CES 2009 Digital cameras at CES 2009

Casio Exilim EX-FC100 digital camera

Casio has unveiled a new compact digital camera at the CES 2009, the 9Mp Exilim EX-FC100.

This slim model is bursting with innovative features, and the Which? team had a chance to try it out at the CES 2009.

The EX-FC100 boasts a number of advanced technologies based around rapid continuous shooting. With 30 shot per second high-speed shooting in 6Mp, the EX-FC100 can take a rapid burst of pictures to increase your chances of getting the best shot.

A continuous shutter mode takes advantage of this technology by taking shots before you have even fully pressed the shutter button, giving you a head-start on catching fleeting moments.

By half-pressing the shutter button, the EX-FC100 will begin taking shots in burst mode, taking even more after you fully depress the shutter. All of this takes place in an instant, and you can set how many still shots you want to capture before and after pushing the shutter button.

If you press the ‘slow’ button on the camera, the EX-FC100 will capture a rapid succession of still pictures, playing them back to you on the screen slowly to let you select the best shot from among them. We were impressed to see this novel technology in such a compact camera.

High-speed movie making

The EX-FC100 can also record 720p HD movies at 30 frames per second (fps). Beyond this, there is also a high-speed movie mode which lets you record video at an astonishing 1000fps, 420fps, or 210fps. This mode also lets you play back videos in slow motion.

We tried out the high-speed recording mode, and the slow-motion playback feature is very engaging – you can play a video at normal speed, and at any point you choose you select to view it in slow motion.

Even if you are recording in standard 30fps, at the touch of a button you can change this to 210fps without having to stop recording.

We look forward to testing the EX-FC100’s features further when it is released in March 2009, priced around US$399 (about £265).

For help choosing a digital camera, check out the Which? digital camera reviews.

World’s first Wi-Fi-enabled digital camera

Sony has unveiled the world’s first Wi-Fi-enabled digital camera with a built-in web browser at CES 2009.

The 10Mp Cyber-shot DSC-G3 can wirelessly connect to any public hotspot, making it simple to upload photos and videos.

To access the web you simply hit the WLAN button on the camera. This opens the Sony Easy Upload Home Page, which has direct links to photo-sharing sites such as Photobucket, Shutterfly and Picasa, as well as YouTube and Dailymotion. This means you can share your favourite photos without having to switch on your computer.

The 10Mp camera has a 4x optical zoom Carl Zeiss lens, 4GB of built-in memory, a 3.5-inch LCD screen and includes Sony's usual camera features – smile shutter face recognition and image stabilisation.

Chris Christoforou, Which? digital camera expert, said, ‘We’ve seen other cameras with Wi-Fi quite recently from Canon, Nikon and Kodak, but with the G3, Sony takes connectivity and the ability to share your photos and videos easily while on the move to a new level.’

There’s no information on a UK launch yet, but the camera is available in the US from this month for about US$500 (around £330), including three years' free Wi-Fi access.

For help choosing a digital camera, check out the Which? digital camera reviews.

Olympus unveils x26 superzoom digital camera

Olympus has unveiled a new x26 optical zoom bridge camera at CES 2009. 

The Olympus SP590’s huge lens can extend from 26-676mm – the largest zoom we’ve seen in a bridge camera.

The 26mm wide angle should help with fitting in wide landscape shots or group photos indoors, while the full extent of the zoom gives unprecedented access to faraway subjects for a non-SLR digital camera.

We had a chance to handle the 12 Mp Olympus SP590 at the show, and were impressed by how relatively compact it is for an advanced camera with such a large zoom.

Chris Christoforou, Which? digital camera expert, said, 'This is a truly massive zoom. Only a couple of years ago we used to think that 420mm was large, but this Olympus takes things to a whole new level. We look forward to seeing how other manufacturers respond in the big zoom race.'

The zoom is very fast in operation and extremely smooth, and the SP590 also has an electronic viewfinder. This will help with holding the camera steady, particularly when using the zoom to its full extent.

It also has a 2.7 inch LCD display.

For more on choosing the best digital camera for you, see our expert Which? reviews of the best digital cameras.

To see more pics from our time at CES 2009, check out the Which? CES 2009 photo gallery on Flickr.

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