Panasonic has released a firmware update for the Panasonic Lumix FT5 digital compact camera. According to the company, version 1.1 improves GPS signal acquisition and geotagging accuracy. You can download the firmware upgrade from the website below.

Website: Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5/TS5 Firmware Update Service

Pentax Ricoh have released half a dozen high-resolution sample photos taken with the new, large-sensor Ricoh GR digital compact camera. All of these official Ricoh GR sample pictures were captured at the camera’s base sensitivity setting of ISO 100/21°, at f-stops ranging from f/2.8 to f/8. According to the data provided on the Pentax Ricoh website, they were all shot raw and developed in-camera. You can download the full-resolution Ricoh GR samples from the website below.

Website: Pentax Ricoh Japan - Ricoh GR Sample Photos

With the high-end digital compact market expanding at an exponential rate (up by over 160%), Ricoh have decided to come back and reclaim their crown as the kings of prosumer cameras. But the competition is ferocious with the big guys on the battlefield, such as Canon and Nikon. We went to see Ricoh to have a chat about the new GR and see what tricks it has up its sleeve. With an SRP of £599.99, the GR will be available around May 2013 and in black.

Want to see exactly what the new premium Ricoh GR compact camera looks like in the flesh?

Check out our hands-on gallery of photos of the Ricoh GR compact camera, which features a 16.2 megapixel APS-C CMOS image sensor with no anti-aliasing filter and a 28mm f/2.8 lens.

Pentax Ricoh has announced a new Ricoh branded “expert” digital compact camera, called simply the GR. Developed as a successor to the GR Digital IV, the new GR inherits the product concept of the GR Digital series while upgrading the basic specifications and functions of its predecessor. Thanks to the combination of an APS-C-size CMOS image sensor (with approximately 16.2 effective megapixels and no anti-aliasing filter) and a newly designed 18.3mm (28mm eq.) f/2.8 lens, the camera boasts high image resolution, gradation-rich colour reproduction and improved image quality. By coupling the large image sensor with the newly developed GR ENGINE V imaging engine, the GR offers high-sensitivity shooting at up to ISO 25600/45°.  It also offers a range of user-assisting features, including in-body raw data development and focus assist to facilitate manual focusing. The GR will be available from May 2013 at an RRP of £599.99. An add-on viewfinder will be offered as an optional accessory, for £222.99.

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.