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Sony has finally confirmed that they will be releasing a new digital camera to replace the A700, later on this year. The new camera is called A77, which they have released a photo of the model. As of yet, Sony has not released much info on the camera except the above image–and the fact that it will be released later on this year.

The teaser photo shows us two things. One is the transparent mirror on the lens, which will help the lens focus better. The second item is that the case is clear, which creates more of a robotic look for the A77.Neither items are big news, but it does give us a good sneak peek at what is to come.

Hopefully, Sony will have something that will make the A77 stand out this time around.

Via Engadget

Is it spring already? Nikon has just assaulted us with no less than nine new Coolpix models, freshening up its consumer offering with a litany of hot new shades, touchscreens and hardware updates. We’ll let you dig into the press releases after the break for the full details, but the two new Performance range cameras, the P500 and P300, are worth discussing in more detail. The P500 improves on Nikon’s P100 by a few orders of magnification, touting a voyeur-friendly 36x optical zoom, while also offering a 12.1 megapixel CMOS sensor, 1080 / 30p video plus stereo sound recording, max ISO of 3200, and an 1100mAh battery. The back is also adorned with a tiltable display, sized at 3 inches diagonally and fitting 920k dots. Yours on March 3rd for $400, €464 or £400, depending on your local currency.

The P300 is cheaper at $330 / €348 / £300, however it might well be the more appealing option for image quality obsessives as it boasts a lens with an aggressive F1.8 aperture and 4.2x optical zoom. It shares the same backside-illuminated sensor as you’ll find in the P500, but benevolently permits its user full manual control to let him or her capture that perfect shot. Rapid-fire shooting at 8fps for up to seven frames is available, but we’re loving the fact it can also do 1080 / 30p with continuous autofocus and the ability to both capture images and use its optical zoom while recording. If Nikon is to be believed, the P300 is basically the P7000 that came out last year, but shrunken down to the size of a compact. It really is a very diminutive and attractive — it has that intentionally understated matte black finish that huskily whispers the word “prosumer” in your ear — compact camera. It lands on March 17th.

Continue reading Nikon crams 36x zoom in P500, full manual controls in P300, refreshes Coolpix range with tons of color

Nikon crams 36x zoom in P500, full manual controls in P300, refreshes Coolpix range with tons of color originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Feb 2011 20:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve spent quite a bit not nearly enough time with Fujifilm’s fixed-lens Finepix X100, and while it felt that March would never actually come during Photokina 2010, it’s actually just a few weeks away. The outfit has today confirmed that its 12.3 megapixel shooter will be shipping to America next month, with a wallet-burning $1,199.95 netting you a 23mm F2 prime lens, a standard ISO range of 200 to 6400 (with a boost to 12800), built-in ND filter, Hybrid Viewfinder and a magnesium alloy chassis. Feel free to peek back at our hands-on sessions to get a better idea if this is the retro body you’ve been yearning for, and hop on past the break if you’d care to see the official verbiage.

Continue reading Fujifilm confirms Finepix X100 ship date, price and accessory line for US market

Fujifilm confirms Finepix X100 ship date, price and accessory line for US market originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Feb 2011 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Brace yourself, Samsung has new point-and-shoots to fill in what little pockets of consumerism weren’t intrigued by any of the company’s five CES shooters… or even the five more announced just weeks later. First up is the PL20 (pictured left). A 14 megapixel CCD sensor, 27mm wide angle lens, 5x zoom, digital image stabilization, 720p 24fps HD video with Smart Filters. That one comes out in March for a penny under $120, with a choice of silver, pink, black, and tomato red (Sammy’s description). For the ES80, subtract two megapixels from the sensor, nix the HD recording, keep the color options, bump the release date one month, and subtract $20. You get the idea. Full details and press release after the break.

Continue reading Samsung announces PL20 and ES80, brings 2011 pocket camera lineup to 12 total

Samsung announces PL20 and ES80, brings 2011 pocket camera lineup to 12 total originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Feb 2011 13:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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[image from Flickr user pin-add]

Self-checkout lanes are usually a quick way to buy a few things at the grocery store, but what if you want to pick up some fruit or any other item without a barcode? Toshiba is happy to help, using a new automatic checkout system with built-in cameras that can tell exactly what you’re buying. No more flipping through a list of twenty different types of pears; this system can identify different variations in the variety of fruit just by looking at it. When first installed, the system checks the image of the product against a built-in database, asking the user to select which item they’re trying to buy, with the most likely results on top. While going through this with a large number of shoppers, the recommendations get better and better.

This kind of item recognition is no simple task. According to Keiji Yanai, a scientist at the University of Electro-Communications in Tokyo quoted in an article in New Scientist, a system like this is much more difficult than facial recognition. Because the objects are so similar (a Pink Lady apple versus a Golden Delicious, for example), it introduces that much more difficulty in choosing between them.

Toshiba hopes to be saving you the valuable 30 seconds it would have otherwise taken you to page through a menu by bringing the system to market within the next three years.

[via PopSci, New Scientist]