Digital Camera News and Reviews

Updates from the camera world



Month: April, 2009

Samsung announces SMX-C14 and SMX-C10 digital camcorders with focus on design

30 April, 2009 (11:06) | Camcorder, Samsung | By: Camera News

Samsung SMX-C14
Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Samsung has announced two new camcorders. The camcorders are called Samsung SMX-C14 and Samsung SMX-C10, and are focused on design and ergonomics. The only difference between the camcorders is that the SMX-C14 version contains 16GB of built-in memory.

Some key features for the Samsung SMX-C14 and Samsung SMX-C10:
-10x optical zoom
-image stabilization (Hyper Image Stabilization)
-2.7″ LCD screen
-Active Angle Lens
-SD/SDHC memory card slot

The Samsung SMX-C14 and Samsung SMX-C10 will be on the marked in July 2009. The price on the camcorders is not known at this moment.

Press release:
Samsung Focuses on Ergonomics with Two New Digital Camcorders

New SMX-C14 and SMX-C10 Offer Industry-Leading Style, Design and Ease-of-Use
Samsung Electronics America Inc., a market leader and award-winning innovator in consumer electronics, today announced the SMX-C14 and SMX-C10, two new ergonomically designed, compact digital camcorders offering industry-leading style and design. The new SMX-C14 and SMX-C10 also feature Samsung’s stylish Touch of Color™ (ToC™) finish that was first introduced in the company’s line of flat-panel HDTVs. With ToC design, a hint of color is naturally blended into the deep black body for an attractive crystalline appearance.

The SMX-C14 and SMX-C10 are ideal for the on-the-go consumer and offer an impressive 10x optical zoom paired with Hyper Image Stabilization to help reduce blurry footage. Both camcorders also feature a 230,000-dot, swiveling 2.7-inch wide LCD screen, which allows users to effortlessly frame their subjects and review their footage. Similar to the full-HD HMX-R10, the new SMX-C14 and SMX-C10 boast Samsung’s Active Angle Lens. This unique design helps reduce fatigue by allowing consumers to grip the camcorder in a more relaxed manner, easing the overall stress on their wrist and elbow. Unlike traditional camcorders, the relaxed grip also removes the LCD screen from the user’s line of sight, enabling them to always keep an eye on their subject while recording.

“The SMX-C14 and SMX-C10 are truly unique camcorders, starting with their eye-catching ToC design,” said Reid Sullivan, senior vice president of Audio/Video and Digital Imaging Marketing at Samsung Electronics America. “In addition to being ultra-compact, ergonomic and stylish, these camcorders offer a host of advanced, yet easy-to-use capabilities that encourage consumers to integrate video recording into their everyday digital lifestyles.”

The new SMX-C14 features 16GB of internal Samsung flash memory and is expandable via an SD/SDHC memory card slot. Thanks to H.264 compression, which drastically enhances recording times when used with standard definition video, users can record over six hours of footage directly to the SMX-C14’s 16GB of built-in memory. The SMX-C10 does not feature internal memory and requires the use of SD/SDHC media. Both the SMX-C14 and SMX-C10 also offer substantial battery life, providing more than two hours and forty minutes of record time on a single charge.

The SMX-C14 and SMX-C10 also incorporate Samsung’s play-edit-sharing program called intelli-studio. The built-in intelli-studio program allows consumers to connect the camcorder to any computer via USB and edit and play their video without having to install supporting software. intelli-studio also facilitates the process of uploading users’ content to popular video-sharing Web sites. For added convenience, a one-touch “upload” button, available directly on the SMX-C14 and SMX-C10, provides a direct connection to YouTube™, further reducing the number of steps needed to upload footage. In addition, the camcorders also allow basic on-camera editing, including the ability to merge and split video files.

Samsung also enhances the video recording experience for end-users thanks to several unique features, including time-lapse recording, animated thumbnails and a versatile charging system. Time-lapse recording allows users to program the camcorder to record at a pre-set interval of one image every one, three, five, 10, 15 or 30 seconds. Time-lapse recording is especially useful for condensing extremely long events, such as rolling clouds on a sunny day, into a short, easy-to-view video.

Samsung’s animated thumbnail feature simplifies the way users search for video clips on the SMX-C14 and SMX-C10. Each video clip saved on the camcorder is represented by a small thumbnail on the LCD screen. When scrolling through one’s videos, each thumbnail will provide a short playback of the video file when highlighted by the user. The SMX-C14 and SMX-C10 also feature a versatile charging system. Users can either recharge the battery by connecting the camcorder to the supplied AC adapter or via USB while the camcorder is connected to a computer.

The SMX-C14 and SMX-C10 will be available in July 2009.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II back in stock at B&H Photo + Free shipping

29 April, 2009 (08:18) | Canon, DSLR | By: Camera News

Canon EOS 5D Mark II dslr
Canon EOS 5D Mark II

The critically acclaimed Canon EOS 5D Mark II full frame DSLR camera is finally back in stock at B&H Photo. Grab one before they are sold out again.

Some key features for the Canon EOS 5D Mark II:
-21.1 Megapixel CMOS
-Full HD 1080 resolution movie recording
-3.9 frames per second continuous shooting
-ISO sensitivity 50-25,600
-UDMA card compatibility
-9 AF points + 6 Assist AF points

You can order the Canon EOS 5D Mark II camera here. B&H Photo also offer free shipping on this camera.

Pentax 15mm f/4 ED AL Limited SMC DA lens test / review by dpreview

28 April, 2009 (12:22) | Lens, Pentax, Review | By: Camera News

Pentax 15mm f/4 ED AL Limited SMC DA>
Pentax 15mm f/4 ED AL Limited SMC DA

Dpreview has reviewed the Pentax smc DA 15mm f/4 ED AL Limited lens. This is the latest lens from Pentax and it is pretty rare as it is a fixed prime, and it is designed for a digital format.

Dpreview ends up giving the Pentax lens a “Recommended” rating. The lens has a nice and compact build, and has a high quality aluminum construction.
The only downsides are a bit of softness for pictures taken at F4 – F5.6 and that hood design could be better as it is hard to fit filters.
Seems like a nice wide angle prime lens for the Pentax system
Read the full review of the Pentax 15mm f/4 ED AL Limited SMC DA lens here.

HP Officejet Pro 8000 Wireless printer test / review by Printer Comparison

22 April, 2009 (13:23) | HP, Printer, Review | By: Camera News

HP Officejet Pro 8000 Wireless Printer
HP Officejet Pro 8000 Wireless printer

Printer Comparison has reviewed the HP Officejet Pro 8000 Wireless printer. This HP printer features automatic two-sided printing and a 250-sheet paper tray.

Some key features for the HP Officejet Pro 8000 Wireless printer:
-print speeds – maximum 35 ppm in black and 34 ppm in color
-print resolution up to 4800 x 1200 dpi
-250-sheet input paper tray
-150-sheet output paper tray
-32 MB memory

Printer Comparison ends up giving the HP Officejet Pro 8000 Wireless printer a pretty good rating if you are looking for a straight printer. The quality of photo prints was not the best and the HP printer was a bit slower than advertised, but other than that it seems like a fine office printer.
Read the full review of the HP Officejet Pro 8000 Wireless printer here.


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