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CNET has a review of the Casio Exilim Zoom EX-Z1050 and writes, "The camera's photos generally look very nice. Colors appear neutral, and pictures stay relatively free of artifacts, save for some purple fringing on the edges of some lighter objects. The photos displayed little noise up to ISO 400, and even at ISO 800 noise remained a fine, fairly unobtrusive fuzz. The Casio Exilim EX-Z1050 proves how just one flaw can almost ruin an otherwise fine camera. While it takes nice photos and works well, the blurry screen makes framing the simplest shots difficult."
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CameraLabs has a review of the Olympus E-410 and writes, "The biggest problem facing the E-410 though is undoubtedly the lack of viable anti-shake options. ... Ultimately if stabilised optics aren’t a priority, the E-410 is a great choice. The body is extremely portable without compromising handling or comfort, the control system quick and easy to use, the SSWF filter remains the best around, and the Live View facility is both fun and useful. As such we can Highly Recommend the E-410 to anyone who wants a small and light DSLR, although we’d advise close comparison with the forthcoming E-510."
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Photography Press has a review of the Nikon Coolpix S500 and gives it a 9 out of 10: "Response or rather responsiveness is not the problem for start up times (around 0.8 of a second) or shutter lag, with a very impressive 0.005 of a second being the Nikon quoted speed, so the camera can really be ready to fire as quickly as you when set up properly. Image quality is excellent up to ISO 200, good at ISO 400 and about the average for this resolution from then on. But one thing that is not average is the Coolpix S500 is a beautifully crafted camera, the stainless steel body looks – and is – very strong, its posh, brushed metal look provides extra poise and poseur panache."
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LaptopMag has a review of the Fujifilm Finepix A610 and writes, "On our tests, photos looked sharp but oversaturated. Both the image of our colleague and the shot of the vase were a little dark for our tastes. Fortunately, the quality improved when we shot outside. The Finepix A610 fires up quickly but took a lengthy five seconds between shots. QVGA videos are recorded at 30 fps, and they looked better than those captured by the other models."
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CNET has a review of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W200 and writes, "In a camera with a really good low-dispersion lens, limited image compression, and really great noise suppression algorithms, the 12-megapixel sensor could possibly yield some excellent photos. The W200 is not that camera. If you derive emotional sustenance from knowing you've got the highest-resolution camera on the block, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W200 might help fill that gaping void in your soul. But if you're looking for a compact snapshot camera that will provide great photos at a reasonable price, any model on our list of top ultracompact cameras will deliver better photos for the money."
Read more about the Sony Cybershot DSC-W200.
Cameras.co.uk has a review of the Panasonic DMC FX10 and writes, "On the whole I am impressed with the quality of the photos produced by the DMC FX10. Focusing is good and the colours are strong. The only real downside I can see is that in a couple of instances I would like to have seen the photos a little brighter than they are. ... When taking its low price tag into account the Panasonic DMC FX10 looks good value to me. Picture quality is above average. Add in ease of use and a solid if unspectacular design and you have a pocket sized camera well worth considering. I can't think of too many better options at this price level if you are after something to tuck into your pocket."
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DPReview has a review of the Sony Cybershot DSC-H9 and writes, "Bottom line; if you want a huge zoom range in an affordable, compact body that offers SLR-like handling, and can be relied on to produce appealing output at normal print sizes with minimal effort, the H9 is a serious option. Overkill, sure, but compared to an SLR with similar lens coverage it's a fairly small investment even if you do only use it as a big 'point and shoot'. If you think this sounds like me saying 'if you want a big lens 'point and shoot' but don't care too much about image quality' then you're not far wrong. - and to be fair, sharpened up a bit and printed at 5x7 inches the pictures look perfectly good. On the other hand if you actually want to use all those photographic features, or have exacting image quality demands, then - like the Olympus SP-550UZ - the H9 really is one compromise too many."
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Digital Camera Info has a review of the Fujifilm F40fd and writes, "The 8.3-megapixel Fujifilm FinePix F40fd has more resolution than its F-series siblings and proved through performance tests that its new 1/1.6-inch image sensor is worthy of the hype; it kept noise to a minimum and resolution to a maximum. Pictures were sharply focused and properly exposed with the help of the face detection auto focus system and the vast ISO range. Great-looking pictures are priceless, but the vehicle to get those pictures only retails for $299. The F40fd doesn’t have manual control or even a decent burst mode but will suffice for consumers who want an automatic point-and-shoot to snap great pictures."
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DigiCam Review has a review of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX30 and writes, "The camera has very good image quality - the camera has good detail and very good colour (accurate, and well saturated) and there was little to no noticable corner softness in the images - despite the wide-angle lens. Images have good saturation and contrast, with fairly low noise at the lower ISO settings. The higher ISO settings of ISO400 and above are probably best avoided as detail is lacking from images. Indoors photos were good, although noise was noticeable in some shots and red-eye occurred occassionally. Purple fringing was noticed in very few shots, and wasn't a problem in the majority of shots. The camera was good at focusing indoors thanks to the focus assist lamp. I did not notice any vignetting, barrel or pincushion distortion."
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Digital Camera Review has a review of the Nikon Coolpix S500 and writes, "The S500 provides very good image and color reproduction in a modern-looking digital compact. The camera’s high level of automation and useful features offers easy-to-achieve performance in a user-friendly point and shoot for those folks making their first foray into digital imaging, while its sparkling shutter lag time should appeal to more experienced shooters who prize a precise and responsive instrument."
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LaptopMag has a review of the Nikon Coolpix L11 and writes, "On our tests, the Coolpix L11 performed admirably in both indoor and outdoor shots. Colors looked accurate, and the focus was sharp. There was a bit too much magenta in our tulip test photo, which actually made the flowers appear orange. Although the Coolpix L11 starts up in less than two seconds, it takes a tedious five to six seconds between shots."
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DPReview has a review of the Nikon D40X and writes, " Handling aside, everything else that I said about the D40 remains true with the D40X. Good image processing ekes about as much detail out of the image as heavier RAW conversion can, although the limits of the smaller photosites become clear at higher sensitivities, and good dynamic range means softer roll-offs in highlights - and more likelihood of getting a nice blue sky in a landscape shot. So in conclusion, the D40X really is just as good as the D40, with the added benefit of a little bit more resolution and slightly faster continuous shooting."
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PCMag has a review of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T100 and writes, "I'm impressed with the DSC-T100's performance and image quality. The camera features a 5X optical zoom lens with a 5.8mm-to-29mm range (which is equivalent to a 35mm lens with a 35mm-to-175mm zoom) and has corresponding maximum f-stops of f/3.5 to f/5.6. This 5X optical zoom capability is a bit more than the 3X usual on cameras this size. Still, it would be nice to see the zoom range reach a wider angle. ... On my lab tests, the DSC-T100 wasn't flawless, but it produced solid results. There was a little noise in the daylight shot and much more in my flash shot. Overall, though, the image was very good. Color was vibrant, although just a tad warm."
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CameraLabs has a review of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H9 and writes, "The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H9 certainly has a great deal going for it, but equally a number of aspects which really let it down. ... Heading the worryingly long list of downsides though is image quality. Set the H9 at 80 or 100 ISO and you can take some great-looking photos, but at 200 ISO and above, smearing from noise reduction really begins to take its toll. We’ve seen watercolour effects on all Super-zooms, and the H9 is sadly no exception. What’s really upsetting though – and quite inexplicable – is the lack of options Sony gives you to do anything about it. There’s no noise reduction settings nor any option to record in RAW, and to make matters worse, the fixed JPEG compression ratio is arguably too high. Why they don’t let you adjust it on what’s surely an enthusiast’s camera is beyond us."
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DCResource has a review of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W80 and writes, "Camera performance is the W80's only real strong point. ... I was somewhat disappointed with the photos produced by the DSC-W80. Previous cameras in the W-series had great photo quality, but on the W80 it seems like there's too much noise reduction, resulting in soft photos with fuzzy details. There's also a considerable amount of blurriness in the corners of the frame. That's too bad, since the camera has nice color and exposure. There isn't much noise to speak of at lower ISOs -- just noise reduction artifacting. Once you get to ISO 800, photo quality drops rapidly, with smeared details and dull colors. If it's great high ISO performance you're after, you should be looking at one of the Fuji cameras that uses the SuperCCD sensor. As with all compact cameras, the W80 has a big redeye problem, but at least now there's a tool in the playback menu to remove it for you."
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Digital Camera Info has a review of the Canon PowerShot A550 and writes, "With a $199 price tag, amazing performance can’t be expected from the A550. It does, however, meet the basic requirements of an adequate digital camera: it can take a picture when you want, where you want, and how you want. It doesn’t have much shutter lag, has a 4x optical zoom lens to get closer to subjects, a decent burst mode for action sequences, and is small enough to be toted around. Sure, the A550 has its drawbacks – but most seem to be connected to the price tag. ... With that in mind, the PowerShot A550’s pictures aren’t going to blow anyone away, but it will serve basic point-and-shooters just fine."
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Cameras.co.uk has a review of the Fuji Finepix S9600 and writes, "There are plenty of plus points when it comes to picture quality with the Finepix S9600 and not too many negatives. Outdoors the camera has few problems. Looking at the first scenic shot I like the colours. They are vivid and retain a natural look. ... I feel pretty positive about the Fuji Finepix S9600. It will not appeal to everyone owing to its large size. If someone is looking for a camera that closely resembles a digital SLR in terms of look and feel, but is unable to afford one then this is about as close as you are likely to get. Picture quality is also good and I think the camera offers good value for money."
Read more about the Fujifilm FinePix S9100/S9600.
Digital Camera Review has a review of the Nikon Coolpix S50 and writes, "The Nikon Coolpix S50 produces very good image and color fidelity in a stylish compact digital camera, and the big 3 inch monitor makes smaller monitors seem obsolete by comparison. While lacking manual controls, the S50 offers new photographers a user-friendly device whose overall performance can only enhance the confidence of novice shooters. At the same time, more experienced shooters who need a reliable, no-frills camera with some quality creative features won’t be barking up the wrong tree if they choose the S50."
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Megapixel has a review of the Sony DSC-H9 and writes, "The fact is that however interesting and feature-laden a camera is, in our opinion the image quality is more important than anything else. And in this area, the H9 is a disappointment. Nevertheless, the DSC-H9 can satisfy the needs of many users who print their photos without ever cropping them. Only with larger prints — 8 x 10 (20 x 25 cm) and up — is there a chance that the images will be less than satisfactory. At lower sizes — 6 x 4 (10 x 15 cm) or 5 x 7 (12 x 15 mm) — our tests proved that photos from the DSC-H9 should print perfectly well."
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Let's Go Digital has a review of the FujiFilm FinePix S5 Pro and writes, "It is a fine digital SLR camera to work with, with especially excellent image quality. Finally, the unique Fujifilm technology is combined with the appropriate body. It's a DSLR camera which can accommodate, and won't disappoint, most photographers. Moreover, a great advantage is the price, which is less than the D200's price, which is what makes it very interesting. The Fujifilm FinePix S5 Pro is not a product for the masses, but will undoubtedly be loved by photographers that want to get the most out of their daily digital workplace. Image quality is still Fujifilm's featured attraction, in one of the most popular bodies found in a DSLR, Nikon's D200."
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CNET has a review of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX10A and writes, "Image quality is pleasing, especially at lower ISOs. Colors look accurate, though perhaps a bit oversaturated, and the automatic white balance does a good job of neutralizing colors in most lighting conditions, including incandescent settings. Exposures are generally accurate, though occasionally underexposed, which is generally better than the opposite, since shadow detail tends to be more salvageable in image editing software than highlight detail. There's an admirable amount of fine detail for a 6-megapixel camera, but we did see some annoying artifacts and moiré, which steal some of the fire from images that are otherwise free of ISO-related noise at lower sensitivity settings."
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CNET has a review of the Nikon Coolpix S6 and writes, "The Nikon Coolpix S6 offers generally excellent image quality for snapshots, though critical viewers may notice vignetting and other minor flaws. Color accuracy and range are excellent, and the Coolpix S6's exposures are generally on target. Its palette is rather neutral and faithful to the scene, not oversaturated as with many other point-and-shoot cameras. The Vivid color setting gives images a little more warmth and pop but doesn't go too far. Flesh tones are warm but not ruddy, even with flash at close range, and the camera's automatic white balance is fairly accurate under most conditions."
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Neocamera has a review of the Fuji Finepix F40fd and writes, "The Fuji Finepix F40 is an excellent ultra-compact. Despite not being the best, the F40 produces low-noise images with plenty of details. Add to that its good speed of operation, good battery-life and you have a great ultra-compact digital camera. As a point-and-shoot model with a limited shutter-speed range it is not useful for all types of photography. However, for quick snapshots, it is among the top of its class. Its shortcomings include above average purple fringing, ridiculous continuous drive modes and a poorly placed tripod mount."
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ThinkCamera has a review of the Olympus E-400 and writes, "People considering this as a travel camera for landscapes should check carefully - its rendition of greens can also vary from awful to acceptable, depending on the picture. Olympus have tried hard to bring simple, portable DSLR photography to everyone and have come close to achieving that. If you need a really portable DSLR, the E-400 would probably suit you. If budget is tight, you'll find it hard to get a 10MP DSLR for anything like this price from another manufacturer - if you can spend a little more then there are other options around."
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ThinkCamera has a review of the Samsung GX10 DSLR and writes, "In all, Samsung's GX10 is a good camera. It's well designed, feature-rich and operates well. If you tweak the default settings it produces very good pictures and is backed up by useful shooting functions - the image stabiliser in particular is worth having. The camera feels good to use and will let you get on with making great pictures. There isn't much to dislike. Having praised it in use though, there are some control buttons and dials that are awkward and not as positive as might be desired."
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Camera Labs has a review of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H9 and writes, "Like other super-zooms though, smearing through noise reduction is a serious problem with the H9, but probably its biggest failing is not giving you a chance to do anything about it. Maybe Sony’s engineers realised there actually isn’t anything you can do about it, but it’s fair to say many of us would have liked a fighting chance. RAW recording would have been ideal, but to not have either noise reduction or compression settings on a camera of its class are serious omissions However much we enjoyed using the H9 and were delighted by its screen and focusing speed, its often compromised image quality and inability to do anything about it prevent us from awarding our highest recommendation."
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Imaging Resource has a review of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-L1 and writes, "Its higher quality lens with optical image stabilization and wide aperture are largely responsible for that higher price. Though image quality is actually pretty good, in many cases comparable to a 10 megapixel camera, its high shutter lag in Live View mode is a major strike against the $1,500 camera. Shutter lag more than doubles in this mode, and adding flash extends shutter lag out to more than 3/4 second. There's no question that the lens is good, and its image stabilization is nice for low light shots. The Panasonic L1's reasonable high ISO performance means that you can also hand-hold indoor shots without flash. But the lens and camera combination is quite heavy, making it a bad choice for most consumer photographic applications. Many will look to the L1's Live View mode as its greatest benefit, but unfortunately, it's slow and confusing to use."
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PCMag has a review of the Olympus SP-550 UZ and writes, "Image quality on the SP-550 UZ is very good. My daylight test shots exhibited very little noise, although the flash shot had some colored noise. Color was pretty good, too—both vibrant and accurate. I saw a bit of purple fringing, but nothing too strong—though my real-world test shots of trees shot against a blue sky had more fringing. Overall, I found that the SP-550 UZ's images displayed a very nice dynamic range and good contrast—just strong enough without having the shadows swallow up the details. Flash coverage was even and powerful enough to provide proper illumination without blowing out highlights. And you can make the strobe stronger or weaker, which is a nice touch."
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CNET has a review of the Samsung S850 and writes, "Artifacts and overprocessing plague the S850's photos, rendering fine details such as text blurry. Noise begins to manifest as low as ISO 200, creeping up in the shadows. At ISO 400 the grain becomes quite recognizable on a computer monitor, though it goes unnoticed in 8x10 prints. ISO 800 photos predictably develop serious noise, and ISO 1,600 shots appear covered in heavy, detail-obscuring fuzz. ... Colors look good in most shots, with a few minor quirks. In general, automatic white balance works well when shooting outdoors under direct or overcast sunlight, and tungsten white balance works well when shooting indoors under most incandescent and fluorescent lighting."
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Cameras.co.uk has a review of the Casio Exilim EX-Z1050 and writes, "All in all my test shots taken with the Exilim EX-Z1050 are pretty standard fare. The only real criticism I have is that I would like to have seen some of the photos come out brighter. Looking at the three outdoor scenic shots I can't see too much wrong with them. As I mentioned above a bit of extra brightness wouldn't go amiss, but other than that I am happy enough with them. ... The Casio Exilim EX-Z1050 scrubs up as a pretty typical pocket sized digital camera. I like the results it produces and there is very little I can find wrong the camera. It sits comfortably in the top half when it comes to ranking. Worth considering."
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ThinkCamera has a review of the Casio Exilim EX-V7 and writes, "The EXILIM EX-7 is a lovely compact it looks great (it's available in black as well as silver) and it's positively jam packed with features and the sliding panel makes it very very fast to operate. The LCD is lovely and bright and the quality of the zoom is astounding but the results were good, although noisy at the higher ISOs. Sadly the focusing lets it down a little! I just couldn't get a consistent result as the window of 'focusing opportunity' is just too small and the auto-tracking wasn't as good as I had hoped. Perhaps with persistence and a tad more patience the results could improve."
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Cameras.co.uk has a review of the Nikon Coolpix P5000 and writes, "The big question with the Coolpix P5000 is does the picture quality live up to the features the camera has. I'm pleased to say the answer is yes. From my outdoor test shots I can see that the level of sharpness the lens is capable of is some way above average. On top of this the sharpness stays as you work your way towards the edge of each photo. ... The Nikon Coolpix P5000 is a very handy camera. It has plenty of features, good picture quality and a pleasing design. I like this camera and am happy to recommend it."
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PCMag has a review of the Fuji Finepix F40fd and writes, "The F40fd's performance impressed me. Resolution averaged 1,800 lines, which is on target for an 8MP camera. This is a big improvement over the 8MP Casio Exilim EX-Z850, which scored only 1,600 and produced slightly fuzzy images. The F40fd's 3.1-second bootup and 2.7-second recycle times were both quite good, but not the fastest we've seen. I was very happy to see that there was absolutely no shutter lag. As for the lens, there was no pincushion distortion at the telephoto end of the zoom, and just a touch of barrel distortion but nothing unusually distracting."
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Digital Camera Review has a review of the Nikon Coolpix L12 and writes, "The Nikon Coolpix L12 presents something of a quandary - on the plus side of the ledger it’s currently the cheapest 7 megapixel digicam available featuring optical image stabilization. It is also very easy to use, fairly compact, tough enough to stand up to the demands of modern life, powered by cheap universally available AA batteries, and capable of delivering consistently decent images. On the negative side of the ledger, the L12 is a bit slow across the board, the optics aren’t top quality, there’s no optical viewfinder, and it doesn't allow much user input."
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Photography Press has a review of the Fujifilm FinePix F40fd and gives it an 8 out of 10: "The extra resolution offered on the F40fd might make it a better marketing proposition but means there are a few extra niggles in terms of noise over it’s lower resolution Fuji counterparts and with some slight shadow noise issues when viewed closely at lower ISOs. Ultimately however, the Fuji F40fd provides stunning results particularly compared with similar non-Fuji competition. So, for the price the Fuji FinePix F40fd is a little corker."
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Trusted Reviews has a review of the Nikon CoolPix P5000 and writes, "the P5000 does have one major saving grace, and that is its excellent image quality. It has a 1/1.8-in type sensor, giving it superior noise characteristics and greater dynamic range than most small compacts, as well as practically eliminating the recurring problems of purple fringes around highlights. The lens is also pretty good, and although it does suffer from significant spherical distortion at wide angle, edge sharpness is very good and there is virtually no chromatic aberration. Despite the relatively strong file compression (average JPEG size is around 2.7MB, very small for a 10MP camera) there don’t appear to be any major problems with compression artefacts. Exposure and colour rendition are outstandingly good, producing rich well-saturated images with good tonal range and plenty of sharp detail. It may take a while to focus on a scene, but the results are usually worth the wait."
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LaptopMag has a review of the Olympus FE-210 and writes, "Details in the shot of a flower arrangement appeared soft, with the edges a bit blurred. When we photographed a colleague, the results were better and had more accurate colors (but a bit yellow). Video recorded with the FE-210 looked pixelated and barely passes for online use. The camera took a few seconds to start up, which was acceptable, but waiting three to four seconds between shots was annoying."
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Digital Camera Review has a review of the Nikon Coolpix S200 and writes, "The S200’s images are a classic example of what some veteran photographers call consumer image interpolation - hue accurate with somewhat punched-up color saturation and slightly hard default contrast. Outdoors (daylight), the S200's images are dependably and consistently excellent. Images are generally well exposed, but the camera does blow out highlights in some shots, which is not too surprising since Nikon's matrix meters are calibrated to preserve shadow detail by clipping highlights. Corners are a bit soft, but chromatic aberration (purple fringing) is very well controlled. Indoors, at night, and in dim/low light the S200’s images are decent, but not quite as good as the daylight shots. Auto ISO images are generally excellent (in good lighting) with sharp resolution, bold colors, and lots of snap (although some very minor pattern noise/color grain is occasionally visible in shadow areas)."
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LaptopMag has a review of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LS70S and writes, "On our tests this OIS technology proved effective when shooting cars driving through Manhattan and also helped combat our hand shakes. Outdoor photos and a shot of a floral arrangement produced pleasant results with accurate colors and crisp focus. The image of our colleague appeared undersaturated, however. Startup time and the time between shots were both speedy, taking less than two seconds for each."
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CNET has a review of the Nikon Coolpix S50c and writes, "Image quality was good, but not outstanding, for an ultra-compact. Colors were generally accurate and the camera's automatic white balance system did a decent job of neutralizing colors under incandescent lighting, though our test shots retained a very slight yellowish cast. ... Overall, the S50c is a very nice ultra-compact camera, though its wireless capabilities could be more useful. Since Nikon offers the S50, which is basically the exact same camera without the wireless, you're probably better off saving some money and opting for that, unless you think you'll get a really big kick out of uploading images through your home wireless router, or you plan on forking over an extra $4.99 a month for the privilege of using one of T-Mobile's hot spots."
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Digital Camera Review has a review of the Nikon Coolpix S200 and writes, "The S200’s images are a classic example of what some veteran photographers call consumer image interpolation - hue accurate with somewhat punched-up color saturation and slightly hard default contrast. Outdoors (daylight), the S200's images are dependably and consistently excellent. Images are generally well exposed, but the camera does blow out highlights in some shots, which is not too surprising since Nikon's matrix meters are calibrated to preserve shadow detail by clipping highlights. Corners are a bit soft, but chromatic aberration (purple fringing) is very well controlled. Indoors, at night, and in dim/low light the S200’s images are decent, but not quite as good as the daylight shots. Auto ISO images are generally excellent (in good lighting) with sharp resolution, bold colors, and lots of snap (although some very minor pattern noise/color grain is occasionally visible in shadow areas)."
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PhotographyPress has a review of the Casio Exilim Zoom EX-Z1050 and gives it an 8 out of 10 rating: "The Casio EXILIM Zoom Z1050, while still a makeover of the Z1000, offers some excellent kit that makes it a real step forward. It lacks manual controls other than exposure compensation but is, instead, replete with Best Shot modes to cover almost any eventuality. This and less issues with noise, a great AF set up and an easy to use interface combined with responsive handling make the Z1050 worthy of close consideration."
Read more about the Casio Exilim EX-Z1050.
PhotographyBLOG has a review of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T100 and writes, "red eye was a real problem when using the flash unfortunately, and the camera failed to detect its existence when trying the in-camera re-touching facilities. The white balance does some strange things too – occasionally lending a distinctly blue cast to daylight images when left on auto – especially when there's an expanse of blue sky in the farme – and when left on the default of normal colour mode. Under bright conditions there is also inevitably some visible pixel fringing under close inspection, but it's not so pronounced as to annoy. As for the lens performance, there is some loss of corner sharpness at maximum wide angle, and an overall softness at maximum telephoto that benefits from sharpening."
Read more about the Sony Cybershot DSC-T100.
Get a Price on the Sony Cybershot DSC-T100
LaptopMag has a review of the Pentax Optio E30 and writes, "Colors looked fairly accurate on our tests. A photo of a coworker was well saturated with warm tones and a crisp focus. Noise wasn't overly apparent on our test shots, even when we raised the ISO to its max setting of 400. The Optio E30 also shoots 28-fps VGA video with sound, but as with the other models tested, don't expect to capture footage worth watching on the big screen."
Read more about the Pentax Optio E30.
Photoxels has a review of the Olympus Stylus 770 SW and writes, "I love the extra large 2.5-in. LCD and the "Bright Capture Technology" is impressive, making it possible to see clearly even in very low levels of ambient light. Anti-glare technology uses natural light to brighten the LCD. ... Just like the Stylus 720 SW -- and improving on it -- the Olympus Stylus 770 SW is well designed and well-built, and the "SW" designation means that you do not have to worry about damaging it either from a fall or from the elements. More importantly, it gives great results and should find a home in the pocket of anyone who requires a camera "tough enough to take anywhere." This is definitely the camera for hiking, boating and traveling."
Read more about the Olympus Stylus 770SW.
The Panasonic DMC-FX100 is a 12.2 megapixel digital camera (CCD) with a 3.6x optical zoom lens (from a wide 28mm).
The Panasonic DMC-FX100's ISO ranges from 80 to 1600 (and can be pushed up to 6400). It has a 2.5 inch LCD display (207,000 pixels), shoots video at up to 30 frames per second and has 27 megabytes of internal memory.
It will be available from July 2007.
Premium LUMIX DMC-FX100 to Offer a Newly Developed Exclusive 28mm Wide-Angle LEICA DC Lens
Panasonic today expanded its LUMIX family of digital cameras with the introduction of the compact LUMIX DMC-FX100, the world's first to feature 12.2 Megapixel resolution with a 28mm wide-angle. The newly developed and exclusive 28mm wide-angle LEICA DC lens features 3.6x optical zoom, f/2.8 brightness, 1/1.72-inch large CCD and Intelligent Image Stabilization with Mega O.I.S. and Intelligent ISO Control. The LUMIX DMC-FX100 will be equipped with a 2.5-inch LCD screen, and its slim lightweight design makes it extremely portable and stylish.
Intelligent Image Stabilization, a feature across the entire 2007 LUMIX digital camera line, incorporates the industry's most advanced countermeasures against blurring. This system comprises two features - MEGA O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilization) and Intelligent ISO Control. Together the features make it easy to capture beautiful photos by compensating for the effects of hand-shake and image movement, making it possible to take clear, crisp photos anytime, in any mode.
"Thanks in large part to the DMC-FX100's newly developed exclusive LEICA DC lens and the high-quality, high-performance Venus Engine III, you no longer have to sacrifice power in a compact camera," said Alex Fried, National Marketing Manager, Optical Imaging, Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company. "With an impressive 12.2 megapixel resolution power, a 28mm wide angle lens and Intelligent Image Stabilization, the DMC-FX100 is raising the bar for the entire compact, point-and-shoot class."
The DMC-FX100 also introduces a more powerful flash with reach up to 16 meters, high-speed burst shooting, which allows consecutive shooting at a lightning-fast eight shots per second** and a new high sensitivity mode in which ISO 6400 recording is realized***.
Furthering Panasonic's commitment to Living in High Definition the DMC-FX100 can also record 1920 x 1080 high-definition still pictures and 1280 x 720 at 15 frames per second motion pictures, both perfect for viewing on 16:9 High Definition Plasmas.
Other advanced features of the LUMIX DMC-FX100 include:
* Easy Zoom feature that shifts the lens instantly to full 3.6x zoom power. A second touch of the button activates the Extra Optical Zoom function and extends zoom all the way to 7x.****
* 27 MB of built-in memory: Perfect for backing up SDHC/SD Memory Card recording.
* Added Scene Modes: New high sensitivity mode and new high speed burst shooting mode, making it easier than ever to get beautiful photos in a range of photographic situations and taking further advantage of high resolution image recording.
* Picture Playback by category: Sorts images into categories such as portraits, landscapes, nightscapes, events and motion pictures. Also, allows slideshow playback of images in the same category.
* Available in two colors: silver and black.
The LUMIX DMC-FX100 will be available in July 2007.
* As of 22 May, 2007, as a digital camera with 28mm wide angle zoom lens
** In 2-megapixel(4:3), 2.5-megapixel(3:2), 2-megapixel(16:9) recording.
*** In 3-megapixel(4:3), 2.5-megapixel(3:2), 2-megapixel(16:9) recording.
**** When the picture size is set to 3 megapixels or larger, the photo is automatically resized to 3 megapixels. When the lens is shifted back to the wide-end, the picture size is set to the original size automatically. The original size is maintained for photos smaller than 3 megapixels.
CNET has a review of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX100 and writes, "Considering the usefulness of the 28mm wide-angle lens, the convenience of the Intelligent ISO mode, and the FX100's impressive white balance and metering, this camera is a good choice if you feel you absolutely must have a 12-megapixel compact camera. However, you probably don't need so many pixels. If you don't plan on cropping heavily or making extremely large prints, you'd be better served going for a camera with a lower megapixel count and better noise results, such as the Canon PowerShot SD850 IS or if you don't mind ultracompacts, Sony's Cyber-shot DSC-T100, both of which cost around the same price as this Panasonic."
ePhotozine has a review of the Panasonic DMC-FX100 and writes, "On top of the good looks then, it packs 12Mp resolution inside and this can give some very detailed images. With good focussing and metering, plus easy-to-hand exposure compensation and scene modes, it's possible to get some very nice, detailed images. The portrait scene mode works equally as well, brightening and rounding out skin tones without making them softer - though there's a mode for that as well. Colour reproduction is good and as long as you generally stay under ISO400 then the noise issues shouldn't impact the image quality significantly. The fact that there's a 28mm wide angle lens, and high resolution, and the fact that it looks nice makes this one of the stars in Panasonic's firmament. Keep an eye on the ISO control and it will make a very handy little compact capable of very high resolution shots."
DCRP reviews the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX100 where they write - "Writing this conclusion feels a bit strange. While the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX100 is a really nice ultra-compact camera, I think it's more than most people need. Why? Simply put, the 12 Megapixel CCD on the FX100 is overkill for the point-and-shoot crowd. If you're willing to give up a few million pixels, you can get the DMC-FX33 or DMC-FX55, which offer the same features, faster performance (due to smaller file sizes), and better image quality. Do I recommend the FX100? Absolutely. But unless you're making absolutely gigantic prints (and will be keep the ISO really, really low), check out the FX33 or FX55 instead."
The Casio Exilim EX-Z1200 is a 12.1 megapixel (CCD) digital camera and a 3x optical zoom lens.
It features blur reduction, anti shake technology, 2.8 inch wide LCD display and 3 shots per second shooting.
Featuring a slim, stylish look packed with superior functions like auto-tracking AF with motion analysis technology and a CCD-shift anti-shake mechanism
Get a price on the Casio EXILIM ZOOM EX-Z1200 at Amazon.
CASIO Europe GmbH and its parent company, CASIO Computer Co., Ltd., announced the release of the newest model in the stylish series of EXILIM digital cameras, the EXILIM Zoom EX-Z1200. The new camera is CASIO's flagship EXILIM Zoom, boasting a world-leading 12.1 effective megapixels to deliver both high resolution and premium performance.
It has only been a year since CASIO released the revolutionary EXILIM Zoom EX-Z1000, the first digital camera in the world to deliver 10.1 megapixel resolution in a size that fits easily in the palm of the hand. The EX-Z1000 won acclaim for making it simpler than ever to capture images at a remarkably high resolution, and its trend-setting performance put it at the forefront of the market.
Now, going one step beyond the EX-Z1000, the new flagship EX-Z1200 offers 12.1 megapixel resolution - the highest available in any compact digital camera. At this amazing level of detail, photos print crystal-clear even in large sizes or when trimmed to show just one part of the image. It incorporates CCD-shift image stabilization and the latest EXILIM Engine 2.0 image processing module with motion analysis technology. These innovative features work together to help prevent blurry shots due to shaky hands, subject movement or poor focus when photographing moving subjects such as children or pets. In addition, the auto-tracking AF system now combines both face detection and motion analysis technologies. With this revolutionary new system, once the focus is locked in, it follows a moving subject's face, maintaining both sharp focus and correct exposure.
Main Features
* 12.1 million effective pixels; 3X optical zoom
* CCD-shift image stabilization mechanism
* Incorporates the latest EXILIM Engine 2.0 image processing module featuring motion analysis technology
o Blur-reduction technologies:
+ Automatically analyzes the velocity and vector of a moving subject and sets the most appropriate ISO sensitivity and shutter speed.
+ Anti Shake DSP reduces blur due to shaky hands and subject movement, using high shutter speeds and high sensitivity settings.
+ Movie mode with electronic camera shake compensation function.
o Tonal range control reduces loss of detail in bright and dark areas, and helps to achieve smoother expression of skin tones and clear blue skies.
o Auto-tracking AF system maintains both sharp focus and correct exposure for a human face using both face detection* and motion analysis technologies
* Maximum 3 shot/second** shutter speed (when set at 3.0 megapixel image size)
* 2.8-inch Wide and Bright LCD display (maximum brightness of 1400cd/m2 at center of screen) makes viewing in bright outdoor light easier than ever before
Get a price on the Casio EXILIM ZOOM EX-Z1200 at Amazon.
ePhotoZine has a review of the Casio EXILIM Z1200 and writes, "With a very large pixel count noise was always going to be an issue, and the good news is that it's kept under control up to ISO200, but at ISO400 it really isn't very good and is worse than compacts with a lower resolution. At the ISO50 and 100 settings though, the extra detail is significant and really makes the image look incredibly detailed. While there are issues with the LCD not being overly accurate, and there's no burst mode shooting, the basic operation of the camera, with low ISOs, is fine and it produces very nice images that are high enough res that they can be cropped. ... The Z1200 has two main features then. They are high quality and high resolution, and if those are the two main items on your camera requirement list, then it's a good purchase, if not quite an all-rounder for general use."
PhotographyPress has a review of the Casio Exilim EX Z1200 and writes, "This new Casio is certainly a plush model and a neat performer under the right conditions; it’s easy to use and a good price. And, as the new Casio Exilim flagship, thankfully it’s no Titanic, set to sink on its maiden voyage. Yes, while the noise issues and focus tracking are slight icebergs, they’re not ones to hole this vessel below the waterline particularly if you’re in the market for a high-res' easy to use but sophisticated ship… No, sorry, I mean snapper."
CNET reviews the Casio Exilim EX-Z1200 digital camera and gives it a rating of 6.6. They write - "If you can get past its slow shot-to-shot time, the Casio Exilim EX-Z1200 makes a very nice high-resolution snapshot camera. Its pictures look great, and their high resolution mean you can blow them up much more than with lower-resolution photos. Higher ISO sensitivity settings and a stronger or wider lens would have been nice, but even without those features, the Z1200 serves well as a point-and-shoot."
Trusted Reviews has posted their review of the Casio Exilim EX-Z1200 and writes - 'The Casio Exilim EX-Z1200 is a technological marvel, a pocket-sized compact camera packed with advanced features and useful creative options. It has superior build quality, good handling and class-leading performance, and decent image quality. The only real question is whether you feel it's worth paying a significant premium for a trivial increase in image resolution.'
SMH.com has a review of the Nikon D40X and writes, "The essential functions are generally good: fast and accurate auto-focus (but only with lenses that have an inbuilt focus motor), perfect exposure and wide dynamic range. The auto white balance leaves something to be desired and there is no dedicated white balance button on the camera body but the Function button can be programmed for white balance. This model feels as fast and responsive as the more expensive Nikons. ... Are those extra pixels worth the $400? Six million pixels will produce A3 prints; 10 million give room for cropping without loss of resolution. Compared to the competition this model offers a lot for the money."
Read more about the Nikon D40x.
SMH.com has a review of the Nikon D40X and writes, "The essential functions are generally good: fast and accurate auto-focus (but only with lenses that have an inbuilt focus motor), perfect exposure and wide dynamic range. The auto white balance leaves something to be desired and there is no dedicated white balance button on the camera body but the Function button can be programmed for white balance. This model feels as fast and responsive as the more expensive Nikons. ... Are those extra pixels worth the $400? Six million pixels will produce A3 prints; 10 million give room for cropping without loss of resolution. Compared to the competition this model offers a lot for the money."
Read more about the Nikon D40x.
Get a Price on the Nikon D40x
LaptopMag has a review of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S650 and writes, "the 7.2-MP Cyber-shot DSC-S650 doesn't stand out as a low-cost shooter. ... On our tests, colors looked a bit flat, and most shots were oversaturated. A test photo of a colleague in the office was too dark. Outdoor shots looked better with the exposure more in line. The DSC-S650 can also record VGA video at 30 fps, with its footage on a par with the Nikon Coolpix L11."
Read more about the Sony Cybershot DSC-S650.
Get a Price on the Sony Cybershot S650
Infosync has a review of the Casio Exilim EX-V7 and writes, "Even with image stabilization, which caused a degradation in quality, holding a 7X zoom steady practically requires a tripod, and for the extra bulk, you'd be better off with a larger camera, and a higher-quality lens. Images were good, but not fantastic, and some color problems around bright edges added to the problematic noise issues. We also had some control issues, thanks to a dial that liked to spin on its own. Still, video quality was above average, and the battery life was also good. In the end, the deal-breaker for us would be the required docking station, just another thing to forget on the road."
Read more about the Casio Exilim EX-V7.
Get a price on the Casio Exilim EX-V7
LaptopMag has a review of the HP Photosmart M537 and writes, "On our tests, the M537 produced crisp shots both indoors and out. A photo of a colleague looked warm, and the focus was sharp. Yellows were a bit intense in a photo of a vase of tulips, but the photo looked acceptable. There aren't any manual controls on the M537, but beginners will be happy with the included presets. The only real downside is the relatively low QVGA resolution when shooting video."
Read more about the HP Photosmart M537.
PCMag has a review of the Kodak Easyshare V1003 and writes, "My lab test shots confirmed the problems I saw in my real-world test shots. Flash shots had way too much colored noise. And although the lab shots didn't exhibit that much fringing, my real-world test shots of trees against a bright blue sky exhibited more purple fringing than I like to see. Overall, however, the color was quite good, with vibrant saturation and accurate matching. In looking at my flash test images, though, several of my shots were totally out of focus and underexposed. ... It's sad to see the V-series line of Kodak's digital cameras include such a clunker as the EasyShare V1003."
Read more about the Kodak EasyShare V1003.
LaptopMag has a review of the Samsung Digimax S500 and writes, "When we put the Digimax S500 through our tests, we noticed that the color balance in most shots was strong. Blues and greens were balanced; only reds and yellows seemed slightly off. In Portrait mode, our colleague's face was left in a shadow, so we recommend engaging the flash before shooting portraits indoors. The camera records VGA video at 30 fps, and a clip we shot with the Digimax S500 looked good enough to upload to YouTube. Startup time was speedy, and the time between shots was less than two seconds."
Read more about the Samsung Digimaz S500
Compare prices on the Samsung Digimax S500
CNET has a review of the Fujifilm FinePix S5 Pro and writes, " Image quality was impressive, but the S5 Pro's resolving power just can't match the Nikon D200. Colors are generally accurate, and the automatic white balance does a respectable job of neutralizing colors in most normal lighting situations. Studio shooters should note that, as one would expect, our unusually warm tungsten hot lights confounded the S5 Pro's auto white balance. We don't hold that against it, however, since this is the case with many cameras. However, if you have tungsten lights that are near the 3,200K color-temperature range as ours are, you'll need to use the tungsten or manual settings, both of which did an effective job of neutralizing colors with those unusual lights. The S5 Pro does an outstanding job of keeping noise under control. Our test images were nearly noise-free all the way out to ISO 400."
Read more reviews of the Fujfilm FinePix S5 Pro DSLR.
DCResource has a review of the Fuji FinePix F40fd and writes, "Photo quality is really where the FinePix F40fd struts its stuff. The camera takes sharp, well-exposed photos with accurate colors, and very little noise -- even at ISO 800. The lack of noise comes with a price though, as you're getting strong noise reduction in exchange for it. The artifacts caused by NR smudge away detail (especially in things like grass, trees, and fur), giving photos at higher ISOs a fuzzy look. At lower ISOs there's a definite "grain" from the noise reduction that you don't see on most cameras. Still, keeping the target audience of the camera in mind, the photos at higher sensitivities are much better than the competition, and they look great as 4 x 6 inch prints. If you take a lot of photos in less-than-desirable light, this camera is a great choice (as long as you don't plan on printing 20 x 30 posters). The F40 surprised me by picking up very little redeye in our flash test -- most unusual for a compact camera like this."
Read more about the Fujifilm FinePix F40fd.
Cameras.co.uk has a review of the Sony DSC W80 and writes, "It is almost as if I could have written this review when it came to photo quality without taking any photos. My test shots are certainly closely inline with test shots produced by other Sony digital cameras. Therefore I see good levels of focusing (although not quite top drawer) and well balanced colours. The camera is good in lowlight, but red eye is a problem. ... I like the Sony DSC W80. With virtually no shutter delay you should always get your shot with this camera. In lowlight the camera performs well (shame about the red eye!) and is capable of taken a decent shot outside. Worth a look if you are looking for a good value for money, pocket sized digital camera. "
Read more about the Sony Cybershot DSC-W80.
DPExpert has a review of the Nikon D40X and writes, "The essential functions are generally good: fast and accurate auto-focus (but only with lenses that have an inbuilt focus motor); perfect exposure and wide dynamic range. The auto white balance leaves something to be desired and there is no dedicated white balance button on the camera body but the Function button can be programmed for white balance. The D40X feels as fast and responsive as the more expensive Nikons. Even the viewfinder, which uses mirrors rather than a prism, is large and bright. The LCD review screen is brilliant but it doesn’t come with Nikon’s customary clear plastic protector. The D40X shares its image processor with the D80 and D200. Image quality is excellent."
Read more about the Nikon D40x.
DPExpert has a review of the Ricoh Caplio R6 and writes, "Ricoh prides itself on being the company that removed the curse of shutter lag from digital photography. Other models we have tested have been almost as fast as SLRs in their responses. The R6 is a perplexing throw-back to a past era. So here we have a camera that has a brilliant lens and can produce beautifully exposed images with fine detail and accurate colour that is infuriating to use if you are trying to photograph children or animals. Try before you buy."
Read more about the Ricoh Caplio R6.
Megapixel has a review of the Pentax Optio A30 and writes, "With its classical looks, the Pentax Optio A30, is an elegant and attractive camera. Used outdoors and with bright light, it easily yields images of excellent quality and colour that can be printed out to a large size. Simple to use and equipped with a resolution that is often considerably more than is needed, the Pentax Optio A30 has the advantage of offering a good image stabilization system and a short reaction time to its controls, both crucial features when capturing subjects such as children, or even pets."
Read more about the Pentax Optio A30.
Thank you to Digital Photography Blog reader Philltx, who has submitted the following reader review of the Fujifilm Finepix F40fd:
Before I go into this review, here is a little background on my photography experience. I am by no means a professional photographer. My purpose is to find a small pocket sized camera to take candid pictures of friends and family both day and night ... especially of friends at night when we go out. I am also an avid salsa dancer so I also not only like to take pictures at night, but in clubs where it's pitch dark, as well as videos of friends who are dancing in the clubs. I see a lot of people bring camcorders and a lot of them say it's just impractical to bring them to clubs and dance socials where the videos would come out the best. So that was out and left me looking for a portable camera which I can just slip in my pocket while I dance and not have to worry about finding a place to set down/hide.
After some research, I narrowed my decision between the Canon sd800 for its cripness, clarity and ability to take the new SDHC SD cards and the Fujifilm Finepix F40fd for the new SD Card feature and its super CCD chip known to be able to handle low light situations. This is the first generation of the Finepix F series to take the SD card type.
Pros:
When I first opened this camera and started taking shots around the house, I was really amazed how well it could pick up objects in extreme low light situations. I've taken it out to the club and had my friends bring out their Canon SD700 cameras and take video of the same shoots I would do to do the one-to-one comparison and there is no comparison. The videos from the Canon SD700 didn't even come out, even after playing with the brightness/contrast settings with final cut pro, they still didn't come out.
With the Fuji Finepix F40fd, the videos came out and with a little tweaking, they came out visibly. As for the low light sensitivity, it is the best I've seen hands down for a small digital point and shoot camera I'm able to come across. The menus are super fast and very intuitive. There's not a lot of figure out and everything on the camera is very self explanatory. The flash recharge is super fast and it also has a small LED light which shines in low light situations when you are shooting video. A nice feature about the camera is you have the option to turn that little light off manually from the menu system on the camera. The camera startup time is blazing fast. As soon as you press the on button, the whole thing is ready to go. Most cameras I've seen have at least a 3 second delay before its lens is fully extended and operational and you can actually see what comes up on the LCD screen.
As for pointing and shooting, it offers AutoFocus (AF) illumination and illumination. the illumination is a nice manual feature...it allows you to turn the light on and off. For clarification, the illumination light is a seperate light from the light thats used for the flash. AF illumination seems to affect the digital pictures digitally in the picture processing of the camera from what I can tell. Its a nice add on as well in certain situations.
The camera only allows 2 video quality modes... 640 and 320 which I thought was kind of lame. 320 happens to be the size Youtube.com suggests for its uploads. If you shoot videos in 640, you only have about 30 mins of take time on a 2GB card. In 320, you just have 1 hour and 20 mins. The battery lasts a good amount of time when you're just taking pictures. As far as driving it to see how much video it can take, that still remains to be tested. Having the SD card slot in this camera is a huge plus since my latop caomes with a SD card reader built in. Just pop it out and into the laptop and its ready for read. Battery gets good life and it comes with a charger adapter which you can plug into the wall (just as the Canons do) rather than relying on an ac adapter to be plugged into the camera at all times.
Cons:
Grainy Grainy Grainy.... All I can say is the biggest disappointment and determining factor in not recommending this camera to other people and sending them elsewhere when asked for suggestions is the grainness of not only the pictures but also the video, which is even worse. Even when I set the camera on the table and push the shoot button with the zoom all the way back at 35 mm, it's still grainy. Under any lighting conditions, it's still grainy. Thats my biggest complaint about this camera. It seems like the more you zoom in, the grainier the pictures become. I don't know what causes this or why it happens. I wish it had more options as far as video settings. Videos are just crisper in decent indoor and daylight shooting. Must be the image stablization.
Did I mention the pictures blur easily if you don't hold the camera absolutely still? You also have no control on the ISO selection either to vary the digital compensation. It seems also to set the highest iso setting in darker situations which is really ridiculous in most cases as pictures get overexposed in most cases.
Rather than return this camera, I decided to keep it to get those impromptu video shots. I'll be moving towards getting a Canon sd800 for my vacation shots and eventually a Sony Hi Definition camcorder for video. Everything else is great about the F40fd with the exception of the graininess. This camera has a lot of potential. It has great usability, it's really intuitive, and has super fast flash recharging, and awesome low light sensitivity for a point and shoot camera. If it weren't for the graininess, I would have recommended it to my friends but instead, i'm going to send them elsewhere.
Read more about the Fujifilm FinePix F40fd.
Let's Go Digital has a review of the Panasonic Lumix DMC FZ8 and writes, "The operation of the camera is friendly and I don't think that users will need to refer to the instruction manual very often. Despite the extensive settings options, it's all very easy to oversee. The image quality is very good with great resolution and brilliant sharpness. Colour reproduction is natural and lively and is accompanied by excellent exposure. The large, clear LCD screen provides photographers with a great tool for judging the quality of pictures even in daylight. When you add the new possibility to record in RAW, you could be forgiven for thinking that the Panasonic Lumix FZ8 is nearing perfection."
Read more about the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8.
Let's Go Digital has a review of the Nikon D40x and writes, "the Nikon D40x is a very fine and smart DSLR camera that offers a lot of quality for a low price. The D40 camera was welcomed enthusiastically and quickly left its competition behind. The different camera reviews almost always showed a positive conclusion, also with our DIWA colleagues, who awarded the D40 with a DIWA Gold Award nearly unanimously. Because the Nikon D40x is identical to the D40, I expect again a big success for this model. Once more, Nikon shows what its good at. The production of a serious SLR camera with an excellent image quality, but not forgetting what it's all about: hassle free and pleasant photographing for everyone. For these reasons, the Nikon D40x is absolutely highly recommended!"
Read more about the Nikon D40x.
DPReview has a review of the Nikon Coolpix P5000 and writes, "the P5000 is a product that - like so many we look at - has an achilles heel that we feel is important enough to reduce its rating, because it has a serious effect on the overall usability of an otherwise excellent camera. Put simply it feels sluggish in use and has focus speeds that would have been considered 'average' 5 years ago. For many users it won't be a serious issue, but if you've got used to the focus speeds of the best cameras in this class (some of which focus 2 or even 3 times faster) it's irritating, to say the least, to miss shots because the focus takes too long. I found myself pre-focusing for virtually every shot to avoid the delay. Weighed up against the many positives the sluggish focus has to be put into context; only you will know if the kind of pictures you take are going to be affected by an extra half second or so delay ..."
Read more about the Nikon CoolPix P5000.
PhotographyReview has a review of the Canon PowerShot A640 and writes, "The Canon PowerShot A640 is a great do-it-all compact digital camera. There's very little to find fault with, especially with the small price tag. The image quality is excellent for a compact, the size is a good compromise between pocket-sized and super-zoom cameras, and it's got modes and controls to meet almost any photographic need. The ISO 400 and ISO 800 image quality are good enough that most people won't miss having image stabilization. On the other hand, image stabilization would help people get more and better photos and it's the one thing that I would say is missing from the camera."
Read more reviews of the Canon Powershot A640
Compare prices on the Canon Powershot A640 and get the latest price on the Canon PowerShot A640 at Amazon.
CNET has a review of the Samsung Digimax L700 and writes, "For a budget camera, the L700 produces decent enough photos, though close inspection reveals some image-quality flaws. While the camera's meter does a good job of determining exposures, even in some tough scenes, we saw image artifacts in all of our test shots. Text and hair often appeared fuzzy , and extremely fine details such as threads and wood grain sometimes completely disappeared into an indistinguishable blur. ... At the more commonly used setting, ISO 400, noise stayed at moderate levels. While it was very visible as a fine grain on a computer monitor, it won't be as visible in most prints, though there was a noticeable loss of finer detail as the noise and corresponding in-camera noise reduction tended to soften images shot at this setting."
Read more about the Samsung L700.
The Age has a review of the Nikon D40X and writes, "The essential functions are generally good: fast and accurate auto-focus (but only with lenses that have an inbuilt focus motor), perfect exposure and wide dynamic range. The auto white balance leaves something to be desired and there is no dedicated white balance button on the camera body but the Function button can be programmed for white balance. This model feels as fast and responsive as the more expensive Nikons. ... Are those extra pixels worth the $400? Six million pixels will produce A3 prints; 10 million give room for cropping without loss of resolution. Compared to the competition this model offers a lot for the money."
Read more about the Nikon D40x.
Pocket-lint has a review of the Fujifilm FinePix 9600 and writes, "We have to say that we are a bit confused by the FujiFilm 9600 and where it now sits in the world of digital cameras. While like its predecessor, the 9500, there is a niche for cameras like this, the DSLR market has changed so much since the creation of these bridge models that the 9600 finds itself caught out. It's not small enough as the likes of the G series from Canon to slip into your pocket, nor is it fully functional enough as even entry-level DSLR's like the Nikon D40, the Canon 400D, the Sony Alpha or the Olympus E-400."
Read more about the Fujifilm FinePix S9100/S9600.
IT Reviews has a review of the Casio Exilim EX-Z1050 and writes, "The structured menus and intuitive presets combine with some effective anti-shake technology making for an extremely forgiving camera that'll do a great job in a range of environments. We saw consistently sharp and vibrant results in a number of different settings, all of which are well represented on the colourful, sharp and responsive LCD display. It's impressive enough that Casio has crammed this much performance into such a portable device, but the fact that the price is in line with many of today's mid-range compacts makes it even more of an achievement. Bearing in mind the target market of such a camera, which we would expect to consist of a mix of talented beginners and enthusiastic amateurs, there's very little to criticise about the EX-Z1050."
Read more about the Casio Exilim EX-Z1050.
Trusted Reviews has a review of the Pentax Optio W30 and writes, "Picture quality is about average for a 7MP compact. Exposure is generally good, although in standard multi-zone metering mode it does tend to under-expose in strong backlighting. Colour rendition is very good, and the lens performs well despite its unusual configuration. It has noticeable barrel distortion at the wide-angle end of the zoom range, but overall detail and corner sharpness are a match for any other 7MP pocket compact. As I’ve already mentioned, the W30 does suffer from quite bad image noise at high ISO settings, but as long as you keep it under 800 it isn’t a major problem."
Read more about the Pentax Optio W30..
CNET has a review of the HP Photosmart R837, and gives it a 6.6 rating: "We were not impressed with the pictures produced by the R837. While noise never reaches horrific levels, thanks in part to the R837's meager top sensitivity of ISO 400, it is more prominent than we typically expect at each of its ISO settings. Even at ISO 100, which should usually be quite clean, we clearly saw noise when viewing images on computer monitors, though this noise likely won't be as noticeable in prints. At ISO 200, noise is markedly worse, slightly obscuring some finer details and sucking some of the detail from shadows. At ISO 400, noise is abundant, becoming especially annoying on computer monitors, though smaller prints will still likely be useable. However, finer details and much of the shadow detail go out the window at ISO 400."
Read more about the HP Photosmart R837.
Camera Labs has a review of the Nikon D40x and writes, "If you’re a beginner or buying your first DSLR, the D40x is a much friendlier proposition. It guides you along while featuring a superb metering system which is rarely fooled. It’s definitely the better 10 Megapixel DSLR for beginners, but more experienced photographers will almost certainly prefer using the Canon or Sony – although it has to be said if you’re after even greater sophistication, the Nikon D80 is comfortably better still. So ultimately if you’re a beginner who loved the D40 but wished it had higher resolution, then go for the D40x. If however you want a technically more sophisticated DSLR for roughly the same money, then the Canon 400D / XTi and Sony A100 have more going for them, although if you can stretch a little further, Nikon’s own D80 offers even more still."
Read more about the Nikon D40x.
Luminous Landscape has a review of the Canon 1D MKIII and writes, "Let's cut to the chase. In my initial evaluation I judge the MKIII to have between a one stop and two stop advantage over any Canon camera to date in terms of high ISO noise. And at the risk of starting a barroom brawl, previous Canon cameras have been as good as if not arguable better than any other manufacturer's DSLRs when it comes to low noise at high ISO. One can also quibble as to whether the Canon 5D has been the best yet (my opinion), but there will be no argument that with the MKIII Canon has now exceeded what has come before, and has set a new benchmark for low noise."
Read more about the Canon EOS-1D Mark III.
Camera Labs has a review of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3 and writes, "While the TZ3 boasts a couple of new modes though, it remains, like its predecessor, pretty much automatic only. Exposure compensation along with a wide variety of scene presets allow you to get reasonably creative, but if you want manual control over the aperture and shutter, then look elsewhere. Like other Panasonic compacts, noise also becomes an issue at lower sensitivities than we’d like and you should really stick at 100 or 200 ISO for the best quality. As our results pages show though, it arguably performs better than the higher-end Lumix FZ8 in some noise tests, so it’s not all bad news."
Read more about the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3.
Vnunet has a review of the Canon Powershot A710 IS and writes, "Happily, images are commendably sharp at both wide angle and extreme telephoto ends of the zoom, and as we’ve found from previous Canons, the colours delivered are some of the most evenly saturated and realistic on the market. Although the A710 is bulkier than the average pocket snapshot, at least it hasn’t compromised on usability – meaning that essential controls can actually be operated by finger and thumb rather than resorting to a toothpick. That makes for a more pleasurable shooting experience. ... Delivers colourful and sharp images across its better than average zoom range. Only the fact that it places quite a drain on non-rechargeable AAs loses it a star."
Read more reviews of the Canon Powershot A710IS
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DigitalCameraInfo has a review of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8 and writes, "The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8 follows the FZ7 in the ultra-zoom line with the same Leica 12x optical zoom lens and Mega O.I.S. The new model offers more resolution than its predecessor with 7.2 megapixels on its image sensor, but is otherwise very similar. Both cameras are currently priced at $349, so it makes sense to buy the higher resolution FZ8 if the choice is between the two ultra-zoom models. When the Panasonic FZ8 is up against other ultra-zoomed competition, it still does well. It has manual modes, RAW shooting, and plenty of included software to play with the images. It caters to advanced photographers in this way, but is still very easy to use with its 20 scene modes and intuitive interface."
Read more about the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8.
Photoxels has a review of the Kodak EasyShare V803 and writes, "We find the overall image quality of the Kodak V803 to be good with low noise at ISO 80, but we would have preferred images to retain more details. Image compression is quite high producing file sizes that are about 2MB. The Kodak V803 produces images that are saturated in colours straight out of the camera. More advanced photographers might object to the high colour saturation. ... The Kodak EasyShare V803 is an affordable and elegant looking digital camera. It is point-and-shoot easy to use for beginners, though more advanced users will appreciate some of the advanced features and user interface."
Read more about the Kodak EasyShare V803.
DCResource has a review of the Canon PowerShot A570 IS and writes, "While it won't break any records, the A570 is a good performer overall. It starts up in 1.4 seconds, focuses quickly (even in low light), and shutter lag isn't an issue. Shot-to-shot delays are minimal. Like all recent Canon cameras, the A570's continuous shooting mode lets you keep shooting -- at 1.6 frames/second in this case -- until your high speed memory card fills up. Battery life was above average. Photo quality was very good. The A570 took well-exposed photos with pleasing color and sharpness, low noise through ISO 400 (in good light), and minimal purple fringing. While redeye continues to be a big problem, there's now a tool in playback mode that quickly removes this annoyance. Too bad you have to run it each time you want to remove redeye!"
Read more about the Canon PowerShot A570 IS.
Cameras.co.uk has a review of the Sony DSC T100 and writes, "The DSC T100 handles the standard outdoor shots pretty well. I especially like the look of the first test photo. ... The photo is sharp and stays sharp as you move towards the edges. ... Overall the Sony DSC T100 is well worth considering. I am sure the longer than standard lens will come in handy and this camera is superior to other pocket sized cameras I have tested with similar length lenses."
Read more about the Sony Cybershot DSC-T100.
PhotographyBLOG has a review of the Ricoh Caplio R6 and writes, "The Ricoh Caplio R6's image quality is above average. The Ricoh Caplio R6's main drawback in terms of image quality is noise, with ISO 400 showing some noise and blurring of detail. The noise gets progressively worse as you go from ISO 400 to ISO 800 and finally the completely unusable 1600 setting. The Ricoh Caplio R6 handled chromatic aberrations quite well with limited purple fringing effects appearing in high contrast situations. The 7 megapixel images were a little soft straight out of the camera at the default sharpen setting of Normal and either require some further sharpening in an application like Adobe Photoshop, or you should set the in-camera sharpening to Sharp."
Read more about the Ricoh Caplio R6.
Photography Press has a review of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-L1 and gives it an 8 out of 10 rating: "The Panasonic Lumix DMC-L1 is an attractive package but that Leica kit lens makes it an expensive looking one, so the value for money becomes a bit of an issue when you look at competing D-SLRs in that price bracket. The slightly retro handling and the image performance are great bonuses in my book even if the gloomy porro finder is not such a breeze, making focus confirmation quite difficult at times. However, good build and some unique features with cracking image quality combine here to make a great first D-SLR from Panasonic, one well worth closer inspection."
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Steve's Digicams has a review of the Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-S700 and writes, "Image quality is pleasing for an entry-level 7-megapixel model. Outdoors, the majority of our images were sharp, well exposed, and showed good color saturation. When viewing an image at 100%, you can see some traces of image noise, even at ISO 100. However, these are average amounts and it is unlikely you will see this in your prints. ... I was pleased with Sony's new entry-level model. It offers good image quality, performance, plenty of exposure modes, a durable all-metal body, and a great price at US$180 or less. The only negative things I found with the camera were the ridiculously slow flash recharge time, poorly placed (plastic) tripod socket, and the below average Movie mode resolution."
Read more about the Sony Cybershot DSC-S700.
Cameras.co.uk has a review of the Olympus MJU 760 and writes, "In my first outdoor test shot the MJU 760 does a fair job with focusing. I have seen sharper photos than this one, but in my view sharpness is at an acceptable level. There is more than a suggestion of a purple tinge to blue lines and areas on the boats. ... You are not exactly spoilt for choice if you would like a camera you can take out in the rain. The Olympus MJU 760 does not quite hit the spot for me without being a poor digital camera. A 20% all round improvement wouldn't go amiss with this range of cameras."
Read more about the Olympus Stylus 760.
Digital Camera Review has a review of the Olympus FE-250 and writes, "The FE-250 is the best performing model in the current FE lineup. While its image quality results are similar to the other models, it has the best overall operation speed. In particular, card access times are much better than its siblings. Otherwise, the FE-250 still has the slim, well-constructed metal body of the other FE cameras and all of the features that make it very usable for entry level users, like the built-in Guide system and plenty of on-screen help and descriptions."
Read more about the Olympus FE-250.
Steve's Digicams has a review of the Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-W90 and writes, "The results of our "8M" megapixel images was very good. When shooting outdoors in the bright sunlight, it captured nice sharp images, with accurate exposure and rich color saturation. I did notice a bit of edge softness of several of our photos, however this is common with consumer models. ... Sony has created another welcomed addition to their already popular Cyber-shot "W" series. It offers speedy performance, great image quality, and loads of high-end features, all packed in a very compact and durable shell. With an MSRP of only US$229, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W90 offers an outstanding value for such a capable 8-megapixel consumer model. And, with that much resolution, the printing possibilities are almost endless!"
Read more about the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W90.
PhotographyPress has a review of the Olympus Mju 770SW and writes, "Picture quality is good at the Super High Quality and at lower ISO settings. Ease of use (under “normal” conditions at least) is built-in, but the lack of any real manual control other than +/-2EV exposure compensation means anyone looking for more control might want to steer clear. However, those of you looking for a rugged, pocketable, yet stylish outdoor camera that can practically (and literally) go (almost) anywhere, then look no further."
Read more about the Olympus Stylus 770SW.
CNET has a review of the Nikon Coolpix P5000 and writes, "When it comes to image noise, the P5000 fares well in some respects and abysmally in others. ... But across the various ISO settings, color consistency flies out the window. ... That's too bad, because otherwise the P5000 produces very good photos, with excellent exposure, neutral white balance (though the preset renders a little pinkish under tungsten lights), appropriate saturation, and properly selected flash output levels. Though I've seen better, its 640x480, 30fps movie capture will also serve to preserve those embarrassing moments on YouTube forever. It supports only digital zoom in movie capture mode, however."
Read more about the Nikon CoolPix P5000.
Wired Blogs has a review of the Nikon D40x and writes, "This 10.2-megapixel model has one of the smartest automatic modes we've seen, including accurate measurement of often trouble-prone areas such as ISO setting and white balance. Image quality is top-notch, with great detail and minimal noise even at high ISO settings."
Read more about the Nikon D40x.
DigitalCameraInfo has a review of the Pentax K100D and writes, "The Pentax K100D is just what an entry-level DSLR should be – simple to use and functional enough to take good pictures. Pentax deserves praise for putting such a good autofocus system in an inexpensive camera. The combination of the autofocus system and Shake Reduction system will increase the percentage of sharp shots for many users. The 3-zone autofocus systems in the Nikon D40 and Olympus's DSLRs look pathetic in comparison, and their performance bears out that impression. The K100D does have its flaws – its resolution performance is poor, and its white balance system is limited – but aren't likely to be a problem for the typical user."
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PCMag has a review of the Casio Exilim EX-V7 and writes, "During my hands-on testing, daylight shots contained some noise, and the flash revealed a bit more colored noise than I'd like to see. Color was accurate and vibrant, though. I did see a smidgen of noticeable purple fringing in my test images. Still, the dynamic range was quite good, with strong contrast that didn't block up details. In my flash test shots, I found that the Exilim's strobe delivered just the right amount of illumination without blowing out the images. You could also adjust the flash, which comes in handy when the lens is zoomed in all the way."
Read more about the Casio Exilim EX-V7.
ePhotoZine has a review of the Kodak EasyShare V803 and writes, "The headline feature of the camera is a whopping 8Mp resolution in a compact body at a very affordable price. With such a low price other features have to be sacrificed, so it's just a paltry 3x optical zoom and this is pretty poor, lacking any kind of smoothness when zooming in. What's perhaps less palatable is that the zone metering system isn't very good, losing highlights on shots where it blatantly should pick up the bright areas right in the middle. Also, the focussing is somewhat hit and miss and gives up very easily. Throw in noisy images and only the fact that it's a cheap 8Mp camera and that the colour rendition is pretty good saves this from a good hiding. Even so, the performance is lacking in almost every department, and so it can only be recommended if you really need a big resolution at a very low price."
Read more about the Kodak EasyShare V803.
DigiCamReview has a review of the Fujifilm FinePix F40fd and writes, "The increase in megapixels, from 6 to 8, doesn't seem to have any adverse effect on image quality, and like the F30, the F40fd has great image quality. Colours are very good and in a very wide range of situations the camera will take sharp, detailed pictures with good exposure. The camera is probably great for events where fast photography is essential. The challenges that this camera will face that most others will fail at will be low light situations where you don't particularly want to use the flash. For these situations it has a scene mode that allows you to try and see what a photo would be like without the flash, and yet not lose the benefits of flash photography. The camera was generally competent and fast at focusing with the focus assist lamp activating when light was low. There is a good range of image sizes but few compression options, and the camera lacks a 16:9 wide-aspect ratio mode. The camera doesn't give you many options to customise images in-camera, there are no sharpness or contrast controls for example. Purple fringing is slighly higher than average. "
Read more about the Fujifilm FinePix F40fd.
Megapixel has a review of the Fujifilm FinePix F40fd and writes, "As a high resolution, very compact camera, the FinePix F40fd should satisfy the needs and requirements of most point-and-shoot users. Easy to use, it offers a compatibility with SD memory cards — a very popular format that seems to occupy the sweet point between size, practicality and cost — and with Fuji's own tiny memory card standard: xD. Moreover, it also offers an effective face detection system that goes a long way to ensure that photos of family and friends are correctly focused. All of which helps the F40fd produce good images from which users should get excellent prints."
Read more about the Fujifilm FinePix F40fd.
PhotographyPress has a review of the Pentax A30 and writes, "...as soon as you start to delve deeper you see that Pentax is merely number chasing in an attempt to make sure it has a 10 megapixel offering. While image quality from afar is fantastic, on closer inspection its noise filled. Furthermore, the introduction of a 3200 ISO setting is so crazy, that like newspapers keen to have a bigger page supplement in order to beat the competition, we get the feeling that Pentax is doing the same here, just making sure its one up on the competition."
Read more about the Pentax Optio A30.
Imaging Resource has a review of the Canon PowerShot SD1000 and writes, "The Canon PowerShot SD1000 is a fine little camera with a number of attributes that will please the snapshooter, and may even attract the more sophisticated photographer who wants a small take-anywhere digital camera. Video fans will appreciate the multiple movie modes, including time lapse and fast frame rate options. Regardless of experience level, most everyone will find image quality more than satisfying, although it's important to maintain control over ISO settings to keep image noise to a minimum. That some features are buried deep within the menu system probably won't bother snapshooters very much, since it's unlikely they'll use them on a regular basis. It will be frustrating to photographers who want to wring every last bit of control out of the camera."
Read more about the Canon PowerShot SD1000.
BlogCritics has a review of the Pentax K100D and writes, "I was pleasantly surprised by the K100D. The camera is a perfect entry into the DSLR market, and one that can be easily built on. The use of the KA-Mount lenses is a good idea, these can be used then on more expensive and professional bodies at a later date, so long as you stick with the Pentax brand. ... I cannot recommend this camera highly enough for those looking to buy their first DSLR, it is a well built, reliable camera from a large and trusted manufacturer."
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Gizmodo has a review of the Olympus EVOLT E-410 and writes, "Outdoors, with plenty of light, proved to be the best environment for shooting in the E-410's automatic modes. Colors came out rich, with decent contrast most of the time. Though I typically prefer the viewfinder for shooting, the high-contrast display did well in the blazing sunlight for both Live View and post-shot review. Shooting with a flash indoors was a mixed bag. If there was enough ambient light, the flash filled in only what was necessary, and shots came out bright without that artificial sheen. In instances with lower natural light, however, the camera took a while to make the focus, exposure and light adjustments before committing to the shot."
Read more about the Olympus EVOLT E410.
Cameras.co.uk has a review of the Sony DSC S650 and writes, "The DSC S650 produced quite a strange set of test photos. For once I was more impressed by the indoor shots in poor light than with any of the other test photos I took. My biggest gripe about the outdoor scenic type shots is the focusing. The pictures are simply not as sharp as I like to see. This is not just towards the edges of each shot but even towards the centre I feel the shots could be sharper. ... I know the Sony DSC S650 is not the most expensive digital camera, but I was still disappointed by its performance. Shutter lag with the flash, the performance of the LCD in bright sunshine and the lack of sharpness it the outdoor shots are all major drawbacks."
Read more about the Sony Cybershot DSC-S650.
ePhotoZine has a review of the Ricoh Caplio R6 and writes, "There are some great features on the Caplio R6, starting off with the design which is stylish and modern. The zoom is great, really one of the fastest we've seen on a compact, and tied in to a 28mm wide angle setting, really gets the camera off to a flying start. ... Detail on landscape shots tends to be good but there are certainly real issues with noise being evident right from the off in ISO100 mode and any low-light shot will have have noise regardless of the ISO setting. It's the noise really, and the over-aggressive portrait mode that keep this camera from scoring top marks because the performance otherwise has much to offer and it's a genuinely nice camera to hold and use."
Read more about the Ricoh Caplio R6.
Tom's Hardware has a review of the HP Photosmart M437 and writes, "The M427 is targeted at the novice photographer who really only wants a point and shoot camera with virtually no manual controls. It would be a good choice for a kid's first camera. The Auto mode plus the eight additional shooting modes do an excellent job of producing acceptable results, but if you're looking to digital photography as a hobby you can grow with, you may quickly outgrow this camera."
Read more about the HP Photosmart M437.
Cameras.co.uk has a review of the Canon Powershot A560 and writes, "Taking the price of the camera into account I think the Powershot A560 performed well in my tests. It was able to handle sunny conditions, photos taken in the shade and also photos taken indoors where the light was lower. Looking at the outdoor scenic shots I can see that this camera produces sharper shots than the majority of simple, point and shoot cameras do. ... I guess I would describe the Canon Powershot A560 as a starter camera with extra quality. You do have to pay more than with a true entry level model and while you may not get that much more in terms of features the picture quality is clearly a step up."
Read more about the Canon PowerShot A560.
Megapixel has a review of the Samsung NV10 and writes, "The Samsung NV10 is a camera that must be tamed. It takes time to get accustomed to its interface. But once used to it, it can prove to be fast to use, and possibly faster to use than any of the other systems used on other compact cameras. Equipped with a solid group of scene modes, the NV10 also offers a Manual mode that makes it even more versatile. So, while staying within the bounds imposed by the characteristics and intended use of the camera, the NV10 can produce good images that will easily generate bright and vibrant prints."
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DPInterface has a review of the Panasonic Lumix LX2 and writes, "Image quality was good though the noise levels and camera post-reduction smearing are fair issues. Thank goodness there's a RAW image mode where you can save your photos from becoming paintings, to a certain extent. Movie mode is good, except the question about the usability of the choppy movies at the highest resolution. The Panasonic Lumix LX2 looks like a good choice for landscape photographers with its three "wide" features (Photos, lens, LCD) who will likely be shooting in RAW at the lowest ISO."
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TechDigest has a review of the Canon Digital Ixus 70, and gives it 3 stars out of 5: "The Ixus 70 has a rather high asking price of £249 for a 7.1 mepapixel model, although shop around online and you should be able to get it for significantly less than this. If you're after a small camera to carry with you most of the time, then it fits the bill, especially given its fast start up time. However, greasy finger marks will ruin its shine and you'll have to contend with the slightly over complicated menu systems."
Read more about the Canon SD1000 (Canon IXUS 70).
Digital Camera Review has a review of the Olympus FE-240 and writes, "If you have your eye on a new Olympus FE model and have a bit more to spend than you would on the FE-230, I would point you towards the FE-240, with its 5x optical zoom. They’re essentially identical cameras, except for the lens. While camera speed is not amazing and LCD is not always great outdoors, the camera takes solid, pleasing images. If you’re also looking for an affordable, slim camera with a 5x optical zoom, the FE-240 also fits the bill."
Read more about the Olympus FE-240.
Trusted Reviews has a review of the Samsung S730 and writes, "picture quality has good points and bad. Overall detail and sharpness are very good indeed; in fact I would say that it produced better results than most of the other 7MP compacts I’ve reviewed recently. The lens doesn’t have the Schneider-Kreuznach label that most of Samsung’s high-end cameras bear, but it is very good nonetheless, producing good centre sharpness and minimal edge blurring. There was noticeable wide-angle spherical distortion, but no worse than most other 3x zoom compacts. However exposure control was imprecise, leading to some shots being slightly over-exposed, and the default colour saturation setting seemed a bit pale and washed out, although this can be adjusted. ... When used in good light and at low ISO settings, the Samsung S730 is a decent snapshot camera with good handling and performance, and a wider range of features than many budget compacts, but its very poor low light focusing means it will be of limited use in many social occasions. Build quality could also be better, but all in all not bad value for money."
Read more about the Samsung S730.
Trusted Reviews has a review of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8 and writes, "At the maximum quality JPEG mode and the minimum ISO setting, image noise was visible in almost every shot, which is unacceptable in a camera aimed at enthusiast photographers. The extremely limited dynamic range meant that highlights were burned out while shadows were featureless areas of black. Overall colour reproduction was good, but there seemed to be some problem with the blue channel processing which produced very blotchy colour in mid-tone and darker areas. At higher ISO settings the results were even worse, as the frankly sub-standard noise reduction system produced a brush-like effect that smoothed out fine details in mid-tone areas despite the lens’s best efforts, while over-sharpening produced artefacts around highlights and high-contrast edges. All in all this was a very disappointing result, and wasted potential from a camera which could have been so much better."
Read more about the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8.
CNET has a review of the Nikon D40x and writes, "Nikon's D40x is a very impressive camera. While not quite as fast as the Canon Rebel XT, it does offer a higher resolution, though the Rebel is less expensive. If you're considering the D40x with the 18mm-135mm kit lens, and you've shot with an SLR before, you'll probably prefer the control system of the D80, which also includes a coupling pin, so you can use it with older Nikon AF lenses and retain the autofocus capability. If you're stepping up to your first dSLR and don't have a stash of old lenses, the D40x is a good choice. ... The Nikon D40x makes a very nice first dSLR, though experienced SLR shooters looking for a Nikon should spend the extra cash for the D80."
Read more about the Nikon D40x.
CNET has a review of the Olympus Evolt E-410 and writes, "In general, the E-410 is capable of producing very good photos; in that respect, it differs little from competitors like the Nikon D40x and Canon EOS Rebel XTi. It takes a little more effort to get there, however--a bit of an absurdity given Olympus' marketing it as a nonthreatening step up for the point-and-shoot photographer. If the Live View mode or compact design appeals to you, go to your local retailer and give the Evolt E-410 a try to make sure that their appeal lives up to your expectations. ... Olympus' compact dSLR for newbies, the Evolt E-410, is a decent choice if you're looking to save space in your bag, but issues with its automatic exposure and white balance make it an unsatisfactory option as a first dSLR."
Read more about the Olympus EVOLT E410.
DPReview has a review of the Casio Exilim EX-V7 and writes, "The reality is that the EX-V7 is a disappointing camera, and one that fails to deliver on its promise, even allowing for the compromises inevitably involved in squeezing this much stuff into such a small body. ... It's not all bad news: the camera itself is a real pleasure to use; it's fast, feature-packed and easy to use, has very reliable exposure and an excellent movie mode. Like all recent Casios it has a real wealth of shooting modes, effects and parameters to tweak, and the excellent user interface does a great job of putting a friendly face on the extensive feature set. It produces decent (though not great) results at the wide end of the zoom, but is much less impressive as you move up the focal range; at the longest focal lengths the output is soft and - thanks to the almost pointless image stabilization - usually blurred too."
Read more about the Casio Exilim EX-V7.
Digital Camera Review has a review of the Canon Powershot SD1000 and writes, "The tiny high pixel density sensors found in micro-cams generate more image noise than larger less crowded sensors (like those found in dSLRs). Built-in noise reduction (NR) blurs away the worst image noise, but (depending on how aggressively NR is applied) it can also blur away important image detail. The SD1000 has one of the most effective noise reduction programs I've seen in any Canon digicam to date. ... The SD1000 is an excellent choice for snap-shooters, casual photographers, and first time digital camera buyers who want a camera that is small enough to be dropped in a pocket and taken along just about anywhere and used easily by just about anyone."
Read more about the Canon PowerShot SD1000.
Photoxels has a review of the Olympus SP-550 UZ and writes, "My personal take is that the Olympus SP-550 UZ is a well designed and very good ultra zoom digital camera, is enjoyable to use, and the 18x wide-angle optical zoom blows past all its ultra zoom competitors. If you must have that much zoom power (and the wonderful wide-angle), no other ultra zoom can match it. Just don't expect to be able to track and follow fast moving action at that long focal length. The SP-550 UZ is full-featured but it might take a knowledgeable photographer (or a beginner willing to learn) to make the most out of it."
Read more about the Olympus SP-550UZ.
DigiCamReview has a review of the Canon PowerShot A550 and writes, "The sensor, electronics and optics used by Canon can produce good images. However, best results are achieved by tweaking the exposure compensation and white balance in manual mode. Exposure compensation is also available in the scene modes, but not in auto mode (which tends to produce overexposed images). Colours are rich and in a very wide range of situations the camera will take sharp, detailed pictures. Having some manual options does enable a certain amount of creativity. AiAF is a useful feature for portraits and macro shots, but on landscape setting, it tended to focus on close by objects, and was better disabled. This camera is reasonably good in low light situations as long as it is firmly supported. There is a good range of image quality settings to choose from. The camera was generally competent and fast at focusing and in low light, the focus assist lamp did the trick."
Read more about the Canon PowerShot A550.
The 8.0 megapixel Canon PowerShot S5 IS digital camera is the latest new release from Canon. It features a lovely 12x optical zoom lens with image stabilization, 1/2.5 inch CCD sensor and face detection technology (for focussing, exposure and flash).
The Canon PowerShot S5 IS features a 2.5 inch LCD, flash hotshoe, DIGIC III and Long-Play VGA movies.
It has an ISO range of up to 1600 and all the normal range of shooting modes as well as red eye correction in playback.
Get a price on the Canon PowerShot Pro Series S5 IS
Canon today announces the launch of the 12x optical zoom, 8.0 Megapixel PowerShot S5 IS. The new compact inherits optical Image Stabilizer (IS) technology, professional-grade optics and extensive movie functions while introducing a host of new features designed to increase the photographer’s success rate.
Get a price on the Canon PowerShot Pro Series S5 IS
Powered by Canon's DIGIC III image processor, Face Detection Technology improves focus, exposure and flash output for people shots while the new Red-Eye Correction feature effectively solves red-eye problems in captured photos. An increased sensitivity range of ISO 80-1600 complements the optical IS system for extended low light performance.
Other key advancements include a larger, higher resolution 2.5” vari-angle LCD, additional shooting modes and extended video recording. The compact design incorporates a new hot shoe that provides compatibility with selected Canon EX Speedlite external flashes, adding to an accessory list that includes Wide, Tele and Close-up converter lenses.
Canon PowerShot S5 IS Features at a glance:
• 12x optical zoom lens with Ultrasonic Motor (USM) and UD lens
• Optical Image Stabilizer
• 8.0 Megapixel CCD
• DIGIC III with advanced Noise Reduction technology and Face Detection for stills and movies
• Red-Eye Correction in playback
• 2.5” high-resolution vari-angle LCD
• Long-play VGA movies with stereo sound and Photo in Movie
• 22 shooting modes including full manual control and 0cm Super Macro
• High ISO 1600 and Auto ISO Shift
• Compatible with Wide/Tele/Close-up converter lenses and Canon EX Speedlite flashes
Precision Optics
Benefiting from Canon’s 70 year heritage in optics, the 12x optical zoom lens (f/2.7 – f/3.5, 36-432mm) incorporates the same leading technologies used in professional EF lenses:
Optical Image Stabilizer (IS) technology suppresses blur when taking stills and minimises image shake when shooting video footage. Canon’s lens-shift type IS allows photographers to shoot at shutter speeds up to 3 stops slower with no perceptible increase in image blur.
An Ultra-Sonic Motor (USM) delivers rapid, responsive zooming with virtually silent operation, reducing the risk of sound interference on movies and or when shooting wildlife subjects.
An Ultra-low Dispersion (UD) lens element curbs chromatic aberrations at longer focal lengths to ensure faithful colour reproduction and sharp definition.
Optional Wide and Tele converter lenses extend the focal length from wide 27mm to super-tele 648mm (35mm film equivalent). A Super Macro mode with 0cm shooting distance and optional Close-Up lens 500D (58mm) allow for detailed macro photography. Safety Zoom allows users to extend the camera's zoom range without interpolation affecting image quality - images can be captured at up to 24x zoom with enough resolution for lab-quality postcard (10 x 15cm) prints. Photographers can also enable the Digital Tele-Converter3 feature for added telephoto reach (1.6x or 2.0x) on every shot, without the reduction in aperture typically caused by optical tele-converters.
New technologies for better photos
Canon’s DIGIC III processor introduces several new features engineered to return better photos, more easily. Face Detection AF/AE/FE automatically detects up to nine faces within a scene and optimises focus, exposure and flash output accordingly. The system performs accurately with large groups and when subjects are distant or move within the frame. Unique to the PowerShot S5 IS, Face Detection AF/AE can also be activated when recording movies, with focus and exposure continuously adjusted for moving subjects. Because the technology is hardware-based, it operates at the same rapid speed as Canon's standard AiAF.
As well as flash-based Red-Eye Reduction during shooting, the PowerShot S5 IS includes Red-Eye Correction for captured images, reducing the need for post-shoot processing on a computer. When enabled in playback mode, Red-Eye Correction uses Face Detection Technology to analyse the selected image and remove any red-eye it detects. Users can also remove red-eye manually.
Photographic versatility
Responding to user feedback, the vari-angle LCD has been increased from 2.0” to 2.5” while screen resolution is sharper at 207k pixels. The LCD can be twisted in any direction to allow shooting from awkward positions – such as waist height or with the camera held above the head.
Improved low light shooting at high ISO settings (up to ISO 1600) is assured through the combination of optical Image Stabilizer and DIGIC III’s advanced Noise Reduction Technology. A new Auto ISO Shift function prevents blur by giving users the option to boost the ISO setting – and consequently shutter speed – with a single button press whenever the camera predicts camera shake.
When flash photography is desired, the new hot shoe gives users the option of using an external EX Speedlite flash or slave flash setup to achieve naturalistic or dramatic lighting effects.
Extensive movie functions
In addition to Face Detection in movies, the PowerShot S5 IS retains a dedicated movie button so that users can instantly record without having to switch from stills shooting mode – ideal for catching those once-off moments. A new Long Play mode significantly extends recording time for VGA quality movies while maintaining a smooth 30fps frame rate. Stereo sound recording for audio files and movies is now adjustable to 64 levels, and includes a wind noise filter for clear, crisp sound quality. The convenient Photo In Movie feature enables the capture of full resolution stills during movie recording.
Creative shooting
An expanded selection of 22 shooting modes ranges from automatic to full Manual mode and includes Aperture Priority, Shutter Speed Priority and a user-defined Custom mode. The My Category function simplifies image management by automatically tagging images with categories – such as People, Scenery and Events – based on face detection and the shooting mode selected.
The PowerShot S5 IS benefits from a number of features that will be of particular use to advanced photographers. New Continuous Shooting AF keeps a moving subject in focus whilst shooting at 1.5fps. Safety FE automatically reduces the aperture to avoid blown highlights when using the flash close to subjects, while Safety MF helps during manual focusing by performing fine adjustments to focus. The camera also retains AEB (auto exposure bracketing) focus bracketing, and a real-time live histogram display to allow for accurate judging of exposure.
Combining ease of use with advanced functionality, the PowerShot S5 IS offers new and experienced photographers alike a powerful, versatile photographic experience.
Additional Information
Printing
The PowerShot S5 IS features a dedicated Print menu for quick access to direct print options. Full PictBridge support means users can print directly to any PictBridge compatible printer without the need for a PC. A Print/Share button allows one-touch printing and easy uploads to Windows or Mac systems.
Software
The PowerShot S5 IS comes bundled with the following Canon Software:
• ZoomBrowser EX 5.8 (Windows), ImageBrowser 5.8 (Macintosh): For organising and editing images, movies and slideshows.
• RemoteCapture Task 1.7 (Windows and Macintosh) for PC controlled remote shooting.
• PhotoStitch 3.1: For creating panoramic photos from multiple images (Windows and Macintosh).
The bundled software supports Windows 2000 (SP4), XP (SP1-2), Vista and Macintosh OS X v10.3-v10.4. The cameras support PTP for driverless transfer to Windows XP and Macintosh OS X, along with MTP for image and movie transfers to Windows Vista.
Purchasers of the cameras are eligible for membership of CANON iMAGE GATEWAY, 100MB of online ‘personal gallery’ space for sharing images with family and friends.
Accessories for the Canon PowerShot S5 IS
A complete range of optional accessories is available for the PowerShot S5 IS:
• Tele-converter 1.5x lens (TC-DC58B)
• Wide-converter 0.75x lens (WC-DC58A)
• Lens Adapter/Hood Set (LAH-DC20)
• Close-Up Lens 500D (58mm)
• Canon Speedlite flash units (220EX, 430EX, 580EX)
• High Power Flash HF-DC1
• Soft Case (DCC-90)
• Compact AC Power Adapter (CA-PS700)
• Battery and Charger Kit (CBK4-300)
CNET has a review of the Canon PowerShot S5 IS and writes, "Color looks great; it pops but manages to stay shy of oversaturated. White balance is excellent under a variety of conditions. But even at its sharpest, the S5 IS' photos generally look overprocessed and a bit smeary. Some of that fades to obscurity when you print, but if you're planning to crop your photos, it will become quite noticeable. ... With competitors like the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H9 upping the megazoom ante to 15x--and more important, opening up the wide angle--it's past time for Canon to introduce a new lens on its Sn series. The PowerShot S5 IS is still a pretty good megazoom but one that's slowly losing ground to the competition."
DPInterface has a review of the Canon PowerShot S5 IS and writes, "Image quality is good and on par, if not slightly ahead, of competition with low noise up till ISO 400. But using the same lens as the S3 means the Canon PowerShot S5 IS 'inherits' some of the image quality issues of its predecessor - namely color fringing and flare, the latter exists only in extreme conditions at wide-angle. There's some redeye too but that can be reduced/removed with the built-in redeye correction feature, computer software or an external flash. ... The Canon PowerShot S5 IS is a worthy successor to last year's S3 and it is arguably the flagship Canon PowerShot (though some may disagree) since it has an overall better feature set than the G7. "
DPExpert has a review of the Canon PowerShot S5 IS and writes, "Focus is reasonably quick, except at the longest extension. Overall construction quality is superb and the swivelling LCD screen is a wonderful feature which is disappearing from other cameras. ... The Canon S5 IS is one of the best of the pseudo SLR super zooms. The lens is outstanding and the company has kept the pixel count to 8 million. That’s about a million more than we consider ideal and images are a bit noisy at ISO speeds above 200, but not so much so that the picture is degraded. This is a good all-purpose camera with a standout macro ability."
DCResource has a review of the Canon PowerShot S5 IS and writes, "The PowerShot S5's image quality is some of the best you'll find on an ultra zoom. The camera takes well-exposed, colorful photos with just the right amount of sharpness. At lower ISO settings, images have an almost D-SLR-like "smooth" appearance to them. Noise doesn't become a problem until ISO 400 in good light, and ISO 200 in low light. ISO 800 is usable (in good light) if you use noise reduction software, but you might as well forget about using ISO 1600. There seemed to be more purple fringing and corner blurriness than on the S3 (but not enough to be concerned about), which tells me that the S5's lens is really being pushed hard. One big problem that remains on the PowerShot S5 is redeye -- it's pretty awful. The good news is that the redeye removal tool in playback mode gets rid of it quickly and easily."
Digital Camera Review has a review of the Canon Powershot S5 IS and writes, "This is a capable and versatile camera, with good shutter and focus performance, great image and color quality and a lens that can range from modest wide angle to long telephoto. The auto and shooting mode options are supplemented by a full set of manual controls, and the camera will provide a fine imaging tool to the novice who never ventures past "auto"; serve as an excellent learning platform for someone contemplating the move to a DSLR and all that entails, or capably produce high quality images for an advanced shooter who doesn’t need or want to be constrained by the bulk of a DSLR. The smaller physical size of the sensor guarantees that noise performance won’t match a DSLR once ISO values start to rise, and the 0.9 fps continuous shooting speed is a bit of a disappointment for a camera that does so many other things so well. But these are truly minor annoyances given the overall excellence of the S5 IS."
DPReview has a review of the Canon PowerShot S5 IS and writes, "let's get one thing straight; the S5 IS is a great camera, one we really enjoyed using, and one that produces decent output shot after shot thanks to a responsive focus system, accurate exposure, vibrant (but natural) color and a decent image stabilization system. Although the results don't bear close 'pixel level' scrutiny, for the typical user wanting to produce prints at standard sizes (say up to 5x7 inches) there's very little to complain about, and the more you use it the more you learn how to tailor the settings to get the best output. It also offers class-leading movie quality, if that's important to you. ... To conclude, the PowerShot S5 IS is probably, just, the pick of the super zoom bunch at this moment in time, because it offers reliable output, responsive performance and an impressive feature set in an attractive, easy to use package that makes photography fun; not because it offers better IQ."
Steve's Digicams has a review of the Canon PowerShot S5 IS and writes, "The S5's image quality results were pleasing, both indoors and out. The majority of our outdoors sample images were sharp thanks to the accurate AF system and high-quality Canon lens, and exposure and color saturation are also very nice. You can also adjust the degree of sharpness, contrast, saturation, and color using the Custom My Colors function. Image noise is a very important factor when choosing a Prosumer model like this, where is it likely that you are going to be using higher sensitivity settings. I feel noise levels are very low at sensitivity settings of ISO 80 and 100, becoming more noticeable in shadow areas at ISO 200 - 400. At ISO 800, noise is apparent throughout the image, however it is still usable to produce typical size prints. ... With appealing features like 8-megapixels of resolution, 12x zoom lens with optical IS, 2.5-inch vari-angle LCD, excellent image quality, and blazing fast performance, the S5 IS will be a tuff model to beat in the super-zoom category. Especially with a very reasonable price tag of only US399 or less!"
Megapixel has a review of the Canon PowerShot S5 IS and writes, "The Canon PowerShot S5 IS is a camera designed for advanced amateurs, and some time is required to tame it and obtain the highest image quality. Nevertheless, it would appear that the 8-megapixel resolution seems to be at the limit of what the lens can support, and with wide angle shots it is not unusual for images to require some post capture sharpening. Similarly, noise is a factor and the S5 IS produces its highest image quality if sensitivity is kept to a maximum of 200 ISO."
Luminous Landscape has a review of the Canon Powershot S5 IS and writes, "the S5 IS is a very nice little camera with plenty of range and possibilities as a 3rd camera for pros who want something eminently portable when the full-size beasts don’t fit in. Learn the image quality and viewfinder limitations and you’ve got a new sliver bullet for niche problems. I intend to give the S5 IS to my assistant at weddings to shoot candids while I’m taking the money shots. With the right carry bag, I’ll also bring it with me in the car just about wherever I go for those creative moments that I’ve been missing lately. The S5 IS is also, I might add, a great instrument for amateurs looking to step-up in the digital world from a cheesy point-and-shoot, or to ditch that old film SLR and can’t quite face the time and expense commitment of DSLR technology."
Digital Camera Info reviews the Canon PowerShot S5 IS and recommend - 'The Canon PowerShot S5 IS combines a few aged components with some new technology and upgrades. The 8-megapixel ultra-zoom digital camera has a 12x optical zoom lens that has made several appearances on previous S-series models. The 12x lens used to be considered long, but is now one of the shorter lenses on an ultra-zoom camera. Newer cameras have 15x and 18x lenses – and are less expensive.... The S5 is still a great hybrid digital camera. It takes excellent video with stereo audio, and its 12x optical zoom and image stabilization are functional. If only the pictures were as good. The burst mode lags at 1.5 fps, the autofocus isn’t as quick as its DSLR-like body suggests, and noise renders some images nearly unusable.'
PhotographyBLOG reviews the Canon PowerShot S5 IS and writes - 'In terms of features and handling the more you play with the Canon PowerShot S5 IS, the more you find to like about it, which means that it requires a period of familiarization. Although certain aspects of the control layout might appear slightly compromised or clunky at first you soon learn to live with its foibles. However, it can't be denied that inability to capture any stills file format other than JPEG will be a major turn off for a chunk of its potential ownership. Ultimately the Canon PowerShot S5 IS is something of a jack-of-all-trades – perhaps even a Swiss Army knife of a camera (though it doesn't play MP3s), and there's certainly more of a focus on shooting movies than many enthusiast cameras, with stereo sound (Wave format) offered, a long play option, and a nicely smooth and quiet zoom action thanks to that Ultrasonic Motor (USM). Despite the fact that 12x is looking a little weedy against the likes of the Olympus SP-560UZ or Panasonic FZ18, you do get a lot of zoom for your money compared to what it would cost to equip a DSLR with a similar rage, and yet its stills performance – although perfectly acceptable – is no star turn.'
Cameras.co.uk reviews the Canon Powershot S5 IS and writes - "The Canon Powershot S5 IS has more features than any similar, super zoom digital camera. It is also one of the more expensive models. On the whole picture quality is very good, but it is a concern that my full zoom test showed a noticeable fall off in sharpness away from the centre of the photo.....The Canon Powershot S5 IS is a feature rich super zoom digital camera. In terms of controls and settings it has the edge over all its rivals. Picture quality is very good overall and outstanding in places."
Trusted Reviews has reviewed the Canon PowerShot S5 IS and writes - 'The Canon PowerShot S5 IS is unquestionably the most versatile digital camera on the market, with a powerful high quality zoom lens, superb image stabilisation, class-leading performance and what may be the best AF system on the market. It has a huge range of features, including a video mode with full zoom lens and stereo audio. It is slightly let down by the small sensor and its inherent noise problems, but it is still an outstanding camera by any standard.'
Imaging Resource reviews the Canon PowerShot S5 IS and writes - 'The Canon PowerShot's S5 IS extensive feature set combined with its image-stabilized 12x optical zoom lens will please photographers who want a solidly built and capable non-DSLR camera with all the bells and whistles. Aside from the omission of a RAW mode, the Canon S5 IS is one of the more capable megazooms on the market. External controls and easy access to setting changes add to the Canon S5's appeal, as does its excellent movie mode with stereo sound. The Canon S5's automatic and semi-manual functions will be comforting to snapshooters looking to step up and/or develop their photographic skills. Noise and chromatic aberration issues, unfortunately, detract from the camera's otherwise pleasing image quality. Still, the Canon S5 IS serves as both a camcorder and a long zoom, all-purpose event capturing device, and we think it's one of the best on the market.'
Get a price on the Canon PowerShot Pro Series S5 IS
Canon have today announced the new Canon IXUS 950 IS (also known as the Canon PowerShot SD850 IS).
This 8.0 megapixel digital camera with a 1/2.5 inch CCD sensor has a 4x optical zoom, image stabilization, face detection technology (AF, AE and flash) and 2.5 inch LCD screen.
It is powered by a DIGIC III processor and has ISO of up to 1600 as well as 30 frames per second movie mode.
Get a price on the Canon PowerShot SD850 IS
Canon today launches the 8.0 Megapixel Digital IXUS 950 IS, an upgrade to the award-winning Digital IXUS 800 IS. Sporting a three-tone metal finish with distinctive curved lines, the Digital IXUS 950 IS comes equipped with a 4x optical zoom lens with optical Image Stabilizer and the DIGIC III image processor. Along with faster processing and advanced Noise Reduction, DIGIC III powers Canon’s Face Detection Technology and Red-Eye Correction for superb people shots.
Other key advancements include ISO 1600 with Auto ISO Shift for improved low light shooting and a 2.5” PureColor LCD screen offering enhanced colour reproduction and scratch-resistance. New creative features include Time Lapse Movie and Creative Light Effect modes.
Canon PowerShot SD850 IS Features at a glance:
• 8.0 Megapixels
• 4x optical zoom 35-140mm (35mm equivalent) UA lens with optical Image Stabilizer
• Eye-catching design with Touch Control Dial
• DIGIC III with Face Detection AF/AE/FE and
• Noise Reduction Technology
• Red-Eye Correction in playback
• 2.5” high resolution PureColor LCD
• ISO 1600 and Auto ISO Shift
• 18 Shooting modes including Creative Light Effect plus My Colors photo effects
• 30fps VGA Movies and Time Lapse Movie function
• Shortcut button for instant access to favourite functions
“Digital IXUS is where Canon’s optical heritage blends exciting design with the best of our research and development,” said Mogens Jensen, Head of Canon Consumer Imaging, Europe. “The Digital IXUS 950 IS builds on the success of its award-winning predecessor with new technologies that will appeal to amateurs and advanced photographers alike.”
Face Detection Technology: Powering better images
Canon’s advanced DIGIC III image processor powers a range of functions related to Face Detection Technology. Face Detection AF/AE/FE automatically detects up to nine faces within a scene and optimises focus, exposure and flash exposure accordingly. Red-Eye Correction in playback uses Face Detection Technology to search through captured images and remove any red-eye it detects. Users can also perform red-eye correction manually if needed.
4x optical zoom with optical Image Stabilizer
Compact cameras are more susceptible to camera shake from handheld shots, especially in low light situations. 70 years of Canon’s optical innovation have enabled the development of lens elements that are perfectly suited to the challenges of compact photography. The Digital IXUS 950 IS employs Canon’s lens-shift optical Image Stabilizer (IS) technology to compensate for camera shake caused by unwanted hand movement. Enabling shooting at shutter speeds up to
3 stops slower than would normally be possible, the optical Image Stabilizer is particularly useful at full zoom or when using the 2cm Macro mode. The 4x optical zoom lens incorporates an Ultra-High Refractive Index Aspherical (UA) lens to achieve a focal length range of 35-140mm (35mm equivalent) without affecting the camera’s slim profile.
LCD enhancements
The high resolution (230k pixels) PureColor LCD screens gives users a number of visual benefits. Colour tones have been enhanced by 30% for vibrant, true-to-life reproduction. The wide viewing angle of the screen is complemented by an anti-reflective coating, which makes it easy to compose and review images even in brightly-lit conditions. A scratch-resistant layer provides extra protection against knocks and scrapes.
Settings for shutter speed and aperture are now displayed on the LCD during shooting. When using Auto ISO and High ISO Auto, the LCD will also display the ISO speed. These camera settings are now recorded as EXIF data for review in playback.
High ISO functionality
The Digital IXUS 950 IS incorporates ISO 1600 to facilitate flash-free shooting indoors – ideal in low-light environments where the use of flash is not desirable or appropriate, such as concert halls or galleries. A new Auto ISO Shift function prevents blur by giving users the option to boost the ISO setting – and consequently shutter speed – with a single button press, whenever the camera predicts camera shake.
New creative options
A total of 18 shooting modes are provided, including new Creative Light Effect, which uses the Image Stabilizer and a longer exposure to create user-selectable shapes – including stars, hearts and flowers - around points of light in the background of night scenes.
The Time Lapse Movie mode enables users to capture changing scenes – such as drifting clouds or a bustling city street - for accelerated playback as smooth VGA-quality movie clips. Captured at one-second or two-second intervals, a scene of two hours’ duration can be condensed to a fluid eight minute or four minute movie file. Users can also record standard VGA movies with sound at 30fps and QVGA movies with sound at 60fps.
Additional Information
Printing
The Digital IXUS 950 IS features a dedicated Print menu for quick access to direct print options. Full PictBridge support means users can print directly to any PictBridge compatible printer without the need for a PC. A Print/Share button allows one-touch printing and easy uploads to Windows or Mac systems.
Languages
With the addition of Romanian and Ukrainian, the Digital IXUS 950 IS user interface supports 25 languages: English, German, French, Dutch, Danish, Finnish, Italian, Norwegian, Swedish, Spanish, Simplified Chinese,Traditional Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Portuguese, Korean, Greek, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Turkish, Thai, Arabic, Romanian and Ukrainian.
Memory Card Support
In addition to SD and MMC memory cards, the Digital IXUS 950 IS supports the SDHC format for high-volume shooting. It comes supplied with a 32MB memory card.
Software and CANON iMAGE GATEWAY
The Digital IXUS 950 IS comes bundled with the following Canon Software:
• ZoomBrowser EX 5.8 (Windows), ImageBrowser 5.8 (Macintosh): For organising and editing images, movies and slideshows, or creating and printing digital photo albums.
• PhotoStitch 3.1: For creating panoramic photos from multiple images (Windows and Macintosh).
The bundled software supports Windows 2000 (SP4), XP (SP1/2) and Vista and Macintosh OS X v10.3-v10.4. The camera supports PTP for driverless transfer to Windows XP and Macintosh OS X, along with MTP for image and movie transfers to Windows Vista.
Purchasers of the camera are eligible for membership of CANON iMAGE GATEWAY, 100MB of online ‘personal gallery’ space for sharing stills and video with family and friends.
Optional Accessories
An optional Waterproof Case (WP-DC15) allows users to bring the camera to a depth of up to 40 metres for compelling underwater shots. Specially designed Weights (WW-DC1) are available to control camera buoyancy. Other accessories include:
• High Power Flash (HF-DC1)
• Soft Leather Case (DCC-70)
• Digital IXUS Metal and Leather Neck Straps
• Compact AC Power Adapter (ACK-DC30)
CNET has a review of the Canon PowerShot SD850 IS and writes, "Images from the SD850 IS are very impressive. Colors look accurate, there's plenty of sharpness, especially for a compact camera, and at its lowest ISO settings, we saw no appreciable noise. In fact, noise doesn't even begin to encroach until you reach ISO 200. Even then, it's just a very light covering of off-color splotches that's barely visible on computer monitors and won't show up at all in prints. Noise remains similar at ISO 400, with a just-perceptible increase that still won't mar your prints much, if at all. At ISO 800, noise becomes more pronounced, robbing some finer image detail, and adding filmlike grain to prints. Surprisingly, while darker colors become washed out at this point, there's still a fair amount of shadow detail. ... There's very little to complain about on the SD850 IS. Fans of ultracompacts, such as Sony's T-series, might complain that this Canon isn't small enough, but given its excellent image quality and speedy performance, I'm not complaining."
RegHardware has a review of the Canon Ixus 950 IS and writes, "Images are generally impressive. Colours look sharp and accurate, even at the Ixus' lowest ISO settings. There isn't any noise until you reach ISO 200, but even this is just a light covering of slightly off-colour splotches that's barely evident on computer displays and won't show on prints. It's much the same at ISO 400, with a just-about-detectable increase that still won't hash up your hard copies. Noise becomes more noticable at ISO 800 resulting in the loss of a little detail, and adding a little grain to prints. ... the Ixus 950 IS has just about everything you could possibly ask for in a compact camera all contained in a very stylish, durable three-tone metal casing."
Digital Camera Review has a review of the Canon Powershot SD850 IS and writes, "The Canon SD850 IS is a stylish, well-built compact digital camera that produces great quality images and color while requiring minimal involvement from its operator. The camera lacks manual controls, but offers a number of specialized scene modes in addition to the standard “auto” shooting mode, as well as image stabilization, up to 1600 ISO sensitivity and good shutter response time. The 4x zoom lens lacks the focal length to bring distant objects truly close, but for normal subjects the camera performs admirably."
DevHardware has a review of the Canon SD850 IS and writes, "What more can you say about a camera that has it all? I think that the average photographer out there will be happy with this one. Even professional photographers looking for a pocket camera back-up would be happy with the SD850. This camera is very user-friendly, as are most SD cameras by Canon. The only complaint I have with it is the lack of some manual controls and the only average performance. These negative aspects should be thrown out the window, though, because they are very minor and the SD850 more than makes up for them in features and image quality."
Steve's Digicams has a review of the Canon PowerShot SD850 IS and writes, "when shooting outdoors, the SD850 captures beautiful images that with good exposure and rich colors. Images are also sharp, however I did notice a bit of edge softness present along the left hand side of the frame. Image noise is average for a consumer model, just remember it will become more noticeable in your photos as you increase the sensitivity. Image quality was what I expected from a Canon model, excellent. ... we have loved Canon's Digital ELPH's since the debut of the S100 back in 2000. And, the SD850 continues their tradition of stylish and durable cameras that capture great photos with fast performance and loads of appealing features (optical IS, 8-megapixels, 2.5-inch LCD, etc.) With 8-megapixel of resolution, the printing possibilities are almost endless, from tightly cropped 4x6s to huge poster size prints! With and MSRP of US$399 or less, it may seem a but more expensive than many other 8- megapixel modes, however, I feel it offers an outstanding value for such a versatile pocket-rocket."
Trusted Reviews has a review of the Canon Digital IXUS 950 IS and writes, "As you’d probably expect for such an expensive camera, it takes very nice photos under almost any circumstances. Exposure is reliably excellent, with perfect colour rendition and surprisingly good contrast and dynamic range for a 1/2.5-in sensor. The lens is also very good, producing plenty of fine detail, with a minimum of barrel distortion at wide angle. Overall sharpness and clarity are excellent, only really slipping at the extreme corners of the frame at wide angle. Image noise isn’t really a problem, but with such a small sensor one shouldn’t expect too much. The DIGIC III processor does a good job though, and although there is visible noise from 200 ISO upwards, the overall picture quality and level of fine detail remains good even at 800. 1600 ISO is a bit of a mess though. ... The Canon Digital IXUS 950 IS is an expensive luxury camera, but there’s no doubt that the money buys solid build quality, brilliant performance and superior picture quality too. There are many other cameras that can beat it’s specification and features list for less money, but few that can match it for sheer all round class."
LaptopMag has a review of the Canon PowerShot SD850 IS Digital ELPH and writes, "On the back of the SD850 IS is a large 2.5-inch LCD with an impressive resolution of 230,000 pixels. The only time the screen stumbled was in bright daylight, where glare prevented us from seeing the LCD. Thankfully, the camera has a tiny optical viewfinder on top that lets you frame your shots in bright conditions. ... It has some image-quality issues, particularly with excessive noise when shooting at higher ISOs. But for everyday shooting, the Canon SD850 IS is a winner. It offers everything point-and-shoot users need, and in an elegant design."
Pocket-lint has a review of the Canon Digital IXUS 950 IS and writes, "The inclusion of an extra million pixels (from the 850 IS) was a worry because of its effect on unwanted image noise, thankfully however; the image quality is rather good with a couple of caveats and issues over the focus system. ... Image detail is very good overall but there are some anomalies. Detail on landscape shots is compromised when using the Landscape scene mode and on checking, I found all the auto settings for noise in the scene modes worked overtime on detail, blending it away too heavily for my liking. And another disappointment is shadow detail or rather, the lack of it. Deep shadow areas have been filled in on many of my shots, high contrast or otherwise but on the plus side, highlight detail has been handled much better."
Ken Rockwell has a review of the Canon SD850 and writes, "the SD850 has more aggressive noise reduction (NR) at high ISOs. Noise reduction doesn't remove noise; it merely smudges it to attempt to hide it while not smudging sharp edges. This leads to cartoon-looking images if overdone. The SD850 appears to have less noise (grain) at ISO 400 and above than the SD700, but the SD700 is sharper at those ISOs due to less NR. The additional NR of the SD850 lets you use one stop more ISO and have about the same apparent level of noise, but the SD850 is then softer at that higher ISO. Either camera at a lower ISO looks better than either camera at a higher ISO."
PhotographyBLOG has a review of the Canon Digital IXUS 950 IS and writes, "when it comes to low light shooting without flash it's another matter. Noise starts to creep in visibly above ISO 200, becoming more pronounced at ISO 800 and really quite intrusive at ISO 1600. That said, the IXUS 950 IS is pretty good at avoiding the effects of camera shake under such circumstances, and even at its highest ISO setting the effects are not quite as obviously Impressionistic, even 'pointilist', as some of its competitors. Generally speaking this is a camera you'll be able to leave on auto and 90% of the time be rewarded with results that you'll want to keep."
Vnunet has a review of the Canon Digital IXUS 950 IS and writes, "The photos from the camera are sharp and very colourful, though detail in highlights – for example, embroidery on a white shirt – is lost in bright sunshine. Such conditions also gave rise to occasional fringing – lines of different coloured pixels between areas of high contrast – though this was only noticeable under close inspection. And if you want to avoid image noise when taking snaps without flash, stick to ISO400 or below. For the most part the 950 IS proves itself a reliable and stylish snapper, managing the feat of appearing outwardly sophisticated while actually being very easy to use."
Digital Camera Info reviews the Canon PowerShot SD850 IS where they write - 'Great pictures are hard to put a price tag on, but Canon stuck a $399 tag on this digital camera. This is high in the price range, especially when compared with other digital cameras that have similar features. The optical image stabilization does vault the SD850 into the upper echelon in terms of its pricing; the step-down model, the SD750, has most of the same Exposure modes and components, but without the optical image stabilization and a slightly smaller lens. The SD750 costs $50 less at $349. But while the Canon SD850 IS is expensive, it does take great pictures – and those can be priceless.'
Imaging Resource reviews the Canon PowerShot SD850 IS Digital ELPH and writes - 'With an 8.0 megapixel CCD, 4x optical zoom lens, image stabilization, and a well-designed user interface, the Canon PowerShot SD850 IS takes top spot by a nose in the popular PowerShot line with a compact ELPH body style well suited for travel. Exposure remains under automatic control, something novices will appreciate, and the Canon SD850's pre-programmed Scene modes help with more tricky subjects. The SD850 is a very responsive camera, with low shutter lag in daylight conditions, and good shot-to-shot speeds. It also sports very good battery life, a very capable Movie mode, and excellent download speed. The bright 2.5-inch color LCD monitor is excellent for framing and reviewing shots, and the overall design and layout of the SD850 IS is user-friendly and hassle-free.'
Digital Camera Resource Page reviews the Canon PowerShot SD850 IS Digital ELPH and writes - "Photo quality was very good on the SD850 IS. The camera took well-exposed photos, with pleasing, accurate colors. Sharpness is right in the middle: not too sharp, not too soft (and this can be adjusted if you desire). Noise is minimal until you hit ISO 400, with the ISO 800 setting being usable for small prints (ISO 1600 on the other hand, is not). Purple fringing was not a problem. The negatives in the image quality department include noticeable corner blurriness and severe redeye, both of which are common in the ultra-compact class. While there's not much you can do about the blurriness (you won't see it in all but the largest prints, though), you can use the tool in playback mode to get rid of the redeye."
Get a price on the Canon PowerShot SD850 IS
GoodGearGuide has a review of the Nikon Coolpix S200 and writes, "Sporting a slim design and a 7.1 megapixel sensor, we were expecting good things from the Coolpix S200, a member of Nikon's new line of compact cameras. Unfortunately it let us down in several areas, with soft pictures, high levels of haloing and below average colour reproduction ... A disappointing compact camera from Nikon, the Coolpix S200 has numerous imaging issues which mean that it's smooth, stylish design isn't enough to make it an attractive option."
Read more about the Nikon Coolpix S200.
Unbeatable.co.uk has a review of the Sony DSC G1 and writes, "its not what you've got its how you use it that matters, and the picture's that we took with the G1 were as clear and viberant as any we have seen from the likes of the 10 mega-pixel Samsung NV10. The G1 also has a 3x optical zoom and a 6x digital zoom, and something Sony calls "Super SteadShot" that reduces picture shake. ... The Sony G1 is a smart looking camera that is packed with features but for this price we would have liked to have seen a much higher mega-pixel count, especially as Sony have just announced the launch of a 12 mega-pixel compact camera."
Read more about the Sony Cybershot G1.
Steve's Digicams has a review of the Fujifilm FinePix S9100 and writes, "All users will enjoy the smooth essentially noise-free images shot at ISO 80, while sports shooters will appreciate the ability to shoot full-resolution images at ISO 800 and 1600. Image noise is usually present in consumer digicams at high sensitivities, and the S9100 is no exception. Noise can be detected in shadows at ISO 200, in highlight areas at ISO 400, and is noticeable throughout the image at settings of ISO 800 and 1600. There's also a sizable loss of image detail at ISO 800 and 1600, the result of in-camera noise reduction. While image quality suffers at high ISO settings, sports shooters will be happy to have sensitivity settings that may make the difference between getting the shot and not. "
Read more about the Fujifilm FinePix S9100/S9600.
DPExpert has a review of the Canon Powershot A450 and writes, "This camera is hard to assess. 5 megapixels for $200 would have been unthinkable two years ago, so we have to take that into consideration. Used carefully the results are good but not brilliant. But if you want brilliant you buy a more expensive camera. The question to ask may be: How quickly will you grow out of the A450? If you are serious about photography then $200 could be money wasted because you will soon want to replace it. But if you are the occasional recorder of family picnics then this will do the job."
Read more about the Canon PowerShot A450.
ComputerActive has a review of the Fujifilm Finepix F31fd and writes, "Under ideal conditions, photos are colourful if ever so slightly soft straight out of the camera. And, though opting for the top ISO3200 setting in low light when you want to avoid the bleaching effect of flash introduces the bugbear of image noise – tiny, grain-like speckles – the F31fd produces results that are both usable and better the performance of some rivals at ISO800. ... Though the face-detection feature is more gimmick than essential, the Fujifilm F31fd is one of the most impressively constructed compacts outside of Canon’s Digital IXUS range."
Read more about the Fujifilm Finepix F31fd.
Compare prices on the Fujifilm Finepix F31fd
Digital Camera Review has a review of the Pentax Optio E30 and writes, "No digital camera will have everything you want. There is always a tradeoff. If you want a camera with a 10x zoom lens, it will in general be larger and heavier than a camera with the basic 3x zoom. With this said, the E30 is a well rounded camera. It has an out-of-the-box ease of use that more sophisticated cameras perhaps won't. While at the same time its pictures are sharp and true to color. ... The E30 is a great choice for first time camera buyers, or simply someone wanting an easy to use camera that offers decent quality. It offers sharp, high resolution photos that are true in color, and is intuitive in its design and operation. "
Read more about the Pentax Optio E30.
CNET Australia has a review of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T100 and writes, "The DSC-T100 takes great-looking photos with plenty of detail. Pictures stay sharp and free of noise as high as ISO 400. ISO 800 and ISO 1,600 produce a notable amount of detail-softening, speckled noise but are still useable. The T100's macro and super-macro modes really impress me; it took some beautiful close-up shots of flowers at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden. The camera's pictures aren't perfect, however. Like most snapshot cameras, shots taken at ISO 3,200 look more like expressionist paintings than photos. We recommend you stick to shooting at ISO 800 or lower to avoid extreme noise."
Read more about the Sony Cybershot DSC-T100.
PhotographyBLOG has a review of the Olympus SP-550 UZ and writes, "I found that images followed the familiar Olympus trait of colours being a tad washed out straight out of the camera, which had the effect of making skin appear ever more porcelain-like. The aforementioned noise starts to appear very visibly upwards of ISO800, and at ISO1600 detail is noticeably being lost and images take on an impressionistic, painterly appearance. Why then Olympus has gone on to shoehorn in even higher ISO3200 and ISO5000 options – with a resultant drop in resolution – mystifies, though the suspicion is that it’s only to beef up the spec list."
Read more about the Olympus SP-550UZ.
ThinkCamera has a review of the Ricoh Caplio R6 and writes, "the R6 delivers pretty good images. The lens provides a fairly sharp picture, though it does have some softening towards the very edges, particularly at wide angle. The quality isn't bad considering the long zoom range though. Sadly it also suffers from chromatic aberrations (purple fringing) in areas of high contrast towards the edges of the picture - this can be very pronounced and makes the picture appear blurry. ... Overall, Ricoh's Caplio R6 is very impressive. ... There are very few problems to report, though it's a shame the colour fringing is so severe."
Read more about the Ricoh Caplio R6.
DigitalCameraInfo has a review of the Fujifilm FinePix S5 Pro and writes, "The Fujifilm FinePix S5 Pro’s image quality makes it a viable choice for pros and other quality-conscious photographers. Dynamic range, noise and color are all excellent. The S5's mechanicals – a Nikon D200 body, with Nikon autofocus, metering and flash – are also big assets. The drawbacks of the S2 and S3 bodies are gone. The remaining drawback is speed. The shooting rate is glacial, and the camera churns away recording data for minutes at a time when it's shooting RAW files."
Read more reviews of the Fujfilm FinePix S5 Pro DSLR.
Digital Camera Review has a review of the Olympus FE-230 and writes, "The color reproduction was pleasing and the automatic white balance did a pretty good job. Details were sharp with just a touch of softness at the edge of the frame – nothing to worry about unless you’re really looking for it. Default exposure was also good. Chromatic aberration (purple fringing) was well controlled, much better than the FE-210 that I just finished reviewing. There was some barrel distortion (straight lines bow away from the center), but it was not bad. At the telephoto end, pincushion distortion (straight lights bow toward the center) was very noticeable."
Read more about the Olympus FE-230.
PhotographyPress has a review of the Canon PowerShot A460 and writes, "do not be put off by the camera “only” having 5-megapixel sensor. This simply means there are less noise problems to worry about at a given sensitivity and the more manageable file sizes generated means you get more shots onto whatever capacity storage you have in place. Plus, this camera’s retail price of £119 belies a very nice snapping tool that hides a bit extra poke under the bonnet in terms of spec’ and usability. It may not be the prettiest camera out there and it may not be the fastest, but it takes nice pictures, is easy to use, and is worth every penny at that price."
Read more about the Canon PowerShot A460.
Trusted Reviews has a review of the Casio Exilim EX-Z1050 and writes, "Image noise levels were no higher than I would expect to see from a good 7MP camera, with very low levels up to 200 ISO, some noise at 400 and significant noise at 800. Those annoying purple fringes on high-contrast edges seems to have been all but eliminated, which gives the EX-Z1050 a huge advantage over most other 10MP compacts. ... The Casio Exilim EX-Z1050 demonstrates that it is possible to make a good 10MP compact camera without suffering problems with excessive image noise or fringing. As well as that it is a well-made camera offering good handling, brisk performance, some unique and useful features and excellent image quality, and at a sensible price point too."
Read more about the Casio Exilim EX-Z1050.
Digital Trends has a review of the Olympus Stylus 770 SW and concludes, "There is no digital camera available like the Olympus Stylus 770SW. None can take the beating this camera can. If you’re an outdoorsy type and are looking for an easy-to-carry camera to take along on your treks, this is the one. Folks who expect to be at the beach and near the surf should consider this one too—the screen really takes the sunlight well and you can drop it in the water and it’ll be fine—as long as you grab it before it hits 33 feet below the surface. Yes, it has its shortcomings—especially the high price--but this 7.1-megapixel survivor is unique."
Read more about the Olympus Stylus 770SW.
ComputerActive has a review of the Sony Cybershot DSC-T100 and writes, "If we’re being picky on close inspection there is some image softness at the wide end of the zoom and – though consistent results can be achieved at the opposite telephoto end – they would benefit from overall sharpening in an image-editing software package. ... Sturdy, well-built, attractively fashioned and, in most instances, quick to respond, the T100 will appeal to anyone wanting a better lens reach than the standard 3x, but a camera that’s still just a tad larger in height and width than a credit card."
Read more about the Sony Cybershot DSC-T100.
The Sony Cyber-shot S800 is an 8.1 megapixel digital camera with a 6x optical zoom.
This camera has a 1/1.8 inch super HAD CCD sensor, 2.5 inch LCD screen (230,000 pixels), ISO of up to 1250, 56 megabytes of internal memory and macro mode that allows shooting of as close as 2cm.
The Sony Cybershot S800 will be available in Europe via Sony's website from the end of May. No price has been announced at this time.
Sony Cyber-Shot S800 News Release
6x ZOOM GETS YOU EVEN CLOSER TO STUNNING IMAGES WITH THE GREAT VALUE CYBER-SHOT S800
Teaming great looks and superb imaging performance with a powerful 6x zoom lens, the Cyber-shot S800 opens up the exciting world of digital photography to everyone.
Weighing just 185g (without battery and media), the beautifully compact S800 stands out from the crowd thanks to its sleek lines and luxurious all-metal body. It’s also incredibly easy to use, even if you’ve never picked up a digital camera before. Pulling you closer to the action, the 6x optical zoom lens offers the highest magnification ever from a compact Cyber-shot model – boosted further still to 12x with digital zoom. In macro mode it’s possible to focus right down to 2cm for fantastic close-up views of any subject. The powerful 6x zoom lens is naturally complemented by excellent imaging capabilities. Experienced photographers will value the 8.1 effective megapixel resolution 1/1.8-inch Super HAD CCD sensor for crisp, clear images that still look great even when enlarged to A4 sized prints. Novices and photo experts alike will also appreciate the camera’s high sensitivity that makes it easier to grab blur-free images with fast-moving subjects or when shooting in low light without flash. The S800 features a special high sensitivity mode of ISO 1250 (REI)*, selectable via the user-friendly mode dial for great results every time. It’s easy to view your shots on the high-quality 2.5-inch TFT LCD screen. With an exceptionally high resolution of 230K dots, every detail is reproduced with crystal clarity, superb contrast and accurate colour reproduction.
Despite its powerful imaging capabilities, you don’t have to be a photo enthusiast to get the best out of the S800. The easy-to-follow Function Guide offers simple advice on picking the optimal shooting mode for any subject. There’s also on-screen guidance that shows a suggested size for printing paper and the number of images remaining, dependent on remaining memory space. The S800 is equipped with a one-touch Direct Playback button that switches straight to Playback mode while shooting for quick, confident checking of your images.
The supplied NiMH AA battery pack allows a generous 390 shots between charges**, so there’s no need to worry about running out of power during a day’s busy shooting. 54MB of internal memory provides plenty of capacity for storing your shots and is easily expandable by adding convenient, reliable Memory Stick Duo / Memory Stick PRO Duo removable media for even more shooting space.
To complement the S800 there are a wide range of accessories available such as a range of stylish and compact dye-sublimation photo printers (including the DPP-FP90, 70 and 60), practical carrying cases and additional batteries to ensure you never miss a shot.
The Cyber-shot S800 will be available throughout Europe from end of May 2007 and will be available to pre order at www.sonystyle-europe.com
*Recommended Exposure Index
** CIPA Standard with LCD screen on
Sony DSC-S800 key features:
• 8,1 effective megapixels
• 6x optical zoom, 12x digital zoom, up to 30 smart zoom
• ISO 1250 high sensitivity (REI) for shooting in low-light situations
• Large 2.5-inch (6.2cm) LCD screen
• Silver full metal body, compact design
• 56MB internal memory
• High quality Sony lens
• 2cm macro for close-up shooting
• Easy operation with an on-screen function guide
• 16:9 mode for playback on a widescreen TV
• Motion-JPEG (30 fps movie mode with audio)
• PictBridge for direct connection to printer without need for PC
• STAMINA battery life, up to 390 shots (CIPA standard with LCD screen on)
• On-screen menu in choice of 15 languages: Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish
• Supplied with: 2x NiMH rechargeable batteries, charger, AV & USB cables, wrist strap and software
The Online Photographer has a review of the Leica M8 and writes, "the M8 doesn't quite make it for me as an M camera. It's physically similar to the film versions but misses the gestalt, perhaps unavoidably. To me it ends up feeling more like a weird replica of an M than a real one. And it's a decent but not great digital camera, bettered by average DSLRs in both operability and, to a lesser extent, image quality. But if for some reason your digital camera must be a Leica or your Leica must be digital, then it's the only game in town."
Read more about the Leica M8
Steve's Digicams has a review of the Pentax Optio M30 and writes, "Our image quality results were good for a 7-megapixel consumer digicam. The majority of our samples show good exposure and pleasing color balance. While most images are sharp, I did see some edge softness in many of our photos. ... Pentax has created a nice compact digital package for 2007. With good image quality, class average performance, a durable all-metal body and various exposure modes, the Optio M30 is sure to make a great digicam for the family, tourist, or office user. With an MSRP of US$199 (April 2007) or less, I feel the M30 offers a great value for a camera in this class."
Read more about the Pentax Optio M30.
Steve's Digicams has a review of the Pentax Optio W30 and writes, "The overall image quality of our samples was good for a 7-megapxiel consumer model. ... the Pentax Optio W30 is yet another "Cool" underwater model. It can produce nice photos along with good shooting performance, loads of exposure modes, and lets not forget the added versatility of being able to take pictures underwater! At about $US250 or less, I feel the Optio W30 offers a great value for a camera in this category, and is sure to be a very popular digicam this year."
Read more about the Pentax Optio W30..
Trusted Reviews has a review of the Fujifilm S5 Pro and writes, "There’s no getting away from the fact that the S5 interpolates its 12MP images from a 6MP sensor, and when examined closely the results simply don’t have the same fine detail as a similar shot taken with a 10MP camera, and there are interpolation artefacts visible on some shots. ... while the S5 is very good at colour and tone, it’s not so good at fine detail. It’s up to you to decide whether its abilities suit your needs. ... The Fujifilm S5 Pro continues in its predecessors’ tradition of providing superior dynamic range and tonal quality for specialist portrait and wedding photographers, who will be delighted with its outstanding capabilities in these areas, as well as its superb handling, build quality and performance. It’s not really an ideal camera for the general consumer though, so if you’re looking for a similarly-priced general-purpose DSLR you’d be better off buying the Nikon D200 instead."
Read more reviews of the Fujfilm FinePix S5 Pro DSLR.
Digital Lifestyles has a review of the Canon Ixus 850IS and writes, "The image quality may fall slightly behind the class leaders and the lack of manual controls will frustrate advanced users, but for point’n’shooters looking for an everyday camera, the Ixus 850 could be a camera to consider. It’s a bit of a pricey number though at around £250, and the lack of durability might be of concern to those who don’t like to mollycoddle their cameras in cases all the time, but the spec sheet does make a compelling read."
Read more reviews of the Canon Digital IXUS 850 IS
See prices on the Canon Powershot SD800 and get the latest price on the Canon PowerShot SD800 at Amazon.
Digital Camera Review has a review of the Nikon Coolpix P5000 and writes, "The Nikon Coolpix P5000 provides a 10 megapixel sensor, excellent image and color quality, and an ergonomically excellent camera in a compact, easily portable package. Not only does the camera come with the full auto and specialty modes found in virtually every P&S, but a complete set of manual controls as well. This combined with the optional wide and telephoto converters gives the P5000 a versatility that could attract a varied group of shooters: those new to digital imagery can use the auto functions and be assured of quality images, while photographers who want or need the ability to go semi-automatic or manual get their wish as well."
Read more about the Nikon CoolPix P5000.
Let's Go Digital has a review of the Canon PowerShot A570 IS and writes, "The image quality of the Canon PowerShot A570 IS camera is great. The colours are saturated and appear natural. The saturation is a bit strong for my taste, but that is a personal preference. ... Let it be clear: the Canon PowerShot A570 IS satisfied me all around. The compact format invites you to carry it with you at all times. The light weight combined with the optical image stabilizer ensures great user-friendliness, and add image quality to the mix and the Canon PowerShot A570 IS is a great camera."
Read more about the Canon PowerShot A570 IS.
Over at Digital Photography School last week we celebrated our first year birthday.
As part of the celebration I posted the top 20 posts from the DPS blog from the past year. The list was so successful that I though it might be worth republishing it here. I hope you enjoy these digital photography tutorials (by the way, they're in no particular order_:
Also - don't forget the Digital Photography School Forums where over 2500 members discuss their hobby, share reviews of their cameras and write their own digital photography tips and tutorials.