Pentax to Launch a 10mp DSLR in the Fall
My friend Brad swears by Pentax digital cameras, and is happy to hear that they are continuing their work on making a Digital SLR.
PENTAX Imaging Company has announced three additional digital SLR products that are currently under development and will be showcased under glass at the upcoming PMA 2006 held from February 26 to March 1 in Orlando, Florida.
PENTAX has confirmed that the company will unveil a yet to be named PENTAX 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.
Model names, designs, specifications and market launch schedules of these products are all tentative and subject to change without notice.
Samsung Announces Digimax L60
New Digimax L60 Offers MPEG-4 Video, SHD Optics and Redesigned Body
Secaucus, NJ (February 23, 2006) –Samsung Camera announces the introduction of the new Digimax L60. Part of the Prestige line featuring sleek designs and user-friendly advanced features, the L60 features a 3x optical zoom SHD lens, a 5x digital zoom and a large, 2.4-inch color LCD display.
“The Prestige line is perfect for the step-up user who desires high-quality optics but with easy to use features,” says Stewart Henderson, National Marketing Manager at Samsung Opto Electronics. “And, after extensive market research we developed a sleek, ergonomic body design with features such as MPEG4 video recording in a compact package.”
The Digimax L60 offers MPEG-4, the high-compression, high quality video format that can record for up to 3-4 times longer than traditional video formats commonly used in other digital cameras. The L60 can record in VGA (640×480) at 30fps, for smoother video and a bigger view of the movie on LCD and TV screens. For steady recording, the built-in movie stabilization will automatically detect and correct lateral and vertical camera movement caused by the shooter’s unsteady hand. Users can also take advantage of the camera’s unique movie shooting functions, including a movie stabilizer, continuous video recording, improved in-camera video editing and the ability to use the 3x optical zoom while recording. Movie stabilizer helps reduce camera shake by automatic detection and correction of lateral and vertical camera vibrations, while continuous video recording allows the shooter to pause and resume video recording at any time and merge multiple video files into one single file. Users can also save a selected part of a movie clip into a new file during playback and capture a still image during video playback.
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Samsung Digimax L85 with HDMI
For those of you out there that don’t know what HDMI is or why it’s special, it stands for High Definition Multimedia Interface, and it is used to connect digital audio/video devices to high definition televisions. This will allow you to, as Samsung puts it, to see images on their HD television sets “in their original quality”.
New Models Allows Users to View Crystal-Clear Images in Hi-Def
Secaucus, NJ (February 23, 2006) – The new Digimax L85, the latest addition to Samsung’s Prestige line of digital cameras, is the world’s first digital still camera to feature High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI). This revolutionary new feature allows L85 users to share their photos on a high definition television in their original quality. The eight-mega-pixel L85 also includes a world renowned Schneider Kreuznach 7.8 23.44mm lens with 5x optical zoom, a 2.5-inch LCD display (approximately 230K pixels) which provides the photographer with a wider viewing angle and a more vivid viewing display. The stylishly designed camera offers a comfortable grip, ergonomic design and a sleek black body with silver accents.
“At Samsung Camera we are committed to providing the consumer with the latest technology, such as the first HDMI in a digital still camera, at an affordable price,” says Stewart Henderson, National Marketing Manager at Samsung Opto Electronics America, Inc. “By combining our technology with Schneider optics users can now capture, and then display their photos with breathtaking clarity.”
For the more advanced photographer looking for additional control, the Digimax L85 provides multiple manual functions at the user’s fingertips. The L85 features three kinds of manual exposure adjustment including Aperture Priority which allows more control of depth, Shutter Priority which allows better capture of fast motion and Manual adjustment which allows users to set the shutter and aperture themselves.
Along with its many manual functions, the Digimax L85 also has Continuous Shooting mode for consecutive shots at up to (insert fps). This model also includes Auto Exposure Bracketing (AEB), allowing users to shoot a series of pictures with slightly different exposures to ensure perfect lighting and Auto Focus Bracketing to take several shots which focus on different elements of the frame to ensure that the perfect image is captured.
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Samsung GX-1L SLR
Seems like everyone is creating joint ventures to create a better product, and now we have the GX-1L from Samsung that Pentax helped create.
The New GX-1L Is the Second DSLR Model Developed Jointly With Pentax
Secaucus, NJ (February 23, 2006) – Samsung Camera is pleased to announce a second digital SLR model for 2006—the GX-1L—an entry-level, six-megapixel model. The interchangeable lens DSLR, jointly developed with partner Pentax Corporation, features world-renowned Schneider optics in a compact, lightweight, easy-to-hold body.
“The GX-1L was designed with entry-level DSLR users in mind with its easy-to-use features and aggressive price point,” says Stewart Henderson, National Marketing Manager at Samsung Camera. “The GX-1L features a host of automatic functions including Auto Sensitivity, Auto Picture Mode and a newly designed operation system. This, combined with its full range of advanced manual functions, make the GX-1L perfect for the beginning through advanced DSLR user.”
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Olympus and Panasonic Announce Four Thirds System Digital SLR Cameras
Olympus Corporation (Olympus) and Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (Panasonic) have been engaged in joint development of cameras that comply with the Four Thirds System standard for interchangeable-lens-type digital SLR cameras, and will display the fruit of their labors at the PMA 2006 International Convention and Trade Show that starts today, February 26, in Orlando, Florida. Olympus will exhibit the E-330, a recently introduced product that incorporates jointly developed technologies, and Panasonic will announce development of the DMC-L1, its first digital SLR camera. A prototype of the DMC-L1 will also be exhibited.
The two cameras are the result of an agreement announced on January 13, 2005, under which Olympus and Panasonic agreed to jointly develop underlying technologies and key components, and promote the introduction of digital SLR camera products that take full advantage of the significant user benefits offered by the Four Thirds System standard.
The jointly developed mirror box unit and Live MOS sensor used in the two new cameras have significant implications for SLR performance, and have made it possible to develop products with capabilities that go far beyond digital SLR cameras of the past.
The mirror box unit integrates a quick-return mirror, viewfinder, and AE sensor, and effectively functions as the heart of the SLR camera. It was specifically designed and developed so that it could be used in both Olympus and Panasonic products.
The Live MOS sensor is a new-generation sensor that offers the high image quality of a CCD sensor and the low power consumption of a CMOS sensor, thereby making it possible to display Live View images on a digital SLR camera for an extended period of time. In addition, because the sensor features simplified circuitry, the distance from the microlenses to the photodiodes is short, ensuring improved response and higher image quality when light strikes the sensor at an angle.
Utilizing these advanced new devices, Olympus and Panasonic will continue to develop products according to their respective product strategies.
Olympus has already utilized these jointly developed components in the recently introduced E-330, which is the first interchangeable-lens-type digital SLR in the world to offer full-time Live View framing via a rear-mounted LCD monitor — a feat that until now was thought to be difficult to achieve. With its Live View capability, the E-330 is an epoch-making product that makes it possible for users to enjoy an entirely new style of digital SLR shooting.
As its first digital SLR camera, Panasonic has developed the DMC-L1, which combines the operating feel of an analog camera with Live View shooting and other ease-of-use features that are unique to digital cameras. By using the Live MOS sensor and proprietary Venus Engine III image-processing LSI, Panasonic has maximized the performance potential of both devices and successfully achieved the high image quality and high processing speeds that are critical to SLR camera performance. Following additional development efforts, Panasonic plans to introduce the DMC-L1 later this year.
By teaming Olympus’s industry-leading SLR camera technology with Panasonic’s advanced digital AV technology to offer Four Thirds System digital SLR cameras and a wide lens lineup, the two companies plan to offer camera enthusiasts a level of creativity and satisfaction have never experienced before.
Two New W-series Sony Cyber-shot Cameras
Sony rounds out its new W-series line of digital still cameras with two top-end models packed with powerful features — the Cyber-shot® DSC-W100 and DSC-W70.
“ Our W-series feature intelligent functions that work behind the scenes, said James Neal, director of digital imaging products at Sony Electronics. “Users can focus on those moments of inspiration that make great photographs without the hassle of worrying about camera settings.”
The DSC-W100 model packs in an eight-megapixel imaging sensor, and has a compact metal body with a stylized finish in black and silver. It features a manual exposure mode with extended control for up to 46 steps of adjustable shutter speeds (30 – 1/1000 sec.) and two steps of aperture control.
Both the DSC-W100 camera and the new seven-megapixel DSC-W70 model have an updated traditional camera style with their eye-level viewfinders and large 2.5-inch LCD screens.
They both incorporate precision Carl Zeiss® Vario-Tessar 3x optical zoom lenses; MPEG1 movie recording; high-light sensitivity settings; and a mode dial to quickly switch among photo, video, and preview.
The cameras’ high light-sensitivity facilitates shooting at higher shutter speeds to capture fast-moving subjects with reduced blur. It also allows for shooting without a flash to capture more natural-looking images in low-light settings.
The DSC-W70 model has a maximum ISO setting of 1000, while the DSC-W100 model extends to IS0 1250 for even greater control. Sony’s Clear RAW ™ imaging technology helps increase the cameras’ ISO settings and, at the same time, reduces the chances of blurry or grainy pictures by keeping picture noise to a minimum.
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Sony with Two New Super-Zoom Cameras
Sony Zooms In On Fast-Growing Product Category with Two New Digital Cameras
ORLANDO (PMA 2006, Booth #4150), Feb. 25, 2006 — Sony is expanding its high-zoom digital still camera line with two new Cyber-shot® models that are sure to zero in on the subjects you most desire.
Clad in black, the new DSC-H5 model has a 7.2-megapixel CCD imager and extra-large, three-inch LCD screen. It also shimmers in silver along with the stage-worthy DSC-H2 model, which has a six-megapixel imager and two-inch LCD. Both cameras flaunt Carl Zeiss® Vario-Tessar 12x optical zoom lenses and focal length ranges of 36 to 432 millimeters (35 mm equivalence).
“High-zoom cameras are one of the fastest-growing segments in the industry,” said James Neal, director of digital imaging products at Sony Electronics. “They are powerful enough to get those hard-to-see distant shots, and have the easy-to-use functionality of point-and-shoot cameras.
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Panasonic Announces its First SLR
Panasonic has released its first Digital SLR, a move no doubt to make more money in the digital camera world, and with a decent set of features, it is only a matter of time until we know if Panasonic has a hit or a flop on their hands.
Panasonic is pleased to announce the development of our first interchangeable-lens digital SLR camera, the LUMIX DMC-L1. State-of-the-art digital and optical technologies developed for our compact digital cameras have been crystallized to make LUMIX a top camera brand while helping establish a new photographic culture for the digital age. Panasonic is drawing on these leading technologies, and the emotional excitement of true-to-life photographic images, as we announced in our entry to the digital SLR market in 2005.
The DMC-L1 being introduced today is an entirely new kind of digital SLR camera. It is operated much like a traditional film camera but provides a variety of innovative features that increase the fun of shooting photos. While the DMC-L1 is digital, it has a classic design that will remind users of traditional analogue cameras. These characteristics, together with a shutter speed control dial on the camera body and an aperture ring on the LEICA D VARIO-ELMARIT 14-50mm/F2.8-3.5 lens (also being introduced), distinguish the DMC-L1 from conventional digital SLRs in both design and operation.
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Ricoh Caplio R4
Ricoh has announced the release of the new Caplio R4 compact digital camera featuring a 7.1x optical wide zoom, (28–200 mm in 35 mm camera format), the largest in the compact class and vibration correction function. With a smaller body, the new Caplio R4, has a 7.1x (28—200 mm) wide-angle, high-powered zoom lens, the biggest in its class. Building on the highly successful R3, the new R4 boasts 6 megapixels, longer battery life and a high resolution LCD.
The R4 will be available in both Black and Silver.
Main Features of the Caplio R4
New 6.04 million square pixel CCD
- Often used icons can be enlarged for greater visibility.
- The brightness of the LCD can be increased to maximum with a single touch and visibility can be adjusted to suit well-lighted areas.
- The CCD is effective up to 6.04 million square pixels with the Smooth Imaging Engine image processing system. Combined with the vibration correction function, representative, superior, high-definition images can be created.
- It is possible to select a 35mm aspect ratio (the horizontal to vertical ratio of the image) of 3:2.
Ricoh Caplio RR630
Ricoh is delighted to announce the release of the Caplio RR630 - a compact 6.1-megapixel digital camera that brings the joy of digital photography within reach of even first time users.
The CaplioRR630 is the latest addition to Ricoh’s popular, award-winning range of digital cameras, whose outstanding performance, value for money and stylish designs have won favour with photographers around the world. The RR630 consistently produces vivid, crystal-clear images that place it a touch above other cameras in its class. Equipped with a 3x optical zoom and 4x digital zoom, for a combined 12x zoom, the RR630 is ready to take on any photographic challenge.
Weighing in at just 150g*, the RR630’s sleek, compact body fits easily into the palm of your hand or your pocket. Taking great photos has never been easier - with the RR630 it really is as simple as “point and shoot”. With this smooth operator, even absolute beginners will have no trouble wowing their friends and family with stunning digital images. For those who like to take control of their photos, the RR630’s Mode dial has plenty of creative options, including a movie mode and four scene modes: Portrait, Landscape, Sports and Night. As the resolution 130,000 brightness of the large 2.0-inch LCD monitor is easily adjusted, you can view your images clearly in any light. Transferring photos to a PC is a breeze with the RR630’s USB connector. And with 16 MB of internal memory, the RR630 is ready to shoot straight out of the box. It also features an SD Card slot, enabling the use of this widely used storage medium.
If you are looking for a stylish, compact digital camera, look no further than the Caplio RR630! The world of digital photography is just a shutter-press away.
* Without battery and SD card
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