The Polaroid SC1630 “Smart Camera” is an Android powered, 16-megapixel digital compact camera with 3x optical zoom and Wi-Fi connectivity. Outfitted with a 36-108mm equivalent lens and a 3.2-inch touchscreen, the Polaroid SC1630 comes with 18 scene modes, face and smile detection, geotagging and on-board editing features. Additionally, the SC1630 gives the user access to the Android Market with its countless photography apps. The Polaroid SC1630 Smart Camera will be available in 2012, with pricing to be communicated.

The JVC GY-HMQ10 is billed as the world’s first hand-held 4K camcorder, which records 24p/50p/60p video at a resolution of 3840x2160 pixels. JVC’s exclusive Falconbrid LSI processing takes raw image data from the device’s 8.3-megapixel CMOS sensor and demosaics it in real time, meaning that it can output 4K footage to a monitor or projection system with virtually no latency.  This capability opens up applications in cinematography, medical microscopy, telepresence, specialized observation / surveillance, and live wide-view event coverage, the company says. Using MPEG-4 technology and a variable bit rate H.264 codec operating at up to 144 Mbps, the GY-HMQ10 records up to two hours of 4K video to SDHC or SDXC memory cards. Available from March, the JVC GY-HMQ10 carries an MSRP of $4,995.

Panasonic have unveiled two new concept lenses, the 12-35mm and 35-100mm, at CES 2012.

Being shown under glass, the Lumix 12-35mm (24-70mm equivalent) and 35-100mm (70-200mm equivalent)  are both Power O.I.S lenses with maximum apertures of f/2.8, and they accept 58mm filters.

Other than a prominent sign stating “Concept Lens” behind each one, there’s no other information on if or when they will see the light of day.

Click through to see some larger images.

A detailed hands-on look at Casio’s new CES compact cameras.

Casio have announced 6 new cameras, 4 entry-level models that we forget the names of (we lie - they’re the Z150, ZS20, ZS12 and the ZS6, and the flagship 12.5x zoom ZR200 and the 7x zoom ZR15, both of which were announced late last year outside the US. The latter two models are the main focus in the camera area of Casio’s CES stand.

Take a close-up look at the Casio CES 2012 cameras in our photo gallery.

A detailed hands-on look at the new Canon PowerShot G1 X compact camera.

CES 2012 still hasn’t started yet, but that hasn’t stopped us from taking a look at Canon’s interesting PowerShot G1 X compact camera.

With an image sensor larger than MicoFourThirds, a flip-out LCD screen and a fast 4x zoom lens in a relatively compact body, the G1 X is Canon’s answer to many of their rivals’ compact system cameras, at least until Canon decide to release their own mirrorless model (if they ever do).

So take a close-up look at the new Canon PowerShot G1 X in our extensive photo gallery, including a side-by-side comparison with the Panasonic GX1 CSC and the Canon PowerShot S95 compact.

A detailed hands-on look at the new Canon IXUS 500 HS and IXUS 125 HS compact cameras.

Canon were also showing the new ELPH 520 HS / IXUS 500 HS and the ELPH 110 HS / IXUS 125 HS compacts at Digital Experience! on the eve of CES proper. The former is a metal-bodied ultra-compact camera with a 12x optical zoom, and the latter has a more modest 24-120mm equivalent lens.

Take a close-up look at the new Canon ELPH 520 HS and ELPH 110 HS cameras in our extensive photo gallery,

A detailed hands-on look at all of Sony’s new CES compact cameras.

Sony have been relatively quiet on the camera front here at CES, just unveiling the Cyber-shot W630, W620, W610, and the slightly more interesting Sony Bloggie Live and Sport. It’s a good thing they had Will Smith on hand to make yesterday’s press conference more interesting…

Take a close-up look at the five new cameras in our extensive photo gallery.

A detailed hands-on look at all of Samsung’s new CES compact cameras.

It’s all about Wi-Fi for Samsung cameras at CES, with four new models - the WB850F, WB150F, ST200F, and DV300F -  sporting the “F” moniker which denotes wireless connectivity. We were shown a pretty slick demo of the DV300F being controlled remotely by a Samsung smartphone, something that all four models will be capable of out-of-the-box.

In addition to wi-fi, the hero WB850F camera sports a 21x lens, 16 megapixels and GPS tracking, placing it firmly in the advanced travel-zoom catgeory and taking on the likes of the Panasonic DMC-TZ20.

Completing Samsung’s CES lineup are the ST77 and ST66 entry-level compacts and the HMX-W300 all-action camcorder.

Take a close-up look at all the Samsung CES 2012 cameras in our extensive photo gallery.

Update: We’ve added some photos of camera section of the massive Samsung stand, which very much focuses on the sharing and connectivity aspects of the new wifi-enabled line-up.

A detailed hands-on look at Olympus’ new CES compact cameras.

Olympus have announced so many new compact cameras that we’ve already lost track of exactly how many there are worldwide.

Five new models - the SZ-14, SP-620UZ, TG-320, VR-350 and the VG-160 were unveiled last night at the pre-CES Digital Experience! event, with the 24x SZ-14 travel-zoom being the pick of the bunch.

We’ll try and find the other elusive models on the Olympus stand later today…

Take a close-up look at the five new cameras in our extensive photo gallery

A detailed hands-on look at Kodak’s new CES compact cameras.

Despite their financial woes, Kodak unveiled two interesting products at CES, both of which have sharing at their core.

The M750 Easyshare Wireless is a traditional compact with a 16-megapixel sensor, 5x optical zoom, 3” capacitive touchscreen and built-in Wi-Fi.

The delightfully named Playfull Dual combines a 1080p/60 fps HD video camera with a 12 megapixel BSI CMOS sensor. It also has an external microphone jack, built-in Xenon flash, and Share Button for easy upload to Facebook, YouTube, Kodak Gallery, email and more.

Take a close-up look at the two new cameras in our extensive photo gallery.

A detailed hands-on look at GE’s new CES compact cameras.

GE continue to undercut the competition with their range of well-specced yet affordably priced compact cameras. They’ve launched no less than seven new models at CES, top of the tree being the X600 ultra-zoom bridge camera which has a 25x wide-angle optical lens, 1080p video and 14.4 megapixel CMOS sensor, all for just $199.99.

Take a close-up look at the seven new cameras in our extensive photo gallery.

General Imaging has announced six new digital cameras at CES. The 14.4-megapixel GE X600 ($199.99) is the flagship model in the range with 25x optical zoom, 10fps continuous shooting at full resolution, improved HDR+ exposure blending and Full HD movie recording capabilities. The 16-megapixel GE X550 ($149.99) comes with a 15x zoom lens, optical image stabilisation, advanced subject tracking with continuous auto focus, and an electronic viewfinder. The 14-megapixel GE G100 ($179.99) is a compact bridge camera with a 28-420mm equivalent lens, optical image stabilisation 30 scene modes, 10fps continuous shooting and Full HD video recording. The ultra-compact GE E1410SW ($159.99) boasts 14 megapixels, 10X optical zoom, Full HD movie capture and is housed in a sleek and stylish body. Finally, the GE Smart series has been expanded with two 14.1-megapixel models, the AA-powered, GE C1440 ($69.99) with 4x optical zoom, and the 5x zoom GE J1458W ($79.99).

The Kodak Playfull Dual Camera is a 1080p/60fps Full HD pocket camcorder that can also capture 12-megapixel stills courtesy of a high-resolution BSI CMOS sensor.  It has an external microphone jack, built-in Xenon flash, and Share Button for easy upload to Facebook, YouTube, Kodak Gallery, email and more. The Kodak Playfull Dual Camera will be available from April for $199.

Adobe today announced Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 beta for Windows and Mac OS. Available as a free public download from Adobe Labs, Lightroom 4 beta is a preview of new features and capabilities that will be offered in the final release of Lightroom 4, The beta features refined technology for superior shadow and highlight processing, expanded management capabilities including enhanced DSLR video support and the ability to create photo books from within Lightroom. You can download Lightroom 4 beta from the website below.

The 128GB SanDisk Extreme SDXC UHS-I card features up to 45MB/sec read/write speeds, making it the fastest 128GB SDXC memory card in the world. “Five minutes of Full HD video can consume one gigabyte of storage space,” said Susan Park, director, product marketing, SanDisk. “Our new SanDisk Extreme SDXC card can capture up to ten hours of Full HD 3D video, enough to film an entire day here at the Consumer Electronics Show.” In addition to videographers, the high-capacity, fast memory card can also benefit photographers who like to shoot in Raw+JPEG format. The 128GB SanDisk Extreme SDXC UHS-I card is shipping worldwide, priced at £239. Additionally, SanDisk released a 64GB version of the card, with an MSRP of £119.

The Tamaggo 360 imager is billed as “the first picture-taking device that captures the environment surrounding the user and creates a navigable record that turns physical experiences into digital events”. Tamaggo claims that this camera goes well beyond the 360° options in today’s consumer marketplace, from fish-eye lenses to mirrors and rotating-head attachments that require users to stitch pictures together to create panoramic images. ” The name Tamaggo, inspired by the Japanese word for “egg,” represents not only the camera’s shape, but also something new,” the company says..The Tamaggo 360 imager and accessories will be marketed internationally through major consumer electronics retailers and e-tailers beginning Q2 2012. The device, which will be previewed at CES (#15645 Central Hall, LVCC)  will be priced under $200.

Olympus has announced two new ultra-zooms, including the Olympus SP-620UZ with a 16-megapixel CCD and 21x optical zoom, and the Olympus SP-720UZ with a 14-megapixel CMOS sensor and 26x zoom lens. Both cameras feature sensor-shift image stabilisation, a TruePic III+ image processor, Eye-Fi memory card compatibility, Magic Filters, in-camera panorama stitchning and 3D photo shooting. In addition, the Olympus SP-720UZ records Full HD videos, boasts an “HDR Backlight Adjustment” function and comes with a 460,000-dot rear screen, while the SP-620UZ shoots 720p HD movies, offers.“Advanced Face Detection” and “Shadow Adjustment” technologies, and comes with a 230,000-dot display.  The SP-720UZ is available from late March for €249 / £229.99. The SP-620UZ goes on sale for €189 / £179.99 in mid-January.

Olympus has updated its SZ series of pocketable travalzoom cameras with two new, 14-megapixel models. The Olympus SZ-11 features a 25-500mm equivalent lens, while the Olympus SZ-14 comes with a 25-600mm zoom. Both cameras boast a TruePic III+ processing engine, sensor-shift image stabilisation, “Advanced Face Detection” and “Shadow Adjustment” technologies, a range of Magic Filters, in-camera panorama stitching, 3D photo shooting and Eye-Fi memory card compatiblity. Additionally, both the Olympus SZ-11 and the SZ-14 can shoot 720p HD videos with “Multi-motion Movie IS”, The SZ-14 is available for €229 / £199.99 and the SZ-11 for €199, both from mid-January 2012. (Note: the SZ-11 was actually announced back in 2011, but has hitherto been available via select distributors in a few markets only.)

Today marks the European launch of the Olympus SH-21, an interesting camera with a 24-300mm equivalent lens, mechanically stabilised 16-megapixel backlit CMOS sensor and a 3” touch-sensitive LCD screen with a resolution of 460,000 dots. Hitherto only available in Japan, the Olympus SH-21 boasts a 7fps High-Speed Continuous Shooting mode and a special HDR mode that allows the camera to capture images with less noise and extended dynamic range. Other highlights include a Hand-Held Starlight mode, in which the SH-21 takes four different photos with one click of the shutter and merges them in-camera; and a Smart Panorama mode that makes it easy to capture 360° panoramas without the use of a tripod. In addition, the camera can also capture Full HD movies with stereo sound. The Olympus SH-21 is available in gold, red and black for €209 / £189.99 from early January 2012.

The affordable 14-megapixel Olympus Tough TG-320 is the latest addition to the company’s line-up of ruggedised compact cameras. Waterproof to 3m, shockproof to 1.5m and freezeproof to -10°C, the Olympus Tough TG-320 comes equipped with a 28-102mm equivalent zoom lens and a hard glass lens barrier “for extra-tough lens protection”. Other highlights include a 2.7” scratch-resistant LCD screen, sensor-shift image stabilisation, AF Tracking, Magic Filters, Face Detection and Shadow Adjustment technologies, 720p movies, Eye-Fi memory card support, in-camera panorama stitching and 3D photo shooting complete with an Underwater 3D mode. The Olympus Tough TG-320 is available in blue and red from mid-February, at a price of €149 / £139.99.