Archive for April, 2008
Olympus Zuiko 14-35mm f/2.0 Digital ED SWD Lens Review (Digital Camera Review)
Let’s get this out of the way right from the start: this lens, the Olympus Zuiko 14-35mm f/2.0 Digital ED SWD, has an MSRP higher than the cost of a used compact car. While it’s not for the financially faint of heart, this long-awaited flagship pro lens provides a fast constant aperture across its range, making it arguably the most versatile heavy hitter in Olympus’s Super High Grade lens lineup. With the original product announcement coming all the way back at PMA 2005, this has quite literally been a review three years in the making. So was it worth the wait? If you’re an Olympus fan, all I can say is hold on to your wallet. More…
In a year where “retro chic” designs for consumer electronics seem to be, in fact, chic again, the Canon PowerShot SD890 IS updated version of the venerable SD850 seems to be right at home: the new camera’s look and feel are at once contemporary and the logical continuation of design trends from previous Digital ELPH cameras. While the slightly bolder appearance may not appeal to everyone, the 10 megapixel SD890 IS remains an easily pocketable camera with a great feel and, with its 5x optical zoom and optical image stabilization, a lot of performance potential to match. More…
Digital SLRs have consistently and dependably gotten better and prices have dropped precipitously since the introduction of the first prohibitively expensive versions 20 years ago. While it took 35mm SLRs almost 60 years to reach their developmental zenith, the new Nikon D60, a slightly upgraded entry-level model, is a prime example of just how much digital SLRs have improved in less than two decades. With a 10.2 megapixel sensor and a lot of carryover from the well-regarded D40x, the D60 is clearly an incremental upgrade rather than a major shift in direction for Nikon’s amateur line. Still, some minor polish and feature-expanding upgrades along with an excellent new kit lens keep the Nikon in the hunt for consumer dollars in this competitive space. More…
[eminimall ... ] [tags]digital camera review, camera reviews[/tags]
Digital Camera News, 4/12/08 (Digital Camera Review)
Since CES in January, we’ve been speculating on the impending release of a Wi-Fi enabled compact camera from Panasonic. The official announcement came today, with the unveiling of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ50. Built around the compact long-zoom TZ platform that has been a popular line for the manufacturer, the new TZ50 features the TZ5′s basic specs sheet: 9.1 megapixels, a 10x Leica wide-angle zoom, and the ability to record HD video. What it adds to this highly successful formula is the ability to upload images to the web directly from the camera via built-in 802.11b/g wireless LAN. More…
In a year where “retro chic” designs for consumer electronics seem to be, in fact, chic again, the Canon PowerShot SD890 IS updated version of the venerable SD850 seems to be right at home: the new camera’s look and feel are at once contemporary and the logical continuation of design trends from previous Digital ELPH cameras. While the slightly bolder appearance may not appeal to everyone, the 10 megapixel SD890 IS remains an easily pocketable camera with a great feel and, with its 5x optical zoom and optical image stabilization, a lot of performance potential to match. More…
When I received a few Golla “Music” pouches for review, I quickly figured out that they’re versatile little bags with lots of possible uses beyond their stated purpose as MP3 player or cell-phone holders: among other things, they’re the perfect size to hold an ultracompact digital camera. The question is whether these stylish, affordable bags from this up and coming accessory maker are a practical alternative for casual photographers looking for a fun way to tote a tiny camera. More…
We field a lot of questions in our forums from camera buyers who are drawn to the convenience of digital shooting, but simply can’t or don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars. At the same time, many are turned off by the thought of choosing from the horde of no-name compacts that have flooded discount stores recently. This is where the Canon PowerShot A470 and Nikon Coolpix L15 come in. In this month’s edition of Head to Head, we’ll take a side-by-side look to see which one of these budget-conscious digicams is worthy of a place in your pocket, your purse, or your glovebox. More…
[eminimall ... ] [tags]digital camera review, camera reviews[/tags]
Camera Tips and Tricks – Digital Holga mod
, How-to’s
As I was browsing through the DPGuru Flickr pool looking for a photo of the day, I came across the image to the right. I put it on my “further consideration” list, scanned down quickly to see whither it had embedded EXIF, said to myself “oh, that’s nice, he’s using a Canon Holga,” and moved on. You can tell I hadn’t had my coffee yet; it took about 45 seconds before I sat straight up in my chair, said “waiddaminute, an EOS what?!?” and clicked back.
It turns out Joachim Guanzon had the bright idea to mount a Holga lens on his 20D. He even put the directions online so the rest of can do the same. The Holga lens gets destroyed in the process, but it’s probably $19.99 well spent. The real stroke of genius, as far as I’m concerned, was using a white film canister for the lens tube so you get that authentic Holga light light bleed.
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[eminimall ... ] [tags]digital photography news, digital camera news, camera news, photography news[/tags]
Video: Hands-on Panasonic’s DMC-FX500 with 3-inch touchscreen and 720p video (Digital Photography News)
No doubt, we liked Samsung’s 10 megapixel NV24HD camera with 720p video. But we loves us some Panasonic DMC-FX500. It shoots 720p video and 10 megapixel stills just like its Korean competitor only with a 5x, 25-mm wide-angle Leica DC Vario-Elmarit lens instead of the 24-mm 3.6x zoomer found on the Sammy. Oh, and it brings a bigger 3.0-inch touchscreen too. With the unit already making its way out the door in the US for about $400, we’re just waiting to hear about the image quality before grabbing one for ourselves. Reviews please, somebody… Bueller? Video hands-on after the break.
Continue reading Video: Hands-on Panasonic’s DMC-FX500 with 3-inch touchscreen and 720p video
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[eminimall ... ] [tags]digital photography news, digital camera news, camera news, photography news[/tags]
Panasonic’s flash-based HDC-SD9 HD camcorder gets reviewed (Digital Photography News)
, HDTV
Although Panasonic’s HDC-SD9 is mighty, mighty small, reviewers over at CNET felt that it fell short in a number of key areas. For starters, Panny included a few quirky design choices; for instance, removing the battery requires the LCD cover to be open, but doing so can also turn the camera on unless you place it in a different mode. Granted, the minuscule size didn’t leave the outfit too much to work with, but if you’re easily flustered by these kinds of niggles, you can run far, far away right now. As for image quality, critics noted that still shots were marginally better than awful, but capturing full motion HD clips was something it did manage to do relatively well. Overall, no one handling this critter was enthusiastically shouting for joy when all was said and done, so do yourself a favor and eye the review down there before clicking that order button.
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[eminimall ... ] [tags]digital photography news, digital camera news, camera news, photography news[/tags]
Pentax Optio A40 Review (Digital Camera Review)
, the company’s latest top-of-the-line compact, I could easily slip this camera into a pocket and go most anywhere. The A40 clearly has size and style down, so the only real question remaining is if this compact camera can really do the job from an image quality standpoint? Continue…
Nikon unveiled a pair of new ultracompacts this evening: the Coolpix S52 and physically identical Wi-Fi enabled Coolpix S52c. The latest additions to Nikon’s Style line, the new 9.0 megapixel cams use the 38-114mm 3x zoom from their predecessors, the Coolpix S51 models. A 3.0-inch LCD dominates the back of the new models, which continue Nikon’s trademark “wave-surface” ultracompact body design. Continue…
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ4, along with its more feature-rich sibling, the TZ5, is the latest incarnation of Panasonic’s compact ultrazoom concept to begin making its way to store shelves. As with previous TZ models, the 8.1 megapixel TZ4 offers up a rather considerable 10x zoom range in a camera only slightly larger than a standard compact. While it generally embraces the performance-focused philosophy that underpins most of Panasonic’s current efforts, a few serious blemishes on the TZ4′s otherwise spotless performance record made me wonder whether the latest generation of TZ cameras are as good as they could be. Continue…
[eminimall ... ] [tags]digital camera review, camera reviews[/tags]
Panasonic’s Lumix DMC-TZ50 gets official in US: Picasa / T-Mobile HotSpot-friendly (Digital Photography News)
Panny’s Lumix DMC-TZ50 isn’t brand new or anything — after all, we first caught wind of this WiFi-equipped point-and-shoot late last month in Japan. Nevertheless, Panasonic is now announcing that said camera will be heading Stateside with 802.11b/g capabilities, access to T-Mobile HotSpot service and the ability to upload photos directly to Google’s Picasa Web Albums — exactly like we saw at CES. Specs wise, you’ll find a 9.1-megapixel sensor, 10x optical zoom, 28mm wide-angle lens, 720p movie mode, SD expansion slot, video output, red-eye correction, optical image stabilization, the Venus Engine IV and a 3.0-inch LCD monitor to boot. Unfortunately, there’s still no word on when (or if) this technology will filter out to more Panasonic models, but folks interested in this here camera can pick one up next month for $449.95.
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[eminimall ... ] [tags]digital photography news, digital camera news, camera news, photography news[/tags]
Camera Tips and Tricks – Digital Holga mod
, How-to’sAs I was browsing through the DPGuru Flickr pool looking for a photo of the day, I came across the image to the right. I put it on my “further consideration” list, scanned down quickly to see whither it had embedded EXIF, said to myself “oh, that’s nice, he’s using a Canon Holga,” and moved on. You can tell I hadn’t had my coffee yet; it took about 45 seconds before I sat straight up in my chair, said “waiddaminute, an EOS what?!?” and clicked back.
It turns out Joachim Guanzon had the bright idea to mount a Holga lens on his 20D. He even put the directions online so the rest of can do the same. The Holga lens gets destroyed in the process, but it’s probably $19.99 well spent. The real stroke of genius, as far as I’m concerned, was using a white film canister for the lens tube so you get that authentic Holga light light bleed.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
More…
[eminimall ... ] [tags]digital photography news, digital camera news, camera news, photography news[/tags]
Sony’s Full HD PMW-EX3 camcorder outed at NAB (Digital Photography News)
, HDTV
As the HD camcorder onslaught continues, Sony is making sure it doesn’t get left out by showcasing the PMW-EX3 in Las Vegas. Aside from handling interchangeable lenses, this cam also features a trifecta of 0.5-inch CCDs with Full HD (1,920 x 1,080) resolution, native 24p support, XDCAM HD EX recording on dual SxS cards, HD-SDI output, USB / 4-pin FireWire sockets and an optional 60GB disk recorder that plugs in via a SxS slot. Of course, we seriously hope you’re planning to put this on the studio’s plastic — after all, it’s not like you want that $13,000 charge hitting your card, right?
[Via Broadcast Newsroom]
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[eminimall ... ] [tags]digital photography news, digital camera news, camera news, photography news[/tags]
Bling! It Image Editing Software Review (Digital Camera Review)
We spend a lot of time as reviewers talking about issues that matter to people interested in photography as a hobby or, to a lesser extent, as a profession. But the scores of people who primarily use their cameras to take product shots for online sales have a different kind of relationship with their digicams and editing software: it simply needs to work, no questions asked. Enter the amusingly named Bling! It, a self-contained image editor from Vertus that claims to make getting webshots for auction listings and catalogs a nearly automated experience. In a nod to all the eBayers out there, we’ve dissected this slightly pricey niche-market tool to see what’s going on and, ultimately, whether it’s worth the investment. Read More…
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ4, along with its more feature-rich sibling, the TZ5, is the latest incarnation of Panasonic’s compact ultrazoom concept to begin making its way to store shelves. As with previous TZ models, the 8.1 megapixel TZ4 offers up a rather considerable 10x zoom range in a camera only slightly larger than a standard compact. While it generally embraces the performance-focused philosophy that underpins most of Panasonic’s current efforts, a few serious blemishes on the TZ4′s otherwise spotless performance record made me wonder whether the latest generation of TZ cameras are as good as they could be. Read More…
In the last year, photography has really gained importance among my hobbies and interests. I absolutely love taking pictures. There’s just one problem: it can be really difficult to carry a camera, especially if it’s a DSLR, at all times. I found, however, that with the Pentax Optio A40, the company’s latest top-of-the-line compact, I could easily slip this camera into a pocket and go most anywhere. The A40 clearly has size and style down, so the only real question remaining is if this compact camera can really do the job from an image quality standpoint? Read More…
The Olympus FE-340 is the current mid-range model of the entry-level FE line of digital cameras from Olympus. The FE-340 is an 8 megapixel camera, with a 5x optical zoom, 2.7 inch LCD, and a sturdy, slim metal body. With a 5x zoom in a slim body at a budget price, the FE-340 has been building interest among buyers looking for something that breaks the “3x zoom” mold without breaking the bank. Read More…
For better or worse, this is it: the standard by which this year’s entry-level DSLRs will be judged. Owing more than a little to its prevalence in electronics and discount stores (but also, in fairness, to extremely consistent performance from previous generations), Canon’s Digital Rebel models have been at the center of the consumer-grade DSLR explosion of the last few years. For this reason, while there may have been more flashy or exciting releases this spring, the Canon Rebel XSi has been for many the most anticipated new model of the year. Read More…
For some time now, Nikon has been one of the only major manufacturers to not carry an ultrazoom in their lineup. That all changed today with the announcement of the new 18x zoom, 10.1 megapixel Nikon Coolpix P80. Sporting a look familiar to Nikon’s other P-series advanced amateur offerings and using much of the technology already seen in other P models, the P80′s impressive Nikkor zoom covers an equivalent range of 27-486mm. Read More…
[eminimall ... ] [tags]digital camera review, camera reviews[/tags]
