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Ricoh GRD III packs fixed 28mm F1.9 lens

The Ricoh GRD series of compact cameras have been a popular choice among photographers who want a stealthy point-and-shoot that offers manual focus and exposure control. The Japanese company has updated this line with the GRD III and its optics should appeal to enthusiasts.

The 28mm fixed lens has a maximum aperture of F1.9, and shutterbugs who snap a lot of pictures at night will find this large lens opening useful. Besides the usual JPEG image format, the 10-megapixel camera is able to take RAW pictures, and the 3-inch screen has been upgraded to a higher-resolution 920K-pixel display. Although … Read more

Roundup: Latest cameras from Fujifilm, Olympus

Fujifilm and Olympus have separately announced several new cameras. All of the new models are previewed below.

Fujifilm brings EXR sensor to its megazoom line The replacement for the FinePix S100FS has the same lens but incorporates Fujifilm's latest version of its Super CCD. (Posted in Crave by Lori Grunin) July 21, 2009 9:01 PM PDT

Fujifilm FinePix F70EXR: Souped-up pocket megazoom is mode-alicious The 10x zoom FinePix F70EXR gets new shooting features thanks to its Super CCD EXR sensor. (Posted in Crave by Joshua Goldman) July 21, 2009 9:01 PM PDT

Fujifilm rolls out four tiny cameras with tiny prices … Read more

Latest Olympus FE cameras use microSD

Olympus' trio of Fall FE cameras, the company's budget snapshooters, don't break any new ground but they're shiny and come in bright colors. Most notably, they all offer dual card slots so that your not forced to use Olympus'/Fujifilm's xD-Picture cards. However, instead of using SD, they incorporate microSD; it's fine for phones, where you leave it in, but is really too physically small to be a good media type for devices where you frequently handle it. It's simply too easy to lose.

All three use 12-megapixel sensors and 2.7-inch LCDs, plus … Read more

Shooter fun on rails

Galactic Gunner is a fun, challenging, and well-designed arcade shooter with a quirky sense of humor and excellent production values. You don't pilot a spaceship but instead play the role of a gunner--so in this shooter "on rails," the action unfolds in front of you, as you must quickly tap the screen to shoot at fast-moving targets, whether asteroids, test drones, or enemy turrets and fighters. Not having to control your ship doesn't mean Galactic Gunner isn't challenging: because you're scored on both accuracy and the number of targets destroyed, you have to time … Read more

Budget shopping tips: Point-and-shoot digital cameras

There are so many snapshot cameras available that it can actually be a fairly miserable experience shopping for one. Add in concerns about pricing and you're likely going to continue using your camera phone as your primary point-and-shoot for digital photos.

Finding the right camera at the right price is easier if you start by asking yourself two questions: how will I use the camera and how will I use the photos? These are important for determining what type of user you are and how little you can expect to spend without being disappointed with your choice.

Check out our full digital camera buying guide to help determine what specs will meet your needs. Then, use the tips below for finding the best deal on your new camera. Happy hunting.

Eliminate features There are three key components most people look for when picking a camera: megapixels, LCD size, and zoom range. Current entry-level models start at 10 megapixels for the most part, which is plenty of resolution for snapshot prints of 8x10 or smaller. The common LCD size on these models is 2.5 inches, and they typically have a 3x or 4x zoom. Features on these cameras usually include basic face detection, a dozen scene modes, a low-resolution movie mode, a full automatic mode, and a program auto mode giving you controls for ISO, white balance, light metering, and focus. (Here are some good examples.)

Any additional features start to drive the price up--in other words, they are things used to upsell you to another model. So if you don't think you'll ever want to control shutter speed or aperture settings, don't need a 3.5-inch touch-screen display, you won't be using the movie mode for anything except YouTube clips, or a 10x zoom will get you way closer to your subject than you want to get, feel free to skip them.… Read more

Take to the skies in WWII

iFighter Lite is a fun, free, one-level preview of the upcoming game iFighter, a vertical-scrolling arcade shooter in which you pilot a WWII fighter plane against wave after wave of Nazi tanks, planes, bosses, and other ground and air targets. iFighter's interface lets you control your plane in one of three ways: with a touch directional pad, swiping touch controls, or simply by tilting your iPhone or iPod Touch.

The accelerometer-based controls are by far the best--and they're arguably an improvement over even the controls of iFighter's stand-up arcade predecessors, allowing for quick and precise movements as … Read more

Time is of the essence

Time Crisis Strike Lite is a fun, free preview of the first stage in Time Crisis Strike, an iPhone and iPod Touch adaptation of the classic arcade game series, in which you fight against the forces of the evil mercenary Wild Dog. Like its stand-up arcade forebears, Time Crisis Strike is a "rail shooter"--a first-person shooter in which you are moved from one static fight scene to the next--but instead of pressing a metal pedal to take cover, you tilt your iPhone or iPod Touch forward to duck and reload (or you can change the settings so … Read more

In-browser P2P LittleShoot now supports torrents

Amidst the crowd of peer-to-peer file-sharing options comes an attempt to return file-sharing to its utilitarian roots and away from legal quagmires by emphasizing file-publishing. Free and open-source, LittleShoot is the brainchild of Adam Fisk, a LimeWire developer who wants LittleShoot to be "like Google for files instead of Web pages."

Where most P2P programs are standalone clients, LittleShoot is a browser plug-in like QuickTime or Shockwave that should work with all major browsers. It utilizes an AJAX-based interface at LittleShoot.org to search, publish, and download files. Once you've downloaded and installed the plug-in, it will … Read more

Step right up and test your aim!

Duck Shoot is a fun, free app that simulates a classic carnival duck-shooting booth. In this simple game, you tilt your iPhone or iPod Touch to move your gun's crosshairs and tap the screen to shoot, as duck targets randomly flip up into view. You're trying to shoot as many ducks as you can in the allotted 45 seconds--and to shoot additional targets within three seconds to score bonus points. The gameplay in Duck Shoot is extremely straightforward, but the game's double-bonus blue ducks and penalty cute-baby targets add to its replay value. Duck Shoot's challenging, … Read more