Casio steps in to attract our attention with a 3-inch LCD backside camera, the EXILIM EX-Z150. Along with the LCD in its itsy bitsy case we can also find an 8.1 megapixel 1/2.5-inch CCD with shift image stabilization, a 28-mm wide angle lens, 4x optical zoom and face detection. All these get packed in a slim, 20.1-mm package tapering down to 18.9-mm. Not bad from a firm with no real achievement in the camera department.

Codenamed YouTube Capture mode, you get to film 640 x 480 at 30fps for up to 10 minutes at a time. Why couldn’t they just said that in the first place? Guess it is easier to sound flashy and give almost nothing, right?

All we know by now about the new Exilim EX-Z150 is that will ship out of Casio factories. No price, no date, no nothing.

via Fareastgizmos

Canon PowerShot G9 is the upgraded version of the digital compact G7. It’s a traditional looking camera, but very solid, that just got RAW, a few more pixels and some other improvements.

picture courtesy of khedara

As usual we’ll have to start the review with the brief specs and then go in deeper and deeper to find what’s great and what could have been changed.

• Compact digital still camera with built-in flash, 6x Optical / 4x Digital / 24x Combined Zoom with Optical Image Stabilizer System
• 12.1 Megapixel, a 1/1.7 inch type Charge Coupled Device (CCD)
• LCD display : 3.0 inch low-temperature polycrystalline silicon TFT color LCD with wide viewing angle with a real image optical zoom viewfinder
• RAW recording
• DIGIC III and iSAPS
• 7.4-44.4mm f/2.8-4.8 focal length (35mm film equivalent: 35-210mm)
• Focusing range. Normal: 1.6 ft./50cm-infinity Macro: 0.39 in.-1.6 ft./1-50cm (WIDE)
• Face Detection AF/AE/FE
• 9-point AiAF and FlexiZone AF/AE
• TTL Autofocus
• ISO 1600 and Auto ISO Shift
• SD/SDHC Memory Card, MultiMediaCard, MMC Plus Card, HC MMC Plus Card

Here is what I liked and disliked about it.

Canon PowerShot G9 PROs

- Has a great optical performance
- Allows RAW shooting which is great if you want better image quality
- Allows off-camera flash
- Solid and professional impression (feels great in the hand)

Canon PowerShot G9 CONs

- Image quality is less then expected because it has more pixels than the G7
- Very noise reduced high ISO settings in-camera (don’t use higher than ISO 400 or you’ll regret it)
- No Wireless operation
- It could use a larger wide angle

The price, the features and the specs are really recommending it for a wannabe professional photographer. An unexperienced fella` wouldn’t be able to use the Canon Powershot G9 at its full potential.

More pictures of the camera, below:

Pictures courtesy of khedara

Canon HV20 has received great reviews and admirable scores from its users. If you don’t have a HD camcorder yet, you should consider switching for this one. Canon HV20 captures true 1080 high definition resolution video in 16:9 format using MiniDV cassette tapes. It also can record video in standard definition and capture photos on a SD card. Offering 10X optical zoom and 200X digital zoom, the camcorder features a super spectra coating technology that gives images with minimal flare and ghosting.

The camcorder sports a 2.7-inch swiveling widescreen LCD with controls on the bottom. Canon HV20 has a HDMI port for direct connection with a HDTV. Furthermore, it can also be connected directly to a printer, without the need of a PC.

And there is a great news for you, Dell sells the Canon HV20 for $699. It’s not a bargain, but it is a good deal as this camcorder retails with prices over $800.

via Crave

I’m not a fan of screensavers but this one got my attention. SurveillanceSaver is a screensaver that will broadcast live images from over 400 surveillance cameras worldwide every time your computer goes idle. The images are not high quality, picture malls, churches, traffic stops, playgrounds, pools, backyards and more. A nice addition is the fact that city, location and other coordinates are visible at the bottom of each picture.

The software is available for bot MAC OS X and for Windows (sorry Linux guys) and Slorker says it’s virus/malware free. The reason I like it is because any time I can see something new. How about two beautiful girls in that pool?

The SurveillanceSaver screensaver reminds me of EarthTV which I always watch with so much interest to see new places, cities, buildings. They have much more cameras, though.

Here are some pictures you could see.

Living in a fast paced environment has pushed us mere mortals to look for better and compact ways to capture each special moment. Special moments lost - like that day your baby first yawned or that time you won a poker tourney - can’t be replayed and can’t be regenerated. That’s why it’s been a mission of ours to take a look at the last cam tech and give your first dibs on how they look and play.

After seeing Sony H50 released a few days ago there is a new Cyber-Shot on the market, Sony W300, a compact point-and-shoot camera that features a stunning 13.6 megapixel resolution and 3x optical zoom from those Carl Zeiss 2.8 - 5.5 / 7.6 - 22.8 lens.

Other goodies of the new Sony Cyber-Shot W300 include up to ISO 6400, hardware image stabilization, smile detection and automatic scene detection that adjusts the color balance. The price is going to be $300 and the release date is May. I think the specs are very good if you need to keep your camera in your jeans’ pocket and shoot fast as soon as you find something nice.

I’ll try to get my hands on it when it’s going to be available and do a proper review.

via NewLaunches

Sony just announced their newest addition to their digital camera portfolio, Cyber-Shot DSC-H50.It’s a new super-zoom with a 9.1 megapixel sensor, that upgrades the Cyber-Shot DSC H9, and works with Carl Zeiss 15x optical zoom lens. It also features a 3-inch tilted LCD display, up to ISO 3,200 and an improved flash that works up to 55-feet.

Another great feature is the “advanced sports” shooting mode that can provide uber-fast shutter speeds of up to 1/4000 seconds. We’re expecting the camera to go on sale in May and the retail price is going to be around $400. I think I may have a reason to change my compact camera now and review it for you guys.

Press release

Ricoh just announced two new compact digital cameras today, R8 and R50.

Ricoh R8 is an upgraded version of the R7 released last year, that has a 2.7-inch hi-res LCD display with Smoothing Imaging Engine version III, features a 10 megapixel sensor with CCD-shift image stabilization, 7x optical zoom and up to 1600 ISO. It can capture video in VGA mode at 30 fps (avi format), has SD and SDHC cards, weighs 0.4 pounds and from March it should sell for $460, in black and silver.

Ricoh R50 on the other hand, only features a 5x optical zoom though it has the same sensor with shift image stabilization like the R8 above while the LCD is not offering the same hi-res display. Ricoh R50 is slimmer than the R8 and the price is $280. It’s going to be available in March as well.

Source: R8, R50 (translations)

You might think you already have too many gadgets in the car: GPS, Bluetooth, radar detector, backup camera or even a HUD. Oh well, a camera that records everything could be a great addition. Let’s face it, a lot of stupid accidents happen and the camera could record them.

The Car Camera Recorder Pro features a 2.5″ LCD screen and attaches very easy on the rear view mirror. It starts automatically when you turn on the engine only if you plug it into the DC outlet. The camera records video footage as long as the engine is running, and of course until the memory card is full.

As I said above the video footage is a strong piece of evidence in car accidents or inappropriate behavior. Furthermore installing it will reduce your insurance fee.

Camera’s specifications:

• CCD: 1/3″ Sony color CCD
• Video Resolution: Effective CCD Pixels: NTSC 510X 492; PAL 500X 582
• Resolution: 420 TV Lines
• Minimum Luminosity: 0.1 LUX @ F 2.0 - Works in low light
• S/N Ratio: > 48 dB
• Electronic Shutter Speed: 1/60 to 1/100,000 s
• Gamma Correction: 0.45
• Gain Control: Automatic
• White Balance Control: Automatic (2500-9500K)
• Video Output: 1 Vp-p Coaxial / 75 Ohm
• Power Supply: DV 12 V / 400mA
• Operation Temperature: (-10 to 50C)

The Car Camera Recorder Pro retails for $449.95 right now. It’s a promotion! Don’t miss it or you will pay $600.

Product page via Crave

SanDisk announced Thursday at the PMA 2008 trade show a new 32GB Ultra II SDHC card. The card comes as a savior for high quality digital cameras and camcorders which consume a lot of memory. The 32GB Ultra II SDHC card will go on sale in April for $350.

A 16GB version will be available in March for $180. Both products will come with the MicroMate USB card reader. The high speed cards offer 15MB/sec read/write speeds.

Besides those products, SanDisk has released a Video HD SDHC memory card. It comes with capacities of 4GB($80) or 8GB($140) and it is perfect for recording high-definition video. The card can capture all type qualities of video, including full High-Definition 1080 format so you can be sure it will suit your needs.

SanDisk rivals have announced 32GB SDHC cards too in January.

SanDisk via Crave

With the success of their Alpha A100 until now, Sony decided to upgrade and bring their latest DSLR on the market. Sony Alpha A200 is not very different from its predecessor and the big difference is the 10.2 megapixel sensor. You operate it thanks to a 2.7-inch LCD display, has the same Carl Zeiss lens, optical stabilization technology (Super SteadyShot) and a Li-ion battery with about 750 pictures autonomy.

Two models will be available from February. First one is a 18-70 mm F3.5-F5.6 and should sell for $700 while the other one is a 75-300 mm F4.5-F5.6 and will hit the shelves for $900. Preorder them starting from tomorrow if you can’t wait for a Sony Alpha A200 review before having your hands on.

via Engadget