Toys For your camera

1.) Belkin LiveAction Camera Grip for iPhone, B1,790.
2.) GoPano Micro Lens for panoramic shots, B2,990.
3.) The ICA camera case turns your iPhone into an old Leica, comes with a lens mount, a working shutter button, an optical viewfinder and a tripod mount, B2,190.
4.) The Belkin LiveAction Mic is a small microphone that plugs into the audio jack of your iPhone, B1,990.
5.) The Kola Manual Color Flash features eight colored filters; just cover the flash with the desired filter and add some color to your picture, B245.
6.) The Epson PM310 acts as a 7” LCD picture frame as well as a 6x4” color printer with a resolution up to 5760x1440 dpi, B8,900.

Essentials

Go Pano Micro Lens, and Belkin LiveAction Camera Grip. Order online at www.symbolsofstyle.com
ICA Camera Case and LiveAction Mic. 4/F, CentralWorld, Ratchadamri Rd., 02-613-1299. BTS Chidlom
Kola Manual Color Flash and Epson PM310. Order online at www.gadgetandplay.com

HOT CAMERAS

1.) Samsung EX2F

Specs: 12.4MP 1/1.7” sensor
F1.4 24-80mm lens 3.3x zoom
3.0” Swivel AMOLED display
ISO 80-3200 extendable to 12,800
1080/30p video
Wi-Fi, magnesium body
Price: Approximately US$549 (B16,895)
Why it’s hot: The lense’s incredibly wide aperture is the best in its class; that means better low-light capacity and nice blurry backgrounds on portraits. Wi-Fi is a nice touch, too.

2.) Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100

Specs: 20MP 1” sensor
F1.8-4.9mm stabilized lens
ISO 125-6400
1080p60 video or 1080i with the ability to shoot 17MP stills without interrupting video recording
Price: Approximately US$649 (B19,972)
Why it’s hot: It’s a compact, and hardly bigger than a Canon S100, but its sensor is positively huge, making its low-light capacities close to a mirror-less system camera. A real technological breakthrough.

3.) Sony Alpha NEX-5R

Specs: Mirror-less
16.1 MP sensor
3” touch screen
ISO 100-25600
1920x1080/60p video
Wi-Fi, HDMI, USB 2.0
Price: Body only for $650 (about B20,500), available in October.
Why it’s hot: The latest update to Sony’s now very popular mirror-less NEX series gets faster autofocus and Wi-Fi.

4.) Fujifilm X-E1

Specs: 16-megapixel X-Trans
2.4-megapixel OLED electronic viewfinder
XF18-55mm (27-84mm equivalent) f/2.8-4
Price: Body only for $999.95 (B30,773), or bundled with the XF18-55mm lens for $1,399.95 (B43,083)
Why it’s hot: The old X-Pro 1 (B59,000) remains possibly the best-looking digital camera out there short of buying a Leica. The auto-focus was a bit sluggish in low-light, though. And guess what, its successor, the new X-E1, is meant to fix just that.

5.) Nikon D600

Specs: Full frame DSLR
24.7 MP sensor
3.2” LCD screen
ISO 100-6400
1080/309 HD video
SD, HDMI
Price: B72,500
Why it’s hot: Nikon finally has its own semi-affordable full-frame DSLR. In fact, it’s even cheaper than Canon’s 5D Mark III, and so loaded with features it almost seems too good to be true.

TOUCH Photography

Nikon Coolpix S800c

What is it: A Wi-Fi only Nikon compact camera slapped onto an Android operating system (version 2.3.3). That means you can edit your pics in any Android app you like using the touch screen and upload them to social media sites without even going through your phone—or just use it to play Angry Birds. It can’t place calls though
The specs: 3.5-inch 854 x 480 OLED screen, 16mp camera, HD (1080p) video, 10x zoom.
When can I get it: Available for pre-order in the USA for US$350, gray market imports should pop up at Pantip soon after its release.

Samsung EK-GC-100

What is it: Just like the Nikon, this Samsung camera is paired with an Android-based touch-screen device that will run any Android photo app you want. But this device’s specs are better the Nikon in every way: super sharp screen, twice the zoom, and 3G/4G functionality. That last point is key, because it means that although this camera can’t make calls, it can upload pictures without Wi-Fi, and that’s really what makes mobile photography so much fun.
The specs: 4.8-inch, 1,280 x 720-pixel display. 21x zoom (23-480mm).
When can I get it: Due for an Oct release. Price TBA.

Nokia Lumia 808 and 920

What is it: If you thought Nokia had gone the way of Blackberry, think again. The Finnish manufacturer has just put out two sleek handsets with class-leading cameras. The 808’s 41-megapixel sensor creates incredibly sharp images with five times the detail you’d get on an iPhone 4s. (Too bad it’s not a great a smartphone.) The 920 only has an 8-mp camera but its optical stabilization allows for smooth video and stellar low-light photography (and it’s a better smartphone).
The specs: The 808 runs a sluggish Symbian Belle OS on a measly 640 x 360 screen but it does have that 41-mp camera. The 920 runs Windows 8 mobile on a dual-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 CPU (same as the top of the line Galaxy S III) and a sharp 1,280 x 768 LCD display. Now if they could just slap the 808’s camera on the 920...
When can I get it: The 808 is available for B18,900. The 920’s pricing won’t even be released until late 2012.