Ok, here we go. Casio has a world’s first prototype shooter at IFA sporting what must be Sony’s 60fps 1/1.8-inch CMOS sensor. Right, bursting sixty 6 megapixel frames per second for what should be a resolution in the ballpark of 2921 x 2184. It’ll even go 300fps if you want to scale things back to VGA video. The prototype features a 12x optical zoom and 2.8-inch LCD in a beefy piece of kit measuring in at 127.5 x 79.5 x 130.0-mm / 650-grams. What’s also notable is what’s missing from the specs: the storage utilized by this cam. A pretty serious omission when you think about the transfer speeds required to move (and store) that much data.

Gallery: Casio brings world’s first 60fps, 6 megapixel camera/camcorder to IFA

   
[Via Impress]
More info
from engadget

Olympus is in a tizzy this morning with four new shooters from their FE-series of compact digital cameras. The 12 megapixel (1/1.72-inch CCD) FE-300 is the big pixel-huntin’ dog of the bunch packing a TruePic III image processor, 17 scene modes, xD expansion, and 2.5-inch LCD in a 22.1-mm thick package. Next up is the 7.1 megapixel (1/2.5-inch CCD) FE-290 which lacks the face detection of the FE-300 but squeezes in a 3-inch LCD and 4x wide angle optical zoom lens. The FE-280 then, crams 8 megapixels into a 1/2.35-inch CCD and super slim 19.1-mm body. Ammusingly, it features a “Smile Shot” mode which automatically tracks faces and then throws the shutter when your subject smiles, or grimaces presumably, when snuggled up with aunt vinegar. Bringing up the tail-end is the ho hum 7.1 megapixel FE-270. Look for ‘em all to ship starting September.

Gallery: Olympus’ FE-Series of shooters detect smiles, not snark

[Via Impress]

Read — FE-300
Read — FE-290
Read — FE-280
Read — FE-270

From engadget

Alright, Nikon’s two new flagship DSLRs are officially announced. (Better images coming right up.) Here’s what you need to know:

D3

• 12.1 megapixel, full-frame friggin sensor! (23.9 x 36mm) Finally. ISO up to 6400
• 3-inch VGA live view LCD
• Two (count ‘em, two!) CompactFlash card slots for overflow, backup, or copying
• New EXPEED image processor
• 9fps in full frame, 11fps in DX crop; 51 point autofocus (with “3D focus tracking”)
• HDMI out with optional cable
• $5000, November release

D300

• 12.3 megapixel DX (1.5 crop) sensor
• 3-inch VGA live view LCD
• New EXPEED image processor
• 51 point autofocus
• $1800, November release

Lenses

• AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED
• AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED
• AF-S NIKKOR 400mm f/2.8G ED VR
• AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/4G ED VR
• AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4G ED VR

Gallery: Nikon D3 press shots

Gallery: Nikon D300 press shots

Read – D3 press release
Read – D300 release
Read – Pro zoom Nikkor lens release
Read – Super telephoto lens release

From engadget

If ruggedness is your primary consideration when buying a camera then by all means, look no further than Olympus’ latest lineup of Stylus (AKA, Mju outside the US) shooters. The $300 Stylus 790SW is the most like, totally extreme of the bunch dude, offering waterproofing up to 3-meters and shockproofiness from a height of 5 feet. Oh, and it also just happens to include a 7.1 megapixel sensor, 3x non-protruding zoom lens, 2.5-inch LCD, a 30fps VGA video mode, and ISO sensitivity up to 1600. Olympus also rolled out a trio of less rugged, “weatherproof” cameras: the 12 megapixel Stylus 1200 ($350); the 8 megapixel, image-stabilized Stylus 830 ($350), and 8 megapixel Stylus 820 ($300) with 5x zoom. All loose on the mean retail streets starting in September and October.

Gallery: Olympus’ rugged Stylus series bumped to 12 megapixels

Read — 790 SW
Read — 1200, 830, 820
from engadget

More from Canon, this time it’s their top-o-the-line G-series, PowerShot G9 compact shooter. Think 12.1 megapixels (1/1.7-inch CCD), 6x optical zoom, optical image stabilization, a DIGIC III image processor, optical viewfinder and 3-inch LCD, Canon’s Advanced Face Detection wares, ISO 1600 max sensitivity, 23 shooting modes (including manual), SD/SDHC media support, and even a RAW image mode to pretend you’re a pro. Hell, it’s even compatible with optional wide-angle, telephoto, and macro supplementary lenses, EOS Speedlite flashes, and Canon’s waterproof cases. In stores starting in October for a cool $500 making this one helluvan interesting new shooter.

Gallery: Canon’s PowerShot G9: the DSLR wannabe

  

From engadget
more info

You can add one more “full HD” AVCHD camcorder to that mix of Panasonics announced earlier in the week. The new HDC-SD7 is said to be the “world’s smallest and lightest” camcorder to record at 1,920 x 1,080 to SDHC cards. Otherwise, the SD7 is spec-for-spec the same 3CCD camcorder as the HDC-SD5 only in a vertically-held format. Just be careful what you ask for folks: that reduced chassis size comes at the expense of a cut in sensor sizes and drop in optical zoom from 12x to 10x when compared to Panny’s earlier HDC-DX3 and HDC-SD3 models. Unfortunately, the HDC-SD7 looks to be Japan-only for now with a September 8 launch for Â¥140,000 or about $1,188 with tax.

More info
from engadget

FujiFilm has been busy this morning. After the torrent of new cameras we just saw, we figured it was time for a little breather — clearly we were wrong. The company just announced another set of FinePix models, the A920 and the F480 (pictured). The former is a 9 megapixel compact, with a 4x optical zoom, 2.7-inch LCD screen, xD / SD / SDHC card support, Picture Stabilization, and “movie mode” up to 640 x 480. The latter is a follow-up to the company’s F470, a compact of the 8 megapixel variety with specs so similar to the aforementioned A920 we would say they are identical except for the F480′s 4x “wide zoom”. Both the A920 and the A480 will be available in September for $199.95 and $179.95, respectively.

Read — FujiFilm A920
Read — FujiFilm A480
from engadget