The Canon Digital IXUS 860 IS offers a 28mm 3.8x wide-angle zoom lens with optical Image Stabilizer. Other standout features include a 3.0” PureColor LCD, improved Face Detection Technology and 8 megapixel sensor. The Canon Digital IXUS 860 IS will be available from September 2007, priced at £299 / €449 RRP inc. VAT.

Imaging Resource have just reviewed the Panasonic DMC-FZ8 ultra-zoom compact digital camera.

“Although the FZ8’s 12x optical zoom and effective MEGA O.I.S. play a major role in its litany of attributes, the camera’s real strength lies in the sum of its parts. Compact, easy to handle, and easy to use, the Panasonic FZ8 has a feature set that not only puts amateur and inexperienced photographers at ease, but also gives enthusiasts and advanced amateurs plenty of imaging tools to keep them happy.”

Website: Imaging Resource - Panasonic DMC-FZ8 Review

ePhotoZine have reviewed the weatherproof Olympus mju 780 compact digital camera, which features a 7.1 megapixel sensor, metal body in silver or black, and 5x optical zoom with mechanical image stabiliser.

“Rather surprisingly there is noise evident on the grey and black cards on the ISO80 test, and in the shadow areas it’s green and purple. This is easily the worst low ISO results we’ve seen on a compact. However, the detail is still good and it won’t be too dramatic on full scale pictures. ISO100 is only slightly worse as might be expected.”

Website: ePhotoZine - Olympus mju 780 Review

ePhotoZine have reviewed the Samsung L74 Wide digital camera, which features a 3.0 inch touch screen LCD, 7 megapixels, 3.6x optical zoom and 28mm wide-angle lens.

“The colour chart test shows a quite considerable difference between the image and the chart itself. For starters, the blues are much brighter and the reds are much pinker. The browns also appear to be much darker and this also affects the resulting mixes such as skin tones. Yellows are quite accurate though. The landscape shot shows good, accurate detail and there is only mild colour fringing where the skyline meets the landscape, for example at the tops of the trees.”

Website: ePhotoZine - Samsung L74 Wide Review

The Samsung i70 digital camera has won the European Design Camera 2007-2008 EISA award. The i70 is a camera, portable media player and MP3 player in one device. “The Samsung i70 is an incredibly popular camera and the recognition provided from EISA further supports the fact that our cameras present unique styles and beautiful designs.” commented Jake Kim, Managing Director, Samsung Cameras.

Trusted Reviews have reviewed the Sony W200, the first 12 megapixel camera on the market, which offers a 3x optical zoom lens, metal body, 2.5-inch LCD screen and an eye-level viewfinder.

“To be fair, if anyone can produce a successful 12-megapixel compact, it may be Sony. The W200 is equipped with a 1/1.7-in SuperHAD CCD, which is ever-so-slightly larger than the normal 1/1.8-in sensors found in most other high-powered compacts. The SuperHAD design has slightly larger microlenses than conventional CCDs, which may help with light gathering. It also benefits from a Carl Zeiss lens, so hopefully the superior optical quality can make use of the additional resolution.”

Website: Trusted Reviews - Sony W200 Review

Panasonic has won four European Imaging and Sound Association (EISA) awards. The DMC-TZ3 won “European Compact Camera 2007-2008”. The 2007 EISA Awards will be presented at a special Gala Event on September 1st 2007 in Berlin at the IFA show.

CameraLabs have reviewed the Panasonic DMC-FX30, the world’s slimmest digital camera with a 28mm wide-angle lens.

“The important thing to remember though is this noise is only a serious problem if you’re examining images on-screen at 100%, or making big prints. If you prefer to view your entire images at once or make smaller prints, then it becomes much less of an issue. And to be fair this is a problem which also faces most compacts these days, so while Panasonic’s models suffer in this respect, they’re certainly not alone.”

Website: CameraLabs - Panasonic DMC-FX30 Review

ePhotoZine have reviewed the Panasonic Lumix FX100, a 12.2 megapixel digital camera with a new 1/1.72-inch large CCD and 28mm wide-angle lens.

“With a massive 12Mp resolution, noise issues were always going to be a concern and sure enough, there’s visible noise at ISO80. However, it isn’t enough to worry about, and nor is the visible coloured mottling at ISO100 either. It does however get worse at ISO200 and is visibly patchy in the grey card area. At ISO400 the noise becomes more sharply defined with patterns appearing and the image now starts to get softer as well.”

Website: ePhotoZine - Panasonic Lumix FX100 Review

The Zink Digital Camera/Printer is a 7 megapixel camera with a built-in printer. Utilising the unique ZINK (Zero Ink) printing technology, the integrated digital camera/printer will produce 2” x 3” borderless prints, onto both conventional and sticky-backed paper. The Zink Digital Camera/Printer will also feature a 2 inch LCD screen, 3x optical zoom lens and be available later this year.

CNET have reviewed the Nikon Coolpix S200 digital camera, which offers 7.1 megapixels, 3x zoom lens (38-114mm), electronic Vibration Reduction to help combat camera shake, ISO 1000 and a 2.5 inch LCD screen.

“The Nikon Coolpix S200 suffers from a bad case of style over substance. Its ultraslim, attractive metal body looks great sliding into your pocket. When you slide it out of your pocket and start shooting, though, its image-quality issues and slow low-light performance severely tarnish the pretty camera’s shine.”

Website: CNET - Nikon Coolpix S200 Review

DigitalCameraInfo have reviewed the Canon PowerShot SD750 digital camera (also known as the IXUS 75) which has a metallic finish, 3x zoom lens and 3 inch LCD screen.

“The Canon PowerShot SD750 distinguishes itself mainly with its LCD screen size. At 3 inches, there still aren’t too many digital cameras that can rival that. However, its other specs are all has-beens: 7 megapixels, 3x optical zoom, Automatic modes, and compact form. The SD750 costs a whopping $349, which seems steep compared to similar models.”

Website: DigitalCameraInfo - Canon PowerShot SD750 Review

DCResource have reviewed the Nikon Coolpix L12, a 7.1 megapixel digital camera with a 3x optical zoom lens (35-105mm), Vibration Reduction to combat camera shake, Face-priority AF, D-Lighting and Red-Eye Fix, and a 2.5 inch LCD monitor.

“The Nikon Coolpix L12 is one of a very select group of entry-level cameras to offer image stabilization for under $200. Its closest competitor is probably the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LS75 which, up until recently, I didn’t even think they sold in the U.S. The Coolpix L12 is a decent camera if you’re doing mostly outdoor, bright light photography. If you’ll be doing a lot of low light shooting, or want to minimize noise, then I’d steer clear of the Coolpix L12.”

Website: DCResource - Nikon Coolpix L12 Review

TrustedReviews have reviewed the new Kodak Z712, which is positioned as an alternative to a DSLR, offering a 12x zoom lens (36-432 mm) and 7.1 megapixels.

“A big selling point of the Z712 is of course its optical image stabilisation system, which uses motion sensors and a moving element within the lens to compensate for camera shake at low shutter speeds. I found that it produced shake-free images at maximum zoom reliably at 1/40th of a second, and about half the time at 1/30th, which is pretty good. It’s about three stops below the recommended safe hand-held shooting speed for a 400mm lens.”

Website: TrustedReviews - Kodak Z712 Review

Megapixel.net have reviewed the weatherproof Olympus mju 780 compact digital camera, which features a 7.1 megapixel sensor, metal body in silver or black, and 5x optical zoom with mechanical image stabiliser.

“The Olympus Stylus 780 is, to put it simply, a good camera. It delivers an excellent image quality and its 5X optical zoom allows more flexibility when framing shots than most of its competitors. The value of the zoom is moreover enhanced by the CCD stabilization system, albeit that the (audible) noise that the system produces is at first a bit surprising. This, combined with the capability of capturing good images at 400 ISO outdoors, and doing so with an ultra compact camera that is weather and dust proof, makes the Stylus 780 very attractive.”

Website: Megapixel.net - Olympus mju 780 Review

DCResource have reviewed the Samsung L74 Wide digital camera, which features a 3.0 inch touch screen LCD, 7 megapixels, 3.6x optical zoom and 28mm wide-angle lens.

“The L74 Wide is another Samsung camera that’s really innovative, but fails to deliver competitive image quality. If Samsung engineers spent a little less time with gimmicks and more time on image quality, then they’d really have something. The L74 Wide isn’t a bad camera by any means, it’s just not a great one. If you’re sticking to small prints it’s worth a look, but for larger prints or 100% onscreen viewing you may want to consider anything else.”

Website: DCResource - Samsung L74 Wide Review

DigitalCameraInfo have reviewed the Olympus FE-250 digicam, which offers 8 megapixels, 3x optical zoom (35-105mm), and a large 6.4cm LCD screen.

“Noticeably absent from the FE-250 are white balance presets. The camera instead relies on its mediocre Auto White Balance setting, so what you see is what you get, odd colors and all. The FE-250 will suffice for the consumer looking for a point-and-shoot that looks slick and is easy to use. However, users seeking manual control, color accuracy, handling confidence, or a more durable design should consider another camera. “

Website: DigitalCameraInfo - Olympus FE-250 Review

CNET has reviewed the Kodak Z885 digital cameras, which boasts a 5x optical zoom lens (36-180mm) and 8.1 megapixel resolution.

“Kodak leaves style by the wayside and attempts to find a suitable balance between features and price in its EasyShare Z885. This 8-megapixel camera can be found for around $200, and while it’s not the prettiest Kodak on the market, it offers some surprisingly robust features and an above-average lens.”

Website: CNET - Kodak Z885 Review

ePhotoZine have reviewed the Samsung L77 digital camera, which offers a 7x internal optical zoom lens equivalent to 38-266mm, a 7 megapixel sensor and 2.5 inch LCD screen.

“The camera isn’t a brilliant performer as a lot of fringing was evident on the wide and zoomed in images and to me the results looked the same as from a cheaper camera. The Portrait mode shot also looked virtually identical to the Program mode shot of the same portrait so there seems little point having the mode available at all. The macro mode is annoying as has been previously mentioned due to not being able to focus properly. I have never had a landscape test image so bad as the one from the L77.”

Website: ePhotoZine - Samsung L77 Review

DPReview have reviewed the Ricoh GX100 digital camera, which features a 10.01 megapixel CCD, fast 24-72mm wide zoom lens and a removable electronic view?nder.

“To sum up, the GX100 isn’t quite as good a camera as it thinks it is, because great features and handling cannot make up for a noisy sensor and questionable processing. It is also certainly not a camera I’d recommend for everyone - unless you want the 24mm equiv. lens and manual controls there are plenty of better options at not much more than half the price.”

Website: DPReview - Ricoh GX100 Review

Website: Read our Ricoh GX100 Review