Digital Home Thoughts - News & Reviews for the Digital Home

BCNRanking, which ranks Japanese product sales, has published their January to June 2010 results for interchangeable lens cameras. Nikon ranks as number 1.

In addition, just about every other company has managed to increase their share of sales volume at Canon's expense except for Sony. No wonder they were in a hurry to bring out the NEX cameras.

"It's now more than a year since we published our last superzoom group test and despite the hype surrounding mirrorless system cameras such as Micro Four Thirds or the Sony NEX, and the fact that entry level DSLRs are becoming more and more affordable, superzoom cameras are as popular with consumers as ever. It is easy to see why. The combination of a large zoom range from wideangle to super telephoto, DSLR-like ergonomics and an attractive price point guarantee that these cameras appeal to a very broad audience."

Following up on their travel zoom roundup, Digital Photography Review has released one on the travel zoom's big brothers; the super zoom cameras. As mentioned, despite mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras being the new must-have for manufacturers, the appeal of such "bridge" cameras still lies in their versatility at a low cost. This time round, the winners are not so surprising. Still, I can't imagine going back to using thumbnail-sized sensors in my cameras!

"For many years now, the trend on this website has been to review the more expensive, cutting-edge cameras. Not only do those cameras capture my interest -- they are what the majority of DCRP readers are curious about, as well. Recently, I was reminded by a reader that I wasn't giving enough attention to entry-level cameras. These cameras may be boring to tech enthusiasts, but let's face it, millions of them are sold every year to regular folks who want something easy-to-use that takes decent photos."

Jeff Keller of the Digital Camera Resource Page has done a nice roundup of eight budget digital cameras. As digital cameras becomes more commoditised, reviews tend to become fewer and fewer, especially in the budget section, where unfortunately it is an area where it's likely to be a big segment of consumers who will likely need some help in making their choices. So if you know of anyone who's just looking for a cheap, no-frills camera that won't let them down, send them over to this roundup.

"The Pentax Optio X90 is a super-zoom digital camera that looks and feels like a DSLR. Featuring a 26x, 26-676mm lens with a sensor-shift Shake Reduction system, the X90 should cover most photographic bases. Also on offer are a 12 megapixel sensor, 720p HD movies with an HDMI port, electronic viewfinder and a 2.7 inch LCD screen, Aperture-Priority, Shutter-Priority and Manual shooting modes, and a 1cm macro mode."

Another day, another superzoom. Photography Blog takes a look at Pentax's offering and are quite impressed by it. Me? I'll say I'm getting bored of the me-too cameras coming out in this category. Every big photography brand has one, and a few (including the Pentax) are quite similar. Given the zoom progression (20x, 24x, 26x etc) happening in roughly the same time from different manufacturers, I'm inclined to believe that there's one or two ODMs out there making the same camera but customised for each different brand name. The digital camera market is a very competitive nowadays so many of the big brands are willing to sub-contract out the mass-market cameras to cut costs, then do a minimum of marketing and hope enough sales are made based on brand-name recognition. I suspect this brings in a good sum of cash to keep other operations afloat.

On the camera proper: It's got a big zoom, it's not too expensive, um, that's not really more to it. Need long focal lengths on the cheap, get one of these. I personally would take a look at the Fujifilm HS10 because of the potentially better sensor involved, as well as an even bigger zoom ratio, but I won't get my hopes up there as well. Like I said, this area of the market feels a bit tired.

"The Pentax Optio W90 is a robust compact camera that can be submerged in up to 6 meters of water, dropped from a height of 1.2 meters, and used in temperatures as cold as -10°C. Pentax’s most water-, shock-, dust- and cold-proof digital camera, the 12 megapixel W90 features a 5x zoom lens offering a focal range of 28-140mm, HD movie shooting at 1280x720 pixels at 30 frames per second, 2.7 inch LCD screen with anti-reflective coating, 1cm macro and digital microscope modes, upgraded face detection system, and triple anti-shake protection to help avoid unwanted camera shake. Available in green or black, the Pentax Optio W90 costs £269.99 / $299.95."

Personally, I think ruggedization is the future of the point-and-shoot market. Most camera phones are becoming good enough and a stand-alone camera can spare the space required for cushioning and water-resistant features. What do you think? Is your next point and shoot going to be ruggedized?

"PENTAX Imaging Systems Division is pleased to announce the launch of the PENTAX 645D lens-interchangeable, medium-format digital SLR camera. Thanks to the incorporation of a large image sensor, equal in performance to professional-standard digital camera backs, this high-performance model delivers super-high-resolution images with approximately 40 effective megapixels. It also offers outstanding dependability and superb operability and maneuverability to make outdoor shooting effortless and comfortable for demanding photographers."

Not my kind of camera, but Pentax has done something interesting here by releasing a medium-format camera at under $10,000. dpreview.com has all the specs and details.

"Two entry-level DSLRs go head to head! the Pentax offers video and a new sensor while the Sony provides excellent Live View and a tilting LCD. Fight!"

If you're in the market for an entry-level DSLR camera, then you may want to take a look at the latest Tom's Guide review of the Pentax K-x and the Sony Alpha A550 Digital SLR cameras. It's not really a face-off as they didn't pick a winner, but take a read of each review and decide for yourself which you think is best. As I hope to buy my first Digital SLR camera in the new year I read these reviews with interest. With Canon and Nikon having their own entry-level cameras as well, it can be very confusing for novices like me to decided which to get. So reviews like this which highlight the pros and cons of each camera, really do help me to decide which features I want and which I can do without.