Casio's new Exilim, the EX-G1 claims to be the slimmest shock resistant camera ever. 19.9mm thick, it's waterproof, dustproof and doesn't break when you drop it from a height of 2.13 meters (7 feet) onto lauan plywood from any of 26 different angles.

That's how you test if a camera is shock-resistant apparently.

Built for athletes, mountaineers, and those whose daily lives take them 7ft above laun plywood on a daily basis, it is also freeze-proof and built from polycarbonate and stainless steel. The double layering of the steel and the fibre-glass polycarbonate absorbs shock and protects the camera body.

It's waterproof which is pretty cool and can be used at a water depth of three meters (10 feet) for 60 continuous minutes. "Water will not penetrate the camera even when directly sprayed with jets of water from every direction." God it must be fun testing these things.

The camera can be used at temperatures as low as -10 °C (14 °F) - though this reduces the battery life.

The Exilim-G1 also has a speaker, a microphone and an LCD panel.

Related: Casio's camera for golfers - Exilim Hi-Speed - improves your swing

If cameras on necklaces that let you record everything that happens to you sound like spy-fiction gimmickry, think again. A UK-company are launching a consumer camera that does just that - allowing you to create life-logs, or visual records of your day.

The New Scientist explains that the camera was originally invented to help people with Alzheimer's disease improve their memories, but that now Oxford-based company Vicon plan to sell it to the general public. It's likely to be on the consumer technology market by 2010.

by Genevieve Sibayan

Amateur video clips are everywhere these days, whether it's eye-witness videos of disturbing events / ranting tube workers / freak tornados or simple video clips of animals being dramatic. Having a video camera in your pocket is handy but if you envisage your clip getting shown on the News at 10, somehow a camera phone doesn't quite cut it. A new breed of camcorder has been steadily rising through the ranks and records HD quality on a device that would fit in a clutch bag.

With the announcement of a new and improved Next Generation Flip MinoHD here's a quick round up of five of the big pocket cams on the market at the moment.

Click on the image below to start the gallery

Launching into the pocket camera market, JVC has come out with the Picsio - a small camera which captures still images as 8 mega-pixel Jpegs and shoots High-Definition video.

This pocket cam beats the camera on most phones in terms of quality of images and video; and its size (same as a small cellphone) makes it easier to carry about compared with standard cameras.

Big in the US and finally arriving in Britain... Eye-Fi cards make it easy to transfer data - pictures whatever between your camera and your computer.

Eye-Fi cards look like normal memory cards but are capable of making any camera with a memory card slot internet-enabled.

The advantages are obvious: cameras can now automatically upload photos and videos from your camera to your computer or the web. All it requires is a Wi-Fi connection. You can of course set what online sharing sites you want your data to go to.
The device has been massively popular in the US - cutting out USB cables and the fiddly bits involved with transferring video and photos between cameras and computers.

Ah... a camcorder disguised as a clock. That's the sort of thing I like to hear about of a Thursday morning. With a 4gb memory as well as a cunning disguise, this spy camera is perfect for those secret camera exclusives, embarrassing clips of your friends caught unaware... or whatever other reasons you have for secretly filming someone.

Simply place the camera/clock on a desk or mantelpiece, switch it on underneath and let it unobtrusively film what's going on.

Of course, it would have to be your own room, you couldn't just casually bring a clock to your friend's house, or the pub, and leave it sitting around without raising suspicions or having to explain why you brought a clock.

But given a situation where you can have the SPY Camcorder Clock sitting in a good position, it would work nicely. It has a pinhole lens, captures sound and colour video at 640 x 480 pixel and can store up to 5 hours worth of a video in an AVI format. The battery is rechargeable.

Available for $47 from Brando

Related: The Obama belt buckle/spy camera and The Chewing Gum Spy Camera

Yesterday the latest Olympus Pen camera was revealed to the world, and we were on hand in sunny Berlin to get a good one on one with it. We marvelled at its sleek contours and retro styling, and I feel slightly in love with the uber kitsch white one. But will this camera really bridge the gap for digicam users wanting to dip their toe in the big world of DSLR models? That's what Olymous are aiming for, and why they've made this one so small and comparably light in relation to other models.

The inclusion of two lenses (you can opt for a pancake and a viewfinder or the 3x zoom lens) with the device gives you a lot of scope, and you can also purchase a Four Thirds adapter to use other lenses you might own with this camera.

It has been 50 years since the first ever Olympus Pen camera hit the stores, and they're back with a brand new model that celebrates their iconic design, and adds some modern touches of their own. Feast your eyes ont h brand new E-P1, the camera that aims to bridge the gap between DSLRs and compacts forever. They've created a retro looking cam that features a Micro Four Thirds lens, 20 shooting modes and a 12.3 Megapixel Live MOS Sensor - from July 2009 starting at £699.99.

More info later- feast your eyes on these images to start with and we'll be bringing you an update on specs and hands on in a bit. (FYI- Barbie is 50 years old as well, if you wondered what she was doing in the picture).

CLICK THE IMAGE BELOW TO START THE GALLERY

Ricoh's latest camera has a certain retro appeal with its chunky styling and over sized body, and I was seriously bowled away by the amount of features it packed in; -the CMOS sensor meant that pictures taking was a joy.

£299 from Ricoh

More cameras here

Last year we got pretty enthused about the Zink inkless printer from Polaroid; well they've just upped their game with the Polaroid Two. Say hello to a swish looking piece of digital equipment, which not only lets you take pics and print them in one device, but gives you editing options as well.

Samsung's latest offering into the camcorder market expands on its successful H series franchise, and adds a couple more features to boot. You can look forward to an easy to view 2.7 inch LCD screen that rotates, so you're able to get tricky shots. It also includes a 10x optical zoom with image stabilization,so should have you looking in focus no matter how wobbly your hands get.

It seems like every videocamera nowadays is trying to emulate the success of the Flip Mino, and turn a teeny weeny handheld into a piece of high definition shooting action. Well this baby manages all that, plus more, and manages to provide you all this for a very attractive price.

You get a 2.5 inch LCD screen which can rotate up to 270 degrees to make capturing that footage a doddle as well as a 5x digital zoom which can be used during recording. The camera includes Face detection software to make sure your subjects are always in focus, and EIS to combat those shaky hands.

It's been a few years since I've seen one of these old skool beauts, but it's not a roll of camera film in the traditional sense. No, this oversized 35mm film has been pimped up to pack camera capabilities. How capable it is as a camera I don't know, as its spec information appears to be a tad on the scant side, but it is pretty cool though. It could even be used in undercover stealth operations. Although, why you'd be carrying around an oversized 35mm roll of film would be anyone's guess - perhaps you should carry around a novelty retro camera as well to justify your covert operation.

You're not anyone in this town unless you have your own full HD pocket cam. Well, that's not entirely true, but I'm sure that's what all the people with compact HD cameras are saying. Forget it being the year of the Cow, this is truly the year of the HD camcorder. So far, Xacti, Toshiba and Samsung have all brought delectable HD offerings to the market. Today however, the spotlight shines bright on the Sony Handycam TG7VE.

But it's not just a good looking HD cam, it's the world's smallest full HD camcorder... with GPS capabilities. This means the camera comes with the ability to view image locations on its map (and forever remember where it was you saw that person doing that in public), complete with pinpoint graphics. With its 2.3 megapixels you can capture around six hours of video onto its 16GB internal brain space and view it all on its 2.7-inch LCD screen. Throw in a Carl Zeiss lens, a 1/5-inch CMOS sensor and a Bionz processor and you're onto an assured piece of quality camcording kit.

The news of the Flip Mino undergoing a HD overhaul was met with high levels of enthusiasm from the Shiny tech team. The bad news however, was the Flip Mino HD was only available for our American friends. Fast forward to March 2009 and the UK has at last caught up, offering the HD camcorder for just under £170 from Firebox. It's pocket friendly, offers 720p video recording capabilities and all comes housed in a fool-proof, easy to use, touch sensitive 3.3 ounce outer shell.

So what are you getting for your money? Well, for a start there's a 1.5-inch TFT screen, 4GB of on-board memory, and that integral USB connector that we've seen across the entire Flip camcorder range, for instant online uploading. It's even been improved to adapt and be especially sensitive in low light conditions. There are other options available from camcording competitors, but the advantage Flip has over some of the competition is a reputation for producing great portable camcorder kit. This is just the latest iteration and a great example of a balance between price and quality.

[via Electric Pig]

Like this? Check these out: Hot on the heels of Flip - it's the Vado HD| Shiny Preview: Second generation Flip camcorder

Today marks the day that a new Nikon camera is welcomed into the fold. Going by the name S225, Nikon's newest camera is a 10 megapixel point and shooter with 3x optical zoom and 2.5-inch LCD screen, all encased in a metallic silver and lightweight (100g) outer shell. In return for 14900 pennies (£149), you'll get a compact camera with electronic vibration reduction to put an end to camera shake, 4x anti-blur technology and smile and blink proof mode. In fact, your money even extends to face detection, a very handy auto scene selector and best shot selector, which is a very clever feature that automatically selects the sharpest of up to 10 sequential shots. When coupled with the camera's quick retouch mode for editing images, the S225 becomes what your mum would call 'value for money'.

Fully charged, you'll get "approximately 180 shots", which should be just the right amount to enable you to play paparazzi for the night. You'll find the S225 at Jessops stores and Jessops stores only, because Nikon has given it full exclusivity. Get yours here.

Nikon

More cameras here