Nikon

Compact megazooms, also known as travel zooms, are some of the most popular cameras on CNET. That's likely because they offer wide-angle lenses with long zooms, giving you a lot of shooting flexibility, but without the bulk of larger dSLR-style megazooms.

The front-runners here are the Panasonic ZS20 for its price and performance, the Canon SX260 HS for its photo quality, and the Sony HX30V for its balance of photo and video quality, performance, and features. Now's a good time to pick these up, too, as their 2013 updates should be arriving in the next few months.… Read more

The Nikon D800 is the new king of the heap -- at least when it comes to DxO Labs' test of camera image sensors.

The new 36-megapixel high-end SLR got an all-time high score of 95 on the DxOMark test, which measures a variety of sensor attributes when shooting raw images. DxO Labs said it uses a sensor "with no weak points."

The score is a composite that reflects three attributes: dynamic range, which is the breadth of the span between an image's full black and complete white; color depth, which gauges the vividness and accurate color; … Read more

Our chums over at CNET Australia have an early in-depth review of the $5,995 Nikon D4, a powerhouse full-frame dSLR with a 16.2-megapixel sensor and boisterous ISO speed of 204,800.

"The Nikon D4 offers many significant improvements from previous professional-grade SLRs, such as the D3S, as well as excellent shooting performance, autofocusing speed and video recording," writes CNET Australia reviewer Lexy Savvides. "This is a serious pro tool designed for the likes of sports and editorial photographers, and its many usability tweaks will ensure that every shooting situation is catered for."

The review goes into the important changes in the Nikon D4's design, connectivity, performance, image quality, and video implementation. Also, be sure to check out CNET Australia's Nikon D4 review video, unboxing, image samples, and video samples.

Read more of CNET Australia's Nikon D4 review here.… Read more

A notice from Nikon Japan today indicates troubling times for those aiming to purchase the upcoming D800 dSLR.

Due for release Thursday, the highly anticipated 36.3-megapixel full-frame D800 features a dizzying array of features, and up to 1080/30p video recording.

With reservations and demand "far above expectations," the company said in a statement that it is facing D800 supply shortages until further notice.… Read more

We're sure there are many of you who are anxiously awaiting for Nikon's newest flagship SLR, the Nikon D4, and for some, the wait is finally over and for others, well, hang in there.

Unfortunately, the U.S. is part of the latter group as Nikon moved the D4's original February ship date to some time this month, but here's something to tide you over till then. Our friends from CNET Australia got their hands on the Nikon D3S's successor today, as it goes on sale Down Under tomorrow, and put together an unboxing gallery. … Read more

Apple has released an update to let Mac users view and edit raw files from several new high-end cameras, including the new $800 PowerShot G1 X, Canon's answer to the parade of high-end mirrorless compact cameras with interchangeable lenses.

Also supported is Nikon's new flagship SLR, the D4.

Raw photo formats, taken directly from the image sensor without in-camera processing into a JPEG, permit greater flexibility and quality for editing. But they require manual processing with software, and this update means Apple's iPhoto and Aperture can handle the shots. The proprietary raw formats aren't standard, so … Read more

It seems Nikon Thailand made a little boo-boo. Netizens discovered that part of its latest promotional video for the D800 was both shot with a Canon EOS 5D Mark II instead--and took clips from TSO Photography's "The Mountain" without Norwegian photographer Terje Sorgjerd's knowledge.

As if that wasn't bad enough, some parts of the promotional footage also contained video clips taken from a short film, "The Art of Flight." It was produced by a Phantom HD Gold camera, which isn't even a dSLR. … Read more

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but when it comes to protective filters for lenses, it may not be such a good thing. A photographer thought he scored a good deal but was not amused when he found out his newly bought 77mm Nikon NC filter was far from authentic.

The difference was quite apparent when he compared it with an original filter sold by an authorized Nikon dealer. Some giveaways that your filter is a counterfeit include a Nikon logo and inscriptions that are less vibrant; duller colors on the packaging; and, the most obvious--an instruction manual looks like it was printed on a cheap printer. … Read more

There are really only two times a year that camera manufacturers drop prices on compact cameras: late winter/early spring and holiday shopping season. The latter is for current-year models, the former is for clearing out the prior year models.

The five cameras below are 2011 models (well, except for the LX5, though it got a major firmware update), picked for their features and photo quality in relation to their original and current price. These aren't necessarily inexpensive models; there's a difference between a cheap camera and one that offers you more for your dollar.

Canon, Panasonic, and Nikon seemed to have the best deals going right now. However, if none of these cameras interest you or you know a specific model you want from 2011, keep an eye on prices over the next few months. That's when retailers will start making more room for spring 2012 models. … Read more