Digital Camera News and Reviews

Rollei Flexipod 100

Rollei has announced a new flexible tripod called Rollei Flexipod 100. This tripod has rubber legs so it does not slip and rubber limbs can be rotated 360°. The Rollei weighs a little over 100 g and measures 200 x 40 x 40 mm which should make it easy to bring along on photo trips. It is advised that the tripod can be used with camcorders and still cameras up to 800 g.

The Flexipod 100 will come in several colors including pink, blue, red, green and grey and be released on the market in January 2011 for about €15.

Press release:
A tripod for every occasion: Flexipod 100

Hamburg, 2 December 2010

The new Flexipod 100 from Rollei presents an extremely flexible camera tripod, which can be used pretty much everywhere, as its flexible, rubber feet adapt to any surface perfectly.

Bothersome readjustments of the tripod are therefore a thing of the past! No matter where you want to position it, on soft ground or uneven surfaces for example, the slender rubber tripod can be positioned securely anywhere thanks to its rubber limbs that can be bent and rotated through 360°. It can even be attached to a door handle! The rubber-tipped support feet ensure that the tripod doesn’t slip when placed on horizontal surfaces, making it ideal for use outdoors.

The Flexipod 100 is especially suitable for nighttime and time-lapse shots, as well as family portraits using a self-timer function in your own living room. Portrait, landscape and macro shots are also a cinch thanks to the small clamp mounts, which can even be used to attach the tripod to a tree. Its compact size of 200 x 40 x 40 mm and a weight of just 102 grams also make it easy to transport and stow. The Flexipod 100 is therefore the ideal accessory for holidays, hiking tours and sports events.

Compact cameras and mini camcorders with a weight of up to 800 g can be attached to the quick release plate with a 1/4-inch tripod socket. The Flexipod 100 will be available as of the end of January 2011 in pink, blue, red, green and grey for 14.95 euros (RRP).

HP Photosmart Premium

HP Photosmart Premium e-All-in-One is a printer with a large touchscreen LCD and pretty fast printing speeds according to HP. Printer Comparison has now tested this inkjet printer with ePrint technology.

Some key features for the HP Photosmart Premium e-All-in-One:
-TouchSmart Web control panel
-large 4.33″ touchscreen LCD screen
-wifi and USB 2 connectivity
-separate cartridges for black, photo black, yellow, cyan and magenta
-print speeds up to 33 pages per minute in black and white
-print speeds up to 32 pages per minute in color
-built-in card reader

Printer Comparison ends up giving the HP Photosmart Premium e-All-in-One a good review with an overall score of 4 out of 5 possible stars. On the positive side the reviewer finds aspects such as excellent print quality, the ePrint technology works great and it is easy to set up the WiFi connectivity. There are some negative points too including slower than advertised print speeds. The printer is very good especially if you look at the print quality. The only downside is that the print speeds does not compare to what HP claims they are.
Read the full review of the HP Photosmart Premium e-All-in-One inkjet printer here.

Canon IXUS 1000 HS

The Canon IXUS 1000 HS (also known as Canon Powershot SD4500 IS in some markets) digital camera is supposedly the worlds slimmest superzoom camera according to Canon. The website Photography Blog has taken a closer look at this slim camera and reviewed it.

Some key features for the Canon IXUS 1000 HS:
-10 megapixel high-sensitivity back-illuminated CMOS sensor
-10x optical zoom lens (36-360mm)
-Optical image stabilization
-3″ LCD screen
-DIGIC 4 image processing engine
-Full HD video capture with stereo sound
-HDMI port

Photography Blog ends up giving the IXUS 1000 HS a “Recommended” rating with an overall score of 4 out of 5 possible stars. The compact camera scores highest on image quality and features, a little lower on design and ease of use while it scores lower on value for your money. The 1000 HS is great at several areas including image quality where it is able to produce usable images even at ISO 3200. The HD video function is also good. But there are a few downsides including a high price tag and the lens is not very wide since it starts at 36mm. Other than that this seems like a very good superzoom camera that is targeted at photographers caring about size and image quality.
Read the full review of the Canon IXUS 1000 HS / Powershot SD4500 IS camera here.

Brother P-touch PT-2730

The Brother P-touch PT-2730 is a labeling printer that targeted at professional uses and office environments. Trusted Reviews has tested it and it seems like the PT-2730 is pretty good.

Some key features for the Brother P-touch PT-2730:
-Tape sizes 3.5mm, 6mm, 9mm, 12mm, 18mm, 24mm
-Maximum print resolution 180 dpi
-16-character x 3 line graphical display
-Prints up to 7 lines of text on each label
-Select from 8 fonts, 10 type styles, and 20 frames
-Dimensions: 7.0″W x 9.4″D x 2.8″H

Trusted Reviews ends up giving the P-touch PT-2730 an overall score of 8 out of 10 possible points. The label printer scores highest on features where it gets almost a perfect score, a little lower on print quality and print speeds while it scores a bit lower on value. The printer makes labels of high quality and is easy to use. In addition the software that comes with the Brother printer expands your possibilities. One downside is the hefty price tag of the label cartridges, but if you can live with that this might be your label printer of choice.
Read the full review of the Brother P-touch PT-2730 labeling printer here.