Not since Sony purchased Minolta’s DSLR’s and repackaged them as the Sony Alpha DSLR series have I been anticipated a Sony camera. Sure, their point and clicks are also cool, but for those of us that have invested in lenses for the Sony Alpha series – or just continued to use the Minolta AF lenses like I did – the Sony NEX-5 allows for continued usage of those aforesaid lenses and mates that with a lightweight, small body.

Unlike conventional DSLR models, the “mirrorless” construction of the new models reduces the thickness of both camera bodies to just about an inch at their slimmest point (excluding grip and mount portions). The NEX-5, constructed from magnesium alloy, and the NEX-3, with a polycarbonate casing, offer a newly developed 14.2 megapixel Exmor APS HD CMOS sensor. About 60 percent larger than sensors in micro four-thirds cameras, and up to 15 times larger than in many point and shoot cameras, the sensor is key to the exceptional image quality, extremely low image noise and creative defocus effects that are familiar to DSLR users.

Alongside the NEX-5, the NEX-3 was also announced. The NEX-5 and NEX-3 cameras, which come with the camera body and SEL16F28 lens will cost about $750 and $650 respectively.

[ Links: Sony, Sony NEX-5 ]

Fujifilm North America Corporation announced the launch of the FinePix XP10, the first in a new category of super-tough, ‘Four-Proof’ digital cameras – Waterproof, Freezeproof, Shockproof and Dustproof.

Resulting from a redesign of Fujifilm’s best-selling FinePix Z33WP, the FinePix XP10 is an ergonomically “life proof” camera housed in a metal uni-body chassis with a tactile grip finish.

The FinePix XP10 sports a 12-MegaPixel CCD sensor, a 2.7″ High-Contrast LCD for better viewing in bright sunlight and a high-precision, Fujinon 5x periscopic optical zoom lens with a reinforced protective lens barrier. The FinePix XP10 is only 21.7mm thin, and retains the chiselled design of a conventional compact camera. It comes in a choice of three different colors – silver, black and green – making it the perfect camera for an extreme outing or just a relaxing night out on the town.

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Casio expects to release EX-G1, a shock-resistant, waterproof, dustproof digital camera in the United States, which is the first in the company’s new EXILIM G brand of digital cameras. With its smart design featuring functional beauty, the EX-G1 embodies Casio’s endurance-minded features and specifications in a sleek 0.78-inch low-profile camera.

The EX-G1 is designed with shock-resistant elements throughout the camera, both inside and out, creating a smart look in a slim-line camera with functional beauty. In addition to capturing high-resolution 12.1 effective megapixel images, the EX-G1 also features modes such as interval shooting and multi-image capture which utilize the camera’s endurance qualities.

And the EX-G1 is to be priced around $299 USD.

[ Casio EX-G1 ]