Olympus announced new compact cameras today. The SZ-30MR (on left) is the world’s first compact that can shoot both 1080p Full HD video and 16 megapixel stills at the same time. What’s more, the camera can record two different videos at once — videos that differ in zoom, quality, or filters.

Next, the TG-810 (on right) is supposedly the “world’s first 100kg crushproof camera”. While we’re not so sure that it’s the world’s first, it certainly seems to be one tough camera. This 14 megapixel camera capable of 720p HD video is crushproof up to 100kg (~220lb), shockproof from a distance of 2m (~6.5ft), waterproof to 10m, and freezeproof to -10°C. Both cameras will be available in April 2011 for $400.

Nikon announced the high-end compact P300 today to compete against the likes of Canon’s popular S95 and Olympus’ XZ-1. First, the good things — the 12 megapixel camera has a sweet f/1.8 24-100mm equivalent lens that should perform quite nicely in low light situations (especially with an ISO that can be boosted up to 3200). It can also record HD video at 1080p and 30fps, and has a 3-inch LCD that’s easy on the eyes.

On the flip side, Nikon decided for some reason to leave RAW shooting out, making this an extremely expensive, high-quality JPEG shooter, something that isn’t going to satisfy more serious photographers who want a smaller compact that still allows serious post-production work. You can find some comparison tables showing this camera stacked up against competition over on CNET and on Nikon Rumors. It’ll be available in March 2011 for $330.

A day after Carl Zeiss announced they would be joining the Micro Four Thirds format, Sony is striking back by announcing that they will be releasing specifications for its E-mount, allowing lens makers to develop third-party lenses for the NEX line of mirrorless cameras and camcorders. What’s more, Carl Zeiss, Cosina, Sigma and Tamron have already committed to manufacturing lenses for the format.

It’ll be interesting to see how this growing war between mirrorless camera formats plays out.

Image credit: SONY NEX-5 by DORONKO

The Micro Four Thirds system is apparently headed somewhere big, as more and more lens companies are joining in on the action. Just a few days ago Schneider Kreuznach announced they would be joining the system, and now Carl Zeiss is joining too, bringing 160+ of producing quality glass to future MFT cameras.

You can find a full list of companies on the official Four Thirds website.

Image credit: Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar 3.5/135 – 1 300ppi by Ferran Nogués

In addition to two new entry-level DSLRs, Canon is also releasing two new entry-level flash units, the 320EX and 270EX II. The 320EX includes a built-in LED light designed to provide illumination for video recording DSLRs, can be assigned to one of four channels, and can be wirelessly controlled with the newly announced T3i/600D. The 270EX II is a compact, lightweight flash that swivels in four positions ranging from 0 to 90 degrees, and can be wirelessly triggered but does not have channel capabilities.

Both units will be available in April, with the 320EX priced at $250 and the 270EX II priced at $170.

Canon has just announced two new Rebel DSLRs, the Rebel T3 (aka 1100D) and the Rebel T3i (aka 600D). The entry-level T3 is a 12.2 megapixel camera with a 2.7-inch LCD screen, an ISO range of 100-6400, HD video recording, and a 9-point autofocus system. The T3i is a step up, offering many of the basic features of the T3, but also 18 megapixels of resolution, 3.7fps continuous shooting, built-in wireless flash control, and a swiveling 3-inch LCD screen. The T3 will be available at the end of March bundled with a 18-55mm kit lens for $600, while the T3i will be available a the beginning of March for $900 with the same lens, or $800 without.

Sony has just announced two new 16.2-megapixel cameras that pack a lot of zoom into compact bodies. The DSC-HX100V (on left) includes a 27mm Carl Zeiss lens with 30x optical zoom, or the equivalent of a 27-810mm lens on 35mm film. The DSC-HX9V packs a smaller 24mm Sony lens with 16x optical zoom, but is still the equivalent of a 24-384mm lens.

Aside from the monstrous reach, these cameras also shoot 1080p HD video, focus at DSLR speeds, have 3-inch LCD screens, and include many of the features standard on sony CyberShots now (e.g. 3D Sweep Panorama, GPS, and Dual Recording for shooting video and stills at the same time). The cameras will be available starting in April, with the HX100V priced at $450 and the HX9V at $350.

CES is over, but Panasonic has no plans of letting the camera announcements end — they’ve just announced four new Lumix compact cameras in addition to the eight they introduced at CES earlier this month.
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Yesterday we got a sneak peek at a strange multi-dimensionally swiveling Casio TRYX camera, and today it was officially unveiled at CES 2011. The TRYX is a 12.1 megapixel camera that shoots 1080p HD video at 30fps or 240fps slow-motion video at 432 x 320. The unique thing about the camera is that the 3-inch touchscreen LCD can both bust out of its “frame” and also swivel, allowing the frame to be used as a stand and for the screen to point in all kinds of random directions.
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Lexar has announced two new SDXC memory cards ahead of CES 2011 that tip the scales at a whopping 64GB and 128GB. The Class 10 cards have transfer speeds of up to 20MB/s, meaning a full 128GB card would take nearly 2 hours to unload. Ordinary photographers won’t likely need storage capacities anywhere near what these cards offer, but people who work primarily with HD video may find these sizes useful. The capacities aren’t the only way these cards are massive — the costs are up there as well, with the 64GB priced at $400 and the 128GB at $700. They’ll hit the market sometime in early 2011.