For every red Canon PowerShot A460 digital camera sold in Tesco stores, Canon is donating £5 to the British Red Cross. The money raised will be spent on essential British Red Cross services in local communities in the UK. The Canon PowerShot A460 is a 5 megapixel entry-level camera with a 2 inch LCD screen and 4x zoom lens.

CameraLabs have reviewed the new Olympus SP-550 UZ. This is the first digital camera to offer an 18x optical zoom lens, equivalent to 28-504mm.

“Shooting at massive focal lengths is of course pointless if you can’t keep the image steady, but the SP-550UZ’s sensor-shift system effectively eliminated any wobbles in our tests. Olympus has also done a great job in the design and construction of the camera: the rubber coating ensures a secure grip and the body is very comfortable to hold and use. We’d have loved a flip-out screen, but guess you can’t have everything at this price point.”

Website: CameraLabs - Olympus SP-550 UZ Review

Website: Read our Olympus SP-550 UZ Review

DigiCamReview have reviewed the new Olympus SP-550 UZ. This is the first digital camera to offer an 18x optical zoom lens, equivalent to 28-504mm.

“The camera is quite compact considering the massive 18x optical zoom lens, it is almost pocketable. Thankfully Olympus have added an anti-shake CCD shift system to help achieve the most from the lens. The camera is stylish with a black and dark grey rubber body. The camera has good 2.5” screen, with a good resolution, it also has a decent electronic viewfinder with diopter correction. The camera feels very well built, and is very comfortable to hold thanks to the extensive rubber cladding.”

Website: DigiCamReview - Olympus SP-550 UZ Review

Website: Read our Olympus SP-550 UZ Review

ePhotoZine have just reviewed the 10 megapixel Samsung NV10 digital camera.

“Unlike most cameras, there is actually some colour noise evident in the shadow areas of the ISO100 test shot. At ISO200 its slightly worse, the colour of the noise being stronger and there are also other artefacts beginning to appear. Curiously the ISO400 mode isn’t really any worse. The noise is still noticeable, the elements of random colour are larger but softer so have less impact. Black areas though are really, quite variable. The ISO800 shot shows a slight colour change in the red petals, becoming darker, but the noise becomes appreciable. The ISO1000 test, despite being only a slightly higher rating is a lot more noisy, showing that an ISO1600 mode would have been untenable.”

Website: ePhotoZine - Samsung NV10 Review

Website: Read our Samsung NV10 Review

Latest Prices / User Reviews

TrustedReviews have published the first online review of the 6 megapixel, 10x zoom Panasonic DMC-TZ2 digital camera.

“Finally we come to picture quality, and this is where I have previously had the harshest criticism of some Panasonic cameras. In the case of the TZ2 however I found much that I liked, especially the superb lens. It’s the first time I’ve seen a compact super-zoom lens with a 28mm-equivalnet wide-angle that also has no barrel distortion whatsoever at wide angle. Not only that but it has excellent corner-to-corner sharpness with no trace of chromatic aberration. In fact I’d go as far as to say that it may be the best long-zoom lens I’ve ever seen on a compact camera, and one that lives up to its Leica badge.”

Website: TrustedReviews - Panasonic DMC-TZ2 Review

The Sanyo DMX-CG65 hybrid digital camera uses the leading Web movie format MPEG-4 AVC/H.264, offering 10 hours total recording time for movies and a 6 megapixel sensor for still images. In addition four major web companies (SEEBOX, Mlog, Six Apart and VOICE-BANK) have agreed to jointly develop the “Xacti 2.0 Project” with Sanyo, with the aim of integrating high-resolution digital movie content on the Web.

The BenQ P860 is an 8 megapixel digital camera with a 6x optical zoom lens, full range of manual exposure modes and optical image stabilization. There’s a 2.5 inch LCD screen, ISO 50-1000 and 12 scene modes for beginners. The BenQ P860 has limited availability - only in Italy, Spain, Russia and China, released at the end of March.

DCResource have reviewed the new Olympus SP-550 UZ. This is the first digital camera to offer an 18x optical zoom lens, equivalent to 28-504mm.

“The Olympus SP-550 Ultra Zoom is a great example of a marketing-driven cameras. I’m just guessing here, but the marketing folks at Olympus probably got together and said “let’s make an ultra zoom camera with the biggest and baddest specs on the market”, and then the engineers had to make it work. And it works, for the most part—though plenty of compromises were made. While it’s not the best ultra zoom on the market, the SP-550 is still a very good one, and certainly worth a look.”

Website: DCResource - Olympus SP-550 UZ Review

Website: Read our Olympus SP-550 UZ Review

PMA 2007: When General Electric announced shortly before PMA that they were going to enter the digital photography market, many people must have thought “Why?” and “Are they mad?” (myself included). But they actually had a large presence at the show, and a comprehensive range of well-designed, full-featured and perhaps most importantly, competitively priced compact digital cameras. General Electric have obviously invested quite a lot of money in getting their digital camera line-up up and running. If you want to read about the finer details of all 8 new models, take a look at the press release. I visited the booth and took some photos of the entire range and new photo printer (except the X1, which strangely wasn’t on the booth).

PMA 2007: For me the Canon TX1 was the most interesting product of the show from a Canon point of view, simply because it’s not being launched in Europe, so I’d not seen one before PMA. The Canon TX1 is a hybrid still/video camera with a retro, boxy design that’s reminiscent of cameras from several years ago. It’s certainly not as good-looking as the Sanyo Xacti series, reminding me of an IXUS with the zoom lens on top and a fold-out LCD screen on the side. It’ll be interesting to see just how much success Canon has with the TX1, as video and still images increasingly converge onto a single device.

PMA 2007: Leica had a relatively small stand at PMA, hidden away in the German quarter upstairs on the second floor of the show. The only “new” product on display was the Leica C-Lux 2, which continues Leica’s relationship with Panasonic by taking the DMC-FX30 ultra-compact camera and giving it the usual Leica style makeover. The Leica rep didn’t have much to say about the new camera, other than it definitely wasn’t a Panasonic…honest.

PMA 2007: The Sony G1 is a 6 megapixel camera with a 3.5 inch LCD screen with 921,000 pixels, 2Gb of built-in memory, 3x zoom lens, optical image stabilisation and peer-to-peer wireless connectivity. On-board intelligence can iidentify pictures on the Sony G1 by colour, subject matter or the presence of human faces. Twilight mode that makes it easy to capture beautiful, blur-free shots at dusk without the need for a tripod or flash. The Sony G1 will be available from April 2007.

PMA 2007: 8 new General Electric digital cameras and a compact photo printer were announced at PMA last week. The new products will be distributd by General Imaging, a new, privately held company that serves as the exclusive worldwide licensee for the GE line of digital cameras and printers. Prices are not yet finalised, but are expected to range from $149 to $399. Cameras will begin reaching North American shelves in May, with European and Asian distribution to take place later this year.

GE X1 - Optical image stabilization, 12x optical zoom, 2.5-inch LCD screen, 8 megapixels.
GE G1 - 3x optical zoom, 2.5-inch LCD screen, 7 megapixels.
GE E1240 - 4x optical zoom and 12 megapixels.
GE E1040 - 4x optical zoom and 10 megapixels.
GE E1030 - 3x optical zoom and 10 megapixels.
GE E850 - 28mm wide-angle lens, 5x optical zoom and 8 megapixels.
GE A830 - 3x optical zoom and 8 megapixels.
GE A730 - 3x optical zoom and 7 megapixels of resolution.

GE P1 Printer - 4” x 6” photo printer, 4800 x 1200 dpi resolution, three-color ink, 75-second print time (normal mode) or 105-second print time (photo mode), USB 2.0 and PictBridge ports, 2.5-inch LCD monitor, 25-sheet loading tray.

PMA 2007: The Leica C-Lux 2 is an ultra-compact digital camera with a black metal body, wide-angle 28mm zoom lens, 2.5 inch LCD screen and 7.2 megapixel CCD sensor. Based on the Panasonic DMC-FX30, the Leica C-Lux 2 adds an exclusive tan leather case and carry loop. Price and availability to be confirmed.

PMA 2007: Vivitar have launched 5 new digital cameras - the X625, 7388s, 6385u, 6200W and DVR530. The 6 megapixel Vivitar 6200W is waterproof to 10 meters, features a 4x digital zoom, 2 inch LCD display, SD card support, and a rubber-armored exterior. Price and availability of all the new models to be confirmed.

DigiCamReview have tested the Olympus mju 770 SW digital camera, which can survive falls from up to 1.5m, is waterproof to 10m depths, as well as being freezeproof to -10 degrees Celsius.

“Image quality was generally good, with good colour, contrast, and detail, although images were slightly soft, and some flash photos indoors had less saturation than I would have liked to see (this can be increased by using some of the scene modes, or by moving closer to the subject). Images had generally low noise, at most ISO settings upto ISO200. Some images were slightly soft straight from the camera and could benefit from sharpening. Purple fringing was quite low.”

Website: DigiCamReview - Olympus mju 770 SW Review

PMA 2007: HP had a large PMA booth up on the second floor of the Las Vegas convention centre, traditionally used by the smaller companies at the show. There were only 3 digital cameras in HP’s new product announcements and just a small part of the HP booth was dedicated to them. The most interesting looking model was the HP R837, with a distinctive curved body, vertically sliding body and a “unique” feature called Pet-Eye fix! Two other entry-level models, the M537 and M437, were also on show, plus the new A440 series compact photo printer.

PMA 2007: The HP M537 is an entry-level 6 megapixel digital camera with 3x optical zoom lens and 2.5 inch LCD screen. The electronic anti-shake feature helps to prevent blurred photos in lower light and you can tag your favourite photos on the camera. The HP M537 will cost €139 and be available in April.

PMA 2007: The HP M437 is an entry-level 5 megapixel compact digital camera with 3x optical zoom lens and 2 inch LCD screen. The electronic anti-shake feature helps to prevent blurred photos in lower light and you can tag your favourite photos on the camera. The HP M437 will cost €119 and be available in April.

PMA 2007: The new AGFAPHOTO DC-630i is a 6 megapixel camera equipped with face detection of 3 faces in a photo, Digital Photo Stabiliser which increases the ISO speed, and shutter and aperture priority exposure modes. Photos can be viewed in the 16:9 image format on the DC-630i’s 2.5 inch LCD screen and the camera has a 3x optical zoom lens. The recommended retail price for the AGFAPHOTO DC-630i is $169, available in April.