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If you’re familiar with commercial jingles, then you’ve heard Timex boast it can take a licking and keep on ticking. Well, Pentax just released a new digital camera that can take abusing and keep on shooting. We’re talking about the rugged Optio W90, a 12.1 megapixel digicam Pentax claims can withstand up to 20 feet of water, is shockproof up to 4 feet, and has no trouble with sub-freezing temperatures. When you’re not abusing the W90, you can preview pics on its 2.7-inch LCD with 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio, capture movies in 720p HD at 30fps, and hook it up to living room display with its HDMI output

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It used to be that compact cameras were bought for their ease of use – point, shoot, job done. Now compacts are vying with DSLRs when it comes to features, with the Samsung WB2000 being of no exception. Samsung is billing the camera as ‘dual action’. What this means is you can simultaneously take images and film Full HD video. This is something which has been a mainstay on camcorders but a feature that’s been hard to come by in the compact camera market.

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The compact camera game is changing. More and more camera companies are upping their game when it comes to megapixel power and innovative features but still compacts seem to be lacking in one area – lenses. Samsung is looking to change this, with the launch of the Samsung EX1 . TechRadar managed to get a hands on with the compact at the company’s European conference – it’s also making waves at PMA – and were impressed with what we saw.

The full story can be found on Tech Radar

Canon unveiled its latest DSLR to shoot Full HD video, the Canon EOS 550D , at a swanky event in London this week and TechRadar were on hand for a touchy feely session with the camera. Acting like an upgraded 500D, the camera totes a bigger, better sensor in the guise of the APS-C CMOS. Essentially this means brighter images due to the amount of light which hits the sensor. The chassis is, like the 500D, nice and lightweight – great for those who are fed up with the cumbersome size of some DSLRs on the market. Those familiar with the 500D will feel right at home with the 550D – the enlarged buttons on the back of the camera make another appearance, including a few other option designed to bring the movie elements of the camera to the fore

The full story can be found on Tech Radar

Canon has finally unveiled its update to its EOS 500D range , the EOS 550D – a camera which Canon is saying “redefines the boundaries”. Packing a newly-developed 18MP CMOS sensor, the EOS 550D uses Canon’s DIGIC 4 image processor, which means it can shoot Full HD movies. The 550D features a 9-point AF system, has 14-bit image processing and impresses with a 100 – 6400 (expandable to 12800) ISO rating. Also on board is the ability to shoot 3.7 frames per second (fps), handy for any sports photographers out there. HD movie making As the EOS 550D has a Full HD movie mode, it also comes with a number of movie presets.

The full story can be found on Tech Radar

With its bulbous styling and bulky 12.4×6.8×2.6cm dimensions, the Fujifilm FinePix REAL 3D W1 certainly isn’t the prettiest of compact cameras. But as it’s the first camera of its kind we can forgive it for not being small and chic, and its aluminium frame certainly is sturdy. The W1 lets you shoot 3D images and view them on its 2.8-inch LCD, without the need for 3D glasses. To create the 3D images, the camera uses Fujifilm’s ‘Real 3D Lens System’.

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Considering the Ricoh CX2 was only released back in August, it seems a little strange that the camera has been superseded so soon but it has, by the Ricoh CX3. Boasting the same 10.7x (28-300 mm) optical wide-angle zoom lens as its predecessor, most of the enhancements made by Ricoh for the CX3 come under the bonnet. These include an improved back-illuminated 10MP CMOS sensor and a HD mode which shoots at 1280 x 720 res, nearly twice that of the CX2. Pets win prizes Looks-wise, you would be forgiven in thinking that you were staring at the CX2

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Useful improvements make this the iPod of pocket video cameras With the original MinoHD, we were impressed with Flip Video’s ability to pack 720p video into a truly pocket-size cam. But we nonetheless wished the product offered a bit more, such as more recording time, HDMI support, and a bigger screen. Those are three of the top improvements Flip Video made to its new MinoHD 8GB. Recording time has doubled from the original’s one hour, a mini HDMI connector lets you play your videos on a large high-def display, and the device’s screen now pushes two inches, up from the postage stamp–size 1.5 inches in the original MinoHD. The transflective screen isn’t just bigger, either; it also increases pixel count from the original’s 528×132 resolution to 960×240.

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Those of you looking at the HTC HD2 and wishing it wasn’t so Windows Mobile-esque will be pleased to hear that there may be an Android version coming. The HTC Supersonic looks set to deliver a 4.3-inch OLED screen, with Android 2.1 (the same used in the Nexus One ) used to power things along. It’s also got the HD2 -matching 1GHz processor on board, as well as a kickstand (which we know you all love) so you can watch your favourite videos hands-free. Stripped For the US, the phone seems to be running the 4G WiMax connection – if this was true it might make the chances if a UK version less likely, although a stripped down version is always possible

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Panasonic has introduced the new Lumix DMC-FT2, which it is touting as a camera for those who love the great outdoors. Well, those who like the great outdoors and are a little clumsy, as the FT2 boasts to being waterproof to 10 metres, shockproof to 2 metres, freezeproof to -10 degrees C and dustproof. Perfect then for those double-hard people who like to take a dip in ice-cold waters with their cameras and dry themselves off with a sack-full of dust. You Leica the lens? Other features include a 14.1-megapixel sensor, HD shooting capabilities and a 28mm wide-angle Leica lens

The full story can be found on Tech Radar