The Panasonic DMC-FT1 is the company’s first waterproof, shockproof and dustproof digital camera. Featuring a 28mm wide angle lens, 4.6x optical zoom lens and high-definition movies in the new AVCHD Lite format, the Panasonic FT1 (also known as the DMC-TS1 in the USA) can be used underwater to a depth of up to 3 meters and is drop proof from a height up to 1.5m. In the UK, the Panasonic DMC-FT1 will be available from March in a choice of silver or blue for £329, with a 40m underwater housing also available. In the US, the DMC-TS1 will be available in silver, green or orange in April 2009 for $399.95.

The Panasonic DMC-FX550 is a new touch-screen camera with 12 megapixels and a 25mm, 5x zoom lens. The Panasonic FX550 (also known as the DMC-FX580 in the USA) incorporates a large 3.0-inch touch-screen interface which combines cursor key control with touch screen operation. Other highlights of the Panasonic FX550 include manual adjustment of the aperture, addition of Face Recognition to Intelligent Auto mode, Venus Engine V processing engine, Panorama Assist mode, and HD motion pictures in 1280 x 720p. In the UK, the Panasonic DMC-FX550 will be available from March in a choice of black or silver for £299. In the US, the DMC-FX580 will be available in silver and black in April 2009 for $399.95.

The Panasonic DMC-FX40 is a new 12 megapixel camera with a 25mm, 5x zoom lens. The Panasonic FX40 (also known as the DMC-FX48 in the USA) features a 25mm Leica lens offering a focal range of 25-125mm and F2.8 brightness. Other highlights of the Panasonic FX40 include the addition of Face Recognition to Intelligent Auto mode, Venus Engine V processing engine, Panorama Assist mode, and 350 shot battery life. In the UK, the Panasonic DMC-FX40 will be available from April in a choice of black, red or silver for £259. In the US, the DMC-FX48 will be available in silver and black in April 2009 for $349.95.

The Panasonic DMC-FS25 is a new 12 megapixel camera with a 29mm, 5x zoom lens. The Panasonic FS25 features a 29mm Leica lens offering a focal range of 29-145mm. Other highlights of the Panasonic FS25 include the addition of AF tracking and Intelligent Exposure to Intelligent Auto mode, 3.0-inch 230,000 dot LCD screen, Photo Frame mode, and WVGA (848 x 480) movies. In the UK, the Panasonic DMC-FS25 will be available from April in a choice of black or silver for £219. In the US, the DMC-FS25 will be available in silver, black and gold for $249.95 in April 2009.

The new Olympus FE-35 digital camera combines 10 megapixels with a 3x optical zoom (36-108mm). The FE35 is powered by easily-available, standard AA batteries, so you’ll never be caught stranded in need of power. Features more usually associated with expensive cameras have been included without inflating the FE 35’s modest price tag. These include Intelligent Auto Mode and Advanced Face Detection Technology that make it easy to get the perfect shot the first time. With Digital Image Stabilisation, the FE-35 boosts image sensor sensitivity to reduce camera shak’. The Olympus FE-35 is available in elegant shades of gold, black or deep blue from late January in the UK and selected outlets in Europe.

Sanyo has added 5 new models to its line-up of Xacti Dual Cameras. They include new waterproof HD models (DMX-WH1, DMX-CA9), a stylish Compact HD unit (DMX-CG10), and Full HD 60p cameras (DMX-FH11, DMX-HD2000). The first camera to be released will be the Sanyo HD2000, available starting from February 6th 2009.

The Panasonic DMC-FS15 is a new 12 megapixel ultra-compact digital camera. The FS15 features a 29mm wide-angle, 5x optical zoom Leica lens, improved Intelligent Auto Mode, 2.7 inch LCD screen, Venus Engine IV processing engine, and WVGA movies (848 x 480). The Panasonic FS15 will be available from February in a choice of silver, black and blue.

The Panasonic DMC-FS7 and DMC-FS6 are two new entry-level compact cameras with 4x zoom lenses. The 10.1 megapixel FS7 and 8.1 megapixel FS6 both offer a bright F2.8 Leica DC lens with a focal range of 33mm-132mm, Intelligent Auto mode, Venus Engine IV processing engine, and WVGA (848 x 480) movies. The Panasonic FS7 has a slightly larger LCD screen than the FS6 - 2.7 inches versus 2.5. The Panasonic FS7 will be available in silver, black or pink and the Panasonic FS6 in silver, black, red, blue and pink, both available from February.

The Panasonic DMC-LS85 is a new budget compact digital camera. Successor to the LS80, the Panasonic LS85 features a 4x optical zoom lens (33-132mm), Intelligent Auto Mode, Venus Engine IV processing engine, 2.5 inch LCD screen and WVGA (848 x 480) movies. The Panasonic DMC LS85 will be available from March and will come in a choice of silver or black.

Panasonic have released a new firmware update for the DMC-LX3 compact camera. Version 1.2 offers the following improvements:

1. Improved white balance flash mode setting when DMW-FL220 is connected.
2. Proper setting of shutter speed on iA mode and Scene mode when OIS is turned ON.
3. Proper Exif information in the JPEG picture file.

Website: Panasonic DMC-LX3 Firmware Update 1.2

The Canon PowerShot A480 is a new entry-level digital camera. Replacing the popular PowerShot A470, the 10 megapixel Canon A480 is 25% smaller than its predecessor and offers a 3x zoom lens and simplified button layout. “Whether you’re 7 years old or 70, the PowerShot A480 offers a great-value way to discover the fun of taking pictures,” said Mogens Jensen, Head of Canon Consumer Imaging, Europe. The Canon PowerShot A480 will be available in silver, red, blue or black from February 2009 priced at £129.00 / €159.00. In the US the A480 will be available in March for $129.99.

The new Polaroid PoGo is an all-in-one digital camera and printer. You can take a picture with the Polaroid PoGo, then print it in less than 60 seconds as a full-color, 2x3-inch print. “This is the digital version of our traditional instant camera, which consumers have loved since the 70s,” says Jon Pollock, vice president and general manager, Digital Imaging. “With this product, Polaroid will bring the magic of instant photography to a whole new generation.” The Polaroid PoGo Instant Digital Camera will be available in March 2009 for $199.

The new Olympus mju 9000, mju 7000 and mju 5000 cameras offer zoom ranges from 5x up to 10x in a stylish and compact design. The Olympus 9000 (also known as the Stylus 9000) has a 10x wide optical zoom (28-280mm), 12 megapixels, 2.7 inch LCD screen, and Dual Image Stabilisation. The Olympus 7000 (also known as the Stylus 7000) has a 7x wide optical zoom (37-260mm), 12 megapixels, 3 inch LCD screen, and Smile Shot function. The Olympus 5000 (Europe only) has a 5x wide optical zoom (37-260mm), 12 megapixels, 2.7 inch LCD screen, and Perfect Shot Preview. The Olympus mju 9000 / Stylus 9000 will cost £310 / $349.99, the Olympus mju 7000 / Stylus 7000 £260 / $299.99 and the Olympus mju 5000 £220.

The Olympus mju Tough 8000 and mju Tough 6000 are new waterproof, shockproof and freezeproof cameras. Both the 12 megapixel mju Tough 8000 (also known as the Stylus Tough 8000) and the 10 megapixel mju Tough 6000 (also known as the Stylus Tough 6000) feature a 3.6x wide zoom lens (28-102mm), Dual Image Stabilisation and TAP Control which allows the cameras to be operated by taps on the casing. The Tough 8000 is shockproof to 2m, waterproof to 10m, crushproof to 100kg and freezeproof to -10°C, and the Tough 600 is shockproof to 1.5m, waterproof to 3m and freezeproof to -10°C. The Olympus mju Tough 8000 / Stylus Tough 8000 will be available mid-January for £340 / $399.99, and the Olympus mju Tough 6000 / Stylus Tough 6000 in early February for £280 / $299.99.

The new Olympus mju 550WP camera is waterproof to depths of up to 3 metres. The 10 megapixel Olympus 550WP (also known as the Stylus 550WP) offers a 3x optical zoom lens, 2.5 inch LCD screen, Intelligent Auto Mode, Perfect Shot Preview and Digital Image Stabilisation. Available in blue, white or black, the Olympus mju 550WP / Stylus 550WP will be available from early February 2009 for $199.99.

The Olympus FE-5000, FE-3010 and FE-45 are new additions to the FE-series of entry-level digital cameras. The FE5000 has 10 megapixels, 5x optical zoom, 2.7 inch LCD screen, metal body and Dual Image Stabilisation . The FE3010 features 12 megapixels, 3x optical zoom, metal body and a 2.7 inch LCD screen. The FE45 has 10 megapixels, 3x optical zoom and a 2.5 inch LCD screen. The Olympus FE-5000 (black and gold - £150) and Olympus FE-45 (gold, black and deep blue - £100) will be available in late January, and the Olympus FE-3010 (gold, magenta or black - $149.99 / £130) in early March 2009.

The Olympus FE-5010 and FE-3000 are three new super-slim entry-level compact cameras. The FE3000 features 10 megapixels of resolution, while the FE5010 offer 12 megapixels. Both models share easy-to-use Intelligent Auto, Advanced Face Detection, In-Camera Help Guides, VGA Movie Recording with Sound, a rechargeable lithium-ion battery and an LCD backlight boost. The Olympus FE-3000 costs $139.99 (light blue, black and silver) and the Olympus FE-5010 $189.99 (plum, navy blue and black).

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-G3 is the world’s first Wi-Fi-enabled digital camera that uploads photos and videos to Web sites through any public hotspot. Like a computer, the Sony DSC-G3 has an embedded Web browser and can connect to free or fee-based hotspots, as well as to secure and unsecured access points. The 10 megapixel Sony G3 also offers a 4x zoom lens, Intelligent Scene Recognition, anti-blink and Smile Shutter, and 4GB of internal memory. The Sony Cybershot DSC-G3 camera is now available in black for about $500. Note that the Sony G3 will only be released in the US.

The new Casio EX-FC100 and EX-FS10 cameras both offer 30 fps burst mode and 1000 fps high-speed movies. Both of these 9 megapixel cameras can take up to 30 shots per second at the 6 megapixel setting. The Casio EX-FC100 features a 5x optical zoom lens with a CMOS shift anti-shake function and 2.7 inch LCD screen. The Casio EX-FS10 is a card-sized camera just .64” thin with a 3x optical inner-zoom lens and 2.5 inch LCD screen. Available in March 2009, the EX-FS10 will cost $349.99 in blue, gray, red and white, and the EX-FC100 will cost $399.99 in gray and white.

The Casio EX-Z400, EX-Z270, and EX-S12 are three new digital cameras featuring the improved EXILIM Engine 4.0 image processing engine. This allows moving subjects to be cut and pasted onto still backgrounds or other images. The 12 megapixel Casio EX Z400 has a wide-angle 28 mm, 4x optical zoom lens, 3 inch LCD screen, and CCD shift anti-shake mechanism. The 10 megapixel Casio EX Z270 offers a wide-angle 28 mm, 4x optical zoom lens, 2.7 inch LCD screen, and CCD shift anti-shake mechanism. The slim, stainless steel 12 megapixel Casio EX S12 features a 3x optical zoom lens and 2.7 inch LCD screen. All available in March 2009, the Casio EX-Z400 will cost $299.99 and be available in brown, gold and pink, the Casio EX-Z270 $229.99 in black, gray, gold and pink, and the Casio EX-S12 $249.99 in silver, pink, green and black.