The Nikon D4 FX-format digital SLR camera; the Nikon 1 V2, J3, and S1 compact system cameras and the Nikon Coolpix S01 digital compact camera have been awarded the “red dot award: product design 2013”, sponsored by Germany’s Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen. This year, 4,662 products from 1,865 companies in 54 countries were entered in the competition. Winners will be on display from July 2, 2013 to July 28, 2013 in the “Design on stage – winners red dot award: product design 2013” exhibition at the Red Dot Design Museum in Essen Germany.

The Olympus Stylus TG-2 and the Olympus PEN Lite (E-PL5) cameras have each been hounoured with a Red Dot design award in the “Entertainment Technology and Cameras” category. The shock, frost, crush and waterproof Stylus TG-2 convinced the jury with its “combination of brawn and brains,” whereas the Olympus E-PL5 (pictured) won over the jusrors thanks to its “cutting-edge technology in a compact design matched with exceptional user-friendliness.” A third Red Dot design award was bestowed in the “Life Science and Medicine” category to the Olympus THUNDERBEAT system. The awards will be conferred on 1 July 2013 as part of the annual Red Dot gala.

A camera that recently washed ashore on a Taiwan beach has successfully been traced back to its owner, who had lost it six years ago during a scuba diving excursion in the Pacific Ocean off the Hawaiian coast. Although reports make no mention of the exact model, the pictures of the weather-beaten camera lead us to believe it was either a Canon PowerShot A510 or A520 encased in a Canon WP-DC60 all-weather housing. The camera was found by an employee of Taiwan’s China Airlines, who showed it to his manager, Douglas Chen. After browsing through the photos stored on the unharmed memory card, Chen alerted the company’s Honolulu office, which subsequently launched a nationwide search with help from the media. Based on the published photos, a friend identified the owner as Lindsay Crumbley Scallan, a resident of Georgia, USA, to whom the airline has offered a free return ticket so that she could collect her long-lost camera.

Via The Daily Mail

Want to see exactly what the new all-weather Fujifilm FinePix XP200 compact camera looks like in the flesh?

Check out our hands-on gallery of photos of the Fujifilm FinePix XP200 compact camera, which is waterproof to 15m, shockproof to 2m, freezeproof to -10°C and dustproof.

Fujifilm has just announced the AA battery powered Fujifilm FinePix S8400W long-zoom bridge camera, which features a 16-megapixel BSI-CMOS sensor, integrated Wi-Fi and 44x optical zoom. The 24-1056mm equivalent f/2.9-6.5 Fujinon lens has an optical formula comprising 17 elements in 12 groups, including both aspherical and extra-low-dispersion elements. Additionally this camera features a Super Macro mode enabling you to get as close as 1cm from your subject. At full resolution, the Fujifilm FinePix S8400W can shoot at up to 10fps for a maximum of 10 frames, with even higher continuous shooting speeds available at reduced resolutions. In the UK, the camera will be available exclusively from Curry’s, starting May 2013. Pricing has yet to be confirmed.

The Fujifilm FinePix XP200 is a new rugged camera with a 16-megapixel CMOS sensor, 5x optical zoom, 3” 920k-dot LCD screen and integrated Wi-Fi. Waterproof to 15m, shockproof to 2m, freezeproof to -10°C and dustproof; the Fujifilm FinePix XP200 boasts a new and improved Image Stabilisation system to help users get the most of its 28-140mm equivalent Fujinon lens. It also offers a 10fps continuous shooting speed at full resolution for a maximum of 9 frames. With the fast read-out and high speed processing of the CMOS image sensor and processor, the XP200 can record Full 1080i HD movies at 60fps (with high speed recording available at reduced resolution at frame rates of up to 360fps). The Fujifilm FinePix XP200 will be available in the UK from the end of April with a guide price of £229.99.

The Olympus VH-520 is a slimline compact camera with a stabilised 26-260mm equivalent lens, 14-megapixel CMOS sensor and a TruePic V processor originally developed for digital SLR cameras. Other highlights include a 3” rear display, iHS technology with HDR Backlight Adjustment, Magic Filters, Full HD movies with Multi-motion Movie IS and a High Speed Movie mode for recording video at high frame rates (240 or 120fps) and playing it back in dramatic slow motion. Available in brown, black, white, red, purple or blue; the Olympus VH-520 will hit the shelves in April at a suggested retail price of £129.99.

Canon today introduced two new PowerShot SX series digital compacts that combine Canon’s brand new DIGIC 6 image processing technology with 12-megapixel sensors and 20x optical zoom. The Canon PowerShot SX280 HS (£299/€359/$330) and the Canon PowerShot SX270 HS (£279) offer a similar feature set including enhanced Dynamic IS, Manual, Av and TV exposure modes, a 25-500mm equivalent lens, high-speed shooting and Full HD video recording at 60 frames per second. The Canon PowerShot SX280 HS additionally offers on-board GPS and Wi-Fi. In the US, only the SX280 HS model will be offered.

Greg Dash, a graduate student from South Wales, has designed a tiny, 12-megapixel digital point-and-shoot camera with a 170° fisheye lens. “Originally, I designed the camera for myself after being unable to afford a good fisheye lens for my DSLR,” the inventor says. “After I began using the camera, people started to stop me in the street and ask where they could buy one – so I’ve decided to try to raise the funds to allow people to get their own little fisheye cameras.” To that end, Greg has launched a project on crowfunding website IndieGogo, and managed to raise nearly £17,000 in just two weeks - but in order for the project to succeed, he’ll need another £18,000. With 16 more days to go, that doesn’t seem unfeasible - so if you’ve fallen in love with the tiny lo-fi digicam - which also boasts a time lapse mode, HD video and microSD storage -, head to the website below.

The Minox DCC (Digial Classic Camera) 14.0 is a new miniature camera with a fourteen-megapixel sensor. Essentially an updated version of the Minox DCC 5.1, which was released in 2010, the Minox DCC 14.0 features a CMOS imager, VGA video, 2-inch rear display, 41mm equivalent lens and a detachable eye-level optical viewfinder. The range of optional accessories includes a wide-angle and teleconverter, classic camera flash, soft leather bag, metal lens cap and various straps. The tiny camera measures 82x67x46mm and weighs 113.5 grams. Drawing power from a proprietary lithium ion battery and recording images on SD(HC) memory cards, the Minox DCC 14.0 is available in black and silver, priced at around £170/$240.

Via 1001 Noisy Cameras

Samsung has confirmed pricing and availability for the Samsung WB2100 in the Euro zone. Announced back in January the Samsung WB2100 is a 16.3-megapixel bridge camera with 35x optical zoom. Featuring an optically stabilised 25-875mm equivalent superzoom lens with a maximum aperture of f/3.0 at the wide end and f/6.0 at full telephoto, the Samsung WB2100 is capable of recording moving pictures in full 1920 x 1080 / 60i resolution, in addition to capturing sixteen-megapixel stills. Other highlights include a sweep panorama mode, a 3-inch tilting screen and automatic scene recognition. The camera is available in red and black for a recommended retail price of €329.

Starting today photographers living in the UK and Ireland can claim cashback on a range of Canon products including DSLRs, lenses and accessories, compacts, camcorders and printers. The amount of cashback ranges from £20/€25 on the PowerShot S110 camera (pictured) to £235/€300 on the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM and EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lenses. To take part in the offer and check the terms and conditions, visit the website below.

Nikon has posted five full-resolution sample photos (and an additional four resized ones) plus a video shot with the new Nikon Coolpix A large-sensor compact camera. The Nikon Coolpix A samples were all taken at relatively low sensitivity settings - ranging from ISO 100/21° to ISO 320/26° - so they do not tell us much about the “high-ISO” capabilities of the camera but they do demonstrate what the 18.5mm (28mm equivalent) f/2.8 lens is capable of when used wide open and stopped down a notch (f/3.2) or two (f/5.6). As far as the sample movie is concerned, it has been converted to Flash video format and downsized to a decidedly non-standard 717x403 pixels.

Want to see exactly what the new Nikon Coolpix A compact camera looks like in the flesh?

Check out our extensive hands-on gallery of 48 photos of the Nikon Coolpix A compact camera, including a side-by-side comparison with the new P330 model.

The new Nikon A has the potential to be a street photographer’s dream camera - proven DX-format 16 megapixel sensor, fast f/2.8 28mm lens, an optional optical viewfinder, all housed in a compact body that easily fits in a jacket pocket. The auto-focus on the pre-production Coolpix A that we briefly tried was a little sluggish, but we’ll reserve judgement until we review a final sample in a few weeks time.

Want to see exactly what the new Nikon Coolpix P330 compact camera looks like in the flesh?

Check out our hands-on gallery of photos of the Nikon Coolpix P330 compact camera, including a side-by-side comparison with the new Coolpix A model.

The Nikon Coolpix A is a premium compact camera for professionals. Featuring the same DX-format 16.2-megapixel CMOS sensor as the Nikon D7000 DSLR but with no optical low-pass filter, the Nikon A has a fixed wide-angle 18.5 mm f/2.8 lens (28mm equivalent). The Coolpix A also offers an ISO range of 100-25,600, an optional optical viewfinder (DF-CP1), 14 bit compressed RAW files, 3-inch 921k dot LCD monitor, Full HD (1080p) movie recording, and 4fps burst shooting. The Nikon Coolpix A will be available in the UK on 21st March 2013 for £999.99 / €1199.00. In the US it will be available for a suggested retail price of $1,099.95 in March 2013.

The Nikon Coolpix P330 is an advanced compact with a 1/1.7-inch back-illuminated 12-megapixel CMOS sensor, /1.8 NIKKOR 5x optical zoom lens, Full HD movie recording, RAW (NRW) data processing and Wi-Fi compatibility. The Nikon P330 also features a a built-in Global Positioning System, ISO range of 100-6400, 10 fps burst shooting, and a 99-point autofocus system. The Nikon Coolpix P330 will be available in the UK on 21st March 2013 for £349.99 / €419.00. In the US it will be available for a suggested retail price of $379.95 in March 2013.

The Nikon Coolpix L320 is a new super-zoom camera with a 26x lens. The L320 also offers a 16-megapixel CCD image sensor, 720p movie recording, four different automatic anti-blur functions, and is powered by convenient AA batteries. The Nikon L320 goes on sale in the UK on 21st March 2013 for £199.99 / €239.00.

Want to see exactly what the new Sigma DP3 Merrill compact camera looks like in the flesh?

Check out our hands-on gallery of photos of the Sigma DP3 Merrill compact camera.

The Sigma DP3 Merrill compact camera features a 50mm F2.8 lens and a 46 megapixel Foveon X3 sensor.

Sigma has announced pricing and availability for the Sigma DP3 Merrill in the US. As the final camera in the Sigma DP Merrill lineup, the DP3 Merrill features a high-performance 50mm f/2.8 lens, whose angle of view is equivalent to that of a 75mm telephoto optic on a 35mm camera. Like the previously released DP1 (19mm f/2.8) and DP2 (30mm f/2.8) Merrill cameras, it is equipped with a 15.4[x3]-megapixel Foveon X3 direct image sensor measuring 23.5×15.7mm. The Sigma DP3 Merrill will be available in early March for an estimated street price of $999.

Canon has posted a firmware update for the Canon Powershot S110 digital compact camera. According to the company, Version 1.0.2.0 incorporates the following improvements and fixes:

1. Fixes a phenomenon in which the focal length may not change when the control ring’s function is to control the step zoom, and the control ring is turned slowly, click-by-click.
(In AUTO, SCN, or Movie mode, the default function for the control ring is to control the step zoom.)

2. Changes the camera’s specification in accordance with the specification of iOS 5/6 so that the Wi-Fi connection between the camera and an iOS device will not disconnect after one minute, when the PowerShot S110 is set as an Access Point and an iOS device is connected to that Access Point.

Website: Canon Powershot S110 / Canon U.S.A.