The New Casio EXILIM EX-G1
Casio Computer Co., Ltd. announced the scheduled release of their new shock-resistant, waterproof, dustproof digital camera, the EX-G1, the company’s first offering in the new EXILIM® G brand of digital cameras. This new camera comes in a sleek 0.78-inch design and with the revolutionized the G-Shock technology that was originally offered in timepieces.
Casio EX-G1 - Coming December 2009
Casio’s EXILIM G brand launches the “endurance” category in their digital camera product. This is their new camera that is suitable for top athletes and adventurers and specifically designed to withstand extreme conditions using Casio’s years of experience creating technologies for shock resistance, waterproofing and slim-line design.
The EX-G1 is capable of capturing high-resolution 12.1 effective megapixel images and can be set to interval shooting and multi-image capture. The interval shooting function can take still photos or movies at fixed intervals which is the best setting for active and high speed sports. Rigorous testing has also proven the EX-G1’s tough design. The casing was designed to resist shock and passed impact drop tests and similar falls from over seven feet. The camera shell features a two-layer construction with out-casing made of stainless steel while the inner body can survive shock and water damage. The lens are even protected with resin lens ring while the body side near the shutter with a resin cover.
The EX-G1 is scheduled to hit the markets in December 2009.
Comparing the Canon EOS 7D and Nikon’s D3X
The top new models offered by Canon and Nikon in their medium format level are the Canon EOS 7D and Nikon’s D3X.
Canon’s latest offering is equipped with their newly developed 18-megapixel CMOS sensor that provides excellent high resolution images. The Dual DIGIC 4 Imaging Processor’s 14-bit A/D conversion allows quick processing speeds without compromising fine detail and accurate colour reproduction. Its auto lighting optimizer function has 4 settings that evaluates the brightness of your subject, and cleverly rectifies the dark areas.
While Nikon’s The D3X is capable of capturing images in large pixel pitch at 24.5 megapixel FX-format advantage. This new camera is equipped with the EXPEED processor and high ISO performance with 12800 standards, expandable to ISO equivalent of 102400 (Hi 3) that allows capturing high resolution images with sharp and crisp details even at extreme weather conditions and low lighting.
Both cameras have fast start-up time, face detection mode and 3-inch LCD displays, both having live view modes. However, Nikon has 51-point AF compared to Canon’s 19 point cross-type AF sensors with improved AI servo AF predictability for easy focusing. To make the competition even tighter, both camera models have durable body made of magnesium body is designed for rugged field use, extreme weather conditions and resistant to dust and water.
Like their predecessors, both the Canon and Nikon cameras have integrated cleaning system using a self-cleaning sensor unit that is resistance to dust, that helps avoid the effects of dust particles on images. They both are capable of shooting full HD video capture capability at 1920 x 1080 resolutions with flexible frame rates that allows more flexible creative control on movie capture.
Truly this is a tight race between these competing brands. However, the final factor that would boost them to the finish line would be their selling price. The current retail price of the Nikon D3X with Nikon AF-S Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8G ED 24-70 Lens is approximately S$2,1000 compared to Canon EOS 7D Kit I with EF-S 15-85IS can be purchased at S$3,849.00.
Olympus u Tough 6010 – A Truly Tough Camera
Olympus uTough 6010
If you are looking for a compact digital camera that would be tough enough to join you even in the most rugged and toughest situation, then your search is over because Olympus u Tough 6010 is here. With this camera on hand, this camera can take even the manhandling and the beatings of nature.
The Olympus Tough 6010 is not only shockproof up to 1.5m (10 feet) but also waterproof and can even endure freezing temperatures. The 6010 passed tests against IEC standard 529 IPX8 for waterproofing, and MIL-STD-810F for shock testing. Unlike its competitors, the Tough is undeniably robust in form and while it weighs 149g, it fits comfortably into a pocket. The 3.6x lens is safely contained inside the body that it does not go whirling out when you turn on the camera. The body shape is already a proof that it can withstand the fall with no effect at all and even the buttons on the back feel sturdy.
An added feature is the 6010’s weatherproofing evident with the tough rubber seals of the battery and USB socket doors that would obviously keep water out. With this waterproofing, you can now take the Tough 6010 with you underwater up to 3m (10ft), perfect for snorkeling!
One feature that surprised a lot of users is the LED light next to the flash which turns on while in an appropriate setting in the menu and that transforms your camera into a torch even while it is turned off, a very unlikely but very useful tool.
The 6010 also have two image stabilisation modes – one that effectively boosts the ISO to allow shorter exposure times and the other is proper gyroscopic stabilisation, shifting the CCD to compensate for movement.
The Mighty Little Pen
Olympus E-P1
Olympus first released the original PEN in 1959 with the objective to manufacture a camera that would combine great images with a compact body, easy to use and highly affordable market price. What not a lot of people know is that Olympus started out making lenses for microscopes in the 1920s in Japan.
This gives the company the expertise with image capturing ensuring sharper images and accurate details which lead to the most successful camera of all time, the Olympus PEN. In 1959, Olympus launched the PEN which was a half-size camera with superb D-Zuiko lens. The camera as a whole takes excellent photographs in its compact size.
To commemorate the PEN’s 50th anniversary, Olympus is set to release the digital version of the Olympus PEN, the E-P1. The E-P1 is a compact, lightweight camera that captures images in 12.3 megapixel resolution with its high speed live MOS sensor. It also uses the TruePic V image processing engine which is partnered with its Micro Four Third lenses with built-in image stabilizers that accurately captures your images with sharper colours and details.
The new E-P1 comes with an external VF-2 electronic view finder that connects to the camera via the hot shoe and accessory port which can be adjusted for low angle shooting. An added feature to this camera is the iAuto that is now paired with the iEnhance that allows the PEN to analyze the target subject and automatically sets the correct colour and contrast levels for a perfect picture.
The Olympus PEN E-P1 will be the only camera that is compact in size with big SLR features. Watch out for this camera’s special offering at Singapore SITEX IT Show. Current SRP is SG$1298 with 14-42mm Lens Kit.
Are You Off The Centre – Use The Gitzo Ball
Gitzo is one of the trusted suppliers of camera accessories having been in the market for over 90 years, recently released their latest offering to photography enthusiasts. This company only specializes in high performance and state of the art tripods, recently released their Gitzo Centre Ball which were designed to perfectly match any Gitzo tripods.
This head is engineered to perform perfect and guaranteed balance. It can also handle a maximum load so that even your heaviest digital SLR will be stable and safe with this equipment. There are also some added features to this head which includes smoothness that allows greater tilted angels. It has minimized drift angle so specified slope are kept accurately. The Gitzo Centre Ball is lightweight, compact and ergonomically correct so that it does not add up to the weight of your gear. The hollow Bubble Ball uses the innovative Spring Assisted Double Lock (SADL) which when used in line with the PTFE treated Bubble Ball assures that your camera is safe on the stand with its superb power lock and ultra smooth high precision movement.
The Gitzo Centre Ball also has a new leveling system made of three independent leveling bubbles on the quick release plate and one in the ball stem. This will always guarantee that mages are accurately leveled. This unit also addressed the persistent problem in many high quality heads that are currently available in the market which concerns the drift angle. With the Gitzo Centre Ball, this problem is absolutely minimized with an outstanding value of 0.03° to assure that you have perfect angles for your shoots.
So for those who only want perfect images, the Gitzo Centre Ball is right for you.
Digital Camera Accessory – A Viable Holiday Gift Idea
SpiderPro System
One practical gift idea for this season is accessories for your digital camera. Whether it is a digital SLR or a compact one, there are common accessories that can be used by both sizes of cameras. A cool gadget that we stumbled upon is the SpiderPro System is a holster that holds your camera. It actually looks like a gun holster that we see in cowboy movies but with a very good purpose.
The SpiderPro System is designed to carry several cameras at a time. It is sturdy since it can hold even the heaviest digital SLR camera. This system consists of a holster, a plate, a pin and a belt. The SpiderPro holster is made of stainless steel and hardened aluminum cast so is with no doubt very sturdy. It has a two-position lock which allows you to easily slip your digital camera into the holster and take out the camera from the holster with no difficulty. The SpiderPro plate is made of cast aluminum and especially designed so that it does not hinder during vertical shooting. It can also easily connect to your tripod. The SpiderPro holster is an extremely durable belt with a triple lock buckle and reinforced holster area to secure your camera when on the holster. This belt can hold even the heaviest camera and keeps it secure on your side allowing you to comfortably move.
The SpiderPro system also comes with a 2-camera system that would allow you to carry two cameras. This is an ideal and useful gift to the digital photography enthusiasts this coming holiday.
How To Clean Your Compact Digital Camera
The actual state and condition of your camera is reflected in the pictures that you take. So it is essential that you keep it in tip-top shape. A lot of people, after paying substantial amounts of money for a digital camera will eventually neglect it by not keeping it clean. You also don’t need to take your camera to a professional to have it cleaned but can be done at home. Cleaning a point and shoot camera would have different maintenance procedure with a digital SLR camera. So here are the tips on how to keep your compact digital camera in its best condition.
You also need to purchase your cleaning aids to be used on the camera. First item would be an anti-static microfiber cloth which should be readily available in camera shops. It is also essential that this cloth is free of any chemical and oils. You will also need a small brush that would be vital in reaching the hard to reach areas of your camera and a good example would be the small groove that surrounds the lens where dirt and dust tends to collect. Use the anti-static microfiber cloth and gently rub the lens and the LCD display. If there are some stubborn marks that you cannot take out, moist a small part of the fiber with a few drops of water. You can also consider using the monitor cleaning solution used for your LCD screens and laptop computers. However, you must immediately dry these using the dry areas of your microfiber cloth. Always remember to keep your cameras in their cases so that you don’t gather dirt and if possible, keep a small piece of the anti-static microfiber cloth stored with the camera so you can easily wipe off any grime before taking your pictures.
Remember, a clean camera will give your crisper and sharper pictures.
The Race Continues For The Best Compact Camera Today
A front runner in the search for the best compact digital camera today is Panasonic’s Lumix DMC-GF1. Closely behind are the soon to release PEN from Olympus and the Ricoh’s GXR. However, this new camera offered by Panasonic already got an advantage over its competitors when DIWA (Digital Imaging Websites Association) honoured the DMC-GF1 with their DIWA Gold Award after it toppled its competitors with the results of the scientific tests that have proven its superiority in performance and quality.
Thanks to the Micro Four Thirds System standard and without a mirror box and viewfinder, the DMC-GF1 is currently the smallest and lightweight body in its category. It comes with the Lumix G 20mm/F1.7 ASPH lens but can be interchanged to better suit the shooting conditions of your subject. Incredulously, this camera’s size did not compromise its capturing ability 12.1 megapixel high image quality backed with a Live MOS Sensor and the technology of the Venus Engine HD that uses 2 CPUs for faster image processing with exceptional noise-reduction performance. It can also record high-definition video in 720p AVCHD and top quality audio with its Dolby Digital Creator. The camera is also equipped with a mini-HDMI port that would allow connection to your LCD displays so users can enjoy their pictures and videos in Full HD.
The Lumix DMC-GF1 is equipped with a large 3.0 inch 460,000-dot LCD display that gives you a full capturing view. To add more, it has a Peripherical Defocus Mode that subtly defocuses surrounding subjects while sharpening the focus on the AF area. In its iA mode, it utilizes a Face Recognition feature that ensures beautiful pictures every time, anytime.
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1, an awarded compact digital camera that gives superior pictures that gives you your money’s worth.
Compact Camera With Big Features
Scheduled for release in early 2010 is a new camera that is big in features but compact in size. The new revolutionary Ricoh GXR is a compact camera system that uses versatile interchangeable camera and lenses. The GXR system consists of two parts, the body and the camera unit. The GXR body made of light and sturdy magnesium alloy gives ultimate protection to the camera unit against heat and acts as a magnetic shield as well. It is further enhanced by a high-class non-slip “pear skin” finish that can withstand corrosion. Inspired by the SLR lens mount action, the body comes with highly reliable stainless steel slide mechanism treated with soft-nitriding process that ensures smooth and accurate slide attachment and removal of the camera unit.
The compact camera unit consists of a lens, an image processing engine and an image sensor. Different focal length camera units are available to suit a variety of scenes and a diverse range of photo subjects. Ricoh GXR comes with two camera units, the first, GR Lens with 50mm F2.5 macro capability and the second, Ricoh Lens S10 equipped with 24 – 72mm F2.5-4.4VC lens. The GR Lens is reminiscent of the fixed lenses used on single lens reflex gives better quality pictures with sharper details. In the typical SLR cameras with interchangeable lens, optical performance is at times compromised because the distance from the back of the lens to the sensor image plane needs to adjust itself to accommodate the lens. Thus you get the lens get longer as you increase its power. Without any lens mount, the Ricoh camera units have back focal lengths that are freely defined for the GXR, optimizing image capturing without compromising its size.
Ricoh’s GXR camera system sets a new challenge in the digital photography world with its unique, innovative features comparable to a full-size digital SLR in a compact camera.
Sony Digital SLR Camera – DSLR-A380
Sony, a brand more known for their video and audio equipment, has joined the race in digital still imaging with their Alpha cameras. Like Canon and Nikon the known leaders in digital imaging, Sony came up with their entry-level, intermediate, advanced and Pro lines of the Alpha cameras. Their entry-level cameras are already at par with their counterparts, if not more advanced. The Sony α380 has 14.2 megapixel digital image resolution with quick AF Live View on its 2.7” LCD display. Although the display is a little smaller than the other brands, only Sony α380’s display can be titled, up to 135º which gives a lot more shooting and framing options in any position. The auto-focus function allows you to compose your subjects on the LCD display and not only in the viewfinder, giving you a better view of what the outcome will be. This camera also has the BIONZ, the high-speed processor in the α380 that can process images fast without compromising colour and details.
Similar to Nikon’s D3000, the Sony α380 provides an on-screen Guide which teaches the user thus helps the new photography enthusiasts understand how aperture and speed adjustments affect the captured images. Comparative to its Canon equal, this camera uses HDMI connection however for PhotoTV option only. The Sony α380 do not have video recording mode but can change the way to appreciate your picture with its Full HD quality. The suggested retail price for the α380 is S$1,399 for a kit with the versatile SAL1855 all-purpose lens and lightweight SAL55200-2 telephoto zoom lens which we can conclude is not bad at all.
