CES 2010 has begun, and Panasonic has just taken the wraps off a whopping SIX new compact digital cameras today. The biggest news from Panasonic is the fact that today’s newly launched cameras are already prepared for the new SDXC memory cards. As SDHC brought higher capacities and faster read/write speeds compared to traditional SD cards, SDXC will bring even higher capacities (theoratically up to 2 TB) and even speedier read/write performance versus SDHC. Don’t start ringing alarms and panicking yet though, all of today’s cameras are still compatible with traditional SD/SDHC memory cards which you may be using at this very moment in your computer or camera.

Panasonic also announced two new SDXC cards today: their new 48 GB and 64 GB SDXC cards will start selling next month for $450 and $600 respectively (you heard that right, they cost more than the cameras themselves!

Enough chit-chat about memory cards, let’s look at the cameras themselves! I have a small rant here, again, about Panasonic’s recent habit of giving the same camera two different names: makes things a little confusing for consumers, no?

Kicking off with Panasonic’s “upper tier” compact Lumix models, we have the Lumix FH1 and FH3 (AKA FS10 and FS11) which pack fairly big 5X lenses into their pocketable little form factors

Panasonic Lumix FH1 and Lumix FH3
also known as Lumix FS10 and FS11 in some places
(Ultra-compact cameras)

• FH1: 12 effective megapixels
  FH3: 14 effective megapixels
• 28 – 140 mm (f2.8 – f6.9) 5X optical zoom lens
• Optical image stabilization
• 3 inch LCD
• No manual controls: point-and-shoot functionality with scene modes
• 720p (1280 x 720) 30 FPS movie mode with sound
• Takes SD/SDHC memory cards (SDXC compatible)
• Uses a lithium-ion battery
• Availability and price to be announced
• Comes in your choice of silver or black

The Lumix FP1 and Lumix FP3 are another two twins from Panasonic. Besides the differences in megapixels and display, they’re closely related. The FP1 and FP3 cameras are even more affordable versions of the existing Lumix FP8. The FP1 and FP3 are also Panasonic’s first cameras in recent memory NOT to have “wide-angle” zoom lenses. I guess something has to go if you want to have both the “style” and “low price” boxes ticked on your camera shopping list. There’s also a Lumix FP2 which is the middle child between the FP1 and FP3; this model will be available everywhere else except the US.

Panasonic Lumix FP1, Lumix FP2 and Lumix FP3
(Ultra-compact cameras)

• FP1: 12 effective megapixels
  FP2 and FP3: 14 effective megapixels
• 35 – 140 mm (f2.8 – f4.5) 4X internal optical zoom lens
• Optical image stabilization
• FP1 and FP2: 2.7 inch non-touch LCD
  FP3: 3.0 inch touchscreen LCD
• No manual controls: point-and-shoot functionality with scene modes
• 720p (1280 x 720) 30 FPS movie mode with sound
• Takes SD/SDHC memory cards (SDXC compatible)
• Uses a lithium-ion battery
• Availability and price to be announced
• Lumix FP1 and FP2 comes in your choice of 8 colors!
  Lumix FP3 comes in your choice of a whopping 12 different colors!

The Panasonic Lumix FH20 (not to be confused with Casio’s FH20) AKA FS30 is a relatively affordable, compact super-zoom camera. It takes most of the guts of today’s cameras, puts them into a different body and throws in the big 8X optical zoom lens we first saw in Panasonic’s own ZR1/ZX1 cameras. Panasonic is also making a Lumix FH22 AKA FS33 available, which is essentially the same thing as below but it replaces the small 2.7 inch screen with a larger 3 inch touchscreen.

Panasonic Lumix FH20
also known as Lumix FS30 in some places
(Compact super-zoom camera)

• 14 effective megapixels
• 25 – 200 mm (f3.3 – f5.9) 8X optical zoom lens
• Optical image stabilization
• 2.7 inch LCD
• No manual controls: point-and-shoot functionality with scene modes
• 720p (1280 x 720) 30 FPS movie mode with sound
• Takes SD/SDHC memory cards (SDXC compatible too)
• Uses a lithium-ion battery
• Availability and price to be announced
• Comes in your choice of silver, black, red or purple

And finally, Panasonic has the budget Lumix F3 to introduce. While it lacks optical image stabilization, the Lumix F3 is also the first entry-level/budget camera I’ve seen to feature HD movie recording capabilities (Guess High-Def is really going mainstream in 2010, huh?).

Panasonic Lumix F3
(Compact camera)

• 12 effective megapixels
• 28 – 112 mm (f2.8 – f6.2) 4X optical zoom lens
• NO image stabilization
• 2.7 inch LCD
• No manual controls: point-and-shoot functionality with scene modes
• 720p (1280 x 720) 30 FPS movie mode with sound
• Takes SD/SDHC memory cards (SDXC compatible too)
• Uses a lithium-ion battery
• Availability and price to be announced
• Comes in your choice of silver or black

After releasing their NX10 the other day, Samsung is back for more with a string of six new compact cameras. Unlike the entry-level cameras we’ve been seeing lately, Samsung has four upper-tier, premium compact cameras to announce. First off are their TL240 and CL80 cameras which have massive touchscreens; the latter even has WiFi and Bluetooth… followed by their unique Dual View TL205 and TL210 cameras; both have dual LCD displays – one for conventional shooting and a front-facing display for self-portraits. The last two cameras are lower end offerings.

One thing that really baffles me is why two similar cameras can have two completely different names, plus another two names for use in some parts of the world.

Samsung TL240 and CL80
also known as ST5000 and ST5500
(Premium compact cameras)

• 14 effective megapixels
• 31 – 217 mm (f3.3 – f5.5) 7X optical zoom lens
• Optical image stabilization
• 3.5 inch LCD touchscreen for TL240; 3.7 inch AMOLED touchscreen for CL80
• No manual controls (just point-and-shoot operation with scene modes)
• Face, smile and blink detection; Smart Auto 2 with auto scene selection
• Smart Album organizer in playback
• CL80/ST5500 only: Built-in WiFi and Bluetooth 2.0
• 720p HD (1280 x 720) 30 FPS movie mode with sound
• Takes SD/SDHC memory cards
• Uses a lithium-ion battery
• Available in February; price to be announced

Samsung TL205 and TL210 Dual View
also known as PL100 and PL150
(Premium cameras)

• 12 effective megapixels
• TL205/PL100: 35 – 105 mm (f3.0 – f5.6) 3X optical zoom lens
  TL210/PL150: 27 – 135 mm (f3.5 – f5.9) 5X optical zoom lens
• TL210/PL150: optical image stabilization
• TL205 has 2.5 inch LCD; TL210 has 3.0 inch LCD
• Second, front-fracing 1.5 inch LCD
• Face, smile and blink detection; Smart Auto with auto scene selection
• Smart Album organizer in playback
• 720p HD (1280 x 720) 30 FPS movie mode with sound
• Takes SD/SDHC memory cards
• Uses a lithium-ion battery
• Available in March; price to be announced

Samsung SL50 and SL600
(Entry-level cameras)

• SL50: 10 effective megapixels
  SL600: 12 effective megapixels
• 27 – 135 mm (f3.5 – f5.9) 5X optical zoom lens
• 2.5 inch LCD
• Face, smile and blink detection; Smart Auto with auto scene selection
• VGA (640 x 480) 30 FPS movie mode with sound
• Takes SD/SDHC memory cards
• Uses a lithium-ion battery
• Available in February; price to be announced

Casio just announced four new cameras: two compact super-zoom cameras and two basic ones. The most interesting of them all is their new Exilim FH100 which combines a big 10X zoom lens with a backlit CMOS sensor (promises better image quality and high speed shooting).

Casio Exilim FH100
(Compact super-zoom camera)

• 10 effective megapixels
• Backlit CMOS sensor promises improved high ISO shooting (up to 3200)
• 24 – 240 mm (f3.2 – f5.7) 10X optical zoom lens
• Sensor-shift image stabilization
• 3.0 inch LCD
• High-speed burst shoots at up to 40 frames per second (at low resolution)
• Pre-capture mode and new Lag Correction rewinds time to bring back buffered frames before photo was taken
• Face detection, software redeye removal
• High Speed Lighting takes three photos, combines them into single high-dynamic range HDR photo
• High Speed Anti-shake, High Speed Portrait and High Speed Night Scene: they take and combine several shots into one to reduce blur
• 720p HD (1280 x 720) 30 FPS movie mode with stereo sound
• Takes SD/SDHC memory cards
• Uses a lithium-ion battery
• Price and availability to be announced
• Comes in your choice of silver or black

Casio Exilim FH100
(Compact super-zoom camera)

• 14 effective megapixels
• 24 – 240 mm (f3.2 – f5.7) 10X optical zoom lens
• Sensor-shift image stabilization
• Special beauty and landscape modes (!!)
• 3.0 inch LCD
• Face detection, software redeye removal
• 720p HD (1280 x 720) 30 FPS movie mode with stereo sound
• Takes SD/SDHC memory cards
• Uses a lithium-ion battery; 1,000 shot battery life rating
• Price and availability to be announced

Casio Exilim Z2000
(Entry-level camera)

• 14 effective megapixels
• 26 – 130 mm (f2.8 – f6.5) 5X optical zoom lens
• 3.0 inch LCD
• No manual controls
• Special beauty and landscape modes (!!)
• Face detection
• 720p HD (1280 x 720) 30 FPS movie mode with sound
• Takes SD/SDHC memory cards
• Uses a lithium-ion battery
• Price and availability to be announced
• Comes in your choice of black, pale pink or purple

Casio Exilim Z550
(Entry-level camera)

• 14 effective megapixels
• 26 – 114 mm (f2.6 – f5.9) 4X optical zoom lens
• 2.7 inch LCD
• No manual controls
• Face detection
• 720p HD (1280 x 720) 30 FPS movie mode with sound
• Takes SD/SDHC memory cards
• Uses a lithium-ion battery
• Price and availability to be announced
• Comes in your choice of black, blue, violet or pink

It’s been a long time since Kodak released a camera, and even longer since they released a camera that last caught my attention. It appears they’re making a comeback this year by launching five new digital cameras today. The first camera is pretty interesting – it’s a digital camera with a big touchscreen so the camera can also serve as a pocket photo album. The Kodak Slice is the camera maker’s second touchscreen camera since their EasyShare One made its debut several years ago.  The other four models announced are, well, not so exciting – they’re just ordinary entry-level compact cameras with rather different angular exterior designs.

Kodak Slice
(Compact touchscreen camera)

• 14 effective megapixels
• 28 – 140 mm (f4.8 – f5.2) 5X optical zoom lens
• Optical image stabilization
• 3.5 inch wide touchscreen display
• Camera doubles as a portable photo album
• No manual controls (just point-and-shoot operation with scene modes)
• Share button tags photos so you can upload them to photo/social networking places
• Face detection and Smart Capture (Scene mode selection)
• 720p HD (1280 x 720) 30 FPS movie mode with sound
• Internal memory stores 5000 photos (most likely low-res versions) for ‘album mode’
• Takes SD/SDHC memory cards
• Uses a lithium-ion battery
• Available in April for $350
• Comes in your choice of black, silver or maroon

Kodak EasyShare M530 and M550
(Entry-level cameras)

• 12 effective megapixels
• EasyShare M530 has 3X optical zoom; EasyShare M550 has 5X optical zoom
• NO image stabilization
• 2.7 inch LCD
• No manual controls (just point-and-shoot operation with scene modes)
• Face detection and Smart Capture (Scene mode selection)
• VGA movie mode with sound
• Takes SD/SDHC memory cards
• Uses a lithium-ion battery
• Available in February for $130 (M530) and in March for $150 (M550)
• Both come in a variety of colors

Kodak EasyShare M575 and M580
(Entry-level cameras)

• 14 effective megapixels
• EasyShare M575 has 5X optical zoom; EasyShare M580 has 8X optical zoom
• 3 inch LCD
• No manual controls (just point-and-shoot operation with scene modes)
• Face detection and Smart Capture (Scene mode selection)
• HD movie mode with sound
• Takes SD/SDHC memory cards
• Uses a lithium-ion battery
• Available in April for $180 (M575) and $200 (M580)
• Both come in a variety of colors

Canon unveiled four new compact cameras today, and all four are entry-level, sub-$200 models. The breaking news here is that Canon is the first (of many) camera makers this year that will support the upcoming SDXC standard in their latest cameras. Like what SDHC did to SD, SDXC will bring even higher maximum capacities (someone’s been dropping hints of a 64 GB SDXC around the corner!) and faster read/write operation speeds compared to SDHC.

The first two cameras Canon has in store for today are the PowerShot A3000 and A3100 twins. These two cameras will replace last year’s A2000 and A2100 models respectively. From their features list, it appears that these cameras are ‘refresh’ models – the only noticeable changes are in terms of camera design (they look even sleeker and more stylish) and the use of lithium-ion batteries (versus AA batteries), and of course SDXC support.

Canon PowerShot A3000 and A3100
(Entry-level cameras)

• A3000: 10 effective megapixels
  A3100: 12 effective megapixels
• 35 – 140 mm (f2.7 – f5.6) 4X optical zoom lens
• Optical image stabilization
• 2.7 inch LCD (230,000 pixels)
• No manual controls (just point-and-shoot operation with scene modes)
• Face detection, software redeye removal
• VGA (640 x 480) 30 FPS movie mode with sound
• Takes SD/SDHC memory cards (SDXC ready)
• Uses a lithium-ion battery (both A3000 and A3100 share the same NB-8L)
• Available in February for $150 (A3000) and $180 (A3100)
• A3000 comes in a two-toned silver/black body only
  A3100 comes in your choice of silver, blue or red

Canon decided to come up with two budget/super basic cameras this year (instead of one each year). These two cameras appear to be rehashes of last year’s PowerShot A480 with some minor changes.

Canon PowerShot A490 and A495
(Entry-level cameras)

• 10 effective megapixels
• 37 – 122 mm (f3.7 – f5.6) 4X optical zoom lens
• NO image stabilization
• 2.5 inch LCD (115,000 pixels)
• No manual controls (just point-and-shoot operation with scene modes)
  A490: 5 point autofocus, A495: 9 point autofocus
• Face detection, software redeye removal
  A495 only: Face self-timer mode and two additional scene modes (Super Vivid and Poster Effect)
• VGA (640 x 480) 30 FPS movie mode with sound
• Takes SD/SDHC memory cards (SDXC ready)
• Uses 2 AA batteries
• Available in February for $110 (A490) and $130 (A495)
• A490 comes in one color only (silver)
  A495 comes in your choice of silver, blue or red

CES is this week, and naturally, we have new cameras being announced already. Sony is the second camera maker this year, after Samsung, to make their first camera announcement for 2010. Like Samsung, Sony also has a new interchangeable lens camera to bring to the table, and it comes in the form of a traditional ‘with mirror and optical viewfinder’ digital SLR. The Alpha A450 is yet another sub-$1000 digital SLR which, as its name suggests, sits below the current Alpha A500 in terms of feature set. Still, there are still some things (ie the image sensor) which it receives as a ‘pass-me-down’ from the higher end Alpha A550.

Sony Alpha A450
(Basic digital SLR)

• 14.2 effective megapixels (APS-C sensor, 1.5X crop) for Alpha A450
• Sony/Minolta lens mount (1.5X crop factor))
• Dust reduction
• In-body sensor-shift image stabilization
• 2.6 inch fixed LCD (The Alpha A500/A550 have larger displays which can be tilted outwards)
• 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 burst mode, goes up to 7 FPS in “Speed” mode (which locks focus and exposure)
• Full manual controls with RAW mode and hotshoe
• 9 point AF
• No movie mode
• Dual memory card slots for SD/SDHC and Memory Stick Duo
• Uses a lithium-ion battery (NP-FM500H); 1050 shot per charge battery life rating
• Available in February, price to-be-announced (All Sony USA tells us now is “under $1000″ , presumably with 18-55 mm kit lens)

Samsung NX10
(Interchangeable lens camera)

Well, Samsung did it – they achieved two things today: being the first camera manufacturer to launch something new for the year 2010, and releasing the first (out of many to come) camera in the new mirrorless, interchangeable lens NX camera system. Let me introduce to you, the new Samsung NX10!

What makes the Samsung NX10 different is that it’s a whole lot smaller than conventional digital SLR cameras, and roughly the same size as Panasonic’s G1/GH1 cameras. That’s been made possible by removing the mirror mechanism and optical viewfinder prism found in traditional SLRs. The NX10 features a 14.6 megapixel APS-C sized CMOS sensor, 3 inch display (along with a VGA resolution electronic viewfinder), full manual controls that you’d expect in a digital SLR and 720p HD movie recording capabilities. A more complete of specifications include:

• 14.6 megapixel CMOS sensor (2.0X crop factor)
• New Samsung NX lens mount (see below for 3 announced lenses)
• Dust reduction
• 3 inch high resolution AMOLED display has 514,000 pixels; promises better contrast ratio and viewing angles versus LCD
• Electronic viewfinder has 921,000 pixels (VGA resolution), 0.86X magnification
• On-board flash
• Smart Auto mode simplifies automatic shooting; Smart Range feature improves dynamic range
• Full manual controls with RAW mode and flash hotshoe
• 720p (1280 x 720 at 30 FPS) movie mode with sound; H.264 codec
• Takes SD/SDHC memory cards
• Uses a lithium-ion battery
• Available this spring; exact price and availability to be announced

Samsung will also be releasing completely new lenses made specifically for the NX camera system (means that you won’t be able to use any existing camera lenses with the NX10 at the moment). Unlike digital SLR makers like Olympus, Pentax and Sony which have in-body image stabilization, Samsung here is taking the same route as Canon, Nikon and Panasonic – with in-lens image stabilization (also known as optical image stabilization). As usual, the presence of optical image stabilization inside the lens is denoted by the “IS” in the name. The three lenses that they’ve announced today are a 18-55 mm f3.5-f5.6 IS kit lens, 55-200 mm f4-f.5.6 IS telephoto zoom lens and 30 mm f2.0 pancake lens. The Samsung NX10’s APS-C sized sensor means all lenses will be subjected to a 1.5X focal length crop factor.