Sealife DC800 underwater camera goes deep, stays dry

 

This modular unit -- it drops into a waterproof case or will operate as an out-of-water point-and-shoot -- includes an 8-megapixel camera with 2.7-inch display, wide-angle lens, SD/SDHC card support, and 4x optical zoom.

 

Sure, you could get another point-and-shoot and waterproof case, but prepare to suffer the ridicule of your diver friends.

 

Its menus and modes are designed for sub-surface snappers with five underwater modes to deal with the various water bodies' muck, grime, and color.

 

Attention wet people: Sealife has released the DC800 Underwater Digital Camera.

 

The DC800 will function at 200 feet, weighs about 17 ounces and will set you back $549.

 

So what makes this camera diver-friendly?

 

 

Ricoh's 28mm GR Digital II camera

 

" On the downside, they found the camera suffered from the common drawback of excessive noise at ISO 400 or above, and there is the small matter of the $699 price tag, which puts it on the level of some pretty impressive non-28mm cameras, and within striking range of the 28mm Sigma DP1.

 

" They were also pleased with the addition of a RAW shooting mode (even though it slows things down quite a bit), and the camera's intuitive control system, which can be "almost completely configured to suit your way of working.

 

It's taken a little while for Ricoh's 10-megapixel GR Digital II to make the rounds since it was announced late last year, but it's finally wound up in the capable hands of the folks from Photography Blog, who've now turned out a full review of the camera.

 

Among other things, this one is particularly notable for its use of a 28mm fixed focal length lens, which Photography Blog found helped deliver some solid images with "very little distortion.

 

Still, the GR Digital II appears to hold its own, and seems like it'd be an even better buy if you can find a good deal on it.

 

 

Sony TG3E, smallest 1080i camcorder

 

 

Otherwise known as the TG1 in the US, this pup is small and sturdy and definitely looks the part of a Full HD (as it's defined for camcorders) 1080i shooter.

We'll be back later with a full review of this pup as soon as we find a nice, tropical island which can pamper this beast in the luxury a $900 camcorder deserves.

So until then, check the gallery and call out in the comments with any questions you'd like us to tackle.

However, Sanyo's 720p Xacti DMX-HD700 (in red) still trumps the TG3E in size and weight.

Get a load of what just arrived at the doorstep of our European HQ -- the world's smallest 1080i camcorder, Sony's TG3E.

Hell, Sony somehow managed to turn that boxy design into something sexy to hold.

Unfortunately, it gives up significant lines of resolution in the process and uses inferior materials to boot.

 

 

Sony's Full HD PMW-EX3 camcorder

 

As the HD camcorder onslaught continues, Sony is making sure it doesn't get left out by showcasing the PMW-EX3 in Las Vegas. Aside from handling interchangeable lenses, this cam also features a trifecta of 0.5-inch CCDs with Full HD (1,920 x 1,080) resolution, native 24p support, XDCAM HD EX recording on dual SxS cards, HD-SDI output, USB / 4-pin FireWire sockets and an optional 60GB disk recorder that plugs in via a SxS slot. Of course, we seriously hope you're planning to put this on the studio's plastic -- after all, it's not like you want that $13,000 charge hitting your card, right?

Fujifilm's FinePix S100FS is their "most advanced" consumer model

Fujifilm's "most advanced consumer model" features Dual Image Stabilization (optical image and picture stabilization), up to ISO 6400 sensitivity at 6 megapixels (ISO 10,000 at 3 megapixels), 2.5-inch tilting LCD, 3 megapixel burst mode for a maximum of 50 shots at 7fps, and unique film-simulation modes optimized for portraiture, low-contrast (soft), vibrant colors (Velvia), or general use (Provia).

How does a 14.3x Fujinon manual zoom lens, 8th generation 11 megapixel Super CCD sensor and new RP III processor sounds to you in a consumer camera?

Sounds good, but we'll have to wait for the reviews to see if there's any substance to the hype.

That's what you'll get next month when the $800 Fujifilm S100FS goes big box.

Technorati : Fujifilm

Fujifilm's FinePix S8100fd brings 10 megapixels 18x close

We're talking a 1/2.3-inch Super CCD HR sensor with dual image stabilization (sensor-shift and digital image) with a burst-rate of 33, 3 megapixel frames at 13.5fps.

Your $399 also brings 10-face auto detection, Fujifilm's iFlash to avoid overpowering shots, and a VGA movie mode shooting at 30fps.

Big and long is how Fujifilm's FinePix S8100fd rolls.

Available March.

Technorati : Fujifilm

Fujifilm's FinePix S1000fd: world's smallest 12x zoomer

But don't let those DSLR looks fool you, it's also fully automated with face detection, panorama shooting (stitches up to 3 images), and 14 pre-set scenes.

Brace yourselves, Fujifilm just let loose a flood of new shooters in the pre-PMA run-up.

First up is the FinePix S1000fd, dubbed the "world's smallest 12 optical zoom camera.

" The $250 camera features a 10 megapixel, 2.7-inch LCD and electric viewfinder, burst mode, and full manual controls.

Available April.

Technorati : Fujifilm

Canon Rebel XSi official, move over XTi

No shots of the camera yet, ironically, but here's the dirt:
12.2 megapixel APS-C CMOS (1.6x focal conversion)
3-inch live view LCD (up from the XTi's non-live-view 2.5-inch)
DIGIC III image processor
9-point AF, 3.5fps shot rate (up to 45 images in JPEG, 6 in RAW)
The usual ultrasonic sensor cleaning
SD / SDHC media
Ships April, $799 and $899 for body-only / included EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens, respectively
Also, two new telephoto lenses announced.

Looks like the Rebel XTi is officially last(-last) year's model -- just in time for PMA Canon's updating their new consumer DSLR with some sexy new features.

More on those after the break.

Technorati : Canon

Pentax gets official with 14.6-megapixel K20D DSLR

This beast features a 2.7-inch Live View LCD monitor, improved dust reduction system (including a new Dust Alert function to pinpoint the exact location of a particle), a weather / dust resistant shell, ISO up to 3,200, support for SD / SDHC cards, USB 2.0 connectivity, video-out (NTSC and PAL) and PictBidge functionality.

For the rest of the nitty-gritty, be sure and click on through -- after chewing on those details, maybe you can then decide whether or not you'll be throwing down $1,299.95 for the body-only model in March.

We reckoned those fliers spotted earlier today weren't just clever mockups, but now Pentax is affirming said assumption by getting all official with its new 14.6-megapixel K20D.

Oh, and don't you worry about lenses -- Pentax is busting out five new ones at PMA next week.

Technorati : Pentax

Pentax launches 10.2-megapixel K200D DSLR

" Packed in this beauty is a 10.2-megapixel sensor, a 2.7-inch LCD monitor, the firm's own Shake Reduction system, ISO up to 1,600 and an array of auto picture / scene modes to boot.

Expect it to ship in March, and feel free to peruse the full specifications list after the jump.

Sure, a little less exciting than the bigger bro, but hey, it's five Benjamins less ($799.95), too.

Fret not, as it's also launching (officially, that is) the K200D for consumers "who may be unfamiliar with DSLR cameras.

Pentax's newly launched K20D a bit too rich for your blood?

Technorati : Pentax

Pentax intros compact Optio M50 digital camera

Available in your choice of silver, blue or pink, this one boasts 8 megapixels and a slightly better than usual 5x optical zoom, along with a 2.5-inch LCD, ISO shooting modes all the way up to ISO 6400, and increasingly common features like face recognition and smile capture.

Look for it to hit in March with a list price of $230 and be sure to hit up the gallery below for a closer look at the camera in each of the available colors.

If those high-end Pentax DSLRs aren't your thing, then perhaps the company's just-announced Optio M50 will be more to your (and your bank account's) liking.

Technorati : Pentax

Pentax fleshes out Optio line with S12 and E50 compacts

Catch 'em both this March for $279.95 and $149.95, respectively, and just in case you were curious to the whereabouts of the oh-so-similar A40, we're told that it's finally set to hit the streets next month for $299.95.

Two more for ya from Pentax -- the pocketable S12 and E50, which we're going to dig right into if that's okay with the crowd.

As for the E50, it trims down to an 8.1-megapixel CCD sensor, 2.4-inch LCD, 3-point autofocus system, 9.5MB of built-in memory and an ISO limit of 1,600, but most everything else mimics its aforementioned sibling.

The former features a 12-megapixel sensor, VGA movie mode, 3x optical zoom, 2.5-inch LCD monitor, face recognition, 5-point autofocus, 21MB of internal storage space, support for SD / SDHC cards, USB 2.0 connectivity, video out (NTSC and PAL), PictBridge functionality and ISO up to 3,200.

Technorati : Pentax

Sony unloads a truckload of new cameras before PMA

There's a flurry of moderate low-end camera updates hitting the wires before PMA next week, and Sony's no exception -- it just dropped eight new shooters on us.

A quick rundown after the break, with pictures of all the new gear in the gallery.

Nothing major here, just bumps to existing models around.

Technorati : Sony unloads a truckload of new cameras before PMA