Gizm0 - Gadget Blog for the Technology Obsessed.

Casio’s Exilim Z9 may not rock 13 megapixels like the Sony W300 we just featured, but it does come in pink, and orange, and all sorts of colors girls and non-geeks find adorable.  That alone may win it a spot in a teenager’s pocket, but Casio Exilim Z9 is no toy.  Rocking 8 megapixels, 23 best-shot pre-sets, an easy mode for people who want to take pictures, not think, and a 3X optical zoom.  It also shoots video ready-made for Youtube.

According to Bill Heuer, Vice President of Casio’s Digital Imaging Division, “Casio’s innovative YouTube Capture Mode allows videos to be recorded and uploaded directly to YouTube in as few as 3 steps, making the EX-Z9 perfect for online video enthusiasts.”

Feature Highlights:

• Stylish, slim, compact model featuring 8.1 million effective megapixels and 3x optical zoom.
• Generous 2.6-inch wide LCD display
• 23 Best Shot Modes for high quality images
• Anti Shake DSP for reducing photo blur due to shaky hands or moving subjects
• Easy Mode for simplifying the camera settings
• Casio’s Face Detection technology for maintaining a sharp focus

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Sony Cyber-shot W300 

The Sony W300 is the first point and shoot to cross 12 mega pixels, stuffing a whopping 13.6 mega pixels into its compact point-and-shoot frame.  There are also a few “pro” features thrown in, like high-speed shooting at an impressive 5 frames per second, although they had to drop the megapixel count to just three for that to work.  There’s image stabilization built in and ISO up to 6,400.   Don’t get too excited about that either,  manufacturers usually promise more then they can achieve at the highest ISOs.  Still, an ISO of 6,400 makes ISO 1,600 seem like a reasonable proposition.

In addition, to the above, the Sony W300 sports a 3X optical zoom and a reasonable $350 price - its due to ship in May.

Sony Cyber-shot H50

If the optical zoom is really important to you, you might want to opt for the companion Sony Cyber-shot H50, which sports an unusually high 15x optical zoom, but takes down mega pixels down to 9.1.  While sacrificing pixels, the Cyber-shot H50 is a more powerful camera in many ways.  Besides the optical zoom, which is quite impressive for a point and shoot, the Cyber-shot H50 also rocks a powerful flash.  It can illuminate subjects up to 55 feet away.  There’s also optical image stabilization as well as a dynamic range optimizer to keep blow outs and highlights in check.  Its scheduled to come in at $400 but might just be the more useful camera overall.  Point and shoots aren’t usually used to make poster-sized prints, and  9 quality megapixels is enough for gorgeous 8×11 prints.

We also like this matte-gray finish - very new and very modern.  Sony is trying to take the lead and the Cyber-shot H50 as well as the Cyber-shot W300 stuff more features then we’ve seen in a point and shoot.  No word on their movie modes, we’ll update you as we find out more.

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With the announcement of the Canon Eos Rebel XSi (e.g. the Canon 450D), one has to pause.  Yes, the newly unveiled Nikon D60 is a great update to the D40 and D40x, but being resolution whores, its hard to miss that the Rebel XSi is 12 megapixels to Nikon D60’s 10 megapixels.   Despite Nikon fanboy assertions otherwise, Canon is not a toy company, 12 megapixels is not just a number.  Canon  has their sites set on killing the megapixel race (24 megapixels on their top camera, the Mark III).  Even hardcore Nikon man Ken Rockwell  has given Canon props for their superior resolving ability when he compared the Canon 5D to Nikon D3.  We also noticed that Canon has a much more generous 3″ LCD “Live View” display, as compared to Nikon D60’s 2.5″.  That’s a huge difference if you want to enjoy the photo you just snagged.  2.5″ sucks.

Nikon D60 does have one very sweet feature - its called Active-D Lighting.  Basically it compensates  for all of those blown highlights that make digital photography and cinematography so challenging.  According to Senor Ken Rockwell, “This feature automatically identifies highlight areas that will be lost, and does its best to bring them under control. It works, and it works automatically.”

So which do we get for our entry level DSLR?  Well the Nikon D60 is slightly more affordable then the Rebel XSi,  (about $750 with lense kit at Adorama vs Canon Rebel’s $799 at J&R).

This reminds us of the battle between Sony and Panasonic camcorders.  The Panasonic HVX200 never had the resolution of the Sony FX-1 or Z1 (they’re both HD camcorders).  The Panasonic was always given credit for producing better looking, more filmic images - probably because of the way they handled dynamic range and highlights, while Sony always resolved better, which matters when you’re considering blow-up to theatrical size screens.

Therein lies your answer.  Are you planning on printing your pics to enormous gallery size displays?  If so, all the way to the high end, Canon is a better choice.  If the D3 can’t resolve as well as the Canon 5D, which is half the price, then resolution whores should stick to Canon.  If however, glorious photos without too much photoshop work is what you’re after, the Nikons are better choices, all the way down to the Nikon D40 (which is what the D60 essentially replaces).  Us?  We’re resolution whores, because we can do whatever the hell we want with the pic in Photoshop, except pretend we shot it in 12 megapixels!

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Panasonic and Sony are always bitter rivals and while we appreciate the Panasonic HVX200, the Sony XDCAM EX-1 takes it up about 10 notches.  We love our Sony XDCAM EX-1 pro-level handheld video camcorder.   The XDCAM EX-1 knocks the socks off the Panasonic HVX200, so of course Panasonic had to step up.

Their latest offering, the MHC150 (terrible name), looks alot like the HVX200 except uglier and more generic. Their format of choice is AVCHD and the MHC150 boasts 1080p/60.  Its supposed to ship in the fall and should roughly match the XDCAM EX-1’s $6.5K pricing. We bet the specs and prices will be a bit lower grade then the XDCAM EX-1, specs which is a low budget shooter’s dream come true.

In other words, don’t get too excited about this Panasonic.  The good news is that it may be a hint of other things to come. Frankly we’d be disappointed if this was all they had to battle the EX-1 with.

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Barcelona, SPAIN - Sony Ericsson launches the Xperia X1, which sounds like an S.U.V., but perhaps that’s the feeling they want to convey - a utilitarian device for the modern urbanite.

This so-called convergent slider device, (we prefer aspiring superphone) packs in a funky design, Wi-Fi, assisted GPS, A2DP stereo Bluetooth, and an auto focus 3.2 megapixel camera with a photo light and video recording. Neat. We especially like the photo light. That one trick opens up the whole world of phone photography into dusk and night.

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Sony is showcasing their Sony Alpha 24.8 Megapixel DSLR for all the world to salivate.  Referring to this pixel beast as the “flagship” Sony Alpha, experts suggest that the 24.8 megapixel chip will “only” be able to produce about 24 effective megapixels due to sensor limitations.  Still, that’s more than twice the megapixels of the upcoming Nikon D60 DSLR.

Now you can take pictures of your pet cat and turn into a billboard for all the world to see.  The Sony Alpha flagship (model not yet determined) will still feature the Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar lense, and upgrade options will include a lense with a minimum f2.8 aperture and manual focus override.

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Apple’s Macbook Air announcement opens a whole new front on the ultraportable category.  But others have been there before Apple.  Here’s some of the best ultra portables in the market, starting with the brand spanking new Macbook Air.

Macbook Air specs:

3 lbs, 13.3 inch glossy widescreen LED display

Intel Core 2 Duo processor, retail starting price: $1,799

Sony Vaio  TZ:

weight: 2.7 lbs, 11.1 inch backlit  LED, Intel Core 2 Duo processor

price:  quite a bit more at $2,900 but if you’re  strictly a PC person, this is the one.

Lenova Ideapad U110

weigh: 2.3 lbs, screen: 11.1 LED, Intel Core Duo, price: probably between $1,500-$2,000 (TBD)

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According to the most hardcore HD camera nerd out there, Senor Mike Curtis, the new Sony XDCAM EX-1, the so-called Baby CineAlta, maybe be the best video camera under $10K. (after that its the Red One but forget its starting $17K price, its nearly triple the cost of the Sony EX-1 if you figure in the lense and everything else).

If you haven’t heard by now, its loaded to the gills with pro specs - three 1/2″ CMOS chips, full raster 1920×1080, 1080/24p, solid state P-2, variable frame rate, 4.7 lbs, (steadicam Merlin friendly!). If you’re still holding on to that HVX200, Mike says the EX-1 is “significantly better” then the HVX.

Nerdy spec wars aside, “put the footage of the Ex1 next footage of the HVX and there is no two ways about it - the EX1 is the best looking image ever seen on a camera under 10k.” so sell that HVX, cop that EX-1 or rent it out for $200/day, what’s the problem?

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