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Kodak EasyShare V550 review

Sunday, January 6th, 2008

Kodak EasyShare V550 digital camera review : Now that Kodak stopped manufacturing digital SLR cameras, the entire series of digital cameras consists of EasyShare digital camera models. EasyShare does exactly what the name tells you: easy sharing of pictures. Core of the system is the docking station. You place the camera in the station and pushing the button once sends your photos to email, hard drive or printer. It works as simple as it sounds. Kodak also maintains and enhances the user-friendliness in the EasyShare digital cameras. This is entirely conform the American company’s policy: “You push the button, we do the rest”. Within the EasyShare series, Kodak distinguishes some series, depending on the target group. The top model of the pocket series is the Kodak EasyShare V550. It is a beautifully designed camera aiming at people who love to carry their camera around with them, so the model shouldn’t be too bulky and heavy. The concept seems to be strong as iron.

Kodak V550 – Large LCD monitor
The Kodak EasyShare V550 digital camera is almost similar to the somewhat cheaper V530 camera. The main difference is the monitor on the back of the camera. The Kodak EasyShare V550 features a monitor of an enormous 2.5-inch size and an internal memory double the size of the one on the V530. Such a large monitor is often found on compact cameras nowadays and I can only cheer about that. Five Megapixels and a 3x optical zoom (36-105mm equivalent of a 35mm camera), make the EasyShare V550 a versatile digital camera that can be used for many occasions. The EasyShare docking station is standard delivered with the V-550, making it a piece of cake to share the captured pictures with family or friends or archiving the photos. Simple scene programme modes offer simple operation of the Kodak V550. According to Kodak, photographing should just be fun, without having to deal with too much technical stuff.

Kodak EasyShare V550 – Designed for women
The Kodak V550’s trendy appearance is thrown into the competition with lifestyle cameras from brands like Sony, Nikon and Canon, among other ones. It definitely isn’t an easy task to stay in the race. But if you have a close look at the EasyShare V550 you will soon get attracted to its beautiful appearance. Kodak is aiming their V550 principally at women. Their policy is that the camera should be like the perfect classy black dress, suitable for every occasion. Together with the EasyShare system Kodak holds a strong trump in their hands to be able to win customers over. The Kodak Easy-Share V550 is delivered completely with docking station and bag. Our experiences with the camera and the EasyShare system can be read in the Kodak EasyShare V550 review.


Source: www.letsgodigital.org

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Olympus C-7070 Zoom review

Wednesday, December 26th, 2007

Olympus C7070 Wide Zoom digital camera review : Olympus’ leading digital compact cameras are the Olympus C5060 Wide Zoom and the C8080 Wide Zoom. Beginning of 2005 the Olympus Camedia C7070 Wide Zoom joined in, and this camera may be looked upon as the successor of the Olympus C5060. The cameras have their own special style with a nice zoom range, from a true wide-angle to a reasonable telephoto. If we compare it to a 35mm camera, the Olympus C-7070 Wide Zoom has an f/2.8 – f/4.8 27-110mm lens. It might not be an ultra zoom, but it still is an attractive range. Olympus is also aiming at the professional market with the C7070 Wide Zoom. Not only the bright high quality lens and the solid build will appeal to the professional photographer, the abundance of functions will do so too.

Olympus C7070 Wide Zoom – Improved auto focus
One of the many functions found on the Camedia C7070 is the improved auto focus, existing of a dual system. An external sensor is used to detect a subject’s movement, and to adjust the focus accordingly, a so-called predictive focus system. The internal sensor incorporated in the C-7070 offers a 143-point auto focus system to enable focussing on almost the entire image area. Also the new monitor will appeal to many users. It can be swivelled around in many directions thanks to the special construction. You don’t have to tie yourself in knots to capture a unique and original image. A large amount of users will definitely appreciate the fact that the images can not only be stored on a CompactFlash memory card, but also on an xD-Picture card. Especially when the C7070 is used as a second camera, besides a digital SLR, the CompactFlash memory card will be preferred.

Olympus C7070 Wide Zoom – Pixelmapping
Another unique feature of Olympus is Pixelmapping. The Olympus Camedia C-7070 Wide Zoom is not the only digital camera of Olympus featuring Pixelmapping. The principle is as simple as it is efficient. Incorrect or so-called dead pixels appear on a CCD image sensor now and again, which are image elements that don’t take in a signal anymore. This means that you will see a white or a coloured dot on the image. Pixelmapping checks the entire image and the wrong pixels will be mapped. The camera will count the would-be information of those spots with a dead pixel. The dot will be lacking in the final picture. The pixel itself won’t be replaced of course, that is impossible.

Olympus C-7070 Wide Zoom – Digital camera review
The C7070 Wide zoom features a new sensor, a 7 Megapixel CCD. This is more than sufficient to make large A3 prints. The TruePic Turbo Image Processor converts the information from the sensor to a digital image. And according to Olympus this processor should do its job fast and without a lot of noise or other inconveniences. In combination with the lens, we may expect a lot from this Olympus Camedia C-7070 Wide Zoom. Whether or not Olympus can live up to these expectations, you will read in this review.


Source: www.letsgodigital.org

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Ricoh Caplio GX100 review

Wednesday, December 12th, 2007

Ricoh Caplio GX100 digital camera review : Many photographers dream of a compact digital camera with a fine zoom range, including a true wide-angle, one that gives a high resolution and can also store images in RAW. Until recently this remained just a dream. But fortunately there is the opinionated Ricoh, who seems to make the dream come true. With the DIWA Gold Award rewarded GR Digital, Ricoh already has an exceptional camera with a fine wide-angle and RAW support. The Ricoh Caplio GX100 takes it a step further: more wide-angle, more pixels and an optical zoom including image stabilization. What more can a photographer ask for, you would think.

Ricoh GX100 – Wide-angle zoom
The most striking specification of the Ricoh GX100 is the zoom range. It starts at 24mm (35mm equivalent). This is a true wide-angle! Although there are a few other cameras with this kind of wide-angle, the Ricoh Caplio GX100 is rather unique. The tele-range goes up to 72mm, which is reasonable. The focal length is long enough for a head-shoulder portrait, but you will not be able to record the uncommon bird in your yard. If 24mm is not sufficient as wide-angle, you can screw an optional converter lens via an adapter on the camera. This way you will have a wide-angle equivalent to 19mm, amazing! To compensate jitter, the Ricoh Caplio GX100 has been equipped with an optical image stabilizer. With that, Ricoh follows the current trend.

Ricoh Caplio GX100 – 10 Megapixels
The Ricoh GX100 is Ricoh’s first digital compact camera that has been equipped with a 10 Megapixel CCD image sensor. With this, the producer now also matches the competition. With ten million pixels you will have more than enough information to print a large picture. Imagine a scenery photographed with the 24mm and printed on A2. Something like that is possible with the Ricoh Caplio GX100.

Ricoh GX100 digital camera – RAW format
While the largest part of camera manufacturers ignores the RAW format in compact cameras, Ricoh upholds this feature. With that, the Ricoh Caplio GX100 becomes an interesting camera for the photographer who wants to have ultimate control over the image. Wisely, Ricoh has chosen not to develop their own RAW format but uses DNG, Adobe’s open standard. In theory, it should be possible to open it with most RAW converters. In practice this is a bit more wayward, but with Photoshop and the latest Camera RAW plug-in you will have no problems whatsoever to work with the photos of the Ricoh GX100.

Ricoh Caplio GX100 – Metal casing
The casing of the 10 Megapixel Ricoh Caplio GX100 is compact, even though the wide-angle was tough to design. Ricoh has chosen to use a metal frame, which definitely insures stability. It is one of the few compact cameras that has not been made completely out of synthetics. The accessories also make the Ricoh GX100 unique. Not only the optional wide-angle converter, but also the optional viewfinder is one of a kind. Because there is no space for an optical viewfinder, you have the possibility to purchase a stick-on viewfinder with the Ricoh GX100. You will get an electronic viewfinder image, which is exceptional. In addition, you can turn the viewfinder so you can view the image in an angle.

Ricoh GX100 digital wide-angle camera review
Just like with the GR Digital camera, Ricoh has managed to place another unique digital compact camera on the market with the Caplio GX100. We received the Ricoh Caplio GX100 in our test lab, to explore if the camera truly lives up to the expectations. Our findings can be read in the following Ricoh Caplio GX100 review.


Source: www.letsgodigital.org

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Pentax Optio Z10 Review at PhotographyBLOG

Monday, December 10th, 2007

PhotographyBLOG reviews the Pentax Optio Z10 and writes, “The Pentax Optio Z10’s image quality is below average. The camera’s main drawback is noisy images, with the relatively slow speed of ISO 200 showing some noise and blurring of detail. The noise gets progressively worse as you go from ISO 400 to ISO 800 and finally to the completely unusable 1600 and 3200 settings. The Pentax Optio Z10 handled chromatic aberrations quite well with limited purple fringing effects appearing only in high contrast situations.”


Source: www.livingroom.org.au

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Sigma 10mm F2.8 EX DC Fisheye HSM lens

Friday, November 23rd, 2007

Fisheye lens with close up ability designed exclusively for use with APS-C size digital SLR cameras

10mm F2.8 EX DC FISHEYE HSM

  • Fisheye lens designed specifically for APS-C digital SLR cameras
  • 13.5cm minimum focusing distance and 1:3.3 maximum magnification allows close up photography
  • Equipped with HSM allowing full-time manual focus override
  • Equisolid angle projection system is possible for art and scientific use

The Sigma Corporation is pleased to announce the launch of the new 10mm F2.8 EX DC FISHEYE HSM lens.

This autofocus fisheye lens is designed for use with digital SLR cameras equipped with APS-C size image sensors. The Nikon version produces a diagonal angle of view of 180°(154°for Sigma, 167°for Canon). The diagonal field of view of this fisheye lens produces striking images with exaggerated perspective and distortion. The minimum focusing distance of 13.5cm/5.3inch, and maximum magnification 1:3.3 allows subjects to be as close as 1.8cm/0.7inch from the lens’ front element. This close focusing capability allows close-up photography and also it is possible to make use of large depth of field that covers wide range of subjects. The Integral hood blocks out extraneous light and the Super Multi-Layer Coating minimizes flare and ghosting, creating superior image quality. The HSM(Hyper Sonic Motor)ensures fast and quiet autofocusing and allows full-time manual focus override by rotation of the focus ring. This lens is supplied with a gelatin filter holder at the rear, allowing the use of gelatin filters.


Source: www.livingroom.org.au

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Nikon Coolpix P5100 Review at Photoxels

Tuesday, November 20th, 2007

Photoxels review the Nikon Coolpix P5100 where they write – ‘The Nikon Coolpix P5100 gives the photographer a quiet feeling of confidence that it can handle any photographic challenge. It will appeal to the serious amateur photographer desiring a compact and light digital camera with an effective image stabilization and full control over camera operations…. The Nikon Coolpix P5100 strikes a good balance between ease of use and richness of features: it is point-and-shoot easy to use and also packed-full of practical features advanced photographers like to have in their digital cameras.’


Source: www.livingroom.org.au

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Imaging Resource reviews the Canon PowerShot SD870 IS Digital ELPH and writes – “The Canon SD870 continues with the features that made the PowerShot SD800 a great camera: an excellent 28mm wide-angle lens, Face-detection autofocus, optical image stabilization, plenty of scene modes, and a few important tweaks to the overall operation of the camera. Even movie mode benefits from the wide-angle view, making personal up-close family videos quite easy and fun. The SD870’s 8-megapixel sensor delivers resolution capable of delivering good quality 11×14-inch prints up to ISO 400, an impressive feat indeed. Canon has increased the size of the LCD but removed the optical viewfinder; optical viewfinders being something of a joke on most digital cameras with extraordinary optics, most users won’t miss it. The 3-inch LCD more than makes up for the lack of a viewfinder, and works well in bright sunlight. At 195 grams (6.9 oz), the Canon SD870 IS can fit in almost any pocket, and uses a battery that can take a pretty decent number of photos. It’s a lot of camera fit into a small package, and I think it’s a great fit for the experienced digital camera user who needs a reliable, take-anywhere shooter that shows off its photos well. And I can’t emphasize enough how great it is to have a 28mm wide angle lens in such a small package.”


Source: www.livingroom.org.au

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DP Review has reviewed the Panasonic DMC-FZ18 and gives it a rating of ‘recommended’. They conclude – ‘If you can live with the compromises that such a camera inevitably comes with (and you mainly shoot in daylight), you will get a lot out of using it, even if it’s your first ’serious’ camera. On this basis we think it’s safe to say that the FZ18 – which is certainly the best of the ‘really big’ zoom cameras we’ve tried so far – easily offers enough to earn a Recommended rating, even if overall the IQ doesn’t rate our highest honor.’


Source: www.livingroom.org.au

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Imaging Resource reviews the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S700 and writes – ‘Sony’s S700 doesn’t share many of the whiz-bang features of its W-Series, T-Series, and H-Series cousins like Face Detection or a Bionz processor. But its above average performance powered by AA batteries in an ultra-compact body make it an intriguing alternative. Unfortunately that above average performance doesn’t extend to image quality. Although I found the color natural, chromatic aberration was disturbingly noticeable in rather ordinary snapshots, and noise suppression too often changed the character of simple objects, even at the lowest ISO settings.’


Source: www.livingroom.org.au

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Fujifilm FinePix Z5fd Review at CNET

Thursday, November 1st, 2007

CNET reviews the Fujifilm FinePix Z5fd and writes – ‘Though its photos can be pretty good, the Z5fd performs inconsistently. On one hand, I see no lens distortion or focus problems, nary a compression artifact and only the occasional case of purple fringing. Photos look relatively sharp and white balance reasonably neutral. If you want that typical vivid snapshot appearance, you’ll have to switch into Chrome (as in slide film) color mode, because the standard mode looks a little flat relative to most point-and-shoot models.’


Source: www.livingroom.org.au

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