What's New in Digital Cameras

What's New - April 2011

April 28

Express Review posted for Canon A3300!
The Canon A3300 doesn't look like the A-series cameras of old, but it's still attractive, simple, and inexpensive, maintaining the legendary image quality we've come to expect. With a 16 megapixel sensor, and a 5x zoom, the Canon A3300 delivers a lot more to the average snapshooter on a budget, because the zoom starts at 28mm and telescopes out to 140mm equivalent, perfect for most photographic situations. A stack of easy auto and scene modes allow users to explore the possibilities if they like, and capturing HD video is as easy as you please. More pocketable than past designs, the Canon A3300 is a lot of fun to use and easy to afford. Click here for more on the Canon PowerShot A3300!

April 25

Express Review posted for Canon 300 HS!
Taking up the bottom position in the price category for quality slim pocket digital cameras, the Canon 300 HS has just what it takes to be a top seller. While it won't deliver the gigantic prints of CCD cameras of similar size, the Canon 300 HS pleases in other ways, packing a 24-120mm equivalent lens, a good quality 2.7-inch LCD, and Full HD video capability in a very slim package. Handheld NightScene mode further reveals the advantage of the Canon 300's CMOS image capture, combining three images into one for a smoother still than you'd normally expect at ISO 1,600. Though we had some trouble with soft corners, we thought the Canon 300's images were still good enough for most anyone's purposes as a pocket camera for recording the fun wherever you go. Click here for more on the Canon PowerShot ELPH 300 HS.

Lens Review: Nikon AF-S 24mm f/1.4G ED!
Today's lens review is the Nikon AF-S 24mm f/1.4G ED. Released in February 2011, this lens is the widest and fastest offered by Nikon, producing a unique perspective from which to make photographs. It doesn't come without a hefty price tag, however, making many wonder if that unique perspective is worth the money. We've finished putting the lens through its paces in our lab - click here to read our full review of the Nikkor 24mm f/1.4G lens.

April 19

Lens Review: Nikon AF-S 35mm f/1.4G!
Before Photokina 2010, Nikon announced a new fast wide angle prime lens, the 35mm f/1.4G. It follows up the popular DX 35mm f/1.8, this time designed for a full-frame camera body. The lens sports a premium price tag, closing in on $1,800. Is it worth the investment? Click here to read our full review of the Nikon 35mm f/1.4G.

April 18

Express Review posted for Olympus XZ-1!
Long a pioneer in quality small cameras, Olympus has finally entered one of the more popular categories among digital cameras with the Olympus XZ-1. Competing with the Canon S95 and Panasonic LX5, which also have 10-megapixel sensors and wide-to-mid-range zooms, the Olympus XZ-1 merges ideas from both into a premium pocket digital camera with a very special lens. The XZ-1 is not only special because it has a 28-112mm, f/1.8 lens, which is 1/3 stop faster than its rivals, it is the first time Olympus has branded a lens with the Zuiko name. Our tests show that it's not just window dressing: This i.Zuiko lens has impressive corner sharpness, especially at wide-angle, besting its rivals. It sports an OLED display, and the ability to add the excellent VF-2 electronic viewfinder made for the Olympus Pen cameras. Sensor image quality is quite good from ISO 100 to 400, but noise suppression starts to soften detail from 800 and up a little more than its rivals. That doesn't take away from the potential of the XZ-1 for all manner of photography, though, as it still produces better results optically than other cameras in its price range. It's an impressive first offering in the premium pocket digital camera market. Click here for more on the Olympus XZ-1!

April 12

Lens Review: Tamron 18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 VC PZD!
Near the end of 2010 Tamron released an update to its champion of all-in-one superzoom SLR lenses, in the form of the Tamron 18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD AF. It's more accurate to call it a redesign than an update, as Tamron has replaced the focusing system with a brand-new ultrasonic design (the "Piezo Drive"), and managed to slim it down by 110 grams in the process. We've put the lens through its paces in our test lab: Click here for our full review of the Tamron 18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD lens.

April 11

Full Review posted for Pentax K-5!
Two years ago, Pentax unveiled the impressive K-7, which coupled a rich feature set, and a weather-proofed body barely any larger than the typical consumer SLR. As well as drawing praise for its handling, the K-7 grabbed our attention with some really unusual capabilities, including some--automatic horizon leveling and composition adjustment among them--that are still unique. The Pentax K5 replaces that camera, leaving it with some pretty mighty shoes to fill. The K-5 retains its predecessor's body design almost unchanged, but brings important changes elsewhere. Key among these is the K5's new 16 megapixel image sensor which, coupled with Pentax's PRIME II image processor, allows full-resolution shooting at up to ISO 51,200 equivalent, Full HD movie capture, and a manufacturer-claimed 7 fps burst shooting mode. The K5 also brings updates to autofocusing, noise reduction, the electronic level gauge, and throughout the user interface. It also brings a 25% increase in list pricing, but with the Pentax K-5 also adding some new features that are rare to completely unique, we went into our review with an open mind as to the K5's value proposition. Curious to see if the Pentax K5 is worthy of its price tag? If so, you'll want to click here and read our full review of Pentax's latest flagship SLR.

Express Review posted for Panasonic ZS10!
Panasonic's Lumix ZS10, latest in their line of pocket long zoom digital cameras, sports a 24-384mm equivalent zoom lens and can record Full HD video and 14-megapixel stills. A 3-inch touchscreen LCD and GPS round out the package, which still all fits into a large pants pocket. In order to enable Full HD recording, the Panasonic Lumix ZS10 uses a CMOS sensor, which produces good, high-res video, but reduces the still image quality compared to what a CCD can do. Click here for our Express Review to see if the Panasonic ZS10 still makes the cut as a preferred pocket long zoom digital camera.

April 5

Hands-On Preview posted for Nikon D5100!
Nikon has today announced the D5100, a new mid-range single-lens reflex digital camera that marks several firsts for the company. The Nikon D5100 is based around the pairing of the same 16.2 megapixel, DX-format CMOS image sensor that previously featured in the D7000, and EXPEED 2 image processing. The combination is placed in a newly designed body whose form factor is more similar to the Nikon D5000, and includes an articulated LCD display. Where the D5000's LCD flipped downwards before swiveling, though, the new D5100 is the first Nikon SLR to use a more traditional (and versatile) side swivel design that allows the LCD to be seen when framing self-portraits. ISO sensitivity ranges from 100 to 6,400 equivalents by default, but can be extended as high as 25,600 equivalent if desired. As well as capturing still images at a rate of four frames per second, the Nikon D5100 can record high definition video at resolutions up to 1,920 x 1,080 pixels, using MPEG-4 AVCHD / H.264 compression. Full-time autofocus is available in the D5100's live view and video modes, including a face detection function which can locate up to 35 faces in a scene simultaneously. There's lots more to cover, so read our Nikon D5100 Hands-on Preview for details, and visit the Nikon D5100 Samples and Gallery pages for the images we've shot so far, including links to select RAW files.

April 4

Accessory Review: Lensbaby Composer Pro!
We take the new Lensbaby Composer Pro to Berkeley with the Double Glass Optic and the Fish-Eye Optic. We liked the original Composer design a lot. The new Pro is a refinement, adding a metal ball for smooth tilts and a refined focusing mechanism that eliminates the play we found on the original Composer. While we enjoyed the tighter fit and finish and smoother operation of the Composer Pro, we really appreciated it when we did some macro work. Read our Lensbaby Composer Pro review for the full story.