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What's New 
October 10
Review posted for 
Samsung L210!
Samsung has turned out another beauty in the L210, a digital camera about as small as a stack of business cards. Designed for the whole family, the Samsung L210 has shooting modes for everyone including a Help Guide that lets you practice and a full Manual mode. One of our favorite features is the Samsung L210's charging method, which requires only the USB cable and a connection to a computer or the included power adapter. Though it "only" has a 2.5-inch LCD screen, that helps keep the Samsung L210 small, and its various scene modes and optical image stabilization combine makes for a good, consumer-friendly package. Click here to read our Samsung L210 review for more!
October 8
Full Test Results posted for 
Nikon D90!
We've completed our analysis of the Nikon D90's test data, and have posted the results to the appropriate tabs of the Nikon D90 review. We'll be modifying the first page of the Preview, to update it with our findings, and bring it to Full Review status in the next few days. Bottom line, the D90 is looking like a *real* winner for Nikon, not the least because of its (unreported) chromatic aberration correction feature. Read our Nikon D90 review for all the details!
October 7
Review posted for 
Nikon Coolpix S600!
Trim, compact and stylish, the 10-megapixel Nikon
Coolpix S600 is affordable and easy to use, boasting a 4x wide-angle zoom lens and an excellent selection of preset shooting modes. The Nikon S600's point-and-shoot design makes any user level comfortable, and its portable design means it's ready for travel. In addition to standard Program AE mode, the Nikon
Coolpix S600 also offers 14 preset Scene modes, Face-Priority AF, D-Lighting and creative shooting tools such as color and metering modes, even post-capture editing modes. Read our Nikon Coolpix S600 review for more!
October 3
First Shots posted for 
Canon EOS 50D DSLR!
We've finally received our Canon 50D production unit, and have posted our first test shots from the lab right away. Come see for yourself if the EOS 50D's image quality lives up to expectations. Click here for our Canon EOS 50D Hands-on Preview page, and then click on the Samples tab for all the images we've shot so far, including links to select RAW files. Stay tuned for more Canon 50D test images in the coming days!
October 2
Preliminary performance figures posted for 
Panasonic DMC-G1!
We've gotten our hands on a Panasonic G1 prototype that's final hardware/late firmware, and run our normal timing tests on it. With the 14-45mm kit lens attached, we found that the Lumix G1 met Panasonic's claims for shutter lag at the wide angle end of the range, but was slightly slower at the tele end. Regardless, it's quite a bit faster than the vast majority of digicams, in both shutter lag and continuous shooting speed. - And of course, the Panasonic G1's larger Four Thirds-format sensor will produce better high-ISO images than digicams are capable of. (We can't show you sample images from this level of firmware, but can say that we've generally been impressed with what we've seen. It isn't an imager that will compete with a Nikon D300 or Canon 50D, but is a big step up from what consumers have struggled with from digicams. - And that's exactly who the Panasonic G1 is aimed at.) Check out our Panasonic G1 Hands-On Preview, particularly the Panasonic G1 Performance tab for full details!
Review posted for 
Olympus SP-570 UZ!
The SP-570 is the best-looking long zoom digital camera Olympus has produced, finally available in a black body that's compact, yet easily handled. The Olympus SP-570 UZ's 2.7-inch LCD screen is complemented by a decent electronic viewfinder, and the pop-up flash actually does quite well despite the long zoom. The Olympus SP-570 UZ even includes a hot shoe, and support for the company's wireless flash system. And did I mention the Olympus SP-570 UZ's 20x zoom that jumps in front of the 18x zooms that previously led the pack? It even harks back to extremely popular Olympus C-series digital cameras with a beautiful, solid build. So what could possibly be wrong with the Olympus SP-570 Ultra Zoom? Click here to find out.
September 22
Sample images (sort of) from Panasonic G1!
IR Publisher Dave Etchells had a chance to shoot with a prototype of the Panasonic DMC-G1 Micro Four Thirds camera at a pre-Photokina press event in Cologne, Germany yesterday, and has some images to share, albeit at low resolution. Because the cameras we were using had firmware that's still far from final, Panasonic asked us not to share full-resolution images from them yet. VGA-resolution images (all we're permitted to show) don't show anything about resolution or noise levels, but we decided to post them to our Panasonic G1 page for two reasons: 1) They do show something of the Panasonic G1's white balance capability, which seems to be excellent. It handled some tricky mixed lighting very well, and delivered very natural-looking color under a wide variety of light conditions, all while shooting with Auto white balance. Final judgement will obviously have to wait for a production sample of the G1 and (much) more controlled tests, but he was quite impressed by the prototype's ability to deliver very natural-looking color, even when faced with difficult mixed lighting. 2) A lot of the shots were taken at the development facility for the Panasonic-Toyota Formula One racing team. Since photos are almost never allowed inside F1 facilities, these may be of more interest to Formula One fans than the fact that they were shot with a G1. ;-) To see VGA-resolution copies of some of his shots with the G1, check out our Panasonic G1 Preview, particularly the Samples tab.
September 16
Hands-On Preview posted for 
Casio EXILIM FH20!
Casio has announced a digital camera that captures much of the spirit of its stunningly speedy EXILIM PRO EX-F1, but at a much more affordable pricepoint. For around $600, the FH20 offers a nine megapixel imager, 20x optical zoom lens, and sensor shift image stabilisation. Throw in the Casio FH20's SLR-like body with both a 3.0" LCD display and electronic viewfinder, make the whole package quite a bit smaller than any DSLR with an equivalent lens can manage, and that'd be plenty for most manufacturers. Not for Casio though. The EXILIM FH20 needed another ingredient. Speed, and lots of it. At a slightly reduced eight megapixel resolution, the Casio FH20 can capture images at an impressive 30 frames per second. Drop down to seven megapixels or below, and this increases to 40 frames per second - not quite as fast as the Casio F1, but still enough to blow most any other camera away. Throw in 1280x720 high definition video recording, and the ability to manage frame rates of 210fps or faster at reduced video resolutions, and on paper there's no question that the Casio EXILIM FH20 looks like a lot of camera for the money. So - how does that promise live up in the real world? Read our Casio FH20 preview, and see what IR publisher Dave Etchells thought of this interesting digicam!
Review posted for 
Panasonic DMC-FX500!
With a solid, metal body, the Panasonic FX500 is a handsome 10-megapixel pocket digital camera with a secret: its 3-inch LCD is also a touchscreen, with which you can actually select what object you want to focus on with a simple touch. But that's not all that's interesting about the Panasonic FX500. Its 25-125mm lens exhibits unusually low barrel or pincushion distortion, and it sports optical image stabilization as well. An Intelligent Auto mode analyses the scene and automatically sets the Panasonic FX500 to the proper Scene mode, and Face Detection is capable of detecting up to 15 faces in a scene. We did find ourselves unimpressed with the touchscreen, however, and found images at all ISO settings to be a little too noisy for our taste. Click here for our review of the Panasonic FX500.
September 9
Full Review posted for 
Sony Alpha A900!
High resolution has a new standard bearer, as Sony announces their full-frame, 24.6-megapixel digital SLR camera, the Alpha A900. The sensor and its resolution aren't the only things that are big, the Sony A900 itself is quite a handful. Fitted with a fine Carl Zeiss 24-70mm f/2.8 constant aperture lens, the Sony A900 is a truly beautiful handful that makes some impressive images. As the only full-frame digital SLR with SteadyShot, all lenses become stabilized when fitted to the Sony A900. Though you won't see the stabilization when you look through the optical viewfinder, you'll at least get a 100% view of the scene through the big, bright, high-refractive-index pentaprism. You'd think that the Sony A900 would be slow at moving all those extra pixels, but it actually cranks along at an impressive five frames per second, thanks to a specially-designed mirror and shutter mechanism. There's a lot more to talk about, so click here to read our Sony Alpha A900 digital SLR review, complete with full image analysis and nearly 4GB of test shots.
September 5
Review posted for 
Canon PowerShot SD790 IS!
Canon's ELPHS are all stunningly beautiful digital cameras, but the Canon SD790 IS is among the most handsome with its chiseled edges and 3-inch screen. Inside, the Canon SD790 IS is beautiful too, with a DIGIC III image processor to handle the 10-megapixel images its 3x zoom captures. Roll Canon's Face Detection and Motion Detection technology into the Canon SD790 IS to complete the package, and you have a formidable pocket digital camera. And if you think that looks good, wait until you see the Canon SD790 IS's images. While the Canon SD790 IS has some of the same corner softening and chromatic aberration of other compact digital camera lenses, its overall performance is average to above average in nearly all categories. Click here to read our review of the Canon SD790 IS digital camera for the whole story.
August 27
Hands-on Preview posted for Nikon D90!
The Nikon D80's exceptional sales record perhaps gave Nikon a little extra time to spend cooking up their vision of the ultimate prosumer DSLR. The result is the Nikon D90, incorporating AE and AF technology from the D3/D700/D300 line, while kicking both resolution and performance up a couple of notches from the D80. With a 12.3 megapixel sensor, the Nikon D90 offers only a modest increase in resolution over its predecessor, but that modest increase is likely to be viewed by many users as a welcome tradeoff in light of the D90's doubling of maximum ISO over that of the earlier model. (The Nikon D90's normal ISO range runs from 200 to 3,200, and can be extended to 100 - 6,400 at the user's option.) Another essential upgrade on the Nikon D90 is the move to a high resolution 3-inch LCD screen. The 920,000-pixel display has a 170-degree viewing angle and appears to be every bit as nice as the new screens found on the D3 and D300. It makes checking focus and using Live view mode that much more pleasant. Ah yes, Live View: The Nikon D90 brings this feature to Nikon's consumer camera lineup for the first time (well, arguably at the prosumer rather than the pure consumer end of the scale), but it also adds an entirely new feature, never seen before in a DSLR: The Nikon D90 can record movies at 24 frames/second (the standard in the motion-picture world), and pixel resolutions of 1280x720 (16:9), 640x424 (3:2), and 320x216 (3:2). Read our Nikon D90 Hands-On Preview for an in-depth look at this new camera's exceptional feature set!
UPDATE, 20:15 EDT: First Nikon D90 test shots posted! We've started testing a production-level Nikon D90 digital SLR camera, and wanted to let you see the first shots out of the lab without delay. Click on the Nikon D90 Samples tab and you'll see a full suite of our Still Life, Multi Target and Viewfinder test shots. Stay tuned for more test shots in the coming days!
UPDATE, 08/28/08: We've added more Nikon D90 test shots, including our low-light, flash and macro series. Click on the Samples tab to view!
August 15
Review posted for 
Sony Cyber-shot W300!
While Sony's slim T-series digital cameras get all the attention, the W-Series continues to delight, with great features at a mid-range price. The Cyber-shot W300 is Sony's new flagship W-Series digital camera, as you can tell at glance. The Sony W300's scratch-resistant titanium shell is among the coolest looking Sony digital cameras, and you won't be disappointed by the pictures it takes either. The Cyber-shot W300's 13.6-megapixel sensor sets a new standard in high ISO detail and color for Sony. The Sony W300's image quality really impressed, capturing detail and color at higher ISOs than Sony typically has achieved. The selectable noise reduction may have something to do with that, but it was such a dramatic difference, there's got to be more to the story. The only gripe we had was its timid 3x zoom. Click here for the Sony Cyber-shot W300 review for the whole story.
August 13
Review posted for 
Nikon D700!
With a design and features that will attract a wide array of photographers, the Nikon D700 is the first full-frame digital SLR camera to break the $3,000 barrier at its introduction. Based on the popular Nikon D300, the Nikon D700's controls are poised for quick activation, with commonly used functions out in plain sight, rather than buried in a menu. The Nikon D700's full-frame sensor is essentially identical to the Nikon D3's, so image quality is superb, and high-ISO performance is unprecedented, ranging from 100 to 25,600. A large, high-resolution LCD screen serves up images that are sharper than normal, and menus likewise appear razor-sharp. Special features adorn the Nikon D700, including a 51-point autofocus system, Active D-Lighting image processing, Lateral chromatic aberration correction, Vignette control, and AF Fine-tune capability; all making the camera extremely adaptable. Nikon's latest offering is a great digital SLR camera to build a system around. Click here for our review of the full-frame Nikon D700.
Review posted for 
Canon A590 IS!
There are good digital cameras and cheap digital cameras - the trick is getting both in the same package. The Canon
PowerShot A590 IS is one digital camera that delivers a lot of capability and good photos at a low price. We also like the fact that Canon A590IS is well-suited to both novices and advanced users. Total beginners can put it in "Easy" mode and snap away, but a full range of features (including full manual exposure control) will satisfy more advanced users. The Canon
PowerShot A590 IS offers 4x optical zoom, an excellent range of exposure modes and options, and is very user-friendly. Face and Motion Detection ensure good-looking portraits, even of moving subjects, and an intelligent selection of preset Scene modes offer great exposure flexibility. The Canon A590IS has a bright 2.5-inch LCD display, but also features a real-image optical viewfinder to help conserve battery power. Not a perfect camera by any means, but a heck of a buy at its current ~$150 street price. Click here to read our Canon A590IS review for all the details!
August 6
Review posted for 
Olympus 1030SW!
Olympus's shockproof, waterproof, crushproof, and freeze proof digital camera line got two significant upgrades in the Stylus 1030SW: a new, 28-105mm wide-angle zoom, and a 10.1-megapixel sensor. The Olympus Stylus 1030SW is still the ruggedness leader of the digicam, working at depths of up to 33 feet without an underwater housing, and the built-in manometer will record the heights and depths you've reached for bragging rights. The big question is whether the new lens and sensor improve the Olympus 1030SW's image quality over past offerings. Read our Olympus Stylus 1030SW review for more details.
August 4
Canon Rebel XS First Shots posted!
Canon's new entry-level DSLR, the Canon XS delivers a lot of capability for its low price, and excellent image quality. Check out our Canon XS Review for a look at a full set of test shots, showing what the new model can do! (We'll post a full review of the XS soon, but wanted to get its test images out to our readers asap first.)
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