Hasta La Gadget!

Look out, world — the mirrorless camera game just got a lot more interesting. Shortly after Olympus introduced a new mid-range DSLR, Samsung has outed its newest, the (previously rumored) NX100. It’s the predictable successor to last year’s NX10, offering a sleeker body, 14.6 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor, a 3-inch VGA AMOLED display ’round back, an ISO range of 100 to 3200 (with a boost mode hitting 6400), 720p movie recording (H.264), SD / SDHC card slot, optional geo-tagging with GPS10 module and ‘Sound Picture’ mode that allows users to record audio when a photo is taken. The standout feature here, however, has little to do with the body itself; instead, it’s the new i-Function lens system, which features a dedicated ‘i-Function’ button that allows users to scroll through manual settings, and a focus ring which is used to change parameters for each setting. Users can toggle between shutter speed, aperture, EV, WB, and ISO by simply using the i-Function button and ring on the lens, and it’s a feature we’re frankly desperate to try out ourselves. Sammy’s planning to offer a variety of lenses for the NX100, including a 60mm macro, 18-200mm telephoto, 20mm wide-angle pancake and a 20-50mm compact zoom. The full details on the camera as well as the glass arrangement is just after the break, but good luck finding a price and release date. Depressing, we know.

Continue reading Samsung NX100 mirrorless camera gets official: 14.6MP, i-Function lens, 3-inch AMOLED

Samsung NX100 mirrorless camera gets official: 14.6MP, i-Function lens, 3-inch AMOLED originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Sep 2010 02:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sure, you can buy compact cameras in dozens of garish and offensive colors, but what if you’re the sort who craves a different garish and offensive color every day of the week? You need the $150 Pentax RS1000, a 14.1 megapixel shooter with a 4x optical zoom, 720p video recording, and faceplate that’s just four screws away from getting lost. Using the Personal Skin Designer app you can craft your own custom cover (the first one is free), meaning you could be just a few clicks away from having that brick of a camera look like a real brick. Far more exciting, however, is the identically spec’d NB1000 and its Nanoblock connectors, which are a lot like Lego but smaller and presumably cheaper to license. With that you can truly shape whatever you want, like the above safari scene, which makes this model particularly pocket unfriendly. Both cameras are set to release later this year, though the Lego-esque NB1000 is tragically destined only for kids of all ages in Japan.

Pentax announces customizable cameras, faceplate-swapping RS1000 and Lego-loving NB1000 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Sep 2010 11:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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W2? We don’t need no stinkin’ W2. Fujifilm skipped right over that for W3 when deciding what to call its second-gen Real 3D camera. The W1 model didn’t exactly fare well in the hands of reviewers, but hopefully the rather more sleek looking W3 can do the deed, offering a larger, 3.5-inch glasses-free 3D LCD display along with HDMI 1.4 output and dual 10 megapixel sensors. Yes, the same number of pixels as before, but this version can make better use of them, stepping up to 720p video recording from the former’s VGA. You’ll get all that for the same price as the old one: $499.

Fujifilm ships second-gen Real 3D camera, calls it W3 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 09:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s getting harder to keep a secret. Companies toil over surprise parties and then some blabber-mouth spills the beans. In this case the host is Olympus and the one holding the empty can is 43rumors who has word of a series of coming announcements from the company. First, on August 31, Olympus is said to be revealing a new E-P2 kit offering a 17mm lens and an external flash. Also announced will supposedly be a pair of new M.Zuiko lenses: a $900 75 – 300mm (150 – 600mm equivalent) f/4.8 – 6.7 model and a $300 40 – 150mm (80 – 300mm equivalent) f/4.0 – 5.6 model. More interesting, though, is a follow-up announcement said to be coming on September 14, when Olympus will supposedly announce the E-5, a replacement for the E-3 DSLR. This, we’re told, will bump the megapixel count up to 12 from 10 and offer 720p30 video recording. Now that all that is out of the bag, the only question is: what will you be bringing to the parties?

New E-P2 kit and E-5 DSLR rumored, Olympus surprise parties ruined originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Aug 2010 07:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Panasonic’s DMC-FZ35 (aka the FZ38 in some regions) was highly regarded in its time — which was all of a year ago. The superzoomer won shootouts along with the hearts of many, but now it’s being retired in favor of a new camera, the DMC-FZ45 (aka the FZ40). This one moves up to a 14 megapixel CCD sensor but, according to PhotographyBlog‘s review, doesn’t suffer the resulting decrease in image quality you might expect. Its 24x, 25 – 600mm zoom lens is highly rated, as is the 720p30 mode. A total winner, then, right? Yes — except that it doesn’t compare to Panasonic’s own recently-released FZ100, which does all that and throws in 1080p recording, better burst-shooting, and a few other niceties. That camera is, however, $100 more than the $399 FZ45, so you’re going to have to let your budget be your guide here.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ45 reviewed, bests the FZ35 but falls short of the FZ100 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Aug 2010 13:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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