Digital Cameras
X-Loupe turns your Canon IXUS into a digital microscope
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August 6, 2006 We love technologies that enable new techniques, help lots of people and generally add massive value while costing very little, and you can tick all those boxes for the X-Loupe. The X-Loupe is an attachment for Canon IXUS compact cameras that transforms the camera into a 150X handheld, lightweight, digital microscopic capable of 5MPX photography. The X-Loupe weighs only 300 grams, works in still or video mode, comes with its own dimmable LED lens ring so that you can illuminate your subject perfectly, has a Japanese-made Lithium Ion battery that’s good for four hours or 150 shots and has all the preview, TV-connectivity of the IXUS. Accordingly, we can think of hundreds of applications where the X-Loupe can be used - education, medical, documenting medical conditions, industrial process, quality control, archaeology, authentication, research ad infinitum. Sold as a bundle on-line, the Canon IXUS 65 camera and X-Loupe PRO comes with three lens (60X, 100X and 150X) for US$1849 retail and the company is seeking international distributors. Extensive image library. Read More
Sony enters the digital SLR camera market
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June 8, 2006 Sony has taken a long time to enter the digital single lens reflex (D-SLR) camera market but the somewhat belated release of the DSLR-A100 system has been both decisive and with enormous commitment. The system uses a 10.2-megapixel APS CCD image sensor and combines advanced SLR features with other Sony digital imaging innovations, most notably Super SteadyShot image stabilization, a new technology that shifts the image sensor to compensate for camera movement – the first time that image stabilisation has been done inside the camera rather than in the lens. It was introduced with 19 high-quality Sony lenses, and will be compatible with most of the former Konica-Minolta Maxxum mount lenses. Read More
Dual lens Bluetooth-enabled 6 MPX, 10X optical zoom pocketsize digital camera
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April 26, 2006 Eastman Kodak once owned the world photographic market and since the advent of digital cameras, it has been fighting the good fight attempting to maintain its leading role, largely focussing on ease-of-use as its point-of-difference. Yesterday, the US-based company celebrated the fifth anniversary of its first Easyshare consumer digital camera and docking system which has seen the company reclaim number one digital camera market share in the U.S. To mark the occasion, it released details of a new compact (4.4 x 2.2 x 0.9 inches) US$449 V610 model with the company’s now trademark dual lens, but also with Bluetooth, 6 megapixels, and a 10X optical zoom. Even with its whopping 38-380 mm equivalent zooms lens it is less than an inch thick. It combines two Schneider-Kreuznach C-Variogon all-glass, non-protruding prism lenses to deliver the long zoom range and incorprates anti-blur technology to enable novices to handhold the high zoom in low light and still produce excellent images. Read More
The diamond encrusted US$20,000 Kodak Easyshare camera
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March 2, 2006 Being nominated for an Academy Award is an indication of excellence at the highest level in the profession of filmmaking. Landing a nomination for one of the major awards also brings with it a bag of goodies worth hundreds of thousands of dollars including trips, stays at exclusive hotels and some exclusive jewellery, clothes, and gadgets. For example, each Best Actress nominee in the upcoming 78th Academy Awards will be treated to the “Ultimate Luxury Suite at The Four Seasons Hotel” which brings with it an array of goodies including a KODAK dual-lens EASYSHARE V570 digital camera. Normally, the V570 runs to US$400 but each of the five nominees (Reese Witherspoon, Felicity Huffman, Keira Knightley, Charlize Theron and Dame Judi Dench) will be getting a camera personalised with their initials in 75 brilliant-cut diamonds raising the cost to around US$20,000. What we'd like to know is why everybody (including the bookies) seems to think that Reese Witherspoon (those are her initials on the camera) is going to win. See the links at the bottom of the article and you'll wonder along with us! Read More
TI DaVinci Technology for the Digital Still Camera Market
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February 25, 2006 Giving digital still camera (DSC) manufacturers the benefits of full software programmability with the performance of hard-wired solutions, Texas Instruments today introduced DaVinci technology optimised for the digital still camera market. The technology includes a new highly flexible processor, a software suite that simulates a full digital still camera system and third parties offering camera-specific algorithms. Read More
New Pentax 10mpx and 18mpx digital SLRs at PMA 2006
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February 26, 2006 Pentax Imaging Company will announced two new digital SLR cameras at the upcoming PMA 2006 which will open tomorrow(February 26 to March 1) in Orlando, Florida. Pentax has confirmed that the company will unveil a yet-to-be-named 10 megapixel digital SLR camera body, tentatively scheduled for a formal launch in Autumn 2006. Pentax also will preview the Pentax 645 medium format digital SLR camera for the first time in the United States. Offering professional-quality digital image reproduction with 18 effective megapixels, a Kodak-developed extra-large CCD image sensor with 18.6 total megapixels (tentative), a Pentax -original 645AF lens mount, the 645 Digital will maintain compatibility with existing smc Pentax 645 interchangeable lenses. Read More
The first digital SLR with true "Live View"
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January 28, 2006 Since the introduction of the first single-lens reflex (SLR) camera, photographers have prized SLRs because they can see with the naked eye, through an optical viewfinder, exactly what is passing through the camera's lens. The "reflex" of a mirrored shutter that bends light to the camera's viewfinder, and then snaps open rapidly to create exposures, makes this possible and gives the SLR its advantage. But this SLR advantage, while delivering high-performance speed and accuracy, has one drawback in the digital age. Because the image sensor is blocked by the mirror and shutter until the moment the shutter button is pressed, the mirror and shutter mechanism prevents a traditional digital SLR from viewing and composing a photo using only the camera's Liquid Crystal Display as a viewfinder. The solution to this technical challenge is the revolutionary Olympus EVOLT E-330 digital SLR - the world's first interchangeable lens digital SLR to feature a true "Live View" image on the LCD screen, in addition to the optical viewfinder, and unite the best of both worlds. Read More
Samsung enters digital SLR market with 6 megapixel GX-1S
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January 22, 2006 It was just a matter of time before Samsung entered the prosumer and professional SLR marketplace and it has been known for some time that the Korean giant has been collaborating with Pentax. So no-one is surprised that the first Samsung offering is a rebadged Pentax *ist. Accordingly, the Samsung GX-1S weighs in with a 6.1 megapixel CCD, 2.5 inch rear screen, ISO levels up to 3200, 2.8 fps burst mode, USB 2.0 and an SD card slot and is Pentax Lens compatible. It will come as a body-only or with a new 18-55 Schneider D-XENON lens. No pricing info yet, but you can expect a price in the sub-US$700 area, given that it probably won’t be much different to the Pentax offerin’s price. Read More
The world’s first 39 megapixel digital SLR camera
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January 22, 2006 Hasselblad is creating a new standard of digital image quality for professional photographers with the announcement of a new camera and three camera backs based on the combination of Hasselblad’s new, true 39 megapixel CCD sensor and its unique Digital APO Correction (DAC) technology. This new line of products features the new Hasselblad Natural Color Solution, which takes digital photographic color reproduction to an entirely new level. The new products also deliver images of unsurpassed sharpness and resolution and at the same time reduce any moire effect to a minimum – a first in the history of digital photography. Read More
CES 2006: Kodak unveils dual-lens compact digital camera; 23mm and 39-117mm zoom
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January 4, 2005 Kicking off this week's 2006 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Eastman Kodak Company has introduced the world's first dual-lens digital still camera, the KODAK EasyShare V570 zoom digital camera. Using proprietary Kodak Retina Dual Lens technology, the elegant V570 camera wraps an ultra-wide angle lens (23 mm) and an optical zoom lens (39 - 117 mm) into a package less than an inch thick. The innovative EasyShare V570 camera's ultra-wide angle lens coupled with its optical zoom lens produces a total 5X optical zoom range, providing more options to help today's picture takers capture the perfect shot --group photos, scenic landscapes, dramatic portraits, and close-ups. No other consumer digital camera offers such a wide angle of view, nor the unique, sophisticated design of this model, whose all-glass, stacked Schneider-Kreuznach C-Variogon prism lenses never extend from the camera body.
30th Anniversary of the Digital Camera
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October 7, 2005 2005 marks the 30th anniversary of the one of the hottest consumer electronic products in the world today – the digital camera. In 1975, the world’s first digital photograph was taken at a Kodak lab in Rochester, NY, USA, in an event that preceded the Compact Disc, the Personal Computer and the Internet. In 1974 Steven Sasson, an engineer at Kodak’s Applied Electronics Research Centre, was tasked with devising an “electronic handheld still camera”. The following year his first working prototype – weighing 8.5 pounds, powered by 16 AA batteries and recording images on a cassette – took the first ever digital still camera photograph. That’s Steve, the world’s first digital camera and the world’s first ever digital photograph at right. Read More
New Olympus E-500 digital SLR offers flexibility and value - and no dust
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September 28, 2005 The digital SLR camera market continued to heat up with the announcement on Monday of the Olympus E-500. The compact and lightweight E-500 has an 8-megapixel CCD, a huge 2.5 inch HyperCrystal LCD monitor and an exclusive Dust Reduction System that ensures that your image sensor is always clear of dust. Though still six weeks away from most markets, the Olympus E-500 will be available in different markets with different values kits containing the body and one or more lenses. For example, the US market will get a starter kit containing the E-500 body and ZUIKO DIGITAL 14-45mm lens for US$799 and an additional 18-180 mm lens for US$899. In the UK the starter kit will cost UKP600 and in Australia the starter kit will contain a body and17.5-45mm lens for AUD$1299 and an additional 40-150mm lens for AUD$1599. Clearly, the bang-per-buck ratio for professional digital SLRs is following the same steep curve as the PC, game platform and mobile phone. Read More
Sony establishes a new class of High-End Digital Camera
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September 9, 2005 Sony intends to create a new benchmark in digital photography with the introduction of its high-end Cyber-shot DSC-R1 camera. Moving further in the direction it began with the popular 505, 707, 727 and 828 series of high end cameras, the integrated lens digital still camera progression has finally reached professional grade with a10.3-megapixel image sensor and the flexibility of live preview while shooting. With its ultra-wide (24mm - 120mm) Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T zoom lens and free-angle, two-inch LCD, the Cyber-shot R1 offers professional imaging performance to mainstream consumers. Read More
Nikon Announces World's First Built-In, Wi-Fi -Enabled Compact Digital Cameras
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September 2, 2005 Nikon is redefining the digital camera shooting experience with the announcement of two new revolutionary Wi-Fi enabled models. The Coolpix P1 and P2 are the world's first built-in Wi-Fi-enabled digital cameras to hit the marketplace. These groundbreaking cameras allow consumers to immediately transmit images wirelessly directly to a computer or to any PictBridge-enabled printer equipped with the optional Nikon Wireless Printer Adapter (PD-10), for wireless printing. Read More
10X Optical Zoom in a camera that fits in a shirt pocket
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September 3, 2005 The world’s digital camera compnies are certainly pushing the edge of the envelope with their innovative new designs to enable cameras to become better, and smaller at the same time, and there’s no better example of this than Nikon’s newly announced Coolpix S4. The camera features an incredible 10x optical zoom, six megapixels of resolution, a 2.5" LCD and an innovative design allowing the camera to fit into a shirt pocket. The powerful optical zoom combined with the innovative body design of the camera gives digital photographers unprecedented freedom and creativity with the ability to take pictures from a wide range of angles such as from the hip, self portraits and even from overhead. Read More
Hasselblad 22megapixel fully digital H2D, compatible with existing lenses
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August 30, 2005 Hasselblad’s large format cameras have been synonymous with the highest calibre of professional photography for many decades in the silver halide world of photography, but has set a firm course towards excellence in the digital world. A year after the launch of the Hasselblad H1, the Swedish company is building on the success of the H1 with the newly developed H2 cross platform camera and the H2D fully-integrated digital camera. Both the cameras include a series of brand new features, and are fully compatible with Hasselblad’s existing H system lenses. New products in the Ixpress digital back line include the Ixpress CF and Ixpress CFH, bringing new levels of flexibility to specialist professional photographers. All four new Hasselblad products offer photographic professionals the quality of medium format image capture, combined with the ‘point-and-shoot’ ease of use, portability and flexibility more often associated with smaller format DSLR technology. The H2 and H2D cameras deliver improved mobility, quality, and workflow. Brand new camera features include a highly advanced image approval and selection tool, called Instant Approval Architecture providing a swift and easy way to select and classify images.
Protective silicone skin for your digital camera
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August 26, 2005 We’re not sure what the current product lifecycle is for digital cameras but our guess is that a lot of people must have had the same idea about waterproofing digital cameras about 18 months to two years ago because we keep seeing new ideas around the basic concept. Pentax announced today the limited availability of a protective, silicone Skin for the OptioWP digital camera which looks good, costs just US$20 and deserves to be available for all digital cameras. Custom-made to protect the popular waterproof camera, the PENTAX OptioWP Skin helps prevent surface scratches and dents, offers a non-slip surface and retains the compact, elegant shape of the camera. The translucent, non-toxic, versatile Skin material will stretch and give to fit snugly around the camera and offer an anti-static finish to further repel moisture and dust. We’ve recently written about the Ricoh Caplio 400G ruggedised camera, underwater cases for most common cameras and the WaveCase, a shockproof and waterproof casing that fits 95% of all cell phones enabling them to be used underwater, turning the average camera-phone into an underwater camera. Read More
Canon delivers EOS 5D with full frame CMOS sensor and 8.5 fps EOS-1D Mark II
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August 23, 2005 - Canon today announced two new digital SLR models in a move to provide dedicated cameras for both serious enthusiast and professional photographers. To support its extensive EOS system Canon also announced two new EF zoom lenses, and a powerful new Speedlite. Canon's EOS 5D answers many photographers' requests for a digital SLR camera with a Canon-developed full frame CMOS sensor. Measuring 36 x 24mm, the new CMOS sensor offers the holy grail of 1:1 lens conversion. Capturing 12.8 megapixel images, the EOS 5D offers three frames-per-second (fps) continuous shooting for up to 60 frames in a single burst. Equally as impressive, Canon's EOS-1D Mark II N offers blistering speed combined with super-high resolution. Capturing 8.2 megapixel images with its Canon-developed CMOS sensor, the EOS-1D Mark II N shoots a super-fast 8.5 fps for up to 48 frames in a single burst. Read More
Samsung shows 7 megapixel camera phone outside Korea
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June 17, 2005 Samsung Electronics took its “mine’s-bigger-than-yours” game outside Korea this week when it showed its seven-megapixel camera phone, the SCH-V770 at CommunicAsia in Singapore. Perhaps the most encouraging sign was that Samsung has released official “portrait shots” of the SCH-V770 which we first wrote up from Korea in March. It’s an indication that we may soon see the awesome converged device in other markets, and Samsung's Kitae Lee concurred when he said, "We are focusing on our latest technology that demonstrates the innovation of Samsung, and gives visitors a crystal-ball industry view of what they can expect in the future from the world's leading telecommunications company.” Read More
Kodak Easyshare V550 and V530 fuse digital camera and camcorder
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June 10 , 2005 It’s no secret that the functionality of the digital camera and the camcorder are converging, so Kodak’s new Easyshare V550 and V530 zoom digital cameras should be no surprise – but they are, because they break new ground in blending video and still photography. For the first time, videos can be automatically turned into stop-action still pictures with the necessary 5-megapixel resolution for a sizeable photographic print while the still camera can also capture 80 minutes of TV-quality video with sound. Bringing image stabilisation with it to avoid on-screen shaking with built-in image stabilization technology, the new cameras (which look for all the world like a Canon IXUS), have a 3X optical zoom lens and a 2.5-inch, very high-resolution LCD screen (230,000 pixels) LCD screen, viewable from nearly any angle. Read More
Samsung rocks the digital camera market
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June 4, 2005 Korean company Samsung certainly is making a name for itself by announcing category busting numbers in almost every marketplace it tackles and the digital camera market appears set for the same treatment. Last week in China at the 8th Annual China International Photo and Electronic Imaging, Machinery and Technology Fair in Beijing Samsung showed the Pro815 Digimax and in all the key numbers the camera stacks up better than all the currently announced competition. It has a massive 3.5 inch LCD screen on the back, takes an eight megapixel image, has “the world's largest-capacity 1900mAh, 7.4V lithium-ion battery” and most significantly of all, it has an optical 15 times zoom. In 35mm terms, that’s a 28mm to 429mm zoom lens which is the biggest so far offered on a digital camera and one which offers wide angle through significant telephoto. Speculation suggests that as the lens is manufactured by Schneider-KREUZNACH, it’ll soon be available on other cameras Read More
Canon gives the world’s top selling digital SLR a full-body makeover
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February 18, 2005 Canon has announced the EOS 350D digital SLR camera, providing unparalleled performance to hobby photographers and users entering the digital SLR market for the first time. Featuring a Canon-developed 8.0 megapixel CMOS image sensor, the EOS 350D offers even more than its predecessor, the EOS 300D. Accompanying the new camera, Canon also announced two new zoom lenses that expand the EF-S series for digital SLR cameras. Read More
Casio Announces the 7 Megapixel PRO EX-P700
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November 23, 2004 Casio has added the 7.2 megapixel EXILIM PRO EX-P700 to its range of ultra-compact, high-performance digital cameras. Squeezing in a 2.0-inch LCD screen, 4X optical zoom and an exceptionally fast 0.01 second release time lag, the EX-P700 is due for release in January 2005 for US $600.
Following in the footsteps of the EX-P600, the EX-P700 offers an impressive, flexible package. Featuring a 4X optical zoom (coupled with 4X digital zoom), a large 2.0-inch LCD screen, 7.2 million megapixel CCD and fast-response, the camera offers enhanced performance from the same body size as its predecessor. Read More
MAGPIX 3.1 Megapixel Digital Camera Binocular
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November 13, 2004 MAGPIX has announced its third generation digital camera binocular, the MAGPIX SX3, which offers 3.1 CMOS megapixel quality combined with 10X optical zoom and fast shutter speed to deliver long-range digital image capture with pics large enough for high-quality printing. At US$149, the SX3 is designed to be compact, durable and easy to operate in a range of outdoor activities, from sporting events and sightseeing to wildlife and nature viewing. Read More
Kodak EasyShare LS755 offers style and substance
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November 12, 2004 The EasyShare LS755 zoom digital camera from Kodak is a sleek, Japanese-designed model that combines 5.0 megapixel picture quality and high-end features with simple operation and improved on-board viewing capabilities. The LS755 will be available in early December in Australia at a cost of $AUD 699, and in time for Christmas in Europe and other Asia-Pacific markets. Read More
Mamiya Lens-interchangeable Digital SLR Camera
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Japanese company Mamiya have been producing professional quality cameras since 1940 and are a world leader in high end imaging. Now they've entered the digital age with the Mamiya ZD and ZD Back - a lens interchangeable digital SLR camera and a digital backend to expand your photography options. Both models also come with a staggering 36 x 48mm, 22 million-pixel CCD to generate stunning high-resolution images. Read More
The MINOX Leica M3 - a bonsai Digital SLR with 4.0 Megapixels!
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The digital classic camera Leica M3 from the optical and miniaturisation specialists MINOX of Germany, shoots 4 megapixel images and is a replica of the Leica classic camera in ultra miniature format.
Although unusual, the MINOX Digital Classic Camera Leica M3 is both easy to use and ideal for thos... Read More
JVC Digital Media Cameras record Video and Stills
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Victor Company of Japan (JVC) announced today the Japanese launch of two new palm-size digital media cameras that shoot 60 minutes of DVD-quality video or thousands of high resolution stills using a high capacity 4GB Microdrive card that contains a one inch removable hard disk drive. The result is a single digital medium that offers high capacity and high quality on a card that can slip into a wallet. Read More
Casio's Latest Edition To The QV Range.
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October 10, 2004 Its dimensions are a tiny 88.3(W) x 60.4(H) x 33.4(D) mm but the new Casio QV-R61 also takes six megapixel shots, making it a powerful but compact camera for discerning users. As an entry level model it boasts a 2-inch LCD screen, 3 x optical zoom as well as a help function that provides pop-ups to provide explanations of different icons. All this is wrapped up in a sleek aluminium body. Read More
A digital camera for dogs!
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October 10, 2004 An interesting trend in high tech pet care seems to be developing. In recent times Gizmo has reported on the cat toilet training seat and the Bow-Lingual dog translation device. Now this week we have two new high tech products for pets - a cell phone and a digital camera. The 0.3 MPX Tomy Wonderful Shot camera straps on under the collar and at 38grams in weight and 55x52x12mm in size, is light enough to suit even the smallest pooch and perhaps even larger cats. Read More
Vivitar Releases The 'Eek', A Digital Camcorder/Camera.
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In a time of merging technologies and melding devices Vivitar has released the rather unfortunately named multifunctional media recorder, the 'eek'. A video camcorder with digital still camera, MP3 player and voice recorder are rolled in to one small package.
Using a 256MB SD card in its slot and a long life lithium-ion battery the eek can record a maximum of more than one hour and twenty minutes of video or one thousand images or sixteen hours of sound clips and an unspecified number of MP3 music files. Measuring 103mm long x 62mm wide x 16mm deep the eek is sleek. The compact and stylish case is available in a black or white body finish. Read More
Ricoh releases super fast Caplio R1 digital camera.
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To date the greatest detraction for digital camera enthusiasts is the long time it takes for the lens to properly focus and snap its subject. Add this to start up time and you're often behind the eight ball when trying to shoot spontaneously. Ricoh may have changed all this with the high speed, wide-angle Caplio R1 digital camera.
The four Megapixel camera features a world first 'pendulum' retracting lens system that allows the R1 to focus and snap in just 0.05 of a second. Ricoh claims it is up to twenty-five times faster than other digital cameras. With the focus lock achieved the camera can shoot in an almost instantaneous 0.003 of a second. Read More
Olympus Introduces 7.1 Megapixel 5x Optical Zoom Digital Camera
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The megapixel space race continues, and the 7 megapixel barrier was broken for a compact camera in Australia this week when the new Olympus C-70 ZOOM went on sale. Claiming it is the smallest 7.1-megapixel, 5x optical zoom model in the world the C-70 went on sale in Australia in September, retailing for $899 and measuring just 102mm (W) x 59mm (H) x 42mm (D).
The C-70 features a newly developed 5x optical zoom lens that is specifically designed to maximise the imaging potential of its 7.1-megapixel CCD, as well as an Olympus-developed TruePic TURBO image. Read More
Nikon 8-Mpx Coolpix 8800 with 10x optical zoom
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Nikon has announced a new 8-megapixel Coolpix 8800 digital camera with a 10x optical zoom Nikkor ED glass lens, which opens the shooter to an unmatched 35-350mm (35mm equivalent) zoom range, the longest zoom range available in the 8-megapixel category, and delivers razor sharp images. Read More
Nikon 12.4 Mpx Digital SLR has Wi-Fi options
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Nikon has announced a new D2X professional digital SLR camera that blends high resolution image quality, color consistency and blazing speed. The high resolution is achieved by an all-new 12.4 million pixel DX Format CMOS image sensor and a new image processing engine. Despite the high resolution, the D2X can comfortably shoot full resolution images at five frames per second and eight frames a second in 6.8 megapixel 'High Speed Cropped Image' mode. Read More
