The ST550 is Samsung’s much-hyped compact digital camera featuring two LCD screens so you can easily take self-portraits.

With its front and rear LCD screens, the Samsung ST550 is obviously expected to appeal to the Facebook generation - anyone who wants to snap photos of themselves to share with family and friends. As well as a very impressive 3.5-inch screen on the back of the camera (noteworthy in its own right), the ST550 also features a hidden 1.5-inch screen on the front, which reveals itself when you tap it. All of this makes taking self-portraits less of a hit-and-miss affair.

Samsung has obviously taken some inspiration from Apple with the ST550, thanks to features such as the ability to swipe the screen to scroll through your photos when you’re reviewing them. The design is also slightly reminiscent of the iPhone or iPod Touch - this camera is black, shiny and sleek, with orange highlights around the chassis.

The ST550 features a 4.6x optical zoom lens with 12.2-megapixel CCD sensor. Samsung has included a range of manual settings, including focus, white balance, sharpness and so on. You’ll also find the usual suspects such as face detection. The camera produces some pretty decent snaps, fairly standard for a camera that sits just below the $500 mark.

The Samsung ST550 retails in Australia for $449.

Buy a cheap Samsung digital cameras on sale in Australia

By Caroline Warnes

The upcoming Samsung EX1 will be the manufacturer’s flagship model in the advanced compact digital camera category.

Advanced compact digicams are aimed primarily at high-end users, with the ever-popular Panasonic Lumix LX3 perhaps being the best known of the bunch.

Samsung is putting a lot of stock in the EX1’s impressive 24mm ultra-wide angle Schneider Kreuznach lens with fast f/1.8 aperture and 3x optical zoom. The ultra-wide lens is perfect for anyone planning on shooting landscapes or large groups of people. The wide aperture also offers shallow depth-of-field and allows the photographer to blur the background whilst still focusing on the subject, which is especially handy for shooting in portrait mode.

The EX1 also features a high-performance 1/1.7-inch CCD sensor, which is larger than what you’d find in a standard digital camera. This produces better photos in low-light situations. When combined with Samsung’s DRIMeIII imaging processor, you can expect image quality to be high.

Then there is the 3-inch swivelling AMOLED screen, which allows you to shoot from just about any angle you can imagine. The use of AMOLED technology also reduces power consumption, meaning your battery will last longer.

As you’d expect, the EX1 comes with a range of shooting options, including aperture priority, shutter priority and manual shooting modes. You can also use the camera to record VGA quality video (unfortunately, not HD).

The Samsung EX1 digital camera will be released in parts of Asia in Q2 2010, with Australia expected to follow soon after that. Local pricing will be confirmed closer to that time.

Buy a cheap Samsung digital camera on sale in Australia

By Caroline Warnes

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX5 is the manufacturer’s first waterproof point-and-shoot compact digital camera, and it’s one of the most stylish we’ve seen to date.

In fact, when it’s released it will be the slimmest waterproof digital camera available in Australia, and just by glancing at it you’d be forgiven for thinking it was a regular compact digicam. Waterproof digital cameras tend to be somewhat lacking in the slim and stylish department, so the Sony TX5 makes for a pleasant change.

Fortunately, the TX5 isn’t all looks and no substance. It’s waterproof to 3 metres, shockproof to 1.5 metres and can withstand temperatures as cold as -10 degrees Celsius (so it will be released just in time for the 2010 ski season). It features a 10.2-megapixel CMOS sensor, 3-inch LCD screen and 4x optical zoom, plus a 25mm wide-angle lens.

Sony has also equipped the TX5 with 720p HD recording and a panorama shooting mode.

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX5 digital camera will be available in Australia in April with a recommended retail price of $599. It will be available in silver, black, pink and red.

Buy a cheap Sony digital camera on sale in Australia

By Caroline Warnes

The soon-to-be-released Canon EOS 550D digital SLR (dSLR) camera is the big brother to last year’s EOS 500D model.

Like its sibling, the Canon EOS 550D will offer Full HD video recording (1920×1080p) and a high-resolution 3-inch LCD screen. You can record in Full HD at either 30, 25 or 24 frames per second with full manual control. The 550D adds Movie Crop functionality, which allows you to crop a standard-definition quality movie at around 7x magnification of the original footage.

Another upgrade is the camera’s 18-megapixel CMOS sensor and Digic 4 processor - so while the EOS 500D produces excellent still images, the EOS 550D’s are simply exceptional. ISO range has been expanded to 100-6400 native sensitivity, expandable to 12,800. A handful of new features are apparent, including Live Face Detection AF mode.

The Canon EOS 550D will be released in Australia on February 26 with local pricing to be advised beforehand.

Buy a cheap Canon camera on sale in Australia

By Caroline Warnes

The new Ricoh CX3 is the update to the CX1 and CX2 compact superzoom digital cameras.

It features a 10.7x optical wide-angle zoom (28-300mm) lens as well as a 10-megapixel BSI CMOS sensor. BSI (backside-illuminated) technology, which is gradually replacing the older FSI (frontside-illuminated) technology, offers performance and feature benefits - for example, it improves light sensitivity and absorption plus improves noise reduction for better images.

The BSI CMOS sensor also allows for further advanced shooting options not available on the CX1 or CX2, including low-light modes and full resolution high-speed burst shooting at 5fps. Macro shooting is available from 1cm.

Another handy feature is multi-target autofocus, which allows you to take five shots in quick succession with different subjects, then you can select the subject to focus on later.

Another upgrade from the CX3’s predecessors is the inclusion of HD movie mode - you can shoot high-definition footage at 720p resolution.

The Ricoh CX3 is due to be released in Australia in February 2010 with a recommended retail price of $499. It will be available in black, violet and pink/grey.

Buy a cheap digital camera on sale in Australia

By Caroline Warnes

The new Olympus Mju Tough 6010 is the latest model in the manufacturer’s Tough range of digital cameras, which are designed to handle just about anything you can throw at them.

If you love the great outdoors and spend a lot of time seeking your thrills outside, then you need a hardy digital camera to take along for the ride. The Olympus Mju Tough 6010 is designed with adventurers in mind - especially if you plan to take your digital camera into the water, snow or anywhere were it might experience a significant shock.

Yes, the camera is waterproof to 3m, will work in conditions as low as negative 10 degrees and can withstand drops of up to 1.5m. This also means it’s an ideal choice for anyone who has kids with a habit of dropping and breaking valuable pieces of electronic equipment.

The camera’s hardiness is its main selling point, with the remaining specifications being nothing too out of the ordinary. It features a 2.7-inch LCD screen, 28-102mm equivalent lens, 12-megapixels of resolution and 3.6x optical zoom. It’s capable of sensitivity up to ISO 1600.

What this adds up to is a very tough camera that produces images that are acceptable without being outstanding. If you’re looking for a camera that isn’t too expensive to take into the great outdoors, the Mju Tough 6010 could be it.

The Olympus Mju Tough 6010 is available in Australia now with a recommended retail price of $399.

Buy a cheap Olympus digital camera on sale in Australia

By Caroline Warnes

The Nikon Coolpix S640 is the latest compact digital camera from this popular manufacturer, with its main selling point being speed.

In fact, Nikon claims that the S640 boasts the fastest start-up time in its class (0.7 seconds). Ultra-fast autofocus and a short shutter-release time lag add to the camera’s speedy performance.

Another main selling point is the inclusion of Nikon’s proprietary Clear Colour Display technology in the 2.7-inch LCD screen, which helps reduce reflection and increase visibility when you’re shooting in direct sunlight or other bright conditions. 5x optical zoom and a wide-angle 28mm lens also weigh in on the plus side.

The rest of the package isn’t really anything out of the ordinary for a compact digicam in this price range. You get a 12.2-megapixel sensor with maximum sensitivity of ISO 6400, 5x optical zoom and 45MB of internal memory, expandable by SD or SDHC cards. While there are two movie modes, unfortunately there’s no HD shooting.

The Australian recommended retail price of the Nikon Coolpix S640 is $499.

Buy a cheap Nikon Coolpix digital camera on sale in Australia

By Caroline Warnes

The Olympus E-P2 digital camera is an updated version of the E-P1, the retro-style camera that was released early in 2009.

The Olympus E-P2 doesn’t offer a whole lot of extra functionality over its predecessor.

The main difference is the inclusion of a detachable live viewfinder with 1.44 million dot resolution screen, which connects to the accessory port on the camera’s body. The viewfinder offers 100% view screen resolution so you can see exactly how the final image will look with no margin of error. The accessory port can also be used to connect the included external microphone adapter.

The rest of the specification list isn’t anything to get too excited about, and includes: 12.3-megapixel resolution, HD movie recording, interchangeable lenses, built-in image stabilisation, eight art filters, AF tracking and ISO 6400 (max).

The Olympus E-P2’s Australian release date has been confirmed as being sometime in December, with pricing to be announced closer to the time.

Buy a cheap Olympus digital camera on sale in Australia

By Caroline Warnes

The new Nikon D3S digital SLR (dSLR) camera is the new and improved version of the popular D3 professional camera.

The D3S builds on the strong feature set of the D3 and is now at the top of Nikon’s FX sensor range (along with the D3X). The FX sensor format is Nikon’s equivalent of 35mm film, which makes these cameras suitable for high-end amateur and professional photographers. The CMOS sensor has been redesigned for this camera and Nikon has also included an image sensor cleaning mechanism.

The Nikon D3S’s maximum sensitivity has been bumped up to 102,400 and native ISO to 200-12,800. Another new feature is HD video recording at 24 frames-per-second (fps), however this is only in 720p format, so not strictly Full HD. Dual-card slots also make an appearance.

The camera does retain some specs from its predecessor, including 12.1-megapixel resolution and a continous shooting speed of 9fps.

The Nikon D3S is available through Nikon’s professional retail channel with a recommended retail price of around the $7000 mark.

Buy a cheap digital camera on sale

By Caroline Warnes

The Canon EOS 7D is the latest addition to the ever-popular range of Canon EOS digital SLR cameras and is billed as the ideal “all rounder” model”.

According to the manufacturer, the Canon EOS 7D sits slightly above the 50D in the EOS range.

The all-rounder tag is well-deserved - the 7D can capture a range of subjects in different shooting conditions, making it ideal for anyone looking to upgrade from an entry-level dSLR camera. It features 19-point autofocus and a standard ISO range of 100-6400, expandable to 12800, helping you take better photos in low-light settings. Also included is live face detection and live view shooting.

Other specifications include:

* 18-megapixel CMOS sensor
* 3-inch Clear View II LCD screen
* Eight frames-per-second shooting speed
* Full HD movie recording.

The Canon EOS 7D’s Australian release date has been set for some time during October, with local pricing to be confirmed closer to the time.

Buy a cheap Canon EOS digital camera on sale

By Caroline Warnes