Camera falls victim to Hello Kitty

Usually the gadgets we see that have been conquered by the Sanrio empire are of dubious quality, though that obviously matters not to its loyal subjects. But Hello Kitty Hell, the spiritual leader of The Resistance, has come across a new item that has gotten some early nods from a few consumers.

Fujifilm's FinePix Z5 which has received a few high marks in reader reviews, is the latest victim of Hello Kitty subjugation, festooned with Swarovski crystals, a gold emblem and, of course, the trademark Pepto-Bismol pink. All this for US$500 on the Japanese market.

This is clearly a step up from the last Kitty-cam we saw. Our guess is that the empire needed new cameras to record our demise.

Via Crave

Report: Olympus high-end SLR to debut Oct 17

Sony, Nikon, Canon and Panasonic have unveiled a gaggle of new SLRs, but Olympus has yet to show off its promised top-end model, at least to most of the world. According to DPreview this week, though, the unveiling will take place October 17.

"We have just received official word that Olympus will reveal the successor to their top-of-the-range E-1 digital SLR... on 17th October", the site said.

The camera initially looked like it might be called the EP-1, but more recent evidence suggests the name E-3. Some specifications from an anonymously released and unconfirmed document includes the following: 5 frames per second shooting, a 10-megapixel sensor, 11-point autofocus, sensor-shift image stabilization, a swiveling LCD, wireless flash control and a dust-reduction system.

Samsung's erratic digicam shower

Make that a passing one as well. Right after its IFA showing in Berlin, Samsung Singapore held a local showcase for a selected number of its new imaging products.

But since we've already covered the new Samsung camera range, let's find out what's missing instead.

Out of the new luxury lineup, the NV8 is ostentatiously omitted. For the L-series, the L730 was left out and the S85 was completely out of the picture.
Read more »

Samsung spreads out new vidcam goodies

The Korean firm's camcorders are now smaller and pack, according to a fellow media observer, a "disconcerting resemblance to the JVC Everio's form factor".

Both the HMX10 and HMX10C (the "C" version has 8GB internal flash memory) are Samsung's first HD vidcams. Seen earlier at CES 2007, these use a CMOS sensor with 10x optical zoom and a 2.7-inch touchscreen. Yet, it's HD in the minimum sense of the term--it records to 720p.

The S$449 MX10 runs on newer storage mediums, SDHC and MMC Plus which in light of tumbling flash memory prices bodes well for the budget-minded. However, even for those on a shoestring budget, a battery life of 2 hours is barely enough. The addition of an optical viewfinder to offset the MX10's reliance on its 2.7-inch screen for framing and thus saving battery life would be a good improvement.

Finally, there's the DX10, Samsung's hybrid DVD flash memory (4GB internal) camcorder. It's slightly larger to accommodate the diameter of a DVD disc and touts the ability to burn DVDs from the vidcam's flash memory.

These camcorders will be available in Singapore by October. We were unable to get word on Asian availability at press time.

Click on the thumbnails for larger images.

             

Stealth launch: Casio EX-Z8

This is the fifth camera that Casio is announcing this fall. However, number five seems to lack the PR publicity that the Japanese firm had allocated to the earlier four.

While Casio gave us few details, it's plain to see that the EX-Z8 is meant as a replacement for the EX-Z75. And like the previous quartet, the 8-megapixel Z8 will have a YouTube video capture mode (low-res) and upload software.

A Casio Singapore spokesperson reported that the EX-Z8 will not be retailing in the island republic.

 Read our review of the first Casio YouTube camera

     

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