Day 3 of our Vodafone Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2009 nominees round-up means it's camera time. With these little devils getting more and more sophisticated, it's hard to keep up with just what it is that makes the best in show these days.

So, before you head over to the voting page to mark your choices, here's a little run down of the pick of the crop this year.

Olympus Pen E-P1

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Type

Micro Four Thirds

Release date

16/06/09

Price

?520

PL review rating

9/10

The E-P1 is basically the most beautiful camera around. It's got a stunning retro design with not a clunky part or poor piece of thought put into it anywhere. It will turn heads and and then make them green with envy. Of all this, there is no doubt. Sadly, the contest is not one of looks alone but, fortunately, Olympus has done an excellent job making this Micro Four Thirds system an excellent picture taker too.

The lack of viewfinder and flash - both of which have to be strapped on - are frankly a pain in the arse, but the rest of what you get is top quality. It has a healthy ISO of up to 6400 with little noise at the top end, it takes 720p HD video, even in widescreen if you ask it too, and the standard 17mm lens is nothing short of magnificent. With all the technology of the Olympus E range tucked away in the casing, this camera has all the power and quality of a DSLR and all the fun and convenience of a compact. The only other downside is that it does cost a fair whack too.

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Canon PowerShot S90

Type

Compact

Release date

19/08/09

Price

?329

PL review rating

9/10

Bringing together the sort of manual control found on the new G11, with dimensions closer to a typical compact, the Canon PowerShot S90 has proved an irresistible appeal to those looking to get a little more from their pocket camera. Lurking under that matte black exterior is the same sensor as you'll find in the G11, again with the DIGIC 4 processor, and all Canon's usual technologies.

The lens offers you an impressive F2.0 max aperture which, when combined with image stabilisation, means it’s a contender for better low light shooting, which you can even take to ISO speeds of up to 12800 so long as you can handle the drop to 2.5-megapixel resolution. Sitting around the bottom of that 28-105mm (35mm equiv.) lens is the new Control Ring, which is also one of the key and most exciting features of the camera which allows easy change of settings, with a "Ring Func." Button on the top to let you program it just how you like.

Fantastic flexibility and superb control at an increasingly reasonable price.

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Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1

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Type

Micro Four Thirds

Release date

02/09/09

Price

?584

PL review rating

9/10

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The Lumix GF1 is a direct competitor to the Olympus Pen, but where the latter has that Parisian 60s chic, Pansonic's offering is more akin to Soviet minimalism. It's an Eastern Bloc of a chassis. Apart from that, what you get inside is very similar. There's the 12.1 effective megapixels from a 13.1-megapixel LiveMOS sensor, 720p HD video shooting and an excellent pancake lens.

There's a nice bit of one-upmanship in that it does have an in-built flash but you still have to rely on the EV to compose your shots. While we're at it, the 3-inch LCD display is a better quality too. What you don't get are the gorgeous looks and quite the same sense of desire, but shooting is as fantastic as ever proving just how hot the competition is this year.

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Fujifilm FinePix 200EXR

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Type

Compact

Release date

04/02/09

Price

?170

PL review rating

8/10

The FinePix F200EXR is a 12-megapixel compact that offers a Fujinon 5x, 28-140mm wide angle optical zoom lens and a 3-inch 230,000 dot LCD. All sounds pretty normal for a compact, and on the surface it is. The real genius behind this snapper is that it's next to impossible to take a bad picture on it. The reason is because of the EXR system, which takes two pictures at different exposure settings every time you press the button and superimposes them onto one another so you get the best shot possible, and it works bloody well.

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The only real issues with this FinePix are that it's not very pretty and that the system starts to crumble at high ISOs when you'll get speckles on your shots. It does have an intelli-flash and and excellent auto selection mode and between all the features you'll find that you rarely get disappointed. A real bargain for ?170.

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Nikon D5000

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Type

DSLR

Release date

14/02/09

Price

?449 & ?50 cashback

PL review rating

9/10

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As the only DSLR on the shortlist, the Nikon D5000 has got some representing to do. It sits above the D60 but below the D90 in the Nikon range, with a feature set culled from the latter, but priced towards the former.

It has a 12.3MP CMOS sensor and a new tilt, turn, swivel 2.7-inch LCD and with 720p HD movie capability it is, well, a cracker. The idea behind the model is that it's a camera for all the family. It's got all the manual and exposure controls an enthusiast would want, lots of nice friendly menus and diagrams for the keen learner and all the point and press functionality for children, so long as you can trust them not to drop it in the sea.

The swivel screen is the first for Nikon and adds the fun feel to this DSLR plus with the inclusion of the ?50 cashback offer this Christmas, it's excellent value for money.

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Related links:

• Feature - The low down: Best Car Gadget 2009
• Feature - The low down: Best Music Gadget 2009

Tags: Cameras Digital cameras Compact cameras DSLR cameras Nikon Canon Olympus Panasonic Fujifilm Pocket-lint Awards Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2009 Features

The low down: Best Digital Camera 2009 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:11:30 +0000

The retro-styled Micro Four Thirds Olympus Pen E-P1 digi-cam has been ruined, sorry enhanced with a "dazzling makeover" by Crystal Roc.

Now covered in hundreds of "sparkling" Swarovski crystals it will be available exclusively to order from Harrods' Micro Anvika department.

In a special limited edition wooden box, which includes "two lenses" (no details provided - presumably the 14-42mm zoom and the 17mm "pancake" lens) and a matching flash, the crystal-encrusted Pen gets a price tag of ?1999.99.

Those not interested in stuck-on crystals would do well to hang on for the launch of the next-gen, slightly tweaked Olympus Pen E-P2, due in January.

Tags: Cameras Digital cameras Olympus Olympus Pen Micro Four Thirds Harrods Crystal Roc Swarovski Micro Anvika

Olympus Pen E-P1 gets Swarovski treatment originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 24 Nov 2009 12:10:57 +0000

Here are the nominations for Best Digital Camera in The Vodafone Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2009.

The following products were chosen because we feel they represent the best digital cameras on sale in the last 12 months that are available in the UK.

The nominations are:

Olympus Pen E-P1

Canon PowerShot S90

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1?

Nikon D5000

FujiFilm FinePix F200EXR

A notable commendation should also go to the Canon 500D.

Now in its 6th year, the Pocket-lint Gadget Awards, thought to be the longest running in the UK, pick the best gadgets and gizmos from the last year released in the UK.

Pocket-lint's vigorous vetting process means that all the gadgets up for nomination have to have been seen by a member of the Pocket-lint team (so far over 600) and have to have been available in the UK between December 2008 and December 2009.

The awards, voted by a panel of leading gadget journalists from around the world, including the staff from the Pocket-lint team, will decide the real must-have gadgets of the year, rather than those simply deemed cool or anticipated, being the definitive guide for consumers looking to buy gadgets.

Winners will be announced at an Awards evening in London on Monday 7 December.

If you would like to order tickets to the event please visit our awards event page.

Public voting will start on Wednesday 18 November.

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Related links:

• Link - Vodafone Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2009

Tags: Cameras Digital cameras Compact cameras DSLR cameras Nikon Canon Olympus Panasonic Fujifilm Pocket-lint Awards Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2009

Best Digital Camera 2009 nominations originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:00:00 +0000

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.

Read

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

Olympus has followed up the June launch of its retro-chic Pen E-P1 with the new E-P2 Micro Four Thirds digital camera.

Adding a port for an electronic viewfinder or external microphones, the E-P2 gets two additional "Art Filters" as well as the new i-Enhance function, said to be "for even more creativity and image enhancement", AF tracking, remote slideshow control (via HDMI) and perhaps the biggest improvement of all - the ability to record 7 minutes of AVI format movies in 30fps at 1280 x 720p HD resolution.

Specs include a 12.3-megapixel Live MOS sensor with dust reduction and image stabilisation, up to ISO 6400, 3-inch HyperCrystal LCD, 20 shooting modes, face detection and the camera takes SD or SDHC memory cards.

Available in classic black from January 2010, Olympus are hoping these improvements over the original will see consumers shelling out around ?850 for the new snapper - a ?100 more than the dearest E-P1 bundle.

Tags: Cameras Olympus Micro Four Thirds DSLR cameras Olympus Pen E-P1 Olympus Pen E-P2

Olympus Pen E-P2 announced originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:52:46 +0000

2009 has seen the digital camera arms race continue at an ever increasing speed. With Canon announcing that its profits were down over 80% in the fourth quarter of last year and the rise of the cameraphone, one might have thought it was going to be a tricky time for the imaging industry. Think again.

Just a glance at our cameras category on Pocket-lint will give you some idea of what a hotly contested gong the Pocket-lint Best Digital Camera Award 2009 is going to be. So long as it takes a snap, then it counts.

DSLRs

Starting with the biggest, and mercifully fewest, to contend with, it's been an important time for the top end of the camera world. One of the main focuses has been to attract the growing snap happy, photo uploading market of users to the more professional equipment. One way to do this has been in the interfaces of the devices themselves with Pentax, Olympus and Nikon offering camera usability, simplicity and even advice in their models such as the Pentax K-x, the Olympus E600 and the Nikon D3000.

The second most major way to add value to their products has been to bring in HD video as well, seen in cameras such as the Nikon D5000, the Canon 500D and the Pentax K7 all the way up into prosumer and professional products in the very desirable and very expensive shapes of the Nikon D300s, D3s, the Canon 7D and the 1D Mark IV - although it is unlikely that the last of these will make it out in time to qualify for the award. What's more these bigger boys have continued to raise the bar in speed, focus and light sensitivity with up to 9fps shooting, 51-point AF and near pitch black recording ISOs of 102,400.

A special mention should also be made to two other DSLR manufacturers for two very different reasons - Leica, for making our eyes cry tears of blood at the ?16,000 Leica S2 DSLR with a photo format of its very own, and Sony for the leaps and bounds made with the company's Alpha range of DSLRs that have finally made it a brand to take very seriously in this field.

Compacts

Never before has there been such an enormous and specialised range of snappers in the compact department. Gone are the days of the straight forward point and press. Even phones have got smile, beauty and blink modes as well as a thousand and one scene set ups too. The manufacturers have had to think more niche and by jove have they been creative this year. Among the hundreds of new models that seem to have come in two major deluges at the beginning of the year and just in time for Christmas, are those for style or affordability such as the L-series from Nikon, the CyberShots (including Party Dock) from Sony, the Z35 Finepix from FujiFilm and the all touch Canon IXUS 200 IS, there seem to so many to remember that it just makes your brain hurt.

One of the really big categories this year has been the super-zooms. As the technology has advanced they've managed to stuff more and more into those tiny chassis with over 20x magnification and full DSLR processors inside almost as standard, plus the inevitable HD video shooting too. See Samsung's WB5000, the Panasonic FZ35 & 38, the Powershot SX20 & S90 and the Nikon P90 for some excellent examples. Take it one stage further and you meet the compact cameras that cost more than the low end big versions. Designed as walkabout cameras for professionals, where perhaps a DSLR might get in the way, you'll find the Fujifilm FinePix S200EXR and the upgrade of the hugely successful G10, the Canon G11.

It's now even possible to mistake the level of sophistication that lies within these super gadgets with a trend towards old school looks burning a strong line this year, particularly with the rise of the micro four thirds system most famously in the Olympus EP-1 but also with great grace in the Panasonic GF1, the cooler cousin to the high spec of the Lumix GH1 with its HD video improvement on last year's model. At the same time there have been equal levels of excitement over the return of the Rangefinder in digital form although few will ever use it with it coming at Leica prices.

Finally the sub-category has produced machines that'll simply record anywhere with rugged and waterproof models from Olympus, Canon and GE and, best of all, there's been the down right bizarre with the dual screen Samsung ST550 & ST500, the dual lensed 3D-shooting FujiFilm W13D and the dual functioned retake on the insta-matic with the POGO camera from Polaroid as well as the return of the original itself.

If that lot wasn't enough, just about every device has become better connected, as is our want, as the power of the interweb grows, and it's regular business to see cameras with GPS, Wi-Fi and all sorts of native support for Flickr, Facebook and YouTube uploads. What on Earth will they think of next?

Camcorders

If you need us to point out the most obvious trend in the camcorder department, then you've been on another planet for the last 12 months. No, we're not talking about HD but pocket-sized recorders - which as it goes, are pretty much all HD now anyway with only a small clutch not quite as Full as the others. The huge success of the of the Flip Mino spawned not only the 720p Flip Mino HD but also latterly the premium Flip Ultra range with more memory and resolution than ever before.

Creative has followed suit with the Vado HD and Kodak has continued to show us there is life after film with the impressive Zi8. Naturally, Samsung has spotted the same gold rush and come up with something special all of their own with the HMX-U10, while Toshiba has decided to do it their own way, for better or for worse, with the Camileo S10 at the beginning of the year and more recently the upgraded S20 and higher spec, larger form friends at IFA 2009. Even Medion, who seems to be popping up in all sorts of unexpected award categories, has pitched in with some style and purpose, as well as the usual value, focusing on rugged utility with the Life S47000.

With high resolutions and impressive frame rates already well established in more serious camcorders, this year provided an opportunity for the industry to do something that technology does when it has nothing better to do - make everything the same but smaller. However, what was recognised was that with greater power comes a greater responsibility and both battery life and stability have been well looked after, while developing their two greatest enemies - memory space and zoom. The choice for the former seems to have been to stay away from inefficient, energy consuming HDDs and either go with SSD or memory card solutions from the Canon LEGRIA series to the superb selection of Sanyo Xacti Dual camcorders all the way back in Q1. Perhaps the most interesting technology here though has come from Sony in the CX505VE Handycam, still positioned as the only camera at this level to feature 3-dimensional stability control - pitch, roll and turn all cancelled out.

Mobile Phones

Resolution has been on the rise for quite some time now in mobile phones but when the compact business decided that HD recording was the new megapixels, someone forgot to tell the handset manufacturers. The Samsung Pixon12 was the first to catch up with the dedicated gadgets but there have been plenty of others with the same functions, features and nigh on glassware as the compact cameras - if with slightly lower megapixel counts. Take your pick from the LG Viewty Smart, the Sony Ericsson W995, the Nokias N86 and N97 and even the HD video shooting of the Samsung i8910. While no one would suggest that these phones offer as much as the dedicated cameras, it's hard to argue that the shots you can get out of them are certainly good enough. The next assault will be to get optical zoom sorted.

The Rest

Beyond the quality snappers, there's a whole world of digital imaging out there that doesn't need that same level of finesse but are excellent gadgets noe the less. Webcams managed to go HD this year with the Microsoft Lifecam and even take on a new form with IP cameras, essentially for surveillance of one kind or another that you can network and view from anywhere on line. The Y-cam and Compro IP50 are good examples as any.

Finally, there's the pseudo-novelty angle with keychain spycams, dangerously probe-like USB snakecams and even something to see a day in the life of your pet too. Oh yes, and Apple added a video camera to the nano. Enough to consider? Now, go choose.

What do you think?

But these are just some of the fantastic choices our readers have had in 2009. What would you like to see held aloft as the winner of Pocket-lint Best Camera 2009? Who have we missed out? Which are your unsung heroes and of those we've already mentioned, which would get your vote? Let us know in the comments below and you can help our panel decide which make the shortlist of nominees to be announced here on Pocket-lint on 16 November. We'll have all out coverage of the Vodafone Pocket-lint awards 2009 right here. Don't miss a minute of it.

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Related links:

• Feature - Vodafone Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2009 - car gadgets
• Feature - Vodafone Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2009 - music gadgets
• News - Vodafone Pocket-lint Gadget Awards date confirmed and tickets on sale

Tags: Cameras Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2009 Pocket-lint Awards Camcorders Webcams Mobile phones DSLR cameras Compact cameras Nikon Canon Olympus Panasonic Features

Vodafone Pocket-lint Gadget Awards 2009 - digital cameras originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:59:14 +0000

Olympus has introduced the WS-560M digital voice recorder and mass storage device with the bold claims that it's "the sleekest and most eye-catching product on the market".
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With six recording modes including Windows Media Audio and three stereo options, the WS-560M also gets playback of MP3 and WAV and advanced noise cancellation technologies.

Offering 4GB of memory, the WS-560M boasts 1000 hours of recording in long-play mode. There's USB connectivity to hook it up to your PC, and the device also charges via USB boasting "long" battery life.
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Measuring 94.8 x 38 x 11mm, the WS-560M gets an LCD display and integrated speaker, comes in brown and is available from ?129.99.

Tags: Gadgets Olympus Olympus WS-560M Voice recorders USB gadgets Audio MP3 players Flash drives

Olympus WS-560M digital voice recorder launches originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 14:58:29 +0100

Olympus are offering an interesting deal on two digital SLRs at the moment in the form of the Olympus E-30 and the Olympus E-620.

Both cameras are pretty high-end, the E-620 retailing at around ?500 and E-30 ?600, but if you're in the market you can now get bonus equipment for free.

Coming with the E-620 is a li-ion rechargeable battery (BLS-1) worth around ?60 which will go nicely with its now standard power grip, and with the E-30 you'll get a choice of a free power grip worth around ?200 or alternatively a FL-36R wireless flash normally ?289.

For those who have adopted the E-system already, Olympus are also offering cashback on selected lenses, in order to claim these offers, simply buy a featured product and register online before the end of January.

A link to the Olympus website is below, as well as links to reviews of both the cameras.

Related links:

• Reviewed - Olympus E-30
• Reviewed - Olympus E-620
• Link - Olympus

Tags: Cameras DSLR cameras Olympus E-620 Olympus E-30 Olympus Daily Tech Deal

Daily Tech Deal: Free kit with Olympus E-30 and E-620 cameras originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 13:00:00 +0100