Well, Samsung did announce two ‘compact’ super-zoom cameras earlier this year, the HZ10W/WB500 and HZ15W/WB550 cameras but today, they finally took the wraps off their first ultra-zoom camera. The new Samsung WB5000 packs a 24X zoom lens, a RAW mode, HD movie recording and more.

Samsung WB5000
(Super-zoom camera)

• 12.5 effective megapixels
• 26 – 624 mm (f2.8 – f5.0) 24X optical zoom lens
• Optical image stabilization
• 3 inch LCD with EVF
• Smart Album and Smart Auto modes
• Face and smile detection
• Full manual controls with RAW mode
• 720p 30 FPS movie mode with stereo sound
• Takes SD/SDHC memory cards
• Uses a lithium-ion battery
• Available in later this month for $400

Canon just announced their new mid-range digital SLR today, the fabled EOS 7D. As it turns out, the camera isn’t really a “full frame 5D Mark II Lite” as many had hoped for, but instead sits between the EOS 50D and EOS 1D Mark III models (which are APS-C and APS-H crop models respectively).

The new EOS 7D actually sits closer to its 1D-cousin in terms of ‘main features’ (ie burst mode, viewfinder, dual processors). So, you could look at it as a “mini EOS 1D Mark III” or “big step-up from the EOS 50D”.

Canon EOS 7D
(Mid-range SLR camera)

• 18 megapixel CMOS sensor (APS-C, 1.6X crop factor)
• Canon EF/EF-S lens mount
• Dual DIGIC IV processors
• Dust reduction
• 3 inch super-high resolution LCD (920k pixels)
• 100% viewfinder coverage with 1.0X magnification (wow, that’s huge)
• Shutter life rated at 150,000 actuations
• 19 point AF; 8 are dual cross-type sensors
• Live view with contrast detection autofocus
• Electronic level indicator (so you can take straight landscape photos)
• On-board flash; covers as wide as 24 mm and with built-in wireless control
• ISO range of 100 – 6400 (expandable to ISO 50 – 25600)
• Auto Lighting optimizer (brightens pictures) and vignetting correction
• Full manual controls with RAW mode and flash hotshoe
• 8 FPS burst mode up to 94 JPEG or 15 RAW photos
• 1080p (1920 x 1080) movie mode with sound; optional external microphone and seletable frame rate (24, 25 or 30 FPS)
• Compact Flash (Type I/II) memory card slot; UDMA enabled
• Uses a lithium-ion battery (LP-E6, same as 5D Mark II)
• Available in late September for $1700 (body only) or $1900 (with EF 28-135 mm IS lens)

Canon also revealed the successor to their 5-year old EF-S 17-85 mm, f3.5-f5.6 IS ‘walkaround lens’ today. It’s the new EF-S 15-85 mm, f3.5-f5.6 IS lens! This new lens covers a versatile 24-136 mm in 35 mm terms, has optical image stabilization and will be available in October for $700.

Next up is another walkaround EF-S lens, the EF-S 18-135 mm, f3.5-f5.6 IS – which would equal to 29-216 mm (35 mm equivalent). This lens will retail for $500 in September.

The third new lens for today is the EF 100 mm f2.8L IS Macro. This new 100 mm macro lens can take 1:1 lifesize photos, fits all EOS cameras (unlike EF-S lenses) and has a 9-blade aperture diagram and Canon’s new Hybrid image stabilizer (which compensates for more ’shake’ motions). Like its non-L counterpart, it also features internal focusing, full-time manual focus and a USM drive for quick and silent focusing. The EF 100 mm f2.8L IS Macro will sell alongside (not replace) the existing EF 100 mm f2.8 Macro and will be available in September for $1050.

Olympus discretely announced their new entry-level E600 digital SLR today. The E600 is a whole lot like the E620 we reviewed earlier this year, minus three Art Filters, Multiple Exposure, multi aspect ratios and backlit controls. Naturally, the E600 also has a lower price tag tacked onto it. Personally, I think there’s a lot going for this camera – it’s essentially the E620 with a lower price tag and missing three firmware features (which you can essentially perform using computer software like Photoshop). But if you’re stuck between this and the E620, you can check out our Olympus E620 review to see if you really need those four extra things on the E620.

Olympus E600
(Entry-level digital SLR)

• 12.3 effective megapixels (LiveMOS sensor)
• Four Thirds system lens mount (2x crop factor)
• Sensor shift image stabilization
• SuperSonic Wave Filter dust removal
• 2.7 inch rotating LCD
• TruePic III PLUS imaging processor
• Full manual controls with RAW mode and hotshoe
• Built-in wireless flash control
• 7 point AF
• NO backlit controls
• Three Art Filters: Pop Art, Soft Focus and Pinhole (the E620 has six Art Filters)
• Optical viewfinder with 95% coverage and 0.96X magnification
• Live view; with contrast detect AF, Perfect Shot Preview and face detection
• 4 FPS burst mode
• NO movie mode
• Dual memory card slots: Compact Flash card (Type I and II) and xD-Picture card
  Camera can take advantage of high-speed UDMA-enabled CF cards
• Uses BLS-1 lithium-ion battery
• Available in November for $600 with 14-42 mm kit lens

Sony’s response to their new digital SLR announcements ‘lacking video’ is just in. According to Mark Weir from Sony Electronic’s Digital Imaging group, they want to concentrate more on ’still image quality’ and are still working on perfecting HD video technology for SLRs (they mention continuous AF and exposure control while recording video). And there you have it folks… in a way, this is a good thing – digital SLRs aren’t exactly video cameras and are better off taking high quality still pictures.

On another note: It seems that the A500, A550 and A850 cameras are the last announcements from Sony’s Alpha SLR division for the year 2009 (camera makers usually can’t/don’t pump out a lot of SLR models in a year, and Sony have already announced a total of six Alpha cameras this year)… maybe we’ll see movie modes on Sony Alpha models of 2010 or something.

Sony finally unveiled their new Alpha A850 today. The Sony Alpha A850 is the latest ‘affordable’ full-frame digital SLR in the market. Apparently Sony wants more recruits joining their Alpha SLR system and so the price tag of the camera is EVEN lower than anticipated. Yup, this full-frame camera can be had for just $2000, new.

Besides a slower burst mode (3 FPS) and slightly less viewfinder coverage (down 2% from the A900), the Alpha A850 is otherwise the same as the A900 and a good chunk cheaper. It also turns out that Sony chose to retain the dual image processors of the A900 on the new Alpha A850 (as opposed to the ’single processor’ speculation before the camera became official today)

Sony Alpha A850
(Full frame digital SLR)

• 24.6 effective megapixels (CMOS, Full frame sensor)
• Sony lens mount (compatible with Minolta ones too, DT lenses are subjected to 1.5X crop factor to 11 MP)
• Dust reduction
• In-body sensor-shift image stabilization
• Dual Bionz imaging processors
• 3 inch super-high resolution LCD (920,000 pixels)
• 98% viewfinder with 0.74X magnification (A900 had same magnification but 100% coverage)
• No on-board flash
• No live view; camera can take a ’sampling shot’ instead to preview various exposure, dynamic range and white balance effects
• 3 FPS burst mode (versus 5 FPS on Alpha A900)
• Full manual controls with RAW mode and hotshoe
• 9 point AF with 10 extra assist sensors (center is dual cross type)
• No movie mode
• About the same size and weight as the Alpha 900
• Dual memory card slots for Compact Flash (supports Type I/II and UDMA enabled cards) and Memory Stick Duo
• Uses a lithium-ion battery (NP-FM500H, same as Alpha 700 and Alpha 900)
• Available in September for $2000 (body only)

Next up are two new almost-midrange digital SLR cameras. The Sony Alpha 500 and Alpha 550 are step ups from the A3xx series. Both of them retain the ‘2nd sensor in viewfinder chamber’ for live view autofocus/preview, tilt-able LCD and 9 point AF from the A3xx series but feature new CMOS sensors, better viewfinder specifications, more external controls (buttons), faster burst modes and a new auto HDR mode over their A3xx counterparts. Sony also claims an improvement in image quality in these two cameras as they feature new image sensors and better noise reduction.

Sony Alpha A500/Alpha A550
(Mid-range digital SLRs)

• Alpha A500: 12.3 effective megapixels (APS-C CMOS sensor, 1.5X crop)
  Alpha A550: 14.2 effective megapixels (APS-C CMOS sensor, 1.5X crop)
• Sony/Minolta lens mount (1.5X crop factor))
• Dust reduction
• In-body sensor-shift image stabilization
• 3 inch tiltable LCD with two separate hinges for tilting
  Alpha A500: LCD has 230,000 pixels
  Alpha A550: LCD has 921,600 pixels
• 95% viewfinder with 0.80X magnification
• ISO speed range of 200 – 12800
• Live view uses secondary CCD sensor inside viewfinder chamber
• Auto HDR (High dynamic range) takes two pictures and combines them into one
• 5 FPS (optical viewfinder) or 4 FPS (live view) burst mode
  Alpha A550 only: Speed burst goes up to 7 FPS
• Full manual controls with RAW mode and hotshoe
• 9 point AF
• No movie mode
• About the same size and weight as the Alpha 900
• Dual memory card slots for SD/SDHC and Memory Stick Duo
• Uses a lithium-ion battery (NP-FM500H)
• Alpha A500: Available in October for $750 (body only) or $850 (18-55 mm lens kit)
  Alpha A550: Available in October for $950 (body only) or $1050 (18-55 mm lens kit)

In addition to the three new digital SLR cameras today, Sony also announced two new lenses. The new Sony full-frame 28 – 75 mm, f2.8 SAM lens will be available for $800 in November while the crop sensor-oriented Sony DT 30 mm, f2.8 SAM lens will go for a more affordable $200.

If you’ve been waiting since PMA 2009 for plenty of cameras to ogle at, today’s your day. Canon just unveiled SIX (!) new digital cameras today, including the much-awaited successor to the G10, the PowerShot G11, along with a pleasant surprise – the S-series of ‘mini G’ cameras is back with the PowerShot S90.

First off is the new PowerShot G11, Canon’s latest prosumer camera. Canon seems to be backing out of the megapixel race with this camera since they probably know photo enthusiasts aren’t easily fooled by insane, ever-increasing megapixel counts (usually accompanied by an increase in noise, decrease in burst speed and little to no ‘real’ resolution advantage). Canon has opted to fit the new G11 with a 10 megapixel CCD (versus 2008’s G10 14.7 megapixel CCD). With the new image sensor (and despite it not being a CMOS) along with improved noise processing, Canon claims that the PowerShot G11 will be able to out-perform its predecessor in terms of noise by two stops.

Next up is the Canon PowerShot S90, which is essentially the ‘mini G11′ (a little refresher: the S-series have always been the ’smaller and lighter’ versions of their G-series counterparts). The S90 features the same sensor as the Canon G11, a brand new 3.8X lens (that starts at a bright f2.0!), full manual controls, RAW mode and 3 inch LCD stuffed into a body that’s closer to Canon’s Digital ELPHs in terms of form-factor, size and design. Naturally, the S90 will most likely perform as well as the Canon G11, seeing they share the same image sensor and supposedly, noise reduction algorithms.

Canon PowerShot G11
(Prosumer compact camera)

• 10 effective megapixels
• 28 – 140 mm (f2.8 – f4.5) 5X optical zoom lens
• Optical image stabilization
• 2.8 inch rotating LCD (460,000 pixels); optical viewfinder available
• Full manual controls with RAW mode and hotshoe
• Canon claims improved image quality with its anti-noise system (sensor and processing will give the G11 a 2 stop noise advantage over its predecessor)
• Similar ‘retro’ body design to 2009’s G10
• VGA 30 FPS movie mode with sound (Disappointed yet, movie fans?)
• Takes SD/SDHC memory cards
• Uses a lithium-ion battery (390 shot battery life)
• Available in October for $500

Canon PowerShot S90
(Prosumer compact camera)

• 10 effective megapixels
• 28 – 105 mm (f2.0 – f4.9) 3.8X optical zoom lens
• Optical image stabilization
• 3 inch LCD (460,000 pixels)
• Lens control ring (the rim around the lens) can be used to adjust zoom or assigned to camera settings
• Full manual controls with RAW mode
• VGA 30 FPS movie mode with sound
• Takes SD/SDHC memory cards
• Uses a lithium-ion battery
• Available in October for $430

On the other hand, the more consumer oriented PowerShot SX20 IS ups the megapixel count to 12 while keeping the 20X super zoom lens, full manual controls and body design of the SX10 it updates. The Canon PowerShot SX20 also features an improved movie mode (it now records 720p clips) and RAW mode. The PowerShot SX120 IS is a budget, compact super-zoom camera – designed to be a less featured, more affordable alternative of the SX20 (the SX120 also has less zoom than the SX20)

Canon PowerShot SX20 IS
(Super-zoom camera)

• 12 effective megapixels
• 28 – 560 mm (f2.8 – f5.7) 20X optical zoom lens
• Optical image stabilization
• 2.5 inch flip out and rotate LCD with EVF
• Full manual controls with RAW mode and hotshoe
• 720p 30 FPS movie mode with stereo sound
• Takes SD/SDHC memory cards
• Uses 4 AA batteries
• Available in September for $400

Canon PowerShot SX120 IS
(Compact super-zoom camera)

• 12 effective megapixels
• 36 – 360 mm (f2.8 – f4.3) 10X optical zoom lens
• Optical image stabilization
• 3 inch fixed LCD
• Full manual controls
• VGA 30 FPS movie mode with sound
• Takes SD/SDHC memory cards
• Uses 2 AA batteries
• Available in September for $250

Canon didn’t leave anyone out today – For those looking for a small and stylish camera, they have the new PowerShot SD980 Digital ELPH (also known as the Digital IXUS 200 around the world) and PowerShot SD940 Digital ELPH (AKA Digital IXUS 120). The SD980 Digital ELPH/IXUS 200 is Canon’s first-ever digital camera which features a touchscreen (a high-resolution one at that) and it’s set to compete with the likes of the Sony Cyber-shot TX1 and Nikon Coolpix S70. The Ixus 120 sets out as an incremental upgrade to the IXUS 100 announced and reviewed earlier this year.

Canon PowerShot SD980 IS Digital ELPH
AKA Digital IXUS 200
(Ultra-compact camera)

• 12 effective megapixels
• 24 – 120 mm (f2.8 – f5.9) 5X optical zoom lens
• Optical image stabilization
• 3 inch touchscreen
• User interface tailored for touchscreen; supports gestures
• No manual controls
• 720p 30 FPS movie mode with sound
• Takes SD/SDHC memory cards
• Uses a lithium-ion battery
• Available in October for $330
• Comes in your choice of baby blue, silver, gold and purple

Canon PowerShot SD940 Digital ELPH
AKA Digital IXUS 120
(Ultra-compact camera)

• 12 effective megapixels
• 28 – 112 mm (f2.8 – f5.9) 4X optical zoom lens
• Optical image stabilization
• 2.7 inch LCD
• No manual controls
• 720p 30 FPS movie mode with sound
• Takes SD/SDHC memory cards
• Uses a lithium-ion battery
• Available in September for $300
• Comes in your choice of silver, black, brown or blue

With a “few” hours left till the official Canon announcement, a picture of the PowerShot G11 has just leaked out! Note the detail of the new camera (especially the swiveling LCD) and the new button design on the upper left corner on the back – this surely ain’t a fake picture!

Here’s a picture of last year’s G10 for comparison’s sake.

So here’s the new PowerShot G11 is a prosumer camera… Canon seems to be backing out of the megapixel race with this camera since they probably know photo enthusiasts aren’t easily fooled by insane, ever-increasing megapixel counts (usually accompanied by an increase in noise, decrease in burst speed and little to no ‘real’ resolution advantage). Canon has opted to fit the new G11 with a 10 megapixel sensor (versus 2008’s G10 14.7 megapixel CCD), which will hopefully produce better images.

Update (almost forgot to include this; thanks for asking, Lloyd): The Canon PowerShot G11 will sport a 1/1.7 inch sensor.

Canon PowerShot G11
(Prosumer compact camera)

• 10 effective megapixels
• 28 – 140 mm (f2.8 – f4.5) 5X optical zoom lens
• Optical image stabilization
• 3 inch rotating LCD; optical viewfinder available
• Full manual controls with RAW mode and hotshoe
• Similar ‘retro’ body design to 2009’s G10
• 30 FPS movie mode with sound
• Takes SD/SDHC memory cards
• Uses a lithium-ion battery
• Available in fall 2009

RELATED NEWS:

• Canon PowerShot G11 and friends get official!
• If you’re looking for Canon G11 reviews…