One Tough Little Waterproof Camera

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A Camera for All Seasons

Summer is here... and you're looking for a camera that will capture all your summer fun. No, I mean ALL your fun. You want a camera that you can take to the beach, camping in the mountains, to the swimming pool... even IN the swimming pool.

Winter is here... the warm months seem like ancient history and you are looking for a camera that can capture all of your wintertime fun. No, I mean ALL your fun. Your camera must do more than just take indoor holiday shots around a warm fire; it must be able to grab those images of your amigos catching some backside air in the middle of the worst blizzard since 1910.

If this sounds like you, then the Olympus Stylus 770SW is the camera you've been looking for. This all-weather, shockproof, freeze-proof, crush-proof, waterproof digital camera is designed for those who live an active lifestyle, and is rugged enough to survive it.

• Shockproof camera: For the accident prone, or for those who simply don't know the meaning of "take it easy," the Stylus 770 SW is designed to withstand a drop, bump, grind or hustle, up to 5-feet off the ground. As long as it doesn't fall out of your pocket while you're skydiving, hang gliding or bungee jumping, you should be covered.
• Waterproof camera: We're not kidding. You can literally take underwater shots with this camera -- down to a depth of 33 feet -- without any kind of special camera case or sealed bag. Olympus has added its innovative waterproof sealant technology to this precision point-and-shoot camera. You can capture still snapshots at the waterpark, in the ocean, or in the pool, and even record underwater movies with sound. Do you want to capture definitive proof that the Loch Ness Monster exists? This cameras will get it for you (as long as Nessie comes to within 10 meters of the surface).
  Disclaimer: The picture above was not taken with the Olympus Stylus 770SW
• Crush-proof: If this camera could talk, it would say "I'll be back" in an Austrian accent. The Stylus 770SW has a stainless steel body and a reinforced LCD, so it can withstand a force up to 220 lbs. of pressure.
• Freeze-proof: The Olympus 770 SW can perform at below-freezing temperatures down to 14 degrees Fahrenheit (-10 degrees Celsius). In other words, you will give up (and go inside to get some hot chocolate) before it will.

Oh, yes, it is a digital camera after all. Here are the basic technical specs for those who care. (And you should.)

• 7.1 effective megapixel CCD image processor
• Memory: 18MB internal memory, accepts xD-Picture Card up to 2GB
• 27 shooting modes including Movie with Sound
• 3x optical & 5x digital zoom; 15x seamless zoom en total
• Bright, hi-resolution 2.5-inch (6.4cm) HyperCrystal LCD (approx. 230,000 pixels)
• Digital Image Stabilization
• Light sensitivity up to ISO 1600
• Recording formats: Still-JPEG, Video-AVI Motion JPEG, AVI Movie with Sound: 640x480/15fps, SHQ; 320x240/15fps, HQ; 160x120/15fps, SQ
• Built-in flash

If it wasn't already taken, I would assign the following motto to the rugged and dependable Olympus Stylus 770SW:

Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays this little camera from the swift completion its appointed photographs.

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Tags: Digital Cameras, Olympus Digital Cameras, Olympus Stylus 770SW, shockproof camera, waterproof camera, Olympus Cameras

Digital Camera Highlights from PMA 2007

With a month's worth of hustle & bustle, events, contests, demos, announcements, and thousands of attendees crammed into four hectic days, the 83rd annual, 2007 PMA International Convention and Trade Show is ready for the history books.

For the consumer, the most interesting news from PMA 2007 is focused around the product announcements; the digital cameras and other photography equipment that you and I can buy off the shelf or order online. This year, there was no shortage of product news. We have previously written about product (and photo workshop) announcements from Panasonic LUMIX, the new digital camera models from Nikon Coolpix, and of course, the new 10.2 megapixel Nikon D40X.

Here are more digital photography and imaging product highlights from PMA 2007:

The FujiFilm IS-1 digital camera wins a DIMA Innovative Digital Product Award. The Digital Imaging Marketing Association (DIMA) Innovative Digital Product Awards recognize products or services that are at the forefront of digital imaging technology or the "first of their kind." FujiFilm stated that, "DIMA's recognition of the IS-1 digital camera underscores Fujifilm's commitment to creating unique products and rich new technologies that meet the imaging needs of today's customers."

Fujifilm's IS-1 is the world's first production point-and-shoot digital camera that can capture images in the IR (infrared) range of the light spectrum. Although this camera won't be owned by the average family photographer (the camera is more practical for science labs or law enforcement professionals), we congratulate FujiFilm on pushing the envelope with this unique camera.

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New FujiFilm FinePix Digital Cameras: Speaking of FujiFilm, FujiFilm USA, Inc. announced three new consumer models in its line of consumer digital cameras, including the 8-megapixel Finepix A820 and the 9-megapixel A900.

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New Olympus Digital Cameras: Not to be left behind, Olympus Imaging America has also announced several new models of high-quality digital cameras for Spring 2007, such as the Olympus EVOLT E410 and the Olympus EVOLT E510.

Both digital cameras are advanced digital SLRs that include a dust reduction system; a bright, high-resolution, 2.5 inch, 230,000-pixel HyperCrystal LCD screen; Auto-focus; and a 10-megapixel Live-MOS sensor that lets you preview your shots with all of the nuances of your own overrides and custom settings. The E510 also includes Advanced Image Stabilization.

Other new point-and-shoot Olympus cameras that have been recently announced include:

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Olympus Stylus 760 Digital Camera: A 7.1-megapixel, 3x optical zoom point 'n shoot that was designed to be used in adverse weather. The camera includes a bright, wide angle, high-resolution, 2.5-inch LCD, dual image stabilization and 26 different shooting modes for video capture and still images. The stylish Olympus 760 comes in four different colors: silver, black, light blue, and pink.

 

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Olympus SP-550UZ Digital Camera: The high-speed, 7.1-megapixel, full featured Olympus SP-550UZ offers more features than many digital SLRs, sans the interchangeable lens. Most notably, its wide-angle, 18x super-telephoto lens is the equivalent of a amazing 28-504mm telephoto lens on a 35mm camera. Super-sensitive, the ISO 5000 SP-550UZ will capture images in extremely low-light conditions (or for extremely fast-action photos). Its bright, 230,000-pixel 2.5-inch LCD allows you to review your shots even in bright sunlight, and the dual image stabilization ensures that a shaky hand or a fast-moving subject will be captured with crystal clarity.

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For more news and daily updates related to the PMA 2007 show, please visit the Virtual Press Office at:

http://www.virtualpressoffice.com/show/index.jsp?showId=1152106483613

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Tags: Digital Cameras, FujiFilm Digital Cameras, Olympus Digital Cameras, Photography Trade Shows, PMA 2007, Photo Marketing Association, PMA, PMAI

Panasonic Workshops Complement Digital Camera Line for 2007

Panasonic LUMIX will launch the Digital Photo Academy, a new site and workshop series that will be held in 20 cities around the U.S., beginning in May 2007. The courses will be taught by photographers and experts in their local area, and will primarily focus on teaching owners of digital cameras how to take advantage of all their available features. The goal is to maximize students' creativity, make photography more enjoyable, and -- with additional knowledge and control of their photographic tools -- bring the quality of their digital images to a new level.

The digital photography workshops will offer three levels of courses:

• Beginner - 3-hour course that covers red-eye reduction, creating scrapbooks and other basic digital photography skills useful even to those who own point-and-shoot digital cameras
• Intermediate - 4-hour course that emphasizes the accuracy and flexibility of digital SLRs
• Advanced - 2-day course that covers more advanced, "professional-level" photography skills

Even though the series is sponsored by Panasonic Lumix, attendees do not have to own a Panasonic camera to attend; students are welcome to bring any brand of digital camera to the workshops.

Panasonic Lumix has teamed up with R2Rainmaker Marketing to create the workshop series and to recruit the professional photographers and other photography experts that will serve as instuctors.

The Digital Photo Academy web site is currently under construction, but should be active by late-April 2007. It will allow visitors to view the workshop schedule, access class materials and read profiles of the instructors.

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Panasonic Lumix has also been busy on the product side of the house, announcing a long list of new Panasonic Lumix cameras earlier this year.

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Typical of the high value in the new line is the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8K. This camera offers a 7.2-megapixel CCD, Intelligent Image Stabilization, 11-point autofocus, and other features that are usually found in a much more expensive digital SLR. In addition, the camera has a 12x optical zoom Leica lens, which gives the equivalent of a 36mm to 432mm zoom lens in a 35mm film camera. In the DSLR world, a lens with this range will cost several hundred dollars on its own, yet Panasonic is offering the DMC-FZ8K for less than $350.00.

With its new line of Lumix cameras and new workshop series, there can be no doubt that Panasonic is committed to digital photography as an important part of its consumer electronics offerings.

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Tags: Digital Cameras, Panasonic Digital Cameras,Panasonic Lumix Digital Cameras, Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8, digital photography workshops, photography classes, photography lessons, Panasonic Cameras

Pre-order the Nikon D40X SLR Digital Camera

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March 29, 2007 is the official release date of the new Nikon D40X digital camera, but you can preorder this latest DSLR right now at Ritz Camera online.

The Nikon D40X sits halfway between the popular and inexpensive Nikon D40 and the more powerful Nikon D80, both in features and in price. With a body-only price of $730 (est. $800 with a Nikkor 18-55mm lens), the D40X is plenty of camera for a very reasonable price. Its most obvious advantage over its little brother is the 10.2 megapixel CCD - the same as the Nikon D80 - for those who like to blow up their photos to poster size.

Since the number of megapixels is not the most important factor in creating quality digital images (which any experienced photographer knows), Nikon has also migrated many more features down from their higher-end cameras to make both the D40 and the D40X outstanding values:

• A bright, sharp, 230,000-dot, 2.5-inch, TFT LCD with brightness adjustment and 170-degree viewing angle
• Nikon's 3D Color Matrix Metering II, with 420-pixel RGB sensor, delivers automatic, dependable and consistent exposure adjustment for almost any lighting condition
• An advanced, 3-area AutoFocus system that gives fast & precise autofocus
• An AutoFocus-assist illuminator ensures accurate autofocus even in dark conditions
• Eight program settings (Auto, Auto w/Flash Off, Portrait, Landscape, Child, Sports, Close Up, and Night Portrait) that automatically optimize and adjust tone, color, saturation, hue, white balance and sharpening to match the type of photo being taken
• Near-instantaneous, 0.18-second power-up gives the ability to capture fleeting moments, even when the digital camera is off
• Fast bursts, up to 100 JPEG images in a row, at speeds of 2.5 to 3 frames per second
• Shutter speed control from 30 seconds to 1/4000 second
• A large, bright viewfinder with 0.8x magnification
• Fast image data transfer and recording to (SDHC compliant) SD memory cards up to 4GB
• Rechargeable, long-life Li-ion battery that gives from 450-550 single-frame images before recharging is necessary
• Built-in Flash, plus full support for Nikon's advanced Creative Lighting System

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Tags: Digital Cameras, Nikon D40X Preorder, Buy Nikon D40X, Nikon D40X, Nikon Digital SLR, Nikon DSLR, Nikon Cameras