Here you’ll find the latest news, definitions, and explanations. Click on the A-Z above to look up particular terms, or use the search box and links on the left. To get in touch, leave a comment under any post.
Nikon’s latest D-SLR for beginners replaces the D3000, but it has new features which also upstage more expensive SLRs in the Nikon range. These include a full 1920 x 1080 HD movie mode, for the first time on a Nikon [...]
The EOS 60D joins the EOS 7D at the top of Canon’s APS-C digital SLR range. It replaces the EOS 50D and 40D before it. It has the same 18-megapixel sensor as the EOS 7D, the same ISO 100-6400 sensitivity [...]
Panoramic modes are nothing new in digital cameras. Usually, you have to take a series of separate, overlapping shots which are then stitched together by the camera or, more likely, on a computer. It’s slow, cumbersome, and you don’t always [...]
This is a new type of ‘reversed’ sensor design which aims to improve sensitivity or the quality which can be achieved at high ISOs. It’s currently appearing in higher-quality compact cameras instead of conventional CCDs and their ever-increasing megapixel counts.
The [...]
Panasonic’s latest superzoom is a stills/movie hybrid which can also shoot full HD movies. It has a 24x optical zoom, 14-megapixel MOS sensor and an articulating 3-inch, 460,000 dot LCD. It can also shoot at 11 frames per second for [...]
The FT10 is Panasonic’s latest version of its underwater compact. It’s waterproof to a depth of 3m (Olympus’s Mju Tough 8010 goes down to 10m), freezeproof to -10 degrees, shockproof to 1.5m and dust-proof. The new model has a 14-megapixel [...]
The FZ45 is sister camera to the new FZ100 superzoom. It has the same 14-megapixel sensor and 24x zoom, but it only shoots standard HD movies (the FZ100 shoots full HD) and it has a fixed 3-inch, 230,000 dot LCD [...]
The LX5 is the replacement for the Panasonic LX3, a high-quality enthusiasts compact. The LX5 has a new 3.8x optical zoom (the LX3 had a 2.5x zoom), a 3-inch 460,000 dot LCD and a new jog dial controller. The 10-megapixel sensor has [...]
14.2-megapixel APS-C format D-SLR with live view. The a390 is aimed at beginners and is much the same as he cheaper a290, but with the addition of a tilting rear LCD and live view. The live view system does not [...]
Sony’s current entry-level DSLR, and the smaller brother to the a390, which adds a live view mechanism and a tilting LCD on the back. Otherwise, the a290 and the a390 are the same. It’s a significant improvement over Sony’s previous [...]
‘Hybrids’ are a new type of camera which use SLR-sized sensors but in a body designed like a compact. You get the advantages of a compact, including smaller size, a simpler mechanism and full-time live view, but with the image [...]
This is a bit of a departure for the Canon Ixus range because the Ixus 300HS features high-tech high-speed shooting functions not even available in the PowerShot range yet. It can shoot stills at 3.7fps at full-resolution and one-sixth speed [...]
The NEX-3 is the cheaper of Sony’s two new compact interchangeable lens hybrid cameras. It has a plastic body (the NEX-5 is metal) and shoots standard HD movies only rather than full HD. The 14-megapixel CMOS sensor is the same, [...]
Hybrid camera with APS-C format sensor in a compact camera sized body. The NEX-5 is the most expensive of two similar hybrid models launched by Sony at the same time. It has a metal body, shoots full HD movies and [...]
The SX210 is a compact superzoom. The pictures aren’t bad, but the rotary controller on rear is fiddly and the pop-up flash is in an awkward position. It has a very long zoom range for this type of camera, but [...]
The iPad is a small, portable computer with a touch-screen interface and no other external controls. PC makers have been experimenting with ‘tablet’ PCs for some time, but they’ve never really taken off. Apple, however, seems to have picked both [...]
Cashback schemes are a way for makers to offer better deals on their cameras without being seen to drop the list price. They provide a useful sales boosts for older cameras, but for buyers it’s not quite the same as [...]
Flickr is a free online photo-sharing site. You can use it to show your pictures to the world at large or, by changing your privacy settings, share your photos only with selected people. Photos uploaded to Flickr are tagged so [...]
A web album is an online gallery of photos which you can share with specific people only or make visible to the world at large. Many different online services now offer free web albums, including Google’s Picasa, Flickr and many [...]