Compact Camera News

Active lifestyle cameras are aimed at photographers who don’t want to worry about their equipment during their adventures, but do want to capture images they can be proud of—even under challenging conditions. All seven cameras on this list are virtually indestructible, high-performance compacts that are perfect for skiing, surfing, taking to the beach, boating, hiking or any other activity where an unprotected DSLR or mirrorless camera could be damaged. 

Nikon has announced a delay in the release of several recently introduced compact digital cameras as a result of the series of earthquakes in Kumamoto Prefecture that began on April 14. The delay includes three premium models in the new DL series, as well as four COOLPIX models and a new action camera.

The Sony RX1R II is a high-end compact camera with an integral lens that features a full-frame sensor with a very high resolution of 42MP, comparable in some ways to a classic rangefinder camera or the Leica Q system. The original Sony RX1 was one of the first cameras that offered a full-frame sensor in a compact camera and was sold in two versions: as a “standard” that used a low-pass (anti-aliasing) filter and, as the RX1R, one that was built without a low-pass filter.

Nikon just announced a brand new palm-sized, premium camera line with some classic Nikkor lens features. Called the DL series, the cameras include the DL24-85, DL18-50 and DL24-500 models, which combine Nikkor optics with large 20.8-megapixel (CX-format) 1-inch BSI CMOS sensors.

Ricoh Imaging Americas just unveiled the Ricoh GR II Silver Edition compact camera to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the founding of Ricoh Company, Ltd. This exclusive package consists of a silver-color edition of the GR II premium digital compact camera (launched in July 2015) and an exclusively designed camera case.

Phew, what a busy month it’s been for new photo gear! While the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas has not, traditionally, been a major event to debut high-end photography equipment, CES 2016 was definitely an exception with dozens of interesting imaging releases. (And hopefully this is a trend that continues at future CES events, which, in recent years have been rather ho-hum for photography gear.)