The only announcement to come from Kodak at PMA 2009 was for the EasyShare Z915: a $199.95 pocketable 10-megapixel compact camera with a 10X optical zoom lens and optical image stabilization. It's also powered by two, AA batteries and features a smallish (by today's standards at least) 2.5-inch LCD.
So it's a lot like the Canon PowerShot SX110 IS, except slightly higher resolution and a smaller LCD, but $50 less expensive. Or like the $299 Samsung HZ10W minus the 24mm-equivalent wide-angle lens or the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3, though that one's $399 and features a 28mm lens with 12X optical zoom. Guess this compact megazoom category is more crowded than I thought.
The announcement of the Z915 follows the CES 2009 launch of the Z980 IS, a 12-megapixel dSLR-style shooter with a 24X optical zoom. (Hmmm, could Kodak want a bigger piece of the megazoom market?)
Color options for the Z915 include red, blue, black, and gray (more colors--another differentiator for Kodak in this category). Look for it in April.
On Sale Now: $142.95 - $199.95
View the latest prices for Kodak EasyShare Z915 (red)
On Sale Now: $144.99 - $199.95
View the latest prices for Kodak EasyShare Z915 (blue)
On Sale Now: $129.99 - $199.99
View the latest prices for Kodak EasyShare Z915 (black)
(Credit:
Olympus)
We generally recommend installing the latest firmware updates for your camera, so you can get the most out of your gear. For more information on firmware updates for a specific camera, visit the manufacturer's Web site. Before installing any firmware upgrade, always take the time to read through all of the documentation and follow the manufacturer's instructions carefully.
Canon SLR (single-lens reflex) owners now have an answer to Nikon's 18-200mm ultrazoom--as long as they're willing to buy a non-Canon lens.
Sigma's image-stabilized 18-200mm ultrazoom
(Credit: Sigma)Japanese lensmaker Sigma this week announced it's begun selling its 18-200mm ultrazoom for Canon SLR cameras.
These lenses are flexible, but typically have lower image quality than zoom lenses with narrower ranges or "prime" lenses with a fixed focal length. They're convenient, though, and often are called "vacation lenses" because they're popular with people who don't want to carry a big, heavy bag of better lenses.
Sigma's new lens is available for Canon cameras now; later models will arrive for Nikon and Sigma's own SLR cameras.
There aren't any optical tests yet for the Sigma lens to compare it to the Nikon, but a little compare-and-contrast with the rest of the specs:
• Sigma's costs $820 compared with about $750 for Nikon's.
• Both lenses have image stabilization technology, called optical stabilization (OS) in Sigma's case and vibration reduction (VR) in Nikon's. Nikon says its second-generation technology will give four F-stops of improvement, meaning that a person who can take steady images at 1/125 second without VR can shoot at 1/8 second with it. (Even if your camera is steady, moving subjects still are blurry, though.) Sigma is mum about the gains from its OS technology.
Nikon's 18-200mm ultrazoom
(Credit: Nikon)• Both have a maximum aperture of F/3.5 at 18mm, but close down to F/5.6 at maximum extension, inflicting relatively slow shutter speeds when zoomed in all the way.
• Both are geared for SLRs with the smaller image sensor that appears on the majority of SLRs, meaning they're ill-suited for Canon's full-frame high-end SLRs or Nikon's equivalent, if they ever choose to release one.
• To counteract chromatic aberration, which causes smeary colors as different frequencies of light take different paths through lens optics, Sigma's lens has one special-low-dispersion glass element and three aspheric elements. Nikon's has two extra-low-dispersion and three aspheric elements.
• Sigma's focuses as close as 45cm (17.7 inches), compared with 50cm (19.7 inches).
Kodak's Z1275 with 2.5-inch LCD screen
(Credit: Eastman Kodak)In addition to its new M series of budget compact cameras, Kodak announced an ultrazoom compact and a high-megapixel compact for its Z series line of digital cameras on Tuesday.
Both cameras, set to be available this August for about $249, have Kodak's digital-image stabilization feature to assist with camera shake.
Kodak's Z1275 offers an impressive 12 megapixels for $249. (In this price range, 10 megapixels is on the better side of average.)
The Z1275 has a 2.5-inch LCD screen and will stitch together photos for one panoramic, a fun feature to have on board. It also has 64MB of internal memory in addition to an SDHC/SD/MMC card slot.
Kodak's ZD710
(Credit: Eastman Kodak)For what it's worth, Kodak claims that this camera has an ISO sensitivity of up to 1,600, with a 3,200 boost, depending on which mode you are shooting in and the size of the photo.
The ZD710, as the name and body suggests, is the obvious predecessor to the Kodak Z710 as it also has a 10x optical-zoom lens that offers the 38mm to 380mm (35mm equivalent) range.
Unlike the Z710, however, which we at CNET complained had no optical image stabilization and an ISO of only 400 with an 800 boost, the new ZD710 does have Kodak's digital-image stabilization and offers an ISO up to 1,600.
While digital-image stabilization is not the same as optical-image stabilization, it's a start.
Kodak's ZD710 with 2-inch LCD screen
(Credit: Eastman Kodak)The ZD710 also comes with the typical SDHC/SD/MMC memory card slot, scene modes, color modes, video capability and shooting modes for partial manual control typical of a camera in this class.
As is the problem on many of these cameras caught between the compact and dSLR worlds, the ZD710 has only a 2-inch LCD screen in order to fit in a control wheel.
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