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Is a $110 camera worth buying?

One of the best $100 cameras you could buy in 2009 was Canon's PowerShot A480. It had minimal shooting options and features and shooting performance was slow, but its photo quality was great for the money. That model was split into two models for 2010: the A490 and the A495.

The PowerShot A490 is about $20 less expensive than the $129 A495, but it's available in silver only, sacrifices some shooting features, and has a less powerful Auto mode. Fortunately, though, they both have the same excellent photo quality; does that make them worth buying?

It really all … Read more

Purple, powerful: Early take on Canon PowerShot SX210 IS

What's purple and can see things a long way away? Give up? It's the Canon PowerShot SX210 IS, of course. The SX210 packs a 14x optical zoom in a compact camera frame, but doesn't make for very good jokes.

Not to be confused with the Canon's own IXUS 210, the SX210 is the follow-up to the Canon PowerShot SX200 IS. It's a more rounded piece of work, adding an undulating silver trim, although it loses the SX200's signature bent hand grip. It comes in this fetching purple, hideous gold, or boring black.

Read more … Read more

What Canon sells you for $150

Like most compact-camera manufacturers, Canon offers point-and-shoots at a range of prices; its PowerShots start at $109.99 and edge up every $20 to $30. The A3000 IS sits right at $149.99. It's a good, if basic, snapshot camera designed for people who really don't want much beyond taking a nice picture.

Optical image stabilization is probably the biggest feature highlight since it's a rarity in a new camera at its price point. It also has a couple of new creative shooting modes--Super Vivid and Poster Effect--but its shooting options are otherwise bland.

I'm not … Read more

PowerShot G11 gets close-up ring light

YOKOHAMA, Japan--Japanese manufacturer Lumos, known for its X-Loupe portable microscope camera, has unveiled an attachment for the Canon PowerShot G11 shooter that lets users snap close-up shots.

Displayed at the four-day CP+ photo show here, the ring light is made up of LEDs that can illuminate up to 22,000 lux within a 12-inch range (or 1,200 lux from a distance of about 12 inches). The onboard battery is rated to power the light for about 2.5 hours and can be attached to the tripod mount. According to a company rep, an optional external power source can extend … Read more

Sony guts HX5V 10x megazoom, results in H55

Yay. Another compact megazoom on the market. The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5V impressed us at CES 2010 with its 10x zoom, wide-angle Sony G lens, backside-illuminated Exmor R CMOS sensor, built-in GPS, and 1080p movie capture with a stereo mic--all inside a compact, pocketable body. The H55 is its less capable linemate.

Basically, most of the good stuff has been taken out except for the lens and its body with 3-inch LCD. The H55 features a 14-megapixel CCD, a 720p movie mode with mono sound, optical image stabilization with Sony's Active Mode for smoother video while walking, and a version … Read more

World's thinnest, smallest certified waterproof digital still camera

Hey, look, it's a rugged ultracompact camera from Sony (in case you hadn't already read about it). The Cyber-shot DSC-TX5 is basically a refreshed version of the TX1 made to be waterproof down to 10 feet for up to an hour, survive drops of about 5 feet, and keep shooting in temps as low as 14 degrees Fahrenheit. Plus, the waterproofing makes it dustproof.

Like I said, it does all the same stuff as the TX1 including those Sweep Panorama shots (it's Intelligent now for improved stitching and detection of faces and subject motion) and 720p video, … Read more

Front office fantasy

Shot Sports Software's Jump Shot Basketball was the first Windows NBA management simulation game online and has been in constant development for years. The effort shows in its level of detail and sophistication. It accurately simulates what it's like to take charge of an NBA team as owner, general manager, or head coach. You can create leagues, teams, and players, or join an Internet league and compete online. You can play unlimited seasons in franchise mode, draft players, present awards, manage finances, even set arena seating and other factors for each team's town. There are probably worse … Read more

Canon rolls out four PowerShots for spring

Canon's PowerShots are my go-to cameras for best photo quality. However, when it comes to cutting-edge features or shooting options, the company tends to lag behind much of the competition. I'm still on the fence about whether this is a bad thing, but regardless, Monday it announced four PowerShots, three of them refreshes of older models as well as the new SD3500 IS. Judging by the specs, my opinion holds true.

Overall, the updated models don't appear all that different from the prior models; just some minor improvements to features, boosts in resolution (hooray, more 14-megapixel compacts), a couple new photo effects, and Eye-Fi support. The SD3500 looks good for those who like touch-screen interfaces, but otherwise it doesn't seem to break new ground for the category.

Lastly, it looks like Canon is steering clear of optical viewfinders, so if you need an ultracompact camera with one, I suggest you pick up an SD780 IS or SD1200 IS while they're still around; the SD1400 IS and SD1300 IS will replace them, respectively.

PowerShot SX210 IS 14 megapixels 14x 28mm-equivalent wide-angle lens 3-inch LCD HD video (720p) with stereo sound HDMI output Optical image stabilization Dynamic mode reducing camera shake while recording movies New Fisheye and Miniature effects Eye-Fi support SD/SDHC memory cards Lithium ion rechargeable battery Choice of black, purple, and gold $349.99, March 2010… Read more