The latest camera news from the worlds' biggest consumer electronics trade show, in Las Vegas.
What Digital Camera’s roving news team will be searching out all of the latest stories, getting hands on previews with the newest cameras and talking to the biggest names in the photography industry to find out what the future holds. Check back here for daily updates including video, previews and interviews.
Olympus E-PL2 hands-on preview
First and foremost is the new design that now features a larger 3in,
460k-dot resolution LCD screen that betters the E-PL1’s 2.7in, 230k-dot
version. Next to this is a redesigned set of controls that now feature a
new rotational wheel around the d-pad for quicker, easier and a more
DSLR-like controlling of various modes.
Next up is a brand new
14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 lens, now with a ‘MSC’ (Movie & Stills Compatible)
designation. What this means in real terms is near-silent internal
focusing so the lens is of a permanent fixed size, and the focusing
speed is almost twice as fast as the previous version. Keeping up with
offering a fully modular system, the E-PL2 not only features
interchangeable lenses but the brand new 14-42mm can also benefit from
conversion lenses too.
Read the Full Story
Olympus XZ-1 hands-on preview
Built by the same team that brought us the Olympus PEN series, the XZ-1
looks to seriously amp up the company’s compact range: with a brand new
i.Zuiko lens for optimum quality, the XZ-1’s 10-megapixel 1/1.63in CCD
sensor is also larger than that found in your average compact. The
6-24mm lens equates to 28-112mm in full-frame terms and has a fast,
bright f/1.8-2.5 aperture available.
Read the Full Story
Olympus launch Tough cameras and superzoom model
Three new compacts have been launched by Olympus at CES, offering a variety of features. The SP-610UZ has a 22x optical zoom, 14MP sensor and can shoot 720p videos. Alternatively the two Tough models adhere to the usual ethos of the range by making both the TG-610 and TG-310 virtually indestructible, being capable of surviving in 5m of water, 1.5m drop and is freeze proof.
More on the SP-610UZ and Tough models
Panasonic launches six new Lumix compacts
Panasonic has revealed a sextet of new compacts, including two in a barnd new range. The new S series, which comprises the Lumix S1 and S3, is aimed at first time digital camera buyers wanting something simple and unintimidating yet still deliering good image quality. The Lumix FS18 and FS16 feature panasonic Intelligent Resolution technology, while the FS37 and FS35 feature new 8x lenses and, on the FS37, a touch screen.
More details of S series
More details of FS18, FS16, FS35 and FS37
Joby reveals Gorilla stands for the iPad
Joby has launched two innovative stand/cases for the Apple iPad which are designed to enable viewing from a variety of angles. The GorillaMobile Yogi uses the company’s familiar bendy Gorillapod tripod legs, which attach to the iPad via a rigid protective polycarbonate case that fits snugly on the back of the deviceand can be twisted into any shape. The GorillaMobile Ori (above) transforms from a rigid protective case to a stand that can be set up in a variety of ways. The GorillaMobile Yogi retails at £39.99 and the GorillaMobile Ori is priced at £69.99.
Click here for the full story.
Canon bolsters PowerShot A-series
Canon has used the stage of this year’s CES show in Las Vegas to launch five new compact cameras in its PowerShot A-series. The
headline models in the launch are the new A3300 IS and A3200 IS, a pair
of models that take the place of the A3000 IS and A3100 IS at the top
of the PowerShot A-series tree. Both models feature solid metal
chassis’s and are available in a choice of colours. The A3300 IS offers a
large resolution of 16MP, while the A3200 IS offers slightly fewer
megapixels, with a count of 14.1MP.
Click Here for the Full Story
Fuji releases five feature-packed compacts
Not simply content with launching a slim, stylish Z90 and GPS-enabled tough camera in the XP30, Fuji has also launched two 15x zoom models in the F500 EXR and F550 EXR. Both also offer GPS technology to geotag images as well as the ability to shoot in Raw. Finally the HS20 EXR replaces the HS10 superzoom model which, aside from apparently including EXR technology, ups the resolution to 16MP and maintains the massive 30x optical zoom.
Read the Full Story for the HS20
New wi-fi enabled Samung SH100 announced
The Samsung SH100 looks to further advance the connected compact camera
market by offering in-camera Wi-Fi capability. This means that, with a
network present, it’s possible to share your snaps on the internet and
social networking sites such as Facebook, Picasa or Photobucket. The SH100 has a 14.2MP CCD sensor for large still images, and a 5x
optical zoom capable of 26-130mm of zoom in traditional 35mm terms.
Lexar 128GB Class 10 SDXC memory card launched
Lexar has announced a pair of new memory cards to be launched at this year’s CES. The announcement features a new 64GB class 10 SDXC card, as well as an industry-first in the shape of the 128GB class 10 SDXC card.
Kodak launches Easyshare Max superzoom
To compliment the group of smaller compacts launched at this year’s CES,
the Easyshare Max is a superzoom model offering a huge 30x optical
zoom. Full manual controls also come as part of the package alongside a
3″ LCD screen.
Kodak cameras and accessories launched
Kodak has started the year with a number of new launches covering both the
still and moving image genres as well as printers and a picture frame to display the
results. The Pulse frame offers social networking tools to upload and
comment on images, where the three new cameras; the Mini, Touch and
Sport, offer features related to their model name.
Samsung WB700 Unveiled
The Samsung WB700 is a new, ultra-slim, 24x zoom camera that’s packed with features.
The
WB700 features a 24mm wideangle lens with 18x true optical zoom and a
further 1.3x Smart Zoom. This equates to a true optical equivalent of
24-432mm at 18x and is optically stabilised to counter hand shake. The
Smart Zoom digitally crops into the image for perceived zoom enhancement
of a 576mm equivalent.
Samsung NX11 announced
The brand new Samsung NX11 has been announced in
advance of the forthcoming Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2011 and
looks to update the NX10 with both i-Function lens compatibility and a
new design.
Rather than an overhaul of the original NX10, the new NX11 offers compatibility with Samsung’s i-Function lenses (as introduced with the NX100)
that provide an additional function button on the lens itself for quick
adjustment of the most prominent options such as shutter speed,
aperture, ISO and so forth. Although the NX10 also offered this
functionality via a firmware update, the NX11 is ready to go right from
the box and also includes the brand new i-Fn 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 OIS kit
lens.