Cameras

Sony's two new Cyber-shot T-series cameras don't look very different from past models, but they certainly feel different; these new cameras eschew buttons in favor of big, touch-sensitive LCD screens.

The Cyber-shot DSC-T200 and T70 respectively replace the DSC-T100 and DSC-T20 in Sony's lineup. Their 3.5 and 3-inch 16:9 touchscreens control nearly every aspect of the cameras. Besides changing settings and navigating the cameras' menus, users can also control focus with the touchscreens by tapping the object they want to focus on. This isn't the first time Sony has attempted a touchscreen system with … Read more

Sony announced a 12.7-megapixel sensor Monday for SLR cameras, the IMX021 built with a CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) manufacturing process.

The company will sell the sensor to others as well as "promoting its use within Sony," so don't be surprised to see some 12.7-megapixel SLRs coming soon. Sony has promised an advanced amateur SLR this year and a professional model next year, and there are indications that Sony's advanced amateur model will arrive soon.

The sensor can produce up to 10.4 frames per second, a high rate indeed, assuming that camera makers … Read more

Whether you're in the market for a professional high-resolution heavyweight or a feather light ultracompact, Canon's got you covered with one of the 8 new models on its Fall lineup.

Although rumors began to circulate about this model as much as a year ago--for example, here's a Crunchgear post from September, 2006--the Canon EOS 40D will finally hit stores within the next two weeks. Unsurprisingly, the much-speculated upon replacement for the EOS 30D introduces some long-requested features, integrates some of the new technology from the EOS 1-D Mark III and delivers the usual bump in resolution and performance. The pricing remains similar to that of the 30D, with a body-only version for $1,299 and a kit including the EF f/3.5-5.6 28-135mm IS USM lens … Read more

In conjunction with the Canon EOS 40D and 1Ds Mark III announcements, Canon also let loose with some new lenses and accessories.

At the high end, intimidating all the other lenses, sits the EF 14mm f/2.8L II USM, a $2,199 prime lens optimized for use with the 1Ds Mark III. Among other things, it's got improved dust-proofing and weatherproofing around the lens mount, and a round aperture (for a more natural depth-of-field blur). Canon says it's sharper than the original in the corners as well as the center, and that the increase to two aspherical … Read more

Despite the plethora of cheap dSLRs on the market, there's still room for some all-in-one, relatively compact enthusiast cameras--at least that's what seems to keep Canon's PowerShot G series going year after year. The latest model, the PowerShot G9, replaces the G7; the model naming skips a digit, lest it be confused with the more economically inclined G8 summiteers.

Still smarting from users' response to its having dropped raw-format support form the G7, Canon reinstates … Read more

Though most of its thunder has already been stolen by the Canon EOS-1D Mark III, studio photographers have been awaiting the announcement of its high-res, full-frame sibling, the EOS-1Ds Mark III. Coming in November for about the same price as the 1Ds Mark II--$7,999--the replacement model is faster and higher resolution than the old, with the body and technology enhancements of the Mark III generation.

Some folk might not think that a simple refresh of Canon's top SD-series cameras is as exciting as its dSLR news. But as some of the top-selling cameras on the market, Canon's Digital Elph models hold a special place among compact cameras. The latest pair, called the PowerShot SD870 IS and the PowerShot SD950 IS, both include Canon's Digic III procesor, optical image stabilization, and face detection. Canon's latest version of face detection can spot up to nine faces and use them to determine autofocus and exposure.

The SD950 IS sports a 12.1-megapixel CCD imaging … Read more

The continuing popularity of its less-expensive but last-generation PowerShot S3 IS and its competitors around the $300 price mark such as the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8 and Kodak EasyShare Z712 IS has likely driven Canon's decision to release a new megazoom option in that price class. The PowerShot SX100 IS, which Canon expects to ship in early October for $299, offers some attractions over the S3 IS, but makes some tradeoffs as well.