We got a quick look at JVC’s new AVCHD camcorders today, the GD-HD40, GZ-HD30 and GZ-HD10. Of note, the HD40 comes complete with a dock for extra hookups like FireWire, and the HD40 and HD30 can shoot video in MPEG-2 for higher quality and easier editing. JVC has done some serious work on noise reduction on all of the cameras, but from the samples shown, it comes at the cost of detail — some of the vids we saw looked more like watercolors or 3D renders than true video. Hopefully that’s something you’ll be able to configure to your liking, and we’re glad JVC is leaving MPEG-2 on here to avoid compression that might exacerbate the problem further. That said, most users are going to be very pleased with the kind of color and low noise they can get at night or in badly-lit rooms. The cameras are certainly small for their feature sets, but at about a pound apiece they feel pretty heavy for their size. Otherwise the build is standard JVC fare — not too fancy, not too plain. We also got a chance to peep some over JVC’s other new consumer gear, so check it out in the gallery below.

BenQ has never been one to shy away from laying claim to world’s thinnest / smallest titles, and it’s done so yet again with its new T850 camera, despite the fact that it’s seemingly identical in size to the company’s previous T800 model. New this time around, however, is an increasingly-common smile-catching feature, as well as a “swipe” gesture interface, which BenQ claims is unique among touch screen cameras. Otherwise you’ll get the same 8-megapixels, 3x optical zoom, and 3-inch display as before, as well as the usual anti-shake and face-tracking features. No word on a price just yet, but you’ll apparently be able to get this one in your choice of black or red when it launches in the (presumably) not too distant future.

Don’t sweat it, we’re not going to quiz you on the specs from Samsung’s NV40 — after all, this puppy was introduced way back in January of the year 2008. Nevertheless, the 10-megapixel shooter has finally arrived at PhotographyBLOG’s labs for review, so let’s dive right in. Simply put, the NV40 isn’t a revolutionary step above the NV20, though that wasn’t seen as necessarily bad. It was noted that the image stabilization worked quite well, but captures were still noticeably noisy even at ISO 200. The unit itself felt like a premium product, and the Smart Touch interface was highly praised, but reviewers just couldn’t find a way to stomach the £199 ($385) price tag with such disappointing image results. Check out the full review for yourself before passing judgment, but it sounds like Sammy just barely missed the mark with this one.

If you own a DSLR camera, it is likely because you are either a professional photographer or a photography enthusiast. Either way, you want great digital photos and a DSLR is the only way to get them. You might already be shooting in RAW, because of all the post-processing options you have. But is RAW really the right choice for your workflow? This is a heated debate amongst even very professional photographers. Here are some different opinions on the subject.

Ken Rockwell: JPG vs Raw: Get it Right the First Time

Which should you shoot?
If you have to ask then just shoot JPG.

George Ornbo: Camera RAW or JPEG?

If your camera can shoot in RAW format should you be using it? Here’s a quick overview of the difference and what you can do with the RAW format in Photoshop.

Bob Atkins: RAW, JPEG and TIFF

There seems to be a lot of confusion among some new digital camera owners about exactly what the difference is between RAW, JPEG and TIFF files. This article is intended to be a very basic guide to these file types and how they are related in a typical digital camera.

David Eppstein: RAW vs JPEG Experiment

It is widely believed that digital cameras’ raw image modes offer a significant advantage in overall image quality compared to JPEG modes, at least for photos requiring significant amounts of post-processing. Brad Templeton posted as a challenge a request for a single image where such advantages are visible; if no advantage could be found even on heavily manipulated images, use of raw mode would constitute an unnecessary waste of camera memory and post-processing time.

Dave Shea: Raw

Let’s say you have a digital camera that shoots in Raw format. However, you’ve been using JPG files ever since you got it, due to a sense of familiarity, simply not having the time to figure out Raw, or because you don’t like the larger file sizes. Sound familiar?

Todd Walker: The Big Debate — RAW or JPG?

For me, it comes down to a very simple answer — the end results from RAW aren’t worth the hassle. If I could see an obvious quality difference in the resulting photo, it would be worth it but I just can’t.

John Roling: A RAW deal: Using the RAW image format

If you own a mid to high-end digital camera, or pretty much any digital SLR, you can shoot in a format other than JPEG. This format is called RAW and offers some significant advantages (as well as a couple of shortcomings) when compared to standard JPEG.

Jim Goldstein: RAW vs JPEG: Is Shooting RAW Format For Me?

If you happen to have an eye to the future, then RAW may be the way to go as it will afford you the greatest long-term flexibility. I would anticipate that, as digital photography and photo editing software mature, greater editing options will become available to those shooting RAW.

Richard & Rebecca Finn: RAW vs. JPEG

It’s all you can do to understand ISO, shutter speed, and how less is more when it comes to aperture. This beast of a camera can produce files in a Raw format, whatever that means, but it also has the nice comfortable JPEG format that we all know and love. Like me you probably happily shoot in JPEG for quite awhile – getting used to the myriad of options available to you. One day you look at that Raw setting and ask, “should I be using Raw for the best quality? What is Raw, exactly?”

Mike McHugh: Camera Raw Basics [VIDEO]

Journey to the center of the camera. This week Mike explanes in simple terms why Camera raw is the way to go with digital photography. Convert to DNG Vibrance, fill light and more, oh much, much more.

RAW Editing Software

Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom
Aperture
Bibble
Capture One
dcRAW-x

More Information

Wikipedia: Raw Image Format
Microsoft: 10 little known Photoshop Camera Raw Tips

Please let us know if we missed any important perspectives on this issue or you have software suggestions for helping with RAW.

Get a load of what just arrived at the doorstep of our European HQ — the world’s smallest 1080i camcorder, Sony’s TG3E. Otherwise known as the TG1 in the US, this pup is small and sturdy and definitely looks the part of a Full HD (as it’s defined for camcorders) 1080i shooter. Hell, Sony somehow managed to turn that boxy design into something sexy to hold. However, Sanyo’s 720p Xacti DMX-HD700 (in red) still trumps the TG3E in size and weight. Unfortunately, it gives up significant lines of resolution in the process and uses inferior materials to boot. We’ll be back later with a full review of this pup as soon as we find a nice, tropical island which can pamper this beast in the luxury a $900 camcorder deserves. So until then, check the gallery and call out in the comments with any questions you’d like us to tackle.

It’s taken a little while for Ricoh’s 10-megapixel GR Digital II to make the rounds since it was announced late last year, but it’s finally wound up in the capable hands of the folks from Photography Blog, who’ve now turned out a full review of the camera. Among other things, this one is particularly notable for its use of a 28mm fixed focal length lens, which Photography Blog found helped deliver some solid images with “very little distortion.” They were also pleased with the addition of a RAW shooting mode (even though it slows things down quite a bit), and the camera’s intuitive control system, which can be “almost completely configured to suit your way of working.” On the downside, they found the camera suffered from the common drawback of excessive noise at ISO 400 or above, and there is the small matter of the $699 price tag, which puts it on the level of some pretty impressive non-28mm cameras, and within striking range of the 28mm Sigma DP1. Still, the GR Digital II appears to hold its own, and seems like it’d be an even better buy if you can find a good deal on it.

While DXG has few aspirations to taste or quality, they sure know how to price this stuff. The new DXG-569V HD cam can shoot 1280 x 720 video at 30 fps, captures 5 megapixel stills and sports a 3-inch foldout LCD, all for the bargain basement price of $169. Naturally, that video quality probably won’t be putting RED ONE out of a job, and you’ll need to supply your own SD card to make the magic happen, but if that doesn’t dissuade you, you can swipe one from a Radio Shack shelf in silver or black as of today.

Well, what do you know? The actual Rebel XSi comes packaged in a box that looks exactly like the one that cropped up earlier this month. Still, there’s just something special about seeing Canon’s latest DSLR cautiously unboxed, with the fortunate unboxer taking special care not to insert an obscene amount of blur into each snap. Sure, the model shown above was unboxed within a retail location, but that’s not to say you can’t hand over some cold hard cash to do the same at your abode. Check out the whole process in the read link below — just brace yourself for some serious (albeit SFW) gadget affection in that first shot.

[Thanks, Ryan]

Samsung and pretty much everyone else is taking a long hard look at their clumsy UIs as consumer electronics continue to commodify. We’ve certainly seen that demonstrated with striking effect with the Samsung F480’s unfortunately named TouchWiz interface. Now take a look at the UI for Samsung’s NV24HD. Besides shooting 720p video, this 10.2 megapixel shooter with 24-mm ultra-wide angle lens features a series of touch-sensitive buttons surrounding a brilliant 2.5-inch AMOLED display. An interesting twist on the lifeless touch-screens we’ve seen on other cameras. However, it does so at the expense of screen size on a crowded back panel. Still, we’re a bit smitten by the user experience which we quickly got the hang of.