Passers-by at London Waterloo station were greeted by a rather unusual sight: a 3.6m x 2m mock-up of the new Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZX1 digital compact camera. The giant snapper, which has appeared at London Waterloo station yesterday morning, is part of Panasonic’s unconventional marketing campaign that had earlier seen a giant pigeon “land” on the grass beside London’s City Hall. The heavily-promoted Lumix ZX1 is a new ultra-compact digital camera with an 8x optically-stabilised zoom lens that provides a 35mm equivalent focal range of 25-200mm in a body measuring just 2.6cm thick.

Review: Read our in-depth review of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZX1

The new Casio EX-G1 is the World’s slimmest shock-resistant, waterproof, dustproof digital camera. The 12 megapixel EXG1 measures just 0.78-inch thick and can be used at depths at 10 feet / 3 meters for 60 continuous minutes, survive falls from seven feet / 2.13 meters and withstand temperatures as low as 14°F / -10 °C. Other key features of the Casio EX G1 include interval shooting and multi-image capture, useful for active sports such as snowboarding or cycling, 3x zoom lens (38-114mm), and 2.5 inch LCD screen. The Casio EX-G1 will be available in December 2009 priced at $299.99 in black and red. In the UK the Casio EX-G1 will cost £279, available from January 2010.

Professor Shree Nayar at the Computer Vision Laboratory at Columbia University and his team have come up with a prototype for a DIY digital camera. Though the BigShot camera is primarily intended to be an educational aid targeted at schoolchildren, we think it could be a potential hit with a large group of adults, too. The main parts of the camera include a gearbox, a lens wheel, a flash, a circuit board, a battery and… a dynamo! Since the Bigshot does not have an LCD of any sorts, it does not need too much power to take a photo - which means the battery is only needed if you want to use the flash. Otherwise you can use a hand crank, connected to the dynamo via the gearbox, to generate the necessary power to capture a shot. The Bigshot’s 2-megapixel sensor is mounted onto the circuit board. The lens is probably the most interesting part of the camera - while the primary lens is also fixed to the circuit board, the BigShot comes with three optical modules, which are built into a polyoptic lens wheel. “Switching lenses” is done by way of turning the wheel. Each optical module has a matching viewfinder module on the opposite side of the polyoptic wheel, so the photographer looking through the optical viewfinder can see (almost) the same view as the taking lens. Given that the BigShot does not have an LCD, using it is a lot like using a film camera, as you cannot review your photos until you download them to your computer via USB. Currently, there are only prototypes floating around and being used in workshops worldwide - there is no information as to when the BigShot will be available commercially.

Website: Bigshot: A Camera for Education

Casio Japan has announced two new digital cameras equipped with a 10-megapixel backlit CMOS sensor and featuring a burst mode of up to 40 frames per second (fps) and movie recording at up to 1,000fps. The Casio EX-FC150 is a compact model with 5x optical zoom, while the Casio EX-FH25 (see picture above) is a superzoom camera with a 26-520mm equivalent lens. Casio claims that the back-illuminated CMOS sensor has twice the sensitivity of a traditional CMOS imager. Both cameras feature various high-speed continuous shooting modes and sensor-shift image stabilisation. The Casio EX-FH25 also offers raw image capture in industry-standard DNG format. The cameras are capable of high-speed video recording, with frame rates ranging from 120fps at a resolution of 640x480 pixels to 1,000fps at 224x64 pixels. There is no word yet on international availability or pricing.

Website: Casio EX-FC150 & EX-FH25 (computer translation)

Via 1001 Noisy Cameras

We attended the UK press launch of the new Olympus E-P2 earlier today, and can exclusively bring you a photographic comparison of the new Olympus EP2 and Panasonic GF1 Micro Four Thirds cameras. There are 26 photos in our Gallery showing off the new Olympus EP-2, a mixture of side-by-side shots with the GF1 and some showing off the E-P2 with its all new, all-serious black finish. The E-P2’s new viewfinder is particularly impressive - it may be bigger than the Panasonic GF1’s in term of size, but it certainly blows it out of the water in terms of visibility and resolution, coping easily with the dark indoor conference room. Carry on reading to view the Gallery…

Double Oscar winning actor Kevin Spacey is to star in an Olympus PEN TV campaign in the UK. You can catch the first showing on TV during “I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here” on Monday 16th November. The Olympus PEN ad was directed by Duncan Jones, who was recently at the helm of the acclaimed movie “Moon”. The new Olympus E-P2 will be available in January 2010.

Pentax has announced an instant rebate programme on the Pentax Optio W80 and Optio P80 digital compact cameras. U.S. customers who purchase a W80 can save $30 instantly through 21 November. Those who buy a P80 receive $20 instantly through 2 January. The Pentax Optio W80 is Pentax’s most water-, shock-, dust- and cold-proof digital camera ever, while the Pentax Optio P80 features HD video capture in a slim, lightweight body with a 27.5-110mm equivalent 4x zoom lens. The rebates are valid on U.S. purchases only.

Website: Pentax Instant Rebate Announcement on Facebook

The Ricoh GXR is a completely new kind of digital camera - the World’s first “interchangeable unit camera system”. The GXR’s lens, image sensor, and image processing engine are all integrated into an individual camera unit, so the camera body itself does not contain an image sensor, unlike conventional DSLRs. The camera units are then changed by using a slide-in mount system to attach them to the GXR body. Since the image sensor is not exposed when lenses are changed, it’s virtually impossible for dirt and dust to get inside. The Ricoh GXR is also the World’s smallest and lightest digital camera with interchangeable lenses, even smaller than the Micro Four Thirds cameras from Panasonic and Olympus.

Two camera units are being launched with the GXR. The A12 50mm F2.5 MACRO camera unit uses a 12.3 megapixel APS-C size CMOS sensor, while the S10 24-72 mm F2.5-4.4 VC camera unit features a 10 megapixel 1/1.7-inch CCD sensor. The innovative Ricoh GXR will be available in December priced at £419 / €459 / $550 for the body, £600 / €670 / $550 for the 50mm camera unit, £330 / €370 / $440 for the 24-72mm camera unit, £239 / €269 for the external flashgun and £219 / €249 for the electronic viewfinder. There are no kits available on launch, with more camera units promised for 2010.

We were at the first ever press launch of the GXR last week in London, and can exclusively bring you some full-sized Ricoh GXR photos (see story above), plus hands-on product shots in this article’s gallery.

Interested in how the new Ricoh GXR compares to one of is main competitors, the Panasonic GF1? Well, wonder no more - we have a gallery of photos comparing the GXR to the GF1, and also to Ricoh’s CX2 compact camera. Carry on reading to find out just how small the Ricoh GXR actually is in the flesh…

Learn all about the intriguing Ricoh GXR digital camera. Ricoh have kindly allowed us to share an official GXR product slideshow with you, with lots of in-depth details on the approach, design and vision for their new flagship camera system. Carry on reading to find out more about the Ricoh GXR…

Olympus has issued a firmware update for its FE-3010 digital compact camera. Version 1.1 resolves the issue that some cameras stopped operating while recording movies. To update your FE-3010’s firmware, connect the camera to a computer with either Olympus Master or Olympus studio installed, and follow the instructions found on the website below.

Website: Firmware Update Instructions

Canon UK have announced cashback offers on their Powershot SX range of superzoom cameras and a wide range of accessories for the Canon Powershot G11. Those purchasing an SX1 IS (pictured) or SX20 IS can claim £50/€55 back, new owners of an SX200 IS are eligible for a cashback of £40/€45, while those opting for an SX120 IS can get back £30/€35. The offer is valid for purchases made until 24 December 2009, provided a claim is made before midnight, 1 February 2010.

Photographers purchasing a Canon Powershot G11 promotional box before 31 January 2010 can use the voucher booklet in the box to claim up to £150/€170 cashback on G11 accessories including the Speedlite 270EX, 430EX II, 580EX II, Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX and Macro Ring Lite MR-14EX flashguns, the Speedlite Transmitter ST-E2, the Speedlite Bracket BKT-DC1, the Remote Switch RS-60E3 and the Waterproof Case WP-DC34.

Website: Canon Powershot SX Cashback
Website: Canon Powershot G11 Accessory Cashback

A new firmware update is released for Panasonic’s premium manual compact camera DMC-LX3. Version 2.1, which is the corrected version of the firmware previously released as version 2.0, supports several new functions and improves various aspects of performance. The adoption of a new algorithm makes it possible to speed up the AF by reducing focus times approximately 20% to 0.5 second at the wide end. The 1:1 aspect ratio (square format) is added as a shooting option in addition to the conventional 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9. . Other additions include white balance bracketing, a new scene mode for high-contrast scenes, expanded exposure compensation and bracketing ranges, movable compositional guidelines and more.

Website: Panasonic Firmware Update

Jessops has announced the launch of the new and exclusive to Jessops Fujifilm Finepix F72EXR camera. The Fujifilm Finepix F72EXR is a 10 megapixel, 10x optical zoom camera featuring Fuji’s EXR technology, which has been previously featured in the F200EXR, and uses the sensor in three different ways to optimise resolution, dynamic range or low-light performance. The F72EXR appears to have much the same feature set as the F70EXR we recently reviewed, though it comes with a slightly different finish.

The Yashica EZ F521 is a new, retro-styled digital camera featuring a 43mm equivalent prime lens. The pared-down Yashica EZ F521 has a 1/2.5” type 5-megapixel CMOS sensor, a 2.4” TFT LCD screen, a 43mm equivalent f/3 lens with two focus settings, 1.5m to infinity and a “macro” setting for subjects between 20-40cm from the sensor plane. The electronic shutter offers shutter speeds ranging from 1/2 second to 1/500 second, while the ISO range is unknown and not user controllable. The camera runs on 3 AAA type batteries and records images (as well as VGA-resolution videos) on SD and SDHC cards. The price is 7980 yen in Japan.

Via Engadget | 1001noisycameras

Sigma has just issued a firmware update for the Sigma DP2 large-sensor digital compact camera. Version 1.03 addresses the issue of intermittent camera freeze-ups, and improves the accuracy of auto white balance (AWB). The firmware update can be downloaded from the website below.

Website: Sigma DP2 Firmware Update Page

Minox has just announced the ultra-compact Minox DC 1044, a ten-megapixel digital camera featuring a 35-105mm equivalent Minoctar zoom lens and a large, 3-inch rear screen. Other features include electronic image stabilisation, face recognition and smile detection. Photos are stored on SD cards or in the 32MB internal memory. The Minox DC1044 draws power from a removable Li-ion battery and comes bundled with an ever-ready case. The camera will become available this month at a recommended retail price of €119.

The new Minox DC1211 is a twelve-megapixel digital compact camera featuring a metal body, 5x optical zoom and optical image stabilisation. Measuring 98.7x59.7x23.4mm and weighing in at just 128g, the Minox DC 1211 is compact and lightweight, and sports a multicoated, 34-170mm equivalent Minoctar lens. The camera has the usual feature set consisiting of face recognition, smile detection and the ability to shoot standard-definition VGA video clips. Framing and image review is done by way of a generous 3-inch TFT LCD screen. The maximum ISO sensitivity setting is limited to a sensible ISO 800. The Minox DC 1211 draws power from a Li-ion battery, and records photos and videos on SD cards, with 32MB of internal memory provided to fall back on, should your card fill up. The camera is becoming available from specialist dealers this month, at a suggested retail price of €199.

Ricoh has just released a firmware update for the Ricoh CX2 digital compact camera. Version 1.13 fixes a couple of bugs related to the step zoom and manual focusing, Specifically, there were a few occasions when the camera would power off during zoom lever operation; and when using the englarger function in manual focus mode, the enlarged part sometimes blacked out - these are the issues fixed by the new firmware release.

Website: Ricoh CX2 Firmware 1.13

Crayola has announced an application called “Lights, Camera, Color” that lets kids turn their digital photos into personalised colouring pages, and partnered with Olympus to introduce the exclusive FE-46 Digital Camera Colouring Set. The set will include an FE-46 digital camera and case, a 64-ct. box of Crayola crayons, a colourable craft storage box and a unique code for turning your images into personalised colouring pages. The Olympus FE-46 itself is a compact digital camera that combines a 5x optical zoom (36-180mm) with a 12 megapixel CCD. The FE-46 Digital Camera Colouring Set will retail for $99.99.

Website: “Lights, Camera, Color”