Panasonic Lumix TS20 (also known as Lumix FT20)
Panasonic has just announced a pair of rugged digital cameras for 2012. The more affordable of the two is the Lumix TS20 (also known as the Lumix FT20 in some places) which carries a basic set of digital camera features in a rugged body that is water, shock, freeze and dust proof.
- 16 megapixel CCD imaging sensor
- Waterproof (5 meters/16 feet), shockproof (1.5 meters/5 feet) freezeproof (-10C/14F) and dustproof
- 4X optical zoom: 25 – 100 mm (f3.9 – f5.6) lens
- Mega OIS Optical image stabilization
- 2.7 inch LCD (230,000 pixels)
- Intelligent Auto with scene modes; no manual controls
- In-camera Panorama Shot mode and shooting effects
- Standard HD 720p movie mode with mono sound and optical zoom
- Takes SD/SDHC/SDXC memory cards
- Uses a lithium-ion battery
- Available in February for $180
- Comes in your choice of black, orange, blue or red
Here is my in-depth review of the Sony Cyber-shot TX10, a ultra-compact rugged camera with a touchscreen. The camera is waterproof, shockproof, dustproof and freezeproof (I’ve got an interesting video of me ‘washing’ the camera later in this review), and on the picture-taking side, it sports a 16 megapixel CMOS image sensor, lots of scene modes, high-speed shooting, Full HD movie mode and more. Check out the Sony Cyber-shot TX10 photo gallery to see sample photos taken using the camera.
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I’ve published the Sony Cyber-shot TX10 photo gallery; the TX10 is a compact and rugged camera with 16 megapixels, 4X optical zoom and a 3 inch touchscreen. Learn more about the camera in our in-depth Sony Cyber-shot TX10 review!
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Sony Cyber-shot TX200V
Looks like the camera announcement party from last month isn’t over yet. Sony has just announced an ultra-compact premium rugged camera, the Cyber-shot TX200V. The camera has a reinforced glass front (and presumably the back too) and can survive water, dust and freezing temperatures (no word of drops though!). The TX200V also appears to be Sony’s flagship pocket camera with plenty of fancy features, boasting fast performance and a never-seen-before 18.2 megapixel Exmor R image sensor, the highest of any compact camera to date.
- 18 megapixel CMOS imaging sensor
- Waterproof (5 meters/16 feet), freezeproof (-10C/14F) and dustproof
- 5X optical zoom: 26 – 130 mm (f3.5 – f4.8) lens
- Optical image stabilization
- 3.3 inch OLED touchscreen (1.2 million pixels)
- Intelligent Auto with scene modes; no manual controls
- Boasts super fast autofocus, Sony is claiming AF speeds of 0.13 seconds in bright light, 0.25 seconds in low light
10 FPS continuous shooting
- Clear Image Zoom allows for 2X digital zoom without lowering image quality
- Picture Effects, 3D photo/panorama modes, Sweep Panorama, Anti Motion Blur and HDR modes
- Full HD 60p movie mode with stereo sound, optical zoom, can take 13 megapixel photos while recording
- Takes microSD/SDHC memory cards
- Uses a lithium-ion battery
- Available in March for $500
- Comes in your choice of silver, red or purple
Sony Cyber-shot WX50 and WX70
Sony also announced two more affordable cameras equipped with new 16 megapixel CMOS sensors and point and shoot operation. They also have more conventional looks than the fancy Cyber-shot TX200V. The only differences that separate the Cyber-shot WX50 and Cyber-shot WX70 are the touchscreen and more choice of camera body colors on the latter (and price tag of course)
- 16 megapixel CMOS imaging sensor
- 5X optical zoom: 25 – 125 mm (f2.6 – f6.3) lens
- Optical image stabilization
- WX50: 2.7 inch LCD (460,800 pixels)
WX70: 3 inch wide touchscreen LCD (921,000 pixels)
- Intelligent Auto with scene modes; no manual controls
- 10 FPS continuous shooting
- Clear Image Zoom allows for 2X digital zoom without lowering image quality
- Picture Effects, 3D photo/panorama modes, Sweep Panorama, Anti Motion Blur and HDR modes
- Full HD 60i movie mode with stereo sound and zoom; can take 12 megapixel photos while recording
- Takes SD/SDHC/SDXC memory cards
- Uses a lithium-ion battery
- Available in March for $200 (WX50) and $230 (WX70)
- WX50 comes in choice of silver or black
WX70 comes in choice of silver, black, white, pink or purple
I’ve got my in-depth review of the Nikon D5100 digital SLR camera ready. The camera is a 16 megapixel model with a rotating display, full manual controls and expandability as well as a Full HD movie mode. Remember to visit the Nikon D5100 photo gallery to view full-sized sample photos taken using the camera.
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I’ve published the Nikon D5100 photo gallery; the D5100 is a digital SLR that is relatively compact and affordable, and easy to use. Check out our Nikon D5100 full review to learn more about the camera!
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Pentax Optio VS20
Pentax has announced a compact super-zoom with a 20X optical zoom lens and unique vertical shooting controls (means the camera has two shutter buttons and two zoom levers to allow you to take portrait and landscape photos easily). Besides that, it seems to have a pretty conventional set of features for a compact camera.
- 16 megapixel CCD sensor
- 20X optical zoom 28 – 560 mm (f3.1 – f4.8) lens
- Sensor-shift image stabilization
- 3 inch LCD (460,000 pixels)
- Two shutter buttons, two zoom levers and two tripod mounts for vertical and horizontal shooting
- Auto Picture (Essentially auto mode with auto scene selection) and scene modes; no manual controls
- 720p Standard HD movie mode with sound
- Takes SD/SDHC/SDXC memory cards
- Uses a lithium-ion battery
- Available in February for $250
- Choice of black or white
