cooltech

The photographic theme continues with a look at the new Pentax Optio E60. Pentax does not get the attention that Nikon and Canon do, but they certainly deserve their slice of the pie. Pentax has produced good quality cameras for more than 55 years.  The company introduced their Asahiflex camera in 1952. Pentax actually started as a lens producing company in 1919, getting its start in the photography industry much like Nikon.

Fast forward to 2008; Pentax brings the Optio E60 to market providing consumers with a 10.1 megapixel camera in a compact case.  It would be fair to ask; where are things going from here?  Point and shoot cameras with 10.1 megapixels and a 32mm to 96mm (35mm equivalent) lens were unheard of just a few years ago. In terms of digital sensors, they are encroaching on what was once the territory of pro cameras only.

The PENTAX Optio E60 offers the user a number of shooting modes including Face Recognition, Auto Picture, Digital Shake Reduction and Green Mode.  The Green Mode sets sensitivity, exposure and other parameters. The Optio E60 offers an Image Recovery function to retrieve accidentally-erased images. It also allows for time and date imprinting on images based on world time; all of this in a compact package.

Toss a couple of AA-rechargeable batteries in for money-saving convenience.  The Optio E60 will hit the market this October.

Consumers are finding a growing number of sophisticated digital SLR’s available from a number of leading manufacturers.  Most of these makers produced film cameras only 5 years ago. Now their consumer level cameras have surpassed the original pro-level cameras.

One of the undisputed leaders in the consumer and professional market is Canon.  The Canon Rebel series of cameras have been a big success for the company since they entered the digital marketplace.  Although Canon calls the newest entry in the Rebel series an ‘entry-level’ camera, one look at it’s features reveals a camera that would have been considered ‘pro-level’ just a few years ago.

The Canon EOS Rebel XS has a list of features that anyone graduating from a point-and-shoot camera would be proud to own.  How about image stabilization in the lens? A 10.1 megapixel CMOS sensor?  A 3 frames per second continuous JPEG burst rate?  And, it even has live-view; a feature I wish my Nikon D-200 had. One look into the 2.5″ LCD screen will allow the user to focus and compose their shot.

The EOS Rebel XS even features hardware and software-based dust removal technology. Did they call this ‘entry-level’?  The kit lens features built-in optical image stabilization. Users, who formally had to tolerate blurry pictures with their point-and-shoot cameras, now have a powerful ally to help assure them clear pictures.  

Controls on the new EOS Rebel XS are large and easy to use.  Other features include easy-to-see operating panel indications such as ISO settings visible through the viewfinder and Canon Speedlite controls through the camera LCD menu.  The camera also incorporates a Canon feature called Auto Lighting Optimizer which locates dark areas in an image and adjusts the brightness and contrast to improve the overall image.

Do you ever shoot fast action? Insert a good quality memory card into the EOS Rebel XS and take advantage of the continuous JPEG burst rate which allows users to continuously shoot a scene until the memory card is at capacity.  With a couple of gigabyte memory card, you can capture that fast moving photo just like the pros.

Canon has also introduced the latest model in the EX series of Speedlite flashes: the Canon Speedlite 430EX II. Canon has increased the recycling speed of the 430EX II by 20% over it’s predecessor. A nice feature, that pros have come to appreciate, is a metal mounting foot which increases the strength and durability of a shoe-mounted flash. The new unit will allow users to control flash functions and input settings using the Rebel XS’s LCD monitor.  The flash will have an estimated retail price that is nearly half the retail price of the Rebel XS. That pricing puts it on a par with the top of the line Nikon flash unit, which is a pro-level device.

The Canon Rebel XS is expected to be available at retailers starting next month. In kit form, it will come with a EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS zoom lens. This should make for a very versatile DSLR for those new to ‘through-the-lens’ digital cameras as well as advanced amateurs.  It would even make a good back-up camera for the pro who needs a light second camera. 

The newer SONY Bravia line is nothing new; it was introduced at the Consumer Electronics Show last January in Las Vegas. Whenever I look at one though, I find that it is such a neat product, that I thought it was worth another mention.

To start with, you can watch select streaming Internet video on the Bravia. Gives the average tech aficionado a hint of things to come. The 19-inch KDL-19M4000 unit features a 1440 x 900 progressive screen resolution. That’s a lot of pixels. Besides the 19″ ‘M-series’. there are three other models that also offer high-definition picture quality at an attractive price.

Watch a Blu-ray disc, check out the video you shot on your SONY digital video cam or listen to surround sound audio via an AV receiver. A touch of a button on your remote activates all of these external components. The 19″ model also includes an HDMI, component and PC input.  Who said that 19″ TV’s were passe’?  This one provides a multitude of uses for every home.

The other available sizes in the ‘M-series’ are 26, 32, and 37 inch models.  They have features like BRAVIA Internet Video Link, Digital Media Port, DLNA compatibility and USB input.  Owners can purchase additional external modules which expand functionality even more. One of the first modules available is the BRAVIA Internet Video Link module.  This will allow for viewing of select streaming Internet video, including high-definition content.  All models are available now.