Compact Camera News

Ricoh Imaging Americas just unveiled the Ricoh GR II Silver Edition compact camera to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the founding of Ricoh Company, Ltd. This exclusive package consists of a silver-color edition of the GR II premium digital compact camera (launched in July 2015) and an exclusively designed camera case.

Phew, what a busy month it’s been for new photo gear! While the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas has not, traditionally, been a major event to debut high-end photography equipment, CES 2016 was definitely an exception with dozens of interesting imaging releases. (And hopefully this is a trend that continues at future CES events, which, in recent years have been rather ho-hum for photography gear.)

Leica Camera just introduced its first underwater camera: the Leica X-U (Typ 113). Designed to be durable, rugged and easy to use, the Leica X-U is waterproof, shock-resistant, winterized and dust-sealed. The camera is designed for outdoor and underwater photo adventures, travel and landscape photography (even in full HD video)..

Less than a month after Acme marketed what they unofficially considered their finest camera ever, I was having lunch with a particularly accomplished professional photographer. “I just got the camera,” he said. “I love it! It’s amazing! I can’t wait to see what Acme’ll do next!”

Panasonic just unveiled the new 20-megapixel Lumix DMC-ZS100 premium compact camera at CES 2016 in Las Vegas, NV. Panasonic squeezes quite a few features into this  pocket-sized Lumix ZS100 including a 10x zoom, the Venus processor and a 1-inch MOS sensor. We had some hands-on time with the Panasonic Lumix ZS100 ahead of the launch and have included the image of the camera at the top of this story.

Olympus just introduced the new Stylus Tough TG-870, a premium rugged compact camera built to capture quality photos and video in challenging shooting situations. The Olympus Stylus Tough TG-870 is filled with features, including a class-leading ultra wide-angle 21mm (equivalent) lens with 5x optical zoom, allowing users the ability to frame everything from dramatic landscapes to group shots.

When I first heard about the Canon PowerShot G3 X ($999), I fully expected that I was going to hate it. Could there really be a good reason for someone to buy a compact camera stuffed with a 25x (24-600mm equivalent) zoom lens? After all, how often does the average photographer go from wide angle to superzoom to warrant the size and weight that a lens like that requires?