January 2009

Panasonic has joined the increasingly popular market for waterproof, shockproof and dustproof cameras with the 12.1-megapixel TS1. The very compact camera has a 4.6x optical zoom that starts wide at 28mm, can be taken to a depth of ten feet, and handle a 5-foot drop. It has a 2.7-inch display and can also record 720P video. The TS1 comes in silver, green or orange and costs US$399, which means it'll compete with the even tougher Olympus Stylus 1030 SW and Tough-8000.

Panasonic releases 12-mp touchscreen camera with high-def video
Panasonic announced its newest touch-screen LUMIX digital camera, the slim and stylish DMC-FX580, a successor to last year's DMC-FX500. The DMC-FX580 features a 25mm ultra-wideangle LEICA DC lens with F2.8 brightness, a 5x optical zoom and an increased recording image size from 10.1 to 12.1-megapixel. Touch-screen operation on the large 3.0-inch screen makes the new camera easy to use. The US$399 DMC-FX580 can also record High Definition (1280 x 720p) motion images at 30 fps. -- Posted Thursday, January 29, 2009 by chb

Scanbuy barcode reader app coming to camphones
Scanbuy announced that its ScanLife 2D barcode application will be pre-loaded on LG camera phones. The KF310 is already available with the application in Spain, and additional phones will be introduced in other markets. The ScanLife mobile app reads all major 2D barcode formats that connect the user to mobile content and information without typing in long URLs or search for info using keywords. It can also be downloaded for free from the phone's browser at www.getscanlife.com. -- Posted Friday, January 23, 2009 by chb

Full review: Bonica Snapper HDDV high-def underwater video system
Bonica offers a modular underwater high-definition video camera system that can record 1280 x 720 pixel video at up to 30 frames per second for very good 720p playback on a HDTV. A soft inner housing can be used for snorkeling and guards against flooding if the camera is used in its hard acrylic deepwater (180 feet) housing. Optional single or dual video lights have 30, 40 and 60 watt settings and can be easily adjusted via ball joints. The setup is very easy to use and can yield amazingly good video as well as decent still shots from its 5-megapixel CMOS imager. The inexpensive camera records on standard SD cards and needs about 2GB for each hour of video. [See full review with video of the Bonica Snapper HDDV high-definition underwater camcorder system] -- Posted Wednesday, January 14, 2009 by chb

10-megapixel Olympus Stylus Tough-6000
Like last year, Olympus offers cameras that are waterproof to 33 feet and thus suitable for diving, and others that are waterproof to 10 feet, but otherwise almost as tough. For 2009, the 10-foot slot is filled with the new Stylus Tough-6000, a modern 10-megapixel camera with an internal 3.6X optical zoom that starts wide, a terrific 2.7-inch LCD, dual image stabilization and a whole bag of features and tricks. [See description and specs of the Olympus Stylus Tough-6000] -- Posted Wednesday, January 7, 2009 by chb

12-megapixel Olympus Stylus Tough-8000
As part of its Winter 2009 lineup, Olympus introduced the 12-megapixel Stylus Tough-8000 as the new flagship of its renamed line of shockproof, freezeproof, crushproof, dustproof and waterproof (up to 33 feet) cameras. This is a camera you can truly take, and use, anywhere. Available in Black, silver and blue. [See description and specs of the Olympus Stylus Tough-8000] -- Posted Wednesday, January 7, 2009 by chb

Eye-Fi Developing Wireless Video Uploads Direct to YouTube
Eye-Fi Inc., makers of the world's first wireless memory card for digital cameras, announced that it is developing a way for users to wirelessly upload videos from their digital camera to YouTube and a home computer. Eye-Fi is designing its video upload service to support full-resolution HD video, with newer cameras now capturing HD video and Web sites including YouTube now testing display of HD video. -- Posted Wednesday, January 7, 2009 by chb