Olympus has unveiled the second edition of its PEN series, the E-P2, and we were lucky enough to get hands-on and have a little play with it. As you might hope, it retains the chunky body and reassuring weight of its predecessor, while still being small enough to stick in a jacket pocket.

We were only able to grab the briefest of looks in a dimly lit room, so we didn't get much chance to play with the new art modes, but the hot-shoed electronic viewfinder was impressive, as was the level of detail able to be captured in relatively low-light conditions from the camera.

Whether it's worth the extra ?150 over its predecessor, however, is more open to debate. It's certainly an improvement, but it's questionable whether price premium is a little too steep. Be sure to have a little play with both models before making a firm decision.

Tags: Cameras Prosumer cameras Micro Four Thirds Olympus 12 megapixels Olympus E-P2 Photos

PHOTOS: Olympus E-P2 digital camera originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:30:52 +0000

Olympus has unveiled a new version of its E-P1 camera called - you guessed it - the E-P2. The second edition matches its older brother in every way, but exceeds it in several, too.

For starters, there's now an electronic viewfinder available, that plugs into the hot shoe on the top and Olympus reckons it's twice as bright and packs three times the contrast of any other model on the market. It can also capture 7 minutes of HD video along with high-res still shots.

There's two new art filters - "Diorama", which captures tilt-shifted images, and "Cross Process", which alters colours to create a "surreal" look to a picture. Both can be applied to both stills and video. The other addition is that of AF tracking - keeping focus even if a subject moves around - and a colour adjustment mode called iEnhance.

The camera will be available in black only from January 2010 and costs ?850. The E-P1 will continue to be sold alongside it, for a little less cash, so the option is yours.

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Tags: Cameras Prosumer cameras Micro Four Thirds Olympus 12 megapixels Olympus E-P2

Olympus unveils E-P2 camera originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:17:31 +0000

Ricoh?is expected to announce a new digital camera tomorrow called the GXR, which features a number of different interchangeable lens components in what it hopes will be a breakthrough in the way cameras work, according to a video posted by mistake by Which.co.uk.

The camera will come with interchangeable lens compartments that slot into the camera casing, which, looking at the video, appears to be nothing more than a battery and flash housing.?

The move makes it smaller than the current?Micro Four Thirds?offerings from Olympus and Panasonic, according to Which.co.uk journalist Ben Stevens in a video which has since been pulled from YouTube.

Ricoh will start the new system off with two lens/sensor combos 24-72mm F/2.5-4.4?with a 10-megapixel sensor and VGA film capabilities. ?

The A12 will come with a 50mm F/2.5 Macro lens, shoot video in HD and come with a 12-megapixel sensor.?

Launching in December, Which says the body will cost ?420 while the two 50mm macro ?600 and the 24-72mm ?300.

Ricoh has declined to comment on the news.

Expect more details, very shortly.

UPDATE: This is now official. You can find out more information at our?Ricoh?homepage

Tags: Cameras Digital cameras Ricoh Ricoh GXR 10 megapixels 12 megapixels

Ricoh GXR digital camera breaks cover early originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:38:08 +0000

To get the tech deals up and running this week we have the Samsung ES19 digital camera from Currys, who has seen fit to price the product at ?69.99.

For your 70 notes you get a pretty straightforward specifications list, but one that should be fine for no nonsense every day snapping. Apart from the 12-megapixel sensor you'll get a 2.5-inch LCD to view you pictures on, 3x optical zoom, face detection, digital image stabilisation and a beauty shot feature.?

The high res sensor means that anything you print up to A3 should still look decent and the camera can also shoot 640 x 480 VGA resolution videos at a frame rate of 30fps.

Currys is offering free delivery and is willing to pick up the old product for recycling. This link will take you to the Currys website and we'll have another tech deal for you tomorrow.

Tags: Cameras Compact cameras Samsung Samsung ES19 12 megapixels Currys Daily Tech Deal

Daily Tech Deal: Samsung ES19 digital camera from Currys originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:00:00 +0000

With an ISO settings of over 100,000 you would expect the new Nikon D3S?to be able to capture shots in the dark, and that's what this video sets out to show.?

Shot by photographer Vincent Munier and titled Summer Variations, the footage was shot in Norway and Finland across 2 weeks and is pretty stunning, even if it's not 1080p.?

The new "S" update of the D3 pro model follows Nikon's trend of tweaking existing models.

Adding to the D3's already impressive spec sheet is a new FX CMOS sensor. Although it maintains the 12.1-megapixel resolution of the original D3, the sensor has been redesigned to add enhancements to the performance and a new Dust Reduction System.

Retailing for ?4199.99, the Nikon D3S is going to be available from December.

Tags: Cameras Digital cameras DSLR cameras Nikon Nikon D3s 12 megapixels Video

VIDEO: Nikon D3S in action originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 14 Oct 2009 20:06:20 +0100

Nikon has announced the "S" upgrade to their popular D3 model, in what they are calling "the most significant S update" they've made.

The Nikon D3S features a redesigned 12.1-megapixel (effective) full frame FX CMOS sensor, with a new Dust Reduction System and a new Hi3 ISO option, which brings the effective ISO range up to 102,400.

Nikon are pitching the D3S as the best camera for low light work, frequently mentioning that the D3S will let you shoot things "your own eyes can't see clearly".

Of course you get that 720p movie mode, at 24fps too, although some might question why there is no Full HD option. Nikon addressed this question in their briefing, responding that the D3S is a professional stills camera and the video should be judged by its quality.

Movies are captured in AVI format, using Motion JPEG, which will only support file sizes of 2GB, which gives you 5 minutes of 720p video. It does have the option to trim start and finish points in-camera, as well as grab a JPEG straight from the movie, although it is only really good for web use or smaller prints (e.g. 6 x 4).?You do get full aperture control in movie modes as well as access to the full ISO range, opening up the possibilities for low light filming.?

Various other tweaks have been made, including some minor changes to buttons and the battery to make it easier for gloved hands, responding to customer feedback. You also get 100% viewfinder coverage in FX shooting mode.

There is a new NEF RAW image editing system built-in, which is designed to enable you to tweak an image and extract the JPEG you want, so you can send it straight out for publishing or print directly from the camera.

Yours for ?4199.99, it will be on sale from the beginning of December.

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Related links:

• News - Nikon D3S brings video and ISO 102,400

Tags: Cameras Digital cameras DSLR cameras Nikon Nikon D3s 12 megapixels Photos

PHOTOS: Nikon D3S originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 14 Oct 2009 05:00:00 +0100

Nikon has announced the "S" update of the D3 pro model, following its trend of tweaking existing models.

Adding to the D3's already impressive spec sheet is a new FX CMOS sensor. Although it maintains the 12.1-megapixel resolution of the original D3, the sensor has been redesigned to add enhancements to the performance and a new Dust Reduction System.

The most noticeable enhancement is the new Hi3 ISO setting, giving you an effective ISO of 102,400. The D3 was known for its noise suppression at high ISOs and Nikon claims that with the D3S, you'll be able to capture things "your own eyes can't see clearly".

You also get a new in-camera NEF RAW editing system with easy-to-use menus to tweak all the settings, such as white balance, exposure, etc, just as you would in post-processing on your PC. This will allow you to create the JPEG you want to send out instantly.

There has also been an increase to the buffer, so you can save up to 36 RAW files, or 124 large JPEGs in full resolution continuous shooting at 9fps.

And then of course you have D-Movie mode. Video capture is possible at 1280 x 720 at 24fps, so gets the HD sticker, but not the full-fat variety you'll find elsewhere.

You can take advantage of the high ISO settings for movies too, with the option of trimming clips to extract (selecting start and end points) and you can save movie frames as individual JPEGs (albeit not at full resolution). There is a mono mic on-board, with the option of adding an external mic.

Retailing for ?4199.99, the Nikon D3S is going to be available from December.

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Related links:

• Photos - Nikon D3S

Tags: Cameras Digital cameras DSLR cameras Nikon Nikon D3s 12 megapixels

Nikon D3S brings video and ISO 102,400 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 14 Oct 2009 05:00:00 +0100

The British Journal of Photography has spilled the beans on Nikon's latest camera expected to be launched on Wednesday.

"Last week I travelled to St Andrews for the pre-launch of the Nikon D3s, a camera that can see what the eye cannot, by virtue of its extraordinary sensitivity to even the most low lit environments, boasting 'standard' ISO settings up to 12,800, a boost mode up to 102,400 - something that would have been unfathomable to film photographers 20 years ago", says the journal's editor Simon Bainbridge in a post that has gone presumably live ahead of schedule considering Nikon doesn't currently offer a D3S.

The rest of the article keeps details thin on the ground with Bainbridge instead preferring to talk about where digital photography it going rather than specifics on the actual camera itself.

Expect more details on the D3S?very shortly.

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Related links:

• Via - nikonrumours.com

Tags: Cameras Nikon DSLR cameras Digital cameras Nikon D3s 12 megapixels

Nikon D3S breaks cover originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 14 Oct 2009 02:17:16 +0100

Wondered what the insides of a digital camera with a projector built in looked like? Thought you did, and so did the chaps over at iFixit who this time have taken apart a Nikon S1000pj for all to see.

What have we learnt from the experience? Not much is seems, apart from Nikon not wanting you to try this at home with the camera hard to take apart. Oh and the light for projecting images is supplied by a very powerful LED that even has its own heat sink to conduct heat to the aluminium front panel.

See, now you don't have to try this at home to find out.

Follow the Read link to see more images and take apart notes.

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Tags: Cameras Compact cameras Digital cameras 12 megapixels Projectors Nikon Coolpix S1000pj Nikon

Nikon S1000pj gets torn apart originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 07 Oct 2009 01:32:09 +0100

General Imaging has added two new models to its current range of compact digital cameras in the form of the waterproof G3WP and the budget 10-megapixel J1050.

The G3WP is a 12-megapixel compact with a 4x optical zoom boasting features such as face, blink and smile detection, as well as auto scene detection and "Pan Capture" for panoramic shots.

General Imaging says the underwater modes deliver "sharp, true-to-life colour stills and movie images". Waterproof to a depth of 3 metres, it offers a 2.7-inch LCD screen and a wrist strap.

Available in ocean blue, graphite grey and raspberry red, the GW3P will be available from mid-October for approximately ?140.

The J1050 has a 5x optical zoom, the same auto modes, a 2.7-inch display and image stabilisation. It will be available "soon" in red, pink, silver and black for around ?90.

Tags: Cameras Compact cameras General Imaging Digital cameras Waterproof 12 megapixels 10 megapixels

General Imaging launches waterproof G3WP compact digi-cam originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 02 Oct 2009 13:49:26 +0100