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…

We’re back in business and covering camera news again! Casio announced two new cameras in the US earlier today, with an additional two new cameras for the rest of the world. As far as I can tell, it’s yet another round of incremental upgrades from Casio, nothing particularly innovative. The good stuff has yet to come (Wait till tomorrow).

Despite the differences in design, the new point-and-shoot Exilim Z90 and Exilim Z450 cameras are very much alike inside. The appeal of both these cameras are their ‘premium’ movie modes (you normally won’t find 720p recording in cameras this price). The new, non-US models are the Exilim Z33 and Exilim Z280 which are close relatives (with slight variations) of these two cameras.

Casio Exilim Z90
(Ultra compact camera)

• 12 effective megapixels
• 35 – 105 mm (f3.1 – f5.9) 3X optical zoom lens (Ugh, this lens again?!)
• NO real image stabilization
• 2.7 inch LCD
• New Intelligent AF (huh? so should we fit our old cameras with dunce caps?) and Dynamic Photo (overlay one shot over another)
• No manual controls
• 720p 24 FPS movie mode with sound
• Takes SD/SDHC memory cards
• Uses a lithium-ion battery
• Available in October for $150
• Comes in your choice of black and pink

Casio Exilim Z450
(Ultra compact camera)

• 12 effective megapixels
• 28 – 112 mm (f2.6 – f5.8) 4X optical zoom lens
• Sensor-shift image stabilization
• 3 inch LCD
• New Intelligent AF (huh? so should we fit our old cameras with dunce caps?) and Dynamic Photo (overlay one shot over another)
• No manual controls
• 720p 24 FPS movie mode with sound
• Takes SD/SDHC memory cards
• Uses a lithium-ion battery (superb battery life of 550 shots per charge!)
• Available in October for $200

After about two weeks of their ‘Tap and Take’ teaser campaign, Samsung finally took the wraps off three new touchscreen (as you might have guessed) cameras today. The main star of today is the new ST1000 AKA CL65, which features WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth, a huge, super high-resolution 3.5 inch touchscreen and a ton of other bells and whistles

The new ST500 AKA TL220 and ST550 AKA TL225 cameras are unique in other ways. They lack the three connectivity options of the CL65 but instead, feature dual LCD displays – a huge touchscreen on the back, and a smaller non-touch LCD in front (I wonder how they’ll handle fingerprints). The front display can display things from ‘fun animations’ to attract the attention of children, live preview for self-portraits, a ‘hey I’m gonna snap a picture’ smiley face and a summary of the camera’s main settings.

All three cameras announced today also feature Samsung’s Smart Gesture user interface which allow input from both touchscreen and physical actions (which the camera detects using its accelerometer).

Samsung ST1000 AKA CL65
(Ultra-compact camera)

• 12 effective megapixels
• 35 – 175 mm (f3.6 – f4.8) 5X optical zoom lens
• Optical image stabilization
• 3.5 inch touchscreen with an insane 1,152k pixels
• Touchscreen user interface, the camera also supports gestures via its built-in orientation sensor
• Built-in WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS connectivity allow for uploading, transfer/sharing and geotagging of photos
• Face, blink and smile detection with face recognition and beauty mode
• No manual controls
• 720p 30 FPS movie mode with sound
• Takes micro SD/SDHC memory cards
• Uses a lithium-ion battery
• Available in September for $400
• Comes in your choice of black, beige and red

Samsung ST500 AKA TL220
(Ultra-compact camera)

• 12 effective megapixels
• 27 – 124 mm (f3.5 – f5.9) 4.6X optical zoom lens
• Optical image stabilization
• 3.0 inch touchscreen (230k pixels) on the back; front 1.5 inch LCD (61k pixels)
• Touchscreen user interface, the camera also supports gestures via its built-in orientation sensor
• Face, blink and smile detection with face recognition and beauty mode
• No manual controls
• 720p 30 FPS movie mode with sound
• Takes micro SD/SDHC memory cards
• Uses a lithium-ion battery
• Available in September for $300
• Comes in your choice of silver, red and blue

Samsung ST550 AKA TL225
(Ultra-compact camera)

• Same main features as TL220 above but adds:
• Increases rear LCD size to 3.5 inch touchscreen (1,152k pixels)
• Comes in your choice of black, gold, orange and purple
• Available in September for $350

Sony announced two new ‘premium’ compact cameras today. The Cyber-shot TX1 and WX1 cameras sport Sony’s new 10 megapixel Exmor CMOS sensor. The first fixed lens camera which had the Exmor CMOS was the Sony Cyber-shot HX1, and the special features that came with the HX1 have now trickled down to the two new models announced today.

In addition to better noise and low-light shooting abilities (which Sony is emphasizing on), the Exmor CMOS also brings features such as ‘Sweep Panorama’ mode (which enables you to create a large wide-angle photo by just panning the camera), a super fast 10 frame per second burst mode (which is unfortunately, still limited to 10 shots) and multi-shot and handheld night shot modes. The new TX1 and WX1 are definitely two of the more exciting cameras announced this summer, umm besides cameras with built-in projectors, that I look forward to trying out later in fall.

Brad: Naming conflicts here, Canon also had a camera called the PowerShot TX1, a compact superzoom-camcorder hybrid. The Sony Cyber-shot TX1, however, is like a Cyber-shot T90 outfitted with a fancy image sensor.

Sony Cyber-shot TX1
(Premium compact camera)

• 10 effective megapixels (Sony Exmor CMOS)
• 35 – 140 mm (f3.5 – f4.6) 4X optical zoom lens
• Optical image stabilization
• 3 inch touchscreen LCD
• Intelligent Scene Recognition (automatic scene mode selection)
• Face detection and recognition; blink and smile detection
• Sweep Panorama
• No manual controls
• 10 FPS full-res burst mode
• 720p 30 FPS movie mode with sound
• Takes Memory Stick Duo memory cards
• Uses a lithium-ion battery
• Available in September for $380
• Comes in your choice of silver, gray, pink and blue

Sony Cyber-shot WX1
(Premium compact camera)

• 10 effective megapixels (Sony Exmor CMOS)
• 24 – 120 mm (f2.4 – f5.9) 5X optical zoom lens
• Optical image stabilization
• 2.7 inch LCD
• Intelligent Scene Recognition (automatic scene mode selection)
• Face detection and recognition; blink and smile detection
• Sweep Panorama
• No manual controls
• 10 FPS full-res burst mode
• 720p 30 FPS movie mode with sound
• Takes Memory Stick Duo memory cards
• Uses a lithium-ion battery
• Available in October for $350 (Pre-order starts now)

Pentax announced three new digital cameras yesterday, a waterproof compact (not fully rugged, mind you) and two low-cost cameras. I’m a bit saddened by the fact the replacements for the Optio P70 and E70 (announced January this year) are out so quickly. We’ve been seeing the “6 month replacement cycle” more and more frequently in 2009, a disappointing trend.

Pentax Optio WS80
(Waterproof camera)

• 12 effective megapixels
• 35 – 175 mm (f3.8 – f4.7) 5X optical zoom lens
• 2.7 inch LCD
• No manual controls
• New digital filters (effects) in playback
• D-Range mode improves dynamic range
• Auto Picture mode recognizes scenes automatically, digital 26 mm wide and image recovery/undelete
• 720p 30 FPS movie mode with sound
• Takes SD/SDHC memory cards
• Uses a lithium-ion battery
• Available in September for $240
• Comes in your choice of black (with orange accents) and white (with purple accents)

Pentax Optio P80
(Compact camera)

• 12 effective megapixels
• 27.5 – 110 mm (f2.6 – f5.8) 4X optical zoom lens
• 2.7 inch LCD
• No manual controls
• D-Range mode improves dynamic range
• Auto Picture mode recognizes scenes automatically, digital 20 mm wide and image recovery/undelete
• 720p 30 FPS movie mode with sound
• Takes SD/SDHC memory cards
• Uses a lithium-ion battery
• Available in September for $200
• Comes in your choice of silver, black and mint (light green)

Pentax Optio E80
(Entry-level camera)

• 10 effective megapixels
• 32 – 96 mm (f3.1 – f5.9) 3X optical zoom lens
• 2.4 inch LCD
• No manual controls
• Auto Picture mode recognizes scenes automatically
• 720p 15 FPS movie mode with sound
• Takes SD/SDHC memory cards
• Uses 2 AA batteries
• Available in September for $130
• Comes in your choice of silver and black