June 24, 2009 – Pentax expanded its lineup of weather-resistant cameras today with the 12.1-megapixel Optio W80, which is waterproof to depths of 16 feet (5 meters), dust resistant, shockproof from heights up to 3.3 feet (1 meter) and works at temperatures down to 14 degrees F (-10 degrees C). The $299.95 W80 will be available in three colors, starting in July.

June 16, 2009 – In one of the most highly anticipated (and widely leaked) product announcements of the year, Olympus today announced its first Micro Four Thirds camera, the E-P1. With a 12.3-megapixel sensor, 720p video recording capability and a distinctive retro look, the E-P1 is scheduled to go on sale in July for $749.99 (body only), $799.99 with a 14-42mm zoom lens or $899.99 with a 17mm lens and accessory optical viewfinder.

June 11, 2009 – Casio introduced an ultra-thin 12.1-megapixel camera with 10x optical zoom today. The EXILIM Hi-Zoom EX-H10 also features a 1000-shot-per-charge battery life and wide-angle 24mm coverage. The camera will sell for $299.99 when it ships in mid-July.

May 6, 2009 – Today Panasonic revealed that the company’s video-enabled Micro Four Thirds LUMIX DMC-GH1 camera will sell for $1499.95, including a 14-140mm lens, when it ships in early June. Only the second Micro Four Thirds camera to be released, the 12.1-megapixel GH1 is largely similar to the G1 introduced in fall 2008 (reviewed here), but adds 1080p high-definition video recording at 24p frame rate, along with 720p recording at 60 frames per second. Unlike most digital cameras with video recording capability, the GH1 will allow zooming while shooting, thanks to an exceptionally quiet lens mechanism. Continuous autofocus is another feature not found on current video SLRs that will be available on the GH1.

Digitalcamerainfo.com has a First Impressions review of a preproduction GH1, available here.

May 17, 2009 – Sony announced three new digital SLRs in its alpha lineup, the A230, A330 and A380, priced at $550, $650 and $850 respectively in one-lens kits and $750, $850 and $1050 with two lenses. The A230 and A330 are 10.2-megapixel models, the A380 raises the bar to 14.2MP. An interesting departure for Sony: the A330 comes in both black and the "copper brown" color shown here. Details follow.

May 20, 2009 – Pentax today announced the K-7 digital SLR with a new 14.6-megapixel sensor and 720p movie recording capability, priced at $1.299.95 for the body alone. Also new in this model is the 77-segment metering system and an enhanced in-camera shake reduction system that compensates for rotational movement in addition to the standard horizontal and vertical.

April 14, 2009 - Nikon has announced the D5000, its second digital SLR with video recording capability, priced at $729.95 for the body alone, or $849.95 with an AFS-NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR lens. The 12.3-megapixel D5000 will shoot high-def video in 720p format, at 24 frames per second. It’s scheduled to ship in late April.

March 31, 2009 – Olympus today announced a new entry-level SLR, the E-450. This 10-megapixel successor to the E-420 will come bundled with both a 14-42mm f/3.5 to f/5.6 and a 40-150mm f/4.0 to f/5.5 lens for $699.99. It has a 2.7-inch LCD, Live View with face detection, and three of the most popular Art Filters seen on its big brother, the E-30. The E-450 will arrive on store shelves in July.

March 25, 2009 - Today Canon announced the EOS Rebel T1i, the first SLR with video recording capability to sell for under $1000. The Rebel T1i will record high-definition video in two formats, 1080p at 20 frames per second and 720p at 30 frames per second (it will, of course, shoot standard-definition video too). Digitalcamerainfo.com had the chance to work with a pre-production version of the Rebel T1i, and has posted a detailed First Impressions review here.

March 3, 2009 - Panasonic added a much-requested feature to its Micro Four Thirds camera system with the announcement of the 12.1-megapixel LUMIX DMC-GH1, providing full 1080p video recording, where the original Lumix G1 provided no video recording at all. The GH1 also comes with a new kit lens, a 14-140mm zoom (28-280mm equivalent) with f/4.0-5.8 aperture and optical image stabilization, designed with low-noise characteristics to allow optical zoom during movie recording.
 

March 2, 2009 - At a press conference at PMA today, Sony introduced the Cyber-shot HX1, the company's first point-and-shoot with a CMOS sensor, featuring 20x optical zoom, 1080p video recording and a 10-frame-per-second burst mode at full 9.1-megapixel resolution. The camera is slated to ship in April, priced at $499.

March 2, 2009 – At PMA in Las Vegas, Samsung Digital Imaging is showing a concept camera which the company calls a “hybrid,” featuring a compact body with Live View photo composition and no SLR-style mirror assembly, much like the Micro Four Thirds format,  but with a larger APS-C size image sensor. The first cameras in this new NX series are promised for second half of 2009.