Samsung have announced a couple of new digital cameras called the Samsung ST5500 and the ST5000.

The cameras have been redesigned to be more comfortable to use with the shutter button being set at an angle to make it easier to press.

The cameras have a 3.7 inch WVGA AMOLED touchscreen (3.5″ for the ST5000) on the back to display the images just captured as well as allow you to work through the various menu systems.

A further premium design enhancement is the ˜da Vinci-inspired design’ of the lens technology, based on Leonardo da Vinci’s famed habit of writing notes backwards to be read later using a mirror. This method ensures that when the camera is turned on, the lens barrel extends automatically and the image’s specifications (focal length and aperture) appear in the concave reflective lens rings instantaneously.

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Amazon have a great deal on the Creative Labs Vado HD 8GB pocket camcorder at the moment. Normally it sells for $199.99, but now has been reduced to $99.99 giving a 50% saving ($100 off) price. The HD camcorder is capable of capturing video in a 720p resolution. Built in is 8GB of storage that allows for 2 hours to be captured, or 8 hours if used in VGA mode.

The Vado HD has a 2 inch display showing a feed of the video you are recording as well as being home to various menus to control the functions of the cameras. The Vado HD also has a HD output allowing you to connect up to a HDTV via a HDMI cable. [Read more…]

Eye-Fi have launched their latest memory card called the Eye-Fi Pro X2. The new cards feature more speed and more capacity making them more attractive options for consumers to buy.

Each of the new Eye-Fi cards in the X2 range feature an 802.11n allowing data to be transferred at a higher speed than previous models. Also the new cards fall in to the Class 6 category of memory cards making them faster and moving data to and from the camera or computer.

The X2 range includes the Eye-Fi Connect X2 and the Explore X2 along with the Pro X2. [Read more…]

Canon released the long awaited 2.0.3 firmware update for it’s Canon EOS 5D Mark II a couple of days ago, but we hear the firmware has now been yanked off the Canon site due to some technical difficulties with the Audio breaking down.

The audio issue occurs when manual recording is set on C1/C2/C3 and the camera is either switched off manually or automatically. Canon recommend for now that users with 2.0.3 on their EOS 5D switch to automatic mode while the bug is ironed out.

It isn’t know at the moment how quick Canon will fix the error but for now the old 2.0.3 has been removed from the site till a new firmware update is ready. It could be hours, days or perhaps weeks depending on how quick and easy the fix for the digital SLR camera is. [Read more…]

Mid February, Sony unveiled a concept camera that is set to be a Micro Four Thirds DSLR using a mirrorless interchangeable lens system with an APS-C sensor.

Apart from showing off the concept camera casing and lens last month, Sony haven’t really said much about it. We received some pictures yesterday showing us the new LCD display menu system that the camera will use. The menus appear to be touchscreen.

A few hints at what the Ultra Compact DSLR will offer indicate that a background defocus control can be used to adjust the aperture automatically to get the background to focus/defocus as required in the shot. [Read more…]

Cisco are rumoured to be preparing for the next generation of Flip handheld video cameras to be announced. It is expected that an announcement will be made next month.

Right now we do not know what the specs of the new cameras are. The specs have been leaked over to a Business Insider writer but as they cannot be verified yet he hasn’t posted them just yet.

Features that we might see is a better lens, larger screen (maybe widescreen to fill the device), 1080p recording and perhaps a wireless connection built in. [Read more…]

The Phantom HD Gold is a high speed digital video camera that carries a hefty price tag of $118,000 putting it in to the professional end of the market.

The camera has a resolution of 2,048 by 2,048 and at that high resolution it is capable of capturing video at 555 frames per second. Although high speed cameras are available for just a few hundred dollars that can capture at over 1,000 FPS, they certainly can’t do that at anywhere near the 2k by 2k resolution and often tend to drop down to double digit pixels.

This particular camera is also capable of capturing images up to 100,000 frames per second when the resolution is dialled right down to just 16 by 8 pixels. [Read more…]

Pentax have launched their latest digital SLR camera called the Pentax 645D. The 645D is a medium format camera that has a 40 megapixel CCD sensor along with a 3.0 inch LCD that can display 921k dots.

The new 645D is also compatible with existing 645 system lenses. By utilising such a large CCD sensor the camera is aimed at those who want to capture landscape and other outdoor subjects. The sensor measures 44mm x 33mm and uses PENTAXoriginal image-processing technology to process the images when captured to produce extra sharp and super high resolution images.

The camera it’s self is lightweight but built out of a magnesium-steel-alloy frame making it also durable. The LCD panel is also built using reinforced glass to help protect from weather, dust and knocks. [Read more…]

Last week we mentioned that Panasonic had plans to launch the Panasonic G2 and Panasonic G10 micro four thirds digital cameras. This leak has now been made official with the announcement yesterday of the new G2 and G10 cameras.

The Panasonic G10 is claimed to be the worlds “lightest digital interchangeable lens camera with a viewfinder”. The cameras as expected is capable of capturing images at 12 megapixels and is in the Micro Four Thirds format. Included with the camera is a Lumix G Vario 14-42mm/F3.5-5.6 ASPH/MEGA O.I.S lens as well as iA (Intelligent Auto) to help the automatic mode capture the best shot.

Other features on the G10 include HD video recording that can capture video at 1280 x 720 pixels. [Read more…]

Panasonic accidentally leaked a couple of cameras on to their site a few days too early. The new cameras spotted by various photography sites includes the Panasonic G2 and the Panasonic G10 that each have a 12.1 megapixel sensor.

Panasonic G2 Specs

The Panasonic G2 has the 12.1 megapixel sensor as mentioned above that captures images in a 4:3 aspect ratio. For focussing it uses a Contrast AF system and the focus mode is AFS, AFC, MF. Face detection is also built in. ISO sensitivity for the camera ranges from 100 to 6400 along with being able to use that in auto mode as well as an intelligent ISO mode. [Read more…]

Amazon have a cracking deal on at the moment on the Canon PowerShot SX20IS that normally retails for $601.03 at the online store. Right now the price has dropped 42% bringing it all the way down to $349.

The Canon PowerShot SX20IS has a powerful zoom lens capable of 20x optical zoom allowing you to capture images closer to the subject. The camera is capable of recording video at 720p HD and the camera also has a HDMI output port allowing the HD captured video to be played direct to your TV.

Around the back of the camera is a 2.5 inch Vari-angle LCD screen. Inside there’s a 12.1 megapixel sensor with images being processed by Canon’s DIGIC 4 image processor. [Read more…]

Nikon are creating a new camera that will rival the Canon G11. Kevin Egan, the UK’s senior product manager at Nikon told Amateur Photographer that the Canon G11 is a benchmark for high-end prosumer compact cameras.

There are no specific details of what will be included in this camera except that it will probably borrow some of the features from Nikon’s range of digital SLR cameras as well as a build of the Coolpix point and shoot camera range.

It is rumoured that the camera will have a fairly large sensor, possibly APC-C sized. The other options are a CMOS sensor so that camera can work well in low light situations. [Read more…]