Take a quick survey and help choose what cameras we review! Want to help pick out what cameras will be reviewed on this site in the weeks
and months ahead? Then take a few minutes to fill out this one
question survey,
which simply asks you which new digital cameras you're most interested in seeing
reviewed on the DCRP site.
I ended up reviewing 7 of the 10 most popular cameras
from last fall's survey, and I hope to do at least as well this time around. Thanks
for your time!
Important note: I realized that I missed a number of new cameras, so I reset the survey at 1130 PST (1930 GMT), so if you voted prior to that time, please vote again. Thanks!
{ Monday, February 8, 2010 }
Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 reviewed, at last I've posted a review that's so delayed that even I didn't think it would ever be finished -- my review of the Sony Alpha DSLR-A550. It's been a long time since I've reviewed a Sony digital SLR, so have a look to see what I thought about the A550!
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Canon introduces the EOS Rebel T2i digital SLR Canon today introduced the new EOS Rebel T2i, which replaces the popular Rebel
T1i. In many ways, the T2i is a scaled down EOS-7D, so it should be a pretty
impressive camera. Here's are all the details:
EOS Rebel T2i[specs] Known as the EOS-550D in some countries
18.0 Megapixel CMOS sensor (adapted from the 7D)
Same basic design as Rebel T1i, with a few new buttons
Supports both EF and EF-S lenses with a 1.6X focal length conversion ratio
DIGIC 4 processor
3-inch LCD display with 1.04 million pixels (!) and a 3:2 aspect ratio
Live view with contrast detect AF and face detection
Full manual controls, with an ISO range of 100 - 6400, expandable to 12,800
9-point autofocus and 63-zone metering
Exposure compensation range expanded to ±5 EV
Can take 6 RAW or 34 JPEGs at 3.7 frames/second
Records movies at Full HD (1920 x 1080) with sound
Available resolutions include 1080p24/25/30, 720p50/60, and 480p50/60; max
recording time per clip of 12, 18, and 24 minutes, respectively
Full manual control available
External microphone input
New "movie crop" feature (only available at VGA resolution)
gives you an 7X boost in zoom with no loss in video quality
Optional battery grip, wireless remote (both are new models)
SD/SDHC/SDXC memory card slot
HDMI output; now supports HDMI control from a compatible HDTV
Uses new LP-E8 lithium-ion battery, 470 shots per charge
Available in early March for t $799 body only, or $899 with an 18 - 55
mm EF-S lens
Canon PowerShot SX210 IS Canon also introduced four new PowerShot models, with the new SX210 IS leading
the pack. As its name implies, this camera replaces the PowerShot SX200, boosting
the resolution and zoom while adding a few gimmicks as well. Here's the scoop:
Canon PowerShot SD3500 IS Digital ELPH Let's lead off the discussion of the three new Digital ELPH models with a
look at the PowerShot SD3500 IS, which has a touchscreen interface:
PowerShot SD3500 IS Digital ELPH[specs
to come] Known as the Digital IXUS 210 in some countries
14.1 Megapixel CCD
F2.8-5.9, 5X optical zoom lens, equivalent to 24 - 120 mm
Optical image stabilization
Ultra-compact and stylish body comes in silver, black, and pink
3.5" wide touchscreen LCD display with 461,000 pixels
Point-and-shoot operation, with Smart Auto mode
Customizable user interface
Same face/smile/blink/wink detection features as the SX210
Records movies at 1280 x 720 (30 fps) with sound using H.264 codec
SD/SDHC/SDXC/MMC/MMCplus/HC MMCplus card slot (no internal memory or memory
card included)
Canon PowerShot SD1300 / SD1400 IS Digital ELPH The last pair of ELPHs replace the PowerShot SD1200 and SD780, respectively.
Let's begin with the entry-level PowerShot SD1300 IS:
PowerShot SD1300 IS Digital ELPH[specs
to come] Known as the Digital IXUS 105 in some countries
12.1 Megapixel CCD
F2.8-5.9, 4X optical zoom lens, equivalent to 28 - 112 mm
Optical image stabilization
Ultra-compact body comes in blue, silver, pink, green, and brown
2.7" LCD display with 230,000 pixels
Point-and-shoot operation with Smart Auto mode
Records movies at 640 x 480 (30 fps) with sound
SD/SDHC/SDXC/MMC/MMCplus/HC MMCplus card slot (no internal memory or memory
card included)
Uses NB-6L li-ion battery, 240 shots per charge
Available later this month for $199
PowerShot SD1400 IS Digital ELPH[specs
to come] - changes: Known as the Digital IXUS 130 in some countries
14.1 Megapixel CCD
Even thinner body, comes in silver, black, pink, and orange
Same face/smile/blink/wink detection as the SX210
A few more scene modes
Records movies at 1280 x 720 (30 fps) with sound using H.264 codec
Sony A550 gallery update, review poll coming soon I've updated the gallery for the Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 with a few new photos. I'm finally getting close to finishing the review, and I hope to get it posted on Monday (give or take a day).
In other news, once we get a few more camera announcements out of the way, I'll be doing another poll to see which recently introduced cameras you want to see reviewed on this site!
{ Wednesday, February 3, 2010 }
Fuji introduces CMOS-based FinePix HS10 super zoom Catching up with more cameras from yesterday: Fuji introduced a whopping thirteen new
cameras, ranging from budget to high-end. I'm going to start with the FinePix
HS10, an SLR-style camera with a CMOS sensor, 30X zoom lens with manual
zoom and focus rings, and Full HD movie recording. Grab a cup of coffee, because
there's a lot of Fuji news to follow!
FinePix HS10[specs to come]
10.3 Megapixel back-illuminated CMOS sensor (this thing really
gets around) promises better high ISO /
low light photos
F2.8-5.6, 30X optical zoom lens, equivalent to 24 - 720 mm
Sensor-shift image stabilization
SLR-style body features manual zoom and focus rings and lots of direct
buttons
3-inch, tilting LCD display with 230,000 pixels, plus an electronic viewfinder
with eye sensor
Full manual controls, with support for the RAW format
Continuous shooting at full resolution at 10 fps (up to seven shots)
Motion Panorama mode lets you pan the camera from side-to-side to create
a single panoramic image (just like on Sony's cameras)
Pro Light Light mode combines several images into one, to reduce noise
levels in low light situations
Face detection with auto redeye removal
Multi-Motion feature captures 5 images of a moving subject and combines
them into a single image; Motion Remover mode works in reverse, removing
the moving subject from the scene (can't say I've never needed that one)
Records movies at 1920 x 1080 (30 frames/second) with stereo sound using
the H.264 codec until 4GB file size or 29 min time limit is reached
HDMI output
45MB onboard memory + SD/SDHC card slot
Uses four AA batteries; 300 shots per charge using alkalines
Fuji FinePix F80EXR The next camera is the FinePix F80EXR, which (as you probably guessed) replaces
the FinePix F70EXR. This camera uses Fuji's SuperCCD EXR sensor, which offers
improved sensitivity and dynamic range compared with traditional sensors. The
new model has a higher resolution CCD, a larger LCD, and pet
detection (you read that right). Here are
the details on the F80EXR:
FinePix F80EXR[specs to come]
12.0 Megapixel SuperCCD EXR sensor offers your choice of high resolution,
low noise / high sensitivity, or increased dynamic range (the F70EXR had
a 10MP EXR sensor)
F3.3-5.6, 10X optical zoom lens, equivalent to 27 - 270 mm
Sensor-shift image stabilization
3-inch LCD with 230,000 pixels
Limited manual controls
Face detection and recognition, with auto redeye removal and subject tracking
New Pet Detection feature recognizes 80% of the top 20 American Kennel
Club dogs
and 60% of
the Cat Fancier's Assocation breeds (oh, dear)
Pro Light Light and Pro Focus modes combine multiple exposures into a single
image to reduce blur
Records movies at 1280 x 720 (24 fps) with sound using M-JPEG codec
HDMI output
40MB onboard memory + SD/SDHC card slot
Uses NP-50 lithium-ion battery, 230 shots per charge
