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The Sony Cyber-shot S730 is a new 7.2 megapixel point and shoot camera that was announced by Sony Europe this last week and is scheduled for launch in 2008.
The Sony Cyber-shot S730 has a 2.4 inch LCD (wide viewing - 112,000 pixel resolution), ISO of up to 1250, 3x optical zoom lens and 22 megabytes of internal memory.
The Sony Cyber-shot S730 is due to hit stores in January (in Europe at least) but we were not advised of it's recommended retail price.
Sony Cyber-Shot S730 News Release
START HERE FOR BETTER-LOOKING PICTURES: THE GREAT VALUE NEW CYBER-SHOT S730
* 7.2 effective megapixels
* 2.4-inch LCD screen with wide viewing angle
* High Sensitivity ISO 1250 for reduced camera shake
* Easy-to-use on-screen function guide
* 3x optical zoom lens
Weybridge, 27 December 2007 - Light, compact and beautifully easy to use, the new Cyber-shot S730 presents a great-value entry point to the world of digital photography.
While it’s remarkably affordable, the Cyber-shot S730 doesn’t compromise on imaging quality. There’s a Sony 3x optical zoom lens to bring distant objects closer, while pictures captured with the 7.2 effective megapixel sensor look crisp with superb detail – even blown right up to A3 size.
The Cyber-shot S730 lets you grab clear, blur-free pictures without the aid of flash if you’re shooting in low light or on cloudy days. Selecting ‘High Sensitivity’ mode on the easy-to-adjust mode dial boosts sensitivity to ISO 1250. This allows shooting at faster shutter speeds to reduce the risk of camera shake, even with moving subjects.
A new multi-point autofocus mode ensures pin-sharp images, even when your subject is moving or isn’t in the centre of the frame.
Pictures and camera settings can be viewed clearly on the large 2.4-inch screen. Touching a button switches instantly to Playback mode, making it quick and easy to check pictures during shooting. There’s also an on-screen Histogram mode that displays image brightness in graphical form – useful if you’re fine-tuning exposure settings for the best possible results.
Even if you’re new to digital photography, the Cyber-shot S730 guides you with a handy display of functions like flash, macro and self-timer settings. There’s also on-screen advice to help you select the right settings for your chosen subject as selected with the Shooting Mode dial.
The Cyber-shot S730 can even help beginners pick the optimum image size for shooting, depending on your preferred printing paper size and the amount of memory space remaining.
The Cyber-shot S730 will be available throughout Europe from mid January 2008.
Looking for some last minute digital photography gift inspiration?
Over at DPS we've just posted 9 Fun Digital Photography Christmas Gifts with some great ideas.
Also if you're looking for digital cameras you might want to check out our more prominent post with a range of popular digital cameras and accessories.
Happy Holiday Shopping!
Imaging Resource has posted their review of the Canon PowerShot SX100 IS where they write - "The Canon PowerShot SX100IS offers a great value in an affordable, feature-rich long zoom digital camera that's user friendly and still reasonably compact. With an 8.0-megapixel CCD image sensor, the Canon SX100 IS has great image quality so long as there's plenty of light. Things get a little rougher in poor lighting as you need to ratchet up the ISO sensitivity, but is no worse than most of the competition in this respect. The combination of full auto for beginners and and full manual for the more experienced photographer, plus a really powerful zoom lens that has minimal distortion and great sharpness, combine to let you get in touch with your creative side. "
Read more about the Canon PowerShot SX100 IS
DPexpert reviews the Olympus E-510 and writes - "This is a camera we would recommend to anyone who wants the image quality of a good SLR without having to think too much. It’s light weight will also appeal. And now that Panasonic/Leica is in the Four Thirds camp there should be some cheaper third party lenses coming onto the market. Olympus have fitted a CF card slot as well as their own xD slot, which makes sense because CF cards are cheaper and available everywhere."
Read more about the Olympus E-510
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DPexpert reviews the Nikon Coolpix P5100 and writes - "This camera, like all the compacts that boast absurdly high pixel counts, is prone to image noise above ISO200. Below that point the images are clean enough, particularly if the end display medium is a 10 by 15 cm print. With Noise Reduction turned on in the menu there is some loss of fine detail at ISO400 and above. However, if your expectations are not too high, the output at a stratospheric ISO3200 is acceptable, with a bit of post-camera clean-up in noise removal software. The sad fact is that if this camera had a 7 megapixel sensor it would be a world-beater. We really enjoyed using it, and as the only competition, the Canon G9, is also over-pixelled these are as good as it gets in compact cameras."
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DP Review has posted their review of the Panasonic DMC-L10 and writes - 'And so there we have it; a DSLR that is a very good, but very expensive, entry-level model that would be the ideal first SLR for a compact camera user wanting to move to the next level. A camera capable of stunning output in raw mode, but a camera that it's hard to give a wholehearted recommendation to because Panasonic insists on bundling it with an over-priced kit lens and adds insult to injury by using image processing that produces JPEGs which hide the true capabilities of the lens/sensor.'
CNET reviews the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18 and writes - "The FZ18 performs typically for its class. From power on to first shot takes only 1.8 seconds, pretty quick for a long-lenser. Time to focus and shoot runs only 0.7 second in good light, rising to 1.1 seconds in dimmer situations--good for a non-dSLR, but still slower than you want. The interval for two consecutive shots is a brisk 1.3 seconds, which rises to an uncommonly fast 1.8 seconds with flash. Raw capture runs a bit slower--2.3 seconds for two sequential shots--which makes raw shooting a suboptimal workaround for the JPEG issues discussed earlier. In burst mode, it snaps at a clip of about 3.7 frames per second, but the camera's continuous shooting is limited to 7 frames at standard quality and 4 frames at fine quality."
Read more about the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18
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CNET reviews the Pentax Optio Z10 and gives it a rating of 7 out of 10. They write - "It's not easy for a camera company to make a small, good-looking camera that takes nice pictures. There always has to be a tradeoff when you try to cut costs. In this case, Pentax seems to have traded some time between shots in favor of a long zoom lens and nice, if not stellar, image quality. As long as you don't mind the wait, you might be surprised with the images you get from the Optio Z10."
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CNET reviews the Samsung L830 and writes - "The Samsung L830 offers a strange mix of photographer-friendly controls, middling performance, and disappointing picture quality. Its slow shooting and poor pictures at higher sensitivity settings seriously hurt the camera's flexibility, but its generous set of manual exposure and color controls give you plenty of ways to tweak your low-ISO shots. Considering its scant price tag, the L830 offers a lot of camera for experienced, budget-minded photographers. If you ever need to shoot at ISO 400 or higher, though, look for another camera."
Read more about the Samsung L830
Imaging Resource reviews the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T2 and writes - 'From a design perspective, the Sony T2 is a breath of fresh air, integrating 4GB of memory in the camera, replacing awkward buttons with a sensuous touch screen, and wrapping the whole package in an elegantly sculpted aluminum frame the size of a small pack of cards. Automatically organizing your image collection by date and frequency within the date, it also provides a unique playback mode inspired by scrapbook design. And it's no slouch when it comes to performance, obliterating prefocus shutter lag, and significantly reducing full-autofocus shutter lag. '
Read more about the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T2
Buy Sony Cybershot DSC-T2 (White)
Digital Camera Info reviews the Pentax K10D and writes - 'The K10D is not a top performing DSLR, though it offers a competitive design and feature set deserving of comparisons to these models. At its reduced price, the K10D brings an advanced DSLR into the realm of general consumer affordability, and provides an economic alternative for seasoned shooters on a budget.'
Read more about the Pentax K10D
Compare prices on the Pentax Optio K10D and get the latest price on the Pentax K10D 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera with Shake Reduction (Body Only)
Steves Digicams reviews the FujiFilm FinePix S8000fd and writes - 'FujiFilm's Finepix S8000fd is an appealing "Ultra-Zoom" digicam. This is a very capable consumer model, with some very nice features (8M, 18x Wide Zoom, Face Detection, etc.), good overall performance, and plenty of shooting modes for every member of your household. Image quality is up to par with it competitors (Canon S5 IS, Panasonic DMC-FZ18, Olympus SP-560 UZ) and with a street price of US $350 or less (US$399 MSRP), it offers a terrific value for a camera in this class. The only other issue I had with the camera that's not mentioned above, was the fact that the camera will allow you to snap a photo while you are waiting for the flash to recharge. In most cases, this just produces a blurry photo that is unusable. That said, I still feel the Finepix S8000fd will make a great choice for any consumer in the market for a camera with these specs, and it's sure to be a popular model this holiday season.'
Read more reviews of the Fujifilm Finepix S8000fd
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Pop Photo reviews the Nikon D300 and writes - 'A major factor in the D300's stellar image quality is the new Sony-made 12.3MP (effective) CMOS sensor that captures RAW data with up to 14 bits of color per red, green, and blue channels. Most other DSLRs in this class only provide 12 bits per channel. This gives the D300 an advantage in reproducing fine color gradations, shadow details, and wider dynamic range. But it also increases the file size of images recorded in the 14-bit mode (selectable over normal 12-bit RAW).'
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Imaging Resource reviews the Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10 and writes - "Panasonic's Lumix L10 was a welcome surprise. It was announced with none of the fanfare that accompanied the Lumix L1, but the Panasonic L10 is the one truly worthy of praise. It's built right, works well, looks competent, and has an excellent, more affordable optic. There are some limitations in the sensor or image processor that affect JPEG image performance, but RAW images are quite good. The JPEGs that are unaffected by the odd blue speckles (which we've only found in blond hair under incandescent light) print very well, making good quality 13x19-inch prints. If you shoot and print RAW images, 16x20-inch prints are within easy reach. The Panasonic L10's light weight and excellent grip make it easy to hold, and the buttons are arrayed nicely for easy access. The promise of Live View mode is fulfilled with the addition of two important features on the Panasonic Lumix L10's implementation: a swivel screen and contrast detect autofocus. Yes, the shutter lag is still long, but so long as you can plan for it, you'll learn to appreciate the versatility that the Panasonic L10's Live View delivers."
PhotographyBLOG reviews the Fujifilm Finepix Z100fd and writes - 'The Fujifilm Finepix Z100fd is a surprisingly good point-and-shoot digital camera. It's stylish enough to appeal to the fashion-conscious, built well enough to survive a few bumps and scrapes, and offers enough features to appeal to both beginners and more experienced photographers alike. The 5x zoom lens in particular sets the Z100fd apart from the vast majority of affordable compacts, which usually offer a bog-standard 3x zoom. Admittedly the Z100fd's lens isn't particularly wide at 36mm, but you'll really appreciate the longer telephoto range on offer. Fujifilm have sensibly added an effective mechanical image stabilisation system to ensure that the majority of your pictures will be sharp, and the new Face Detection system works very well too.'
Imaging Resource reviews the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18 and writes - "The Panasonic FZ18 is light enough to bring along just about anywhere, and the lens stays in closer than competing 18x designs, a design feature that will likely minimize damage over the life of this fine digital camera. If the lens is the big story with the Panasonic FZ18, the rest is just gravy. Face detect autofocus, multiple aspect ratios, optical image stabilization, white balance fine-tuning, adjustable flash intensity, and live histogram are all good to have with this excellent optic."
Read more about the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18
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The Samsung S860 is an 8 megapixel digital camera with a 2.4 inch LCD, 3x optical zoom and digital image stabilization.
Samsung S860 News Release
Samsung Expands its Digital Range with two stylish compacts
Samsung Cameras, leaders in digital imaging, today announced the release of two new cameras to their popular award-winning S series. The 7 mega pixel S760 and the 8 mega pixel S860 are easy to use and packed with innovative features.
Both cameras combine Samsung’s advanced image processing technology and Samsung’s Intelligent Face Recognition Technology. Samsung’s Intelligent Face Recognition Technology, detects the subject’s face and automatically adjusts auto focus and auto exposure to ensure better composition and image quality in portraits. The AF function instantaneously recognises the faces of subjects and accurately focuses on them, then the AE function takes over, setting the appropriate exposure to ensure the highest image quality.
The S760 and S860 feature 3 x optical zoom and a bright 2.4” LCD display. Both models also boast 11 scene modes and digital image stabilisation technology.
Features include:
* 3x Optical Zoom Lens
* 2.4” LCD Screen
* Digital Image Stabilization
* High Sensitivity ISO 1000
* Function Description
* Self Shot
The Samsung S760 and S860 will be available in a choice of black, silver, pink or blue colours from January 2008 at an RRP of £79.99 for the S760 and price still to be confirmed for the S860. Customers requiring further information should call 00 800 122 637 27 or visit www.samsungcamera.co.uk
The Samsung S760 is a 7 megapixel point and shoot digtal camera with a 3x optical zoom and 2.4 inch LCD screen.
Samsung S760 News Release
Samsung Expands its Digital Range with two stylish compacts
4 December 2007 - Samsung Cameras, leaders in digital imaging, today announced the release of two new cameras to their popular award-winning S series. The 7 mega pixel S760 and the 8 mega pixel S860 are easy to use and packed with innovative features.
Both cameras combine Samsung’s advanced image processing technology and Samsung’s Intelligent Face Recognition Technology. Samsung’s Intelligent Face Recognition Technology, detects the subject’s face and automatically adjusts auto focus and auto exposure to ensure better composition and image quality in portraits. The AF function instantaneously recognises the faces of subjects and accurately focuses on them, then the AE function takes over, setting the appropriate exposure to ensure the highest image quality.
The S760 and S860 feature 3 x optical zoom and a bright 2.4” LCD display. Both models also boast 11 scene modes and digital image stabilisation technology.
Features include:
* 3x Optical Zoom Lens
* 2.4” LCD Screen
* Digital Image Stabilization
* High Sensitivity ISO 1000
* Function Description
* Self Shot
The Samsung S760 and S860 will be available in a choice of black, silver, pink or blue colours from January 2008 at an RRP of £79.99 for the S760 and price still to be confirmed for the S860. Customers requiring further information should call 00 800 122 637 27 or visit www.samsungcamera.co.uk
Imaging Resource reviews the Fujifilm FinePix S8000fd and writes - "The Fujifilm S8000fd was a pleasure to shoot with. And that's not easy for an ultra long zoom to do. Unfortunately, the printed results from the Fujifilm S8000fd were disappointing above ISO 400, and really not that great at 400, so we can't give this digital camera the ringing endorsement we'd hoped. If you can remain content not shooting above ISO 800, and ignore the camera's ISO 1,600, 3,200, and 6,400 the Fujifilm S8000fd is a pretty good long zoom digital camera. But if high ISO is important to you, look at the cameras we've tested below that deliver better low light performance. So while we think the Fujifilm S8000fd is a pretty good camera for daylight shooting, with a great zoom and cool features, it just misses a Dave's Pick due to its high ISO performance."
Read more about the Fujifilm Finepix S8000fd
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Tamron AF 18-250mm F/3.5-6.3 Di II Lens News Release
Tamron Announces the Launch of the Popular AF18-250mm F/3.5-6.3 Di II with Built-In Motor for Nikon (Model A18N II)
A Compact, Lightweight and Ultimate High Power Zoom Lens Boasting the 13.9X Zoom Power Designed Exclusively for APS-C Sized Digital SLRs
Mr. Morio Ono, of Tamron Co., Ltd., announced that the company will release the AF18-250mm F/3.5-6.3 Di-II LD Aspherical (IF) Macro, a lightweight, compact and ultra high power zoom lens designed exclusively for digital SLR cameras with APS-C sized image sensors with a built-in motor for Nikon (Model A18N II).
Product Name
Date of Launch Schedule in Japan
AF18-250mm F/3.5-6.3 Di II (Model A18N II) for Nikon December 13, 2007
The AF18-250mm F/3.5-6.3 Di-II LD Aspherical (IF) Macro is the ultimate high power zoom lens boasting the world’s greatest zoom ratio(*1) of 13.9X, a milestone that Tamron, the pioneer of high power zoom lenses, has achieved by commanding its technologies to further expand the capabilities of high power zoom lenses.
(*1) As of November, 2007. Based upon Tamron's research of lenses for exclusive use with digital SLRs equipped with APS-C sized image sensors.
DP Review has posted their review of the Fujifilm F50fd where they give it a rating of 'highly recommended' and write - 'And so to the rating. There was quite a lot of discussion here as to whether the F50fd should be marked down for being such a disappointing step backwards from the F31fd - no matter how unsurprising that was. The replacement of the F31fd means the end of the line for a sensor that over four generations of Fujifilm compact cameras has shown that there is an alternative to pointless megapixel increases and noisy results at anything over base ISO. Whilst the F50fd still has a lead over its conventional CCD competitors that advantage has been cut down to little more than a whisker, and this is a regrettable and slightly depressing indication of where the compact camera manufacturers' priorities lie.'
Read more about the Fujifilm F50fd
Get a Price on the Fujifilm Finepix F50fd at Amazon
Sigma APO 70-200mm F2.8 II EX DG MACRO HSM
The Sigma Corporation is pleased to announce the launch of the new APO 70-200mm F2.8 II EX DG MACRO HSM.
This large aperture zoom lens has improved optical performance and retains close-up ability with a minimum focusing distance of 100cm/39.4in and maximum magnification ration of 1:3.5. This lens is suitable for taking all type of subjects such as portraits, landscape, and close-up pictures.
Two SLD (Special Low Dispersion) and three ELD (Extraordinary Low Dispersion) glass elements provide excellent correction for all types of aberrations. High image quality is assured throughout the entire zoom range. The super multi-layer coating reduces flare and ghosting. This lens incorporates HSM (Hyper Sonic Motor), which ensures a quiet and high-speed AF as well as full-time manual focusing capability.
The lens design incorporates an inner focusing and inner zooming systems. The overall length of the lens does not change during focusing and zooming, ensuring convenient handling. A removable tripod collar (TS-21) is included as a standard component. When this lens is used with the optional 1.4x EX DG APO or 2x EX DG APO Tele Converters, it becomes a 98-280mm F4 AF telephoto zoom lens or a 140-400mm F5.6 AF telephoto zoom lens respectively.
Sigma APO 70-200mm F2.8 II EX DC HSM Features
* Improved optical performance with a minimum focusing distance of 100cm/39.4in and maximum magnification of 1:3.5.
* Two SLD and three ELD glass elements provide excellent correction for all types of aberrations.
* Super multi-layer coating reduces flare and ghosting.
* HSM ensures quiet, high speed autofocus with full time manual focusing.
* APO Tele Converter is available.
Sigma APO 50-150mm F2.8 II EX DC HSM
The Sigma Corporation is pleased to announce the launch of the new APO 50-150mm F2.8 II EX DC HSM lens.
This large aperture telephoto zoom lens is designed exclusively for digital SLR cameras with APS-C size sensors and its compact, lightweight body provides freedom of movement and versatility. The minimum focusing distance of 100cm/39.4in. and the high-resolution power layout have improved the strength of the lens in close-up photography.
This lens offers a large aperture of F2.8 and its large depth of field offers greater freedom of creative expression. It has a maximum aperture of F2.8. Four SLD glass elements are used for maximum correction of chromatic aberrations. The super multi-layer lens coating reduce flare and ghosting and ensure sharp images throughout the entire zoom range.
The lens design incorporates an inner focusing and inner zooming system. As the overall length of the lens does not change during focusing and zooming, convenient handling is ensured. The HSM (Hyper Sonic Motor) system allows quiet and high-speed auto focusing with full time manual focus override by just rotating the focusing ring. The addition of the optional 1.4x EX DG APO or 2x EX DG APO Tele Converters produce a 70-210mm F4 AF tele-zoom lens and a 100-300mm F5.6 AF ultra-telephoto zoom lens respectively.
PhotographyBLOG reviews the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18 and writes - 'The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18 is a bit of a jack of all trades – you can get crisp close ups with the minimum of fuss whether shooting from safe distance away, and also get cracking macro shots with the camera's lens practically resting on your subject matter. Plus, that 28mm wide angle lets you capture the whole scene before you without having to step back too far. The only things putting me off an unequivocal recommendation is that the zoom functionality is disabled when shooting video clips, the joystick that affords quick access to the most important settings in one go is too short, too small and thus tricky to operate, plus – that old argument again – you can now pick up a starter DSLR for round about the same price. That said, you won't have the same focal range, and will need a large and expensive optic to achieve anything near it.'
Read more about the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18
CNET reviews the Fujifilm FinePix Z10fd and writes - 'While the Fujifilm FinePix Z10fd is aggressively priced, there are other cameras out there that can deliver better image quality for about the same amount of money. Canon's Powershot SD1000, for example, has come down in price since it was introduced and now hovers around the same price as the Z10fd while delivering faster overall performance and better overall image quality. The same can be said for Sony's Cyber-shot DSC-W55, or for a little more money its bigger brother, the DSC-W80. Of course, none of these sport the Z10fd's cute design or dazzling array of colors, but I'd rather be dazzled by images I shoot with my camera instead of images of my camera.'
Read more about the Fujifilm FInePix Z10fd
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DP Review has posted their review of the Fuji FinePix S8000fd where they write - 'If you understand your specific photographic needs, there are cameras out there that shoot faster, others that have better and more easily accessed manual controls, others that are smaller and more convenient, and those that have shorter but higher quality lenses. But if you want to just take pictures and don't spend too much time pixel-peering it's a lot of camera for the money, and offers very user friendly snap-shooting operation and bright and punchy output. As such it earns a cautious recommendation.'
Read more about the Fuji Finepix S8000fd
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