Belkin LiveAction (special gadgets)

Belkin LiveAction Camera

Price: $49.99

The Belkin LiveAction Camera Grip will be accompanied by the LiveAction Camera Remote and will feature a contoured, soft-touch design and an external shutter button, turning your iOS device into a digital camera so that you can shoot images in the traditional method – by pressing a physical button.
The Camera Grip will be connected to the charge connector of the device, where it ought to be able to fits easily over the majority of cases. As for the integrated tripod mount, it will attach itself to any standard tripod to deliver you a more stabilized control. There will be separate buttons for photo and video recording, and it will play nice with the iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, and iPod touch.

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Special Gadgets/New Leica M9-P Digital Camera

Leica M9-P Camera

Leica has launched a newer version of Leica’s M9 rangefinder digital camera, named M9-P. Measuring just 139 x 37 x 80 mm, the company says is the smallest, full-frame digital camera in the world.
The Leica M9-P, designed for the professional user include a a scratch-resistant, sapphire crystal covering on the LCD screen and anti-reflective coatings for improved visibility in difficult lighting conditions. M9-P also features an 18-megapixel 24 x 36mm (35mm format) CCD sensor and a Microprocessor-controlled, exceptionally low-noise, metal blade shutter with vertical movement. Design of the camera is more discreet which makes the photographer more ‘inconspicuous’
Leica boasts with a brand-new lens, the Leica Super-Elmar-M 1:3.4/21 mm ASPH. New Super-Elmar-M is characterized by superior imaging qualities and extremely compact construction and delivers outstanding reproduction of details and best contrast from infinity to closest focusing distances – even at maximum aperture.

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Special Gadgets/GoPro Hero 2 Camera

GoPro Hero 2 Camera

Planning to make a record of your outdoor triumphs and bloopers? There's no better tool for the job than the GoPro Hero 2 Camera ($300). Available in outdoor, motorsports, or surfing versions — each with specific accessories for the task — all of the Hero 2s offer a sharper lens and improved low light capability compared to the original Hero, the ability to shoot 11 megapixel stills at speeds up to 10 fps, your choice of wide (170º), medium (127º), or narrow (90º) field of view when shooting 1080p video, the ability to capture WVGA video at 120 fps or 720p video at 60 fps, and, of course, a rugged housing that's waterproof to nearly 200 feet, and ensures that your camera won't bite it even if you do.

Via UNCRATE

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Special Gadgets/Canon EOS C300 Digital Cinema Camera

Canon EOS C300 Digital Cinema Camera: $20,000

Slated for a January release, they hope the C300 will be met with the same enthusiasm by professional movie makers as the original Flip handheld was by consumers. The Flip Mino came to market with a blend of quality, portability, usability and price that went on to define the handheld HD camcorder category. 

Canon U.S.A. executive Larry Thorpe told DP Review that with this first entry in Canon's 'C' system interchangeable lens video cameras, they are "going to enter the motion picture industry with a very sharp focus on movie making, on television production [and] on commercial production."

It features a single Super 35mm-equivalent CMOS sensor able to deliver full bandwidth individual red, green and blue video components without the need for any debayering algorithms. Canon will produce two different (but otherwise equivalently configured and priced) models, one with the industry-standard PL lens mount and the other utilizing an EF lens mount -- making the C300 compatible with Canon's dozens of existing lenses, along with some impressive-looking new ones. While it can take stills -- and record them to an SDHC card -- it's clearly made for video.
To accommodate different shooting styles, the viewfinder tilts up to 60 degrees, the 4-inch LCD monitor/control panel rotates 270 degrees, it's got Start/Stop buttons in four different locations and large dials are positioned in two places to allow operation from the side. It features a removable handgrip that's completely rotatable in 15-degree increments. And an onboard waveform monitor and vectorscope eliminates the need for external exposure and color analyzers.
For twenty grand -- considered a decent price for what it does -- the package includes the EOS C300 body (roughly 3 pounds and 5 inches by 7 inches by 7 inches), the monitor unit, viewfinder, eye cup, handle, thumb rest, XF Utilities, shoulder strap, WFT attachment, tripod base, battery pack, battery charger, AC cable, power adapter and DC cable. Canon is encouraging parties interested in purchasing or renting it to fill out an online form.

Via: Discovery News/Credit: Canon U.S.A.

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Special Gadgets/ Scarlet X camera

Scarlet X camera

It would be hard to imagine a greater contrast between today's launch by Canon of its EOS C300 digital cinema camera and the launch of RED's long-awaited Scarlet. Canon's event was huge and long-winded with a string of cinematography heavyweights on stage. At the RED gathering half an hour later, an ad hoc bunch of the faithful turned up at RED studios, ostensibly just to watch the same web page update as the rest of the world. Alas it didn't quite work out like that.

Due to what RED believes was a malicious attack, their servers (beefed up for the occasion) collapsed and red.com went dark. Head Honcho Jim Jannard had to come out and address the gathered 300 or so himself whilst the rest of the world gleaned tidbits over twitter. This sort of thing is part of the fun of RED that is both enjoyable and infuriating in equal measure. Let's not forget though that RED is, by far, the most successful manufacturer of digital cinema cameras with nearly 10,000 units in the wild and they are in use on the majority of Hollywood films in production.

The news of Scarlet itself was quite simple yet quite significant, and an interesting counterpoint to Canon. The concept for Scarlet announced three years ago envisaged a video-sized chip (2/3-in) providing a 3K picture for 2K deliverables after processing. All that has gone away. What the world wants, argues RED, is an EPIC (RED's flagship 5K cinema camera) for less money. So that's what's happening. Jim Jannard explained that the ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits) in the Epic are expensive and advanced and many of them fail to reach the high performance required for the Epic's stellar spec's. These are of course rejected and just sit on a shelf. By matching these chips with less complex electronics and accepting the lower data rates and capabilities, RED's per unit costs drop dramatically and a baby Epic can be manufactured at a reasonable cost. So that's what Scarlet X is.
At 5K resolution Scarlet X will shoot 6 fps, suitable for high quality stills photography (similar resolution to Canon 7D, 60D, 600D etc.). At 4K resolution Scarlet X will shoot 1 to 24 fps, suitable for film making, and at QuadHD it will shoot 30 fps. At 2K it will shoot up to 60 fps, and at 1K it will shoot at up to 120 fps. The camera block (brain) is the same size as the Epic brain, the inputs and outputs are the same, and all the myriad RED accessories will fit both cameras. The lens mount is the standard cinema PL mount or, and this is genius, the Canon EF mount, with autofocus support.
Price for the Scarlet X brain plus a SSD (sold state disc drive) is US$9,750 (GBP6,000 / EUR7,000). For a kit with battery, controller and LCD the cost will be around $14,000 (GBP8,700 / EUR10,000) depending on options. Delivery on the PL mount version will be this month and the Canon mount version will be available in December. In a significant announcement Jim Jannard promised that as of next February RED will have ramped production such that for the first time in their history, cameras should be available from stock.

Scarlet X camera-2

For people expecting some radical new product, this announcement will be a disappointment. In reality it's a very smart and rational move that allows RED to leverage its existing development work and its rapidly ramping manufacturing capability to compete head-on with the camera giants that are finally now starting to move into their space. The comparison with the Canon C300 announcement is interesting and it's one that RED wins on points. The Canon is marginally more expensive but only provides 1080P 4:2:2 output whereas the RED provides 4K RAW suitable for processing in RED's comprehensive (free) software. The Canon is rugged but only to the extent of other EOS cameras. The Scarlet is built, literally, like a tank and the EPIC has been proven in the field for a year now. The Canon lenses are doubtless superb but RED have their own range of cost-effective cinema lenses. In any case you can use Canon lenses on the Scarlet X, and you get autofocus, which ironically the Canon camera does not provide.
The biggest advantage of the Scarlet X though is this. RED provides a modular system that is guaranteed to increase in capability over the years. You can swap between the PL and Canon mounts for instance on the Scarlet. Not possible on the C300. RED software and firmware is guaranteed to be upgraded on a regular basis and RED guarantees that you will be able to upgrade the guts of your camera years down the line when the technology has moved on. It would go completely against Canon's business model to offer the same sort of upgradeability.

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Special Gadgets/Hasselblad H4D-200MS Camera

Camera with 200 megapixels – sounds tempting! Exactly that Hasselblad has done,  now has launched H4D-200MS, the amazing 200-megapixel camera, at the Photokina Imaging show in Cologne, Germany. First announced  in September 2010, this camera is based on the company’s older H4D-50MS that was based on the H3DII-39MS that was in development since 2000.

Camera works using a piezoelectric motor to move the sensor around slightly to capture multiple images, six to be precise, of 50 megapixel each and then stitches them together to form one gigantic 200 megapixel image. It includes all the functionality of the H4D-50 and H4D-50MS, including True Focus, Ultra Focus, digital lens correction and others and also provides three capture modes:
The H4D-200MS is available now for $45,592. If you have the H4D-50MS, you have the option of upgrading your camera to the H4D-200MS for just $9,973.

[Hasselblad]

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GoPro Releases The HD Hero2 Action Camera

The Half Moon Bay-based company just released the HD Hero2 Professional, a major refresh over the original (and much loved) HD Hero. Chief among the updates is a new video sensor that has twice the performance as the original including better low light capture. This new sensor is paired with a different lens that not only improves the overall clarity, but also features a 170 degree field of view rather than the 127 found in the older HD Hero. Yep, your extreme tomfoolery will look that much more awesome.
The HD Hero2 looks very similar to the original. It’s the same square form factor, which allows it to fit into the existing housings. However, GoPro improved the user experience markedly. A bonifide user interface now occupies the tiny LCD rather than a cryptic single character menu system . Plus, the camera now has LED status lights on four sides rather than just the front.
The big improvement involves the internal systems. The new sensor and processor allows for incredible burst modes: 10 photos per second or one every .5 seconds. The faster sensor allows for 960p at 48 frames per second, 720p at 60 fps or WVGA at 120 fps. Plus, the sensor is capable of still photos at 11 megapixels, a huge upgrade from the 5MP sensor in the HD Hero. The new model also has an mini-HDMI port, and 3.5mm external stereo mic input along with a 3.5mm composite video port. Like the HD Hero, the HD Hero2 is also compatible with the BacPac add-ons including the upcoming WiFi BacPac that will add remote management through a small wireless remote and a smartphone.
GoPro dispatched the $299 HD Hero2 to Best Buy last week should the should be hitting your local store within the week. The model is also available on GoPro.com.

GoPro is ready to take action cameras to a whole new level. Again. The Half Moon Bay-based company just released the HD Hero2 Professional, a major refresh over the original (and much loved) HD Hero. Chief among the updates is a new video sensor that has twice the performance as the original including better low light capture. This new sensor is paired with a different lens that not only improves the overall clarity, but also features a 170 degree field of view rather than the 127 found in the older HD Hero. Yep, your extreme tomfoolery will look that much more awesome.
The HD Hero2 looks very similar to the original. It’s the same square form factor, which allows it to fit into the existing housings. However, GoPro improved the user experience markedly. A bonifide user interface now occupies the tiny LCD rather than a cryptic single character menu system (the original is horrible). Plus, the camera now has LED status lights on four sides rather than just the front.
The big improvement involves the internal systems. The new sensor and processor allows for incredible burst modes: 10 photos per second or one every .5 seconds. The faster sensor allows for 960p at 48 frames per second, 720p at 60 fps or WVGA at 120 fps. Plus, the sensor is capable of still photos at 11 megapixels, a huge upgrade from the 5MP sensor in the HD Hero. The new model also has an mini-HDMI port, and 3.5mm external stereo mic input along with a 3.5mm composite video port. Like the HD Hero, the HD Hero2 is also compatible with the BacPac add-ons including the upcoming WiFi BacPac that will add remote management through a small wireless remote and a smartphone.
GoPro dispatched the $299 HD Hero2 to Best Buy last week should the should be hitting your local store within the week. The model is also available on GoPro.com.

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Fuji FinePix REAL 3D W1/Review

Price: $600 (est.)

Official Site: FujiFilmUSA.com

Specs: 10MP; Fujinon 3x optical zoom w/ dual lenses; 2.8” LCD Parallax Barrier monitor; 48MB internal memory; ISO (100-1,600); 9.2 oz

Company: Fujifilm Holdings Comapny

With the FinePix REAL 3D W1, Fuji created a portable camera capable of taking 3-D images. In addition to capturing 3-D images, the unit’s 3-D LCD monitor allows shooters to view pictures that “jump out of the screen” without the help of glasses or special eyewear. The implications of it are stunning and will reshape the face of image-based media forever.
The FinePix REAL 3D W1 is a portable camera that takes 3-D images in the same way you now point and shoot in 2-D. Though the technical aspects of how this works are relatively complex, in layman’s terms our ability to perceive depth comes from viewing an object along two lines of site. This phenomenon is known as parallax. Despite sounding like an over-the-counter fiber supplement, the FinePix REAL 3D mimics parallax by capturing image data from twin lenses positioned on its face. A so-called RP (Real Photo) Processor then evaluates photographic factors such as focus, brightness and color tonality to merge the left and right images into a single 3-D image.
Three-dimensional videos are shot and created in a similar manner by layering dual AVI video files together. In a nifty repurposing of hardware, 2-D dual-capture shooting mode also allows users to taking two shots simultaneously with different settings. Producing 3-D imagery is really only half the battle, and it means nothing without a hassle-free method to display them with their fantastic depth intact. Luckily Fuji understood this and developed a companion feature to achieve it. Thanks to the camera screen’s “Light Direction Control System,” the 3-D viewer adopts a “Parallax Barrier System” to precisely direct light to the right and left eyes, which simulates the visual effect of seeing an object from two distinct angles. Aside from the camera’s built-in viewer, 3-D prints are also made possible through the use of lenticular sheets and advanced print encoding. However, for now you’ll have to deal with mail orders from Fuji to have prints of your own. The extra dimensional aspect is also not viewable across standard computer monitors or television, making sharing at this point a non-option to those without the device. Luckily bundled software can convert 3-D images to standard 2-D formats should owners desire to pass along basic copies of their work.

Representing the bleeding-edge of image technology, it’s not a question of if 3-D will permeate the consumer market. Instead, it’s just a matter of how and when. For the FinePix REAL 3D W1, its fate rests squarely on Fuji’s shoulders. They must convince manufacturers to fuse Parallax Barrier Systems into modern displays and have their formatting serve as a standard convention moving forward. If this happens, new gadget trailblazers will once again find themselves leading the charge on the next phase of entertainment, art and documentation. Of course, as with any nascent technology, failure to obtain widespread adoption and scale as a platform could make the FinePix Real 3D W1 a landlocked tech novelty. With this in mind, buyers should tread carefully into this field and accept the device's limited sharing functions should competing technologies win out in the end.

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Throwable ball camera captures panoramic images

The 36 CMOS sensor ball camera (Photo courtesy Jonas Pfeil)

Taking pictures is about to get a lot more fun if computer engineer Jonas Pfeil and his colleagues have anything to say about it. A recent graduate from the Technical University of Berlin, Pfeil and his team designed and built a working prototype "ball" camera- a foam-studded sphere (about 8 inches in diameter) peppered with 36 tiny 2-megapixel cell phone cameras. Throw it in the air and it captures an image at the top of the ball's trajectory. Talk about redefining photography- one day, snapping pics may give way to "tossing" them.
Panoramic images, with their large width to height ratio, are appealing because they better approximate the way we humans view the world. But capturing them typically requires a tripod, several camera positions and lots of stitching together. Pfeil's invention eliminates all that since the component images are captured simultaneously. That's especially handy since it also freezes moving objects that might otherwise blur or shift during the image-gathering process.

To view the roughly 72-megapixel images from the ballcam, the data is downloaded via USB port into a spherical panoramic viewer which will ship with the camera. The resulting images look similar to those on Google's Street View and can be similarly panned and zoomed to examine all the captured details.
The multi-faceted housing that holds the ball-cam together was fabricated with a 3D printer. Aside from the 36 STMicroelectronics quarter-inch CMOS camera modules, the well-padded interior also houses an accelerometer (to gauge toss acceleration and maximum height) and two Atmel microcontrollers to sync up and control all the cameras. Most of the components are fairly inexpensive, so while there's no price point yet, it's likely to be competitive with mid-range digital point-and-shoots.
"We used the camera to capture full spherical panoramas at scenic spots, in a crowded city square and in the middle of a group of people taking turns in throwing the camera," says Pfeil.
The team plans to demo their patent-pending new camera this December at SIGGRAPH Asia 2011, and it's sure to cause a stir. Hopefully it'll generate a marketing deal, too, because, as Pfeil notes, "above all we found that it is a very enjoyable, playful way to take pictures."

(GIZMAG)
Video Watch
Throwable Panoramic Ball Camera

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Special Gadgets/JVC GC-PX10 Hybrid Camera

And you thought the line between still and video cameras was already blurred. The JVC GC-PX10 Hybrid Camera ($900) aims to stir the imaging pot further with its unique design that merges aspects of a point-and-shoot and a digital camcorder, 12-megapixel backlit CMOS sensor, 32GB of internal storage with SD expansion slot, tiltable 3-inch touch panel LCD display, Konica Minolta 10x optical zoom lens, dedicated mode dial, Falconbird imaging engine, 60fps 8.3-megapixel still capture, and 1080/60p, 300fps slow-mo and time-lapse video recording modes. It looks a little unwieldy, but since it's taking the place of two items in our gadget bags, we'll let it slide.

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Samsung flip-screen MV800 compact camera introduced at IFA

Gizmag /A new compact point-and-shoot camera with a 3-inch flip-out LCD screen is among a barrage of products just showcased at Samsung's IFA 2011 press conference in Berlin. The 16.2 megapixel MV800 gets the "MultiView" tag due to its 3.0-inch wide flip-out capacitive touch screen LCD Display, which is hinged at the top of the unit so that it can tilted up or down to add versatility to shooting and help you line-up self portraits.

Key features of the 92 x 56.2 x 18.3 mm (3.6" x 2.2" x 0.72") unit include 5x optical, 5x digital zoom, a 26mm wide-angle lens, dual image stabilization (optical and digital), HD video recording (1280x720 at 30fps) and zoom noise reduction which is designed to reduce zoom noise captured by the (mono) microphone while filming.

A "Live Panorama" function immediately previews sweep panorama shots and there's also on board creative functions - "Magic Frame" which provides 12 preset background templates and lets you customize your own, a Picture-in-Picture lets you insert one image into another (so you can take a group shot and then slot a self-portrait in), a "storyboard" function, artistic "Smart Filters" for fish eye, vignetting and brushstroke effects and "Funny Face" portraits that let you morph images using the touchscreen.

Features: The Samsung MultiView MV800 costs US$280.

• Image sensor: 1/2.3″ CCD
•  Effective Pixels: Approx. 16.2 megapixels
• Lens: Schneider-KREUZNACH
• Zoom: Optical 5x, Digital 5x (total : 25x)
• Focal Length (f): 4.7~23.5mm (35mm Conversion 26~130 mm)
• F3.3(W)~F5.9(T)
• Video: MP4, 720@ 30fps Movie recording / H.264 Format + HDMI (D Type)
•  Internal memory: 10MB
•  Live panorama (2D, 3D), 3D Photo
• Dimensions (W×H×D): 92 x 56.2 x 18.3 mm
• Weight: 121 g (without battery and memory card) 

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Special Gadgets/Limited Edition Polaroid SX-70 Camera

Photojojo, known for offering unusual cameras for enthusiasts, decided this time to cheer up Polaroid SX-70 lovers. Specially for them, Photojojo has restored limited edition SX-70 camera that are just 50 in numbers.

Each Limited Edition Polaroid SX-70 is completely restored and hand-inspected, so it’s guaranteed to be in tip-top instant photo taking shape. The company offers to replace non-working ones at the request of a customer, although returns are not available. The foldable instant photography camera is equipped with a 116mm, f8 – f22 aperture lens, features manual focus of 10″ to infinity, and shutter speeds vary from 1/175th to 10+ seconds. You won’t be shooting action or low-light photos with this camera.

Polaroid SX-70 last was on sale back in 1977, and now thanks to Photojoo can be yours for $350. The cameras are available in attractive packages specially made by scrumptacular Kate Bingman Burt for these limited edition pieces. There is still film available for the camera, at $22 for ten frames.

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Special Gadgets/ColorWare Leica D-Lux 5 Camera

Get all the image quality of a Leica with all the colorful fun of a Lomo cam with the ColorWare Leica D-Lux 5 Camera ($1,200; $400 if you mail yours in). Sporting the same features as the standard model — including a 10.1 megapixel sensor, fast f/2.0 lens, a 3.8x optical zoom, 720p video recording, OIS image stabilization, a three-inch LCD, and low-light prowess up to 12,800 ISO — it also lets you adorn the front, back, lens body, lens face, top, port door, hot shoe insert, and lens cap of its compact body in whatever colors you'd like, letting you create everything from a rainbow-colored disaster to the tastefully loud Uncrate-approved model pictured above.

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Look at the 'World's Smallest Camera'

Hammacher Schlemmer now sells what it claims to be the world's smallest camera for $100. The miniature digicam is small enough to rest on a finger, measuring 1.125 inches long, 1 inch wide and 1.062 inches deep.

It's not a terrible camera for its size, either, with a 2-megapixel sensor that captures 1600-by-1200 resolution photos with auto-focus, or 30 frames per second AVI video in 640-by-480 resolution. A 2 GB microSD card is built in, and there's a USB port for transferring photos to a PC. The built-in rechargeable battery gets 30 minutes of use per charge.

One is actually smaller in volume at 0.934 cubic inches, compared with 1.195 cubic inches for the Hammacher Schlemmer camera.

The Super Small Spy Digital DC DV, available at Brando, also trumps the "World's Smallest Camera" with a volume of 1.102 cubic inches.

Some spy cameras, like the one sold by SpyVille, are even smaller, though they must be attached to an external battery. And if you exit the world of consumer tech, you'll find cameras like the NanEye 2B, which is smaller than a matchstick head and is meant for medical use.

So with all due respect to Hammacher Schlemmer, its claim to the "World's Smallest Camera" doesn't hold up. We'll give it extra points for cuteness, though.

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Special Gadgets/Canon PowerShot S100 Camera

Canon's celebrated S-series is back for more enthusiast point-and-shoot action with the Canon PowerShot S100 Camera ($430). Keeping the terrific control ring and shooting modes from its S95 predecessor, the S100 offers a 12.1-megapixel HS CMOS sensor, a new 24-120 f/2.0 wide-angle, 5x optical zoom lens, built-in GPS for effortless geotagging, ISO sensitivity to 6400, and your choice between stealthy black or shiny silver bodies. Hitting your photostream this November.

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Special Gadgets/Pentax Q Camera

In a recent interview with Uncrate, the DSLR made its feelings known about the rising number of small, interchangeable lens cameras. Below is an excerpt from that talk.

"Doesn't anyone like big, heavy, highly-capable cameras anymore? All these new models are stealing my lens-swapping mojo while pushing around my longtime buddy, the point-and-shoot. Take the Pentax Q Camera ($800), for instance. It claims to be the world's smallest and lightest interchangeable lens camera — proud little prick — with a 12.4 megapixel, 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor that it no doubt stole off one of my cousins, full Aperture/Shutter Priority and Manual modes, 1080p HD recording, 5 frames-per-second shooting, a Shake Reduction system, and 3-inch LCD. Well whoop-de-doo! Does it know how long I've worked to make all that possible? Does it even care? Effin' thing will probably end up outselling me someday. I need a drink."

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Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX9V (Black)/Review

The good: The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX9V is overflowing with shooting features, and has excellent photo and video quality and solid shooting performance.

The bad: The HX9V might actually be too much camera for some users and there are a couple of minor design issues.

The bottom line: Feature junkies in search of a compact megazoom should get the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX9V.

Sony has three compact megazooms in its 2011 lineup; the Cyber-shot HX9V is the most expensive. It's also the only one of the three (the H70 and HX7V are the others) that's not replacing a 2010 model. It's entirely new and hosts what seems like all of Sony's latest Cyber-shot technologies. That includes (for better or worse) a 16-megapixel Exmor R sensor, a 16x ultrawide-angle 24mm-equivalent Sony G lens, and a high-speed linear focusing system. It shoots video in full HD at 60p. It has a GPS receiver for geotagging photos while you shoot. Shooting modes go from a stripped-down Easy auto mode right up to full manual. It is one of the most capable compact megazooms I've tested.

Considering this camera's price and size, the photo quality is excellent. Or should I say, it can be excellent if you take full advantage of all the HX9V's shooting options. But even left in auto it turns out very good photos. The only real disappointment is that photos aren't very sharp even at its lowest ISO. However, there's little difference between photos taken at ISO 100 and ISO 400. Noise reduction kicks in more at ISO 800, which softens details and dulls colors. There's a noticeable increase in noise and noise reduction at ISO 1600 and ISO 3200, making colors more washed out and subjects appear painterly; you'll probably want to reserve these two highest sensitivities for emergencies when you need to shoot in low-light conditions or get a faster shutter speed regardless of the results.

On the other hand, if you're shooting a stationary subject, the HX9V's Handheld Twilight mode improves low-light results by reducing noise and blur from hand shake. In fact, there's a mode to help with just about every typical shortcoming with point-and-shoots. You might not be able to make huge prints or do a lot of heavy cropping, but for snapshots the results are excellent.

The 16-megapixel resolution is completely unnecessary and doesn't get you much more room to crop or enlarge. If you're looking at buying this instead of a high-resolution digital SLR, you'll be disappointed--especially at higher ISO sensitivities. That said, prints at 13x19 inches at ISO 800 with the lens fully extended still looked good, just soft. Overall, anyone looking for a snapshot camera for regularly making 8x10 prints or smaller or viewing on a TV or computer screen should be more than satisfied with the HX9V.

The default Standard color mode produces bright, vivid colors, but they aren't terribly accurate. Most people will find them pretty pleasing, though. If you want more accurate colors, the HX9V does have a Real color setting and three other color modes in addition to Standard. However, these things are not available in all shooting modes.

Conclusion:

If you want something to do double duty for movie clips and photos with a versatile zoom lens in a pocketable body, you want this camera.

Price (MSRP)	$349.99
Dimensions (WHD)	4.3x2.4x1.4 inches
Weight (with battery and media)	8.6 ounces
Megapixels, image sensor size, type	16 megapixels, 1/2.3-inch backside-illuminated (BSI) CMOS
LCD size, resolution/viewfinder	3-inch LCD, 921K dots/None
Lens (zoom, aperture, focal length)	16x, f3.3-5.9, 24-384mm (35mm equivalent)
File format (still/video)	JPEG/AVCHD (.MTS); MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 (.MP4)
Highest resolution size (still/video)	4,608x3,456 pixels/1,920x1,080 at 60fps (progressive; 28Mbps)
Image stabilization type	Optical and digital
Battery type, CIPA rated life	Li-ion rechargeable, 300 shots
Battery charged in camera	Yes; via USB to AC adapter or computer
Storage media	SD/SDHC/SDXC; Memory Stick Pro Duo; Eye-Fi Connected support
Bundled software	Picture Motion Browser 5.5, PMB Portable 5.0 (Windows), PMB Portable 1.1 (Mac), Music Transfer

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Canon PowerShot S95 /Review

The good: Attractive and well-designed; capable of producing very nice photos; complete set of manual controls; solid 720p video.

The bad: On the slow side, with subpar battery life; no low-compression JPEG option.

The bottom line: Though we'd like it to perform better, dSLR shooters looking for a sidekick camera will find the Canon PowerShot S95's top-flight photos and a full manual feature set worth the tradeoff of its compact size.

When Canon shipped its PowerShot S90 about a year ago, it made a big impression on advanced photographers. Tiny with a wide-aperture lens and all the essential manual shooting features, it was practically irresistible for dSLR luggers. It did have a few flaws, however, some of which Canon has attempted to address with the successor, the S95. These include a 720p video-capture upgrade, improved image stabilization, and some minor tweaks to the design and feature set. Performance, though, remains on the slow end of acceptable.

The image quality is top-notch for a compact, although it's a shame that Canon doesn't offer a less-compressed JPEG option. One of my photos shot in best-quality JPEG was about 7:1, but most of them come in at about 12:1 compression. There's a visible difference between raw and JPEG shots.

That said, the S95's JPEG photos are exceptionally clean and relatively usable up to ISO 400; plus, you can probably squeeze out a stop more if you shoot raw. That's a lot better than your typical ultracompact. The lens is sharp and bright, but there's some asymmetrical distortion at its widest. Metering and exposure are both good and consistent. The defaults pushed the color saturation excessively, though our quantitative test results report that the S95 has relatively accurate color; the neutral color setting is not available in raw+JPEG shooting. The colors are similarly overwrought in videos, but overall the movie quality is pretty good, and despite being tiny, the stereo mics produce a surprisingly full-bodied sound for a compact.

The S95's performance improves over the S90's in some respects; unfortunately, it falls behind it in others. With a time of 2 seconds, it takes about 0.2 longer to power on and shoot. It's about 0.1 second faster at focusing and shooting in bright light, but the same duration slower in dim: 0.4 and 0.7 second, respectively.

For two sequential JPEG and flash shots, it's slower by at least 0.5 second, running 2.3 seconds for JPEG and 3.3 seconds for flash, compared with 1.8 and 2.5 seconds for the S90. That's flipped for raw shooting, however, with the S95 clocking at 2.6 seconds shot-to-shot vs. 3.4 seconds for the S90. Burst shooting rises to 1.9 frames per second, but at low speeds like that it's immaterial. Aside from the one exception of daylight shooting, the S95 feels like it operates at a leisurely but not overly frustrating pace. The image stabilization works well, but the fact remains that the battery life is pretty short.

The S95 just has a body that feels nice. It's well built, with a slightly more textured finish than the S90. It's the smallest and lightest among its class, but as a tradeoff it's also the only model that lacks a hot shoe and the option for a viewfinder. Though it was nice to review a camera that fit comfortably in my front pocket for a change, it might feel a bit too small for some photographers. You should definitely try before you buy to ensure you don't need to move up to a slightly larger model like the G12, LX5, or TL500. Small can be great on ultracompacts where you're not trying to change the settings too often, but there's no point buying the S95 to run in complete auto.

The front ring can be set to control shutter speed, ISO sensitivity, exposure compensation, manual focus, white balance, stepped zoom, i-Contrast, or aspect ratio. The functions can be set independently of shooting mode, so that, for example, it can control focus in Manual mode or shutter speed while in aperture-priority mode.

On top of the camera is a mode dial for access to the typical manual controls and scene modes. Plus there's the ability to save a group of custom settings for quick mode-dial access

The back controls remain basically unchanged from the S90, although the dial, which you use for adjusting contextual settings, operates better and isn't quite as free-spinning as the previous model. The Func/Set button pulls up adjustable shooting parameters, including ISO, white balance, color, bracketing (exposure or focus), drive mode (single, continuous, continuous with autofocus), metering, aspect ratio, quality, and dynamic range correction.

One not-so-pleasant holdover from the S90 is the inconvenient flash placement. Although it makes sense from a red-eye prevention perspective, most people hold their fingers right where the flash pops up.

Though the camera isn't big on whizzy features, it does incorporate a now-common HDR mode, which automatically brackets and combines three exposures. For more details on the scene modes and special effects, read the review of the S90 or download the PDF of the S95's manual.

You'll still have to schlep your dSLR to photograph kids, pets, wildlife, and anything else that moves quickly or randomly, but the Canon PowerShot S95 is probably the best--if expensive--alternative that an advanced shooter will find in such a small package.

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Olympus XZ-1/REVIEW

The good:

 The Olympus XZ-1 is nicely designed with a solid user interface and very good performance for its cohort.

The bad:

The XZ-1's image quality is good, but even shooting raw it's not quite up to the level of its better competitors.

The bottom line:

 Enjoyable to shoot and relatively fast, the Olympus XZ-1 only stumbles when it comes to photo quality, which is very good, but not uniformly excellent as one would expect from this class of camera.

Though ILCs may be the more interesting enthusiast cameras, the more popular market seems to be compact, fixed-lens models, such as the Canon PowerShot S95 and Nikon Coolpix P7000. Olympus forges into that market with its XZ-1, a promising-looking model that's not quite as compact as the S95, but with an exceptionally fast f1.8 lens and a sleek design that rivals models like the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 in size and operation.

Its photo quality falls short of excellent, though. While the JPEG processing is a problem, it seems like the images don't come

Though ILCs may be the more interesting enthusiast cameras, the more popular market seems to be compact, fixed-lens models, such as the Canon PowerShot S95 and Nikon Coolpix P7000. Olympus forges into that market with its XZ-1, a promising-looking model that's not quite as compact as the S95, but with an exceptionally fast f1.8 lens and a sleek design that rivals models like the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 in size and operation.

Its photo quality falls short of excellent, though. While the JPEG processing is a problem, it seems like the images don't come off the sensor clean enough to lay all the blame at the feet of the algorithm. I found that I could fix detail issues at low ISO sensitivities, but couldn't gain much latitude with respect to noise. Even at ISO 100 details like hair can come out mushy in JPEGs at midrange distances; this is a problem for landscapes, for example, where grass and leaves will look muddied. Processing raw can help somewhat at higher ISO sensitivities, but I was unable to produce an artifact-free version of an ISO 400 shot. At midrange ISO sensitivities you can get cleaner shots, but the trade-off is some lost detail.

In its default settings, Olympus applies a little too much sharpening to the center subjects in its JPEGs. While it doesn't look too bad in many cases, in more natural shots it adds a bit of crunchiness. Overall, the camera renders reasonably accurate colors and they're pleasingly saturated. The camera's generally cool outdoor white balance shifts the hue in reds a bit (a common problem with digital cameras). While there's some loss of detail in the brightest areas, the camera does a reasonable job.

At its widest angle of view, 28mm-equivalent, the XZ-1's lens shows a little barrel distortion. It's symmetrical (and therefore easier to correct) and not bad for a fixed lens. However, the lens' six-bladed iris produces disappointingly polygonal, out-of-focus highlights. The lens can focus closely, though, which is a big plus.

Video looks just OK; a little soft and jittery with abrupt exposure changes and some autofocus pulsing. It should be fine for occasional clips, though.

The XZ-1 is fast for its class of camera--but it's a member of a generally slow class. Overall, I found it quick enough for street shooting, but wouldn't count on it for pictures of more than moderately active kids and animals. It powers on and shoots in just under a second, which ranks as practically speedy for this crowd. Like the others, it can focus and shoot in 0.4 second in good light, which slows to 0.7 second in dim. Where it really stands out is shot-to-shot time: it ranges from 1.1 to 1.4 seconds, depending upon format, roughly 20 percent faster than its next closest rival, Panasonic's DMC-LX5. To put it in perspective, however, that's about 45 percent slower than the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3. With flash, two sequential shots take about 2 seconds.

The camera has a straightforward and functional but attractive design that makes it comfortable to hold and shoot. Like most of its competitors, it's not very compact, but still small enough to fit in a jacket pocket or to throw in a bag. The highlight is the control ring on the lens, a la the Canon PowerShot S95, which you use to change shutter speed, aperture, scene--whatever the most important adjustment is in the context of your shooting mode. It has a nice feel, with decisive clicks for each stop.

On top, the XZ-1 has a hot shoe and the same accessory port for an add-on EVF as the PEN ILC models. The controls and mode dial are on the small side but probably would be OK unless you have very large hands. The mode dial has the usual PASM, auto, and scene modes, as well as an Art Filter mode with six of Olympus' typical options. It doesn't let you layer or select options for the filters the way you can with the PEN models. There's a Custom setting--easy to save but hard to edit--that allows you to save a single set of adjustments.

The XZ-1 operates much the same way the rest of Olympus' cameras do, with a separate, easier interface in Auto and the standard quick menu for most commonly accessed shooting settings.

I generally have no complaints about the design save the horrible, old-fashioned lens cap that flies off when you extend the lens. If point-and-shoots can muster up built-in electronic lens covers, why can't their more expensive siblings?

All the essential features are here, plus some nice extras like a built-in neutral density filter, a connector for an EVF, USB charging, and, of course, the wide-aperture lens with the biggest zoom range for its size.

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The Canon Vixia HF G10 /Review

The Vixia HF S21 was built like a brick house, all mighty mighty, letting it all hang out, but the Panny’s manual controls and overall image quality bopped the Vixia HF S21 down to second place.

The year 2011 is an entirely different game of hockey, however. Canon’s game-winning slapshot is called the Vixia HF G10, and it will go on to win the camcorder Stanley Cup this year, hands down. Even Panasonic’s new HDC-HS900 could not put up the defense necessary to prevent the Vixia HF G10 from busting into the crease and dekeing its way past the goalie. A new bar has been raised within the consumer camcorder market, and it’s called the Canon Vixia HF G10. Perhaps it was the beast’s giant focus ring, 8-bladed iris, ample manual controls, or improved built-in microphone.

Those high-end features were certainly welcomed, but in the end, it was the Canon Vixia HF G10’s supersonic image quality and exceptional low light sensitivity (courtesy of its brand new HD CMOS Pro sensor) that made it the optimal choice for the budget filmmaker or high-end enthusiast.

Design

Dual SDXC card slot

Like last year’s Canon Vixia HF S21, the HF G10 flaunts a top-notch build. The Panasonic HDC-HS900 is more like a pimped out Geo Metro compared to the Rolls Royce Canon Vixia HF G10.

Although the Focus ring’s only task was to alter the focal length of the beautiful Canon HD video lens, Canon gave us a custom dial along the backside of the camcorder that controlled shutter/aperture, manual exposure, gain or exposure compensation. Canon also spruced up the zoom rocker, widening it and refining its smoothness.

The dual SD/SDHC/SDXC card slots were carried over from last year, enabling us to throw in cards with up to 64GB capacities and continuously record via Canon’s relay technology. Inside, the HF G10 has 32GB of Flash memory, which is on the light side compared to the Panasonic HDC-HS900’s 220GB HDD. The Vixia HF G10’s battery resided on the small side and did not provide an adequate life, so backup packs are a must buy.

On the monitor end of the spectrum, the Canon Vixia HF G10 has a 3.5-inch touchscreen display with a 922,000-pixel resolution.  The camcorder also rocks an extendable 0.24-inch 260,000-pixel color viewfinder for those blazing days, and the LCD panel features two customizable button controls that default to AF/MF and Powered IS.

For connectivity, the Canon Vixia HF G10 offered a component, AV Out/headphone, remote, HDMI Out, USB and a mic jack, which is what we got on the Vixia HF S21. On top was Canon’s proprietary hot shoe, along with a set of stereo microphones. The Canon Vixia HF G10 bridges the prosumer gap with its advanced design.

Shooting Features

This section is always an endless playground for me, and the Canon Vixia HF G10 cranked out plenty of monkey bars when it came to manual controls. We’ll start with manual exposure, which not only gave us 70% or 100% Zebra patterns for blown highlights, but the HF G10 featured a waveform monitor that was more advanced than anything I’ve seen on a consumer camcorder, rivaling Navy SEAL technology. We could also adjust the gain up to 24dB, which surpassed the old 18dB standard offered by Panasonic. The focus assist magnification was also actually useful, thanks to an improved resolution while magnified, and we even got color peaking as a focus assist alternative.

But the waveform monitor also showed up in the Manual Focus arena, allowing us to use peaking and Focus Assist in conjunction with it.

There was also a digital Level Meter for leveling shots, SMPTE standard color bars and test tones, 2,000K to 15000K range White Balance adjustment, and a slew of in-camera filters like Vivid, Dream, Nostalgia, and Old Movies. Although I could add filters in Premiere Pro, it was nice to have the option for those who are devoid of a quality NLE program.

Like the Canon Vixia HF S21, the Canon Vixia HF G10 was equipped with four different frame rates. There’s native 24p, meaning the camcorder captures every single frame without the process of interlacing.

Of course the Vixia HF G10 had 60i and a simulated 24p and 30p recorded at 60i, but I found that the best results resided within native 24p shooting. Simulated progressive frame rates are only useful for down-converting to standard definition or working with other simulated framerates on a 60i timeline.

Regardless, if you want your work to have an unmistakably film-like look, then the Canon Vixia HF G10 is the answer. Image stabilization on the HF G10 was great, especially when pressing and holding the Powered IS button to minimize shake even more.

Image Quality

This is where the Canon Vixia HF G10 brought home the bacon. The camcorder has Canon’s new single 1/3-inch HD CMOS Pro chip with 2.07 effective megapixels. Video can be captured at an impressive 24Mbps in the highest quality (MXP) via the AVCHD format.

For glass, the Vixia HF G10 has a 10x optical zoom Canon HD video lens with an 8-bladed iris that allowed us to capture smooth bokeh effects. The lens had an f/1.8 aperture for 20mm macro shooting, and its overall quality trumped many camcorders in its class. Canon is always known for its quality glass.

So, those are a bunch of fancy-sounding specs and all, but how did the Canon Vixia HF G10 perform? In our tests, color, detail and resolution were off the charts for a consumer camcorder. Noise levels were also lower than I had ever seen, especially in low light.

The HF G10 flaunts a minimum illumination of 1.5 lux with auto slow shutter on at 1/30 shutter speed, and 0.1 lux in the low light scene mode. I kept searching for rabid blue noise, but came up empty in most of my tests with the lights down.

Shooting in 24p mode yielded the most optimal results, thanks to the lower shutter speed, which inevitably lured more light through the lens and whittled noise down significantly. 60i looked fantastic for motion, thanks to the heightened framerate, though low light sensitivity took a minor dive for that same reason. Keep in mind that in extremely low lighting conditions, the Vixia HF G10 exhibited a moderate amount of noise, but it was the camcorder’s overall sensitivity that trumped its competitors.

The bottom line with the Canon Vixia HF G10 is that if you’re looking for a camcorder to shoot short films or commercials with, you can finally do it in the consumer market and feel confident about it. The Vixia HF G10 is an imaging powerhouse that rivals prosumer models when it comes to image quality.

 The Canon Vixia HF G10 is currently the greatest consumer HD camcorder ever produced. Its topnotch build, prosumer-esque manual controls, and stellar image quality put it numerous car lengths ahead of the competition. Last year, Panasonic had won me over with the HDC-HS700, but this is Canon’s year, and it’s going to require one hell of a machine to take the HF G10 down to Chinatown.

 Pros

• Class leading image quality in bright and low light
• Native 24p
• Bountiful manual controls
• High quality glass
• Exceptional build and design, including dual SD card slots and focus ring
• Improved built-in microphone
• Gaggle of in-camera customizable shooting filters available
• Mini HDMI cable included in the box

 Cons

• Limited battery life requires the purchase of additional packs
• Basic editing software included
• Powerhouse computer and software needed to handle large video files
• Touchscreen LCD is stubborn at times

Best For: Budget Filmmakers and High-End Enthusiasts

Suggested Retail Price: $1,499.99

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