Hasta La Gadget!

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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Reviews are starting to trickle out for Pansonic’s LX3 successor, the DMC-LX5, and so far they all seem to echo similar sentiment. The form factor hearkens back to its Micro Four Thirds darling GF1, at least from the top, with “dinky buttons” (in CNET UK’s words) on the back reminding you of its point-and-shoot bloodline. The pictures are solid if not characteristically warm — and the ability to simultaneously produce RAW and JPEG files is a nice touch — as is the choice of either Motion JPEG or AVCHD Lite video. The universal issue with this camera is the price; that £449.99 tag (the equivalent of $691 in US currency) doesn’t quite seem to match the offerings, especially when it’s about on par with entry-level DSLRs with interchangeable lenses (albeit without the slim look). As PhotographyBLOG puts it, Panny’s gotta hard case to make for a camera “that looks, at first glance to be very similar to a £299 model.” Hey, a hardware switch for changing the aspect ratio (just above lens barrel; 4:3, 3:2, 16:9, or 1:1) doesn’t come cheap. Much more detail can be found in the reviews below.

Note: It’s worth mentioning that this camera can be had for $500 at Amazon right now. Still pricey, but not $700 pricey.

Read – PhotographyBLOG
Read – CNET UK
Read – Pocket-lint

Lumix DMC-LX5 review roundup: great hardware for a not-so-great price originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Sep 2010 18:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ricoh outs rather rugged, water-resistant G700 point and shoot originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 21:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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To say that Canon’s PowerShot G11 is growing long in the tooth would be understating things rather dramatically, and with Photokina just a few weeks away, now’s as good a time as any to launch a prominent new camera into the world. In fact, Canon just got finished outing a trio of point-and-shoot models, but it seems that Cnet Asia didn’t get the memo that a full foursome wouldn’t be introduced. The publication’s original writeup on the company’s new cameras featured a number of G12 mentions throughout the text, and a full-on specifications chart was captured above. If all this is to be believed, we’re looking at a 10 megapixel CCD sensor, 5x optical zoom, 2.8-inch tilt-and-swivel LCD, “HD-quality” video recording, optical image stabilization and an inbuilt HDR mode, topped off with a pinch of “sheesh, finally!” Obviously, there’s no mention of a price or expected launch date, but something tells us that’ll change dramatically before we touch down in Köln.

Canon’s PowerShot G12 leaks out, promises HD video mode originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Aug 2010 17:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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As camera makers shift from touting megapixels to low-light and HD video recording performance, in steps a trio of point-and-shoot cameras from Canon — the PowerShot S95 pictured above and the SD4500 IS and SX130 IS both pictured after the break. The S95 update ($399.99 in late August) to last year’s S90 combines Canon’s DIGIC 4 image processing, a 10-megapixel high-sensitivity CCD sensor, and wide f/2.0 lens to enhance image quality and reduce noise at high ISO levels without resorting to a flash. It features a new high dynamic range (HDR) mode, 720p video recording, and mini HDMI for throwing that video up to the living room flat screen. the S95 is also the first PowerShot to feature Hybrid IS image stabilization to help with macro shots. The SX130 IS ($249.99 in August), meanwhile, offers a 12.1 megapixel CMOS and 12x optical zoom lens that relies on optical image stabilization to keep things stable. A 3-inch LCD, 720p video mode, and Miniature, Fisheye, Poster, and Super Vivid creative modes. Rounding things out is the Power SD4500 IS with 10x optical zoom, optical image stabilization, and a 1080p video mode with Dynamic IS that helps further stabilize the video while the shooter is in motion — a first for a digital ELPH. Canon’s even slapped in a 240fps super slow motion mode (at an unspecified resolution) from Casio’s bag of tricks. Expect it to hit retail in September for $349.99.

Continue reading Canon PowerShot S95, the SD4500 IS, and SX130 IS play the low-light, HD video cards

Canon PowerShot S95, the SD4500 IS, and SX130 IS play the low-light, HD video cards originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Aug 2010 01:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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