With all the DSLR noise going on, the EOS Rebel XS managed to sneak in without too many people noticing. The proper entry-level replacement to the XTi / 400D recently took the time to cave to Camera Labs' every request, and when all was said and done, critics didn't find too many negative points to harp on. The all-important image quality ranked very highly, and the built-in live view was obviously a boon. Granted, the fixed screen and 7-point AF system (versus the 9-pointer on the XTi) were slight bummers, but it still managed to secure an 82% (Highly Recommended) rating. Care to see how it stacked up against Nikon's D60, Sony's A200 and a Polaroid 80B Highlander? Two of the three comparisons await you in the read link.

[Via DigitalCameraInfo]

We've seriously stopped trying to understand what differentiates one DXG camcorder from the next. Every release reads something like "blah, blah, 1080p," followed by a price that's simply too good to be true. The DXG-595V claims to capture 1080p (imagine that!) video onto your SDHC card for a mere $200, and the ability to snag stills / connect to your SDTV via composite or S-Video is thrown in for free. Thanks, DXG -- can't wait for you to slap a new model number on some leftover inventory and treat us again next month.

[Via Gearlog]

Look out, world -- we're not so certain you're ready to behold the greatness of Olympus' latest duo. In all seriousness, we're not so certain you'll be able to stay awake as we explain the details, but stay up and you just may run across something you're into. The FE-360 and FE-370 point-and-shoots each include an 8-megapixel sensor, face detection, image stabilization, a video mode and an xD card slot. There's also a bundled attachment that enables the use of microSD cards, but we're assuming the all-but-forgotten xD slot is kept in there to stroke a suit's ego somewhere up the chain. Anywho, the two differ in the optical zoom category (3x on the FE-360, 5x on the FE-370) and LCD size (2.5-inches versus 2.7-inches). Each shooter will arrive in a variety of hues and will hit the UK market for £129.99 ($242) / £179.99 ($334) next month.

[Via DigitalCameraInfo]

Casio, clearly not wanting to be left behind in the compact digicam market, has introduced what might be described as a treasure-trove of cameraifical excellence. Heading up this line of unstoppable goodness is the £229.99 ($429) EX-Z300, a 10-megapixel shooter that carries the company's in-camera touch-up mode called "Make-up" which allows you to clone away "blemishes" or "people you hate to look at." The electronics-maker is also introducing the £129.99 ($242), 9.3-megapixel EXILIM Card EX-Z19, the £149.99 ($280) 9.1MP EXILM Zoom EX-Z85, and a slightly less robust version of the EX-Z300 called the EXILM Zoom EX-Z250 -- at £199.99 ($373) -- also with a 9.1MP sensor. Exciting stuff, right? Right.

Okay, okay, we're kidding -- we definitely think it's quite an achievement that Canon's hit another camera milestone and shipped out 100 million compact digital cameras since the PowerShot 600 first rolled off the line in 1996, and it's no secret that the PowerShot line's terrific image quality and friendly UI have a lot to do with it. Still, they're fragile little buggers, aren't they? A quick count amongst Engadget eds reveals at least 10 broken Canon digicams, ranging from a 2000-vintage PowerShot S100 all the way to a more recent PowerShot SD850 IS, and we know we're not outside the curve -- have you felt our pain? And, more importantly, do you keep coming back for more? Let us know in comments!

[Via PhotographyBLOG]

With Photokina just around the corner, it's time for camera manufacturers to start kicking out the standard updates so we can all be appropriately focused next month, and it looks like Olympus is getting things started with the new Mju 1060 point-and-shoot. The 10 megapixel shooter (it'll be a Stylus when it comes Stateside) has a nice 7x optical zoom, dual image stabilizers, Intelligent Auto mode with face detection and shadow adjustment, and takes both xD-Picture and MicroSD cards, in case you're into semi-obscure memory card formats. Should be out in the UK in September for £259 ($482), we'd expect it to arrive here for less shortly thereafter.

Last we heard from Ricoh, they were erecting enviro-friendly billboards in New York. Now that that's done with, Ricoh is back in the camera game with the R10. This shooter sports a 10-megapixel sensor, and 28-200 wide-angle 7.1x zoom lens, 3-inch HVGA LCD screen, CCD-shift image stabilizer, and in-camera image editing. Some of its more esoteric features include an adjustable flash intensity, electronic level to match up with horizons, and easy shooting mode for beginners. It comes in black, silver, and bronze, but US release date and price info aren't up just yet. Look for it to run around the same as its predecessor, the Ricoh R8 -- around $400.

[Via PhotographyBlog]

We've never been big fans of giving your tween some Nickelodeon-ized gizmo when you can simply hand down your current gear and use it for an excuse to upgrade, but apparently not everyone sees it that way. Nickelodeon, Viacom and Imation have jointly announced the latest line of kid-friendly Npower gizmos, which includes a digital voice recorder, a digicam and a webcam based on the "breakout hit" iCarly. Additionally, the outfit is churning out SpongeBob SquarePants-themed speakers, boomboxes, MP3 players and digiframes, and there's even a few Dora the Explorer toys thrown in for good measure. All the (inflated) prices and shipping details are down there in the read link -- we won't bore the uninterested any longer by fleshing it out here.

[Via Electronista]

You wouldn't think that anyone in the market for a $3,000 handheld camera capable of shooting 3K HD at 100MB/s would somehow get confused enough to end up with a mediocre LG plasma TV, but it seems like the folks at RED are worried -- the company's lawyers are preparing an opposition to LG's filing for the "Scarlet" trademark, and they've filed for their own mark. It looks like RED is getting pretty serious about protecting its marks -- president Jim Jannard is politely asking RED fans to include a trademark disclaimer when they post about the company's products, and he says that the proceedings against LG are "just the tip of the iceberg." Honestly, we think RED's going to have a tough time selling a judge on the likelihood of confusion between a consumer-oriented HDTV and a decidedly pro-grade camera, but we've been surprised in the past -- we'll see how this one plays out.

Read - Jim Jannard forum post
Read - Request for extension of time to file opposition

We've seen these zoom lens add-ons before. Now Brando's slapped together this 6x "Telescope" for the iPhone 3G -- a phone not exactly revered for its image quality. Just snap the unit to the back of the iPhone 3G and get to work. How good is it? About as bad as the $19 worth of optics within. Seriously, 19 bucks and available now.

We've seen some decent video alteration in our day, but this new research project by some folks at the University of Washington has the potential to turn the entire concept on its head. Using some rather advanced algorithms to analyze video and photographs of a the same scene, the software can meld the two into something slightly better or even dramatically different. In effect, it's Photoshop for video, since it brings your Photoshop chops to bear on video effects: edit up a still shot or two of the scene, and then meld that with the video, and your edits can be seamlessly integrated into the scene, without all that nasty manual labor required by Shake or After Effects. It's not the end all be all yet, since the tech only works with static scenes so far, but the researchers are working to rectify that. While video evidence hasn't been a sure thing for years, it's always been significantly harder to fiddle with than still shots. With that barrier removed, we might be in for a whole new generation of video that lies and a reality we can be none too sure of. Oh, and really good looking indie flicks. Sample vid is after the break.

This makes sense on very many levels, but at the same time we've gotta think those long-suffering PS3 owners will be a bit "hacked off" by Sony's announcement of a motion-tracking sword game headed for... the PS2. The PS2's market saturation (every man, woman and child on earth has at least two), and the EyeToy's general success (10.5 million units sold) make the combo the perfect trojan horse for fighting the good fight against Wii world domination. Sony's using new (sort of) color tracking technology to beef up the EyeToy's motion tracking that will let it detect and track brightly colored objects, instead of just motion, for two new EyeToy: Play games due for the holidays this year. The one we've really got our eye on is the kiddie-oriented Hero which is a first person perspective sword fighting game that comes complete with a fluorescent toy sword for battling kinda-almost-evil antagonists. Of course, none of this would be disappointing in the slightest if Sony would just work PS2 backwards compatibility into its fully capable PS3, and hey, maybe they'll surprise us. Nudge, comma, nudge. Wink. Wink.

[Thanks, Seth B]

If there was any doubt that the Nikon D90 D-SLR was coming your way, and a Best Buy stock record wasn't enough after a Circuit City inventory screen didn't sway you, then perhaps a snapshot of the product UPC will convince you? This code showed up on UPC database last night and, well, let's just say that it's time to start saving your pennies for this $1300 wonder.

UPDATE: Meanwhile, a UPC for the Canon EOS-9D also popped up on the site. UPC haters can (and should) move along, but the link is here. [Thanks, Scott F]

Gadgets for the visually impaired are nothing new, but the Touch Sight camera is one of the most unique we've seen. Designed to be held against the forehead, the camera doesn't have an LCD, but instead displays a three-dimensional representation of the image on a built-in Braille screen and records three seconds of audio to assist users in locating and managing shots. Just a concept for now, but let's hope it makes it to market -- it seems like it'd be a fun toy for the sighted as well.