The BenQ G1 is a new digital compact camera with an f/1.8-4.9 lens and a swivelling rear screen. Billed as the world’s slimmest camera in its class, the BenQ G1 is built around a 14-megapixel sensor and a 24-110mm equivalent lens that features optical image stabilisation and an ultra-bright f/1.8 maximum aperture at the wide end. Constructed of seven elements - including one aspherical lens element - in six groups, the lens was designed by BenQ themselves and is built using a high-transmission and part-glass lens material. The articulated, 3-inch screen offers a resolution of 920,000 dots and a wide colour gamut for more saturated colours and realistic images. Other highlights include full HD video capture, a mode dial with manual and semi-automatic shooting modes, a ‘Handheld Night Shot’ mode, a ‘Background Defocus’ filter, several creative filters and a continuous shooting mode of 6 frames per second. The price has yet to be communicated.

The Samsung EX2F is a high end compact camera with with a bright F/1.4 lens, the brightest in any compact. The EX2F also features a 1/1.7” 12 Megapixel BSI CMOS sensor, 3.0” Swivel AMOLED display, 1080/30p Full HD movies, Wi-Fi functionality, and full manual control. The Samsung EX2F will cost £429 / $549 and be available in early August.

The Samsung WB100 superzoom camera has been launched in the UK. The AA battery powered, 16-megapixel Samsung WB100 features a 22.3-579.8mm equivalent lens, dual image stabilisation, 3D photo capture, a Live Panorama Mode and 720p HD video recording capabilities. Weighing in at 403 grams without the batteries, the Samsung WB100 is available in black or red. The UK price has not been revealed yet but the recently announced German SRP (€219) should serve as a good indication of what to expect.

Sigma has announced the release date and suggested retail pricing for the Sigma DP2 Merrill large-sensor digital compact camera. Featuring a 15x3-megapixel Foveon sensor and a 30mm f/2.8 lens, the Sigma DP2 Merrill will be available in the UK from 12th July with a suggested retail price of £799.99. In the United States, the camera will hit the shelves on the same day at an estimated street price of $999.

Polaroid has unveiled the Z2300 instant digital camera, featuring a 10-megapixel imager, a 3-inch LCD screen and an integrated printer with ZINK (Zero Ink) technology. The camera uses Polaroid’s patented, 2"x3” ZINK Paper, an advanced composite material with cyan, yellow, and magenta dye crystals embedded inside. Additionally, your images can be automatically saved to an SD card, just like a regular digital camera. The Z2300’s on-board editing suite allows you to review and crop your pictures right on the camera without transferring them to your PC. And you can choose to automatically print every picture or wait for the perfect shot to avoid wasted prints. The Polaroid Z2300 instant digital camera has a suggested retail price of $159.99. 50-sheet packs of 2x3” Premium ZINK Paper retail for $24.99 and 30-sheet packs sell for $14.99.  Both are available for pre-order via the website below.

Samsung Germany has announced a new AA battery powered, 16-megapixel camera with 26x optical zoom, called the Samsung WB100. The new camera offers a 22.3-579.8mm equivalent lens, dual image stabilisation and 720p HD video recording capabilities. (The model name is slightly confusing as the company has already had a camera that, in some markets, also carried the name WB100.) Available from July, the new Samsung WB100 will be priced at €219.

Source: Samsung Germany

The Sony Cyber-shot RX100 is a 20-megapixel compact featuring a fast lens and a sensor with the same dimensions (13.2 x 8.8mm) as the ones in the Nikon 1 series cameras. The integrated, 28-100mm equivalent Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar zoom lens has a maximum aperture of f/1.8 at the wide end (though only f/4.9 at full telephoto). Complementing the “1.0-type” sensor and Zeiss lens, the optimised BIONZ image processor allows continuous shooting at up to 10fps at full resolution, while high-speed autofocus locks onto your target in 0.13 seconds, at least in ideal conditions. Full HD video recording, Auto Portrait Framing and a host of Picture Effects round off the features list. The Sony Cyber-shot RX100 will available from mid/late July 2012 for $650/£550.

Fujifilm has released a firmware update for its ruggedised FinePix XP150 digital compact camera. Version 1.02 improves performance when shooting underwater. You can download the firmware update from the website below.

Website: Fujifilm

The high-end Sigma DP2 Merrill compact camera has been delayed until July. Originally slated for release this month, Sigma have explained that “the preparation for this release is taking longer than our original expectation” and “will be announcing further details on our official website when a definite release date is determined.” Given Sigma’s somewhat patchy track record of delivering new cameras on time, we may be waiting for the Sigma DP2 Merrill a little while longer yet.

Website: Sigma Japan

Panasonic have released a new firmware update for the Lumix DMC-FX90 compact camera. With this firmware update, zoom and shutter control of the LUMIX DMC-FX90 will be available while displaying live view image on the smartphone using the apps “LUMIX remote”. The following functions will be available:

- [Wireless Live View] Displaying live view image through the camera on the smartphone
- [Wireless Live Control] Adjusting zoom magnification with the smartphone and releasing the shutter
- [Self-shot Mode] Live view image will be mirror-reversed

Download the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX90 Version 2.0 Firmware Update

Casio Japan has just announced the Exilim EX-ZR300, a compact travelzoom camera with a 24-300mm equivalent lens, 16-megapixel sensor and fast auto focus. Successor to the Casio EX-ZR200, which was announced a few months ago, the EX-ZR300 boasts the same headline specifications and adds support for Toshiba’s new FlashAir range of Wi-Fi enabled memory cards. The exact price has yet to be communicated (the EX-ZR200 cost 45,000 yen at launch).

Source: Casio Japan via 1001 Noisy Cameras

The Pentax Optio LS465 is a new entry-level compact digital camera. The LS465 weights just 104g with dimensions of 10.2 x 4.6 x 1.8cm. The LS465’s appearance can be changed by simply attaching one of the 10 stylish acrylic inserts included with the camera. The Pentax Optio LS465 will be available in Sapphire black, Ruby pink and Amethyst purple from mid-June priced at £89.99.

Want to see exactly what the new Leica V-Lux 40 digital compact camera looks like in the flesh?

Check out our hands-on gallery of photos of the Leica V-Lux 40 digital compact camera.

Casio has launched the Exilim EX-TR150 digital compact camera, which features a rotating monitor, a special “Make-up mode”, 12.1-megapixel back-illuminated CMOS sensor and a 21mm equivalent lens. Also boasting a high-speed auto focus system that is claimed to lock on the subject in 0.15 second, the Casio EX-TR150 comes with a stylus which, in combination with the camera’s Decoration Function, allows users to clip elements from any photo to paste into another image. Thanks to its variable frame design, the Casio EX-TR150 can adapt to fit the user’s preferred shooting style or to help them capture an image from just about any angle or in any environment. The Make-up mode applies effects to smooth skin and soften facial shadows caused by harsh light, while the on-board Slide Panorama mode makes it easier to take panoramic photos. Pricing to be confirmed.

The Leica X2 is a 16-megapixel, large-sensor digital compact camera with a new, APS-C format CMOS imager and a 36mm equivalent Leica Elmarit 24mm f/2.8 ASPH. lens. Compared to the Leica X1, the Leica X2 features an improved autofocus system, which enables fast, precise and almost silent focusing. Furthermore, the camera features a pop-up flash and a hot shoe that offers full compatibility with the Leica SF 24D and SF 58 system flash units. In live view mode, the high-contrast 2.7” LCD screen delivers a bright and detailed view, even in strong light. New to the X series is an optional Viso-Flex high-resolution electronic accessory viewfinder (£360) with 1.4 million dots and a 90° swivel function for shooting from unusual angles. Also available separately is a bright-line optical viewfinder (£269), providing a bright and clear view at all times, with no impact on the camera’s battery power. The Leica X2 is scheduled to be available in the UK from May for £1,575.

The Leica V-Lux 40 is a 14-megapixel super-zoom digital compact camera with touch-screen, 20x optical zoom, GPS and Full HD video capture. Bearing a close resemblance to the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ30/ZS30 features a 24-480mm equivalent lens and a 3” touch-sensitive LCD screen with a resolution of 460,000 dots.  The entire 20x zoom range is available during movie recording and videos can now also be saved in MP4 format. An integrated GPS function allows users to geotag their images. Available for £550, the Leica V-Lux 40 is supplied with a comprehensive software package comprising Adobe Photoshop Elements 10 for still-image processing and Adobe Premiere Elements 10 for video editing.

The compact Minox DC 1422 packs a 14-megapixel sonsor and a 25-125mm equivalent 5x wide zoom in a body that weighs just over 100 grams. Measuring just 94x57x18.4mm, the Minox DC 1422 features a 2.7” rear screen, proprietary Lithium-ion battery and HD video recording capability. The camera is available for €130.

The Olympus Tough TG-1 is the toughest Olympus camera ever released. The 12 megapixel TG-1 is waterproof (12m), shockproof (2m), freezeproof (-10°C) and crushproof (100kg), and has an f2.0 aperture high-speed lens that can capture excellent quality images even 12 metres underwater. You can also attach waterproof fisheye and telephoto converters to the TG-1 using an optional adapter.

The Olympus Tough TG-1 comes in silver and costs £359.99. The fisheye converter retails at £129.99 and the tele converter at £129.99. The converter adapter is available for £19.99. An additional housing will be available soon that will enable the TG-1 to be taken to a depth of 45m together with a powerful flash attachment to boost onboard illumination at depth.

The Fujifilm FinePix XP170 is the latest addition to the tough XP series of cameras. The14 megapixel XP170 is waterproof to 10m, shockproof to 2m, freezeproof to -10°C and dust and sandproof. It also features a 5x optical zoom (28-140mm) with sensor shift image stabilization, wireless image transfer to both Android and Apple devices, full HD movie capture, and an ISO range of 100-3200.

The Fujifilm FinePix XP170 will be available in June 2012 for $279.95 in blue and orange. An accessory kit for the new XP170 containing an adjustable float strap, protective silicone skin and a neoprene sports case will also be available at launch.

Samsung has won four TIPA awards this year. The ‘Best General Compact Camera’ award went to the Samsung MultiView MV800, while the ‘Best Mobile Imaging Device’ title was awarded to the Samsung Galaxy Nexus smartphone. Samsung also won the Best Photo Monitor Award for the Samsung SyncMaster S24/27A850, with its “new Samsung LED PLS (Plane to Line Switching) technology” and “more accurate colour and a much wider viewing angle than competing monitors.” The company was recognised by a fourth honour with the Samsung OLED TV, which won the Best Photo TV Display Award.

Review: Read our in-depth review of the Samsung MV800 camera