Camera News
New Pocket Camera Shootout
Evan Powell — April 24, 2012
Canon has been a major force in the pocket camera world, and the Canon S100 released last fall has been the undisputed king. But with the new Nikon P310 now shipping, Nikon tries to knock the S100 off its throne. Not to be outdone, competition from the Panasonic LX-5, the Olympus XZ-1, and the Samsung TL500 makes for a fascinating shootout that has just been posted.
MORE CAMERA NEWS
NEW POCKET SUPERZOOMS
Everyone wants 20x zoom power in their pocket so this new niche in the camera world is hot as a pistol. Several new models just started shipping in March, and most makers now have a contender in the pocket superzoom class. A six-camera shootout will be posted soon that includes:
NEW WATERPROOF CAMERAS
When we completed the testing of the rugged waterproofs two months ago, the Panasonic TS3 came in at the top of the heap. But Panasonic is now shipping the new TS4. Canon is (in theory) re-entering the niche with the Powershot D20. The D20 was supposed to ship at the end of March, but so far there is no sign of it. We are not going to wait for it. The TS4 update will appear shortly, and if Canon ever ships the D20 we'll do another update at that time.
NEW MIRRORLESS CAMERAS
At the moment, the Sony NEX-5N is the best mirrorless camera available today in the $600 to $1000 price range. Dick recently added the Samsung NX200 to the Best Mirrorless shootout, but the Sony 5N still retains top honors. The Panasonic GX1 is about to be added as well. The impressive Pentax K-01 which just started shipping last month is currently being tested. We will see if it can knock the Sony NEX-5N out of its current first place position.
NEW SUPERZOOM/BRIDGE CAMERAS
Our recent Superzoom shootout found the Panasonic DMC-FZ150 to be the best camera among all superzooms under $500. But the Nikon P510 (42x zoom) and the Fujifilm HS30EXR (30x zoom) have now hit the market, so we are working on a update to this shootout that includes these two models. When the results are complete we will see if the Panasonic FZ150 retains its title as the best camera in the superzoom niche.
NEW PREMIUM DSLRs: NIKON vs. CANON
Big drama in premium class DSLRs. Nikon made a magnificent competitive move against Canon with the release of the D800 (36 MP, $3,000 body only). Canon responded by releasing the EOS 5D Mark III (22 MP, $3,700 body only). Odd thing is, until now Canon has been pushing megapixels while Nikon has been claiming megapixels are not relevant to picture quality at this resolution. The tables are now turned. Our head-to-head shootout between these two DSLR titans is scheduled. Our 5D Mark III has arrived, and the D800 has not. We'll have a better idea when this shootout will happen once the D800 shows up.
LYTRO LIGHT FIELD CAMERA
The so-called "camera you don't have to focus" just began shipping last month, but it looks like a flash in the pan that will amount to nothing. If you’ve followed the overhyping of this new camera technology for the past year, it may be no surprise that the reality is not so exciting. Here's the scoop.
Evan Powell
Editor
NEW POCKET SUPERZOOMS
Everyone wants 20x zoom power in their pocket so this new niche in the camera world is hot as a pistol. Several new models just started shipping in March, and most makers now have a contender in the pocket superzoom class. A six-camera shootout will be posted soon that includes:
- Canon SX260 HS, 12 MP, 20x zoom
- FujiFilm F770EXR, 16 MP, 20x zoom
- Nikon S3900, 16 MP, 18x zoom
- Panasonic DMC-ZS20, 14 MP, 20x zoom
- Pentax Optio VS20, 16 MP, 20x zoom
- Sony Cyber-shot DSC-DX10V, 18 MP, 16x zoom
NEW WATERPROOF CAMERAS
When we completed the testing of the rugged waterproofs two months ago, the Panasonic TS3 came in at the top of the heap. But Panasonic is now shipping the new TS4. Canon is (in theory) re-entering the niche with the Powershot D20. The D20 was supposed to ship at the end of March, but so far there is no sign of it. We are not going to wait for it. The TS4 update will appear shortly, and if Canon ever ships the D20 we'll do another update at that time.
NEW MIRRORLESS CAMERAS
At the moment, the Sony NEX-5N is the best mirrorless camera available today in the $600 to $1000 price range. Dick recently added the Samsung NX200 to the Best Mirrorless shootout, but the Sony 5N still retains top honors. The Panasonic GX1 is about to be added as well. The impressive Pentax K-01 which just started shipping last month is currently being tested. We will see if it can knock the Sony NEX-5N out of its current first place position.
NEW SUPERZOOM/BRIDGE CAMERAS
Our recent Superzoom shootout found the Panasonic DMC-FZ150 to be the best camera among all superzooms under $500. But the Nikon P510 (42x zoom) and the Fujifilm HS30EXR (30x zoom) have now hit the market, so we are working on a update to this shootout that includes these two models. When the results are complete we will see if the Panasonic FZ150 retains its title as the best camera in the superzoom niche.
NEW PREMIUM DSLRs: NIKON vs. CANON
Big drama in premium class DSLRs. Nikon made a magnificent competitive move against Canon with the release of the D800 (36 MP, $3,000 body only). Canon responded by releasing the EOS 5D Mark III (22 MP, $3,700 body only). Odd thing is, until now Canon has been pushing megapixels while Nikon has been claiming megapixels are not relevant to picture quality at this resolution. The tables are now turned. Our head-to-head shootout between these two DSLR titans is scheduled. Our 5D Mark III has arrived, and the D800 has not. We'll have a better idea when this shootout will happen once the D800 shows up.
LYTRO LIGHT FIELD CAMERA
The so-called "camera you don't have to focus" just began shipping last month, but it looks like a flash in the pan that will amount to nothing. If you’ve followed the overhyping of this new camera technology for the past year, it may be no surprise that the reality is not so exciting. Here's the scoop.
Evan Powell
Editor
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