GearCulture

Olympus offers superior durability and performance to tackle the elements on any terrain with the Stylus Tough 6010 ($500). This compact and rugged camera is waterproof up to three meters, shockproof up to 1.5 meters and freeze-proof up to 10 degrees Celsius. The Stylus Tough 6010 comes standard with a 12-megapixel sensor, 2.7-inch HyperCrystal display with tap control, 3.6x optical zoon, 45MB built-in storage with xD/microSD card options.

Need a little more than a Point-and-Shoot, but not savvy enough for a SLR? The Olympus Ep-1 ($800) features a 12.3-megapixel Live MOS sensor with TruePic V image processing and a micro four thirds interchangeable lens system in an ultra-portable and stylish retro construction. The easy-to-use E-P1 is offered with a 3-inch LCD screen, 20 shooting modes, SDHC slot, HDMI TV-out and a wide array of options to choose from.

Unlike heavy metals used in most tripods, the Slik Pro 340-BH AMT ($150) is crafted with super Aluminum-Magnesium-Titatinum alloy legs which make it lighter and stronger than any standard tripods. This tripod is built with 4 legs sections, collapsible to a compact 20 inches, perfect for the outdoors. The Pro 340-BH AMT also features secure, speed-release leg locks, and a stable all-metal SBH-200DQ ball head with easy-to-use quick release and dual-axis bubble level.

Travel with a digital camera that won't put a damper on your vacation. The 10-megapixel Fujifilm FinePix Z33WP ($200) features a waterproof construction, safe to a depth of 10 feet for up to two hours. Additional features include a One Touch Movie button that captures VGA quality movie clips at 30fps, complete with audio, 2.7-inch display, 3x optical zoom lens, image stabilization and face detection.

Sony reveals their trio of new, upgraded Alpha DSLR Cameras ($550-$850) with a modern-looking body design and a bevy of convenience features. The new models are built with a 2.7-inch LCD preview screen, independent SteadyShot image stabilization, HDMI output and SD/SDHC memory card support in addition to Sony’s proprietary Memory Stick formats. The Sony Alpha 230 and 330 models sport a 10.2-megapixel sensor versus the Alpha 380 which goes up to 14.2-megapixel.

Powerful, versatile and easy to use, the Nikon D5000 ($850) offers professional photography technologies in an entry-level digital SLR. The Nikon D5000 features a 12.3-megapixel sensor with a sensitivity of up to ISO 3200 for incredible high resolution stills and an articulating 2.7-inch Vari-angle LCD display for different picture-taking perspective. The D5000 is also capable of capturing high-definition videos at 24fps with sound and an eleven-point autofocus with 3D tracking.

For stunning style and photography, look no further than the special edition All-White Leica M8 ($TBA). Each camera body is hand-crafted and manufactured from the finest materials available. The 10.3-million-pixel All-White M8 digital rangefinder camera features the Elmarit 28mm ƒ2.8 aspherical lens in a brushed silver finish. [source]

JVC's new hybrid cam continues to blur the already faint line between a digital still cameras and camcorders. Armed with a 10.3-megapixel CMOS sensor, the JVC Everio X Hybrid HD Camera ($1,000) is capable of simultaneously recording high-definition videos and capturing 9.0-megapixel still images, eliminating the need to carry individual devices. This cam features a swing-away flat LCD display, 5x optical zoom support, ultra-slow motion video, face detection technology, optical image stabilization and HDMI connectivity.

The Samsung NX Series Hybrid Camera ($TBA), slated for Q3 of 2009, offers DSLR image quality in a point-and-shoot camera design. Equipped with an APS C-sized image sensor with a larger surface area, this hybrid camera is capable of gathering more light which results in higher image quality. The compact NX Series Hybrid Camera is also built with an ultra-precise Electronic Viewfinder (EVF) eliminating the need for a mirror box and significantly reducing its size and weight.

Shoot stills and capture high-defintion videos with the Sony Cyber-Shot T900 ($380). Unlike other conventional LCD screens, the 12.1 megapixel T900 is equipped with a 3.5-inch Xtra Fine touch-panel LCD display which delivers high resolution images at 921,600 dots. The Cyber-shot T900 features 4x Carl Zeiss Vario Tessar optical zoom lenszoom lens with 35.140mm focus distance and can record videos at 720p HD quality. [source]