Sure, you know what cameras you like reading about, but if you've been wondering what ones other CNET readers have spent the past year obsessing over, well, then, here you go.
Based on your clicks since January 1, 2009, the list is full of older models (shocking, I know), which have been reviewed and reside on one of our top products lists and holiday gift guide.
There were no real surprises, though I may have personally underestimated how much CNET readers love themselves some megazooms. Sub-$1,000 dSLRs fill the majority of the list, but one of my favorite sub-$200 compacts is on there, too.
See the slideshow below for a breakdown of the top 10 most popular--and still available--cameras as well as three 2008 models that would have made the list if they weren't deceased.
Update: A reader tipped me off that two of the deceased cameras--the SD880 IS and A590 IS--are currently available as refurbs through Canon's direct-sale store.
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(Credit:
Samsung)
If there weren't already three cameras available using the same wide-angle 26mm-equivalent lens with a 24x zoom, the announcement of the Samsung HZ25W would be a little more interesting. It doesn't seem to bring anything terribly new to the category either, making it an also-ran in a race of fairly mediocre cameras.
I'm not saying Samsung's entry isn't worth considering, just that it's more than fashionably late and brought the same bag of pretzels to the party that Nikon, Kodak, and Pentax did. Hell, Samsung even brought the same brand as Kodak by using a Schneider-Kreuznach lens.
Specifications include:
- 12 megapixels
- 24x, f2.8-5.0, 26-624mm-equivalent lens
- 3-inch LCD and an electronic viewfinder
- 720p HD movie capture (H.264)
- Dual image stabilization
- Raw support
- Full manual, shutter-speed priority, aperture priority modes
The Canon PowerShot S90 is the little camera made for pros
(Credit: Joshua Goldman/CNET)Yes, there was great disappointment that no new digital SLRs were announced by Canon on Wednesday--only PowerShots. However, I was not one of the disappointed as I love point-and-shoot cameras of all shapes, sizes, and capabilities. And Canon delivered exactly that.
Though the SX20 IS and SX120 IS are only minor upgrades to their predecessors, the G11, SD980 IS, and SD940 IS all have major tweaks separating them from their previous iterations.
What was probably supposed to be the big "oh wow" camera, however, was the reintroduction of the PowerShot S series in the form of the S90. Based off of the high-end functionality of the PowerShot G-series cameras, it has several cool features including a 28mm-equivalent wide-angle f/2.0 lens with a 3.8x optical zoom, a customizable control ring around the lens for easy access and operation of manual or other shooting settings, and RAW+JPEG capture--all in a body that can fit right in your pocket.
Read more about the cameras and check out some hands-on photos in the slide shows below.
Lastly, in case you're more into camcorders than cameras, Canon announced one new HD model, the HF S11.
... Read more
Panasonic overhauls the insides of its popular FZ28 megazoom with the Lumix DMC-FZ35: higher resolution, improved optical image stabilizer, faster AF, and a new movie codec.
In addition to the same 1/2.33-inch 12-megapixel sensor found in models launched this spring, such as the TS1, the camera uses the new Power OIS, optimized for low-frequency handshake, which, according to Panasonic, adds 2 stops of shake reduction and is most effective in low light. There's also a new high-speed AF system that is twice as fast as the old, according to the company. The lens is the same 18x f2.8-4.4 27-486mm-equivalent as the old model.
Though the FZ28 supported 720p movie capture, the FZ35 updates it to use the more efficient AVCHD Lite codec, which also supports stereo sound. Like the GH1, and unlike many competitors, the FZ35 will let you adjust shutter speed and aperture for movie recording.
Oddly, Panasonic makes a big deal about the FZ35's "extended battery life of approximately 470 pictures"--but the FZ28 is CIPA rated at 460 pictures, a pretty trivial increase.
Slated to ship in mid August, the Lumix DMC-FZ35 will cost $399.
(Credit:
Panasonic)
Every round of releases from Panasonic's digital camera division gets more interesting. Case in point, the very compact 12-megapixel Lumix ZR1 features a 25-200mm-equivalent lens with an 8x zoom. The extended zoom is courtesy of a new aspherical lens design for digital cameras that makes the elements just 0.3-millimeter thick. This allows for a 1-inch body depth and a weight of 5.6 ounces with battery and SD/SDHC card.
According to Panasonic, the camera is very fast because of a revamped high-speed auto focus system and a start-up time of only 1.1 seconds (very good for a longzoom camera).
The ZR1 also features a 2.7-inch LCD, a battery life lasting up to 330 pictures on a single charge, and Panasonic's latest Power Optical Image Stabilizer (O.I.S.) that doubles the repression power of its MEGA O.I.S. system.
A couple of newer shooting options are thrown in as well, including its face recognition system, High Dynamic mode for evening exposure of scenes that are bright and dark, and a Travel mode that lets you organize photos with destination, time, and date. This seems like a good snapshot camera for traveling, so that last feature makes a lot of sense.
The Lumix DMC-ZR1 has a suggested retail price of $279.95 and will be available in September 2009 in black, red, blue, and silver.
The new Fujifilm S200EXR megazoom
(Credit: Fujifilm)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
While a lot of the exciting new features and designs come to point-and-shoots above $200, most of the buying happens at and below that price points. So while these four new models from Fujifilm aren't exciting, they are inexpensive, look decent, and have the requisite specs and features for their class.
(Posted in Crave by Joshua Goldman)
July 21, 2009 9:01 PM PDT
The Olympus FE-5020 shows off its slim profile
(Credit: Olympus)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 you're not forced to use Olympus'/Fujifilm's xD-Picture cards.
(Posted in Crave by Lori Grunin)
July 21, 2009 9:00 PM PDT
What's long, wide, and thin and takes xD cards? (Answer: The Olympus Stylus-7010)
In case you haven't been paying attention, the gotta-have-it trend in compact cameras is a wide-angle, long-zoom lens, such as the one in the 1-inch-thick Olympus Stylus-7010. Available in August in a choice of dark gray, silver, or pink, the 7010 has just about every feature we look for in a pocket camera in its class.
(Posted in Crave by Joshua Goldman)
July 21, 2009 9:00 PM PDT
(Credit:
Fujifilm Corp.)
A bit lighter, a bit smaller, and with an improved sensor, the Fujifilm S200EXR replaces the S100FS at the top of the company's megazoom line. Though it uses the same lens as its predecessor--the effective focal lengths differ because of the differences in sensor size--the new model incoporates Fujifilms latest generation of sensor, dubbed Super CCD EXR, which debuted in the F200EXR. (The S200EXR has the same sensor-related features, such as High Resolution Priority, D-Range Priority, High ISO & Low Noise Priority, and Auto EXR modes, which you can read about in the F200EXR review.)
Here's how it stacks up to some of the competition:
| Fujifilm FinePix S200EXR | Fujifilm FinePix S100FS | Canon PowerShot SX1 IS | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1 | |
| Sensor | 12-megapixel Super CCD EXR | 11.1-megapixel Super CCD HR | 10-megapixel CMOS | 9.1-megapixel Exmor CMOS |
| 1/1.6-inch | 1/2.3-inch | 1/2.3-inch | 1/2.4-inch | |
| Lens | f2.8-5.3 30.5-436mm (14.3x) | f2.8-5.3 28-400mm (14.3x) | f2.8-5.7 28-560mm (20x) | f2.8-5.2 28-560mm (20x) |
| Stabilization | Optical | Optical | Optical | Optical |
| LCD | 230,000 pixels, 2.7-inch fixed | 230,000 pixels, 2.5-inch fixed | 230,000 pixels, 2.7-inch articulated | 230,400 pixels, 3.0-inch tilting |
| Max ISO sensitivity at full resolution | ISO 3200 | ISO 3200 | ISO 1600 | ISO 3200 |
| Movie capture | VGA 30fps | VGA 30fps | 1,920 x 1,080 30fps | 1,440 x 1,080 30fps |
| Battery | Proprietary Lithium Ion | Proprietary Lithium Ion | 4 AA size | Proprietary Lithium Ion |
| Dimensions (inches, WHD) | 5.3 x 3.7 x 5.7 | 5.3 x 3.7 x 5.9 | 5.0 x 3.5 x 3.5 | 4.6 x 3.4 x 3.6 |
| Weight | 29.5 (empty) | 32.4 (empty) | 23.7 (actual) | 17.7 (actual) |
| Mfr. pricing and availability | $599.95; August | $699.00; now | $599.99; now | $499.99; now |
The body remains very similar to the S100FS. Fujifilm takes a leaf out of Sony's book with its Pro Low-light mode, which snaps a burst of frames and combines them into a single lower-noise image, plus adds a Pro Focus mode which merges several photos and defocuses the background to simulate a shallow depth of field. The newer model also supports raw+JPEG shooting.
(Credit:
Fujifilm Corp.)
Given the relatively high price, you're paying a lot for the sensor performance, because the S200EXR can't keep up on the other features. Though it has a full set of manual and semimanual exposure options like its predecessor, its movie capture specs are pretty disappointing--monoaural VGA without zoom capability--and the LCD is fixed.
Still, photo quality has traditionally been the weakest aspect of megazoom cameras, so it'll be interesting to see how it compares in that respect to the current crop.
Click for larger view
(Credit: Olympus)In case you haven't been paying attention, the gotta-have-it trend in compact cameras is a wide-angle, longzoom lens, such as the one in the 1-inch-thick Olympus Stylus-7010. Available in August in a choice of dark gray, silver, or pink, the 7010 has just about every feature I look for in a pocket camera in its class:
- 12 megapixels
- 7x f3-5.9 28-196mm-equivalent lens
- 2.7-inch LCD
- Dual image stabilization
- xD memory cards (microSD with adapter)
- VGA movie capture
- 3.8 inches by 2.2 inches by 1 inches (WHD)
The lack of HD movie capture and its dependence on xD cards are really the only letdowns. Beyond those enticing specs though, the Stylus-7010 differentiates itself with AF tracking so the camera keeps a moving subject in focus; digital filters--Pop Art, Pin Hole, and Fish-Eye--for creating some custom looks in the camera; contrast compensation for pulling out shadow detail; and an in-camera panorama mode. The camera also has a new Olympus Recommended button (OR) that's used for activating these and other features fast.
It's certainly a feature-filled little camera for the reasonable street price of $199.99. Even if its photo quality is merely decent, the Olympus Stylus-7010 may be a standout in a now crowded field of wide-angle, longzoom pocket cameras.
(Credit:
Casio)
Casio joined the list of manufacturers with a pocketable megazoom Thursday with the announcement of the EX-H10. In retail around mid-July, the $299.99 12-megapixel camera is fronted by a wide-angle 24mm lens with a 10x zoom with CCD-shift image stabilization in a body that's 0.96 inch thick and weighs only 5.8 ounces. Even more impressive, though, is Casio's battery life claim of a 1,000 shots on a single charge.
That number comes courtesy of low-energy requirements of the the multi-CPU Exilim Engine 4.0 circuitry and operational controls coupled with a high-capacity battery. Usage is based on CIPA standards calculated with the LCD monitor on; a full zoom back and forth every 30 seconds; the flash used every two shots; and the power cycled every 10 shots.
Underneath it all it's still a typical Casio camera, too, with a gazillion Best Shot scene modes (OK, just 38, but that's still a ridiculous amount), high-speed shutter continuous shooting, and 720p HD movie capture at 24fps.
... Read moreThis is a test clip of some birds that I took using the Casio Exilim EX-FH20's high-speed video capture. (I know it's not the most exciting clip in the world, unless you're into watching 6 minutes of birds bathing in public, you sicko.) This feature is really pretty cool (as is the camera's 40-frame-per-second shooting speed), though I'm still on the fence about how much someone would actually use it after the initial "wow, this is cool" phase.
But Casio deserves credit for pulling off the high-speed shooting features on the Exilim EX-FH20 at its sub-$500 price. It really makes me look forward to testing the two less-expensive Casio Exilim ultracompacts with these features, the EX-FC100 and the EX-FS10. Unfortunately, the photo quality on the FH20 seems to have taken a back seat to its speedy shooting, and usability isn't too great, either.
