Compact Camera News

Many photographers rely on their camera’s sophisticated metering system to provide the “correct” exposure for the scene at hand. While this approach works well under a wide variety of lighting conditions, there are times when even the smartest camera can be fooled.

I recently received a ruggedized WG-50 compact camera from Ricoh and immediately embarked upon a challenging, thorny photographic adventure—the likes of which you can’t imagine. I emerged with just a few scratches—although it does look like I’ve lost some blood. I can’t reveal the location of this treacherous place for fear that others might be tempted to defy this danger—but I can tell you this much: it’s no bed of roses.

Ruggedized, submergible digicams are popular among travel and adventure photographers that want a compact camera they can use underwater or in wet, dusty conditions. The Ricoh WG-50 is a versatile new model that’s great for all your summer adventures from the mountains and desert to the sea.

Who needs a pocket-sized 5-megapixel camera these days? Well, what if it’s one that you can assemble yourself from a kit that only costs $130?

Canon announced some new photo goodies this morning: the PowerShot SX730 Compact Camera with a 40x zoom (24-960mm equivalent), and the Canon EF-S 35mm f/2.8 Macro IS STM lens, which has built-in Macro Lites on the sides of the lens.

The Sony Cyber-shot RX100 V is a very compact and stylish camera with loads of power “under the hood.” It features a 13.2x8.8mm (aka 1-inch type) sensor with an image resolution of 20 megapixels. The camera’s high-speed lens system (f/1.8-f/2.8) has a zoom factor of nearly 3x (24-70mm, 35mm film equivalent). The sensor system and lens have not changed from the forerunner RX100 IV, but the new RX100 V has a remarkably faster and new AF system with 315 AF areas that cover 65 percent of the image.