January 2012 news and reviews

Panasonic has updated its range of travel zoom cameras with the DMC-ZS20 and DMC-ZS15. The 14MP ZS20, sold as the DMC-TZ30 outside North America, is the slimmest 20x zoom camera on the market. Its lens covers a 24-480mm equivalent range and features the company's latest Power O.I.S stabilization. The 16x, 12MP ZS15 will appear as the TZ25. The high-speed MOS sensor allows the ZS20 to offer autofocus taking as little as 0.1 seconds, and it can shoot at up to 10 frames per second (5fps with AF-tracking). It also has GPS and an updated mapping function to show photos on a map with greater detail.

Panasonic has announced the DMC-TS4 (FT4 outside North America), the latest in its rugged series of compact cameras. The TS4 gains an altimeter, compass and barometer in addition to the GPS that appeared in the TS3. The camera comes with a DVD of maps that can be loaded onto the camera, helping the camera add better location data to its pictures' EXIF. Beyond this it's a pretty familiar affair, with a 12MP CCD capable of 1080p video housed in Panasonic's familiar industrial-looking tough-camera body and a 4.6x 28-128mm equivalent zoom.

Pentax has announced the Optio VS20, possibly the first compact camera with a second shutter button and zoom lever for portrait-orientation shooting. Beyond that it's a pretty well-specified 20x compact superzoom, featuring a 28-560mm equivalent zoom lens with sensor-shift image stabilization for its 16MP CCD. It's not the smallest 20x zoom camera we've seen but it manages to include a anti-glare-coated 460k dot 3.0" LCD and costs $249/£199, so it's not uncompetitive.

CES 2012: Fujifilm has confirmed in a discussion with dpreview, more details about its plans for the X-system. It also said a firmware update for the X10 aimed at reducing the 'white-orb' problem is due in early February, if not before. The firmware update, that addresses the hard-edged white discs or orbs generated when highlight regions clip, will reduce but not completely remove the effect. Meanwhile, the company hinted the X-Pro1 will be accompanied by at least one less expensive model.

CES 2012: Fujifilm has said it will produce a Black Premium Edition of its X100 large sensor, fixed lens camera in a limited edition of 10,000 cameras. The black X100s will come with matching lens hood, adapter ring, protective filter and leather 'ever-ready' case. Each will come in a presentation case with a numbered certificate encouraging buyers to use the camera. Beyond the color scheme and accessories, it will remain the same as the standard X100. Pricing hasn't been announced.

CES 2012: Casio has released the Exilim EX-ZS150, EX-ZS20, EX-ZS12 and EX-ZS6, refreshing its compact camera range. The four cameras are all based around 16MP CCD sensors and feature the company's 'easy Mode' interface, which offers which offers to guide the user to the optimal setters, as well as providing the ability to simply point-and-shoot. The ZS150 includes a stabilized 12.5x, 24-300mm equiv lens, similar to the one in the flagship ZR200 but the CCD chip means it can't offer that camera's high-speed features. The ZS20 has a 6x unstabilized zoom, starting at 26mm equiv, and including the company's Premium Auto mode. The ZS12 and ZS6 lose both these features, instead including 5x, 26mm equiv zooms.

CES 2012: Casio has released the Exilim EX-ZR200, its range-topping compact camera to the US and European markets. The ZR200, announced in Japan in November 2011, features a 12.5x zoom covering a 24-300mm equivalent range, with a maximum aperture range of f/3.0-5.9. It features the company's Premium Auto Pro mode, an extension of its Premium Auto mode. Rather than simply assessing the scene and using the appropriate shooting mode, the Premium Auto Pro mode will also use the multi-shot HDR and low-light shooting modes in an attempt to offer better images in a wider range of shooting situations.

CES 2012: Fujifilm has said the leaked lens roadmap for the X-mount used in its X-Pro1 is close but not finalized. Fujifilm's Kayce Baker, speaking to dpreview at the CES show in Las Vegas, said the leaked roadmap was 'a close estimate' of its plans but that some decisions, such as how fast the lenses maximum apertures will be, have not yet been made. The official line remains that there will be nine lenses in the next two years. Meanwhile, in an interview with Amateur Photographer magazine, Fujifilm Digital Imaging director Adrian Clarke has said the X-Pro1 will be part of a range of X-mount cameras. [Updated: video walkthrough of X-Pro1 added]

Pre-CES: Kodak has announced the Easyshare M750 Wi-Fi enabled compact cameras, along with its release of four other compacts. The M750 is a 16MP camera from which images can be pulled, wirelessly, from the camera using the Easyshare Camera App on iOS, Android or Blackberry devices. It can also connect to Wi-Fi networks, to allow simple uploading to social networks such as Facebook and YouTube. The company also says it is releasing the M215 and M565 14MP 5x zoom compacts, the C135 rugged camera and the Z5120 superzoom to its Easyshare range.

Pre-CES: Olympus has released the VR-340, an affordable 10x compact superzoom. It features a 24-240mm equivalent zoom and stands out from most of today's other Olympus announcements by being based around a 16MP, stabilized CCD sensor. It also offers a very respectable 460k dot LCD despite its recommended selling price of $149.

Pre-CES: Olympus has unveiled the SZ-12, a 24x compact superzoom camera. The camera is based around an image-stabilized 14MP sensor and adds a 25-600mm equivalent zoom lens. Like the other releases it includes the company's Magic Art Filters, but it also features a well-specified 460k dot 3.0" LCD. The SZ-12 will sell for around $199 from March 2012.

Pre-CES: Olympus has announced the SP-620UZ, the latest in its long-running 'ultrazoom' series of cameras. The SP-620uz has a lens covering a 25-525mm equivalent range, mounted in front of a 16MP stabilized CCD sensor. It features the company's Magic Art Filters and a multi-shot 3D imaging mode for playback on 3D monitors and televisions. The SP-620UZ has a recommended selling price of $199.

Pre-CES: Olympus has revealed the VG-160 affordable style compact. The VG-160 combines a 14 megapixel sensor with a 5x optical zoom covering the 26-130mm equivalent range. It has a 3.0" LCD screen and features the company's iAuto, automatic exposure mode that will identify and use any of the 29 scene modes that it recognizes. It can capture movies at up to 720p quality and includes the company's Magic Art Filter processing options. It will cost around $99.

Pre-CES: Olympus has launched the TG-320, an affordable rugged compact camera with 3.6x zoom lens. The lens covers a range equivalent to a 28-102mm lens on a 35mm film camera. It is waterproof to a depth of 3m (10ft) and is also shockproof, freezeproof and dustproof. It features a 14 megapixel sensor and can capture 720p HD movies underwater.

Pre-CES: Sony has announced the DSC-W650, DSC-W620 and DSC-W610 entry-level company cameras. The DSC-W650 features a 16MP CCD sensor and 5x stabilized zoom lens that covers the 25-125mm equivalent range, it also features a 3.0" LCD. The W620 has a 14MP sensor, unstabilized 5x, 28-140mm equiv. lens and 2.7" LCD. The W610 has the same 14MP sensor and 2.7" screen but with a 4x, 26-104mm lens. All three offer the company's 360° Sweep Panorama mode, while the W650 and W620 also get 4 'Picture Effect' creative filters.

Pre-CES: Panasonic has announced the Lumix DMC-SZ7 and DMC-SZ1, two 10X 'style zoom' cameras. Both cameras feature 25-250mm equivalent stabilized zoom lenses, 3.0" automatically adjusting LCDs and USB charging. The SZ7 is built around a 14MP MOS sensor with 1080i60 video and has a 460k dot LCD, whereas the SZ1 features a 16MP CCD sensor that captures 720p30 and has a 230k dot LCD.

Pre-CES: Panasonic has unveiled the DMC-FH8 (DMC-FS45 in Europe) and DMC-FH6 (DMC-FS40 in Europe) mid-level compact cameras. Both cameras are built around 5x, 24-120mm equivalent F2.5-6.4 stabilized lenses. The FH8 has a 3.0" LCD screen while the FH6 makes do with a 2.7" unit.

Pre-CES: Panasonic has launched the Lumix DMC-S2, the latest in its range of inexpensive compact cameras. Despite its lowly position in the range, the S2 offers a 4x, 28-112mm equivalent image stabilized zoom lens. Beyond this, it has a 14MP CCD sensor the ability to shoot 720p movies.

Pre-CES: Samsung has given more details about the capabilities of its 'SMART Camera' range of Wi-Fi enabled compacts and camcorders. The range includes the WB850F, WB150F and ST200F compacts announced today, as well as the DV300F announced on Jan 2nd. All can be used with Samsung's Remote Viewfinder app on Android smartphones (an iOS version is due later in 2012). All the cameras can also automatically backup their images and video to your home PC when you're within Wi-Fi range, and feature 'log-in' browsers for connecting to public networks. The SMART Cameras also allow easy uploading to social networks, Samsung's AllShare Play or Microsoft's SkyDrive cloud services.

Pre-CES: Samsung has revealed the WB850F, WB150F and ST200Fa trio of Wi-Fi-enabled compact superzooms. The WB850F has a 16MP backlit CMOS sensor, 23-483mm equiv. F2.8-5.9 lens and GPS. The WB150F has an 18x, 24-432mm equiv, F3.2-5.9 lens and 14MP interline CCD, allowing 1080p video capture, while the ST200F is a 10x, 27-270mm equiv. zoom camera with a 16MP CCD chip. All three cameras feature the company's 'SMART' Wi-Fi capabilities, allowing easy upload, backup and remote control.

Pre-CES: Samsung has unveiled the ST76 and ST66 5x zoom budget compact cameras. Both feature 25-125mm equivalent lenses that start at an impressively bright F2.5 maximum aperture (before settling down to a rather less note-worthy F6.3 at the long end of the zoom). Both also make use of 16MP CCD sensors, giving 720p video, and feature 2.7" LCDs. The ST76 adds optical image stabilization and an extra $10 to the asking price.

Pre-CES: Casio has announced the Exilim EX-ZR15 high-speed compact camera. The EX-ZR15 features a a 7x, 28-196mm equivalent, F3.0-5.9 stabilized zoom lens and a 16MP CMOS sensor. Casio promises a responsive experience, quoting 0.99 sec startup, 0.13 sec autofocus and shot-to-shot times as low as 0.29 seconds. The camera also makes use of the fast readout from its CMOS chip to offer a range of multi-shot features, such as in-camera HDR, a blurred background effect and stitched-image wideangle function.

Pre-CES: Canon has announced the ELPH 520 HS (IXUS 500 HS in Europe) and the ELPH 100 HS (IXUS 125 HS in Europe). The 520 HS is the World's slimmest 12x zoom camera and offers a 28-336mm equivalent lens range. It features a 10MP CMOS sensor, Intelligent Image Stabilization and a 460k dot rear LCD, it uses MicroSD memory cards. The ELPH 100 HS meanwhile, is built around a 16MP CMOS sensor and offers a 5x, 24-120mm equivalent lens. Both offer multi-area white balance for improved results when using flash.

Pre-CES: Nikon has announced the D4, its latest professional DSLR. The 16MP full-frame camera is capable of shooting at 10 frames per second with full autofocus. In addition to a host of ergonomic improvements, the D4 also sees the expansion of its video capabilities, to the extent that Nikon is describing it as a 'multi-media DSLR.' The cameras gains an Ethernet port, a 91,000 pixel metering sensor and an uprated AF sensor that can work in lower light and with smaller aperture lenses. Its sensitivity range can be expanded to the equivalent of ISO 204,800 and adds illuminated controls to make it easier to work in the low-light situations in which such a setting becomes useful. The D4 also becomes the first camera to make use of the XQD memory card format.

Pre-CES: Fujifilm USA has announced the price and availability of the X-S1 high-end superzoom announced back in November. The X-S1 is part of the company's premium 'X Series' and is built around the same 2/3" type 12MP CMOS sensor as the X10 enthusiasts' compact. It also features a 26X 24-624mm equivalent F2.8-5.6 zoom lens. It also features Raw shooting, a 1.44M dot electronic viewfinder and 460,000 dot rear LCD along with a rubberized coating and metal dials to emphasize its premium 'Made in Japan' status. It will be available later this month at a recommended price of $799.

Pre-CES: Fujifilm has announced the FinePix F770EXR, a 20x, raw-capable compact superzoom with GPS. The F770 uses a 16MP CMOS sensor that offers the company's dynamic range or noise-optimizing EXR technology. Fujifilm says the latest iteration offers 30% less noise than existing 16MP EXR models. The camera's stabilized lens offers a 25-500mm equivalent range at apertures of F3.5-5.3. It can also capture 1080p movies and offers P,A,S and M shooting modes. The F750EXR is the same camera without the GPS functions.

Pre-CES: Fujifilm has released the FinePix F660EXR, a 15x compact superzoom built around the company's EXR technology. It features the same 1/2" type 16MP CMOS sensor as the co-announced F770EXR, along with the same 3.0" 460,000 dot LCD but loses the more expensive camera's zoom range, GPS and Raw-shooting capability. It still offers an impressive 24-360mm equivalent stabilized zoom and 1080p movie shooting.

Pre-CES: Fujifilm has revealed the HS30EXR, the latest in its range of Raw-capable EXR superzoom cameras. The HS30 features a redesigned 16MP back-lit CMOS sensor and gains a series of improvements over the existing HS20 model. These include not only interface features such as electronic level gauge and manual focusing during video capture, but also more fundamental changes, such as the use of a lithium-ion battery and the addition of a high resolution electronic viewfinder. It retains the 24-720mm equivalent, F2.8-5.6 lens.

Pre-CES: Fujifilm has unveiled the Z1000EXR, a Wi-Fi compatible card style camera with 5x optical zoom. The Z1000 is built around the same 16MP back-lit EXR CMOS sensor as the F770EXR but adds sensor-shift image stabilization. It also gains the ability to connect to iOS and Android smartphones for quick uploading of images to social networking sites. It is built around a 3.5" touch screen and a 28-140mm equivalent F3.9-4.9 lens.

Pre-CES: Fujifilm has developed the FinePix T400, an entry-level compact camera with a 10X zoom lens. The camera is built around a stabilized 16MP CCD sensor and a 28-280mm equivalent lens to offer flexibility at an accessible price point. Its CCD underpinnings limit its video capability to 720p but this is easily accessed with a direct movie record button.

Pre-CES: Fujifilm has launched the XP150 and XP100, two waterproof, rugged compact cameras. Both are based around 14MP CMOS sensors and 28-140mm equivalent lenses. They are both waterproof to a depth of 10m, shockproof for drops of up to 2m, freezeproof to –10°C and are dust/sand proof. The difference between the models is that the US-only XP100 model doesn't offer GPS, which it uses to offer features such as electronic compass or photo-based navigation.

Pre-CES: Fujifilm has released the FinePix XP50 tough compact camera with 14MP CMOS sensor. The XP50 it's not as durable as the XP150 and XP100 but, being waterproof to a depth of 5m and shockproof from a height of 1.5m, it's still a lot more resilient than most compacts. It's built around the same 28-140mm equivalent zoom as its tougher brothers and, thanks to its use of the same CMOS sensor, is able to capture 1080p movies.

Pre-CES: Fujifilm has unleashed the FinePix SL300 and SL240 mid-range superzoom cameras. The 30x zoom FinePix SL300 and 24x zoom SL240 sit beneath the manufacturer's X-S1 and HS30EXR models but above the co-announced S4500 and S4000, to offer a heartily-bezoomed camera for any pocket. Both cameras are based around 14MP stabilized CCD sensors and offer comparatively high-resolution 460,000 dot LCDs. They also feature hot-shoes to allow use with external flash guns.

Pre-CES: Fujifilm has announced the FinePix Z110 card-style compact camera. The Z110 is based around a 14MP CCD sensor and offers the same 28-140mm equivalent zoom as the more highly-specced Z1000EXR but doesn't include that model's sensor-shift image stabilization. The CCD sensor means the camera is limited to 720p HD movies capture.

Pre-CES: Fujfilm has released the S4500 and S4200 entry-level superzoom cameras. The S4500 and S4200 are built around the 30x and 24x zoom lenses that also appear in the company's 'SL' cameras, and are based around the same 14MP CCD sensors. The major difference is the exterior design and the inclusion of lower-resolution LCDs (230k dots). The S-series cameras also lose the SL's flash hot-shoes.

Pre-CES: Fujifilm has dispatched the FinePix JZ200 and JZ100 metal-bodied, 8x zoom compact cameras. Both use CCD sensors, with the JZ200 featuring a 16MP chip, while the JZ100 has a 14MP version. Both have optical image stabilization and 25-200mm equivalent zoom lenses. Their small bodies mean there's only room for 2.7", 270k dot LCDs on the back.