As the camera world turns (Panasonic L10, Casio 60fps, Canon 40D, Nikon D3/D300, Olympus E3)

In today's episode, the Panasonic L10 shares the spotlight, Casio attempts to reboot the megapixel wars and start the FPS wars, the 40D is starting to ship, while the Nikon D3/D300, and Olympus E3 continue to intrigue.

And before that, we have a new feature announcement, a new Sunday editorial. Because all the good names were taken for Sunday editiorials, it will be named "Village Idiot Discovers the Internets" (VIDI in short). The first edition will not be about megapixels or noise! What will it be about? Find out on Sunday!

Today I'm trying a new horizontal format. Please let me know if you prefer horizontal (single paragraph) or vertical (bullet lists) posts per segment. Thanks.

First, the Panasonic L10. This camera has yet to be announced officially in Japan. When that happens we will probably get a few more tidbits and details about the cameras. The Panasonic forum is disecting this camera, along with the detailed dpreview review. But the Olympus users are also discussing it. More here as well, and here. More on the L10 preview, and a short discussion on its sensor. Is the L10 with the 14-150 lens the new Panasonic FZ60?. And some comic relief: Baby mode and digital zoom. Some people are excited about the twist and shout LCD. More L10 thoughts. And why the silly restriction of CD-AF only with the two new lenses?

Coverage of the new Casio at digitalcamera.jp as well. Discussion of the Sony sensor is revitalized. Interesting that Sony did not use the sensor first like they typically do. Will this shift the focus from megapixel wars to FPS wars? And this could have another welcome side-effect: Cameras will have to be made faster in order to handle the high throughput (at least in theory). A discussion on the new Casio here. More reaction in the Casio forum.

Next we have the Olympus E3. What would you do if the E3 was glorified E510? One user won't stick around for the E3, he's jumping to the 40D. And another one.

And now to the Canon 40D mania! The whole forum is buzzing. First, comparing it to the E510.Then a comparison of D300 vs 40D comparisons. How should Canon respond to the D300? New 40D user, new 40D pictures. Did Canon outplay Nikon? 40D macro shots. Another 40D sample of interest. Come on feel the noise - 40D vs 30D. Wait for the EOS 45D? And error 99 in the 40D?. Potential 40D deal killers?. Is Amazon out of stock? already (40d). First impressions from a 20D user.

The rest of the Canon world: Buy a 5D now or wait for 5D Mark II? Speaking of which. A D3 vs 5D debate. What is this? A A Cano 35mm film EOS 3 with a 10mp/21mp CMOS sensor? (it's on Canon USA!). How about 1D Mk II vs Mk III? How does Canon's LiveView stack up?

In Nikonsville, first on D3 Blvd, we have complete ISO examples, 6400 shots, raw converter discusions, and Thom Hogan's comments discussion. Some lens ideas for the D3, dynamic range talk, LAFS talk, 5:4 ratio talk. But not everyone is in love, some thing the D3 is a waste of time. And while the D3 and D300 are still weeks away from shipping, we have D3X and D10 (full-frame based on the D300) discussions. And more on criticisms

On the D300 side of the ledger, we have ISO 6400 samples, an Interview with a Nikon Vampire, more 14-bit (and here too), something ...scary, image stabilisation, more FF vs DX, and some NX too.

In the Anything Goes segment, people ask "who was your first one" (digital camera that is), others ask is this the end of the prosumer as we know it?. We are informed that Panasonic Direct is now shipping the FZ18. Meanwhile the Rebelious 35mm film resistance to digital continues. Yet another DSLRs vs superzooms debate.A DIY $1 macro lens?. When Bridezillas attack! next on Bravo! The Fuji F50fd continues to be a hot topic. Is Pentax coming up with a full-frame DSLR if Sony comes up with a full-frame dSLR as well? Story by Bob Atkins. New Pentax Japan Lenses brochure. More on 12-bit vs 14-bit. An update and discussion of the future Sonys. Direct link to PhotoClub Alpha. Also, on Sony and sensors.

Read the rest of "As the camera world turns (Panasonic L10, Casio 60fps, Canon 40D, Nikon D3/D300, Olympus E3)"...

Casio shakes things up with a 60fps 6mp 12x sensor-shift (and reboots the megapixel wars!)

Breaking news from dpreview!. Casio shakes things up with a development notice for a new camera that features an 6mp 1/1.8" sensor that can take 60fps 6mp pictures and 300fps video. Those numbers are not typos! It also features a 12x optical zoom lens (35-420mm eq) with sensor-shift image stabilization and a 2.8" LCD. More details from Casio itself. At that site, Casio is accepting feedback from readers! You can even request a prototype.

And this camera has another possible side-effect: It reboots the megapixel wars! But it may also start the frames per second (fps) marketing wars! Needless to say this is nice as it shakes things up. Regular readers of the blog may remeber our discussion about the 6mp Sony sensor that was designed for high fps, both video and digital stills. This could be the start of a new generation of camera-priority hybrid camera/camcorders.

Read the rest of "Casio shakes things up with a 60fps 6mp 12x sensor-shift (and reboots the megapixel wars!)"...

Today's agenda: Nikon D3, D300, Olympus E3, Panasonic L10 and more

More coverage and reactions on the Nikon D3 and D300, Olympus E3, Panasonic L10, the Sony and Pentax upcoming DSLR watch, and reactions to the Nikon P5100 that had RAW on paper for just a few hours.

This is a heads-up, setting the agenda so to speak, expect posting to begin later today. Don't forget to check our previous posts on these new exciting developments and wall to wall discussions and debates

A brand new Olympus E-510 review has been posted, at E-Photographia.com. Find out what they found out!

In the meantime, you can catch up with the latest news from the wide world of imaging and photography at the Imaging Insider. Some of the latest topics there: iPhoto, Tom Ford's controversial ads, Mamiya, podcasts, DIY, first public showing of the Nikon D3 and D300, photo shows around the world, press releases, reviews, and lots more.

Don't forget to vote in our Most Exciting DSLR(s) Poll. The Nikon D3 and D300 have picked up momentum since their formal announcement and they are now battling the Olympus E3 "Trine" for first place. The poll is locating under the August 2007 Blog Archives on the left side of your screen. Those August archives have grown long!

DSLR bargain hunters, two slightly older DSLRs with the kit lens from Olympus (E330) and Samsung (GX1s) are under $450. Details here (or look at the shiny pictures below)

Read the rest of "Today's agenda: Nikon D3, D300, Olympus E3, Panasonic L10 and more"...

New DSLR, the Panasonic L10 and two new Leica MegaOIS lenses

They are coming in in waves folks! It's hard to keep up with them! Panasonic has announced the Lumix DMC-L10, their 2nd DSLR, the one that was leaked a few days ago in an Italian magazine and discussed in the forums. Also coming in are two new Leica MegaOIS 4/3rds lenses.


Meet the Panasonic L10

10 megapixel Live MOS 4/3rds sensor

Bundled with Leica MegaOIS 14-50 f3.8-5.6 lens

Price $1300 for the bundle, available October-ish

Face recognition (the first DSLR to have this honor?)

450 CIPA LiIon battery

3fps (3 RAW, or unlimited JPEG). The latter is nice, but a RAW buffer of just three RAW files? I can hear the OUCH! in the forums

Twist and Shout LCD (2.5")

Obviously SD/SDHC/MMC

Dust bunnies protection (similar to other 4/3rds DSLRs)

AF with Live View without mirror (but it is said that it is slower than compact digital cameras - ouch for DSLRs!)

Expect a Beta Image Samples gallery to be posted at dpreview in Simon's hands-on preview (link for that is right below)

More details:

Detailed hands-on preview by Simon Joinson of dpreview

dpreview

dcresource

IR


Meet the Leica D Vario-Elmar 14-150mm f/3.5-5.6 Asph Mega OIS

Press release at dpreview

Available November-ish at unknown price

First XS lens from Leicasonic. XS being eXtra Silent - similar technology we have seen from other manufactures, including 4/3rds godfather Olympus.

Aperture Ring

Supports L10's CD AF (contrast detection auto focus)


Meet the Leica D Vario-Elmar 14-50mm f/3.8-5.6 Asph Mega OIS

Press release at dpreview

This is the kit lens bundled with the L10

Supports L10's CD AF

Available October-ish


Opinionated Analysis

Isn't it ironic? All Panasonic digital cameras of recent years have image stablization, except for their top three models, the L1, L10 and LC1. Shift that sensor Panasonic!

The Leica lenses will certain attract a segment of potential buyers towards this kit, but as specified and priced, do not expect this to dethrone the Digital Rebel or the Nikon sub-D100 models.

It is obviously priced to sell more units than the $2000 L1, but at $1300 it would be competing pricewise with the mid-range cameras. This is still not a mass-market DSLR attempt by Panasonic, it's one caught between the advanced entry-level and the mid-range

Its unique features may attract some first time DSLR buyers, such as the twist and shout LCD, and Live View with face detection (don't laugh!)

While we haven't seen any reviews, we pretty much know what the sensor it is using is capable of (See Olympus E410 and E510)

More coverage on this and the other new cameras later today!

Read the rest of "New DSLR, the Panasonic L10 and two new Leica MegaOIS lenses"...

New hybrid digital camera the Sanyo Xacti DMX HD1000 (also coming to the USA)

This one is coming from Japan, courtesy of digitalcamera.jp

It has a 1/2.5" CMOS sensor (yes CMOS), 10x optical zoom, H.264, full HD resolution for video, 4mp/8mp for still pictures, 2 hours of HD recording with the supplied battery, you can take 2mp pictures during/from full HD video recording, 120,000 yen when it goes on sale in mid-September. Sanyo wants to sell half a million of these, and had total sales of 1 million units during H1 of 2007

Please note the above is based on computer-tranlated text, so it may not be totally accurate.

More details have emerged. In fact this camera will be available in the USA in early October for $800 according to Amazon.com

Read the rest of "New hybrid digital camera the Sanyo Xacti DMX HD1000 (also coming to the USA)"...

New digital cameras: Nikon P50, P5100, S700, S510, S51, S51c, L14, L15

Breaking news from dpreview.com and dcresource.com. Nikon goes in burst mode and announces eight new compact digital cameras! Here is a very quick summary, more details to follow later on:

P5100: Follows the P5000 with the 12mp sensor, EXPEED engine mutation, but sadly no RAW :(. dcresource.com says that it does support RAW. FALSE ALARM??? No other place mentions RAW! So what is it???. UPDATE 8/30: Goodbye RAW!, it was nice having you on paper. It looks like no RAW on this camera, the RAW reference has been removed from dcresource, and is nowhere else to be found :-(

240 CIPA (small camera, small battery unfortunately). $400 in September. Nice of Nikon to maintain a $400 price! More on this camera at the RAWsumer blog

P50: Inspired by the P5000, it offers an 8mp 1/2.5" sensor, starts at 28mm-102mm, no stabilization, AA batteries. October $230

S700: Another 12 megapixel entry, it seems that even the bijou cameras are now "growing up" in megapixels. A pedestrian 37-11x (3x optical zoom lens) but with sensor-shift stabilization. Miserable battery life at 150 CIPA. $380

S510: 8mp 1/2.5", optical stabilization, 3x zoom. Miserable battery life at 170 CIPA. $300.

S51 and S51c: Wireless and non-wireless versions of an 8mp 1/2.5", folded optics with VR stabilization bijou, 3x lens. $280 and $330 for the wireless (S51c) one

L15: The new L-series flagship with optical image stabilization, 8mp 1/2.5", 35-105mm eq lens, 2.8" LCD, AA batteries, and the usual assortment of Face Recognition and such. $180.

l14: L15's deputy makes the claim of the longest lasting digital camera as it lasts for 1000 CIPA shots with Energizer AA lithium. 7mp 1/2.5" sensor, 3x optical,an the usual assortment you would expect from an entry-level. But it has staying power :) $150.



Monthly Production Output from Nikon Japan

Nikon P5100, 50,000 per month

Nikon P50, 50,000 per month

Nikon S510, 70,000 per month for each color (three colors)

Nikon S700, 50,000 per month for the urban black color,

Nikon S51, 100,000 per month for the silver, red and pink each.

Nikon Coolpix S51c 25,000 per month

Nikon L15, 100,000 per month for each color (two colors)

Nikon L14, 100,000 per month


And if you missed the production outputs for the expensive Nikkor lenses, here they are at this Nikon Japan press release:

AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm F2.8G ED, 4000 per month

AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm F2.8G ED, 6000 per month

AF-S NIKKOR 400mm F2.8G ED VR, 2000 per month

AF-S NIKKOR 500mm F4G ED VR, 2000 per month

AF-S NIKKOR 600mm F4G ED VR, 2000 per month

Read the rest of "New digital cameras: Nikon P50, P5100, S700, S510, S51, S51c, L14, L15"...

New Kodak Z812IS, V1253 and V1233 are officially announced

dcresource has the formal announcement of these three cameras from Kodak. The prices are revealed (again), the Z812-IS is $300, the V1253 is also $300 and the V1233 $250. More details at dcresource

But regular readers of the this blog may recall that we have already talked about these cameras being leaked on Kodak's own website. Here is our previous coverage: Z812-IS leak and V1253 and V1233 leaks

The new Kodaks are also featured IR

More on these later on

Read the rest of "New Kodak Z812IS, V1253 and V1233 are officially announced"...

DSLR Mania: Nikon D3, D300, Olympus E3, and Canon 40D

Don't forget to vote for the most intriguing DSLR(s) in our Poll. The poll is located in the left column, below the Blog Archives.

Around the Internets

More photography and imaging news per hour at Imaging Insider. Some recent items: Canon 40D release update (and one that will make Canon fans happy), Kodak vs Vista, book and camera reviews, photography podcasts, Nikon D3 coverage, How-to/Tips, new PBS photography documentary, and more. I could go on, but then it would take me a few weeks to cover all the stories posted there!

New items of interest, including the top 10 photography podcasts at the Digital Pro Talk blog

The JD Power and Associates car satisfaction survey has been published. This car satisfaction survey focuses on cameras ;-) They even have a DSLR report, although the companies seem to be very close to each other, on a scale of 1 to 1000, the top brand is just 39 points from the bottom brand. File under: Splitting hairs :) On the non-DSLR front, the cutesy Casio Exilim series lead the way, with the rest of the companies just a few margins of error behind. I am trying to take this report seriously but the differences between the companies are so small and within the margin of error.

Directly from the author of a variety of books in photography and technology (David Busch)



Canon 40D mania

Imaging Insider has picked up a story via Photography Bay - the release date of the Canon 40D at Amazon has been moved up, now it is August 30, 2007! And what a coincidence, you can pre-order the Canon 40D from Amazon right here!

40D availability is discussed here, and the Amazon pre-orders discuss it here

New Canon 40D sample pictures from Japan are discussed here (Watch Impress)

Initial impressions with the 40D from a forum user. Direct link to his blog here

More updates from people who has already purchased and used the 40D: here

A brand new user just posted an ISO 3200 with Live View

More EOS 40D hands-on threads have come up in the last few hours: here, here, and here

Two myth busting threads have picked up a lot of monentum, they talk about the myth that FF is harsher on lenses than 1.6x. Is it a myth or not? You decide. The discussions are here and here

How has the D300 affected potential 40D buyers?

Noise about noise

40D samples from Fotki discussed

What are the side-effects of the 300D on (future) 40D users?

When and why would you use Live View?

The discussion on what you want to see in a future 5D Mark II continues. More on this here

A frustrated Canon user rants and rants



Nikon D3 and D300 mania

Will the D300 require high end lenses?

Will the real D3 sensor maker please stand up! (could it really be a Canon-made sensor?). More here and here

An unapologetic psychobabble analysis of the D300 vs 40D situation

Here is a historical perspective of the new camera announcements by Nikon, dating back to 1997

The D3 ISO 3200 picture continues to be debated by Canon users. More Canon reaction here

D3 ISO 5000 sample picture discussion.

Would you use a D3 or a D300 for the next lunar eclipse?

A forum user opines on the new Nikon DSLRs

Looking for a justification to go from the D2x to D3? You are not alone!

Why is TIFF back? (in the D3/D300)

Nikon D3 at the Osaka Games

Why isn't Thom Hogan posting at the dpreview forums anymore?

A case for getting the D300 over the D3

The requests for a smaller bodied FX (35mm full frame) continue

But the D300 is not a bed of roses. Some complaints

If you are waiting for official Nikon samples, you are not alone

This is a fun thread: Top three lenses to get with the D300

Pre-order support group (waiting-for-new-camera-anxiety-disorder medications not developed yet)

More from the Osaka Games

Why CF and not SD for the D300?


Olympus E3 mania

You knew this was coming, is the Olympus E3 full frame?. Yes, the same topic has been cycled, recycled, and post-recycled-recycled, but it keeps coming back! And every time it generates a big discussion. The cyclical nature of things or the persistence of trolls? :)

More Trines and Tribulations. Is the Trine sensor for scanners, not for digital cameras? Was that page showna hoax?

More disucssions on the showing of the Olympus E3 in Korea. Here too! (one poster draws out attention to the optical viewfinder)

And what about the sensor?

A href="http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1022&message=24584525">switching thread almost always causes a kerfuffle

A recap of the Olympus E3 in Korea situation

Trine inpsired some poetry as well.



Sony World

The new Sony DSLR announcement looks like it is going to happen on Wednesday September 5. This post says expect the Sony A300 on Sept 4. Discussion ensues. Direct link to Photo Club Alpha here

Why is this Sony user calling for a boycott?

A case for the Alpha A100 over the Pentax K10D

Burst modes and more burst modes


Pentax World

Pentax users feel left out as there is no buzz or leaks from Hoya-Pentax-ville

When 2-3 people are going back and forth in a discussion, we usually get some interesting ASCII art thread patterns (in threaded view). Oh the discussion is about the future (or lack thereof) of the Pentax 645D

Help this user pick a Sigma lens for this Pentax DSLR

A hands-on with the two Pentax DA * lenses

Some nice pictures, posted under the guise of a new camera. Those tricky C&C posters!


Everybody else's World

Prefer SHDC over CF?

Sometimes the craziness of digital just makes you want to go back to film

Ken Rockwell is the subject of this discusion

An impromptu glossary

How are the local (camera) shops doing in a digital world?

dpreview forums and the spell checker

Discussion of the recently announced Ricoh Caplio R7.

And so we are not seen as drinking the Canon and Nikon koolaid (kiwi-strawberry flavor), here is a panorama photo from a forum user with a Samsung L700.

Discussion of a side-by-side review of the Sigma SD14 and Fuji S5

This forum user is excited about his first paid wedding. What is your opinion?

A parody

H3D-39 vs 5D picture comparison discussion

Lunar eclipse

This Venus is not as beautiful

A Panasonic FX100 review is ...reviewed

Read the rest of "DSLR Mania: Nikon D3, D300, Olympus E3, and Canon 40D"...

Today's Agenda: More Nikon D3 and D300 (but also more!)

Finally, one week after their announcement, I "discover" the nine new Olympus cameras announced in the tall shadow of the Nikon D3 and D300. Infact those two have even dwarved $20,000 worth of new Nikkor lenses and some of their own software and accessories. The Olympus story has been bumped up in the blog order, you are not experinencing a Time Warp effect!

Coming later today: More on Nikon D3, Nikon D300, and the new buzzworthy camera, the Olympus E3 that was showcased in Korea a couple of days ago.

Behind the scenes I will start working on my monthly new digital cameras recap. Of course August is not over yet, but I hope no one else announces any more new cameras in August. It's gonna take me forever to recap what's already been announced :)

Coming further down the line: You, the readers, will be deciding which blog feature I will be doing. I will create a poll with a list of proposed things to do and you will decide. One of them will be a tedious and painful task, so you will have a chance to punish me for bad-mouthing your favorite camera or brand ;-)

Read the rest of "Today's Agenda: More Nikon D3 and D300 (but also more!)"...

Olympus to use Tribbles in their new E3 flagship DSLR?

Well, not quite Tribbles, but Trine! That's the latest buzzword in the Olympus forums at dpreview. Look at this discussion. So the buzz now says that the E3 sensor may be a 10mp CCD FFT (full frame transfer) with hints of Foveonesque technology. A reference to a LL (Luminous Landscape) post from PMA 2007 is made to back this up. Others are thinking in terms of camcorder 3CCD designs. Others think this is a hoax or a fantasy or something along those lines. Your guess is as good as mine! But if I was a company planning a major announcement, I would probably hold off until next week. The Nikon D3 and D300 buzz may still overshadow a new DSLR, unless it is shockingly ground-breaking. There is the IFA show in Berlin, and that one is fixed i time, so perhaps some of the maneuvering is with that target in mind as well. Who knows! Time will tell though :)

A new thread just popped up with a guy in Taiwan holding the E3 and the E1 in each hand

Meanwhile Korean forums are buzzing with pictures of what appears to be the unveiling of the Olympus E3. Waiting for translations at the moment :)

For more discussions and new rumoralia check the Olympus DSLR forum at dpreview. Videos of the E3 have also surfaced!

Discussions based on the revelations from Asia has picked up momentum: On the back of the camera, on the LCD

MUST SEE: Some of the best pictures of the E3 so far courtesy of SLRClub.com with the cameras posing for the photographers!

And to keep the irrational exhuberance in check, this forum user reminds us all that these cameras shown in Korea and in other places in Asia are mockups

On the blogging front, I have yet to go through the nine new Olympus cameras announced in the shadow of the D3 and D300. I did post a write-up on the Olympus SP560 at the RAWsumer blog. (Those not familiar with 1001noisy speak, RAWsumer refers to all non-DSLR cameras that support RAW natively). But I still did not get around to the other eight Olympus shiny silvers.

Also at RAWsumer a round-up of the latest reviews and discussions on the Panasonic FZ18, leading the 2nd wave of 18x superzooms into the ...noisy market

Read the rest of "Olympus to use Tribbles in their new E3 flagship DSLR?"...

Nikon D3 ISO 3200 sample pictures (with new 400mm F2.8 VR lens)

Normally a sample image from a camera is not worth its own post, however given the buzz the Nikon D3 has generated, it is well worth it :)

Two fast-moving threads, one in the Canon and one in the Nikon dpreview DSLR forums are discussing, disecting and pixel-peeping these pictures to their heart's content.Canon dpreview forum thread and Nikon D3 dpreview forum thread. One forum user is giving us the full EXIF (link is a picture!), discovering that the picture was taken with the new Honda Accord used car priced 40mm F2.8 VR lens.

And this has genearated buzz: One person is alleging that the new Nikon D3 sensor was in collaboration with Canon!. Fact, fiction, dream, reality, stirring the pot? You decide :) This was also picked up by Nikon debaters

And are these D3 ISO 5000 pictures from China?

Read the rest of "Nikon D3 ISO 3200 sample pictures (with new 400mm F2.8 VR lens)"...

New digital camera, the Ricoh R7, with new image processing engine

Update! The Ricoh R7 is now available in the USA, at Amazon thru Adorama. Price is around $370 but can change at any time. You can also buy it directly from the good people at Adorama.com. There you will also find other Ricoh digital camera models: GRD (black, or anniversary model), GX100 (with or without the optional viewfinder), and the R6.

The good people at digitalcamera.jp have the story. The R7 story is just below the Casio coverage on their page!

Ricoh claims that a new image processing engine has been developed and that will help lower noise. This is good news, not only because of that claim, but also because Ricoh shows that it listens to the reviewers and listens to its users. Depending on how well this new low noise engine fares, this could bode really well for the GX100 and GRD updates (the mythical GRD2 and GX120)

The Ricoh R7 is follow-up to the Caplio R6, with an 8mp 1/2.5" sensor, a 28-200mm equivalent lens with CCD-shift stabilization, a 2.7" LCD (230K). It goes on sale in Japan on September 14.

Web coverage of the new Ricoh R7 at the following websites: Imaging Insider, Photography Blog (with detailed specs), Engadget, ephotozine, Let's Go

Discussions of the new Ricoh R7 have started up in the dpreview Ricoh forums

UK price is 230 UK pounds with September availability

Update: Also added at dpreview with a full press release and detailed camera specs.

Now we can only wonder and speculate on what else will come out of Ricoh this year, and how effective will the new engine be at solving some of the issues users and reviewers alike have pointed out when digging into the Ricoh GX100 and GRD.

Read the rest of "New digital camera, the Ricoh R7, with new image processing engine"...

New digital cameras: Casio Exilim EX-V8, EX-Z1080, (and EX-S880 and EX-Z77 in Japan)

Half a million of these cuties will be produced every month by Casio according to the Casio Japan press release. News of this from digitalcamera.jp

Two of these four may sound familiar because they were already announced in some markets. We talked about the EX-S880 and EX-Z77 in this blog in mid-July 2007.

How about the other two? Well no surprises there, an 8mp 1/2.5" update of the EX-V7, aptly named the EX-V8. The Z1080 continues in the spirit of the Z1000 and Z1050, with a 10mp sensor.

Highlight features? YouTube mode, H.264 video and Exilim Engine 2.0

They begin selling in Japan on September 14, 2007.

Colors: The V8 is available in silver, the S880 in silver, black and red, the Z1080 in gold, grey, pink, black, and blue and the Z77 in silver, white, red and pink.

More details when they are listed at the big digital camera websites.

Update

Dpreview has the Casio press release and details specs

DCresource has a quick summary and USA prices. There we learn that the Z1080 will be priced at $280 (has a 370 CIPA LiIon), and the EX-V8 $330 in September (240 CIPA LiIon). Jeff has just reviewed Z1080's predecessor

Read the rest of "New digital cameras: Casio Exilim EX-V8, EX-Z1080, (and EX-S880 and EX-Z77 in Japan)"...

Ten new cameras from Olympus SP560, Stylus 1200, 830, 820, 790SW, FE300, FE290, FE280, FE270, and now 795SW

This is wild. Olympus goes in burst mode with nine new cameras! The most interesting of the nine appears to be the SP-560, an 8mp version of their 18x superzoom SP-550. Original announcement date is very early Thursday August 23, 2007

[8/24 update]: All apologies for the delays in covering the nine new Olympus cameras, the two new Nikon DSLRs have stolen all my cpu cycles :)

[8/29 update]: Finally, one week later, I am going through the Olympus models! This post has been bumped.
[8/29 update #2]: Another Olympus camera has been spotted. See bottom of the page for more details.


Meet the SP-560

Press release at dpreview

In a nutshell this is the 2nd 18x superzoom from Olympus, it features an 8mp 1/2.5" sensor, and promises improvements over the SP-550.

Detailed coverage at RAWsumer. RAWsumer is a term I created to denote all non-interchangeable lens cameras that support RAW natively. This is different from terms like Prosumer and Bridge camera, since the definition of RAWsumer is very simple and testable. Prosumer and Bridge cameras usually mean different things to different people in different contexts.



Meet the Stylus 790SW

Press release at dpreview

This is the next most interesting in my opinion because of the shockproofness (1.5 meters or 5ft) and waterproofness (3 meters or 10 feet).

A bit of a surprise is that it resists the temptation to go for higher megapixels, it has a 7mp 1/2.3" sensor

It has a standard 3x folded optics (the dreaded 38-114mm range), face detection, 2.5" LCD, True PIC III, 27 scenes, available in five trendy colors, 220 CIPA

If you read "dual image stabilization" in their materials it refers to the duality of ISO and shutter speed adjustments. There is no optical (lens) or mechanical (sensor shift) image stabilization here.

Price: $300 in September



Meet the Stylus 1200

Press release at dpreview. Also featured at dcresource

Continuing with the tradition of the 8mp and 10mp 1/1.8" Styluses, the 1200 features the latest sensor du jour, a 12mp 1/1.72" sensor.

It featured face detection, a more agreeable 3x optical (35-105), 2.7" LCD, TruePIC III, no optical/sensor-shift stabilization, weatherproof, in silver and black

Price: $350 in October



Meet the Stylus 830

Press release at dpreview

This is the most interesting of the three new Stylus cameras. It features a 5x optical zoom (36-180mm eq) with sensor-shift stabilization, and an optional underwater case

Sensor is 8mp 1/2.3", which some of the Stylus models had switched to a few models ago.

Also 2.5" LCD, face detection, blazing speed at 3mp resolution: 7 fps (11), and available in five delicious colors

$330 in October



Meet the Stylus 820

Press release at dpreview

As the name indicates this model has a lot of similarities with the Stylus 830, except for the sensor-shift stabilization. And this one has a bigger LCD, and available in four fashionable colors.

So if you like bigger LCDs, this one is for you with its 2.7" LCD!

This is priced to sell, a rather nice price for what it offers (at least on paper)

$250 in September-ish


Meet the FE-300

Press release at dpreview

The FE-series continues to grow up both in featurs and in size. So now we have the 12mp FE300, yes, it uses a 12mp 1/7.2" sensor!

It featurs a 3x optical zoom (35-105mm eq), Face detection with Smile Shutter, 2.5" LCD, and the usual assortment of features one would expect in this range

Will this camera be co-promoted with the movie the 300? :)

$300 later in the fall (the price we pay for more megapixels!)



Meet the FE-290

Press release at dpreview

This is perhaps the most interesting of this batch of FE-series as it starts at 28mm with a 28-112mm eq lens (yes, that is a 4x optical zoom ratio). It has a 7mp 1/2.5" sensor. Yes, seven megapixels not a typo!

A 3" LCD is also a high point from a consumer perspective, and the usual assortment of features.



Meet the FE-280

Press release at dpreview

Next in line we another LiIon powered FE-series camera, the FE-280, which features an 8mp 1/2.3" sensor, 3x optical (36-108mm eq), 2.5" LCD, face detection with smile shutter (smile shot, whatever...), and an optional waterproof case.

Not a bad value pack (well except for the xD card)

$200 in September-ish


Meet the FE-270

Press release at dpreview. Phil wrote an interesting opening paragraph in this, discussing the impact of cameraphones on entry-level P&S digicams.

Last and least is the last remaining FE-series camera with AA support, and it's the entry-level model of the group.

A 7mp 1/2.5" adorns this beautifully crafted matchbox. A 3x optical (38-114mm eq) gently captures the light. A 2.5" LCD bares the camera's soul. Two AA batteries are its tower of strength (that was the only way to make you read this!)

This one is not coming to the USA market (at least not initially anyway).


Meet the Stylus 795SW

An eagle-eyed dpreview forum user has noticed that another Stylus camera has appeared on the Olympus Asia website.

The camera in question is the Stylus 795SW, which appears to be similar to the 770SW, but with TruePIC III and such but with the same waterproof and drop-proof rating as the 770SW. The newer 790SW has shorter distance ratings for both categories and is a bit more bijou-ish.


Opinionated Analysis

Sadly Olympus is not learning from their friends at Fuji. They continue with xD only and their gimmicky requirement to have an Olympus-branded memory card in order to take panorama photos. Wake up Olympus and smell reality :)

The Stylus line-up continues to have a weatherproofness advantage over the rest of the market, although that is partially negated by the use of the xD card. In other words, if they accepted a dual xD/SD card slot like newer Fuji cameras do, waterproofness could tilt the scales for a number of people looking for a compact digital camera!

Olympus has jumped on the Smile Shutter bandwagon as well. So take that Sony, you are not the only one anymore! Personally I'm holding out for the Look-of-Surprise shutter to capture those spontaneous momentous ;)

Does Olympus have a random number generator that decides which cameras will get the optional waterproof case?

And now to the positives: The SP-560 is promising - assuming as a 2nd generation product it improves upon the issues pointed out by SP-550 reviewers. In theory, Olympus should be one cycle ahead of the Fuji, Sony and Panasonic super-superzooms.

The Stylus 790SW is a unique camera and if it wasn't for xD, it could have been a blockbuster model

Two 12-megapixel cameras were introduced by Olympus, one as a Stylus and one in their general purpose FE-series. This is perhaps a sign that Olympus won't be attempting to re-enter the advanced mid-range segment this year, despite the popularity of the Canon G7, G9, Nikon P5000, Panasonic LX2, Leica D-Lux 3 and Ricoh GX100 and GRD

The Stylus 830 and 820 are interesting models on paper, the 830 because of its sensor anti-shake and the 820 because it's a nice consumer-level bundle at just $250. Expect this camera to do well at the big box retailer stores.

The FE-290 is another good idea by Olympus, a camera starting at 28mm in a sea of 35-38mm P&S.

Ironically AA batteries are offered in their top and their bottom models, with the seven cameras in-between going with LiIon (and with good reason, they want them to be as slim, trendy and lightweight as possible!). The non-entry-level entry-level cameras are becoming more and more bijou as well. It's not just the cutesy Sony T-series types anymore!

And this concludes our one-week delayed Olympus coverage!

Read the rest of "Ten new cameras from Olympus SP560, Stylus 1200, 830, 820, 790SW, FE300, FE290, FE280, FE270, and now 795SW"...