The best cameras of CES 2013 – The Verge

Hands-on with Nikon’s newest mirrorless 1 Series cameras, the J3 and S1

2013-01-08T14:43:40-05:00

via cdn3.sbnation.com

The compact interchangeable lens camera segment is continuing to grow this year, and Nikon is expanding its lineup with two new CX-format sensor 1 Series cameras - the J3 and S1. Both are essentially scaled-down versions of the flagship V2, with the same 15fps frame and Expeed 3A image processor.

The two cameras look almost identical, the only noticeable difference being the mode selector dial on the top of the higher-end J3. Manual controls are otherwise sparse compared to the V2 - there's no dial for selecting aperture values on either camera, for instance.

Also new this year is a red …

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Sigma DP3 Merrill adds 50mm focal length to pro compact camera range

2013-01-08T03:57:06-05:00

dp3 merrill

Sigma has announced the DP3 Merrill, the latest in its range of unusual fixed-lens compact cameras. The DP3 pairs a 50mm f/2.8 lens with Sigma's unique APS-C Foveon X3 sensor, which essentially stacks three 15.3-megapixel layers on top of each other; Sigma claims this equates to a 46-megapixel image, though in practice the resulting shots aren't necessarily comparable to more traditional cameras. Instead, they're known for their unique color rendering and high quality considering the cameras' small physical size.

The DP3 Merrill is the third camera in the series, and follows last year's 19mm DP1 Merrill and 30mm DP2 Merrill. Sigma now has a …

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Hands-on with Pentax’s brass beauty MX-1 camera

2013-01-08T00:17:44-05:00

Pentax MX-1

Pentax announced the new MX-1 point-and-shoot camera earlier today, and we just spent a few intimate moments with the brass-clad shooter. The 16-megapixel camera features a 28mm-112mm equivalent lens with a bright f/1.8-2.5 aperture and 1080p video capability. But the best part of the MX-1 is its delightfully retro design and solid construction. Pentax used solid brass for the top and bottom panels of the camera, which give it a heft that you don't normally see in a point-and-shoot camera anymore. On the flip side, the heavy weight and chunky design of the MX-1 mean that it won't fit in your average pocket, and that might be enough to push m …

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Olympus puts the OM-D’s 5-axis stabilization in a compact camera

2013-01-07T22:00:04-05:00

olympus sh-50 embargo

Camera manufacturers are running out of ways to differentiate point-and-shoots from increasingly effective smartphones, but they'll always have more hardware space to play with. The new Olympus SH-50 is a good example of this, employing an optical image stabilization system that shifts the 16-megapixel sensor along five axes for video and three for photos; the system was first used in the excellent OM-D EM-5 mirrorless camera.

Coupled with a 24x zoom (25-600mm equivalent) lens, the SH-50 should produce sharper pictures than your smartphone as long as you're willing to hand over $299.99 when it launches in March. Olympus has also put the sam …

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Nikon’s J3 and S1 interchangeable lens cameras offer the V2’s power for less

2013-01-07T21:00:05-05:00

nikon j3 s1

It's less than six months since Nikon announced its J2 compact interchangeable lens camera, and the company is already announcing a follow-up - the J3. At $649.99 with Nikon's kit lens, you get two big improvements for the extra $50 over Nikon's last J: a higher-resolution 14.2-megapixel CX format sensor and the new Expeed 3A processor, both of which are found in Nikon's higher-end V2. And the combination will pull off the same tricks on Nikon's newest, namely shooting 15 frames per second with continuous autofocus, and something called Slow View. The feature lets you capture 40 frames in a second or so, then play them back in a slow-mo anim …

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Fujifilm’s 2013 lineup of ‘bridge’ cameras brings extreme telephoto capabilities to the masses

2013-01-07T16:01:01-05:00

Fujifilm HS50ESX

Fujifilm has just introduced a fleet of new "bridge" cameras at CES, with planned availability this March. All of these cameras lack interchangeable lens, but offer functionality and flexibility closer to what you'll find in a DSLR or mirrorless camera than a point-and-shoot. The flagship model in this new crop of shooters is the $549.95 HS50EXR, a camera that focuses on speed and an incredible zoom range that looks essentially like most entry-level DSLRs on the market, but without the benefit of swappable lenses.

The lens you do get sounds pretty impressive, at first glance - it features a huge 42X zoom range, good for an equivalent 24mm-1 …

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Fujifilm’s X100s and X20 will launch in late March at $1299.95 and $599.95 (update: hands-on photos)

2013-01-07T15:37:26-05:00

Fujifilm X20 and X100s

We're live at Fujifilm's CES 2013 press conference, and the company just announced pricing and availability for its X100s and X20 rangefinder-style cameras. The X100s will cost $1299.95 while the X20 will cost $599.95, and both will be available at the end of March. As we learned the other day, the X100s has been updated with a new 16.3 megapixel APS-C X-Trans CMOS II sensor, as well as a faster processor, the EXR II. Fujifilm promises the sensor will allow for autofocus of .08 seconds, and that with the processor, it will produce dramatically better resolution and noise reduction. The X20, meanwhile, offers a 12 megapixel 2/3-inch X-Trans C …

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Canon’s pocket-sized PowerShot N bridges the gap between your smartphone and a ‘real’ camera

2013-01-07T10:09:32-05:00

Canon Powershot N

Canon's new PowerShot N is the camera you keep in your pocket when you want something more powerful and versatile than a smartphone. It's a little guy, just 3.09 inches wide and 2.37 inches tall with a 2.8-inch touchscreen that tilts 90 degrees to line up pictures at indirect angles. The N also features both Wi-Fi and a new "Mobile Device Connect" button, a kind of smartphone tethering for instant mobile uploads. Once it's set up, users can just press the button, launch the app on their Android or iOS device, and wirelessly stream pictures and video from the camera to their mobile device. Finally, the CreativeECO Mode puts the camera's displa …

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Pentax introduces retro-styled point-and-shoot with a brass body and strong low-light capability

2013-01-07T09:37:49-05:00

Pentax MX-1

Camera design has been moving retro for several years now, and Pentax's new MX-1 point-and-shoot is just the latest example. This new camera features a brass body with textured grips, a fast f/1.8-f/2.5 lens that features an effective zoom range of 28mm-112mm, and a newly designed 12-megapixel CMOS sensor. While the smaller sensor doesn't match what's being offered in mirrorless cameras, but Pentax is touting its low-light sensitivity - the camera can reach a max ISO of 12,800, which is fairly impressive for a point-and-shoot. The lens itself also has some impressive specs; while the zoom range is fairly small compared to a lot of other came …

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