Cameratown is reporting the introduction of the new Canon Powershot S5 IS with 12x Optical Zoom and Optical Image Stabilization.

Canon Powershot S5 IS

“Canon has introduced the new Powershot S5 IS, which will replace the Powershot S3 IS in Canon’s line-up.

“The S5 IS offers a huge 12x (36-432mm equivalent) optical zoom lens with optical image stabilization, DIGIC III processor which adds face detection technology, improved auto focus, auto exposure, and flash, a vari-angle 2.5″ LCD screen, and a hot-shoe that will accept Canon’s EX Speedlite flashes. The Powershot S5 IS will also feature an Ultra-Low Dispersion (UD) lens to reduce chromatic abberations at telephoto, and an Ultra-Sonic Motor (USM) for fast, silent zoom operation.

“The Powershot S5 IS will be available in July with an estimated selling price of $499.99 (U.S.).”

Features of the PowerShot S5 IS Digital Camera :

12x optical zoom lens with Ultrasonic Motor (USM) and UD lens
Optical Image Stabilizer
8.0 Megapixel CCD
DIGIC III with Advanced Noise Reduction technology
Face Detection for stills and movies
Red-Eye Correction in playback
2.5″ High Resolution vari-angle LCD
Long-play VGA movies with stereo sound and Photo in Movie
22 Shooting modes including full manual control and 0cn Super Macro
High ISO 1600 and Auto ISO Shift
Compatible with Wide, Tele, and Close-up converter lenses
Compatible with Canon EX Speedlite flashes .

Cameratown gives a summary of a first look at the Olympus E-510 Digital SLR by DCResource in its email newsletter :

“When Olympus announced that their compact E-400 digital SLR would not be sold in the US, the collective groan could’ve been heard in space. After all, we Americans want small D-SLRs too! Thankfully someone at Olympus was listening, and they brought the E-400’s replacement - the E-410 - to the rest of us. Not only is it a compact SLR - it’s also got a lot of cool tricks up its sleeve… The E-410 is the smallest digital SLR on the market. Yes, smaller than both the Nikon D40 and Canon Rebel XTi. The camera has a metal frame with a hard plastic shell, and it feels very solid in your hands. It doesn’t have much of a grip, so I highly recommend trying one out in person before you buy it, especially if you have large hands. Or, consider the E-510, which has a much more substantial grip…”

We don’t know many details, as Sigma likes to keep us waiting in excitement for September 26 to come - that’s another month!
Sigma reveals a few details in a flash movie. They mention:

• an extended color range
• pixels that catch more than one color
• improved raw images

Sigma has always been honest about pixels: 10.29 Mp (3.4Mp Red + 3.4Mp Green + 3.4Mp Blue) (from the SD10 specifications) so we’re curious how the Foveon chip in this latest DSLR will process color information!

Announced in April, launching in July, the glossies are starting to call it the “must-have” digital camera for the serious photographer. Sony’s Alpha 100, priced at around $1000 (£700), is giving Canon and Nikon a good run for their money.

The Alpha is a powerful 10MP DSLR (Sony’s first) which has been specifically designed to allow amateur photographers to take professional-quality shots. The claim is that it’s as simple to use as a compact, with a SteadyShot anti-shake system that will be a boon to recovering alcoholics in particular.

The Alpha’s USP (unique selling point) seems to be its amazing versatility. More than 20 bespoke lenses will be available at launch. Even better, Sony (an electronics company) has worked with lens specialists Konica Minolta, resulting in lenses that are compatible with the Dynax range produced for Konica’s 35mm SLR cameras.

Sony has obviously excelled itself here and we await the launch with interest.