There seem to be a big battle in the market of the DSLR digital cameras and Sony needs a piece of it. The last rumored camera, Sony Alpha A700 DSLR, just made it official that it will be available soon and will have a 12.2-megapixel Exmor CMOS sensor with dual noise reduction and analog-to-digital signal conversion.

The new Sony Alpha A700 DSLR, comes with Super SteadyShot Inside image stabilization, Minolta Maxxum mount lenses if you want to choose your Sony lenses and HDMI output. The price is going to be $1400 from October.

SAN DIEGO, Sept. 5, 2007 — Sony is expanding its a (Alpha) digital SLR system with the introduction of the DSLR-A700 camera, which is aimed at photo enthusiasts or serious photo hobbyists.

The new model features advanced imaging technologies and ultra-responsive operation, as well as a lightweight, dust- and moisture-resistant, magnesium alloy construction common to enthusiast-class D-SLR cameras.

Like Sony’s mainstream DSLR-A100 model, the new A700 unit incorporates Super SteadyShot® Inside image stabilization in the camera body and is compatible with most Minolta Maxxum® mount lenses in addition to Sony lenses.

“Discerning photo enthusiasts will be impressed with the rugged construction and outstanding performance of the A700, said Phil Lubell, director of marketing for digital cameras at Sony Electronics. “We also expect that this new camera will re-define the post-capture experience with HDMI™ output for high-quality playback of images on high-definition televisions.”

Picture Quality

The camera’s new 12.2-megapixel Exmor™ CMOS sensor conducts analog-to-digital (A/D) signal conversion and dual noise reduction right on the sensor itself. Noise reduction is applied to analog signals before A/D conversion and the resulting digital signals are then subject to a second round of noise reduction.

According to Lubell, “These digital signals are virtually immune to external noise and interference.”

Clean, noise-free digital signals are then sent to the newly developed BIONZ™ processing engine. Lubell said this engine has been optimized to process data-rich picture information at high speeds, and to reduce picture noise in the RAW data stage before final image compression and encoding. The results are high-resolution, detailed images with rich tonal reproduction.

Extraordinary Responsiveness

The A700 camera is engineered to be fast and ultra-responsive so as to become “a virtual extension of your own senses,” Lubell said, “capturing fleeting moments as you see them.”

A newly developed, auto-focus system features 11 wide-area sensors, including a center dual cross sensor comprised of two horizontal and two vertical line sensors for exceptional AF precision. An F2.8 line sensor leverages the brightness of fast aperture lenses for even greater precision. Lubell said that extraordinary focusing speed has been realized through improved algorithms and a high-torque focusing drive motor.

The large, bright, viewfinder uses a precision-ground optical glass pentaprism and a high refractive index eyepiece lens to provide 0.9x viewfinder magnification and 95 percent frame coverage. Manual focusing is aided by an interchangeable spherical acute matte focusing screen.

The camera has a high-performance vertical traverse shutter with a maximum shutter speed of 1/8,000th of a second to freeze fast-moving action. A high-power coreless motor charges the shutter and mirror mechanism, allowing continuous shooting at up to five frames per second. In JPEG fine or standard mode, continuous shooting is limited only by the capacity of the media card (sold separately), while up to 18 frames can be captured in RAW.

Expanded Creativity

The new camera features fourteen creative styles, including night view, autumn leaves or vivid, which can be selected to enhance images. These effects can then be fine-tuned by customizing contrast, sharpness, zone matching and other parameters.

Sony’s Dynamic Range Optimizer (DRO) function has been updated on this model so users can choose the desired level of detail recovered in areas of shadow. The advanced mode offers the option of five levels of user selectable correction. Additionally, DRO bracketing creates three images from a single capture with three different levels of DRO.

There is an extensive array of customization options to personalize the camera to match shooting styles. The unit’s quick navigation interface can be accessed instantly with the four-way multi-selector, and selected parameters can be adjusted directly by control dials.

Up to 28 camera settings can be stored in one of three user memories for instant recall. The unit’s custom function button can be assigned to 15 frequently-accessed functions.

With the supplied remote capture application, the camera can be controlled from a compatible PC via USB without even touching the camera, and files can be stored on the computer instead of the media card.

High-Quality Pictures on an HDTV

The A700 model features an HDMI output for connection to HDTV sets, putting a high-resolution spin on the conventional photo slideshow.

When connected to a Sony BRAVIA® LCD HD television, photos are optimized for viewing with the new “PhotoTV HD” mode. This mode brings the look of actual printed photography to the television, reproducing high-quality digital photos by fine-tuning such image parameters as sharpness, gradation and color specifically for photographs.

The exceptional viewing experience of this camera also extends to viewing photos on its 3-inch LCD screen. The screen’s size and ultra-sharp resolution (921K) makes it possible to check focus and image quality with much greater accuracy.

A Flexible System

The camera will be introduced with two new lenses, bringing Sony’s lens and teleconverter catalog up to 23 models. Supplied as a standard kit lens, the new DT 16-105 mm f.3.5 - 5.6 lens features a distinctive zoom range (35mm equivalency of 24 - 157.5 mm); compact, lightweight design; and internal focusing. The other addition is a powerful and compact high-magnification DT 18 - 250 mm f3.5 - 6.3 lens. Sony is also planning to introduce a specialty 70 -300 mm f4.5 - 5.6 SSM G telephoto lens featuring super sonic wave motor auto focus drive system for smooth auto focusing in Spring 2008.

Sony’s full line of accessories will also expand to include a new vertical grip. Equipped with buttons and switches for the most essential control functions, it offers the same ease of operation and handling as when shooting vertically. It houses two InfoLithium® batteries (sold separately), which will automatically switch to the second battery when the first one runs out. Remaining charges of both batteries are displayed on the camera’s LCD screen.

Memory That Keeps Up With The Camera

The model also features separate slots for Memory Stick Duo™ media cards compatible with the Memory Stick PRO-HG™ high-speed data transfer standard, as well as CompactFlash™ Type I/II media cards compatible with the new Ultra Direct Memory Access standard for up to 300x write speeds. Sony is also introducing new 300x high-speed CompactFlash™ memory cards, ideal for high-end photographers requiring fast write speeds. The new models, available in 2GB or 8GB capacity, expand Sony’s current line of CompactFlash cards that also include 66X and 133X speeds, with capacities ranging from 1GB to 4GB.

The DSLR-A700 camera body, DT 16 - 105 mm lens, and DT 18-250 mm lens will be available for about $1,400, $580 and $550, respectively. The DSLR-A700K kit with an 18-70 mm lens will be available for about $1,500, and the DSLR-A700P kit with the 16-105 mm lens will be available for about $1,900. The camera body and DSLR-A700K kit will ship in October and the DSLR-A700P kit in November. All will be available at sonystyle.com, Sony Style retail stores (www.sonystyle.com/retail), at military base exchanges, and at authorized dealers nationwide.

Pre-orders begin online today at www.sonystyle.com

via Gizmodo

It looks like Canon is ready to jump into the big league for hard disk based camcorders, with the new model Canon iVIS HG10, that will bring high-definition quality, available from September. It comes packed with a 40GB hard disk that you can store up to 5.5 hours of ACHD recording (highest quality), compressed at 15MBps.

Canon HG10, HDD based camcorder review

Gizmodo already had their hands on the Canon HG10 and it looks like they really tested it, so here is what these guys found out:

- The world’s smallest hard disk HD camcorder, is very compact, but it’s not too small and allows easy access to all those buttons and controls.

- A bit disappointing battery life for the standard battery that you can use for an hour of shooting. An extended battery however will cost, and will give you 2 hours and 15 minutes of shooting.

- Better AVCHD codec, than Sony and Panasonic.

- It records 1080i HD at a resolution of 1440 x 1080. Only 1440 pixels are written to on the disk to save space and then it’s stretched back to full 1920 x 1080 when you playback.

- Has a super range optical image stabilization, which results in very good stabilization for high-frequency shaking but also for those small hand movements.

The result is that Canon HG10, is a great camcorder, will cost $1299 and will ship from October in the United States.

It all started with Ricoh Caplio RR730 that got now some small upgrades. Higher resolution 2.5-inch TFT-LCD screen and better lens resolution for better picture quality. Ricoh RR750 which is in fact an entry level digital camera, has a 7.16 megapixel CCD sensor, 4x digital zoom and 3x optical zoom.

Ricoh Caplio RR750 comes with a 32MB built-in memory, USB connectivity and one SD expansion slot. Working on two AA batteries, weighting 128g and with a combined zoom of 12x you can consider it a good solution for a point-and-shoot partner for photography on the go. Ricoh RR750 was only announced in Japan so far, with no release date or price.

[via Engadget]

Canon, the biggest digital camera maker, announced they’ve started working on a new factory to produce complementary metal oxide semiconductors (CMOS sensors) in May and is located near Tokyo in the Kanagawa Prefecture.

Once alive and kicking, the company will almost double the production capacity from 3 mln chips they are manufacturing right now in another factory in Kanagawa, that will be used both in SLR (single lens reflex) cameras as well as compact models. Canon is trying to have their key components, manufactured in-house, to lower costs and to become less dependent of Sony’s CMOS. Their targets for 2007 are 24 million digital cameras, out of which, 3 million are high-end SLRs.

Canon will invest 55 billion yen in this new factory ($451 mln) and should become operational in July 2008.

Source

BenQ’s digital camera line-up just got an update with the E820 and C740i models. Being upgrades to the E720 and the C740 series, the new devices feature bright 2.5″ displays and 3x optical zoom. You can have a better look at the features of each device from the following comparison:

[Source]

It’s been some time since we haven’t presented small silver cameras. We love those big ones, semi-professional or for professionals that pop-out every once in a while, but I want all the bloggers know that Fujifilm FinePix Z5fd will help you blog. It’s a 6-megapixel camera, 3x optical zoom that costs $219.

It can shoot at full resolution and then save it for 640×480, crop it or trimming it for blog. However the problem is that on Devicepedia the biggest images we use are 480 pixels wide and it won’t do it. Also from what Gizmodo says, they don’t have file optimization.

Trimming for blog is really easy. You get to transfer the image via Infrared by pressing one button. No Bluetooth. The camera also comes with a smart timestamp that you control by setting the time difference. It also has the Fujifilm Intelligent Face Detection to auto-crop when you take pictures of faces.
The camera is not bad, but for $219 I think I can get a better one. Much better. Regarding to making a blogger’s life better, I am not sure if it will. It wouldn’t help me on Devicepedia, that’s for sure.

Sanyo announces the first waterproof camcorder. The Xacti E1 model will be available next month for $500. We consider the price fair as the camera records directly on the SD/SDHC cards. It works underwater for about an hour, but the maximum depth is just 5 feet. The Sanyo Xacti E1 waterproof camcorder is perfect for beach activities or water parks.

Besides being a good underwater device, the camera gives you the possibility to use it like a regular camera wherever you want. It is perfect for shooting video or still images using the Advanced Video Codec AVC/H.264. Xacti’s users can record up to 10 hours of 640 x 480 pixels/30fps videos on a 8GB SDHC memory card. The CCD image sensor allows to capture 6 megapixel images and videos and it has 5x optical zoom.

The Xacti E1 features a 2.5″ LCD screen that rotates up to 285 degrees on an axis. The Xacti E1 enables easy playback of recorded video directly on a TV screen. All in all I can say this camera is a true work of art. Pre-orders are available at Amazon.com.

[Product page via Engadget]

These guys at Pure Digital made a habit from launching cheap and very simple products to get the job done. It’s the most convenient cam corder ever made from what they say and that is because it’s convenient to record and then share it to everyone.

You can connect it to your TV with just a few simple moves and see how good the quality is, or you can connect it to your computer via USB to copy or edit files. If you remember the Point & Shoot Camera they had last year, you should know that the new Flip Video camcorder is just an exact replica that has a smart software that allows you to instantly record and send email videos or publish your clips on YouTube and other sharing websites pain-free.

From what I see the business concept for Pure Digital is to create something easy to use that will produce satisfactory quality and that is the Flip Video camcorder. The price is $119.99 for the 30-minute version and $149.99 for the 60-minute version. It’s not bad! - ALEX ION

There is a new launch from Sony, the Cybershot DSC S800, not very big but offering high quality pictures. It has high quality Sony Lens with 6x optical zoom, 8.1 megapixel resolution 1/1.8″ Super HAD CCD and 230k colors on the 2.5-inch TFT LCD with on-screen functions. It has 54MB built-in memory which can be expanded thanks to Memory Stick Duo and Memory Stick PRO Duo cards, has a 16:9 feature to playback on widescreen TVs and thanks to the 2cm macro focus makes great close-ups.

CyberShot S800 has PictBridge to connect it directly to the printer and not through your PC. For night shooting when the light is not good enough or for cloudy days it has ISO high sensitivity. You can also use the new Sony S800 to shoot videos at 30fps with sound. It uses 2 NiMH batteries that are good for 390 shots. You can see full specs on LetsGoDigital. - ALEX ION

The HDR-CX7, HDR-SR5 and HDR-SR7 three new AVCHD high-definition camcorders were announced today by Sony offering customers better ways to save their memories.

Being one of the smallest and lightest products on the market, the handycam HDR-CX7 offers up to 3 hours of high definition quality recording when equipped with a 8 GB Memory Stick PRO Duo card. A 60 GB worth of storage is available with the HDR-SR7 due to the built-in hard disk. With this there is enough space to save 22 hours of continous shooting… provided you have enough batteries. If you consider that none of the above cameras will work, there is the HDR-SR5 which comes with 40 GB (15 hours ) storage using a magnetic storage drive.

“Our models offer the added advantages of superior high-definition picture quality. With the widest range of consumer high-def models, we can satisfy the needs of virtually everyone” commented Linda Vuolo, director of camcorder marketing at Sony Electronics

Shipping in June the HDR-SR5, HDR-CX7 and HDR-SR7 camcorders will be priced around $1,100, $1,200 and $1,400, respectively. - Marius TRUSCULESCU -