Digital Photography Blog: Digital Camera Reviews, Ratings, News, Tips and Tutorials.
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Cameras.co.uk has a review of the Sony DSC-W55 and writes, "On the whole I thought the DSC W55 performed well for one of the less expensive, pocket sized digital cameras. There were no serious concerns with the test photos although as ever there were one or two areas where the camera could have stepped up a notch. ... The Sony DSC W55 is one of the less expensive, pocket sized digital cameras. It has a lot of good things going for it and if you want a digital camera that offers all the usual features and good value for money as well then this is certainly an attractive option."
Read more about the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W55.
Cameras.co.uk has a review of the Olympus FE-210 and writes, "It is likely that if you are taking shots of anything from a distance the camera will struggle with focusing. The camera does cope with the glare of the sun and the amount of detail the camera is able to bring out in darker areas of each shot are roughly in line with expectations ... Even taking the low price into account I cannot say the Olympus FE-210 is much of a bargain. Slow to take a snap, minimum built in memory, poor picture quality in lowlight. These are just some of the reasons why I think better value is to be found elsewhere."
Read more about the Olympus FE-210.
ePhotoZine has a review of the Nikon D40x and writes, "While the D40x lacks some of the more sophisticated options of bigger cameras, it's certainly well specified in the budget market and readily capable of taking on the Canon EOS 400D. ... While the shooting speed of the camera is a long way off the marketing claims, with just modest performance, it's the ease of use of the camera and the results that count the most in this marketplace. On that score, the D40x is easy to pick up and start shooting with because the more advanced functions are kept out of the way initially, and the results, while lacking a great deal of sharpness thanks to the kit lens, are generally pleasing."
Read more about the Nikon D40x.
I recently read a copy of Digital Photo Magazine which had a feature comparing 50mm portrait lenses from different manufacturers.
Here is how they ranked the 50mm lenses that they reviewed:
The Nikon 50mm f/1.8D won over the Canon EF 50mm f/1.2L USM for 'value for money' (the Nikon is a tenth of the price) but the Canon beat the Nikon on both 'features and build' and 'image quality'.
Of course all but the Sigma lens can only really be used on certain brands of cameras so comparing Canons with Nikons isn't really going to help anyone decide which lens to get!
PS: For Canon lovers - there's also a Canon EF 50mm f1.4 USM lens in their range which is a great compromise if you're looking for a higher quality and faster lens than the f/1.8 but can't afford the hefty price tag of the f/1.2. I own both the f/1.8 and the f/1.4 and while the f/1.8 is brilliant for it's price the f/1.4 is one of my favorite lenses and is always in my camera bag.
Digital Reviews Network has a first look review of the Casio EX-Z1050 and writes, "The Casio 1050 can be seen as a minor upgrade to the 1000. The EX-Z1050 sports a 2.6-inch LCD screen and features a much faster burst mode. This can be up to seven frames per second. Image quality again is fine at the lower zoom levels but suffers at the high end. The advantage of having 10 mega pixels is of course that you don’t have to zoom in all that much. Just crop the photograph to the bit that you really want."
Read more about the Casio Exilim EX-Z1050.
Digital Reviews Network has a first look review of the Casio Exilim Hi-Zoom EX-V7 and writes, "The Casio EX-V7 is a powerful digicam, structured around a unique zoom system. It’s clearly designed for people who love to have the latest in the point-and-shoot market.
It’s a pity that the picture quality doesn’t quite match up with the expectations one should have from this top of the range Casio model. Having said that, most people in this market will be quite happy with the overall quality and feature-set of this camera. You know you’ll have a sturdy camera and access to a high powered zoom. And it is a great looking camera."
Read more about the Casio Exilim EX-V7.
Thom Hogan has a review of the Nikon D40x and writes, "the D40x does a bit better than the D80 in the noise department, apparently due to slightly more aggressive noise reduction, as the level of detail is slightly lower at ISO 1600 on the D40x than it is on the D80. But again, ISO 100 to 1600 produced very usable images. ... The D40x retains all the things that are likeable about the D40 and gives you a 10mp sensor that produces images that are arguably slightly better than the D80 can produce (at least for JPEG files). You pay for that extra resolution two ways: extra dollars up front and reduced flash flexibility due to the all-mechanical shutter. I don't expect to use my D80 much any more with the D40x being smaller and lighter. But someone with older AF lenses or who needs one of the D80's additional features might choose differently."
Read more about the Nikon D40x.
Megapixel has a review of the Panasonic DMC-FZ8 and notes, "the DMC-FZ8 seems to be a bit more prone to noise than we would like. It does offer, however, a RAW format that makes it possible to circumvent most of the problem with minimal effort using the software included with the camera. Moreover, an adjustment to the camera's default settings — as long as the camera is used in the more advanced modes — usually produces good images, and will allow users to take full advantage of a good and powerful lens and and an effective stabilization system."
Read more about the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8.
DCResource has a review of the Canon PowerShot SD1000 Digital ELPH and writes, "The ISO 100 shot doesn't look a whole lot different from the one at ISO 80. At ISO 200 we start to see noticeable detail loss, and it only gets worse at ISO 400. Thus, I'd try to keep the ISO at 200 or below for low light shooting. ... Overall, the PowerShot SD1000's photo quality is very good. The photos taken with the camera have accurate, saturated colors, pleasing sharpness, and minimal purple fringing. It did seem like my photos were overexposed by a 1/3 stop, and if you agree you may want to fool around with the exposure compensation on your own camera. There's also the corner blurring that I mentioned earlier, though this won't show up unless you're making very large prints, or viewing the image at 100% on your computer screen."
Read more about the Canon PowerShot SD1000.
IT Reviews has a review of the Canon PowerShot A550 and writes, "Leaving everything on automatic produces very respectable shots. The nine-point auto-focus works well, as does the camera's macro mode which will focus down to 50mm. If you need more control you can switch to manual to set your own exposure compensation, white balance and ISO speed. The optical zoom gives a good range and is backed up by a further 4x digital zoom. The camera's ability to shoot at up to 800 ISO means it's good in lower light conditions indoors, as well. ... It's easy to use as a first-time digital compact, but has the specification to stay with you until you reach enthusiast level. It's crying out for a higher-capacity memory card, though, and still needs work on its control buttons."
Read more about the Canon PowerShot A550.
PCAuthority has a review of the Canon Powershot TX1 and writes, "the TX1 is a highly polished point and shoot stills camera with remarkable video capabilities requirements and a design that will turn heads. It may not offer as much control over the still images as a more advanced Powershot, but it’s not supposed to. We love it for its construction, good image quality and brute force approach to video, which will become less of an issue as SDHC memory capacity inevitably increases. Even though we do love it, it does suffer from first generation syndrome; it’s about $100 too expensive, and comes bundled with a laughably inadequate 32MB SD card. However with so many other points in its favour, the discerning gadgeteer won’t care about these minor shortcomings."
Read more about the Canon PowerShot TX1.
Cameras.co.uk has a review of the Canon IXUS 75 and writes, "A number of the cameras I have reviewed recently have left me very disappointed when it comes to picture quality. Therefore it makes more than a pleasant change to take a look at a set of test photos and struggle to come up with anything bad to say. In fact there are a number of positives. ... Having reviewed a number of cameras recently that I was decidedly unimpressed with it comes as something of a relief to look at the test photos I took with the Canon IXUS 75. In almost all areas this camera is comfortably above average and in many areas it is far in advance of the competition. I know that you can buy similar cameras at a cheaper price, but this one is worth the extra money. Recommended."
Read more about the Canon SD750 (Canon Digital IXUS 75).
Digital Trends has a review of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W90 and writes, "I churned out many 8-½” x 11” full-bleed prints and was very happy with the results. Colors were very natural and true-to-life. The yellow of the tulips was vivid in a “real” way, not overly processed. Images taken indoors and out were accurate and pleasing. ... I have no problems recommending this latest addition to the W series. It’s compact, speedy, easy-to-use, and takes good-quality photographs. However, I’ll keep squawking about the lack of a cable for the touted HD Output on your HDTV. If that piece of wire was in the box, this one might have received an Editor’s Choice. If that isn’t a problem for you, by all means, buy it."
Read more about the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W90.
Cameras.co.uk has a review of the Kodak Easyshare V803 and writes, "At first glance I was impressed by the quality of the photos I took with the Easyshare V803. When I looked closer I found some issues that concerned me. These include noise levels and general soft focusing. ... Often when reviewing digital cameras it is difficult to come up with compelling reasons why a digital camera should be bought or why it should be avoided. This is true of the Kodak Easyshare V803. It does some things very well, such as producing a bright indoor portrait and also a bright macro shot. There are though one or two significant areas where it didn't perform as I would have liked it to."
Read more about the Kodak EasyShare V803.
ePhotoZine has a review of the Olympus MJU-770 SW and writes, "The colour rendition of the test shots is fairly accurate although on the colour chart test some of the blues did appear quite a lot brighter than they were in real life. In the case of the portrait shots, they were reasonably true-to-life in terms of colour, although on close inspection there did appear to be some red and purple tones around the area where the jawline meets the hair. The noise tests show good results with no visible noise until the third or fourth test where there are darker areas appearing where the object meets the background. By the fifth and sixth shot noise is more noticeable but is still good quality for ISO settings of 800 and 1600. A hard wearing yet stylishly designed compact, the MJU-770 SW is practical, sturdy and life-proof with a variety of useful features."
Read more about the Olympus Stylus 770SW.
Digital Camera Info has a review of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W35 and writes, "Shooting modes are limited on this camera when compared to offerings by manufacturers like Casio, but with options like the High Sensitivity mode, consumers will find a unique offering not normally found on lower priced cameras. Shooting at ISO 1000 of course does have its drawbacks, and users should expect to see noisy images starting at ISO levels as low as 400. A movie mode that doesn’t struggle in performance is a great benefit considering the reasonable price of the camera. The camera offers users the option to shoot at 640 x 480 at 30 fps with audio when capturing with an optional proprietary memory card. ... it should be emphasized that this sleek little pocket-sized camera is priced at $179.99 MSRP, that is well under the price of the DSC-W30 and with more features to boot. Adding to this low price and polished finish are a High Sensitivity mode and some manual controls in a well-equipped movie mode. The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W35 is definitely a contender in the low priced point-and-shoot digital camera."
Read more about the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W35.
Unbeatable.co.uk has a review of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8 and writes, "We were particularly impressed with the overall image quality produced from the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8. Colours were reproduced brilliantly, and were sharp with fine details. Digital noise was kept to a minimum; however it did start to appear at around ISO 200 and was evident at ISO 100, but definitely not off-putting at all. The image stabilisation worked really well and images were completely blur free. The battery life is good with 380 shots compared to 320 shots on the FZ7 and the response times were also pretty impressive with a start up to shoot time of 1.8 seconds and focus is very speedy. The speed from power on to shot taken is an outstanding 2.7 seconds and the shot to shot time is 1.3 seconds without the flash on."
Read more about the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8.
Absolute Gadget has a review of the Fujifilm FinePix S9600 and writes, "Focusing on a subject is quick but the motor powering the auto focus is quite loud so maybe not a camera to use for spying with! Taking pictures is easy enough, and multiple shots can be achieved without having to wait an age for pictures to be committed to memory. The actual pictures themselves are also of decent quality. Pictures can be stored in JPEG or RAW formats. Taking pictures in the RAW format will allow you to store around 50 shots on a 1GB card. ... While this is a cheaper alternative to a digital SLR, we can't help but think that saving the extra money to buy a proper SLR will have more benefits. This is not to say it is a bad camera, the pictures are very good and it does a workmanlike job of producing decent photos and will give many years of good service to any owner."
Read more about the Fujifilm FinePix S9100/S9600.
PhotographyPress has a review of the Olympus Mju 760 and writes, "Sadly, like the 750 noise, while marginally better controlled here than on the 750 is still an issue of ISO 200. To compound the problems the processing used to help reduce the worst affects of the noise also strips fine detail the higher up the ISO scale you go. So while the snaps you take will look reasonably acceptable at all ISOs on a 6x4-inch print, go over the ISO 100 mark and any prints larger than this will start to show the noise problems: speckles of blue and red within the image. And detail is smoothed away too. ... at the lower sensitivities – that is, below ISO 200! – the lens performance is not compromised. Detail is plentiful, colour is well rendered, and white balance is very good with only slight issues in the auto mode when indoors under mixed lighting where an odd orange cast is evident."
Read more about the Olympus Stylus 760.
Rob Galbraith has a first look eview of the Canon ESO-1D Mark III and writes, "With an EF 300mm f2.8L IS and an EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS, the camera was so fast that I personally made frames I'm convinced wouldn't otherwise have been sharp. The EOS-1D Mark II N and the 300mm are a pretty fast combination already, less so with the 70-200. And yet, both lenses on the EOS-1D Mark III felt absolutely turbo-charged. Without question, when the AF system is first engaged, this new camera can accurately figure out the subject distance faster than any camera we've ever used. ... After that, our preproduction EOS-1D Mark III is a mess. It can't hold focus on static subjects very well and it can't track moving subjects very well. While Canon didn't provide any details about the autofocus limitations we would encounter in the preproduction body, we hope this is what they were referring to and this is what engineers have been solving since. The autofocus does show signs of brilliance. But we can't check off too many items from our autofocus wish list until a non-beta EOS-1D Mark III is in the house."
Read more about the Canon EOS-1D Mark III.
Trusted Reviews has a review of the Canon Digital IXUS 70 and writes, "Canon’s noise control system is usually very good, and the IXUS 70 is no exception. There is no visible noise from 80-200 ISO, only a slight amount at 400, and even at 800 and 1600 the noise reduction system greatly reduces visible colour distortion, although there is considerable loss of detail especially at the highest setting. My main concern with regards to image quality is the surprisingly high level of purple fringing visible on many of my test shots. I know this is a common problem with many small compacts, but I would have expected better from such a sophisticated little camera as the IXUS 70. ... The Canon Digital IXUS 70 is a wonderfully stylish ultra-compact which offers lightning-quick performance, outstanding low-light ability and a useful range of features. Value for money is also surprisingly good for what is usually an expensive brand. Its picture quality isn’t perfect, but it can produce good results under difficult circumstances. For social photography and holiday snaps it will not often disappoint."
Read more about the Canon SD1000 (Canon IXUS 70).
Vnunet has a review of the Nikon Coolpix S500 and writes, "Reviewing the S500’s pictures on a computer, daylight images reveal a nice even handling of exposure, slightly cool yet naturalistic colours, and the level of sharpness you’d expect from a budget compact – meaning that it can be improved in the image- editing software of your choice, but otherwise won’t disappoint. Though pixel fringing is again in evidence – a line of differently coloured pixels between areas of high contrast – this is not uncommon and the S500 handles it better than most. However, some of our shots of blue skies took on a distinctly purplish hue. Very possibly Nikon’s most attractive compact snapshot so far, there’s little to criticise here save for the fact that focusing could be even swifter and it’s around £50 dearer than those with similar key features."
Read more about the Nikon Coolpix S500.
Would you like to win a Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III 10.1MP Digital SLR Camera?
Crestock (a stock photography company) is giving you the chance to win three great cameras including the 1Ds (also up for grabs is a Leica D-LUX 3 and a Nikon D40x bundled with Adoble PHotoshop CS3).
Their competition has three rounds which allow entrants to submit one photo per round. Winners will be selected 50% through a public vote and 50% through judges (disclosure - I'm one of the judges).
Each Round has a different theme:
Round 1 - The Meaning of Life - Deadline 7 May
Round 2 - Feeling Sexy? - Deadline 21 May
Round 3 - Speed Demon - Deadline 4 June
Get Full details on the competition at The Crestock Photography Contest 2007 and get shooting some pictures!
Cameras.co.uk has a review of the Olympus FE-240 and writes, "There is nothing I like more than a good, sharp photographs. Unfortunately the level of sharpness in my outdoor scenic photos is well below par. There is nothing particularly different or difficult about the three outdoor photos I take. The first one zooms in, but not to the full extent of the zoom, the second one uses no zoom and the third one full zoom. Therefore I expect better levels of sharpness than I can see with the FE-240. ... A longer zoom lens and a pocket sized design are great ideas. However I was very disappointed with the Olympus FE-240. Looking back over my tests I cannot remember being less impressed by any other camera for a while. Sorry Olympus, but this camera just does not work for me."
Read more about the Olympus FE-240.
PhotographyBLOG has a review of the Pentax K10D and writes, "The Pentax K10D is an excellent mid-range digital SLR camera that manages to achieve the difficult task of being intuitive to use whilst offering a lot of complex functionality. Pentax have included a number of genuinely useful innovations that help to make the K10D stand out from the crowd. The various new shooting modes, dust and water-resistance, anti-shake and dust-removal systems are all extremely welcome at this price-point, and there are many more nice touches too numerous to mention. The K10D will more than satisfy all those people who are keen to upgrade from a film-based Pentax system, providing more features and capability than the entry-level models that the company has previously released. You should also seriously consider this camera if you don't currently have any vested interest in the likes of Canon or Nikon, as it offers more bang for your buck than similarly priced models. Indeed, the Pentax K10D offers a wealth of features, ease of use, speedy operation and excellent image quality at a very competitive price. The main negative aspects of the Pentax K10D are the supplied 18-55mm kit lens, which feels cheap and ill-matched to the K10D body, the noisy shutter release mechanism and auto-focusing system, and the lack of dedicated buttons for ISO and white balance. Overall we can highly recommend the Pentax K10D - not only does it have an attractive price-tag, but it is also a solidly-built, intuitive and responsive digital SLR that will meet the needs of the serious photographer."
Read more about the Pentax K10D
Compare prices on the Pentax Optio K10D and get the latest price on the Pentax K10D 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera with Shake Reduction (Body Only)
ePhotoZine has a review of the Fujifilm FinePix S5 Pro and writes, "Using the same body as the Nikon D200, the Fuji S5 obviously has to differentiate itself in other ways, and the fact that the CCD and processing engine are completely different means that the cameras do head down very different paths. The headline resolution of the S5 may seem to outstrip the D200, at 12Mp to 10Mp, but this is generated from the SuperCCD SR chip, with its fancy honeycomb design and twin-photo receptors at each photo-site of which there are only 6M. The result is that landscape photos are not as impressive with detail tending to disappear in the distance because it wasn't there in the original image. Also, artefacts from the SuperCCD process are evident right from the start at ISO100, though noise is then well controlled. This then is the key point between the two cameras – if you are shooting predominantly landscape photos then the D200 is a better camera, but for portraits and use in more challenging light, the S5 is more capable."
Read more reviews of the Fujfilm FinePix S5 Pro DSLR.
Infosync has a review of the Kodak EasyShare V803 and writes, "If you are going to take pictures of outdoor fruit stands on bright sunny days, the EasyShare V803 does a nice job with exactly this type of shot. Panorama shots, too, came out looking great, once we got the hang of lining up our shots. Otherwise, the V803 had some serious problems with image quality. Indoor shots were rarely usable, even with the middling flash, and low-light or high-speed shots suffered from serious noise issues. The camera was also very slow to startup, and slow to focus, defeating some of the spontaneity of a point-and-shoot camera. Though fashionistas may be enticed by the delightful colors available for the camera's shell, even casual shooters will be disappointed by the images this camera produces, especially if you're going to be taking most of your pictures indoors."
Read more about the Kodak EasyShare V803.
IT Reviews has a review of the Canon IXUS 900Ti and writes, "The DIGIC III has improved Noise Reduction too, so you can shoot at ISO 1600 comfortably in low light and the shooting modes have been expanded to 18 to include ISO 3200 (strangely it's separated from the main ISO menu, though), Aquarium and Underwater (for which a special water-resistant case is an optional extra). ... If you're a semi-pro or enthusiastic amateur with a predilection for style, this ultra-cool IXUS is undoubtedly for you. The 10MP CCD also means improved sharpness in larger prints, but otherwise the features are very similar to the considerably cheaper 850 IS."
Read more about the Canon IXUS 900ti.
Compare prices on the Canon Powershot SD900 and get the latest price on the Canon PowerShot SD900 at Amazon at Amazon.
PCMag has a review of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3 and gives it an Editor's Choice rating: "I was impressed with the quality of both my lab test shots and my real-world photos. In my lab shots, there was very little noise, and I thought the color saturation and accuracy were excellent. I found very little fringing in the images, too. Also evident was the camera's excellent dynamic range, although some indoor shots were a tad too contrasty. Flash shots were also pleasing, with strong, even illumination throughout the scene and no blown-out highlights. Resolution averaged 1,750 lines, which is fantastic for a 7.2MP camera. The bootup time was 2.7 seconds, which is quite good. The 2.8-second recycle time isn't the fastest I've seen, but it's still pretty speedy. There was very little shutter lag, as well."
Read more about the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3.
Rocky Mountain News has a review of the Nikon D40 and writes, "The camera did a great job of capturing an owl in midflight, even in low light, and its fast response (touted as 0.18 seconds) helped capture the prairie dogs running around and even a coyote on an early morning jog. ... Considering the price of many digital SLRs, the D40 is a good value at $599.95. That's still far more expensive than most pocket digitals but well below many other SLRs, some of which run into the thousands of dollars. The D40 provides a way to be creative with your photos even on a budget. And it's easy to use."
Read more reviews of the Nikon D40
Compare prices on the Nikon D40 and get the latest price on the Nikon D40 at Amazon
PopPhoto has a first impressions review of the Sigma SD14 and writes, "While the speed of capture on the SD14 is vastly improved over the SD10, it's not going to set any records. You can continue snapping at will until the buffer fills up, which happens around frame 6, the burst limit. ... But speed isn’t everything. We found our initial field shots to have very pleasing color—highly accurate, but still with a good dollop of saturation. You might even describe the colors sometimes as translucent. The resolution, as gauged by the Eyeball Method, appears to be about that of a 9MP sensor, which is what we were expecting. Noise control appears to be quite good; available light shots at ISO 800 showed virtually no grain or mottling."
Read more about the Sigma SD14.
Digital Camera Review has a review of the Olympus FE-210 and writes, "Image quality from the FE-210 was pretty average, but good for a camera that you can get for less than $150. Color reproduction was good, exposure was generally good, but details and contrast were just a bit less than you would see from a slightly more expensive camera. Lens distortion was noticeable – both barrel distortion (straight lines bow out of the middle) at the wide angle setting and pincushion distortion (straight lines bow toward the middle). Chromatic aberration is only a problem if you really zoom in on areas of high contrast transitions. ... If you’re in the market for a sub-$150 camera, the Olympus FE-210 is a viable option for you. Decent image quality and decent speed of operation are the primary plusses, in my opinion. Another possible selling point, especially for beginning digital camera owners, is Olympus’ built-in guide system that can suggest the settings that you need to get a particular shot."
Read more about the Olympus FE-210.
CNET has a review of the Casio Exilim EX-Z75 and writes, "While the EX-Z75 does a decent job dealing with color--we saw adequately accurate color reproduction in our test images--it disappoints in most other areas of image quality. ... Unfortunately, we saw image artifacts in all our shots, and though they weren't hideously fuzzy by any stretch, they weren't the sharpest images we've seen, either. ... Given its price, and the fact that most cameras in this price range yield similar image quality and often slower performance, the Casio Exilim EX-Z75 is actually a decent deal and sports a more attractive design than much of its competition. However, if you're looking for a camera that captures pleasing pictures, you should really shell out a little extra cash and go for something such as Canon's PowerShot SD1000 or Sony's Cyber-shot DSC-T10. If you'd like another option in this price range, you can take a look at the Olympus FE-240, though it's much slower and doesn't offer as sleek a design or the plethora of scene modes you'll get with the Z75."
Read more about the Casio Exilim EX-Z75.
TechDigest has a review of the Pentax Optio T30 and writes, "Full resolution images stretch to 3,072x2,304 pixels and take up around 1-1.25MB at medium quality. Image quality was great with decent colour reproduction and realistic lights and darks. ... The T30 is a great point and shoot camera that's easy to use and creates great pictures. It's reasonably priced at £189.99 for a 7.1 megapixel camera and it's small enough to carry with you most places you go. The touch sensitive screen is very simple to operate, although it is prone to greasy marks after a little use. Internally there's only 20MB of storage, but you can add more via the SD card slot."
Read more about the Pentax Optio T30.
Let's Go Digital has a review of the Olympus E410 and writes, "The images made by the Olympus E-410 in combination with both kit lenses are of excellent quality. Colour rendition is fine and resolution outstanding. The quality is fine for a kit lens such as the 14-42 Zuiko Digital. However, if you invest in a higher quality lens, you will be able to capture more detail. The images are on the soft side as far as sharpness is concerned but a small sharpening through an image editing program like Photoshop will do the trick and the results will be accordingly. Besides standard settings the Olympus E410 offers a number of digital effects that lets you manually adjust contrast, colour saturation, black&white, sharpness etc. And if you are a portrait photography enthusiast, you will certainly appreciate the High and Low Key function. The speed at which the camera focuses is fine, but I would like to see more than just 3 AF fields. You will be fine with these three, but it would look better on this camera if it had had some extra AF focus points on board."
Read more about the Olympus EVOLT E410.
Trusted Reviews has a review of the Samsung L700 and writes, "Picture quality is, unfortunately, one area where the L700 is rather below average. I took it out for a test shoot on a bright sunny spring day, exactly the sort of conditions under which a camera like this would be used for holiday snaps, and I found the results to be disappointing. Almost every shot was over-exposed, colours were under-saturated and highlights blown out. As well as this colour reproduction was inaccurate, with reds looking very orange. ... With the L700 Samsung has produced the very definition of an average 3x zoom digital compact camera. It has no real weak points apart from its poor low-light focusing and over-exposure in bright light, but little about it stands out either. It is well made, performs adequately, has all the features and options you really need and takes reasonably good pictures. It is also reasonably good value for money, but it lacks the style or innovation of some other recent Samsung models."
Read more about the Samsung L700.
Digital Camera Info has a first impressions review of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T100 and writes, "The point-and-shoot market is saturated with 7-megapixel slim cameras that have 3x optical zoom lenses and hardly any manual capability. Enter the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T100, which seems to one-up the competition on just about everything. The slim fashionable camera has 8.1 megapixels and a 5x optical zoom lens with image stabilization. Its 3-inch screen can be seen from just about any angle, and it has a movie mode that utilizes the optical zoom and allows some manual control. It packs in all kinds of features like high-definition viewing, face detection auto focus, wide ISO range, and slide shows with music. The model at the show was preproduction, so its specs and menus aren’t finalized. We look forward to fully testing and reviewing the T10 when everything is finalized in a month or two. On first review, the T100 indicates that it’s definitely worth a double-take. If it can back up its solid feature set with solid imaging capability, then it’s worth the $399."
Read more about the Sony Cybershot DSC-T100.
Megapixel has a review of the Nikon Coolpix S200 and writes, "when printed out to a 10.2 x 7.7 inch size (26 x 19.5 cm) and at 300 dpi, images are sharp and should satisfy most users as long as they do not contain too much noise, as it can impact the effectiveness of the compression. ... The Coolpix S200 is a high quality entry-level camera. It offers a metallic body and excellent finishing, a good monitor and produces good quality images with reasonably bright lighting conditions. Moreover, the e-VR is an added bonus, even it isn't quite as effective as an optical image stabilization system. But, more than likely, what will attract most of its purchasers will be its compact size and its simplicity of use."
Read more about the Nikon Coolpix S200.
Imaging Resource has a review of the Casio EXILIM CARD EX-S770 and writes, "Many of my daylight images turned out just fine, but others were inexplicably underexposed. A look at the levels histogram shows no clipping, but I had to make a pretty significant adjustment to both the highlights and mids to make it all appear properly exposed. ... If you like your cameras slim and trim and like a lot of scene modes, the Casio EXILIM EX-S770 is a good choice. Packed with features, the 7.2 megapixel Casio S770 includes a 3x optical zoom, 34 Best Shot modes, a wide-screen movie mode, a very nice 2.8-inch LCD, and a Rapid Flash mode that lets you fire off three flash shots without having to wait for a recharge. Another interesting new feature is the Casio S770's ability to convert and transfer web pages, emails, and business documents for storing and viewing on the camera's display. While image quality could have been better -- especially its spotty low-light ability and its aggressive anti-noise processing -- the Casio S770 is a decent choice if you're looking for an ultraslim digital camera."
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ThinkCamera has a full review of the Fuji S5 Pro and writes, "Here's the deal: The pictures rock. People are going to beat themselves up wondering if this is a 12 MP camera or a 6MP camera. That's because the sensor has 12 million or so photo receptors but some of them are more sensitive than others. The closest analogy I can give is that it's like loading both ISO 100 and ISO 400 film at once and then sampling the best bits from each. ... There are things about this camera that drive me mad. OK, it's the menus and especially the zoom on review system. However, I absolutely love the results I get with it and the learning curve isn't too steep."
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DPExpert has a review of the Sony DSC W55 and writes, "Colour, and focus are good. There is a tendency to overexpose evenly lit subjects. Resolution of fine detail is very good. Sony claim the battery will deliver 380 shots before needing a recharge. We will take their word for it. There is no optical image stabilisation but there is a high ISO setting, permitting higher shutter speeds. The tradeoff in picture noise is unacceptable. Even at ISO400 image noise is noticeable. ... This is a good compact camera that we enjoyed using. Up to ISO 200 it produces fine images. It has selectable aspect ratios and it can take pictures in the right ratio and pixel dimension for widescreen high definition televisions, (16:9 and 1920x1080 pixels) but be warned, what is good for the telly is not necessarily good for printing. Even a high definition TV is a relatively low resolution device."
Read more about the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W55.
Cameras.co.uk has a review of the Fuji Finepix A610 and writes, "Picture quality from the Finepix A610 is roughly in line with other entry level models. The same problems arise such as the camera finds it difficult to focus well when the light gets low. ... The photo I took to test higher ISO worked well. At ISO 400 this camera holds up better than most of its rivals. Although the photo is not perfect there is less deterioration in quality than you find with most digital cameras. ... The Fuji Finepix A610 is a typical entry level camera. I was quite impressed with the outdoor shots in good light, but lower light is a lot harder for the camera. The upside is that it is so easy to use and I also think it has a good solid feel."
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PCMag has a review of the Canon PowerShot SD1000 and writes, "My lab test pictures also displayed excellent results. There was very little noise in flash or daylight shots. I noticed just the right amount of saturation as well as very accurate color matching, with no color casts. There was very little fringing, either, and the SD1000 rendered my simulated outdoor picture of trees set against a bright blue sky well. Dynamic range was quite good, resulting in deep, dark blacks and almost pure whites. In addition, my flash shot exhibited high quality with no blown-out highlights at all. If that's not enough good news, the SD1000 turned in an average resolution of 1,750 lines, which is exceptionally sharp for a 7.1MP camera. ... Although there's an incredible amount of competition in the ultracompact category, the Canon PowerShots are still the cameras to beat. And at the top of the mountain sits the PowerShot SD1000."
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Imaging Resource has a review of the Casio EXILIM ZOOM EX-Z700 and writes, "While image quality in daylight and normal lighting situations was about average for a camera in this class, you can expect for some softness in the corners, common among smaller cameras. The Casio EXILIM EX-Z700 also really struggled in low-light situations, especially because of its aggressive anti-noise processing. The Casio EXILIM EX-Z700 also deserves points for its excellent battery life, its simple and lightweight design, and its ample Best Shot scene modes; particularly the very useful new Auto Framing mode. Overall, the Casio EX-Z700 is a dependable pocket camera that I would recommend to most first-time camera buyers, with the caution that they'll need to use flash indoors and watch the exposure outdoors."
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GoodGearGuide has a review of the Ricoh 500SE and writes, "The images produced by the 500SE's 8 megapixel sensor are reasonable, but not outstanding. They were crisp and clear, with good levels of detail, although purple fringing was a problem in some areas and the camera did have a tendency to blow out highlights. ... Unfortunately, the 500SE wasn't impressive in our colour tests. With a score of 9.37 in Imatest's colourcheck test, it was a little behind most compact cameras, which usually score between 6 and 8. Surprisingly, reds were relatively accurate, but yellows, greens and blues were noticeably inaccurate. Colours were slightly undersaturated, which was particularly noticeable across yellows and greens in our tree shots. ... While it has its share of flaws, the combination of rugged, waterproof design with GPS capabilities and an 8 megapixel sensor makes the Ricoh Caplio 500SE an attractive proposition for outdoors photographers."
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Steve's Digicams has a review of the Canon PowerShot A570 IS and writes, "Image quality was excellent for a 7-megapixel consumer model. The default quality setting is Large Fine, and we did capture many of our regular sample photos in this mode. The rest were taken using Larger SuperFine, which is what we normally use. That said, the majority of our outdoor samples looked great, showing nice exposures, with beautiful sky detail, and pleasing color balance. Just as we saw with the A560, image noise was average when using ISO 80 - 200. ... like it's brother (A560), I was very happy with the Canon PowerShot A570 IS. With 7-megapixels of resolution, a 4x image stabilized optical zoom lens, 2.5-inch LCD, great movie mode, awesome image quality, and loads of useful exposure modes, the A570 is sure to be a very popular model for 2007. At US$279 or less (4/2007), it's only about $50 more than the A560, which we feel is well worth the added versatility of this new model. That said, the A570 will make an excellent choice for anyone who wants a capable, yet compact and affordable 7-meagpixel digicam."
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Steve's Digicams has a review of the Olympus Stylus 770 SW and writes, "Image quality was quite good for a 7-megapixel consumer model. For outdoors, the captured images were well exposed, with good color saturation. With its TTL autofocus system and 3x optical zoom lens, the 770 produced sharp, clear photos with little edge softness. ... the Stylus 770 SW is a good digicam for the active user needing a weather resistant/water proof camera,while Olympus claims it is also "Shock Proof" up to 5 feet, we opted not to test this feature. The 770's 7-megapixel SHQ images have plenty of resolution to create high-quality prints up to 13x19 inches or larger, however we had some issues with the poor position of the lens and the below average results of its VGA movie mode. With an MSRP of $379.99, it offers a good value for a 7-megapixel underwater capable digicam."
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Digital Camera Review has a review of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3 and writes, "I was pretty pleased overall with image quality. Colors are pleasing and accurate. With the default “standard” color mode, colors are strong, but not too strong. Details are good across the entire frame. Chromatic aberration was very well controlled. Default exposure did tend to overexpose by just a bit under some admittedly tough conditions and it’s not something that I’d worry too much about. ... The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3 is a welcome improvement from its predecessor, the TZ1. The 10x optical zoom lens provides excellent performance in a compact 7.2 megapixel digital camera. The 3 inch LCD provides a nice big screen for previewing and reviewing your images. Good image quality, good battery performance, and quick operation make this camera a good choice for someone looking for an ultra-zoom camera that doesn’t need manual exposure modes like shutter priority, aperture priority and so on."
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PopPhoto has a review of the Casio Exilim Hi-Zoom EX-V7 and writes, "there are many things to like about the EX-V7, but like many cameras in this category, its Achilles heel is image quality. Like many manufacturers, Casio has chosen to up the mega-pixel count and consider the image degradation issues as an afterthought. Unfortunately, the EX-V7 is quite noisy. Even at low ISO speeds, I can enlarge the full resolution image to 200 percent and see what I can only describe as "Noise blobs" throughout the image. It's pitiful, really. And at $400 a copy, this becomes a camera that's on the expensive side of the pocket-sized market and because of that high price tag, better image quality should be a given. With all things outside of image quality considered, I'd give the Casio an easy "A." I like the zoom ability while shooting video, the redundant anti-shake technology, the much improved zoom magnification and the innovative approach to the various scenes in the camera. But, if the image quality is thrown into that mix, the camera earns only an average "C." And when you consider that for only $100 or so more you can get a DSLR with a lens, the Casio then starts to fade off into the forgotten."
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Imaging Resource has a review of the Fujifilm FinePix S9100 and writes, "Image quality was a mixed bag, unfortunately. Most of the shots I took were a pleasure to review both on the LCD, and later on the computer. But the S9100 has a tendency to lose highlight detail in shots taken in full sunlight. If you're shooting in full sun, use Exposure Compensation to protect your highlights. Turn on the live histogram display to see what's going on. But for shots taken in the shade, images were just gorgeous, with good detail and smooth tonality. If they gave awards for histograms, the S91000 would have a shelf of trophies. Color was true and natural, avoiding the oversaturation so common on digicams. ... Designed for the person who wants to take pictures instead of snapshots, the Fujifilm S9100 provides every tool for the job except image stabilization, which would certainly make this bargain more expensive. It's a pleasure to handle, relying on three sets of well-laid-out buttons to set its controls. And the images it captures in available light may just make you ignore its intelligent flash."
Read more about the Fujifilm FinePix S9100/S9600.
Imaging Resource has a review of the Canon PowerShot A550 and writes, "High ISO isn't as high as some other similar cameras, but the results are very good. You can get away with printing an 11x14 from the A550, and it looks darn good. You can see some color noise at that size, but contrast and vibrance are very good still. Print at 8x10, and you won't notice that it's an ISO 800 shot ... The Canon PowerShot A550 is a great basic digital camera whose images will make you feel like a pro. Canon's interface has evolved to a point of excellence, as well, with most of the features you'll find on Canon's more expensive digicams. The A550 is still a little slow, but in most measures it's faster than last year's A520 and A530. We love the 7.1 megapixel sensor, which delivers amazing images for the money; you might think they're amazing for even more money. We'd have to agree with you."
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RegHardware has a review of the Pentax Optio E30 and writes, "Performance wise, photos taken with the Optio E30 appeared with very little noise. That’s thanks to the minimum ISO 80 and maximum ISO 320 settings that are used in automatic mode, depending on how much light you have. Noise only increases to distort the images as the ISO level is increased, but only users accessing the more advanced Program function can go as high as ISO 400. ... A few nagging problems aside, the Optio E30 is a very good camera for the price tag. Images are as crisp and clear as a budget photographer could want, the viewing screen is large and it’s extremely easy to use right out of the box."
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Steve's Digicams has a review of the Optio A30 and writes, "While it did produce images with good exposure, and color saturation, I noticed some edge softness on the left hand side of several of our samples as well as vignetting (darkening at the corners of the frame.) Image noise is almost nonexistent at ISO 100 and below, becoming more noticeable as you increase the sensitivity. While it is much more noticeable, at ISO 800 and below the images are still usable. However 1600 looks pretty bad, and the 3200 (5MP only) setting when using the Digital SD scene mode is even worse. ... Pentax has made a great improvement over the A10 from last year. With 10-megapixels, 3x optical zoom, Shake Reduction technology, a durable all-metal body and plenty of exposure modes, the Optio A30 is an appealing "ultra-compact" model."
Read more about the Pentax Optio A30.