CamerasBuzz.com Latest Blog Posts

Panasonic’s toughest digital camera, now with big discounts

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 11:30:03 GMT

The Panasonic LUMIX digital camera line-up for point-and-shoots is pretty deep in all areas except for the rugged category. Panasonic currently lists only two rugged digital cameras on their website and those cameras, the 14.1MP Lumix DMC-TS10 and the 12.1MP Lumix DMC-TS3. In contrast Panasonic’s other Lumix cameras number eighteen in total.

Your only two options
Panasonic has equipped the TS10 and TS3 to reach two different demographics within the rugged camera market. The folks that want a stylish camera that is designed to work with the elements to a degree and comes in at a very affordable price, the TS10. And the people that want a truly rugged digital camera that they will be able to take with them on their global adventures, the TS3.

Even though cameras with higher numbers in their names are usually better the TS10 really isn’t better than the TS3. Sure the sensor inside the TS10 offers 14-megapixels of resolution, but the TS3 offers better quality images and the ability to record Full HD video. And that’s not to mention that the TS3 offers a design that is a lot more rugged.

To get all the specifics out of the way for the TS3 the camera features the following:
4 Active Outdoor Scene Modes: The DMC-TS3 has 4 active outdoor Scene Modes – Sports, Snow, Beach & Snorkeling and Underwater
Quad Protection–waterproof (up to 40ft submerged), dustproof, freezeproof (14F or -10 C) and shockproof (6.6ft drops)
LEICA DC Lens with Folded Optics Technology: The DMC-TS3 features a high-quality LEICA DC VARIO-ELMAR 28mm wide-angle lens with a 4.6x optical zoom
28mm Wide-angle Lens: The 28mm wide-angle lens lets you easily capture large groups of people indoors
Newly Developed 12.1-megapixel Hi-speed CCD: The newly developed 12.1-megapixel CCD with 2-channel signal output structure
Sonic Speed AF (Autofocus): A new faster Autofocus system
2.7-inch TFT LCD with 230k dot resolution
Optical viewfinder for accurately framing shots using your own optics (your eyeball)
Up to Full HD 60i video capture
GPS Function + Compass + Altimeter + Depth Indicator + Barometric Sensor for Outdoor Use
HDMI output, SD/SDHC/SDXC memory card slot, USB 2.0 port

The Deal
Right now the Silver Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3 digital camera is available for just $244.95 on Amazon.com. That price includes the instant discount of $135.04 that has been put into effect. When Panasonic launched the TS3 in 2011 it retailed for $379.99 MSRP.

If you’re not afraid of loud colors you can save a few more dollars by picking the Blue, Red or Orange TS3 from Amazon.com. The Blue model has been reduced down to $232.08 and the Orange model is available for only $213.80. Panasonic’s Lumix DMC-TS3 on Amazon and at other online stores is a highly recommended camera by owners, on Amazon alone the TS3 is rated 4/5 stars.

The catch
The only negative mentioned that you should really know about is linked to the TS3′s mono microphone. A customer notes that if you take the TS3 underwater to record video the microphone records the noise made by the cameras focusing system which is automatic.

The noise is noticeable in your videos which is a bit annoying, because your only option is to edit that particular noise out of the final video with editing software which can be pretty challenging. Also with the TS3 not allowing you to disable the microphone for video it’s hard to avoid the noise if you plan on recording video that’s in-focus.

However looking past the sensitive microphone the TS3 is a camera with only minimal faults when compared against other makers offerings in the same price range.

Peckin’ on Kodak’s Nostalgia

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 09:37:58 GMT

Kodak is going through one of the more upsetting demises that the corporate world has ever witnessed. Founded in 1880, the company Eastman Kodak has played a pivotal role in popularizing photography throughout the entire world.

After tackling extreme economic hardship for over a decade, Kodak filed for bankruptcy protection. The company announced that it will stop producing both digital cameras and pocket video cameras, reserving its remaining capital for producing printers, inkjet devices and online services. It is also looking to license its brand name and line of products in order to survive through bankruptcy.

How could Kodak be dying? Do we still not take photography classes where we learn to develop film? Are we not still buying film cameras to look artsy? Are we not using the phrase “Kodak moments” any more? Kodak’s issues are business-centric, not affecting the culture and technology that it has provided. The reason for the company’s direction toward bankruptcy is not because of failure to maintain its popularity, but rather due to bad business choices.

The monetary illnesses for Kodak started in the late 1990s. The company failed to recognize that brand loyalty was not an everlasting feeling for its consumers. The company has been called out as the “twentieth century corporate dinosaur” by a number of commentators. It has been great at innovation but laggard at translating such ideas into enduring business ventures.

When competitor Fujifilm first entered the U.S. market, Kodak ignored the sway that their low-priced films had on the American consumer. Kodak was confident that the American consumers would stay loyal to the brand that introduced photography to them decades earlier; the feeling of confidence blinded the urge to see Fujifilm as a fair match. In 1985, Fuji became the sole sponsor of the Los Angeles Olympics, an opportunity that Kodak flopped on. As a newcomer to the American market, the sponsorship was a brilliant business maneuver on Fuji’s part—it provided Fuji with immediate recognition. The market share of the Japanese company grew over 17% in the early 1990s, while Kodak was not able to make an acclaimed progress in Japan. Kodak’s inability to deal with Fuji was the first signs of bovine business choices that the company made, knowing that Japan, at the time, was the second largest market for photo-related products after the United States.

Meanwhile, Kodak’s contributions to the digital recording technology have always been anything but negligent. In an attempt to become more than the producer of film cameras and films, Kodak invented the first digital camera in 1975 (who knew!). As a result, it was the founding father of the “filmless photography” culture in addition to its fame as the founding father of film photography. In 1996, Kodak collaborated with Nikon to produce the first point-and-shoot professional digital camera. However, Fuji, Olympus and Canon proved to be thorough competition. They were devoting more of their energy to the digital camera business, whereas Kodak was having a hard time paying less attention to the production of its first products—analog cameras and films. Kodak also fell behind in the market for printers due to their obsession with the past, channeling a little too much of its capital into the production of analog cameras.

When Daniel Carp, the CEO of the company between 2000 and 2005, announced the company’s goal of becoming the leading digital camera and printing company, a large chunk of Kodak’s endowment went into further developing digital projects. In 2005, Kodak became the best-selling digital camera brand in the U.S. Starting in 2007, most of Kodak’s revenue went into producing printers in order to continue onto becoming a digital giant.

Kodak, this time, had a unique business strategy that would hopefully leverage them as business innovators in the field: they decided to sell printers for more money and the ink for less. Rival companies like Hewlett-Packard and Xerox were making profit by selling expensive ink and cheaper printers.

Accordingly, 2007 was the last time Kodak made profit. The company was not able to compete against the standard business strategy in which the printers were sold. Kodak was losing money on the research and development of its digital projects, but was not getting satisfying returns.

As a last resort to engage in profits again, the company gave more attention to patent litigation and licensing lawsuits. They would sue companies that had actually or supposedly stole their ideas, including Apple Inc., who was sued for violating Kodak’s image preview patent, which allows photos to be previewed at a low-resolution yet saved as a higher resolution.

For a few years, acting as a patenting troll helped the company keep acceptable levels of production, but paying for a legal team can get expensive. Making “okay” profits is not good enough for companies to survive in the corporate world.

Now, Kodak has just recently filed for bankruptcy protection. It appealed to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court on January 12, 2012 and the court agreed on giving $950 million as debtor-possession financing. The company asked to remove its name from the Kodak Theatre in central Hollywood in order to get money to restructure while under bankruptcy protection. No one knows if the owners of the theatre will keep Kodak’s name during the next Oscars as a tribute to their pivotal role in making Hollywood a snapshot-land.

What makes the story of Kodak’s downfall sadder than other bankruptcy cases is that Kodak has been the architect of innumerable inventions for the “life-recording” market and is subsequently facing bankruptcy because of being too caught up in old memories of film photography. Everything about the company, from its name (given because of Eastman’s obsession with the letter “K”), to the way it promoted recording happy memories with the “Prove it with a Kodak” slogan, as well as its approach to business ventures, Kodak has long been under the pervasive influence of nostalgia. Kodak had a hard time letting go of the elderly analog camera business, while the digital photography business, which they invented, was clearly impairing the market for film cameras. When Fuji, Olympus and Canon were excelling in SLR cameras and fancy zoom mechanisms, Kodak was sparing some portion of its resources to producing disposable cameras for us to take photos that make us look blonde with a touch of gray on pictures.

The company is now doing everything it can to keep what it has left. The most important thing that Kodak has been able to do during times of hardship has been to remind people that Kodak had always created special moments and will remain attached to that idea as long as we use cameras. It has done this by emphasizing its investment on brand name rights. The company may be dying, but the notion of reminiscence that it created—capturing memories in snapshots of precious moments—will keep its name attached to the subject of photography forever. Next time you use an analog camera or go through your childhood pictures, remember that Kodak played a huge role in enabling us to pick-and-choose moments that we would like to remember. •

The New Olympus XZ-1 Digital Camera – Advantages and Disadvantages

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 09:17:26 GMT

Whether you are an expert, or someone that likes to take an occasional picture, the new Olympus XZ-1 Digital Camera is a great point and shoot camera for all ages. If taking high-quality images is important to you, this camera can provide you with excellent shots no matter where you are or what time of day. In this review we’ll take a look at the Olympus XZ-1 and see whether or not its truly a good value.

For many decades, you would not know how your picture would turn out until you developed it many days later. We have the convenience now due to the advent of digital cameras which bypass the necessity of developing the film. The Olympus XZ-1 is capable of giving you a heads up as to the quality of your shot before you take the image. Using the built-in Live Guide Control, you can see a LCD view the picture you are about to take. By knowing what you are going to take ahead of time, your images should be of a higher quality because of this feature.

One of the things that makes the XZ-1 so convenient is its size. This camera will easily fit into your hand because of its compact size. This camera is extremely small making it very easy to take along with you on road trips or on a bike ride. On the other hand, it’s not a mini camera either; it’s not so tiny that you can just put it into your pocket and forget about it. Many users find this to be the ideal size, as a camera that’s too small can be difficult to grip and point -which is one reason it’s hard to take great photos with a phone. Olympus designed the XZ-1 to be small enough to be hung like a necklace from your neck for quick and easy access.

A lot of vendors list the XZ-1 at a little bit under $500.00 but there are much better bargains if you just do some research online. Still, this is fairly expensive for a digital camera, especially in today’s market, where you can now find many models for under $100. Of course, the cheaper cameras won’t have as many features as the XZ-1 and the quality will probably be less. However, they are an attractive option for newcomers to the digital camera world who are just looking for a point-and-shoot model. Your basis for deciding if you want to pay that much for a digital camera is based on your seriousness about photography. What are your ultimate plans for your photography? If you’ve never bought a digital camera before, look at the less sophisticated models. You can always upgrade later after you get a little experience. However, if you’ve been in photography for a while, you’ll love the Olympus XZ-1 for its ease of use and sophisticated features.

If you looking for a digital camera, there are tons of persuasions as to why the Olympus XZ-1 is a nice pick. In spite of this, you need to come to a decision if you truly wish to take premium photos and that you want to spend money on this type of camera. The XZ-1 is an innovative camera that has only a few minor flaws, and it is definitely one that is worthy of serious consideration if you want a compact digital camera that is easy to operate.

Nikon 1 J1 Mirrorless Digital Camera with 10-30 mm VR Zoom Lens

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 11:15:00 GMT

Nikon launched its first mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras, the Nikon 1 J1 and its more advanced sibling, the V1, last fall. The Nikon 1 J1 is the smaller and more affordable of the two, although both were designed from the ground up around a 10 megapixel (effective) CMOS sensor and feature a new lens mount and a few matching lenses.

In many ways, the J1 is an entry-level camera, particularly for those who want to move up from a point and shoot model, but it has enough manual controls to attract more experienced users as well.

The J1 is available in several kits including a single lens kit (10-30mm); a 2 lens wide-angle kit (10-30mm and a fast, f/2.8 10mm prime); 2 lens zoom kit (10-30mm VR, 30-110mm VR); and a two lens zoom kit in pink (10-30mm, 30-110mm, with pink accessories). Nikon recently released an adaptor for Nikkor E-FS lenses, expanding the range of glass for the J1.

Design and notable features
Available in white, black, red, silver, or pink—depending on the camera/lens kit selected—the Nikon 1 J1 body is tiny but well built. Although it measures a mere 4.2 by 2.4 by 1.2 inches and weighs only 8.3 ounces, most of its lenses prevent the J1 from being pocketable.

Unlike the V1, the Nikon 1 J1 does not have a viewfinder. But it does sport a 3-inch, 460,000 dot LCD that works pretty well under most lighting conditions. The J1 is equipped with a petite built-in flash but doesn’t accept an external flash like the V1.

A streamlined design and lack of a grip means the best way to hold the camera is to grasp the corners between thumb and forefinger, which is the norm for many compact cameras. Operation is pretty straightforward although consumers should at least browse the user manual to understand what lies beneath the options on the mode dial: Motion Snapshot, Smart Photo Selector, Still Image, and Movie. The occasional tip or hint will appear on the LCD suggesting a trip to the F (function) button for mode-specific options.

Below the mode dial on the camera’s rear panel is a typical compact camera control layout: display, playback, and menu buttons, along with a multi-selector/command dial for navigation, adjustments, and accessing AE/AF lock, exposure compensation, flash, and self-timer. The top panel is home to the tiny pop-up flash, on/off, shutter, and movie buttons. However, the J1 is menu-dependent for anything above the basics, including exposure modes.

Features and performance
The J1’s control layout is designed for simplicity but the camera is well stocked with features, including manual and semimanual exposure controls, Raw capture, and full HD video. In addition to a full complement of video controls (including manual exposure and AF), the J1 offers a few non-standard movie options.

Although not unique to the J1, users can shoot slow motion video at frame rates of 400 or 1200, and the camera is great for taking slo-mo clips of action like a dog shaking off water or a sports scene. The files are physically small and low resolution, but they’re fun to watch and great for posting on the Web.

Perhaps one of the most interesting, and potentially useful, functions is being able to shoot stills while simultaneously shooting video without any breaks in video—I don’t know any other camera that can do that.

A fun, but not necessarily practical, feature is Motion Snapshot, which produces a combo file. The camera buffers video and saves about one second of video captured just before the shutter snap. The video portion plays back in slow motion, fades out and then displays the still image at the end, accompanied by one of four themed music soundtracks.

Nikon made some hefty claims about the J1’s performance and, for the most part, those claims are justified. Autofocus, particularly in good light, is fast thanks to a hybrid AF system that utilizes phase detection or contrast detect AF, depending on the lighting conditions (in low light, contrast detection is used because it activates an AF illuminator). Unfortunately, it sometimes locked AF in the wrong place, but most test shots were accurately focused.

Continuous shooting starts at 5 frames-per-second at full resolution with autofocus, but can zip along as fast as 60 frames-per-second (with AF locked at the first frame). The Smart Photo Selector, similar to Nikon’s Best Shot Selector, captures a burst of up to 20 frames and then selects the five best shots. Users can opt to save all five or only one.

Image quality
I found that the J1’s images looked best when captured under bright lighting conditions. I shot with three kit lenses and, on average, most shots produced respectable detail. Color rendition was good, with relatively rich and saturated colors. Unfortunately, the tiny flash didn’t help much in low light, even after going into the menu system to increase the flash’s intensity. The Nikon J1 did not fare well in Macworld’s lab tests.

Given the camera’s relatively small sensor, image noise was an issue. Pixel peepers will spy shadow noise at its lowest ISO (100) but it’s not bad. Increase the ISO and noise levels rise, of course, so it’s best to keep it lower than 800. The best bet is to shoot in Raw and process the images to reduce noise, but if you don’t want to hassle with post-processing, turn off the camera’s noise reduction to avoid extra smearing.

Video quality isn’t great, particularly in low light, but is more than sufficient for entertaining family and friends, particularly when shared on the computer. And, despite its ability to capture stereo sound, the audio track wasn’t stellar.

Macworld’s buying advice
Given the strong competition in the compact interchangeable lens category and the smaller sensor size, the Nikon 1 J1 may not hit a home run for all buyers. But it’s a fun camera to shoot with and, in many ways, the little J1 can hold its own, particularly when it comes to performance.

Canon PowerShot G1 X

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 10:19:50 GMT

The good: The Canon PowerShot G1 X delivers excellent photo quality and a nice shooting design.
The bad: Two flaws stand out: the camera's underperforming lens and sluggish shooting speed.
The bottom line: A big camera capable of shooting some lovely photographs, the Canon PowerShot G1 X's slow lens disappoints given its high price.

What you think about the Canon PowerShot G1 X depends upon whether you view it as a cheap alternative to the Fujifilm X100 or an expensive competitor to a lot of other fixed and interchangeable-lens models. That's because the price of the camera sets it apart from the crowd as much as the large-ish sensor does. But despite delivering on image quality and having a pretty nice shooting design, the lens, and to a lesser extent the shooting performance, hold it back from being worth the price. The camera gets high marks for photo quality, though it's not significantly better than lower-priced ILCs like the Olympus E-PL3 or the Sony Alpha NEX-5N.

One advantage Canon retains over its rivals is the excellent JPEG processing and noise reduction, which allows it to produce extremely clean photos as high as ISO 400 and seriously usable ones up through ISO 3200. Color and exposure look great as well. The lens has good center sharpness, but not the greatest edge sharpness.

Movies look fine for casual shooting: decent sharpness and exposure with minimal rolling shutter, but quite a bit of aliasing (jaggies) and a relatively narrow tonal range. The lens does zoom and focus quietly while shooting, though. For the most part, it's comparable with fixed-lens competitors. Unfortunately, the G1 X gets relatively low marks for performance, partly because of its sluggish shot-to-shot speed--even slower than the G12's--and partly because of some disappointing lens characteristics.

It powers on and shoots in 1.9 seconds, which is slow but typical for this type of camera. It takes 0.4 second to focus and shoot in good light, and 0.7 second in dim, both of which are par for this course as well. But time to shoot two sequential JPEGs is 2.4 seconds, rising to a seriously sad 3.2 seconds for raw.

I suspect this lag is because of poor buffer management, since it seems like the camera won't even attempt to focus for the second shot until it's cleared. That might explain why the flash shot-to-shot time is faster than raw, at 2.8 seconds. Its continuous-shooting speed sags as well at 2fps, but this isn't really a camera you'd want to burst with.

That said, the camera didn't feel as sluggish to shoot with as the data would imply. Perhaps I didn't notice because I spent a disproportionate amount of time dealing with the small-apertured lens and its bizarre focusing-distance constraints.

First, I'd expect a wider-than-f2.8 maximum aperture on an $800 camera. But more important, I expect it to be a lot faster than f5.8 at 112mm-equivalent. Not only does that compare poorly with similar focal ranges on the less-expensive XZ-1 and Fujifilm X10, but it's worse in practice: it's only f2.8 at 28mm. By 31.5mm it's jumped to f3.2. Here's the progression of maximum apertures available at the crossover focal lengths:

   • f2.8 at 28mm
   • f3.2 at 31.5mm
   • f3.5 at 34.5mm
   • f4 at 37.5
   • f4.5 at 44.7
   • f5 at 56.2mm
   • f5.6 at 75.7
   • f5.8 at 112mm

Canon PowerShot S100 12MP 5x Digital Camera w/GPS for $408 + free shipping

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 09:30:18 GMT

BuyDig offers the Canon PowerShot S100 12.1-Megapixel Digital Camera in Black, model no. 5244B001, for $408 with free shipping. That's $12 under our October mention and the lowest total price we could find by $14, outside of the price below. It features a 3" LCD, 24mm wide-angle f/2 lens, 5x optical zoom, dedicated movie button, 1920x1080 (1080p) video recording, optical image stabilization, SD/SDHC and MMC card slot, built-in GPS tracker, HDMI output, USB connectivity, and more.

Canon PowerShot G1 X

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 09:37:05 GMT

The good: Fantastic high-ISO performance; very solid build; vivid yet natural colors; generous feature set.
The bad: Can't shoot macro; bulky; focusing speeds could be improved; expensive for an advanced compact.

The bottom line: If you're after the perfect advanced compact, the PowerShot G1 X isn't it. However, it does produce some breathtaking images--with APS-C-rivaling low-light performance--and has a very solid build.

Review:
It's no secret that every major dSLR manufacturer has released a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera (ILC) of sorts, ranging from the Nikon 1-series with its small CX-sensors, to the APS-C-imbued NEX-series cameras from Sony. Canon is the notable absentee in this category and it appears as if it may never join the ILC fray. However, the company's latest PowerShot G1 X advanced compact could very well be a worthy contender with a CMOS sensor that's even larger than the Micro Four Thirds varieties found in Olympus' and Panasonic's ILCs.

Can a camera with a fixed lens put up a good fight against the current crop of interchangeable lens shooters? We'll say outright that it very well might.

Saying this camera is solid would be a bit of an understatement. Many of my CNET Asia colleagues have used the phrase "built like a tank" on this advanced compact and I doubt many folks would disagree. It has a stainless steel chassis (as opposed to the G12's magnesium alloy), and used textured rubber and knurled metal to good effect on the grip and dials. This makes the camera feel substantial in hand, although the G1 X's "boxier" build (compared with the G12) makes it a little less ergonomic than we liked.

As the most advanced compact Canon has released to date, the camera also comes with a generous feature set. The most distinguishable one would be the 18.7mm x 14mm CMOS sensor, that's just 20 percent smaller than Canon's APS-C variant and 6.3 times larger than the one in the PowerShot G12, the sensor in the latter being of a similar size to most midrange compacts.

As a camera Canon says is targeted at dSLR owners to use as a backup or something they'll shoot with on a day off, the G1 X also has full manual controls, as well as two custom settings modes. The company also clarifies that the G1 X is not a successor to the G12 but a new PowerShot line altogether.

However, like the recent G-series cameras, the G1 X comes with a hotshoe for Canon Speedlites, dual-mode dials and a rotating jog-dial that resembles those on the company's midrange and high-end dSLRs. The G1 X's button and dial setup sees some rearrangement, too, with a conspicuously missing ISO-selector dial up top--to make way for the new pop-up flash--and a large video record button on the back, just next to where your thumb would rest.

Overall, we wouldn't say the new layout makes a huge difference, although we appreciated the dedicated video button. One thing we initially missed was the jog-dial for ISO selection, which has now been replaced by an exposure-compensation dial. We finally figured out why Canon opted to keep the latter, and it's mainly to do with the negligible difference in image at settings below ISO 3,200.

Of course, a camera with the promise of high-quality images should come with a great screen, and the 920k-dot articulating display on the G1 X doesn't disappoint. Images were displayed clearly, and remained readable in all but direct sunlight. An optical viewfinder has been included, too, although that's barely usable, giving us shots with our subject consistently appearing a lot higher in the frame.

As an advanced compact, the G1 X lives up to its PowerShot lineage and is as responsive as the G12, in most aspects. The camera starts up relatively quickly, taking about 2.2 seconds, while shutter lag was measured at 0.26 seconds on average. That's not quite as fast as most ILCs but is a little speedier than typical compacts. JPEG shot-to-shot time was good, too, taking about 0.59 seconds. What did we mean by "most aspects" then? Well, we noticed that the G12 was actually marginally faster at locking focus than the G1 X.

One thing we weren't quite expecting was the subpar minimum focusing distance on the G1 X. Canon obviously had to make some compromises here to prevent the G1 X from being bulkier than it already is by opting for a 28mm to 112mm zoom lens. Any longer or wider and you'd likely end up with a camera that's as hefty as a megazoom. The result: The lens and sensor combo on the G1 X gives it a minimum focusing distance of about 16cm at the wide end (though it's rated at 20cm). This will definitely be a huge drawback for those even remotely interested in closeup work.

Another slight letdown was battery life, with the G1 X rated for 250 shots when shooting with the LCD on. In our time with the camera, we managed to capture about 180 images and a handful of full-HD videos before seeing a low-battery warning.

Cutting to the chase, we'll say that the PowerShot G1 X gave us image quality that's possibly the best we've seen from any compact camera. This shouldn't really come as a surprise considering the massive size of the camera's 14.3-megapixel CMOS sensor, measuring 18.7mm x 14mm (or about 1.5 inches diagonally). The noise control is even better than recent Micro Four Thirds cameras, such as Panasonic's Lumix DMC-G3 and Olympus' Pen E-P3, which means that this PowerShot performs exceedingly well in low light. Colors were also nicely saturated without being over-the-top, which is what we've come to expect of Canon's compacts. There are also ample in-camera tweaks that can turn your images into anything from black and white and nostalgic, to dramatically oversaturated. There's an automated HDR mode, too, though we'll recommend a tripod when using it.

Viewing images fullscreen on our monitors, we could barely tell the difference among images shot at ISO 100 to 3,200. At about ISO 6,400, grain started to become noticeable but was still amazingly well controlled. ISO 8,000 could be considered the tipping point, but could still pass muster for small- to medium-sized prints, while ISO 12,800 images remain acceptable with noticeable grain and chroma noise. This is performance that rivals the best APS-C dSLRs out there, and is a sign that Canon has the technology for potentially jaw-dropping noise control in its future dSLR bodies.

However, there is a drawback. While ILCs allow shutterbugs to swap slower kit lenses for faster primes, you're stuck with an F2.8 to F5.6 maximum aperture range on the G1 X. One can't help but wonder how this camera would compete with the increasingly crowded ILC market if it happened to support interchangeable lenses.

Video performance on the G1 X is good, but not perfect--perhaps we were a little spoilt by the camera's excellent still image performance--with some visible judder and a bit less detail than we expected. However, colors were pleasing, images remained sharp, and audio (which is recorded in stereo) sounded good enough, as well. The highest resolution the camera is capable of for video is 1080/24p, which is better than the 720p offered by most advanced compacts.

Canon C300 video camera puts you in the director's seat

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 09:27:46 GMT

Canon has had an illustrious history of being a 35mm stills camera maker, minted most recently with its cutting edge EOS range. From its original film-based EOS 1V to its latest flagship EOS 1DX, Canon cameras are used by everyone from wedding photographers to photojournalists working in the toughest conditions.

Aside from still cameras, Canon has a significant presence in the professional camcorder market too; its XF range of pro camcorders are coveted also by wedding videographers and TV journalists alike. With the launch of Canon's new C300 video camera, the imaging company is now determined to stake a claim in the intensely competitive world of high end digital cinema production.

Cinematographers and directors of photography (DPs) will find many of the C300 functions deeply rooted in film-based workflows of serious productions. The image from Canon's new super 35mm CMOS chip is extremely "filmic", with a wide tonal range, low noise and a top workable ISO of 20000 (that's four zeros). In short, it takes great footage in low light. By cutting expensive lighting setups usually required for exterior night scenes, you can imagine the savings made on the productions lighting budget alone.

The Canon C300's relative small size and low cost also means the camera can be used in more places, and in more numbers, than other professional video cameras which can cost up to hundreds of thousands of dollars, and require more than one operator. With this nifty advantage, smaller video production houses can punch above their weight alongside the big boys.

Canon also displays its shrewdness with the C300: The video camera will satisfy many stills photographers who are using video DSLRs hoping "to take it to the next level". Canon has attracted a loyal following of DSLR videographers, especially since the launch of the EOS 5D Mark II - a DSLR that produces 'full frame' video with its 35mm sensor. These same Canon video devotees can simply attach their existing Canon EF stills lenses to the C300 for instant industry standard video/audio recording capability, while getting the cinematic look that sold Canon's video DSLRs by the truckload.

Here are some numbers for you camera-geeks: The C300 shoots up to 1920x1080 HD, to Compact Flash cards, in a variety of frame rates, shutter speeds and shutter angles. It outputs video in Canon's XF codec, an MPEG 2 MXF format that can be ingested by all the standard video editing softwares and post-production pipelines. It outputs a broadcast quality (and beyond) 50 Mbps signal in 4:2;2 colourspace, which makes for clean colour grading, compositing and keying.

The C300 is dust and moisture sealed with a built-in cooling system. It has an optional handgrip, carry handle and monitor unit, which can be configured in a variety of setups, while, of course, still working with all manner of existing support rods, matte boxes and handheld rigs. The camera comes in two versions - the C300, and the C300 PL, which takes the cinema standard PL lens mount.

The Canon C300 - the C stands for Cinema - is a grown-up camera, for grown-up camera operators with few, if any, gimmicks. Instead there is a massive range of bedrock professional functions, that will please the most diehard cinematic camera operator, while the image quality of the camera can easily go head to head with other cameras twice its size, and many times its price range.

The Canon C300 will be available at the end of February at an estimated price of US$20,000 (lens sold separately).

OLYMPUS HALVES DIGITAL CAMERA OPERATING LOSS; SALES RISE (UPDATE)

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 12:58:57 GMT

Olympus reported a 14.7% rise in digital camera sales over the nine months, reaching 94,557 million yen (£771m) at 31 December 2011. Operating losses fell to 3,802 million yen (£31m), from 7,732 million yen for the same period the previous year.

'Revenue increased as a result of favourable sales of new products in the Olympus Pen series of interchangeable lens system digital cameras…. The E-P3, E-PL3 and E-PM1,' said the firm in a statement.

Growth in sales of high-end compact cameras, such as the Olympus XZ-1, in Europe and Asia, also boosted revenue. Olympus's total Imaging System Business sales increased by 16.5%. The figures are contained in the company's business results, an English version of which has now appeared on the Olympus website.

Looking to the future, Olympus pointed to the release of its OM-D E-M5 in late March, adding: 'Several new compact models are scheduled for successive launches from spring, using [the] same image processing technologies as micro SLRs [sic] for high sensitivity, low noise and fast autofocus.'

Kodak to stop making digital cameras

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 09:40:33 GMT

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Picture it: Save for a few disposable point-and-shoots, Kodak is exiting the camera business. Eastman Kodak Co. said Thursday that it will stop making digital cameras, pocket video cameras and digital picture frames in a move that marks the end of an era for the beleaguered 132-year-old company. Founded by George Eastman in 1880, Kodak was known all over the world for iconic cameras such as the Brownie and the Instamatic. For the past few decades, however, the Rochester, New York-based company has struggled.

The company sought bankruptcy protection from creditors in January in a case that covers $6.7 billion in debt. It has a year to devise a restructuring plan. Citigroup Inc. was approved to lend the company $650 million to continue operating.

Before Thursday’s announcement, Kodak had already been trying to shrink its product line and sell in fewer retail venues, but as sales declines worsened, the company saw no way to make the business profitable.
Kodak said getting out of the digital camera business by June should cut losses by about $100 million a year as it struggles to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Once the digital camera business is phased out, Kodak said its consumer business will focus on printing. It will seek a company to license its EasyShare digital camera brand.