UK Digital Cameras Blog

A new compact digital camera from Olympus has been launched that a new review states follows on from one of its “rather good” predecessors.

According to an article for the Trusted Reviews website, the Olympus FE-340 is an eight-megapixel model that builds on some of the successful elements of the previous FE, the Olympus FE-250.

It is reported that the camera is equipped with a 5x zoom lens and has a 2.7-inch, 230k LCD monitor “which is sharp and bright, has excellent contrast and a nice fast refresh rate,” the review states.

Available in a number of different colours that include pink, black grey and silver the site notes that at around £120 “it is definitely towards the budget end of the price spectrum”.

As such, it notes, other considerations when looking at this model could be the Pentax Optio L50, the Nikon CoolPix S550 and the Sony Cyber-Shot S800.

“The build quality is good and the LCD monitor is outstanding,” the site concludes.

BenQ is set to launch its latest compact camera this month that the manufacturer claims is currently the slimmest on the market.

According to pocket-lint. co. uk, the super-slim eight-megapixel BenQ T850 also comes equipped with a three-inch TFT touchscreen that appears to be inspired by Apple’s iPhone and controls zoom, focus and a number of other features.

The site’s Stuart Miles states that despite being 14mm thick, the BenQ T850 comes with a number of options including smile and face detection, Z Lighting, advanced photo art and “a feature called scribble and scrawl”.

A number of other eight-megapixel slimline digital cameras are currently available, including the Nikon Coolpix L18 and the Nikon Coolpix S210 - both of which are available in a range of colours.

The Nikon Coolpix L18 comes in black, red and blue. However the Nikon Coolpix S210 is an 8.1-megapixel model available in black, red, blue, pink and silver.

Digital photo frames will go from strength to strength in the future and will innovate in a number of areas, it has been suggested.

According to a spokesman for Samsung’s System LSI division, better resolutions that could rival high definition and more integrated services are just some of the changes that may be seen in the future of the sector.

Rich Yeh, director of marketing at System LSI, said that frames could also incorporate built-in graphics engines and that internet connectivity would be vital to the evolution of such frames, Electronics Design Strategy News reports.

“We believe that Wi-Fi will be a standard feature on these devices by 2011,” he told the news website.

Further to this, Stuart Miles reported in an article for pocket-lint. co. uk this year that sales of digital photo frames were growing, adding that the panels were becoming a “hot property”.

Kodak has boosted its range of digital cameras with a new model that is much better looking than its predecessors, one reviewer has suggested.

An article for cnet. co. uk reports that the Kodak Easyshare V1273 will “appeal to an altogether more stylish set” and incorporates touchscreen technology among its host of features.

The website states that in the past, Kodak has paid little attention to the style of its models, but notes that this 12-megapixel compact has bucked that trend.

It is noted that the Kodak Easyshare V1273 “is an all-steel, gun-metal nugget of cool that will have designers salivating over their MacBook Airs” and in terms of performance delivers the kind of quality to be expected from the brand.

“As is usual with Kodak, colours are bright and cheerful, and exposure is good,” the site concludes.

However, for those looking at other models in this range, the reviewer goes on to suggest the Olympus MJU 1010 as a suitable alternative.

For those that buy a digital camera, opting for a digital photo frame just “makes sense”, one writer has suggested.

In an article for wfaa. com, Walt Zwirko asks: “If you’re going to take digital pictures, why not display them in a digital frame?”

He adds that the versatility of such frames and the number of panels available from reliable brand names such as Kodak Easyshare means that there is a digital frame for everyone.

“You’ll see some competitive products that have fewer pixels and that can make a photo look blurry,” Mr Zwirko notes.

He concludes that some lesser-known providers of frames, such as Digital Foci, are also worth consideration and that resolution was key when shopping for a panel.

Kodak currently has a number of frames available that include the seven-inch Kodak Easyshare SV710, the eight-inch Kodak Easyshare SV811 and the 10-inch Kodak Easyshare SV1011.

Fujifilm has announced two new additions to its range of digital cameras, according to the Trusted Reviews website.

The consumer electronics news provider states that the firm will add to its entry-level A-series as well as putting another model in the FinePix stable.

For the A-series camera, consumers will be offered the eight-megapixel A850 and is suggested by the site to be one that could prove a popular choice for the beginners.

However, the ten-megapixel Fujifilm FinePix Z200fd will be a high-specification “luxury ultra-compact” that is set to take its place above the
Z100fd model - released earlier this year.

With a 5x optical zoom lens, face detection, intelligent red-eye removal and dual image stabilisation the unit is praised and the site concludes that the Couple Timer and Group Timer functions are expected to be “interesting” additions.

Pentax has made another addition to its Optio range - with a rugged water and dustproof model, it has emerged.

Infosyncworld. com reports this week that the manufacturer will now offer the Pentax Optio W60 in its range and is expected to be a great choice for those looking for a model that can be used in the great outdoors.

The 10-megapixel model will be available alongside a number of its siblings that include the ten-megapixel Pentax Optio A30 and the 8.1-megapixel Pentax Optio E50.

However, this model will also be equipped with a 5x optical zoom lens and can be used for anything up to two hours at a depth of 13 feet underwater.

It is noted that the camera will be “aimed at photography in adventurous as well as everyday settings” and adds that when the camera becomes available in July, it will be available in Ocean Blue and Silver.

Photographers and digital camcorder users may be interested to hear about a new storage solution reportedly on offer from Samsung.

It is reported that the company plans to launch an SSD memory card that is capable of storing 256GB of data - despite being only 2.5 inches long, according to Channel News.

Citing Techworld, the article states that further to this the South Korean manufacturer could follow this up with a 1.8-inch SSD card that can cope with a similar amount of data.

It is noted that Samsung plans production of both cards this year and according to a spokesman for the firm, both should have a great deal to offer digital camera users.

“SSDs typically have faster read performance, the endurance can be an advantage because of no moving parts,” the spokesperson said.

Following its demise as a high definition home video format in February this year, it has preciously been speculated that Toshiba’s HD DVD format could resurface as a data storage solution.

The Sigma DP1 digital camera promises the quality of a DSLR with the portability of a compact and according to one review, lives up to its word.

In an article for pocket-lint. co .uk, Doug Harman puts the Sigma DP1 to the test in a bid to confirm whether or not the unit deserves its status as “a headline grabber”.

He states that although the company behind the digital camera is “best known for its lens making”, this should not deter buyers as components such as the
Sigma DP1’s integrated sensor make for “possible photo nirvana”.

“The image quality is streets ahead of any of compact with a “normal” sensor and competes well with DSLR image quality,” the review notes.

“[The Sigma DP1 is] simply the best image quality of any compact I’ve yet tested, but the price … I suspect you’ll need to think long and hard to justify the outlay.”

The 14-megapixel Sigma DP1 is also available as part of a View Finder Kit which currently retails for around £599.

Fujifilm have announced the launch of a new digital camera that will replace the Fujifilm FinePix Z100fd.

The Fujifilm FinePix Z200fd will be added to the Japanese manufacturers existing range and will be lighter and more portable as well as featuring better specifications than its predecessor.

According to the Imaging Resource, the Fujifilm FinePix Z200fd is expected to be shipped to the UK in August and will be a ten-megapixel model equipped with an improved sensor and better portability.

“[The camera] is listed as being four grams lighter than the previous model and one further change is an increase in digital zoom strength from 5.1x to 5.7x,” the site notes.

However, it is noted that the Fujifilm FinePix Z100fd has a larger built-in memory than the new model - which is currently available in a number of colours - including black, pink, brown and silver - and with a price tag of around £130.