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Nikon's latest D40-descended entry camera is the $450 Nikon D3000. The camera on its spec sheet is decided low-spec compared to what else Nikon offers but on-par with Canon's 1000D and Sony's A230. Its 12-bit 10MP sensor has dust cleaning functionality, and calibrated ISO to 1600 (pushed to 3200) p…

Ricoh has continued to update its enthusiast compact, with the latest version of the small-sensored camera capturing 10MP digital negatives (DNG) at up to 5fps through its fixed 28mm equivalent, f1.9, lens.

The first consumer-targeted digital camera which was designed to be used underwater was the Pentax OptioWP, released in early 2005. A year later, Olympus created an underwater version of its Stylus, the 720SW and there was a duopoly in the waterproof-camera market. With Canon and Fujifilm joining …

The PEN E-P1 joins Panasonic's Lumix DMC-G1 as Olympus has released its first Micro-Four-Thirds camera. With the name and bodies both bearing similarity to Olympus Pen series of small film cameras, Olympus' initial venture in to Micro Four Thirds is decidedly different than Panasonic's mini-SLR format. The 12MP Olympus camera has Olympus sensor-shift stabilisation and can shoot at 3fps. Olympus is also releasing two new lenses which look like they belong naturally on this small camera, a 14-42mm (28-84mm equivalent; f3.5-5.6) and a very tiny 17mm f2.8 (34mm equivalent). Lenses for the Micro Four Thirds system are compatible between both Panasonic and Olympus cameras, and perhaps portending more serious, high-end ambitions (not that the PEN E-P1 is a low-end camera), Olympus is also releasing lens adapters for both its Four Thirds E-mount and manual-focus OM-mount. At $750, the camera does not come with an optical viewfinder; although one is available as an add-on, most users will be fine composing through the LCD and keeping size down.

Convenience in compact cameras often means a trade-off between physical size (ultracompacts) or lens (and zoom range). While there is only so much physics allows in terms of sensor size and aperture in small cameras, Casio's continued making magic with its ultracompact Exilims in the EX-H10, which has a 10x zoom range and room for digital cropping with a 12MP sensor. Surprisingly, distortion (chroma and geometric) is handled quite well at both extremes of the zoom range, and noise is quite good through ISO 200, and usable to ISO 800 for small prints and small screens.