August 2007

Two more from Olympus: SP-560US and Stylus 790 SW
We're analyzing the final two new cameras from the Olympus Summer 2007 introduction. The SP-560UZ is an 8-megapixel camera with a massive 18X optical zoom. It also lets you get as close as 0.4 inches in Super Macro, and it is chock full of new features, including very effective dual anti-blur technology that combines digital stabilization with sensor-shift compensation. The Stylus 790 SW is a shock and waterproof (to ten feet) 7.1 megapixel camera with many new features and five splashy colors. [Read full analysis and specs of the Olympus SP-560UZ and Olympus Stylus 790 SW] -- Posted Friday, August 31, 2007 by chb

J.D. Power announces 2007 digital camera winners
Those guys at J.D. Power seem to rate everything, so why not digital cameras. Cameras were rated on a 1-5 scale for appearance, operation, performance, picture quality and then overall. The winners are: the Casio Exilim Zoom in the Ultra Slim category; the Fujifilm Finepix F Series in the Point and Shoot class; the Canon PowerShot SD Series in Premium Point and Shoot (by a mile); and the Nikon D Series in digital SLRs (also by a mile). Congratulations to the winners! [See J.D. Power 2007 Digital Camera Ratings] -- Posted Thursday, August 30, 2007 by chb

Olympus Stylus 820, 830, and 1200


Among the nine new consumer cameras Olympus recently introduced, there are also three new elegant, weatherproof Stylus models. The affordable 8-megapixel Stylus 820 with a 5X optical zoom; the Stylus 830 with dual image stabilization and a 5X zoom; and the 12-megapixel Stylus 1200. [Read descriptions and specs of the Olympus Stylus 820, the Olympus Stylus 830, and the Olympus Stylus 1200.] -- Posted Tuesday, August 28, 2007 by chb

Olympus FE-280, FE-290, and FE-300


Olympus introduced no fewer than nine new consumer cameras. Among them are the affordable 8-megapixel FE-280; the FE-290 with a 4X zoom, a wide angle lens, and a large 3-inch LCD; and the 12-megapixel FE-300. [Read descriptions and specs of the Olympus FE-280, the Olympus FE-290, and the Olympus FE-300.] -- Posted Saturday, August 25, 2007 by chb

We tested the ultra-tough SeaLife ECOshot underwater camera
If you need something that can survive a six-foot drop, be punted around with getting as much as a scratch or dent, yet also take pictures and videos underwater, the very affordable SeaLife ECOshot is just perfect. It's a very simple 6-megapixel camera with just the basic controls, but its underwater modes and underwater white balance settings make for excellent pictures. It's rated at 75 feet, but won't give up if you go a bit deeper. [Read our full review of the SeaLife ECOshot underwater camera] -- Posted Wednesday, August 22, 2007 by chb

Kingston Mobility Kit
Leave it to Kingston Technology to help consumers sort out and manage the proliferation of different memory cards. Their new all-in-one Mobility Kit includes one of those tiny 1GB microSD cards and then THREE adapters so users can seamlessly convert to a SD card, miniSD or USB and use the microSD card across devices to easily move photos, music, videos or data to cameras, mobile phones, PDAs or computers. All for a grand total of US$27 list. -- Posted Tuesday, August 7, 2007 by chb

Digital camera sales booming
The Camera & Imaging Products Association (CIPA) reports that digital camera shipments for the first half of 2007 zoomed to almost 165 million, with digital SLRs showing especially strong growth. And the total number of cameras sold is even more because CIPA only represents companies accounting for about 80% of all cameras sold worldwide. Our take: We're not surprised. Digital cameras have come down in price so much that even digital SLRs are now approaching the "threshold of pain" below which the purchase of a camera becomes an impulse buy instead of a planned expense. And with many 8 and even 10 megapixel compacts now costing under $200, almost anyone can afford one, or replace an older less powerful camera. -- Posted Monday, August 6, 2007 by chb

iPhone -- finally a decent camera in a (great) phone
Okay... the Apple iPhone is a phone and not a digital camera. But if definitely has the best built-in digital camera we've ever seen in a phone, and it's super-easy to email pictures anywhere, from almost anywhere. So here's the iPhone story we ran in our sister site, pencomputing.com --Conrad H. Blickenstorfer

 -- Posted Friday, August 3, 2007 by chb

Modern Problem department
We found much to like with the Sony T5 when we reviewed it a while ago. Now Sony is recalling some 350,000 of the T5s. Why? Well, "Sony has recently discovered that some DSC-T5 Cyber-shot digital still cameras may experience peeling and warping of the metal coating on the bottom of the camera that could result in a slight cut or scratch to the user's skin." Boo-hoo. Something on a consumer product that could cause a slight scratch warrants recalling hundreds of thousands of cameras? That's just so not right and a giant waste of money. We'd MUCH rather see Sony spend that money changing their gleaming designs so that the cameras themselves don't get scratched as easily. -- Posted Friday, August 3, 2007 by chb