Available in a choice of four colours – black, silver, red and white – the Olympus E-PL3 offers a metal body and makes use of the increasingly popular micro four-thirds system. It will use a 12.3-megapixel Live MOS sensor, as well as the company’s own TruePic VI image processor.

Olympus E-PL3 package options

Customers will have a choice of buying the replacement for the E-PL2 with either a zoom or a wide-angle pancake lens. The zoom lens offered will be the M.Zuiko 14-42mm (28mm-84mm equivalent), whereas those who prefer the pancake option will be presented with a M. Zuiko 17mm lens. Rather strangely, however, there is no word as to whether Olympus will be selling the E-PL3 body on its own.

Olympus E-PL3 release date

Unfortunately, we don’t have firm release dates for either side of the Atlantic, although Olympus have told us to expect the E-PL3 to go on sale in the USA during September. It should be noted, though, that we were originally expecting to see the model debut in August, so hopefully there will be no further delays. Once the Olympus E-PL3 launches in America, we are sure that we won’t have long to wait to see it go on sale in the UK.

Casio QV-R100

The Casio QV-R100 is a 14.1 megapixel camera which sports a 4x optical zoom. It has a wide-angle lens, with a 35mm equivalent focal length of 27-108mm. It weighs in at 124 grammes, and existing Casio owners might be interested to know that it will use the NP-80 lithium-ion battery. This is a widely available cell, so if you already have one from an existing camera then you won’t have to spend money adding to your collection of spares.

Availability of the Casio QV-R100

We were a little surprised when we read about this offering from Casio today. Although they have published details of the camera’s specification, we know very little else about it.

It seems highly unlikely that the Casio QV-R100 will be soft launched, so no doubt a press release will appear in our inbox in due course. But until that time, obviously we are unable to advise about the release date, pricing, or even which territories this camera will be appearing in. Keep checking back with Best Waterproof Camera, as we will bring you all of the relevant information as soon as we have it.

[via LetsGoDigital]

Included in the Nikon 40mm f2.8 G is the Tokyo company’s Silent Wave Motor technology, ensuring that the lens is quiet whilst autofocussing. It is also incredibly light, weighing in at only 235 grammes.
For those of you wanting to get your hands on Nikon’s latest piece of kit, you won’t have to wait long, with the release date having been confirmed as being 25th August.

The new tablets are not intended to replace existing kiosks at the moment, but will operate alongside equipment already used in-store.

With tablet devices becoming increasingly popular, Jessops will hope that familiarity with this type of solution will attract more customers into its stores. In addition, tablets offer the advantage of consuming less space than traditional photo printing kiosks.

Software for Jessops’ new tablets is being developed Lucidium, who the retailer already has a relationship with having commissioned the company to develop the software used by their in-store kiosks.

The Windows-7 based tablets will be rolled out into more stores before Christmas, if the trial proves to be successful. Jessops have said that the tablets could be installed in all of its branches by early 2012.

[via Pocket-lint]

The centrepiece of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ48 is very much its substantial 24x optical zoom lens. At the other end of the scale, a wide-angle focal length of 25mm is offered. The glass itself will be manufactured by the renowned German optics company Leica.

Also featured on the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ48 is 1080i full HD video recording.

We are still waiting for the UK release date of this camera to be confirmed, but at the moment it is tentatively scheduled to be in shops by August. Panasonic UK have yet to confirm pricing, but current rumours suggest it should go on sale at around £329.

Click here to get a great deal on a Panasonic Lumix FT3

Panasonic Lumix FT3 – Features

• Resolution: 12.1 megapixels
• Zoom: 4.6x optical
• Lens: 28-128 mm wide-angle LEICA lens
• Display: 2.7-inch LCD screen
• Video: 1920×1080 Full HD
• Flash: Built-in
• Sensor: Hi-Speed CCD
• Sensor size: 1/2.33″
• Aperture range: F/3.3-5.9
• ISO: 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, auto, auto (1600-6400)
• Dimensions: 4.1 x 2.6 x 1.1 inches / 103 x 64 x 27 mm
• Wight: 6.2 ounces  / 176 grams

Panasonic Lumix FT3 – Review

Is it possible to produce a compact camera that is not only rugged but looks sexy? The good news is that Panasonic have proven conclusively that the answer to that question is yes.

The FT3 features a beautiful sleek design and is available in some great, vibrant colours. But rest assured, this isn’t a case of style over usability, as the ergonomic profile means that the camera will fit comfortably into your hand.

There are of course many waterproof, rugged cameras available on the market today. Sadly, you do not have to spend too long reading reviews to realise that build quality can vary hugely.

Even some well know manufacturers have been criticised for the build quality of some of their waterproof models, but thankfully Panasonic haven’t let the side down.

The inclusion of GPS is one of the factors behind the FT3′s popularity. And unlike with some smartphones, the GPS sensor works well and doesn’t have any problems detecting a signal.

However, as a word of warning, you won’t want to leave GPS turned on all the time, as doing so will drain the battery. If you forget to turn it off when not using the camera, though, GPS will thankfully be automatically disabled in order to save battery life.

We have been hugely impressed with the quality of the images produced by the FT3. Although you can’t change the camera’s post-processing sharpening options, we found the default set-up to produce sharp photos with minimal noise.

In an ideal world, you will want to shoot mainly at ISO 100 and ISO 200. That said, when in situations where light is limited, the noise levels even at ISO 800 are going to be perfectly acceptable to most users.

Images can be taken in resolutions up to 12 megapixels (4000 x 3000 pixels). When shooting in a standard 4:3 aspect ratio, there  are a total of six different picture sizes available to select, with the lowest resolution being just 0.3 megapixels.

In addition to the resolution options, there are two quality settings – fine and standard. We recommend you stick with the fine option as this produces the best results, albeit eating up a little bit more space on your memory card in order to do so.

As you’re reading review on this site, chances are you’re going to want to use the FT3 underwater from time-to-time. We’re pleased to be able to tell you that performance won’t fall off the cliff when doing so, as it does with some models that are on the market.

Photos taken underwater are both clear and detailed, allowing you to capture some truly spectacular results.

Video recording is equally impressive, with resolutions up to HD quality 1080i supported. Panasonic’s image stabiliser works notably well when filming, greatly reducing camera shake.

The FT3 also includes a 3D shooting mode. This works by continuously taking photos over a period of about four seconds, as you scan the camera horizontally.

Two photos are then selected and combined together, with the result being saved in MPO format. You’ll need a 3D TV in order to view your creation.

We have been extremely impressed by the Panasonic Lumix FT3. If answers a lot of failings that have sadly proven all too common with many underwater cameras.

Panasonic have produced a camera that is not only rugged and well built, but performs exceptionally both on land and underwater. As a result, we have no hesitation whatsoever in recommending this model – in our view it is the best dedicated underwater camera on the market right now.

Overall rating: 5/5

A discount is available today on the Panasonic Lumix FT3 waterproof camera:

Blue version: CLICK HERE

Red version: CLICK HERE

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