From the monthly archives: "June 2011"

New Olympus PEN E-P3, E-PL3 Lite, E-PM1 Mini

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olympus-pen-3-side-by-side-thumb
Olympus has announced the new Olympus PEN E-P3, Olympus PEN E-PL3 Lite, Olympus PEN E-PM1 Mini, and two new lenses, a wide-angle 12mm f/2.0 lens with manual focus (24mm equivalent), and a 45mm f/1.8 Portrait lens (90mm equivalent). Full details at the links below:

Olympus PEN E-P3 Announcement, Preview
Olympus PEN E-PL3 Lite Announcement, Preview
Olympus PEN E-PM1 Mini Announcement, Preview
Olympus 12mm, 45mm Lens Announcement, Preview (in with the E-P3 Preview)

Also announced: new underwater housing, new flashes, and other accessories here, as well as a size comparison between the new Olympus PEN E-P3, Olympus PEN E-PL3, and Panasonic Lumix G3.

Fujifilm FinePix HS20 EXR Reviews

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Fujifilm FinePix HS20
ePHOTOzine has reviewed the new Fujifilm FinePix HS20 EXR – an update to the HS10 – it features a new 16 megapixel EXR CMOS sensor, 30x optical zoom covering 24-720mm (35mm equivalent), 3.0 inch tilting rear LCD with 460,000 dots, 8fps shooting at full resolution, high speed video capture at up to 320 fps (320 x 112 pixels), Advanced Anti-blur technologies (anti-shake sensor), 1600% wide dynamic range, Longer battery life (up to 350 frames with 4 x AA batteries – alkaline), Electronic Horizon level function, RAW shooting (RAW or JPEG or simultaneous RAW+JPEG), Full HD movie capture using H.264 (MOV) format at 1920 x 1080 pixels (30 fps), New 27 mode EXR Auto mode, Colour fringe reduction and improved corner sharpness, Film simulation modes, 360° Motion Panorama mode, and is available for £329

“The Fujifilm FinePix HS20EXR features a huge 30x optical zoom lens, a large 3inch screen, and full manual controls, as well as a high speed EXR CMOS sensor for high speed video and stills. The EXR sensor can dramatically improve dynamic range and produces good colour, although as is expected with small sensor cameras to get the best results you’re best sticking to the lower ISO settings.”

Read more Fujifilm FinePix HS20 EXR Reviews: Photography BLOG, NeoCamera, Pocket-Lint, Safari-Guide – They attach a 2.2x teleconvertor for a massive 66x optical zoom!!, Cameras.co.uk

New Pentax Q System Camera with 5 Lenses

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pentax-q-white-sensor
Pentax has announced the new Pentax Q Camera System – it features a 12mp backlit CMOS sensor (compact sized), interchangeable lenses, with a new “Q-Mount”, and 5 new lenses: a prime (47mm), standard zoom (27.5-83mm), fish-eye (17.5mm), toy-wide (35mm), and toy-telephoto pancake lens (100mm). The camera has a 3 inch screen, manual controls, raw support, 5fps shooting, Full HD video, built in Shake Reduction sensor, and will be available in September in white or black. ePHOTOzine has a look at the sensor size compared to other cameras, and the size of the actual camera compared to other compacts, and other mirrorless cameras.

Pentax Q System: Press Release, Pentax Q System Lenses: Details here.

Sigma DP2x X3 Foveon Sensor Camera Review

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Sigma DP2x
ePHOTOzine has reviewed the new Sigma DP2x, featuring a 41mm (equivalent) f/2.8 lens, 2.5inch screen, 14.6mp (4.7mp x 3) X3 Foveon sensor (APS-C, DSLR sized) that records Red, Green and Blue at each pixel site, 3fps shooting, manual controls, manual focus and RAW support.

“From the days of film compact cameras to the current digital era there has always been a demand for a compact camera of superior quality. The desire has been SLR, and now DSLR, quality in a pocketable package. Leica, Konica, Nikon, Contax and others have been in this market segment and now we have the Sigma DP2x, pitching itself as “a full spec compact digital camera with all the power of DSLR”. Of particular interest is the use of the Foveon sensor with all three primary colours being received at each pixel site.”

Latest Digital Camera Reviews This Week

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Sony Cybershot HX9vePHOTOzine compares the latest GPS Pocket Zooms from Sony, Panasonic, Canon, and Fujifilm, including the Sony Cybershot HX9v (shown above) – a new pocket zoom / ultra zoom – with a wide-angle 16x optical zoom (24-384mm), 16.2 megapixel Exmor R CMOS sensor, GPS, HD 1080p movie MPEG-4, optical image stabilisation, ISO3200, 300 shot battery life, 3.0″ 921,000-dot XtraFine LCD screen, it is available in black or gold from Amazon UK

Interestingly the 12 megapixel Canon Powershot SX230 HS appears to have the best image quality and detail compared to the other 14 and 16 megapixel cameras on test.

Serious Compacts: Olympus XZ-1 Reviews: Luminous Landscape thinks it could be the best serious compact, another review at ePHOTOzine. Or could it be the Panasonic Lumix LX5? ePHOTOzine thinks so. The latest challenger is the Sigma DP2x – with X3 Foveon Sensor view: sample photos.

Waterproof cameras: Olympus Tough TG-610, Fujifilm FinePix XP30 (GPS, NeoCamera).

Panasonic Lumix GF3 and Leica 25mm f/1.4 Lens

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Panasonic Lumix GF3 Colours
Panasonic has announced the new Panasonic Lumix GF3, a new compact micro four thirds camera, with 12 megapixel Live MOS sensor, 3 inch touch screen, built in pop up flash, 4fps shooting, full HD video (at 25fps), aluminium chassis, ISO160-6400, scroll wheel, and customisable quick menu / function button. The camera will be available in pink, white, black, red, and brown (depending on location) from mid July priced at £499 with kit lens (14-42mm).

More information: GF3 Press Release, and New Leica DG Summilux 25mm f/1.4 Micro Four Thirds Lens

Panasonic Lumix GF3 Black

Casio Exilim ZR100 HS Review

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Casio Exilim ZR100
ePHOTOzine has reviewed the new Casio Exilim ZR100, shown above. The new Casio Exilim ZR100 features a wide-angle 12.5x optical zoom lens (24 ~ 300mm), a 12 megapixel CMOS (back-illuminated type) sensor, high speed shooting (upto 40fps photos, 1000fps video), 3″ screen, anti-shake sensor, 1080p HD Video, and HDMI out. The Casio Exilim ZR100 is available for £249 from Amazon UK, and is also available with £50 cashback from Casio until the 31st of July 2011.

Ricoh PX Waterproof Camera Announced

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Ricoh PX Waterproof
Ricoh has announced the new Ricoh PX Waterproof digital camera, it features a 16 megapixel sensor, wide angle 5x optical zoom lens (28–140 mm), ISO100-3200, 2.7inch screen, water, dust, shock proof, and 300 shot battery life. It will be available in green, black and silver, and there are a number of colourful cases available for it. Sample photo(s) can be found on Ricoh’s website.

Nikon Nikkor Lens Reviews List

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If you’ve ever been looking to expand your Nikon / Nikkor lens collection, then why not have a look at these Nikon lens reviews, VR = Vibration Reduction (Optical), DX = designed for APS-C Sensor camera (not full frame):

Nikon24mm

Wide
Nikon 12-24mm AF-S Nikkor f/4G DX Lens Review
Nikon 14-24mm AF-S Nikkor f/2.8G Lens Review
Nikon 16-35mm AF-S Nikkor f/4G VR Lens Review

Prime
Nikon 24mm AF-S Nikkor f/1.4G Lens Review
Nikon 35mm AF-S Nikkor f/1.8G DX Lens Review
Nikon 50mm AF-S Nikkor f/1.4G Lens Review
Nikon 50mm AF-S Nikkor f/1.8G Lens Review
Nikon 85mm AF-S Nikkor f/1.4G Lens Review
Nikon 105mm AF-S Nikkor f/2.8G (Macro) VR Lens Review
Nikon 200mm AF-S Nikkor f/2G VR II Lens Review
Nikon 200mm Nikkor f/4 (Macro) Lens Review
Nikon 300mm AF-S Nikkor f/2.8 VR Lens Review
Nikon 500mm AF-S Nikkor f/4 II Lens Review

Wide – Telephoto / Zoom
Nikon 17-55mm Nikkor f/2.8G DX Lens Review
Nikon 18-55mm AF-S Nikkor f/3.5G II DX Lens Review
Nikon 18-105mm AF-S Nikkor f/3.5G VR DX Lens Review
Nikon 24-70mm AF-S Nikkor f/2.8G Lens Review
Nikon 24-120mm Nikkor f/4G VR Lens Review

Long Telephoto / Zoom
Nikon 18-200mm AF-S Nikkor f/3.5 VR DX Lens Review
Nikon 55-200mm AF-S Nikkor f/4.5 VR DX Lens Review
Nikon 55-200mm AF-S Nikkor f/4.5 DX Lens Review
Nikon 28-300mm AF-S Nikkor f/3.5 VR Lens Review
Nikon 55-300mm AF-S Nikkor f/4.5 VR DX Lens Review
Nikon 70-200mm AF-S Nikkor f/2.8G VR II Lens Review
Nikon 70-200mm AF-S Nikkor f/2.8G VR I Lens Review
Nikon 70-300mm AF-S Nikkor f/4.5G VR Lens Review
Nikon 80-400mm AF Nikkor f/4.5 VR Lens Review
Nikon 80-400mm AF Nikkor f/4.5 Lens Review
Nikon 200-400mm AF-S Nikkor f/4G VR II Lens Review
Nikon 200-400mm AF-S Nikkor f/4G VR I Lens Review

Tilt / Shift
Nikon 24mm Nikkor f/3.5 PC-E Tilt Lens Review
Nikon 45mm Nikkor f/2.8 PC-E (Macro) Tilt Lens Review

Nikon D7000 Digital SLR Reviews

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Nikon D7000
NeoCamera has reviewed the Nikon D7000 Digital SLR, it features a 16.2 megapixel CMOS sensor, 3″ high resolution screen (921k), ISO 100 to 6400, 39 point AF, magnesium alloy body sealed to dust and water, live view, 6fps, HD Video (1920 x 1080, 24 fps), top LCD, two SD card slots, and comes with a 18-105mm VR kit lens, and will be available from October. Official Nikon D7000 Sample Photos, ePHOTOzine Review. The Nikon D7000 is available for £896 body only.

“The Nikon D7000 boasts professional camera features in an advanced cropped-sensor DSLR using a state-of-the-art 16 megapixels CMOS sensor. This sensor covers an ISO 100 to 25600 sensitivity range while shooting continuously at 6 FPS or capturing full 1080p HD video. The durable magnesium body of the Nikon D7000 includes a large 100% coverage viewfinder and weather-seals against dust and moisture.”