Compact Camera News

A funny thing happened to me while I was shooting and reviewing the new Sigma DP1 compact camera in New Mexico. I had taken a lunch break in a local taqueria and in came a couple that sat down at the next table. Next to the guy's backpack and hat he set down the Sigma DP1. I did a double take, and asked him how he liked it. "Great," he said, "the picture...

First announced as a "product under development" in September 2006, the DP1 finally became available 18 months later and it was worth the wait. Aside from solving some image quality issues, the engineers also modified the specifications, delivering a better camera than we had initially expected. In spite of the compact size, this is not a typical point-and-shoot...

Sony just expanded its lens-style camera line with the new 30x zooming DSC-QX30 and the E-mount interchangeable lens ILCE-QX1 models. The odd-looking devices combine compact lenses and image sensors into one hybrid unit and are designed to be clipped over your smart phone for better image quality when snapping mobile photos.

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.

Today Sony introduced the Cyber-shot RX100 VI—the latest model in their popular series of pocketable cameras offering superb optics and a host of high-end capabilities.

If you don’t want to haul around you heavy DSLR or mirrorless camera on your next travel shoot (or vacation), a new superzooming compact camera from Sony provides a far smaller and lighter alternative. This week, Sony introduced the Cyber-shot HX99 (model DSC-HX99) camera, which packs a zoom lens with an extreme range of 24-720mm into what Sony is calling “the world’s smallest camera body of its kind.”