eK-gadgets info

The final group of cameras announced at CES are from Olympus. Like Sony, Olympus finally woke up and smelled the coffee, and dumped the xD memory card format, switching to SD/SDHC (thank you!). The first three Olympus cameras are in their compact and stylish Stylus series:

Stylus 5010 

• 14 Megapixel CCD
• F2.8-6.5, 5X optical zoom lens, equivalent to 26 - 130 mm
• Sensor-shift image stabilization
• “World’s smallest 5X zoom camera”, comes in titanium, pink, and light blue

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• 2.7″ LCD display with 230,000 pixels
• Point-and-shoot operation, with Intelligent Auto mode
• AF tracking feature, with a special “pet mode”
• Magic Filter feature is similar to Art Filters on Olympus SLRs, and features pop art, pin hole, fisheye, and “drawing” filters
• Records video at 1280 x 720 (presumably at 30 fps) with sound, using the MPEG-4 format; dedicated movie recording button
• 1GB (!) onboard memory, plus SD/SDHC card slot
• HDMI output, with the ability to control the camera from the remote control of compatible HDTVs
• Entire camera manual is built into the camera’s internal memory (not sure how I feel about this)
• Uses LI-42B lithium-ion battery; battery life not available
• Ships next month for $200

Stylus 7030  - changes:

• F3.0-5.9, 7X optical zoom lens, equivalent to 28 - 196 mm
• No HD movie mode — just VGA
• No HDMI output
• Comes in titanium, blue, and purple
• Priced at $200

Stylus 7040  - changes:

• 3-inch LCD with 230,000 pixels
• HD movie recording returns
• 2GB (!!) internal memory + SD/SDHC slot
• HDMI output
• Comes in titanium, pink, and light blue
• Priced at $250

Stylus Tough 3000 

• 12 Megapixel CCD
• F3.5-5.1, 3.6X optical zoom lens, equivalent to 28 - 102 mm
• Sensor-shift image stabilization
• Waterproof to 10 feet, shockproof from 5 feet, freezeproof to -10C/+14F
• 2.7″ LCD display with 230,000 pixels
• Point-and-shoot operation with Intelligent Auto mode
• Same AF tracking feature, Magic Filters as the Stylus models above
• Some camera functions can be controlled by “tapping” the top and sides of the camera — perfect for when you’re wearing gloves
• Records HD video at 1280 x 720 (30 fps, I think) with sound
• 1GB onboard memory + SD/SDHC card slot
• Built-in camera manual
• HDMI output with HDTV control
• Uses LI-42B li-ion battery; 160 shots per charge
• Comes in red, blue, pink, and green
• Ships next month for $230

The final Olympus cameras are two entry-level FE-series models:

FE-47 

• 14 Megapixel CCD
• F3.5-5.6, 5X optical zoom lens, equivalent to 36 - 180 mm
• 2.7″ LCD display with 230,000 pixels
• Point-and-shoot operation with Intelligent Auto mode
• Same AF tracking. Magic Filter features as above
• In-camera help system
• Records movies at 640 x 480 (30 fps) with sound
• 18MB onboard memory + SD/SDHC slot
• Uses two AA batteries
• Comes in silver, black, red, and blue
• Ships this month for $120

FE-4020  - changes:

• F2.6-5.9, 4X optical zoom lens, equivalent to 26 - 105 mm
• Slimmer body, comes in warm gray, pearl white, light pink, and light blue
• Uses LI-70B lithium-ion battery; 180 shots per charge
• Ships in February for $150

Still catching up on today’s endless number of announcements, it’s time to talk about the seven new cameras from Sony. The first two use the same Exmor R back-illuminated CMOS sensor and have many of the same features, but I’ll break them into two articles since they’re for two different audiences. One feature that I know a lot of people will like is that all of these new Sony’s support SD and SDHC memory cards — finally!And now, the DSC-HX5V:

Cyber-shot DSC-HX5V 

• 10.2 Megapixel Exmor R CMOS sensor, which provides better low light shooting than conventional sensors
• F3.5-5.5, 10X optical zoom “Sony G” lens, equivalent to 25 - 250 mm
• Optical image stabilization
  • New “active” IS mode reduces severe camera shake when recording videos, such as when you’re walking and recording at the same time
• 3-inch LCD display with 230,400 pixels
• Built-in GPS with compass function not only records the location of a photo — it even knows which direction the camera was pointing (I don’t know how useful this is, but there you go)
• Intelligent Auto mode (with auto scene selection) plus limited manual controls
• Enhanced Intelligent Sweep Panorama feature combines up to 100 exposures into a single image; each “slice” can vary in size, which prevents awkward seams, or having a moving subject appear cut off
• High Dynamic Range mode combines two exposures (one dark, one bright) into a single photo with improved dynamic range — no tripod necessary
• Continuous shooting at speeds up to 10 frames/second
• Face, smile, and blink detection
• Records Full HD video using the AVCHD codec; that’s 1920 x 1080 at 60 interlaced frames/second, with stereo sound
  • Lower resolutions also available: 1440 x 1080, 1280 x 720, and 640 x 480; all use MPEG-4 codec and are 30 frames/second
  • Optical zoom can be used during recording
• Supports new TransferJet wireless protocol, which allows you to send photos to a compatible device (another camera, laptop, etc) by putting the two devices right next to each other; requires a special 8GB Memory Stick Duo card ($100); a TransferJet receiver, which can be connected to computers, TVs, and other devices, will cost $150
• 45MB onboard memory + combo Memory Stick Duo and SD/SDHC slot
• HDMI output
• Uses NP-BG1 lithium-ion battery; 310 shots per charge
• Ships in March for $350

Cyber-shot DSC-TX7 

• Same 10.2 Megapixel Exmor R CMOS sensor as the HX5V
• F3.5-4.6, 4X optical zoom “Carl Zeiss” lens, equivalent to 25 - 100 mm
• Optical image stabilization (without the “active” mode)
• Ultra-thin body comes in silver, blue, and red
• 3.5″ touchscreen LCD display with 921,000 pixels
• Point-and-shoot operation
• Same features as the HX5V above, except there’s no GPS
• Uses NP-BN1 li-ion battery; 230 shots per charge
• Ships in February for $400