Professionals these days are dumping the expensive and bulky camcorders for the dSLRs and the one big hurdle here has now been removed. The focus puller has been removed and you just have to touch the focus ring for focusing. The follow focus system is now mechanical and you can alter the focus by just moving your finger through the wheel. This can be used for functions like changing the focus and aperture or zoom settings in al the dSLR having 14mm to 600mm lens. But the company hasn’t revealed details about the price yet. We really like this since it will eliminate any shake that may occur from traditional focus system. To further help this cause, there are lots of rubber belt sizes for diameters of various lens. We are really looking for this to come out soon in the market but we are also skeptical about the price. The cost should be kept low so that people can easily afford it. dSLRs are getting more popular than camcorders these days because  [...]

Eastman Kodak Company, one of the biggest digital camera manufacturing company in the world, as a matter of fact it has around 20% stake in the global digital camera and camcorder market is all set to Foray into the pocket friendly video camera market with a bang. The company already has made its move with the launch of its very first pocket video camera recently, and is all set to make inroads in the lifestyle segment. Recently Kodak intro introduced its second model in India, the Kodak Playsport. Kodak is the second prevalent digital camera manufacturer in the world, and soon will be launching a lot more products in the same segment, reported the vice-president, channel management and sales, Kodak India, Mr. Srinivasu Saraswatula. He further added, “The pocket video fragment is a wide category in India. We brought our second model, just four months after launching its first model in India. You will be seeing a lot more entries and action in  [...]

Almost every point-and-shoot camera in the market has the same functions and features, except for the very few rare exceptions, which have carved their own niche. This is the reason why buying point-and-shoot cameras becomes easy and sometimes confusing. Some of the rare exceptions we mentioned earlier include the Samsung's dual-LCD compacts, which are perfect for the people who want to make their own portraits. Another exception is Casio’s all new Exilim EX-FC160S, which is geared towards golfers. This all new camera comes with a 10-megapixel backside-illuminated sensor, which allows the golfers to record Videos at 240fps. But when you play this clip at 30fs it gives a slow motion clip and the Exilim will overlies lines on the screen to let you figure out how good is your swing. The camera also comes with a 5x optical zoom lens that is widest at 37mm. Most of the compact cameras these days come with a 28mm wide-angle glass. In addition to this  [...]

Panasonic has released the very first complete HD social-media camcorder named as HM-TA1. This all new camcorder from Panasonic comes with the capability of capturing both videos and still images. The Panasonic HM-TA1 captures MPEG-4 clips in comparison to AVCHD video. The camcorder is priced at AU$249, and captures still images at maximum resolution of 8 MP, while offers up to 4x digital zoom. Apart from the ability to be used as a webcam, the camcorder also comes with integrated USB connector to let you plug your device into computer. The camera comes loaded with respectable software package, which can be used for uploading photos/videos on Facebook, Flicker and YouTube, though; you can also use the connecting ports for connecting the camcorder to computer if you want to upload the pics on any of the social networking websites. In the meantime, there are reports that the camcorder will enter the market in September, and will be available in color  [...]

We have seen a couple of camcorders featuring built in pico projector but this is the first time that we have seen a camcorder feature a removable pico projector. It gives WVGA image at 15 lumens. Apart from that, the camcorder offers a useful set of features like 1080p video recording, three inch touch screen display, 10x optical zoom, SD/SDHC memory card slot for storing additional memory. All this comes at a price though, this device will set you back by $549. The feature set of the Ordro HDV-D350S is really impressive. Having a 1080p HD video capture option is always a delight. It is there on lots of camcorders but it is still good to have it. The 1080p resolution gives you the best quality of video. The only drawback with the high resolution is that it consumes a lot of disk space. So if you want to store a lot of video, then you will have to tone down the video resolution or else you will have to swap the cards one after the other. The 10x optical zoom gets you really close to  [...]

The Panasonic HDC-SD60K comes with a comfortable design. Panasonic has placed a switch on the rear end of the camera for selecting among video, playback and still modes; this arrangement according to us is much better and convenient than going through the traditional touch screen. Positioned just next to the switch is the power connector for the camera. In addition to the power button, there is a complete complement of connectors and ports residing in the LCD recess: Mini-HDMI out, proprietary video, an SDXC card slot and USB. Though most of the modern cameras are going it, but we still hate the placement of connectors inside camcorders’ LCD, the reason behind this being the fact that the LCD of the camcorder will be open when you attach the camera to some other devices, which definitely is kind of awkward. The camcorder has a button positioned on top of it for toggling between the intelligent manual and auto mode. In both the intelligent manual and automatic mode, the relevant options  [...]

The Canon Vixia HF M32 belongs to the M series camcorder by Panasonic, and after seeing the yesteryears Canon flash HD camcorders, the HF200 series, we were very doubtful about this series. The reason behind our doubt being the fact that it was Panasonic’s attempt to upgrades it mainstream camcorders, which already delivered rock-solid performance and respectable video quality. The M series camcorders come with in comparatively small bodies, and are lightweight. Though the body of the camcorders is made up of plastic, but it still feels well-constructed. Also, these camcorders are simply too small to be held comfortably by consumers with large hands. Canon offers a physical switch to switch between the complete auto modes and manual modes. Apart from this there are some other minor flaws as well.

Sony and Canon are two well known doyens of the world of digital cameras and it’s about time we pitted these two Japanese Godzilla’s one against the others. Time to square off, gentlemen! The two cameras we have picked today are sitting in each corner of the ring. In the orange corner, and it is not a particularly fetching color but it’s infinitely better than having to see it in pink, is the Canon IXUS 130. Tipping the scales at 133 grams and only marginally heavier than its opponent today, you would expect the Canon to be the favorite since it has for long produced digital cameras that are the joy and pride of the market. In the far corner, and sheathed in an infinitely more respectable black, is the Sony Cybershot DSC W380.  Both these cameras offer a lot of bang for your buck and are good little shutterbugs. In terms of specifications, there’s almost nothing to choose between them and very little by the way of weaknesses in this price range. The Cybershot is a bit lighter  [...]

The announcement of the Cyber-shot DSC-H55 didn’t send hordes of shutterbugs into a frenzy, and with good reason. Given that it was a peer of the popular HX5V, hopes were raised for this camera but it all petered down a bit when the camera was made available to the public. In a world of speed, the H55 slows down to a pace best described as unhurried and does things well, but at its own languid pace. The H55 shares some of the DNA of its famous cousin in that they have the same body, lens and LCD, but don’t let that fool you; it looks like a Duck but it doesn’t quack like a Duck. Luckily, it’s not as expensive as said Duck. The H55 is cheaper, significantly cheaper, than the HX5V and so you’d be well-advised to forgive its relative shortcomings. If they are a major gripe with you, shell out the extra bucks and go for the latter. It’s a simple and elegant solution from Sony. As compact megazooms go, the H55 is excellent in its own right but it is a lumbering giant that could  [...]

In general when you hear a performance complaint about a camera you expect it to be regarding the receptiveness of the camera, but that’s not the case with Nikon Coolpix S4000. The touch controls for the camera responds decently to you touches, with finger and with stylus. Nikon not only has relegated the screen to functions which would be better for physical buttons, but at the same time has also made the screen useful. The performance problem we talked about here is related to the autofocus system of the camera. The autofocus system of the camera is inconsistent at best and at normal shooting speeds. The photo quality of the camera is also average, especially in dim lighting conditions and indoors. The camera here is capable of capturing decent snapshots under right circumstances, with results perfectly suited for web sharing and for small prints. As a matter of fact, if you are looking for an affordable touchscreen camera that can get you well-lit  [...]