Photography

Digital camera heavyweights Sony have rolled out their first wireless Cyber-Shot digital camera, the 6-megapixel Cyber-shot DSC-G1.

The G1 is Sony’s first wireless digicam able to send photos to other Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA)-enabled devices (like other cameras and PCs) and Phil Lubell, director of marketing for digital cameras at Sony Electronics was ready to big up the technology: “This is a step towards realizing a platform for networked photo communication.”

“We will continue to explore the possibilities for networked digital imaging as broadband Internet becomes more pervasive in American homes,” he added.

The groundbreaking camera comes with a positively ginormous, 3.5-inch, 921k pixel screen, a whopping 2GB of internal storage, optical stabilisation and wireless connectivity.

The metal bodied Cyber-shot model sports an eye catching design, with a Carl Zeiss 3x optical zoom lens (38-114mm, 35mm equiv) lurking behind a horizontally sliding cover.

Socialites keen to grab that decisive party moment will like Sony’s claim that the camera can be ready to shoot in less than a second, with the built in Super Steady Shot optical image stabilisation keeping the cocktail shakes at bay.

In line with its party animal aspirations, the G1 has high light sensitivity – up to ISO 1000 – for grabbing natural, low light shots.

Hefty Storage

When it comes to internal storage, Sony have been very generous and strapped in a mighty 2GB of internal memory, good enough to store a holiday’s worth of pics (that’s 7,500 VGA-quality photos or 600 6-megapixel pictures).

There’s also a memory slot onboard for storing yet more photos, but Sony are sticking with their less widespread Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick PRO Duo format, which can now store up to eight gigabytes.

Sony have also added an “auto image management system” which lets snappers organize their photos by events, keywords and labels and – remarkably – lets user select someone’s face and search for other photos with the same face, same colour, or a similar composition.

The DSC-G1 digital camera will be slipping on to the shelves in April, priced at around $600.

Sony DSC-G1 specifications
Sensor 1/2.5″ Type CCD, 6.0 million effective pixels
Image sizes 2816 x 2112, 2048 x 1536, 1632 x 1224, 640 x 480, 2816 x 1872 (3:2), 1920 x 1080 (16:9)
Movie clips 640 x 480 @30fps, 320 x 240 @ 30fps
File formats JPEG, DPOF, MS Video LV4
Lens Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar, 3x optical zoom, 38-114mm (35mm equiv), F3.5-4.3
Image stabilisation SuperSteadyShot
Focus AF area modes 9-point
AF assist lamp Yes
Focus distance AF: 50cm
Macro: 8cm (wide) 25cm (tele)
Metering Multi-pattern, Center-weighted, Spot
ISO sensitivity ISO 80 – ISO 1000
Exposure compensation +/-2EV in 1/3EV increments
Exposure bracketing 3 frames @ +/-0.3 / 0.7 / 1.0EV
Shutter speed Auto: 1/4-1/1000, P: 1-inch-1/1000
Slow shutter: 1/6sec or slower
Aperture F3.5-5.6 (wide) F4.3-7.1 (tele)
Modes Auto, Program Auto, Scene
Scene modes Twilight, Twilight Portrait, Landscape, Beach, Snow, Fireworks, High Speed, Shutter, High Sensitivity, Soft Snap, Handheld Twilight
White balance Image Sensor – Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Fluorescent, Incandescent, Flash
Self timer 2 or 10 sec
Continuous shooting max 7 shots @ 3.3fps
Flash Auto, On, Slow Synch, Off, Red-eye reduction, Auto Daylight Synch
Range: 0.1-2.8m (wide) 0.25-2.2m (tele)
Viewfinder No
LCD monitor 3.5-inch, 921,000 pixels
Connectivity Cradle, USB 2.0, AV out, DC in, WiFi (b/g)
Storage Memory Stick / Pro Duo, 1.86GB internal memory
Power Rechargeable Lithium-ion battery NP-FR1
Weight (no batt) 204 g (7.2 oz)
Dimensions 93.3 x 71.7 x 25.3 mm (3 11/16 x 2 13/16 x 1 in)

Sony

Sigma have announced the full details of their new DP1 camera, a high end point’n’shoot digital camera packing a hefty 14 megapixels resolution with a full size image sensor.

To say it’s been inspired by the Ricoh GR would be something of an understatement – with its plain black body, fixed 28mm lens, hotshoe and attachable viewfinder, this thing’s more of a ruddy homage.

What it lacks in originality it more than makes up in specs, sporting a Foveon chip image sensor “approximately 12 times larger” than what you’ll find lurking in your average point and shoot camera.

A bigger sensor should lead to a much cleaner image, with less noise and significantly better low light performance, but we expect this innovation to come at a thumping big price (as yet unannounced).

The camera shares the same design lines of the Ricoh, but that large sensor means that it’s substantially bulkier and more box-life, so street photographers will have to decide whether the extra resolution is worth lugging around a bigger camera.

Camera controls

The front of the camera is pleasingly simple, with the top plate carrying on/off, shutter and mode dial controls, with a jogwheel control below for manually focussing (a nice touch)

The back of the camera sports 2.5″ LCD with the usual controls, curiously finished in a rather garish and cheap looking silver finish (Street shooters usually like their cameras to be as plain as possible – legendary snapper Cartier Bresson famously stuck black tape all over his expensive chrome Leica to make it less conspicuous).

Traditionally, RAW write speeds on digital compacts fall into the so-slow-it’s hardly-worth-the-effort category, but Sigma are claiming that full resolution RAW files will be “recorded so swiftly that the DP1 won’t ever feel slow. It’s just like using a DSLR.”

The 28mm fixed lens is disappointingly slow at just f4, but this may be compensated by improved high ISO performance.

We have to say that we’re intrigued by this camera, even if it’s only really playing catch up with the Ricoh GR when it comes to the feature set.

Many of the improvements that GR users have been looking for – image stabilisation, optical zoom and a built in viewfinder – are all noticeably absent from the Sigma, and the camera’s macro can only focus down to just 30cm compared to the GR’s incredible 1cm.

However, with the SD1 offering dSLR performance in a (large) pocketable design, this could be the perfect carry-everywhere second camera for pro users.

More info: sigma-photo.co.jp
Dedicated website: http://sigma-dp1.com/

Specifications
Image Sensor FOVEON X3 (CMOS)
Image Sensor Size 20.7×13.8mm
Number of Pixels Effective Pixels approx. 14.06MP (2652x1768x3 layers)
Aspect Ratio 3 : 2
Lens 16.6mm F4(35mm equivalent focal length:28mm)
Lens Construction 5 Groups, 6 Elements
Shooting Range 30cm – infinity
Storage Media SD Card /SDHC compatible
Recording Format Exif 2.21, DCF 2.0, DPOF
Recording Mode Lossless compression RAW data (12-bit), JPEG (High, Medium Low), Movie, Voice memo to still images, Voice recording
White Balance 8 types (Auto, Sunlight, Shade, Overcast, Incandescent, Fluorescent, Flash, Custom)
Auto Focus Contrast Detection Type
AF Point 9-Points
Focusing Modes Single, 9-points multi
AF Point Selection Auto and Manual Selection
Focus Lock Shutter release halfway-down position(AF lock can be done by AE lock button from menu setting)
Manual Focus Focus aid (Dial Type)
Metering System 8 segments evaluative metering, Center Metering, Center-Weighted Average Metering
Exposure Control System Auto Mode, (P) Program AE, (S) Shutter Priority AE, (A) Aperture Priority AE, (M) Manual
Exposure Compensation +/-3EV (1/3 stop increments)
Auto Bracketing Appropriate, under, over; 1/3EV steps up to ±3EV for appropriate exposure
Shutter Speed 1/4000sec. to 15sec.
Built-in Flash Pop-up type (manually)
Flash Coverage Range 30cm-2.1m(at ISO200)
External Flash Sync. Hotshoe (X Sync. Contact)
Drive Modes [1] Single, [2] Continuous, [3] Self Timer(2sec. /10sec.)
LCD Monitor TFT Color LCD Monitor
Monitor Size 2.5 inches, approx.230,000 pixels
Interface USB(USB2.0), Video Out (NTSC/PAL), Audio Out(Monaural)
Power Li-ion Battery Pack BP-31, Battery Charger BC-31, AC Adapter (Optional)
Dimensions 113.3mm/4.5″ (W) x 59.5mm /2.3″(H) x50.3mm/2″ (D)
Weight 240g /8.5oz (excluding batteries)

To the sound of the gnashing of teeth and wringing of hands of recent D40 purchasers, Nikon has announced an upgraded version of the camera, the Nikon D40x.

Essentially identical to the D40, the D40x comes with a much beefier ten megapixel CCD (up from 6 megapixel) and an improved ISO rating going down to ISO 100 (the D40 could only manage an ISO 200 base sensitivity).

Nikon claim that the battery life has been extended to allow up to 520 images per charge (better than the 470 images for the D40) and can rattle off more photos in continuous shooting mode (3 frames per second compared to 2.5 fps for the D40).

As with its predecessor, the D40x provides a capable and highly affordable route into the highly rated Nikon SLR system, and comes with a super fast power up time (0.18 seconds), Nikon’s 3D Colour Matrix Metering II, an improved Image Processing Engine, a bright viewfinder and a large 2.5″ LCD screen.

There’s eight ‘Digital Vari-Program modes’ on offer to help beginners get to grip with the camera’s capabilities, with the option to engage manual control and boldly go into aperture and shutter speed settings.

In-camera editing tools let snappers adjust compensation, correct red-eye or use monochrome effects to get that Ye Olde Black-and-white or Sepia tone effect.

With Clint Eastwood-esque squinting eyes, the D40x has clearly got the Canon EOS 400D (Digital Rebel XTi) in its sights, and with a highly competitive price of $799 (including the 18-55 mm kit lens), it’ll be interesting to see how Canon reacts.

The D40x will be launched worldwide at the end of March 2007

Specifications:
Price US: $ 729 (body only), with 18-55 mm lens US: $ 799
Body colour Black or Silver
Sensor 23.7 x 15.6 mm CCD sensor, Nikon DX format (1.5x FOV crop), 10.2 million effective pixels
Image sizes 3872 x 2592 (Large, 10.0 MP), 2896 x 1944 (Medium, 5.6 MP), 1936 x 1296 (Small, 2.5 MP)
Image quality NEF (12-bit compressed RAW), JPEG fine, JPEG normal, JPEG basic, NEF (RAW) + JPEG basic
Lens mount Nikon F mount (with AF coupling & AF contacts)
Lens compatibility Type G or D AF Nikkor, AF-S, AF-I, Other Type G or D AF Nikkor, PC Micro-Nikkor 85mm f/2.8D, Other AF Nikkor*2/AI-P Nikkor
Autofocus Three area TTL phase detection, Nikon Multi-CAM530 autofocus module, Only with AF-S or AF-I lenses, EV -1 to +19 (ISO 100 equivalent, at normal temperature)
Lens servo Single-servo AF (AF-S), Continuous-servo AF (AF-C), Automatic AF-S/AF-C (AF-A), Manual focus (M)
AF Area mode: Single Area AF, Dynamic Area AF, Closest Subject Priority Dynamic Area AF
Focus tracking Predictive focus tracking automatically activated according to subject status in continuous-servo AF
Focus area One of three areas can be selected
Focus lock Focus can be locked by pressing shutter-release button halfway (single-servo AF) or by pressing AE-L/AF-L button
AF Assist White light lamp
Exposure mode Digital Vari-program, Auto, Flash off, Portrait, Landscape, Child, Sports, Close up, Night portrait, Programmed auto (P) with flexible program, Shutter-priority auto (S), Aperture priority auto (A), Manual (M)
Metering TTL full-aperture exposure metering system, 3D color matrix metering II, 420 segment RGB sensor, Center-weighted, spot
Metering range: EV 0 to 20 (3D color matrix or center-weighted metering), EV 2 to 20 (spot metering) (ISO 100 equivalent, f/1.4 lens, 20 °C)
Exposure compen. +/- 5.0 EV, 1/3 EV steps
AE Lock Exposure locked at detected value with AE-L/AF-L button
AE Bracketing None
Sensitivity Auto, ISO 100-1600, ISO 3200 equiv. (HI 1)
Shutter Combined mechanical and CCD electronic shutter, 30 to 1/4000 sec (1/3 EV steps), Flash X-Sync: up to 1/200 sec, Bulb
White balance Auto (TTL white-balance with 420 pixels RGB sensor), Six manual modes with fine-tuning
Image parameters: Preset modes: Normal, Softer, Vivid, More Vivid, Portrait, B&W
Color mode: Ia (sRGB), II (Adobe RGB), IIIa (sRGB)
Viewfinder Optical fixed eye-level, Penta-mirror type, Built-in diopter adjustment (-1.7 to +0.5 m-1)
Viewfinder information: Focus indications, AE/FV lock indicator, Shutter speed, Aperture value, Exposure/Exposure compensation indicator, Exposure mode, Flash output level compensation, Exposure compensation, Number of remaining exposures, Flash-ready indicator
LCD monitor 2.5″ TFT LCD, 230,000 pixel
Built-in flash: Auto pop-up in Auto, Vari-program modes, Manual pop-up in P, S, A or M modes
Guide number: approx. 17 at ISO 200
Shooting modes Single frame shooting (S) mode, Continuous shooting (C) mode: approx. 3.0 frames per second (slower with NR)
Continuous buffer: JPEG: Limited only by storage, RAW: Approx. 9 frames (shooting continues at a slower rate)
Self-timer: 2, 5, 10 or 20 sec
Storage: Secure Digital / Secure Digital HC, FAT / FAT32
Video output: NTSC or PAL selectable
Connectivity: USB 2.0 (Hi-Speed)
Dimensions 126 x 94 x 64 mm (5.0 x 3.7 x 2.5 in)
Weight: (no batt) 71 g (1.0 lb), (inc. batt) 522 g (1.2 lb)

Source

We felt the love for their Caplio R4 digicam and were a little cooler on the Caplio R5 follow up, so we’ll look forward to getting our hands on Ricoh’s new Caplio R6 digital camera, announced before the PMA show.

As ever, the camera sports a beast of a 7.1x optical wide zoom lens (28–200 mm in 35 mm camera format) in a slim body measuring a pocketable 20.6 mm at its thinnest point.

As with its predecessors, the 7.2 megapixel Caplio R6 comes with CCD-shift vibration correction and bolts on the current must-have feature, face recognition (we have to say we remain a little underwhelmed by this much touted technology).

We like the sound of a new quick review feature however that lets you instantly enlarge an image 16 times to check everything’s snippety snappity in the sharp focus department.

The Ricoh Caplio R6 comes with a handy 54MB of internal memory, letting you take 34 shots at 7M size (normal mode). If you’ve ever had a memory card go kibosh on you when you’re out in the field (we have), this could prove a very useful fallback.

The camera comes with high-resolution, high viewing angle 2.7-inch LCD (up slightly on the R5 LCD), with Ricoh claiming a long 330 shot battery life.

The interface has also been improved, letting punters select individual images for deletion, backed by a handy File Recovery feature letting you restore images accidentally erased.

Macro fans should moisten at the close-up shooting mode, letting you get as close to 1 cm with wide macro and as close as 25 cm with telemacro.

The Ricoh Caplio R6 will be lining up on the shelves of your favourite retailer in March 2007 and will be available in Silver, Black and Red.

PMA Show

Olympus has announced details of two additions to their dSLR range in the run up to the Photo Marketing Association (PMA) trade show in Las Vegas which starts on the 7th March.

Olympus E-410

An upgraded and improved version of the E-400 digital SLR, the ultra compact dSLR comes with a ten megapixel Live MOS sensor which offers the company’s innovative Live View featutre.

This means that as well as using the optical viewfinder, snappers can preview scenes on the large 2.5″/6.4cm HyperCrystal LCD – just like a compact digicam. We wish all cameras had this feature as it opens up lots of creative options when shooting.

Olympus have also increased the camera’s high sensitivity performance thaks to a new TruePic III processor, backed by improved buffering of continuous frames offering shooting at 3fps with up to seven images in RAW buffer

The camera comes with dual memory card slots – annoyingly, neither are which are the hugely popular SD format (xD-Picture Card and CompactFlash) – and comes in a pleasingly small 5.1″ x 3.6″ x 2.1″ package.

The E-410 serves up 32 shooting modes (incl. 5 exposure, 7 creative & 20 scene modes) and is compatible with the Four Thirds System.

Olympus E-510
An upgrade to the E-500 digital SLR, the new E-510 also comes with a ten megapixel Live MOS sensor offering Live View, but adds in-body, sensor shift based Image Stabilisation.

Packaged in a new, attractively styled, traditionally body, the Four-Thirds E-510 has pleasingly small dimensions and is aimed at both the serious amateur and semi-professional.

The E-510 offers the same 3fps shooting rate (up to seven images in RAW buffer) with 28 shooting modes available (incl. 5 exposure, 5 creative & 18 scene modes), supported by Olympus’s Supersonic Wave Filter for shaking off those pesky bits of sensor dust.

Although not quite as small as it’s younger brother, the camera still measures up at a pleasingly bijou 5.4″ x 3.6″ x 2.7″, making it a great choice for travellers.

We’ll be nagging Olympus to see if we can get our hands on a review model soon.

[Via]

Nikon has announced several additions to its new Coolpix lineup today, but the one that’s caught our eye is its high-end Coolpix P5000 prosumer model.

The specs look enticing: 10 megapixel sensor, stablised 3.5x zoom, high ISO range, 2.5-inch screen, add-on lenses and a neat, all-black compact design (3.9 x 2.5 x 1.6 in.).

We like proper image stabilisation (rather than the ISO-booting sleight-of-hand touted by some makers) and the P5000 comes with optical lens shift VR (Vibration Reduction) technology borrowed from Nikon’s upmarket SLR camera systems.

With clever-clogs angular velocity sensors (we could have used some of them last night in the pub) measuring camera movement, the camera automatically calculates the amount of compensation required, with the VR lens unit adjusting position to negate offset camera shake.

Nikon claim that their VR system provides sharp images up to three steps slower, which should give the camera an edge over some of its rivals in low light shooting.

In line with most of its rivals, the P500’s ISO range soars up into the grainy heights of ISO 3200 capability (at a reduced 5M capacity), with an Anti-Shake and High-Sensitivity mode automatically selecting the optimal rating.

Photographers who can’t stop themselves fiddling and tweaking about with any dial they can get their hands on will enjoy the camera’s Program, Shutter Priority,
Aperture Priority Auto and Manual modes, backed by 16 scene-optimised Scene modes and seven different movie modes.

They’ll also enjoy the optical viewfinder, even if it is a bit of a squinty affair, with the rechargeable Lithium-ion battery EN-EL5 promising around 250 shots on a single charge. There’s a vaguely useful 21meg of internal memory with a SD card slot offering SDHC card compatibility.

Nikon have also announced optional accessories including a 0.67x Wide-angle Converter and a 3.0x Telephoto Converter lenses, with the camera’s built in hotshoe ready and willing to accept flashguns from Nikon’s advanced Speedlight range.

DPreview