Panasonic DMC-FX30
Panasonic has buzzed the buzzer that they’ve created the world’s thinnest phone with the Panasonic DMC-FX30 wide-angle 7.2 megapixel shooter. It features are 28mm wide angle lense too. All you photogs out there, sit up and pay attention to this little slimfest. It’s small, thin but it sure packs a punch.
The digital camera, named DMC-FX30 is thin and features 7.2 megapixel CCD, Mega OIS optical image stabilization, a 3.6x LEICA DC VARIO-ELMARIT optical zoom lens, Venus Engine III image-processing for shooting at ISO 1250, and a 2.5-inch 207k pixel LCD (the L74 throws down 230k pixels) with Power LCD which boosts brightness by up to 40% when shooting outdoors.
It’s been available since Febuary this year! Wha? Where have I been?
Each of the camera is worth USD349. I think you can order it from eBay or any other stores that will ship worldwide online. Just becareful with who you buy it from. Read reviews about it HERE.
Source: GadgetCool
Over the weekend (on January 13th, to be exact), FujiFilm released their latest FinePix digital camera model in Japan, the BIGJOB HD-3W. The name cracks me up, but I’m a Terry Pratchett fan. Despite the silly name, it is a very interesting camera.
Firstly, it is waterproof and dustproof (although waterproof to what depth, I don’t know) with a great 28~84mm wide angle lens with 3x optical zoom. The 6 megapixel CCD creates 2,816×2,112 pixel images - a great all-rounder camera.
It is physically quite a big camera (128.3×45×80.5mm - which explains the BIGJOB moniker) and on the chunky side, thanks to it’s waterproof feature. The camera is powered by 2 AA batteries.
One feature I really like: it comes with 27MB on-board memory which is great for those times when you realise that you’ve left the flash memory in the computer back home.
One feature that annoys me: unfortunately, as with all FujiFilm cameras, it uses the proprietry xD flash media, not the more-or-less open - never mind cheaper - SD card.
Priced at around ￥69,800, if you don’t mind being forced to buy the xD media, then this is a great family digital camera.
Link:
FujiFilm (in Japanese)
I’m a Panasonic fangirl. Of all the Japanese electronics brands, Panasonic wins for me (Nintendo falls under gaming brands). Sony come up with great technology but then proceed to screw them up somehow (overpriced, released too late, proprietry media) while Toshiba… well, let’s just never speak of that again. Sanyo has won a few brownie points, especially with their Xacti brand of camera/video hybrids, but for now Panasonic reigns supreme.
So I always keep a look out for any new Panasonic electronics. This week, it’s two new video cameras, although the only difference between them is the media used. The VDR-D310 has a 3CCD sensor for optimum image recording, 3 recording modes (XP at 10Mbps, SP at 5Mbps and LP at 2.5Mbps) and now has a DVD burner which can accept DVD DL, DVD-R/RW and DVD RAM.
This means Panasonic is moving away from MiniDV tape media (although not too quickly, as the NV-GS320 is the same camera but with MiniDV capabilities) and I think it’s about time too. DV technology has been around since 1994 and is getting redundant. Tape technology will never be as good as non-magnetic media.
As most video cameras these days do, these two come with a digital photo camera built in, with 3.1MP capability and Panasonic’s image stabiliser technology. The cameras weigh around 500g. No word yet on prices.
Link:
Panasonic
Engadget posted about a review of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX1 (the thin 8.4 megapixel 16:9 wide-angle CCD digital camera) that they found on HardwareZone.
Read it here.
Next month, Matsushita will launch the DMC-LX1 digital camera, which has a 16:9 aspect ratio CCD image sensor.
What does it mean? Unlike most digital camera which hve a 4:3 aspect ratio (the proportions of a standard screen, TV or computers), the DMC-LX1 sensor’s resolution will reach 8.4 megapixels on a 16:9 format (wider, like you find on cinema display TV sets and wide screen computers screens). Originally, the 4:3 CCD sensors were designed this way to be used on video cameras at a time when most TV and computer displays were on 4:3, but now that 16:9 is becoming more widely available and affordable, it makes sense to start offering this format on digital cameras, as it is closer to the range of human vision and renders space and depth better than the usual 4:3.
The camera will still be able to take pictures in 4:3 or 3:2 too of course. It will also feature a wide-angle (equivalent to a 28mm), and a 4x optical zoom with a Leica lens. Expected to sell around 62,800 yen (about US$ 560).
Via Tech-On!
“No tape, no disc. It’s hard disk!” While the slogan is not really new anymore, what
IS new is Victor’s Everio G Series — announced today — which feature large capacity built-in hard disk drive, and can record up to 10.5 hours of DVD-quality video.
They boosted the storage space dramatically, so there is no need to carry tapes or discs anymore. The built-in hard drives now come in 20 and 30 GB (gigabyte) versions and can record up to 7 hours of DVD movie-quality video or more than 10 hours at DVD camcorder-quality. That’s the equivalent of 21 8cm-DVD camcorder discs.
The JVC Everio G series comes in 4 configurations. The 20GB hard disk (GZ-MG20) and 30GB hard disk (GZ-MG30) models will provide 7 and 10.5 hours respectively of DVD camcorder-quality video. And the GZ-MG40 (20 GB) and GZ-MG50 (30 GB) have a 1.33 Megapixel CCD.
All models weigh under 380 grams (with battery) and sport a 2.5-inch flip-out LCD monitor. They also released an optional DVD burner to burn DVDs directly without using a PC. The video compression format is MPEG-2, which is the same format used in DVD, so no quality loss to be expected when burning a DVD, nor long conversion time.
But to me the 1.33 megapixel CCD seems like a step down from the previous series. The high end GZ-MC500E was 3CCD and 5 megapixel, which might be a bit bulkier, but makes a whole world of a difference in the final quality. The HD was much smaller though, so you always need to find out what you want to prioritize when you buy your camera. Either that, or Victor plans to release a 3CCD, 5 megapixel 30 GB series next, which would be the ultimate thing on the digital video market.
For more goodness and specs, read the JVC press release.
Canon has announced two (similar) problems affecting five of their digital SLR cameras. In short, captured images may disappear when shot on the EOS-1Ds Mark II, EOS-1D Mark II, EOS20D, EOS 20Da and the EOS Kiss Digital N. They added that “firmware updates to fix these defects will be released upon completion”.
From Tech-On!:
One of the two defects is the loss of images buffered in the buffer memory. This problem occurs when the camera is set to a mode to simultaneously save data in the RAW and JPEG (high image quality) formats.
(…)
Another defect occurs when any of these cameras are used with the Lexar Professional Series 80x CompactFlash (CF) Card. (…) The card’s firmware is claimed to be the cause of this problem.
Wow!!!!! This is so cool!!!!! It doesn’t really qualify as “Japanese news” but actually, it is so far out it does. Gwen Stefani has designed a really cool digital camera for HP and it is not only cool(!!!!!), but also a limited edition, just like in Japan!!!!! Cool!!!!!
In case you are still hesitating, please note that the HP R607 Harajuku Lovers Digital Camera comes with these “funky extras”
- Matching bag designed by Gwen Stefani
- Wrist strap, shoulder strap and charms designed by Gwen Stefani
- In-box DVD with Gwen interview, remix track, screen saver and images
- Certificate of limited edition authenticity for collectors
Plus, it has “Harajuku” written on the camera IN KANJI!!!!! Wow!!!!! Cool!!!!!
Via Engadget
Victor (aka JVC) has announced they will launch a new Everio video camera this June. The GZ-MC500 is Victor’s first 3CCD compact video camera for general consumers. It records video files in MPEG-2 format on a 4GB 1-inch CompactFlash type hard drive, and can also take 5 megapixel still pictures with these three CCD sensors. It has an optical zoom of 10x for movies and 8x for still pictures. The GZ-MC500 camera is expected to sell around 170,000 yen (approx. USD 1,700).
More tech details at Tech-On!
I respect NHJ for their cretivity, but their build quality is not always up there. I still would like to present this D’zign DZ-3000, a 3.14MP digital camera. It’s rather small to say the least (86×55x35mm) and it weighs 85g. 5 colours will be available (blue, grey, red, orange and pink) and you can fit your SD cards in it. Price of this little device should revolve around 100 Euros.
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