Compact Camera News

Ricoh just officially launched the GR III, the latest model in the company’s cult classic compact camera series. The Ricoh GR III is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand or a pants pocket but sports a large, 24.24MP APS-C size CMOS sensor comparable to what you’d find in some DSLRs and mirrorless cameras.

Ricoh just announced two new models in their popular GR lineup of streetwise cameras. The new GR III HDF and GR IIIx HDF compacts feature a Highlight Diffusion Filter shooting mode that diffuses highlights, adding a softened halo effect to point sources of light and an overall soft blur to the edges of other highlight areas. Other enhancements include…

I recently received a ruggedized WG-50 compact camera from Ricoh and immediately embarked upon a challenging, thorny photographic adventure—the likes of which you can’t imagine. I emerged with just a few scratches—although it does look like I’ve lost some blood. I can’t reveal the location of this treacherous place for fear that others might be tempted to defy this danger—but I can tell you this much: it’s no bed of roses.

Nikon COOLPIX L830
The COOLPIX L830 is an ergonomically designed high-ratio zoom camera with a 3” high-resolution tilt LCD monitor. It features a 34x optical zoom range plus a 68x Dynamic Fine Zoom (an enhanced type of digital zoom) range and a 16MP backside illuminated (BSI) CMOS sensor. It records Full HD (1080p) video, even in low light, and reduces the danger of camera shake with the aid of the Lens-shift Vibration Reduction (VR) system. The L830 model’s intelligent features include Easy Auto mode and Smart Portrait System as well as 18 Scene modes and a selection of special effects. The model is available in black and red and has a retail price of $299.95.

SeaLife, the creator of the first digital underwater camera and a leader in underwater photography equipment, has unveiled the new Micro HD camera, a permanently sealed underwater compact camera. SeaLife’s Perma-Seal technology makes the Micro HD waterproof and virtually maintenance-free. This is the first of a series of SeaLife cameras that will utilize the Perma-Seal technology for a wide range of users, from beginners to advanced photographers and divers.

Unless you're shooting with a full-frame camera, crop factor is an important issue in a variety of ways. And to complicate matters, there are a variety of crop factors to consider, whether you're using an APS-C model, a high-end compact, a superzoom camera, or a pocket camera of various types.

The primary emphasis was on D-SLRs during the photokina 2008 show, but many new digicams with integral lenses were introduced, including some inexpensive models strictly for quick snapshooting. While those may find eager buyers, I’ll concentrate on cameras intended for the photo enthusiast. In these categories, only a few trends became obvious, starting with resolution: 13- and 14-megapixel...