The Verge - The best cameras of CES 2013

Hands-on with Nikon's newest mirrorless 1 Series cameras, the J3 and S1

2013-01-08T19:43:40Z

The compact interchangeable lens camera segment is continuing to grow this year, and Nikon is expanding its lineup with two new CX-format sensor 1 Series cameras — the J3 and S1. Both are essentially scaled-down versions of the flagship V2, with the same 15fps frame and Expeed 3A image processor.

The two cameras look almost identical, the only noticeable difference being the mode selector dial on the top of the higher-end J3. Manual controls are otherwise sparse compared to the V2 — there’s no dial for selecting aperture values on either camera, for instance.

Sigma DP3 Merrill adds 50mm focal length to pro compact camera range

2013-01-08T08:57:06Z

Sigma has announced the DP3 Merrill, the latest in its range of unusual fixed-lens compact cameras. The DP3 pairs a 50mm f/2.8 lens with Sigma's unique APS-C Foveon X3 sensor, which essentially stacks three 15.3-megapixel layers on top of each other; Sigma claims this equates to a 46-megapixel image, though in practice the resulting shots aren't necessarily comparable to more traditional cameras. Instead, they're known for their unique color rendering and high quality considering the cameras' small physical size.

The DP3 Merrill is the third camera in the series, and follows last year's 19mm DP1 Merrill and 30mm DP2 Merrill. Sigma now has a pretty solid lineup of advanced point-and-shoots — If you're up for buying whole new cameras...

Hands-on with Pentax's brass beauty MX-1 camera

2013-01-08T05:17:44Z

Pentax announced the new MX-1 point-and-shoot camera earlier today, and we just spent a few intimate moments with the brass-clad shooter. The 16-megapixel camera features a 28mm-112mm equivalent lens with a bright f/1.8-2.5 aperture and 1080p video capability. But the best part of the MX-1 is its delightfully retro design and solid construction. Pentax used solid brass for the top and bottom panels of the camera, which give it a heft that you don't normally see in a point-and-shoot camera anymore. On the flip side, the heavy weight and chunky design of the MX-1 mean that it won't fit in your average pocket, and that might be enough to push most customers towards a smaller camera.

The MX-1 does feature a bevy of dials and switches, which...

Olympus puts the OM-D's 5-axis stabilization in a compact camera

2013-01-08T03:00:04Z

Camera manufacturers are running out of ways to differentiate point-and-shoots from increasingly effective smartphones, but they'll always have more hardware space to play with. The new Olympus SH-50 is a good example of this, employing an optical image stabilization system that shifts the 16-megapixel sensor along five axes for video and three for photos; the system was first used in the excellent OM-D EM-5 mirrorless camera.

Coupled with a 24x zoom (25-600mm equivalent) lens, the SH-50 should produce sharper pictures than your smartphone as long as you're willing to hand over $299.99 when it launches in March. Olympus has also put the same 24x zoom lens in a pair of cheaper 16-megapixel compacts: the Stylus SZ-15 and SZ-16 will come...

Nikon's J3 and S1 interchangeable lens cameras offer the V2's power for less

2013-01-08T02:00:05Z

It’s less than six months since Nikon announced its J2 compact interchangeable lens camera, and the company is already announcing a follow-up — the J3. At $649.99 with Nikon's kit lens, you get two big improvements for the extra $50 over Nikon’s last J: a higher-resolution 14.2-megapixel CX format sensor and the new Expeed 3A processor, both of which are found in Nikon’s higher-end V2. And the combination will pull off the same tricks on Nikon’s newest, namely shooting 15 frames per second with continuous autofocus, and something called Slow View. The feature lets you capture 40 frames in a second or so, then play them back in a slow-mo animation loop; once you have the clip, you can "shoot" your keeper frames from it, letting...

Fujifilm's 2013 lineup of 'bridge' cameras brings extreme telephoto capabilities to the masses

2013-01-07T21:01:01Z

Fujifilm has just introduced a fleet of new "bridge" cameras at CES, with planned availability this March. All of these cameras lack interchangeable lens, but offer functionality and flexibility closer to what you'll find in a DSLR or mirrorless camera than a point-and-shoot. The flagship model in this new crop of shooters is the $549.95 HS50EXR, a camera that focuses on speed and an incredible zoom range that looks essentially like most entry-level DSLRs on the market, but without the benefit of swappable lenses.

The lens you do get sounds pretty impressive, at first glance — it features a huge 42X zoom range, good for an equivalent 24mm-1000mm focal range in a DSLR. Users will be able to focus manually, but the camera also boasts...

Fujifilm's X100s and X20 will launch in late March at $1299.95 and $599.95 (update: hands-on photos)

2013-01-07T20:37:26Z

We're live at Fujifilm's CES 2013 press conference, and the company just announced pricing and availability for its X100s and X20 rangefinder-style cameras. The X100s will cost $1299.95 while the X20 will cost $599.95, and both will be available at the end of March. As we learned the other day, the X100s has been updated with a new 16.3 megapixel APS-C X-Trans CMOS II sensor, as well as a faster processor, the EXR II. Fujifilm promises the sensor will allow for autofocus of .08 seconds, and that with the processor, it will produce dramatically better resolution and noise reduction. The X20, meanwhile, offers a 12 megapixel 2/3-inch X-Trans CMOS II sensor and the same processor as the X100S. The X100s features the same 23mm f/2 lens that...

Canon's pocket-sized PowerShot N bridges the gap between your smartphone and a 'real' camera

2013-01-07T15:09:32Z

Canon's new PowerShot N is the camera you keep in your pocket when you want something more powerful and versatile than a smartphone. It's a little guy, just 3.09 inches wide and 2.37 inches tall with a 2.8-inch touchscreen that tilts 90 degrees to line up pictures at indirect angles. The N also features both Wi-Fi and a new "Mobile Device Connect" button, a kind of smartphone tethering for instant mobile uploads. Once it's set up, users can just press the button, launch the app on their Android or iOS device, and wirelessly stream pictures and video from the camera to their mobile device. Finally, the CreativeECO Mode puts the camera's display to sleep when idle to preserve battery life.

Clearly, Canon wants to provide everything a...