

Sanyo to sell digital camera business
Sanyo is in negotiations to sell its digital camera business to an investment fund by the end of fiscal 2012. With Sanyo's parent, Panasonic, also in the digital camera business, the sale will eliminate overlap within Panasonic. Currently, Sanyo supplies digital cameras to companies such as Olympus Corp. on an original equipment manufacturer basis. [See article] -- Posted Wednesday, November 14, 2012 by chb

Sony and Olympus form alliance
Olympus and Sony announced that they intend to form a business and capital alliance where, among other things, "the two companies also aim to enhance their competitiveness, primarily in the area of compact digital cameras, by exploring opportunities for mutually beneficial transactions and collaboration between their respective camera businesses, including the supply of Olympus technologies such as camera lenses and mirror cells to Sony, and the provision of Sony image sensors to Olympus." [See press release] -- Posted Friday, September 28, 2012 by chb

Four new Polaroid HD camcorders
Consumer electronics manufacturer Sakar International announced one of the world's thinnest and lightest full 1080p HD camcorders as part of a new line of Polaroid-branded digital camcorders. The line includes the ultra-thin iD820, the iD879 with 5x optical zoom, the Wi-Fi enabled iD450 (all three US$179.99), and the rugged and waterproof iD640 (US$99.99). -- Posted Friday, September 21, 2012 by chb

Nikon releases COOLPIX S800 with Android OS
Nikon's just announced COOLPIX S800c combines Nikon's various imaging technologies with built in WiFi and the Android OS to allow for easy operation and sharing of photos and HD video through various social networks. The US$349 S800 has a 16-megapixel CMOS sensor, 10x NIKKOR optical zoom, full1080p HD video, GPS and direct access to Android apps. We're not sure yet how close the S800's Android OS is to what users expect from a standard smartphone, but this is certainly an interesting step. The camera industry tried to create a standard OS once before, a decade ago, and failed. This is different as Android is already the industry-leading smartphone OS. [See Nikon COOLPIX S800] -- Posted Wednesday, August 22, 2012 by chb

Full review: 16MP/1080p Pentax WG-2 can handle 40+ feet
The Pentax Optio WG-2 represents Pentax's 13th generation of tough, waterproof cameras, and the maturity shows. Sporting a unique design, the 16-megapixel Optio WG-2 has a 40-foot depth rating, can handle 5-foot drops, is freeze and crushproof, can do 1080p HD video at full 30fps speed, has a wide-format 3-inch display, and is chuck-full of features and tricks. ScubaDiverInfo.com tested the US$349 Optio WG-2 on a week of diving and exploring in the Sea of Cortez. [See full review of the Pentax Optio WG-2] -- Posted Thursday, August 2, 2012 by chb

Full review: The rugged, waterproof Canon PowerShot D20
Three years ago, Canon introduced its first waterproof compact, the PowerShot D10. It was a good camera, but had a few areas that needed improvement. Canon listened and fixed everything with the PowerShot D20, introduced this year. It's a US$349 12-megapixel camera that is waterproof to 33 feet can handle 5-foot drops, temperature extremes, and can also shoot 1080p HD video. There's a terrific 3-inch screen, good battery life, and logical controls. ScubaDiverInfo.com tested the PowerShot D20 on a week of diving and exploring in the Sea of Cortez. [See full review of the Canon PowerShot D20] -- Posted Thursday, July 26, 2012 by chb

Polaroid Z2300 instant digital camera
Polaroid announced the Z2300 instant digital camera that combines digital camera technology with instant prints. The 10-megapixel Z2300 camera has a 3-inch LCD, SD card storage, and is able to create 2 x 3 inch instant prints. Available in August 2012, the camera will cost US$159.99. The special ZINK photo paper will run US$15 for a 30-pack. [See Polaroid Z2300] -- Posted Wednesday, June 27, 2012 by chb

Kodak files for auction of digital imaging patents
Very sad: Eastman Kodak, which filed for bankruptcy in January of 2012, now filed a motion on seeking approval of bidding procedures for bankruptcy auction of its Digital Capture and Kodak imaging Systems and Services patent portfolios, which together comprise more than 1,100 patents. These patents include much of what made today's digital cameras and digital imaging possible. -- Posted Monday, June 11, 2012 by chb

Canon addresses changed user expectation issues with new Rebel 4Ti dSLR
Canon introduced the Rebel T4i, an 18mp dSLR camera that doesn't look very different from its predecessors (the T2i and T3i), but aims to meet changing user expectations with improved HD video (continuous, silent auto-focus finally), a capacitive 3-inch touch screen, stereo microphones, increased sensitivity, faster continuous shooting (up to 5fps), and much improved autofocus to reduce the annoying "hunting" that plagued earlier models. Retail price for the body alone is US$849, US$949 with a 18-55mm lens, and US$1,199 with a 18-135mm lens. [Read Canon press release] -- Posted Friday, June 8, 2012 by chb

TechNavio report: Global digital camera market to grow
TechNavio's analysts forecast the Global Digital Camera market to grow at a CAGR of 10% over the period 2011-2015. One of the key factors contributing to this market growth is the increasing demand for digital cameras in emerging markets. The Global Digital Camera market has also been witnessing the availability of user-friendly image processing software. However, the increasing smartphone penetration could pose a challenge to the growth of this market. [Global Digital Camera Market 2011-2015] -- Posted Tuesday, May 15, 2012 by chb

Canon to build cameras without workers
Digital cameras are small and enormously complex, including between 600 and 1,000 pieces. Canon has now announced it is moving towards having entire cameras assembled without any human intervention at all. The first all-robot camera production lines are expected to start in 2015. -- Posted Monday, May 14, 2012 by chb

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