SONY

Trends

Sony seems to be taking trend setting to an interesting place by paying some careful attention to the appearance of their cameras for the future models. The camera bodies are embracing a fresh and attractive look, updated with a more modern appeal. You will also start to find a new slim frame panel, almost like a wide screen, for panoramic viewing of your images and recordings.

Technology Diffusion

Sony has spent some time thinking about what it is that their customers are looking for. The result of this is that they are bringing out some cameras which are aimed at easy, fun and casual use by active people. Bloggie cameras are able to record in HD, are waterproof up to around 1.5 meters , are dustproof and come with a built in USB arm for super easy sharing and downloading. Previously, the features that are available in this little, pocket-sized Bloggie Cam were not easily available at such attractive prices! The Bloggie cams are packed with features; face detection, Smile Shutter, Flash light, Digital Zoom, Optical SteadyShot to mention some. Sony’s aim, by creating Bloggie, was to expand their target market, making their products more easily available to more people. They have certainly done well with this very attractive little pack of dynamite!

New Technology

Sony has introduced a new feature to its camcorders that is sure to get golf lovers rather tingled! The feature is named Golf Shot and is very specifically for recording a golfer’s swing. The result is one neat, crisp recording to be used later in a lesson, or perhaps to analyze and better your own swing. The camera is able to pick up the sound of the ‘slap’ when the ball is wacked into action and this is when the camera takes to action as well. As the recorder, all you need to do is hit the record button as the ball is smacked and this action, teamed with 3 second pre-record, will give you the exact swing movement and no more than that, no wasted space on your memory card!

Availability and pricing

Under the Bloggie name you will find four models to choose from. Bloggie will be available around mid Feb this year with one model being released in April. The price estimate is that they will range from around R2,000 to R3,200.
With PMA bringing in new models and new features for Sony, you can expect their ‘older’ model cameras to be selling with a bit of promotion right now and stocks are not set to last long. Shop around and you are sure to find Sony cameras being sold with free bags or an extra memory card included. You won’t find much of a price drop though in their older stock and when their new stock starts to come in it will be more (not too much though) expensive than their older models.

OLYMPUS

Trends

Olympus is following the footsteps of other brands and you will begin to notice that in the lower range models the zoom is becoming more powerful and the megapixel ratings are going up. You will also find the new Olympus cameras already have 1 to 2 gigs of built in memory.

Technology Diffusion

Olympus cameras in the lower range are recieving wider LCD screens and the lower models are even getting HD ready video recording capabilities.


New Technology

Olympus has just recently added Picture Mode to their camera features which lets you set a different ‘mood’ depending on the situation of your photograph.

Availability and pricing

Olympus has not followed a trend and you will see no price drop in their older model cameras. There will also be no shortage of stock as you will find in some of the other brands. Olympus will simply be carrying on with business as usual and will be releasing their new stock as and when it arrives.

Nikon

Trends

Nikon is setting trends by taking ‘pocket cameras’ to a new level and have created beautifully styled, ultra slim bodies that are sure to be a favourite when choosing a really easy to carry camera that is packed with incredible features and high quality results. While not all of the cameras in the CoolPix range are aimed at pocket-transport, most of them are super slim and incredibly sexy to hold. The CoolPix S8000 is the world’s thinnest 10X zoom camera!

Technology Diffusion

Previously, a touch screen was a rather elusive feature on a camera, seen only in the more expensive models, but Nikon has done a bit of technology diffusing by adding this feature to their some of their new cameras in the CoolPix range. The touch screen feature is now available at an attractive price on pocket sized cameras instead of only on the more expensive ranges.

New Technology

A built in projector on a camera? That is definitely enough to make you blink and read the comment twice…but what if I said; a built in projector on a camera that costs under R4000!? I am incredibly excited by this and simply can’t wait to see a demo of this brilliant-thinking from Nikon! The CoolPix S1000PJ is definitely set to wow the camera world and set some new trends for other brands to follow.

Availability and pricing

Right now is a brilliant time to buy any of the older model Nikon cameras and if you plan to do so, get there fast as stock is not going to last long. In preparation for the new ranges, Nikon has dropped the prices of their old stock and you are sure to find a fantastic deal on the Nikon you’ve had your eye on for a while. BUT if you think you can hold out a little longer and wait for their new models to hit the market you will be pleasantly surprised to find that their new models are going to be priced very similarly to their older models.

Canon

Trends

It seems that cameras are set to be lighter and thinner in the Canon world with a competition amongst the other brands to see who can make the smallest camera, most portable, and still keep the best image quality. Keep your eyes open in 2010 for some incredible compact cameras that shoot with quality border-lining SLR cameras. Compact cameras from Canon are coming out with new features like Smart Self Timer; an upgraded self-timer mode that acts to enhance facial features and guarantees you are capturing your faces with correct lighting and focus.

Technology Diffusion

Canon is bring HD ready video to the consumer friendly market by putting the feature into their lower range cameras. This means that ‘HD ready’ will be found on lower price models and the higher range cameras won’t be able to brag about the feature.

New Technology

Canon has come up with two fun and interesting new feature effects for their cameras; Miniature Effect and Fisheye Effect. Miniature Effect mode will blur the areas around the centre of your image focus to create the illusion that you are taking a picture of a miniaturised scene. The Fisheye Effect mode (which will have three levels of strength) will expand the centre of your image to create the effect of taking the picture with a wide angle fisheye lens.

Availability and pricing

Come March you are going to really struggle to find a Canon camera in stock. You will find that right now the older models have dropped in price in preparation for the new models hitting the shelves soon. Very soon the Canon 450D and 50D will most likely be discontinued as the new models take over. The new 550 will most likely be in the higher price range with its amazing features while the other new compact Canon models will be priced similarly to the existing models.