Hasta La Gadget!

It’s fitting that Fujifilm’s thoroughly gorgeous FinePix X100 kicked off this week’s flood of Photokina releases, and now we’ve learned a few more precious details from the outfit’s press conference. For starters, it’ll be a non-zoom apparatus, much like Olympus’ Zuiko-equipped concept that was also launched here in Köln. Fujifilm’s Adrian Clarke noted that the decision to include only a 23mm f/2 fixed lens was made in order to not make image quality compromises that are necessary when allowing for a zoom. We’re sure that’ll strike some as displeasing, but those who aren’t afraid of moving forward and back could probably care less. Furthermore, he affirmed that the company was aiming for a March 2011 ship date, with a retail price to hit near the $1,000 mark. That’s hardly affordable, but Fuji’s making no bones about this being a decidedly high-end piece.

After the presser, we were able to score some hands-on time with a pre-production model, and we have to say, this thing just feels like a thousand bucks. It’s as solid as a stone, though light packers won’t appreciate just how heavy it is. Regardless, the body exudes quality, and the grip was as comfortable as ever. Sadly, no fully functional units are present here at Photokina, but we’re cautiously optimistic that we’ll see one at CES. It’s doubtful that Fuji will sell oodles of these given the limitations and price, but to the niche that’s interested, things are looking up.

Update: We just stopped by the Fujifilm booth in order to grab some video time with this guy, and sadly, the model that they had on display lacked a sensor of any kind. However, the dedicated toggle switch to flip between the OVF and EVF is a lovely touch, as were the dedicated control dials up top. Have a look yourself just beyond the break.

Continue reading Fujifilm’s FinePix X100 ships March 2011 for $1,000, we go hands-on (update: video!)

Fujifilm’s FinePix X100 ships March 2011 for $1,000, we go hands-on (update: video!) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Sep 2010 08:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Casio’s Exilim EX-H20G and EX-Z16 certainly stole the spotlight in the company’s press conference here at Photokina, but a couple of other point-and-shoots managed to sneak out simultaneously over in Tokyo. Unfortunately, neither the Exilim EX-Z2300 nor the EX-ZR10 will be making a stateside debut, but those situated in continents not named North America may certainly be interested. The former of the two utilizes a 14.1 megapixel sensor, a 3-inch rear LCD (960 x 480 resolution) and a 5x optical zoomer, with other specifications including an SD / SDHC card slot, 34.9MB of inbuilt memory, 720p video recording, an ISO range from 50 to 3200, CCD-shift image stabilization and a rechargeable battery good for around 580 shots.

Moving on to the ZR10 (not to be confused with Pentax’s similarly named RZ10), this one is Casio’s HDR baby. During the company’s presser, executives went on (and on) about how wunderbar the camera’s inbuilt HDR ART function was, and honestly, the images that were being displayed were indeed pretty fanciful. The point-and-shoot relies on a back-illuminated 12.1 megapixel sensor, the Exilim Engine HS, 28mm 7x zoom lens, an automatic panorama option and a newfangled burst mode that enables up to 30 shots of 10 megapixel images to be taken, with high-speed burst shooting at a maximum speed of 40 shots per second. Better still, the company has upped the video resolution here to 1080p, while also throwing in an SD / SDHC / SDXC card slot, ISO range of 100 to 3200 and a rechargeable battery. No one’s talking pricing, release dates nor release regions just yet (aside from shunning America, of course), but we’ll be sure to update just as soon as those facts and figures hit our desk. Oh, and we did manage to score a few precious seconds with this guy here in Köln, and it’s exceedingly slim given the feature set. We can’t speak for the image and video quality first-hand, but based on what was shown and the aesthetic that we witnessed, we’d say the ZR10 has a bright future ahead of it.

Continue reading Casio reveals Exilim EX-Z2300 and EX-ZR10 point-and-shoots, sells HDR hard

Casio reveals Exilim EX-Z2300 and EX-ZR10 point-and-shoots, sells HDR hard originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Sep 2010 11:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Olympus isn’t saying much (and that’s understating things greatly), but it’s using this year’s Photokina trade show in order to tease a new integrated compact camera that’s meant to serve an exceedingly narrow niche. So far as we can tell, this new “flagship” compact camera is the world’s first with an “integrated Zuiko lens,” meaning that it’s actually not a Micro Four Thirds rig. We’re still waiting to speak with someone at the company to find out exactly what the purpose is here, but we’re getting the impression that it’s meant to provide extreme resolution in the palm of your hand — no need in grabbing the D3X if you can capture the next LeBron James mural with something this small, right? The press release insinuates that we won’t know much more until CES 2011 (or sometime in Q1 2011, anyway), but at least we know that the accessory port will enable it to play nice with PEN peripherals.

Continue reading Olympus teases Zuiko-equipped compact camera, leaves us desperate for details

Olympus teases Zuiko-equipped compact camera, leaves us desperate for details originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Sep 2010 08:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Photokina‘s kicking off in earnest today with a serious bang in the point-and-shoot realm; Casio just introduced the planet’s first camera with Hybrid GPS, which essentially enables it to geotag photos and videos where traditional cameras cannot. Yeah, indoors. The Exilim EX-H20G (shown above) also packs a 14.1 megapixel sensor, SD / SDHC / SDXC memory card slot, a 10x optical zoomer, an ISO range of 80 to 3200, 3-inch rear LCD, CCD-shift image stabilization, 720p movie mode and an HDMI output. Moreover, the company has throw in a world atlas with detailed maps of 140 cities around the world, and the rear screen can actually display a user’s current position on said map for kicks and giggles. It’ll hit shops this November for $349.99 (or €300 in Europe).

If that’s a bit too fanciful for you, the lower-end EX-Z16 might just fit the bill. Boasting a 2.7-inch rear LCD, VGA (640 x 480) movie mode, a 12.1 megapixel sensor, SD / SDHC card slot, a whopping 14.9MB of internal storage (um… okay?), CCD-shift image stabilization and an integrated YouTube capture mode, this dead-simple cam is designed to be about as hands-off as they come. According to the company, the only settings you have to adjust on the 2.7-inch panel are image size, flash and self timer — everything else sets itself accordingly. ‘Course, that won’t sit well with the tinkerers in the group, but you can sure brighten a newbie’s day by gifting ’em with one when it ships later this month at $99.99. More details are packed in after the break, should you find yourself thirsty for more.

Update: We snagged a quick hands-on with the EX-H20G, and while the images below don’t do it justice, the rear screen on this bad boy was something to gawk at. The map on there actually looked amazing, and while you’ll have a tough time prying Google Maps Navigation away from our paws, this is definitely a lovely inclusion for those who’d prefer to simply enjoy nearby attractions on a map without pulling out a smartphone (or encountering roaming charges while navigating abroad).

Continue reading Casio debuts Exilim EX-H20G (with Hybrid GPS) and EX-Z16 point-and-shoots

Casio debuts Exilim EX-H20G (with Hybrid GPS) and EX-Z16 point-and-shoots originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Sep 2010 08:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HP‘s just outed a new camcorder, the 1080p loving V5020u. Among its other attractions, this camcorder boasts full HD 1080p video recording at a resolution up to 1920×1080, a built-in gyroscope for image stabilization, 10x digital zoom, a 5 megapixel sensor, a motion detector, a 2-inch LCD, and an SDHC slot for extra storage capacity. This bad boy, which we think is pretty good looking, will be available in October for $159.

HP V5020u camcorder does 1080p in style originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Sep 2010 14:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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