Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8 introduction

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8 is a 7.2 Megapixel super-zoom camera with a 12x stabilised lens. Announced in January 2007, it’s the successor to Panasonic’s earlier Lumix FZ7.

The FZ8 represents a subtle upgrade over its predecessor, but the new features are certainly worth talking about. Both the screen and the electronic viewfinder have been upgraded and there’s now welcome support for recording images in a RAW format – something which is rarely seen in a product at this price point, not to mention a number of higher-end models which should know better. There’s also the obligatory increase in resolution from 6 to 7.2 Megapixels.
The Lumix FZ8 is clearly identifiable as a Panasonic FZ series camera, but as you’ll see in our main review it’s a lot smaller than it looks, and surprisingly light too. As such it’s an ideal superzoom for anyone who desires a powerful optical range, but doesn’t want to lug around a bigger model, nor compromise their grip on a flat-fronted compact.

The FZ8’s lens offers an equivalent range of 36-432mm and makes the longer end perfectly usable with Optical Image Stabilisation, OIS. Like Panasonic’s current range, the FZ8 also features very quick and easy access to settings using a neat dropdown menu system, and there’s also the ability to record good quality video in a genuine widescreen aspect ratio. There’s additionally full manual control including Aperture and Shutter priority modes.

All in all it represents a compelling package especially when you consider its price, which comes in comfortably below rival superzooms from the likes of Sony and Olympus. So the big question is how it compares to these models, along with its bigger brother, the Lumix FZ50? Is there any compromise in the FZ8’s handling, lens range or image quality, or is it now the ultimate affordable super-zoom?

Find out in our Panasonic FZ8 review where we’ll compare it against the models mentioned above, while also demonstrating its key features including lens range and stabilisation in our FZ8 video tour.

Canon PowerShot SX1 IS intro

Canon’s PowerShot SX1 IS is a 10 Megapixel super-zoom camera with a 20x optically-stabilised lens and a 2.8in flip-out screen. Announced in September 2008 alongside the SX10 IS, both cameras jointly replace the best-selling PowerShot S5 IS. The SX1 IS was delayed to the North American market, but announced by Canon USA complete with RAW recording facilities in February 2009.

The two new PowerShot SX super-zooms share a great deal in common including the same lens, body, and sensor resolution. The main difference is the sensor technology itself, with the SX1 IS becoming Canon’s first non-DSLR to feature a CMOS sensor, which allows it to shoot full resolution images at a much faster continuous speed of 4fps while additionally offering movie recording in the Full HD 1080p format. In contrast, the SX10 IS with its conventional CCD sensor shoots at 1.4fps and records movies at a maximum VGA resolution of 640x480 pixels.

In addition, the SX1 IS swaps the 4:3 shaped screen and viewfinder of the SX10 IS for 16:9 widescreen versions, sports an HDMI port for connecting to HDTVs, and comes supplied with an IR remote for triggering the shutter or controlling playback.

Beyond the sensor type (with its impact on continuous shooting and movies), HDMI port, remote control and the wider screen and viewfinder though, both cameras are essentially the same. The 36-432mm 12x range of the earlier S5 IS has now been replaced with a 28-560mm range that equips the SX1 IS and SX10 IS with both wider and longer coverage. Like S5 IS though, the new zoom employs one of Canon’s quiet USM motors which offers two speeds, the slower of which is virtually inaudible – this in turn allows Canon to enable the optical zoom while filming video.

Both new PowerShots inherit the stereo microphones of the S5 IS along with a dedicated button on the rear to start recording video regardless of the mode you’re in. The image processor has however been updated to the latest DIGIC 4, which on both new models employs the efficient H.264 codec and Quicktime Movie format.

DIGIC 4 also brings improved face detection, a self-timer option which exploits face detection to wait for the photographer to enter the frame, a new Servo AF mode, and i-Contrast which can boost shadow areas in images.

As before images can be composed using an electronic viewfinder or a fully-articulated monitor which can flip and twist to any angle. New to the SX1 IS and SX10 IS over its predecessor though is one of Canon’s thumb wheels on the rear for quick and easy adjustments and scrolling through menus or images in playback.

The earlier PowerShot S5 IS was already a very popular camera, so by almost doubling its optical range to include both wide angle and longer telephoto coverage, the new models promise even more. The SX1 IS then goes beyond what’s offered by the SX10 IS to additionally boast fast continuous shooting, HD movies and an HDMI port.

These are impressive enhancements over what was already a powerful counterpart, but the big questions are how well they work in practice and whether it’s worth spending the extra. The competition haven’t stood still either, and while the new PowerShots feature longer zoom ranges than the earlier S5 IS and Panasonic’s Lumix DMC-FZ28, both Nikon and Olympus out-gun them with 24x and 26x ranges on the SP-590UZ and P90 respectively.

Find out how the PowerShot SX1 IS measures-up, testing its features, performance and optical quality, while directly comparing its images and noise levels against the PowerShot SX10 IS, along with a DSLR for good measure.

So to find out whether it’s worth spending the extra on Canon’s SX1 IS, or if its new CMOS sensor comes with compromises, read on. As always, you can also see a demonstration of the highlights in our Canon PowerShot SX1 IS video tour.

Canon brings SX1 IS to US and adds RAW

Canon has launched the Powershot SX1 IS in the US market and has also announced a firmware update enabling RAW capture. Existing SX1 IS owners will also be able to download the Digital Photo Professional software to edit white balance, exposure compensation and sharpness of their RAW files before converting them to JPEG. The firmware will be available for download from mid-March 2009 while US users should be able to buy cameras from April at an MSRP of $599.

Just posted! Nikon D3X review

Just posted! Our in-depth review of the Nikon D3X, Nikon's new 24.5 megapixel flagship DSLR. After the launch of the 12 megapixel D3 in 2007 the question wasn't if but when Nikon would present a high resolution counterpart. It took the japanese manufacturer a little while but in December of last year the D3X eventually saw the light of day. We managed to get one of the early production models and have already put it through the rigorous dpreview testing procedures. Click on the link and see if the camera can justify its $8000 price tag in our in-depth review.

Just posted! Olympus 9-18mm lens review

Just posted! Our lens review of the Olympus Zuiko Digital ED 9-18mm F4-5.6. This compact, lightweight ultra-wideangle zoom is aimed at the more budget-conscious Four Thirds user, belonging as it does to the company's 'Standard' line of lenses. In the second part of our latest series of lens reviews featuring wideangle zooms, we see whether the 9-18mm maintains Olympus's reputation for producing excellent optics even in its least expensive lenses.

Ricoh looks to increase dynamic range with CX1

Following the release of its CX1, CMOS-based, zoom-compact, we asked Ricoh about some of the technologies included in the camera. As well as using a CMOS sensor that allows rapid continuous shooting (a rate of four frames per second at full resolution puts the CX1 well into entry-level DSLR territory), Ricoh has built-in a couple of features that aren't commonplace. Takashi Hongoh, General Manager of the company's Research and Development department, explains some of them.

The CX1 has a couple of interesting points on its specification sheet, including a high resolution LCD and a focus bracketing mode for macro work but the thing that caught our attention were the two features added to boost dynamic range. We asked Ricoh why these had been added and who they were aimed at.

'The dynamic range of digital cameras is narrower than that of film,' says Hongoh: 'the challenge was to overcome this weakness of digital. The CX1 has two features to help address this issue. We believe users who are interested in image quality are the people who will most appreciate these features.'

Most digital camera users will be familiar with the loss of detail or color accuracy in bright parts of an image. In general terms, most digital cameras' green photosites tend to be the most sensitive. This is, in part, because the green dyes of the color filter array tend to allow a wider range of light frequencies through than the red or blue dyes but also because of silicon's inherent sensitivity to the red/green end of the visible spectrum. As a result, green photosites are often the first to 'clip' in bright situations, leading to washed-out regions with incomplete color information.

To prevent this, Ricoh has developed an algorithm that re-creates lost green values from the neighboring red and blue photosites, when this happens. 'This is not a normal part of demosaicing,' says Hongoh: 'this is something we have developed ourselves - and there is a dedicated circuit in the CX1 that conducts this processing.'

'This feature will appeal to customers who are very particular about image quality. It helps to suppress white-out and expands dynamic range by up to 1EV compared to previous models. And it's always active,' says Hongoh. This is in contrast to many existing dynamic range expansion technologies that limit the available ISO range (and can result in increased noise), or reduce the camera's performance when engaged.

For more extreme lighting situations, there is also a built-in high-dynamic range mode. This shoots two, differently exposed, images consecutively and combines them to enable to capture of a greater dynamic range than would be possible in a single exposure. The company claims the CX1 will be able to capture and convey dynamic range of up to 12EV. However, Hongoh stresses that its feature isn't trying to produce the fashionable, heavily-processed 'HDR-look.' 'it aims to portray the scene in as natural a way as possible,' he says.