Samsung announced two pretty basic point-and-snap digital cameras today:

Samsung SL502 and SL720
(Point-and-shoot cameras)

• 12 effective megapixels
• 35 – 175 mm (f3.5 – f5.5) 5X optical zoom lens for SL502
  28 – 140 mm (f3.5 – f5.6) 5X optical zoom lens for SL720
• Optical image stabilization (SL720 only)
• 2.7 inch LCD
• Smart Auto Mode (aka automatic scene mode selection)
• Face, smile and blink detection; face recognition
• Smart Album plays back photos by all sorts of categories
• No manual controls
• VGA (SL502)/HD 720p (SL720) 30 FPS movie mode with sound
• Takes SD/SDHC memory cards
• Uses a lithium-ion battery
• Available in August for $150 (SL502) and $230 (SL720)

July 4th is this weekend! Have you gotten your camera ready? If you’re planning to dart out there today or tomorrow and get a new camera, take it easy and do some reading up first (so you don’t regret your purchase decision). Here are four cameras you may want to consider:

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Pentax announced their first rugged camera today (the previous Pentax W-series were merely waterproof) and here it is – the Optio W80.

Pentax Optio W80
(Rugged camera)

• 12 effective megapixels
• 28 – 140 mm (f3.3 – f5.5) 5X optical zoom lens
• Digital ‘pixel tracking’ image stabilization [slaps self on forehead]
• 2.5 inch LCD
• Auto Picture Mode (aka automatic scene mode selection)
• Face, smile and blink detection
• Digital wide combines two pictures into a single 21 mm wide photo
• Dynamic range adjustment
• No manual controls
• HD 720p 30 FPS movie mode with sound
• Takes SD/SDHC memory cards
• Uses a lithium-ion battery
• Available in March for $300
• Comes in your choice of gray, red and blue

Olympus officially announced their first Micro Four Thirds camera today. The new E-P1 ‘PEN’ camera is an interchangeable lens camera features the controls and flexibility you’ll find in a typical digital SLR, but it’s a lot smaller… it’s even more compact than Panasonic’s GH1 camera. Oh, and as a Micro Four Thirds camera, the E-P1 PEN is strictly live view only – it has neither a mirror box nor a built-in optical viewfinder (Though an [optional] external viewfinder is available, and can be attached via the hotshoe)

Olympus E-P1 PEN
(Micro Four Thirds interchangeable lens camera)

• 12.3 megapixel LiveMOS sensor (2X crop factor)
• Sensor-shift image stabilization
• Dust reduction
• Micro Four Thirds lens mount (compatible with full-size Four Thirds, Olympus OM, Leica M and Leica R lenses using their respective optional adapters)
• New TruePic V processor promises better color, noise reduction and detail processing in photos
• 3 inch LCD
• Live view with contrast detection AF, face detection and Perfect Shot Preview
• Full manual controls with hotshoe and RAW
• Intelligent Auto mode with auto scene selection; Art Filters and multiple exposure features
• 3 FPS burst mode
• 720p (1280 x 720) at 30 FPS movie mode with stereo sound and continuous AF
• Takes SD/SDHC cards – Surprise! No xD-Picture card support!
• Uses a lithium-ion battery
• Available in July for $750 (body only), $800 (with new 14-42 mm kit lens) or $900 (with 17 mm pancake lens and viewfinder attachment)

Not surprisingly, Olympus also has two new lenses and an external viewfinder to go along with the new E-P1:

• Olympus Micro Zuiko 17 mm f2.8 pancake lens
• Olympus Micro Zuiko 14-42 mm f3.5-f5.6 retractable lens
• External viewfinder for 17 mm lens (attached via hotshoe)

There were three new digital cameras announced today, seemingly out of nowhere by three camera manufacturers. The star of the day has got to be Casio’s Exilim H10 compact super-zoom camera which features 12 megapixels, a 10X optical zoom lens with sensor-shift image stabilization, large 3 inch LCD, high-speed modes and Casio claims this camera’s battery life is rated at 1000 shots per charge. The other two cameras are from Fujifilm and Samsung respectively. The Fujifilm FinePix Z300 is an ultra-thin camera with a 3 inch touchscreen on the back (think Sony T-series) while Samsung’s WB1000 is a regular compact with 12 megapixels, a 5X lens that starts out at 24 mm, HD movie mode and a pair of unique battery charge/available memory gauges on the top.

Pentax announced their new mid-range K7 digital SLR today. The new Pentax K7 is more compact than the K20D it replaces and has several new features, including a new image sensor and 720p movie mode:

Pentax K7
(Mid-range digital SLR camera)

• 14.6 megapixel CMOS sensor (1.5X crop factor)
• Sensor-shift image stabilization
• Weather sealing
• Dust reduction
• Pentax K lens mount
• Viewfinder with 0.92X magnification, 100% frame coverage
• 11 point AF
• 3 inch super-high resolution LCD
• Live view with contrast detection AF
• Full manual controls with hotshoe, RAW and wireless flash
• Shutter+aperture and sensitivity priority modes
• Distortion and chromatic aberration reduction; built-in HDR and multi-exposure features
• 5.2 FPS burst mode (take up to 40 JPEG or 15 RAW photos)
• 720p (1280 x 720) at 30 FPS movie mode with sound; external microphone port available
• Takes SD/SDHC cards
• Uses a lithium-ion battery
• Available in July for $1300 (body only)

Pentax also announced two new lenses today, both are weather-sealed:

• 18 – 55 mm, f3.5 – f5.6 AL WR; available for $200
• 50 – 200 mm, f4.0 – f5.6 AL WR; available for $250

Sony announced three new digital SLR cameras today – the new Alpha A230, A330 and A380 cameras are incremental upgrades of last year’s models, announced a little over 16 months ago. From what it seems, the changes are mostly cosmetic and user interface changes; the rest of the specifications sheet remains the same. And Sony also claims that they’ve revamped the image processing area of the cameras… so hopefully these guys will produce good image quality once I get my hands on them for review:

Sony Alpha A230
(Entry-level digital SLR camera)

• 10.2 megapixel CCD sensor (1.5X crop factor)
• Sensor-shift image stabilization
• Dust reduction
• Sony/Minolta Alpha lens mount
• Viewfinder with 0.83X magnification, 95% frame coverage
• 9 point AF
• 2.7 inch fixed LCD
• NO live view
• Full manual controls with hotshoe and RAW
• 2.5 FPS burst mode
• Dual memory card slots for Memory Stick Duo and SD/SDHC cards
• Uses a lithium-ion battery
• Available in July for $550 (18-55 mm kit lens) or $750 (18-55 mm + 55-200 mm dual lens kit)

Sony Alpha A330 & Alpha A380
(Entry-level digital SLR camera)

• Alpha A330: 10.2 megapixel CCD sensor (1.5X crop factor)
  Alpha A380: 14.2 megapixel CCD sensor (1.5X crop factor)
• 2.7 inch LCD that can be tilted to face up/down
• Live view; autofocus via secondary image sensor in the viewfinder area
• Smaller viewfinder: 0.74X magnification, 95% frame coverage
• Alpha A330: Available for $650 (18-55 mm kit lens) or $850 (18-55 mm + 55-200 mm dual lens kit)
  Alpha A380: Available for $850 (18-55 mm kit lens) or $1050 (18-55 mm + 55-200 mm dual lens kit)

In addition, Sony announced four new lenses and a low-end external flash. The new lenses are:

• 18 – 55 mm, f3.5 – f5.6 DT SAM; available for $200
• 55 – 200 mm, f3.5 – f5.6 DT SAM; available for $230
• 50 mm f1.8 DT SAM; available for $150
• 30 mm f2.8 Macro DT SAM

Note that all of them are DT lenses (which Sony says are “APS-C sensor optimized”) and feature something new called SAM (Smooth Autofocus Motor), which is a fancy name for in-lens focus motor drive with silent operation. Sony also comments that these lenses are targeted at “first-time digital SLR users”, thus their low prices.

There’s also a new flash unit, called the HVL-F20AM and priced at $130, which has an adjustable head for bounce flash and a guide number of 20 meters.