The Phoblographer

Readers of this site have asked for more HDSLR reviews: and so the first one that popped into my mind was the Sony NEX-VG10 and I’m currently working on a review. As another addition to the Sony NEX line of cameras, it’s a powerful camera in a small package: and it makes me want to scream at times. Like the Sony NEX-5 that I reviewed previously, I feel like it is best left in the auto modes and never touched otherwise. But that is only one of my frustrations with the camera. Here’s a list of the seven reasons why I want to throw this camera out the window and the few reasons why I won’t.

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With the Flip about to be put out of its misery, Samsung announced the new W200 pocket camcorder that not only sports an F/2.2 lens, but also features waterproofing. The new camcorder also has a back-illuminated 5MP CMOS sensor (BSI), which when combined with the F/2.2 lens should be able to do a great job with the diminished light underwater for up to 3 meters. That F/2.2 lens also has an anti-fog coating to prevent cloudy images. The only drag I see is the 2.3″ 230K LCD screen, which isn’t that great since we’re so used to higher resolution screens these days. Beyond this, it has art filters:

– Vignetting allows users to fade the edges of shots

- The Fish-Eye setting creates an arty, distorted feel for unique and interesting footage.

A selling point for the new Pentax K-5 is its ability to shoot high quality video. To give it a little test, I made this hasty family video of my two kids working on a “Merry Christmas” sign and then showing it off in our studio. As a photographer, video falls outside my area of expertise, but I know readers will be curious about the function and want to see a little example filming. Read on for a few thoughts on the K-5 as camcorder. Read the rest of this entry »

Last month, my hands fondled and caressed the newly announced Canon G10 prosumer camcorder. While I wasn’t allowed to take pictures, handling the non-working prototype model proved to be an interesting experience coupled with the presentation from Canon. Because of this, I wasn’t able to gauge the image quality of the camcorder but I was able to take away quite a bit from the experience.

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At this year’s Pepcom, many companies came to display their latest products as well as their soon to be released ones. Sony had a modest booth with some keyboard skins, a laptop, some digital frames, and the Bloggie Touch. The latter is the latest in a line of pocket sized camcorders, and I got some hands-on time with it at the booth.

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Samsung just announced the HMX-T10, a new HD-capable camcorder. It’s small, smooth, stylish, and sports a slightly slanted lens that Samsung claims lets users “enjoy their recording experience without any discomfort to their arm or wrist.” It can record 1920 x 1080 video at 60 interpolated frames per second and features a 10X optical zoom lens, an SD/SDHC card slot, and a 2.7-inch touchscreen. It will retail for $299 when it ships late this month. Read the full press release after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »