Kodak announced a new entry-level super-zoom camera today, which looks to be quite basic and affordable.

Kodak EasyShare Z915
(Compact ultra-zoom)

• 10 effective megapixels
• 36 – 360 mm (f2.7 – f4.3) 10X optical zoom lens
• Optical image stabilization
• 2.5 inch LCD
• Smart Capture (automatic scene mode selection)
• VGA movie mode with sound
• Takes SD/SDHC memory cards
• Uses 2 AA batteries
• Available in April for $200
• Comes in your choice of silver, black, blue or red

Hey DPInterface readers, how time flies… it’s Monday again. How about a review of a brand new camera? I’ve just published my review of the Sony Cyber-Shot S950, Sony’s latest 2009 entry-level camera. Do visit the Sony Cyber-Shot S950 photo gallery as well, for full-sized photos. Hit the link for the full review of the camera.

Read the Cyber-shot S950 review...

Here’s the Sony Cyber-shot S950 Photo Gallery containing full-sized pictures taken by the camera. Be sure to check out the Sony Cyber-shot S950 review too.

Continue viewing the S950's photos

Sony announced their latest ultra-zoom camera which succeeds the H50 I reviewed a while back. The new Cyber-shot HX1 features Sony’s Exmor sensor and a “Sony G” lens, which is supposedly of better quality than traditional Sony and Zeiss lenses that has been in past Cyber-shot cameras. I hope to get my hands on this one for review… and I really hope it’s better than the H50.

Sony Cyber-shot HX1
(Ultra-zoom camera)

• 9 effective megapixels (Sony Exmor CMOS)
• 28 – 560 mm (f2.8 – f5.2) 20X optical zoom lens
• Optical image stabilization
• 3 inch tilting LCD
• Intelligent Scene Recognition (automatic scene mode selection)
• Face detection and recognition remembers faces; blink and smile detection
• Sweep Panorama creates a large wide-angle photo by just panning the camera (is it just me or does this make fun of the “2 shot stitch” of the Pentax X70 launched earlier today?)
• Full manual controls
• 10 FPS full-res, brief burst mode (up to 10 photos)
• Non-wide, unconventional “1080p” movie mode (1440 x 1080) with stereo sound
• Takes Memory Stick Duo memory cards
• Uses a lithium-ion battery
• Available in April for $500

Pentax announced their first ever ultra-zoom/prosumer camera today… and it’s just a fixed lens camera – not a hybrid or live view-only digital SLR that rumors and speculation last week were pointing to.

Pentax X70
(Ultra-zoom camera)

• 12 effective megapixels
• 26 – 624 mm (f2.8 – f5.0) 24X optical zoom lens
• Sensor-shift image stabilization
• 2.7 inch LCD
• Auto Picture Mode (aka an automatic scene mode selector)
• Face, smile and blink detection
• Digital wide combines two pictures into a single 20 mm wide photo
• Full manual controls
• HD 720p 15 FPS movie mode with sound
• Takes SD/SDHC memory cards
• Uses a lithium-ion battery
• Available in April for $400

Samsung announced a new NX series concept today; which will be all about interchangeable lens cameras without mirror boxes of traditional digital SLRs (thus a slimmer, smaller design is possible). Last year, Panasonic and Olympus announced the Micro Four Thirds system which does the same thing… so they may be in for some competition this year. So far, this is what Samsung has had to say about this new NX series camera concept:

• They will use an APS-C sized sensor (1.5X crop)
• The mirror box and mirror will be removed in favor of a smaller design; the camera will rely on live view via LCD display, electronic viewfinder, or both
• They plan to release their first NX series/system interchangeable lens camera by the 2nd half of 2009