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Casio today announced its EXILIM EX-V8 and EX-Z1080 compact digital cameras, making much of their YouTube™ Capture Mode. The 8.1 megapixel EX-V8 fits a 7x 38-266 equivalent lens totally within its slim shell and irons out any shakes with a CCD-shift image stabilization system. The EX-Z1080 ups the pixel count to 10.1 and sports a 3x 38-114 equivalent zoom. Modern H.264/AVC video encoding ensures movie file sizes remain small yet high quality and YouTube™ Capture Mode sets all the right parameters for easy posting via the company’s unique “YouTube™ Uploader for CASIO” software. Other headline features include face-detection, Anti Shake DSP and sensitivities up to ISO 6400.

Casio Exilim EX-V8 Casio Exilim EX-Z1080

Main Features of EXILIM Hi-Zoom EX-V8 & EXILIM Zoom EX-Z1080

• High-quality movies using the H.264 standard
  • YouTube™ Capture Mode allows users to shoot movies at the optimum size, quality and other settings for uploading to YouTube™.
  • Comes with unique “YouTube™ Uploader for CASIO” software that enables users to upload movies to YouTube™ in as few as two steps.
• The combination of face detection* technology and the auto-tracking AF system using motion analysis technology maintains both sharp focus and correct exposure for a human face
• Blur reduction technologies driven by the EXILIM Engine 2.0 image processing module
  • Based on motion analysis technology, sets the most appropriate ISO sensitivity and shutter speed.
  • Anti Shake DSP reduces blur due to shaky hands and subject movement, using high shutter speeds and high sensitivity settings.
  • Movie mode with electronic image stabilization function

Ricoh has updated its R-series of big-zoom compacts with the Caplio R7. The optical specs remain the same as its predecessor the R6 with a 28-200mm equivalent lens and CCD-shift image stabilization but the capture side gets an overhaul with an 8.15 megapixel sensor - up from 7.2 MP - and an upgrade to image processing with Smooth Imaging Engine III. Available in black, silver or orange, the Caplio R7 will be in UK shops from September 2007 at under £230.

Nikon has a pair of updates to its S-series of wave-like internal zoom compact digital cameras. The COOLPIX S51c and its non-identical twin the S51 share 7.99 megapixel sensors and VR-stabilized 38-114mm equivalent optics along with a 3.0″ anti-reflective screen. The S51c incorporates Wi-Fi connectivity for wireless image transfer. The COOLPIX S51c and COOLPIX S51 will be priced at £229.99 and £199.99 respectively from Sept 2007.

Nikon today announced its new flagship compact digital camera - the COOLPIX P5100. This update from the P5000 uses a variant of Nikon’s new EXPEED image processor along with a slightly larger 12.1 megapixel sensor. The lens is unchanged - 3.5x Zoom-NIKKOR optically-stabilized with Nikon’s VR technology. However the sensor change has widened the field of view to 35-123mm equiv. The P5100 also has in-camera distortion correction which works in real time to correct the live preview as well as stored images.

The first Kodak digicam to incorporate the company’s new KAC-05011 five megapixel CMOS imager, the Kodak EasyShare C513 couples the new sensor to a Kodak-branded 3x optical zoom lens with a fairly standard 36 - 108mm equivalent focal range. For framing images, there’s a 2.4-inch 115,000 pixel LCD display but like many current models, the C513 has no optical viewfinder. Images are stored on Secure Digital / MultiMediaCards, or in 10MB of internal memory.

The Kodak C513 offers capture modes consisting of Auto, SCN, Video, Digital IS, Close-up and Favorites, and includes 13 scene modes to help beginners achieve the results they’re looking for. Scene modes provided are: portrait, night portrait, landscape, sports, snow, beach, text/document, backlight, museum/manner, children, flower, self-portrait, and sunset. The C513 determines exposures with a multi-pattern, center weighted or center spot TTL metering system, and offers 2.0EV of exposure compensation in 1/2EV increments. Five white balance settings are available including auto, daylight, tungsten, fluorescent and open shade. ISO sensitivity is quite limited though, ranging from 80 to 160 in Auto mode, and up to only ISO 200 in Digital IS mode.

The EasyShare C513 also offers a movie mode, capturing VGA (640×480) clips at 15 fps, or QVGA (320×240) clips at 24 fps, both with audio. Movies are encoded in Motion-JPEG format, with lengths up to 80 minutes based on available memory capacity.

Images and movies captured on the Kodak C513 are transferred to your computer over a USB 2.0 Full Speed connection, rather slower than the USB 2.0 High Speed connections offered on many cameras these days. Power for the C513 comes from two standard AA batteries - either alkaline or lithium disposables, or NiMH rechargeables, with two disposable AA batteries included in the bundle.

The Kodak EasyShare C513 will be available from August 2007 and is priced at only US$79.95.