With the first wave of camera announcements for the year over and more to come as we approach PMA 2009 in March, here are some digital camera trends we’re gonna see this year:
- 12 megapixels is the new “10 megapixels” and 18 megapixels will be the new “15 megapixels”. Remember all those 10 megapixel ultra-compact cameras we saw last year? Well, that’s out of fashion now and this year we’ll be seeing new 12 megapixel ultra-compact cameras… and well, I hope camera manufacturers have taken steps to keep noise levels around the same, or less (wishful thinking), as last year’s 10 MP models.
- Beauty modes - What’s the latest “gimmick feature” this year? Forget Face Detection, just about all cameras have that now… and no, Smile Detection was sooo 2008. In 2009, we have “Beauty modes” popping up on camera makers’ latest models which remove blemishes, pimples, wrinkles and the like. We’ll see how well “Beauty mode” works in real life on various cameras once I get my hands on the latest stuff.
- Intelligent auto modes - Ever picked up a camera and felt lazy to adjust shutter speed, ISO or even pick a scene mode? Well apparently “Intelligent Auto” or “Smart Auto” or whatever camera makers call them, will automatically detect the scene you’re framing and pick a mode for you. Panasonic decided to start early by having this mode on their cameras last year (and so far, Intelligent Auto on their cameras seem to work fine) before everyone else started doing the same this year.
- Easy/Simple modes can also save your life and/or your picture when your camera is in the hands of someone who doesn’t know how to use even the simplest of point-and-snap cameras; who may accidentally bump the controls of your camera, potentially ruining your settings for the current/next shot. Easy/Simple modes are so basic that the only thing a person can do is change the flash setting… and even then it reverts back to “Auto Flash” every time you power off the camera.
- HD movie mode will be everywhere. I’m sure more and more cameras this year will have a HD movie mode of some sort, mostly 720p (1280 x 720) at 24 or 30 FPS I anticipate, so we can all once again fill up our hard disks screens with video.
Of course, as we move through the year, there may be several “unexpected things”, aka revolutionary features, (last year it was the live view-only Panasonic G1) which I look forward to seeing as these things usually make the digital camera arena more interesting.
Here’s my review of the Olympus FE370, a budget camera with a 5X zoom lens, 2.7 inch LCD and “Perfect Fix” features trickled down from some higher-end models. There’s also the Olympus FE370 photo gallery, which you may wanna check out at the end of the day as well. Hit the link for the review.
Continue reading the review
I’ve also posted the Olympus FE370 Photo Gallery along with the Olympus FE370 review. Remember to check out both.
View the gallery
Panasonic announced six new compact cameras today, many of them sound really interesting/impressive (especially the Lumix ZS3/TZ7) and I look forward to getting my hands on them for review. Also, Panasonic seems to be entering the “camera name-game”, like another certain Japanese camera company by giving all the cameras announced today different names, depending on where in the world you live (oh, fantastic).
Panasonic Lumix ZS1 (aka TZ6) and ZS3 (aka TZ7)
(Compact super-zoom cameras)
- 10 and 12 effective megapixels (though the ZS3/TZ7 has a higher-res CCD, it still snaps at 10 MP resolution)
- 25 - 300 mm (f3.3 - f4.9) 12X optical zoom lens
- Optical image stabilization
- 2.7 inch LCD (ZS1) and 3 inch LCD (ZS3)
- New Venus Engine HD imaging processor
- Intelligent Auto mode and Panorama Assist functionality
- No manual controls
- ZS1: WVGA 30 FPS movie mode with sound
ZS3: 720p 60 FPS (!!) movie mode with stereo sound (AVCHD codec uses less space); dedicated movie button, windscreen, Intelligent Auto while recording, selectable movie bit rates
- Takes SD/SDHC memory cards
- Uses a lithium-ion battery
- Available in April for $300 (ZS1) and $400 (ZS3) respectively
- ZS1 will come in your choice of silver or black
ZS3 will come in your choice of silver, black, blue or red
Panasonic Lumix TS1 (aka FT1)
(Rugged ultra-compact camera)
- 12 effective megapixels
- 28 - 128 mm (f3.3 - f5.9) 4.6X optical zoom lens
- Optical image stabilization
- 2.7 inch LCD
- Rugged design: Waterproof (10 feet), shockproof (5 feet) and dustproof
- New Venus Engine HD imaging processor
- Intelligent Auto mode and Panorama Assist functionality
- No manual controls
- 720p 60 FPS movie mode with mono sound (AVCHD codec uses less space); dedicated movie button, windscreen, Intelligent Auto while recording, selectable movie bit rates, LED illuminator
- Takes SD/SDHC memory cards
- Uses a lithium-ion battery
- Available in April for $400
- Comes in your choice of silver, green and orange
Panasonic Lumix FX48 (aka FX40)
(Ultra-compact camera)
- 12 effective megapixels
- 25 - 125 mm (f2.8 - f5.9) 5X optical zoom lens
- Optical image stabilization
- 2.5 inch normal LCD
- New Venus Engine 5 imaging processor
- Intelligent Auto mode and Panorama Assist functionality
- No manual controls
- 720p 30 FPS movie mode with sound
- Takes SD/SDHC memory cards
- Uses a lithium-ion battery
- Available in April for $350
- Comes in your choice of silver or black
Panasonic Lumix FX580 (aka FX550)
(Compact touchscreen camera)
- Essentially the FX48 with a different design and 3 inch touchscreen display
- Available in for $400
Panasonic Lumix FS25
(Compact entry-level camera)
- 12 effective megapixels
- 29 - 145 mm (f3.3 - f5.9) 5X optical zoom lens
- Optical image stabilization
- 3 inch LCD
- Ol’ Venus Engine 4 imaging processor
- No manual controls
- WVGA 30 FPS movie mode with sound
- Takes SD/SDHC memory cards
- Uses a lithium-ion battery
- Available in April for $350 (FX48) and $400 (FX580)
- Comes in your choice of silver, black or gold
I’ve just published my review of the Canon PowerShot E1, the “stylish twin” to the A1000 IS which also features a 4X zoom lens, 2.5 inch LCD and an optical viewfinder. I’ve got the Canon PowerShot E1 photo gallery online too.
Keep reading »
I’ve also posted the Canon PowerShot E1 Photo Gallery along with the Canon PowerShot E1 review. Remember to check out both.
Keep reading »
Fresh out of the DPInterface review oven is my review of the Panasonic Lumix LX3 – a compact prosumer camera with a full suite of manual controls and an ultra-wide angle zoom lens. Be sure to check out full-sized photos taken straight out of the camera in the Panasonic Lumix LX3 photo gallery too. Hit the link for the full review of the camera.
Continue reading the Lumix LX3 review
Here’s the Panasonic Lumix LX3 Photo Gallery containing full-sized pictures taken by the camera. Be sure to check out the Panasonic Lumix LX3 review too.
View photos by the LX3
