The Canon SD950 IS and Canon SD870 IS are new additions to the Digital ELPH range of compact digicams. The 12.1 megapixel Canon SD950 IS now features a 3.7x image stabilised lens, whilst the Canon SD870 IS offers 8 megapixels and a 3.8x zoom. “Don’t be fooled by their stunning good looks,” said Yuichi Ishizuka, senior vice president and general manager, Consumer Imaging Group, Canon U.S.A. “The PowerShot SD950 IS Digital ELPH and SD870 IS Digital ELPH cameras are filled with top-performing features that deliver extraordinary results.” Both models are available in September, with the SD950 IS costing $449.99 and the SD870 IS $399.99.

The Canon A650 IS and Canon A720 IS are new additions to the A-series range of compact digicams. The Canon A650 IS has a 12.1 megapixel sensor and a 6x optical zoom with optical image stabilization. The Canon A720 IS offers 8 megapixels and optical image stabilization. “By enhancing the PowerShot A650 IS and A720 IS digital cameras with advanced, yet user-friendly feature-sets, at a reduced price point, the A-series will continue to stand-out from the competition,” said Yuichi Ishizuka, senior vice president and general manager, Consumer Imaging Group, Canon U.S.A. Available in September, the Canon A650 IS will cost $399.99 and the Canon A720 IS $249.99. The Canon A650 IS will available from September 2007 in the UK priced at £329 / €489 RRP inc. VAT and the Canon A720 IS will be available from the end of August priced at £229 / €339 RRP inc. VAT exclusively at Jessops.

The Canon Digital IXUS 960 IS features a 12.1 megapixel sensor and 3.7x image stabilized zoom lens. Other standout features of the IXUS 960 IS include Face Detection, ISO 1600 and Auto ISO Shift, and Time Lapse Movies. The Canon Digital IXUS 960 IS will be available from September 2007 priced at £369 / €549 RRP inc. VAT.

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.

The Canon EF 14mm f/2.8L II USM lens offers a a 114 degree angle of view. It features the latest Ring-type Ultrasonic Motor (USM) for fast and near silent auto focus and a closest focusing distance of just 20cm. The Canon EF 14mm f/2.8L II USM lens will be available from October 2007, priced at £1799.99 / €2599.99 RRP inc VAT.

The Canon EF-S 18-55mm and Canon EF-S 55-250mm lenses offer equivalent focal lengths of 29-88mm and 88-400mm respectively. Built to fit exclusively on those EOS cameras with an EF–S lens mount, the new lenses both incorporate a 4-stop Image Stabilizer to combat image blur caused by camera shake and slow shutter speeds. The Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS will be available from September 2007 and the Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS will be available from October 2007, priced at £159.99 / €239.99 and £239.99 / €359.99 RRP inc VAT respectively.

The Epson DX9400F is a is a 4 colour all-in-one printer, scanner, copier and colour fax machine. It uses Epson DURABrite Ultra individual ink cartridges and offers a 6.3cm LCD viewer. A 10x15cm photo can be printed in only 26 seconds while up to 32ppm can be printed in black and white and colour. The Epson DX9400F will cost £129.99, available November 2007.

The Epson PM 290 and PM 260 are two new additions to the PictureMate range of compact photo printers. Both models can produce a 10x15cm borderless lab-quality photo in just 37 seconds. The Epson PM 290 and PM 260 offer a large 9.1cm LCD colour screen and direct printing from digital camera memory cards, USB DIRECT PRINT and PictBridge. In addition the PM 290 features Bluetooth connectivity as standard and an integrated CD-RW/DVD drive.

The Epson RX685 and Epson RX585 are new 6 colour photo all-in-ones. Both models feature Epson’s Claria Photographic Ink, individual ink cartridges for cost efficient printing and a 6.3cm colour LCD screen. The RX685 delivers premium quality prints that look better than the lab in just 23 seconds. Print life from both the Epson RX685 and Epson RX585 is up to 200 years when stored in an album and 98 years when displayed in a photo frame.

The Epson R285 an affordable six-colour A4 photo printer which uses Epson Claria Photographic Ink. Premium quality photos that look better than the lab are produced in just 27 seconds. The R285 offers print life of up to 200 years when stored in an album or 98 years when displayed in a photo frame. The R825 will cost £69.99, available September 2007.

The Epson DX8400 and Epson DX7400 are new all-in-one four colour inkjet printers featuring Epson’s DURABrite Ultra Ink. Both models offer fast print speeds of up to 32ppm and it takes 26 seconds for a 10x15cm photo in draft, borderless mode. The Epson DX8400 Series additionally features a 6.3cm LCD viewer. The DX7400 will cost £79.99 and the DX8400 £99.99, available from 3rd September 2007.

The Epson D120 is a high-speed, high-quality printer for the home and the office. It offers print speeds up to 37ppm in black and white and 20ppm in colour and uses Epson’s individual ink cartridge system. The Epson D120 is also suitable for photos, with a 10x15cm printed in just 49 seconds. The Epson D120 will cost £69.99 and is available from 3rd September. A D120 Network edition costs £99.99, available from 1st October.

No less than Amazon.com have leaked the US specifications, price and availability of the much-rumoured Canon 40D and Canon 1Ds Mark III DSLR cameras. Available on September 10th for $1,299, the Canon EOS 40D has a 10 megapixel sensor, 3 inch LCD screen, 6.5 fps continuous shooting, new sRAW mode, 35-zone metering system and integrated Self-Cleaning Sensor Unit. New accessories for the 40D include a revised BG-E2N battery grip and WFT-E3A wireless transmitter. A new lens - the Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM - has also been listed by Amazon, available November 15th for $199.99.

Meanwhile the professional Canon 1Ds Mark III will cost $7,999 and be available on December 10th. It’s headline features are a 21.1-megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor, 3 inch LCD display with Live View, 5 fps at shutter speeds 1/500 second or faster, sRAW mode, 45-point AF and integrated Self-Cleaning Sensor Unit. Also mentioned on the Amazon page is a new Canon EF 14mm f2.8L II USM Lens, providing a a 114-degree diagonal angle of view on the Canon 1Ds Mark III.

Of course, none of this is official yet, even though it comes from one of the world’s biggest online retailers, but you probably won’t have to wait too long for Canon to make their announcement…

Website: Amazon.com - Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III

Website: Amazon.com - Canon EOS 40D

Website: Amazon.com - Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM SLR Lens

The curvaceous Canon Digital IXUS 950 IS (also known as the Canon SD850 IS) is currently Canon’s flagship point and shoot compact digital camera. An image-stabilized, 4x zoom lens equivalent to 35-140mm, 2.5 inch LCD screen and fast Digic III image processor are just a few of the features offered by the IXUS 950 IS. Notable changes from its predecessor, the IXUS 800 IS, include an extended ISO range of 80-1600, time lapse movies and new creative light effects. With a recommended price tag of £329, can the Canon 950 IS remain competitive? Gavin Stoker finds out…

Website: Canon Digital IXUS 950 IS Review

CameraLabs have just reviewed the Sony DT 16-80mm lens.

“In use the DT 16-80mm can certainly deliver excellent results. The range is much more flexible than the kit lens, and perfect as a single general purpose zoom. The optical quality is also of a much higher standard, with our Outdoor Results and Gallery pages revealing very well-corrected images with high contrast, sharp corners and minimal coloured fringing. It also managed to squeeze a little more resolution out of the A100 in our studio tests.”

Website: CameraLabs - Sony DT 16-80mm Review

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 Pentax K10D has been selected as the EISA European Camera of the Year 2007-2008. The EISA panel concluded that the Pentax K10D is the ideal camera for enthusiast and advanced users. Other industry awards for the K10D this year include Best D-SLR Expert in Europe 2007 (TIPA) and the Camera Grand Prix 2007 by (CJPC) in Japan.

The Fujifilm S5 Pro has been voted European Advanced Camera of the Year 2007-2008. The special qualities of Fujifilm’s Super CCD SR Pro Sensor provide the wide dynamic range, low image noise and contrast control that make this camera stand out from the general DSLR market.” commented the EISA panel.