What’s new: The camera was reviewed at Photographyblog!

PENTAX Imaging Company announced the latest model to its ultrazoom line, the Pentax X90. It takes on the company’s X70 model and features 12 megapixels, 26x optical zoom, 2.7-inch LCD screen, full manual controls and HD movie capture.

The camera’s lens has 26 mm wide angle capabilities and 26x magnification with its impressive optical zoom. The lens also delivers 1 cm (0.4 inches) macro focus length, which proves its versatility. There’s no optical stabilizer in the lens, but the camera has sensor-shift image stabilization to ensure blur-free images.

The X90 offers maximum controls over your images it its aperture & shutter priority and manual shooting modes. There’s also an Auto Picture mode which detect the shooting situation and automatically selects the optimum scene from eight common scenes. You can as well select the scene yourself – there’ a wide choice of 20 pre-set scene modes in the camera.

The camera has all the necessary functions for perfect portrait shots – Face Detection of up to 32 faces in a frame, Smile capture and Blink detection. There’s also AF Tracking function in the camera to keep moving subjects in focus.

The X90 cam shoot 5mp images at up to 11 fps continuous speed, has built-in Wi-Fi capability and supports Eye-Fi wireless SD memory cards. It goes on sale in the USA from April 2010 at a planned price of $400.

Camera Reviews:

Photographyblog.com:
Basically the camera can be viewed as a ‘DSLR Lite’ for those aspiring photographers who would like more control over their images than most compacts can offer. But its price is almost as high as that of an entry-level DSLR or Hybrid.

Sample Photo Galleries: photographyblog.com.

Pentax Optio X90– Specifications:

• 1/2.33″ CCD Image Sensor
• 12.10 Megapixels
• Maximum Image Size: 4000 x 3000
• 26x Optical Zoom
• Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
• Focal Length Equivalent: 26 - 676mm
• Aperture Range: f/2.8 (Wide) - f/5.0 (Tele)
• 200K dots Electronic Viewfinder with Diopter Control
• 2.7 in. LCD with 230,000 dots
• Contrast detect Focusing System
• AF Modes: 9-area Auto, 99-area Manual Select, Center
• Macro Focus: 1 cm
• Sensitivity: ISO 80- 6400
• Shutter Speed: 4 - 1/4000 sec
• Light Metering: Multi-segment, Center-weighted, Spot, Spot AF area
• Exposure Modes: Aperture, Shutter, Manual
• 20 Scene Modes
• Face Detection up to 32 faces
• Continuous Shooting: up to 11 fps at 5Mp
• Movie Mode: 1280 x 720p at 30fps (HD)
• SD / SDHC, MMC Memory Cards
• 31.2MB Internal Memory

Sigma announced the new Sigma 85mm F1.4 EX DG HSM lens. It features fast maximum aperture of  f/1.4, which is ideal for portrait and low light photography. Its fixed focal length of 85mm, or 127.5mm on digital cameras with an APS-C size image sensor, ensures a natural perspective.

The lens offers a minimum focusing distance of 85cm, a maximum magnification 1:8.6 and round 9 blade diaphragm which creates an attractive blur to the out of focus images.

The 85mm f/1.4 features 11 elements in 8 groups in its optical design. There’s one element made of SLD (Special Low Dispersion) glass and one glass mold element to provide for correction for all types of aberrations. Moreover, the lens’s rear focus system minimizes fluctuation of aberration caused by focusing while the Super Multi-Layer Coating reduces flare and ghost.

The lens incorporates HSM (Hyper Sonic Motor) which makes quiet and high speed AF possible as well as allows for full-time manual focus capability. Note that if your camera body doesn’t support HSM, auto focusing will be not possible.

This lens is supplied with a Petal-type hood to block out extraneous light. In comes also with a dedicated hood adapter which expands the length of the hood to block out light more effectively, which especially important when using the lens on digital cameras with an APS-C size image sensor.

SIGMA 85mm F1.4 EX DG HSM –Specifications:

• Focal Length: 85mm
• Focal Length (APC-S): 127.5mm
• Maximum Aperture: F/1.4
• Minimum Aperture: F/16
• Lens Construction: 8 groups 11 elements
• 1 SLD Glass Elements
• Angle of View (APS-C crop): 28.6°
• Closest Focus Distance: 85cm (33.5in)
• Maximum Reproduction Ratio: 1:8.6
• Aperture Blades:9 (rounded)
• Filter Attachment Size: 77 mm
• HSM AF Motor
• Dimensions: 84.7mm x 87.6mm (3.3 in x 3.4 in)
• Supplied Accessories: Case, Petal-type Hood, Hood Adapter
• Mounts : Sigma, Sony, Nikon, Pentax, Canon

What’s new: The camera was reviewed by Photographyblog!

The new Sony CyberShot TX5 is the world’s thinnest waterproof digital still camera with Optical SteadyShot image stabilization and touch operation. Apart from it, the camera features 10.2-megapixel resolution, 4x optical zoom and HD movie capture.

The camera can endure 1 hour of being underwater down to 10 feet (3 meters). Moreover, the TX5 is freezeproof down to 14 degrees Fahrenheit, dustproof and shockproof up to about a five-foot (1.5m) drop. So it is a good choice for those preferring active lifestyle.

The lens is 25mm wide-angle, the benefit of which is that you can take vast pictures and large groups of people without having to go back to get everyone and everything into a frame.

With Sony “Exmor R” CMOS sensor the camera can deliver great low-light performance, while the BIONZ® processor allows for speedy 10MP image capture at 10fps. So you’ll never miss a moment.

The TX5 offers program exposure mode with little control over the settings and 14 scene modes. It also has a solution for backlight situations, the Correction High Dynamic Range (HDR) technology. It combines highlight and shadow detail of two separate captures into one image with natural lighting.

Sony has built its unique Intelligent Sweep Panorama function in the camera to get panoramic shots without bothering about stitching individual frames. It requires only one press-and-sweep motion, and the camera will combine the frames itself to deliver natural looking panoramic photos.

The camera will be available in April at a planned price of $349. Body colors include silver, black, pink, green and red.

Camera Reviews:

Digitalcamerainfo.com:
These make it a very attractive package for those who want a compact camera that can handle the rough and tumble of the outdoors and shoot good looking images at the same time.

Photographyblog.com:
Despite its diminutive dimension the camera can take pretty good images, not DSLR-like quality, but better would be possible otherwise.

Sample Photo Galleries:  digitalcamerainfo.com, photographyblog.com.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX5 – Specifications:

• 1/2.4″ Exmor R CMOS Image Sensor
• 10.20 Megapixels
• 3.0 in. Touchscreen LCD with 230,000 dots
• 4x Optical Zoom
• Optical Image Stabilization
• Focal Length Equivalent: 25 - 100mm
• Aperture Range : f/3.5 (wide) - f/4.6(tele)
• Auto Focus Modes: 9-point, center, spot, flexible (touch) spot AF
• Macro Mode: 1 cm
• Sensitivity: ISO 125 - 3200
• Shutter Speed: 2 - 1/1600 sec
• Light Metering: Multi-pattern, center-weighted, spot
• 14 Scene Modes
• Intelligent Sweep Panorama
• Backlight Correction HDR
• Continuous Shooting: 10.0 fps for 10 frames
• Movie Mode: 1280 x 720p HD
• Memory Stick (PRO) Duo, SD/SDHC , MMC Memory Cards
• 45.0MB Internal Memory
• Dimensions: 3.7 x 2.2 x 0.7 in./94 x 57 x 18 mm
• Waterproof to 3.0m / 10 ft (1 hour),
• Dustproof
• Shockproof (/ 5 ft)
• Freezeproof (-10C/14F)