DIGITAL CAMERA REVIEW PRICE INDIA

Sony Alpha NEX-5A

2011-03-14T05:08:00.000-07:00

The Sony Alpha NES 5 (NEX-5A), dubbed the ‘pocket professional’, is designed to provide the picture quality of a DSLR in half the size.

The camera’s features include a E16mm F2.8 attachable lens, 14.2 megapixels, up to 7 fps shooting, ISO 12800 sensitivity, AVCHD 1,080/60i HD movies, APS-C size HD image sensor, Sweep Panorama, Auto HDR and Live View.

Look and feel

Out of the box, the camera itself is quite sturdy, and has a good weight. It fits easily in the hand and is slightly larger than the typical digital camera yet still smaller than an SLR. The camera, which has a vintage appearance in its design, is available in black or silver. The display screen at the back has a nice swivel feature that helps in certain setups. The overall build of the camera is of a high standard.

Image quality and picture options

The NEX-5A uses a detachable lens system so other lenses can easily be purchased from Sony and attached as required. The lens that comes with the camera, the E16mm F2.8, is impressive, and pictures taken are crisp and sharp. The lack of zoom functionality out of the box, however, is confusing and disappointing. A zoom is a basic function on most cameras, especially cameras for the average photographer. Using the camera without a zoom lens means camera setup between shots takes longer and requires more physical organisation than should be the norm.

The camera achieves high resolution with no penalty in low-light sensitivity or sensor noise. The white balance options include Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Incandescent, Fluorescent, Flash, Color Temperature/Filter and Custom. The camera includes an attachable flash.

The kit for the NEX-5K - a more expensive camera - does include a 55mm Sony zoom lens with image stabilisation.

Video

The 1080i video output has good quality and captures sound strongly without the need, in this case, for an additional external microphone. There’s a wide array of photo types and settings to play with here, including a 3D panoramic setting that is due to be compatible with upcoming Sony TV sets in the not too distant future.

Software

The software on the camera is adequate. Here, the navigation system is initially confusing and non intuitive. The usual hardware picture typesetting dial that you find on most cameras is not on the NEX-5A and is instead replaced with a fiddly software version.

Tilting LCD

The 3-inch LCD screen is a nice feature which enables the photographer to tilt the screen 80 degrees upward and downward 45 degrees, and has a 920,000-dot resolution. The display also uses Sony‘s Clear Photo LCD Plus and Tru Black technology from Sony’s line of digital picture frames. The LCD is easier to tilt upward than downward, requiring a little skill and force to angle it downward at a 45-degree angle.

Autofocus and metering

The Sony NEX-5A uses contrast-detect autofocus only. It has two autofocus modes: AF-S for single and AF-C for continuous focusing. There are three autofocus area modes, including Center, Multi and Flexible Area modes. The user also has a choice of full Autofocus, DMF, which enables you to adjust focus after the autofocus operation, and Manual Focus. Focus is fast and fairly accurate.

Overall

A professional photographer may find many more advantages to using a camera like this, getting lost in the more detailed functionality which the NEX-5A definitely has on offer. However, for the casual user, the lack of zoom lens and the confusing software is better suited for a professional looking for a lighter and smaller camera.

Nikon Coolpix S8100 Review

2011-03-12T06:22:00.000-08:00

Introduction

The new Nikon Coolpix S8100 is the second attempt by Nikon at a travel-zoom compact camera, following hot on the heels of last year’s S8000 model. Featuring a 10x, 30-300mm lens, 12 megapixel back-illuminated CMOS sensor, high-resolution 3-inch screen and 1080p Full HD movies, the Nikon S8000 certainly offers a lot on paper, but how does it shape up in reality? Read our in-depth Nikon Coolpix S8000 review to find out.

The Coolpix S8100 is Nikon’s second travel-zoom camera, featuring a 10x zoom lens with a versatile focal range of 30-300mm. Measuring just 29.9mm thick, key features of the S8100 include a 12 megapixel back-illuminated CMOS sensor, high resolution 3 inch LCD screen, full 1080p high-definition movies with stereo sound, lens-shift Vibration Reduction, 1cm macro mode, shooting mode dial and a fast “DSLR-like” auto-focus system. The Nikon Coolpix S8100 also offers in-camera HDR imaging and advanced Night Landscape and Portrait modes. Available in three colours, Black, Red and Gold.

Ease of Use

The Nikon Coolpix S8100 has a conservative yet still appealing design, with the metal body finished in a glossy black coating that’s now helpfully rubberised on the front half. The S8100 is very slim for a camera with a 10x zoom lens, but note that the camera does measure nearly 70mm deep when the zoom is fully extended. At 183g it’s also quite a light camera, and just about fits in both the palm of your hand or a shirt pocket.

The lens dominates the front of the S8100 and has an attractive rounded appearance that helps distinguish it from rival models, as does the neat pop-flash which automatically appears whenever a flash mode is selected. Otherwise the design is pretty conventional, with nothing to surprise or scare anyone who has used a digital camera in the last five years, making it easy to get up and running in no time at all.

That’s certainly helped by the S8100’s lightening fast reflexes. As promised by Nikon, this is certainly one speedy compact camera. Start-up time is almost instant, with the camera ready to go in less than half a second. Thankfully there is no longer a 3 second delay until you can actually access the main menu, zoom the lens, or take a picture, one of our major criticisms of the previous S8000 model. The new S8100 is ready to go straight after the half-second startup, making it one of the faster compacts that we’ve tested recently.

The S8100 also is something of a speed demon when it comes to focusing on your subject. The 10x zoom lens provides a versatile focal range of 30-300mm, impressive given the overall size of the camera, and is just wide enough for landscapes and with more than enough reach for candid portraits. The lens has a fairly fast maximum aperture of f/3.5 at the wide-angle end but a rather slow f/5.6 at full telephoto. The Nikon S8100 is very quick to find focus, locking onto your target in less than 0.2 seconds, regardless of the lighting conditions or which end of the zoom range you’re using. Very impressive given that the S8100 is using a contrast AF system, which is traditionally slower than the phase detection system that most DSLR cameras use. In addition, the Subject Tracking scene mode detects, tracks, and focuses on the main subject, making it easier to capture moving subjects successfully.

Front Rear

Nikon have included their excellent VR (Vibration Reduction) image stabilisation system to help prevent camera-shake, an essential feature nowadays, which is turned on and off in the Setup main menu. In practice the VR system makes a noticeable difference to the sharpness of the images, as shown in the examples on the Image Quality page, but don’t expect to get sharp results every time at the longer focal lengths without the use of a suitably fast shutter speed. Thankfully leaving the anti-shake system on didn’t reduce the battery-life too much, with the camera managing just over a rather average 200 shots or 1 hour and 20 minutes of Full HD video using the supplied Lithium-ion rechargeable battery. The S8100 can be charged using the USB socket on a computer or via the main power using the included AC adapter.

In addition, there are a range of other functions and modes that also help to prevent camera shake. High ISO light sensitivity up to ISO 3200 at full resolution throughout the range reduces the risk of blurred images, while the Motion Detection option automatically detects and compensates for both camera and subject movement. The Best Shot Selector (BSS) mode automatically selects the sharpest of up to 10 sequential shots.

The Night Portrait mode takes consecutive shots which expose the portrait subject and background separately, then immediately combines the exposures to create a blur-free portrait. The Night Landscape mode combines a series of five consecutive shots taken at a fast shutter speed into a single image with reduced noise, useful when taking handheld shots. The Backlighting mode offers an in-camera high dynamic range (HDR) function, merging several images of the same scene to achieve a single image with a broad range of tonal detail. All of these options and the Vibration Reduction system can be used at the same time if so desired.

There aren’t too many external controls and buttons (just 13 in total) on the Coolpix S8100, reflecting the fact that this is a point and shoot camera with no manual controls. On top of the camera is the pop-up flash, left and right stereo sounds mics, small recessed On/Off button, shutter release button and tactile push/pull zoom lever.

Front Top

New for this model is a handy Shooting Mode dial with 8 options, which means that you no longer have to use the main menu just to change mode, and it has a positive action to prevent unwanted movement. There are 17 scene modes to choose from, including the clever Scene Auto Selector, which automatically recognizes the scene in your picture from 6 presets (Portrait, Landscape, Night Portrait, Night Landscape, Closeup and Backlight) and adjusts the camera settings accordingly.

On the bottom the S8100 has an compatible memory card slot, allowing the use of either SD, SDHC or SDXC cards, and there’s also 32MB of internal memory, which can store 5 images at the highest quality level. The memory card slot is shared with the battery compartment. There’s also a metal tripod socket which is inconveniently located in the far-left corner of the camera and the A/V Out port.

The rear of the S8100 is quite traditional in design, with all of the controls located to the right of the large LCD screen. The large 3 inch LCD monitor has a excellent resolution of 921k dots, resulting in a detailed and vibrant display that puts standard LCD screens to shame. It also offers five levels of brightness, an anti-reflection coating and a wide viewing angle. There’s a round navigation wheel and a central OK button, surrounded by three buttons above and two below. The navigation wheel is a nice touch that can be used to scroll through menu settings and pictures, but doesn’t really serve any other purpose. The four corners of the wheel also double up to access the flash, exposure compensation, macro and self-timer settings (starting at 12 o’clock and going clockwise).

Pop-up Flash Side

Above the navigation wheel is a button for playing back your images and there’s also a handy dedicated button for starting and stopping movie recording (more on this below). Below the navigation wheel are the self-explanatory Menu and Delete buttons. Unfortunately there’s no quick way to change the ISO speed or other key settings, forcing you to delve repeatedly into the menu system.

D-Lighting is a long-standing Nikon technology that brightens the shadow areas of an image, and on the S8100 it can be applied to an image after it has been taken. Face-priority Autofocus can detect up to 12 faces in a scene just so long as they’re looking directly at the camera, whilst In-Camera Red-Eye Fix automatically processes the picture to remove red-eye. Blink Warning alerts you if someone in the frame had their eyes closed, and the Smile Timer automatically takes the picture when a smile is detected. The Skin softening function magically makes your subject look 10 years younger by smoothing out any perceived imperfections, and the Creative Slider instantly adjusts the brightness, saturation and colour tone of an image.

The Nikon Coolpix S8100 can now record full 1080p HD quality video complete with stereo sound. It offers 1920x1080, 1280x720 and 640x480 pixel movies at 30 or 15fps, and 320x240 pixels at 15fps saved in the Quicktime .mov format. There’s also a range of high-speed options available - 240, 120, 60 and 15 fps - which give your movies a slow-motion effect. An HDMI Mini port allows the S8100 to be easily connected to a HDTV, although no suitable cable is supplied in the box. You can also now use the 10x optical zoom lens during recording, complete with the optical vibration reduction system, also its painfully slow in operation, presumably to avoid recording the noise of the zoom mechanism. There’s also the new premium and self-explanatory feature of Wind noise reduction.

Memory Card Slot Battery Compartment

In the Sport Continuous shooting mode the S8100 can capture an impressive 120 frames per second, but sadly only at 1 megapixel resolution. The standard continuous mode offer around 1.8fps for 5 shots at full resolution, which is below average for this class of camera. The camera’s pre-shooting cache records up to two shots before the shutter-release is fully pressed. There is also a Multi-shot 16 mode that quickly takes 16 low-resolution photos and arranges them into a single image.

Once you have captured a photo, the Nikon Coolpix S8100 has quite a good range of options when it comes to playing, reviewing and managing your images. You can instantly scroll through the images that you have taken, view thumbnails (up to 16 onscreen at the same time), zoom in and out up to 10x magnification, apply D-Lighting, the Skin Softening feature, and Quick Retouch (improves the contrast and saturation), set the print order, view a slide show, delete, protect, rotate, hide and copy an image, plus create a smaller version and choose your favourite images.

The Monitor Settings menu option toggles between various views, including showing detailed settings information about each picture, such as the ISO rating and aperture/shutter speed, framelines and no information. Unfortunately there is no histogram available during composition, but a small one can be displayed during playback with a press of the OK button. If you have never used a digital camera before, or you’re upgrading from a more basic model, reading the well-written and easy-to-follow manual before you start is a good idea. Thankfully Nikon have bucked the recent trend of not providing hard-copy manuals by supplying it in printed format.

Nikon Coolpix L120, S2500, L23

2011-03-12T05:52:00.000-08:00

The Nikon Coolpix L120, S2500 and L23 are three new easy-to-use and stylish compact cameras. The L120 has a 21x zoom lens, 14.1 megapixel CCD sensor, unique side control lever for zooming, and 3 inch 921k-dot high-resolution LCD monitor. The L23 features a 5x wide-angle zoom lens, 2.7 inch LCD monitor, and takes regular AA batteries. The Nikon Coolpix L120, S2500 and L23 are all available from 24th February.

Nikon UK, 9 Feb 2011 – Nikon has today added three new models to its fun and simple-to-use COOLPIX range. With a range of useful automatic features that make it easy to get the perfect photo, the S2500, L23 and L120 cameras offer something to suit every need.

“The new line-up has something for everyone, whether you’re looking for your first camera, or for something more advanced. Whichever you choose, you can be assured that all of these cameras provide the quality that Nikon is known for to help produce the best images as easily as possible” comments Sander van Velzen, Product Manager for Consumer Products at Nikon Europe.

Stylishly simple: the COOLPIX S2500

The stylish COOLPIX S2500 offers impressive value for such a top quality camera. Its high-design, slim (20mm) aluminum body houses an impressive range of features, making it fun and effortless to take pictures anytime, anywhere.

The S2500’s precision NIKKOR 4x wide-angle zoom lens and 12 megapixel image sensor combine to deliver incredibly detailed images that make superb poster-size enlargements. To make sure you get the best pictures of even the most camera-shy subjects, Nikon’s Smart Portrait system includes features such as Smile Timer, Blink Proof and Skin Softening, and its large 6.7 cm (2.7 in.) LCD monitor makes it easy to preview and review your photos.

As well as being easy to carry, it is also simple to use, with several automatic functions for effortless shooting. Easy Auto mode optimizes all camera settings according to the light you are shooting in, while Scene Auto Selector selects the optimum Scene mode for popular photographic situations. Whether you are on the beach, the slopes or out on the town, the camera’s wide range of scene modes will automatically optimize settings for up to 17 popular photographic styles, effects and locations. Subject Tracking Auto-Focus (AF) will keep the camera focused on a selected subject, even if it is moving around. Meanwhile, built-in anti-blur technology automatically counters blurred pictures in four different ways.

The COOLPIX S2500 is available in four colours: red, pink, black and silver.

A great way to start: the COOLPIX L23

A superb first camera for anyone just starting out in photography, the COOLPIX L23 makes it simple for every member of the family to take great pictures.

A host of automatic technology makes this camera perfect for effortless photography. Wherever you are and whatever you want to shoot, Easy Auto Mode optimizes all camera settings depending on what light you are in, ensuring your images are impressive. Built-in electronic Vibration Reduction and Motion Detection avoids camera shake and, along with the 10.1 megapixel resolution CCD image sensor, guarantees outstanding detailed images worthy of being turned into stunning enlargements. The Smart Portrait System houses features such as Smile Timer and Skin Softening, to ensure perfect portraits.

The L23’s 5x wide-angle zoom lens lets you capture everything from sharp close-ups to stunning group photos, and a large, 6.7 cm (2.7 in.) LCD monitor enables you to review pictures with ease. Hassle-free operation is ensured with large buttons and dedicated Shooting and Playback modes. The camera takes regular AA batteries, making it easy to power and ideal for taking anywhere.

An impressive all-rounder: the COOLPIX L120

With a super-zoom lens and HD (720p) movie recording, the COOLPIX L120 offers great technology that is easy to use, to make sure you reliably capture all those important moments.

The wide angle 21x zoom NIKKOR lens gives outstanding precision and sharp resolution, with a range from 25mm wide-angle to 525mm super-telephoto coverage. A unique side control lever also enables smooth, steady zooming throughout the long zoom range when shooting photos or movies. A 14.1 megapixel CCD image sensor and four different automatic anti-blur functions ensure sharp images every time, whatever distance you are shooting from.

With a dedicated movie-record button, the L120 gives you the freedom to switch easily between capturing beautiful images or crisp HD (720p) movies in stereo sound. Optical zoom with autofocus function is available during recording, and photos and movies can be conveniently viewed on the large 7.5 cm (3 inch) 921k-dot high-resolution LCD monitor. Also featured is a built-in HDMI mini connector, so you can connect your camera to a high definition HD television and view your movies at home with family and friends.

All this is powered by convenient AA batteries so you don’t have to worry about running out of power– whether you’re at home or travelling abroad.

ViewNX 2

ViewNX 2 is an all-in-one software package that enables users to quickly and easily import, browse, edit and share still images and movies. Building upon the highly successful ViewNX software, ViewNX 2 is a user-friendly suite that offers a huge range of features, going well beyond those supplied as part of a PC’s operating system. Newly-incorporated advanced movie-editing functions have been taken directly from Nikon’s award-winning DSLR range, enabling users to create stunning movie footage. ViewNX 2 is included with all Nikon digital cameras and is also available as a free download.

EXPEED C2

The original EXPEED image processing system incorporated all of the accumulated expertise and technologies developed throughout Nikon’s long history. Now, the latest evolution of Nikon’s renowned system, EXPEED C2, expands the possibilities of photography even further, with enhanced movie recording, high-sensitivity performance and maximum image quality. EXPEED C2 maximizes sensor performance for clear, life-like images that exhibit vivid colors, reduced noise and smooth tonal gradations for outstanding photos and movies.

COOLPIX S2500- Specifications

Effective pixels 12.0 million pixels

Image sensor Type: 1/2.3-in. type interline-transfer CCD; Color filter array: RGB filter; Total pixels: Approx. 12.39 million pixels; Recording pixels:Approx. 12.00 million pixels (4000 x 3000)

Lens Optical 4x zoom, NIKKOR lens; Focal length: 4.9-19.6mm (35mm [135] format equivalent to 27-108 mm); Aperture: f/3.2-5.9; Lens construction: 6 elements in 5 groups

Focus range (from lens) Normal shooting: approx. 50 cm (1 ft. 8 in.) to infinity (at wide-angle setting), approx. 50 cm (1 ft. 8 in.) to infinity (at telephoto setting); Macro close-up mode: approx. 8 cm (3.2 in.) to infinity (at closest focus distance), approx. 50 cm (1 ft. 8 in.) to infinity (at telephoto setting)

Monitor Size: 6.7. cm (2.7-in.); Number of dots: Approx. 230k-dot; Type:TFT LCD monitor; (Acrylic) cover: Anti-reflection coating, no protective cover

Storage media Internal memory (approx. 16 MB), SD/SDHC/SDXC memory card*1

Vibration Reduction (VR) Electronic type; Other blur-reduction functions: Motion Detection (conventional type), BSS (Best Shot Selector)

ISO sensitivity ISO 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200 (4000 x 3000), Auto (ISO 80 to 1600), Fix range auto (ISO 80 to 400, ISO 80 to 800)

Interface Hi-Speed USB/PictBridge

Power Sources Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL19 (700 mAh), AC Adapter EH-62G (option)

Battery life Approx. 220 frames with EN-EL19

Dimensions (WxHxD) Approx. 93.1 x 57.1 x 20.0 mm/3.7 x 2.3 x 0.8 in. (excluding projections)

Weight Approx. 117 g/4.2 oz. (including battery and SD memory card)

Movie VGA: 640 x 480 (30 fps), QVGA: 320 x 240 (30 fps)

Supplied accessories Camera Strap AN-CP19 Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL19 Charging AC Adapter EH-69P USB Cable UC-E6 Audio Video Cable EG-CP14 ViewNX 2 CD-ROM

Optional accessories Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL19 Charging AC Adapter EH-69P Battery Charger MH-66 AC Adaptor EH-62G USB Cable UC-E6 Audio Video Cable EG-CP14

COOLPIX L23- Specifications

Effective pixels 10.1 million pixels

Image sensor Type: 1/2.9-in. type interline-transfer CCD; Color filter array: RGB filter; Total pixels: Approx. 10.34 million pixels; Recording pixels: Approx. 98 million pixels

Lens NIKKOR lens with 5x optical zoom; Focal length: 4.0-20.0 mm (nominal value); f/-number: f/2.7-6.8; Lens construction: 6 elements in 5 groups; Aspherical lens element (ASP): 3 elements, 5 surfaces

Focus range (from lens) Normal shooting: approx. 30 cm (1 ft.) to infinity (at wide angle setting), approx. 60 cm (2 ft.) to infinity (at telephoto setting); Macro close-up mode: approx. 3 cm (1.2 in.) to infinity (at closest focus distance), approx. 60 cm (2 ft.) to infinity (at telephoto setting)

Monitor (LCD and OLED) Size: 6.7 cm (2.7-in.); Number of dots: Approx. 230k-dot; Type: TFT LCD monitor; (Acrylic) cover: Anti-glare coating

Storage media Internal memory (approx. 22 MB), SD/SDHC/SDXC memory card*1

Vibration Reduction (VR) Electronic type; Other blur-reduction functions: Motion Detection, BSS (Best Shot Selector)

ISO sensitivity Auto (ISO 80 to 1600)

Interface Hi-Speed USB/PictBridge

Power Sources R6/AA-size battery x 2 (alkaline/lithium: optional), Rechargeable Ni-MH Batteries EN-MH2-B2 (2 batteries: optional)

Battery life Approx. 220 frames

Dimensions (WxHxD) Approx. 96.7 x 59.9 x 29.3 mm/3.9 x 2.4 x 1.2 in. (excluding projections)

Weight Approx. 170 g/6.0 in. (including battery and SD memory card)

Movie VGA: 640 x 480 (30 fps), QVGA: 320 x 240 (30 fps)

Supplied accessories Camera Strap AN-CP19 R6/AA-size alkaline batteries x 2 USB Cable UC-E6 ViewNX 2 CD-ROM

Optional accessories Battery Charger Set MH-72/Rechargeable Ni-MH Batteries EN-MH2-B2 Battery Charger Set MH-73/Rechargeable Ni-MH Batteries EN-MH2-B4 AC Adaptor EH-65A USB Cable UC-E6 Audio Video Cable EG-CP14

COOLPIX L120- Specifications

Effective pixels 14.1 million pixels; Approx. 14.08 million pixels (4336 x 3248)

Image sensor Type: 1/2.3-in. type interline-transfer CCD; Color filter array: RGB filter; Total pixels: Approx. 14.48 million pixels; Recording pixels: Approx. 14.00 million pixels (4320 x 3240).

Lens NIKKOR lens with 21x optical zoom; Focal length: 4.5-94.5 mm (35mm [135] format equivalent to 25-525 mm); f/-number: f/3.1-5.8; Lens construction: 12 elements in 9 groups; Aspherical lens element (ASP): 1 element glass mold), 1 surface 2 elements (plastic mold), 4 surfaces

Focus range (from lens) Normal shooting: approx. 30 cm (1 ft.) to infinity (at wide angle setting), approx. 1.5 m (5 ft.) to infinity (at telephoto setting), Macro close-up mode: approx. 1 cm (0.4 in.) to infinity (at closest focus distance), approx. 1.5 m (5 ft.) to infinity (at telephoto setting)

Monitor Size: 7.5 cm (3-in.); Number of dots: Approx. 921k-dot; (Acrylic) cover: Anti-reflection coating on both sides

Storage media Internal memory (approx. Internal memory (approx. 102 MB), SD/SDHC/SDXC/UHSC (ex. FAT/UHS compatible) memory card*

Vibration Reduction (VR) Method Still images: Image sensor shift and electronic vibration reduction; Method Movie: Electronic vibration reduction; Angular velocity sensor: Yes; Vibration reduction on/off: “On, Off Individual setup for movie recording and capture of still images possible”; Motion detection: Yes

ISO sensitivity (Standard output sensitivity) Manual: “ISO 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, 6400” ; Auto (auto gain): ISO 80 to 800

Interface Hi-Speed USB/PictBridge

Power Sources Battery: Four EN-MH2 rechargeable Ni-MH batteries; Battery performance: “Approx. 330 shots (LR6 batteries) Approx. 890 shots (FR6 batteries) Approx. 520 shots (EN-MH2)”; External power supply: AC Adapter AC Adapter EH-67 (optional)

Battery life Approx. 330 shots (LR6 batteries) Approx. 890 shots (FR6 batteries) Approx. 520 shots (EN-MH2)”;

Dimensions (WxHxD) Approx. 109.9 x 76.5 x 78.4 mm (4.4 x 3.1 x 3.1 in.)

Weight (with battery and memory card) Approx. 431 g (15.3 oz.)

Movie HD 720p: 1280 x 720 (30 fps) iFrame 540: 960 × 540 (30 fps) VGA: 640 x 480 (30 fps)

Supplied accessories R6/AA-size alkaline batteries x 4 USB Cable UC-E6 Audio Video Cable EG-CP16 Camera Strap AN-CP21 Lens Cap LC-CP22 ViewNX 2 CD-ROM

Optional accessories Battery Charger Set MH-73 Rechargeable Ni-MH Batteries EN-MH2-B4 AC Adapter EH-67 USB Cable UC-E6 Audio Video Cable EG-CP16 Lens Cap LC-CP22

About Nikon

Founded in

Japan

in 1917, Nikon has grown to become the world leader in digital and precision optics technology with a strong presence in all four corners of the world.

Through its award-winning product line-up, including entry-level and professional digital SLR cameras, interchangeable NIKKOR lenses and the consumer COOLPIX range, Nikon regularly raises the standard in product design and performance. With over 90 years of engineering expertise, it is no wonder that Nikon is the top choice for photographers around the world.

In 2009, Nikon celebrated two key milestones in the lens category – the 50th anniversary of its legendary F-mount SLR lens-mounting system, making it the only manufacturer to sustain its original lens mount for such a long period, and has recently exceeded production of over 55 million NIKKOR lenses. Both highlight Nikon’s dedication to producing quality and functional products that can be used by photographers for years to come.

Nikon also produces equipment such as IC and LCD steppers and scanners, instruments such as microscopes and semiconductor inspection equipment. Other products include sports optics products such as binoculars, rangefinders and fieldscopes, ophthalmic lenses and surveying instruments. It is the only major optical company in the world that still controls and manufactures every aspect of its glass-making business, allowing it to finely tune Nikon lens specifications, quality and performance.

Nikon Coolpix P100 Review

2011-03-12T04:12:00.000-08:00

Introduction

The Coolpix P100 is Nikon’s new super-zoom compact camera for 2010, offering a 26x zoom lens with a massive focal range of 26-678mm. The 10 megapixel bridge-style Nikon P100 also features the ability to capture full 1080p high-definition movies in stereo sound, back illuminated CMOS sensor, 3-inch 460,000-dot rear screen, and fast 10fps burst shooting mode.

The 10-megapixel Nikon Coolpix P100 is the successor to last year’s 12-megapixel P90 model. That’s right, Nikon has reduced the pixel count, if only by a little. The big news is that the new, slightly lower-resolution sensor is of the back-illuminated CMOS variety, which promises a better signal-to-noise ratio and offers faster read-out speeds. Indeed, the P100 can capture a whopping 10 frames per second at full resolution. Other notable improvements include a 26x zoom lens, a stereo microphone, Full HD movie recording at 30fps and slow-motion video at up to 240fps, as well as a new 460,000-dot rear screen.

Ease of Use

Weighing in at 481 grams, the Nikon Coolpix P100 is somewhat heavier than its forebears, but its design is only minimally different. Like most high-end superzooms, the Nikon P100 has the typical bridge camera look, with a chunky hand-grip, large lens barrel, pop-up flash and an eye-level electronic viewfinder. The deep grip is moulded to fit comfortably into your right hand, and is rubberised for added comfort.

The other dominant camera part is of course the lens, which on the P100 goes from a very wide 26mm to a massive 678mm in 35mm terms. Considering that with an SLR, you would need at least 3-4 lenses to cover the same focal range, the single, fixed-mount lens of the Nikon P100 can be described as remarkably compact, even if it does extend quite a bit when zoomed to full telephoto. For its size, the P100’s lens is impressively fast, with maximum apertures of f/2.8 at 26mm and f/5 at 678mm. Note that the lens cap has to be removed before turning on the camera - failing to do so will result in an error message being displayed, and you’ll have to turn off the camera before you can turn it on again, which is a bit annoying -, although if you only want to review what’s already on the card, you can also power on the P100 by holding down the Playback button, in which case the lens won’t extend.

Thankfully Nikon has included Vibration Reduction (VR) to help prevent camera-shake, an essential feature on a camera like this. Interestingly, while VR is lens based in the Nikon SLR system, it is of the sensor-shift variety in the P100. I have found that Vibration Reduction makes a noticeable difference to the sharpness of the images, as shown in the examples on the Image Quality page. You can hear a slight mechanical whirring noise when it is turned on, but otherwise you don’t really notice it, except that that you can use slower shutter speeds than normal and still take sharp photos. Sadly, there isn’t a dedicated button to turn VR on and off - but at least leaving it on did not seem to negatively affect the battery life, with the camera managing around 250 shots using the supplied Li-ion battery. It’s still a good idea to turn VR off (via the menu) when the camera is mounted on a tripod, lest the system itself cause blurring by trying to counter camera shake that isn’t there.

Front Rear

Zooming is done by way of a conventional zoom lever that encircles the shutter release button sitting atop the right-hand grip. It is of the dual-speed variety: rotating it all the way in either direction will adjust the focal length quickly, while rotating it partially will cause the lens elements to move slower, enabling you to set the desired focal length more precisely.

There are two different ways of composing images with the Nikon Coolpix P100: you can use either the eye-level electronic viewfinder (EVF) or the rear screen. Unfortunately, there are no eye proximity sensors that would allow the camera to toggle between the two automatically - you need to press a button every time you want that to happen. The EVF is a bog standard affair with 230,000 dots and average magnification; nothing to write home about, especially in 2010. The three-inch rear LCD screen is much nicer to look at, thanks to its resolution of 460,000 dots. Even more importantly, it’s articulated and able to tilt up or down, giving you some added flexibility in composing your shots. A truly free-angle LCD, which can also be rotated out to the side, would have been even nicer though.

The layout and number of external controls haven’t changed much from the P90. You still get a traditional, top-mounted mode dial with P, A, S and M shooting modes - perfect for the photographer who wants to take full control - as well as pre-programmed scene modes, Scene Auto Selector, full auto and Sport Continuous modes, plus the new Smart Portrait and Subject Tracking shooting modes. There is also a User (U) setting you can use to quickly retrieve a combination of your most frequently used settings. The shutter release, the zoom lever and the power button are essentially in the same locations as on the P90.

The rear controls are also laid out very similarly to those of the preceding model. There is a well-positioned control wheel in the top-right corner (when viewed from the back), which makes it easy to change the aperture and shutter speed in A and S modes respectively, but there’s still no second dial on the hand-grip which would have made operating Manual mode much easier. The familiar multi-selector with its centred OK button appears identical to the P90, down to the individual functions that are mapped onto the Up, Down, Left and Right buttons. These include the flash and focus modes, the self-timer and exposure compensation, respectively. There is still no shortcut key to ISO speed, which is still only accessible from the menu (as is white balance); a major design flaw in my opinion.

Maximum Zoom Pop-up Flash

The P100’s focus modes include AF, Macro, Infinity and Manual. AF can be centre-spot, user selectable from 99 focus points or camera selectable from 9 points. In Face Priority AF mode, the camera can detect up to 12 human faces and will focus on the one closest to the camera. I have found that regardless of AF area mode, auto-focus speed was satisfactory for still subjects, but too slow for fast-moving ones. There’s a reason why most of the zoo shots in our Samples gallery are static in nature - the AF system of the P100 did not prove fast enough to capture fast action. Manual focusing is also possible, though a bit awkward: you get a rudimentary distance scale on the right-hand side of the screen, and can adjust focus via the Up and Down buttons. The centre of the picture is enlarged to aid you with checking focus, but unfortunately this is achieved by way of interpolation rather than real magnification. The whole process is pretty slow, but can still be a godsend when the auto-focus system starts acting up.

The flash of the Nikon P100 has to be popped up manually, using the button on the side of the mock pentaprism housing. You can set the flash mode to auto, auto with red-eye reduction, fill, slow sync and rear-curtain sync via the Up button on the multi-controller, but only when the flash is raised. As there is no hot-shoe or sync terminal on the Nikon Coolpix P100, and it does not offer wireless TTL flash control either, the only way to sync up an external flashgun with the camera is to optically slave it to the built-in unit.

One of the P100’s novelties versus the P90 is its ability to shoot full-resolution stills at up to 10 frames per second (fps). Accessible via the menu, this fast burst mode is called Continuous H. Alas, the camera cannot keep up this speed for long, as the buffer fills up after six shots. In other words, you can only shoot for a bit more than half a second in Continuous H mode. Thankfully, there still remains a slower burst mode, called Continuous L, in which the frame rate drops to 2.8fps, but you can capture up to 200 full-resolution photos at the Normal quality setting. This is still 2x faster than the P90’s pedestrian 1.4fps burst mode. Note that you cannot use the flash in any of the continuous shooting modes.

The other area where the Nikon Coolpix P100 represents a major improvement over its predecessor is its movie mode. Where the P90 had a disappointing 640×480-pixel VGA video mode, the P100 can shoot Full HD (1920×1080-pixel) movies at 30 frames per second, with stereo sound and optical zoom. Nikon’s smart designers put the stereo microphone on the top of the camera right behind the flash. A Wind Noise Reduction function is available in the Movie menu. Serving to minimise the noise of wind blowing on the microphone, it is recommended to be turned on in strong wind only, as it may also make other sounds difficult to hear. Sensor-shift VR is not available during movie recording, but you may opt to turn on electronic image stabilisation.

Memory Card Slot Battery Compartment

Recording movie clips is very easy on the Nikon P100. The new model has got an all-new Movie Record button, which is in fact the only new button versus the P90. By pressing this button, you can start recording a clip no matter what shooting mode you are in. You can use the optical zoom while filming, and full-time AF is also available. In use, I have found that zooming in or out sometimes caused the image to go temporarily out of focus, but the AF system usually adjusted itself very quickly in these cases. Maximum clip length is limited to 29 minutes.

The P100 is also capable of high-speed (HS) movie recording, albeit not at Full HD resolution. QVGA videos can be shot at 240fps, VGA movies at 120fps, and HD (720p) clips at 60fps. When these videos are played back at 30fps, they become slow-motion movies. The maximum recording time per clip is limited to 10 seconds in the HS video modes. Sound is not recorded and no form of VR is available. Given the high frame rates, these videos require fast shutter speeds, which effectively means that you need very bright conditions, especially when shooting at 240 frames per second. There is an ingenious movie mode switch around the Movie Record button that toggles between HD and HS movie recording. An elegant and simple solution, although the parameters have to be set via the menu.

As already noted, the Nikon Coolpix P100 runs on a proprietary Lithium-ion battery. The novelty here is that it can - and has to - be charged in-camera, rather than a supplied external charger. You can charge it via a computer or through the included mains adapter - but you can’t take it out of the camera and pop in a fresh spare while the depleted battery is being charged, unless you buy a separately sold external charger as well. Pictures and videos can be stored on SD and SDHC memory cards (SDXC is not supported). There is a small internal memory too, but it will only hold a few photos at full resolution, so you’ll definitely need a memory card.

In use, the Nikon Coolpix P100 proved to be a generally rewarding camera. Superzooms have always had a reputation for having a high “fun factor”, and the P100 is no different. The ability to quickly go from wide angle to ultra-telephoto is something that has to be experienced in order to be fully appreciated. It certainly gives you a kind of freedom you do not feel with any other type of camera. The performance of the Nikon P100 is mostly satisfactory. It starts up in under two seconds and zooms pretty quickly yet accurately for a power zoom. As noted earlier, its AF speed is not the greatest, but you’ll only notice that when trying to capture fast action. We have found the high-speed continuous shooting mode brilliant but sadly limited by a small buffer. The only truly frustrating design flaw is the lack of direct access to ISO speed and white balance. We’d really like to see dedicated buttons for these functions. In Playback mode, the only notable quirk is the inability to magnify into the image from Histogram view - this is something that ought to be easy to address via a firmware upgrade.

Nikon Coolpix P7000 Review

2011-03-12T03:48:00.000-08:00

Introduction

Nikon have been closely competing with Canon in the DSLR arena for many years, but they’ve always come second-best (or worse) in the compact camera market. The new Coolpix P7000 is a clear attempt to redress that balance, with a completely revised design that is aiming for the jugular of the market-leading Canon PowerShot G-series. Read our in-depth Nikon Coolpix P7000 review to find out if it can topple the King from his throne.

The Nikon Coolpix P7000 is the new flagship model in Nikon's extensive range of Coolpix compact digital cameras. The Coolpix P7000 is the successor to the one-year-old P6000, but it offers a new design and extra features that make it a completely different proposition. The 10 megapixel Nikon P7000 features a mechanically-stabilized 7.1x optical zoom with a focal range of 28-200mm and maximum apertures of f/2.8-5.6, built-in neutral density filter, sensitivity range of ISO 100 to 6400, RAW file support, optical viewfinder, external flash hotshoe, PASM shooting modes, 720p HD video recording with stereo sound and a microphone jack, and a 3-inch, 920,000-dot LCD screen. Designed to appeal to the keen enthusiast photographer, the P7000's most obvious competitor is the equally new Canon PowerShot G2, with both cameras looking eerily similar at first glance.

Ease of Use

The Nikon Coolpix P7000 is thicker and heavier than the P6000 model that it replaces, now more closely resembling the popular Canon Powershot G-series in terms of both dimensions and weight. This means that it no longer fits completely in your palm or a trouser pocket, instead being much more at home stored in a capacious coat pocket or small shoulder bag. Still, given that the P7000 has increased the zoom to 7.1x with a focal range of 28-200mm, more versatile than both the P6000 and the Canon PowerShot G12, we’re willing to forgive Nikon for the increase in size. It also still offers a realistic alternative to lugging around either a ‘super zoom’ bridge camera or actual DSLR without having to compromise on features or handling. As with its predecessor, the P7000 feels at once solidly constructed yet at the same time reasonably lightweight, with a magnesium alloy chassis and similarly high levels of build quality that you find on the company’s DSLR range.

The front of the Nikon Coolpix P7000 features the aforementioned 7x zoom lens surrounded by a metal ring that can be unscrewed to allow for supplementary Nikon attachments such as wide angle or telephoto converters. The 200mm maximum telephoto setting is a key difference between the P7000 and the G12, bringing candid and detail shots within reach, while the 28mm wide-angle setting makes it easy to shoot subjects like buildings in narrow streets or a group of your friends in a confined space. The maximum apertures of f/2.8 at 28mm and f/5.6 at 200mm are also perfectly respectable and in keeping with the serious nature of the camera.

The P7000 has a couple of innovative optical features. It’s equipped with a built-in neutral density (ND) filter, the first Coolpix model to offer this feature, which provides a three-stop decrease in the shutter speed, enabling you to use a slower shutter speed in bright surroundings and achieve exactly the creative effect that you want. The P7000 also offers a number of set focal lengths - 28, 35, 50, 85, 105, 135 and 200mm - with the new Zoom Memory function quickly switching to one of them, mimicking having a bag full of prime lenses.

Front Rear

Nikon have also included their VR (Vibration Reduction) image stabilisation system to help prevent camera-shake, an increasingly de-facto feature on a lot of high-end compact cameras. Annoyingly there isn’t a dedicated button to turn it on and off (it’s somewhat buried in the Setup menu). In practice I found that the VR system makes a noticeable difference to the sharpness of the images, as shown in the examples on the Image Quality page. You don’t notice that the camera is actually doing anything different when anti-shake is turned on, just that you can use slower shutter speeds than normal and still take sharp photos. It didn’t seem to adversely affect the battery life either, so I’d advise you to turn it on and then forget about it.

When the Nikon P6000 was first announced, it’s NRW RAW format implementation caused quite a stir. Nikon teamed up with Microsoft to use the Windows Imaging Component (WIC) codec in Windows Vista (also available for Windows XP SP2 via .NET). The key benefit of this approach was to allow the operating system to decode the RAW files, rather than third-party software, but obviously this opened Nikon up to charges of ignoring MAC users and generally being in cahoots with Microsoft. Now Nikon have introduced an enhanced version of the NRW file format, NRW+, which as you’d expect isn’t yet supported by the third-party software vendors. You’ll need to use the supplied ViewNX 2 software or buy Nikon's Capture NX2 to edit the P7000's RAW files on a computer (thankfully both are now MAC compatible).

Which sadly can’t also be said about the negative effect that using RAW has on the P7000's responsiveness. Maximum resolution JPEGS are stored in a couple of seconds, but RAW format is a different story entirely, essentially locking up the camera for around 5 seconds until the file is written to memory. If you then quickly take a second shot, the write time gets even longer. This is frankly unacceptable on a prosumer camera, and severely limits the type of photography that you can attempt when shooting RAW files - I’d go so far to say that it may put you off shooting RAW altogether. Continuous shooting is also one of the P7000's weak points. It can only capture 1 frame per second when shooting Fine sized JPEGs, albeit for up to as many images as the memory card can hold. If you select the RAW file format, the camera shoots at 1 fps for up to 5 frames, and then takes around 15 seconds to write them to the memory card.

Bottom left of the lens is the new Fn button, just one of the ways in which the P7000 can be customised to suit your shooting style. One of six different settings can be mapped to this button - RAW, ISO, White Balance, Picture Control, D-Lighting and Metering - which therefore provides one-touch access to some of the more commonly used functions. Bottom-right of the lens is a small button for releasing the metal lens ring. Top-left are two single bulbs, one that doubles as a self timer plus AF assist lamp, and another that acts as an infra red receiver for use with the optional ML-L3 remote control.

Front

Directly above the lens is the glass window for the optical viewfinder, something of a rarity on modern cameras. The viewfinder itself is small (just 80% scene coverage) and rather murky, and peer through it and you can spot visible barrel distortion at the lens’ maximum wide angle setting, which appears slightly less pronounced on the LCD alternative. Some users may welcome the inclusion of the optical viewfinder, but I only really used it on the rare occasions that it was just too bright to see the LCD screen clearly. Directly right of this is the small built-in flash, which pops-up above the lens and therefore provides more clearance and less chance of unwanted red-eye in your photos. Completing the front of the P7000 is the hand-grip, which although not as big or as well-designed as the P6000's is nevertheless still nice to use, with a new rubberised coating and just enough room for three fingers.

Moving to the top of the P7000, Nikon's design team has implemented an initially complex but quickly second-nature system of not one, not two, but three circular dials. Starting on the left when viewed from behind, the first dial provides quick access to six commonly used functions - Quality, ISO, White Balance, Bracketing (including exposure, ISO sensitivity, and white balance), My Menu (which effectively allows you to register your favourite menu options and then quickly access them) and Intelligent Exposure. Simply set the dial to your desired option and press the small button in the middle to change it. To the right of this dial is a hot shoe for an optional Nikon Speedlight flashgun, expanding the P7000‘s flash capabilities. We found that the built-in flash unit was fine for a bit of fill-in, with respectably quick recycle times and adequate range.

The large shooting mode dial is again similar to what you’d find on a consumer-level DSLR. Ranged around this we find the usual suspects of Auto, Program Auto, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority and Manual, plus Movie mode, and Scene modes. There is also a Low Light mode which boost the ISO sensitivity up to 12,800, albeit with a reduction in image size to 3 megapixels. Completing the mode dial are three User settings which essentially allow you to configure the camera in different ways and then access those key settings with a simple turn of the dial. The action of the wheel itself is slightly stiff, meaning that you reach each chosen setting with a definite click and avoid accidentally shooting past the one that you wanted.

The P7000 has a springy shutter button with a definite halfway point, with the camera taking a brief moment to determine focus and exposure but with no discernable shutter delay thereafter. This is surrounded by a pleasingly tactile zoom lever. The zoom is pretty quick to respond, sound-tracked by a mechanical gnat-like buzz. Just behind the shutter release button is a small but clearly marked on/off button which is encircled by a green LED which briefly lights up to signify the power is indeed on. Give it a press and the P7000 powers up in around one second, the lens barrel extending to maximum wide-angle setting and the rear LCD blinking into life. There’s also a teeny but bright green adjacent lamp which provides a visual indication when the camera is busy processing files.

ISO Menu Top

The small and rather inconspicuous AV TV button is actually a neat addition. It toggles the thumb-operated control dial and the circular wheel which surrounds the navigation pad between their defaults of setting the aperture and shutter speed respectively when in the A, S or Manual shooting modes. Next to this and completing the P7000's top-plate is another clever new feature, a dedicated dial for setting exposure compensation - if only it was this easy to change on all cameras.

The rear of the P7000 has a button for popping up the built-in flash, a small window for the aforementioned optical viewfinder up top and dead centre with a very welcome diopter adjustment control alongside it, and teeny flash and auto focus lamps. Below is a 3-inch LCD screen with an impressively high 921,000-dot resolution, a marked improvement on the P6000's screen and providing more than enough detail for you to be able to determine whether you have a sufficiently crisp image. You can also turn on the new Virtual Horizon feature to help ensure that your horizons are perfectly level.

An unmarked control dial is positioned top-right of the LCD screen. Immediately lending the camera a proper ‘grown up’ feel, this falls readily under the thumb, and allows you to quickly set the aperture or shutter speed, or browse through a sequence of images in playback, amongst other functions. This dial provides a neat solution that is great to use, especially if you are a regular DSLR user. Another DSLR-like feature is the new AE-L / AF-L button which makes it easy to lock either the exposure of the focus point.

Underneath is the button for controlling the screen display – either displaying all settings, providing a ‘clean’ screen or switching it off entirely, but irritatingly still no live histogram (although this button does call one up in playback mode) - and the self-explanatory playback button. Next is the familiar four-way navigation pad, which allows you to set the flash, focusing, macro and self-timer options, in addition to moving through menus and selecting options, with an ‘OK’ button at its centre being the means via which changes can be implemented. Surrounding this is a circular wheel, a feature that has been “inspired”, shall we say, by some of Nikon's main rivals. As previously mentioned, this is principally used to set the aperture or shutter speed. forming an intuitive partnership with the rear control dial, as well as performing the more mundane tasks of moving through menus and selecting options.

Memory Card Slot Battery Compartment

The familiar Menu button accesses the usual Nikon menu system, which is clear and easy to navigate. Press this when in Auto capture mode and there’s just two menus, Playback and Settings. Turn the dial to Program or one of the advanced shooting modes and press again and you also get the Shooting menu, which offers 13 different additional settings.

The Picture Control option allows you to tweak the look and feel of your images, with 4 presets and a Custom option on offer. The contrast, saturation and sharpening level of each preset can be individually adjusted too, so you should be able to find a setting that suits you. Distortion control automatically corrects barrel distortion, useful for all those 28mm shots of close-up architecture with converging verticals, but it does have to be turned on before you take a picture. D-Lighting is a long-standing Nikon technology that brightens the shadow areas of an image, with three different strengths available.

In playback mode, pressing the same menu button affords access to rudimentary image editing, including Nikon's exposure adjusting D-Lighting function, Skin Softening and Miniature Effect, image slide shows, plus the ability process a RAW file in-camera if required. The new Tone Level function displays a brightness histogram in an unusual vertical orientation, to the right of which is a tone scale. You can move up and down the nine levels and as you do so, the current tone range is displayed as a flashing area in the main image, allowing for more precise verification of the exposure. A button to the right features the familiar trashcan icon for deleting images on the fly and completes the rear of the P7000.

On the right flank of the camera – if still viewing it from the rear – there’s an eyelet for attaching the supplied shoulder strap and a plastic cover protecting the A/V out / USB and HDMI ports. On the left hand flank is an identical means of threading on the strap, plus the new MIC port which accepts an optional external microphone. The built in speaker is on the bottom of the camera, alongside the centrally positioned, metal tripod mount. The P7000 is powered by a 7.4v lithium ion battery, good for around 350 shots that slots into the base alongside the SD / SDHC / SDXC card slot.

Nikon Coolpix P500 and P300

2011-03-12T03:15:00.000-08:00

The Nikon Coolpix P500 and P300 are two new high-end compact cameras. The P300 is a brand new model for the P-series, aimed at those who are passionate about photography and want to use the full capacity of a superior compact camera. The specially crafted NIKKOR lens offers a fast f/1.8 aperture, starts at an ultra-wide 24mm and has 4.2x zoom. The P300 also has a 12.2 megapixel back illuminated CMOS image sensor, 3 inch monitor and Full 1080p HD movies. The P500 replaces the highly-acclaimed P100 advanced bridge camera, and packs in an even more impressive 36x zoom range, tiltable high resolution 921K dot LCD monitor and Full 1080p HD movie recording.

We’ve got an exclusive hands-on photo gallery of the Nikon Coolpix P500 and P300 - click “Read the story” to see it.

Nikon

, 9 Feb 2011 - Nikon today strengthens its COOLPIX Performance range with two new models that raise the bar for high functionality in a compact body. The COOLPIX P300 is a brand new model for the P-series, aimed at those who are passionate about photography and want to use the full capacity of a superior compact camera. The COOLPIX P500 replaces the highly-acclaimed P100 advanced bridge camera, and packs in an even more impressive zoom range.

To ensure sharp shooting in any situation, both cameras feature a highly sensitive back illuminated CMOS image sensor, so that even in low light or extremely bright conditions, shots are recreated exactly as you experienced them.

Sander van Velzen, Product Manager for Consumer Products at Nikon Europe comments: “Discerning photography enthusiasts will love the new P300: not only does it look good, but the newly-developed super bright f/1.8, 24mm wide angle zoom lens produces stunning, true-to-life images with outstanding resolution and detail. Meanwhile, the P500 has a versatility that fans of its predecessor will recognize, but offers an even bigger range, with 36x zoom from 22.5mm ultra wide-angle to 810mm super-telephoto coverage.”

For complete creative control – the COOLPIX P300

Ensuring excellent image quality and user experience, the COOLPIX P300 is a powerful compact with an incredibly bright lens that delivers beautiful results, particularly when shooting at night or in challenging lighting conditions. The specially crafted NIKKOR lens offers a fast f/1.8 aperture, starts at an ultra-wide 24mm and has 4.2x zoom. It also employs Nikon’s High Refractive lndex glass to deliver sharp images with high contrast.

The COOLPIX P300 helps unleash the user’s photographic potential, with full manual controls offering four exposure modes: Programmed Auto (P), Shutter-priority (S), Aperture-priority (A) and Manual (M). Combined with a highly sensitive 12.2 megapixel back illuminated CMOS image sensor, this camera offers the creative freedom to capture scenes just as you see them, whether in bright daylight or atmospheric dimness.

Also ensuring that you get the shot you want is the camera’s high-speed continuous shooting function. Users can take up to 7 continuous shots at eight frames per second; perfect for capturing moving objects or creating a montage.

When you want to capture more than one moment, simply switch to Full (1080p) HD movie recording with stereo sound. Optical zoom and autofocus are available during recording and you can capture a photo while still filming. The P300 can film in slow or fast motion using recording speeds of up to 120fps (VGA), giving even more creative freedom.

Images and movies can be reviewed on the large 7.5 cm (3 in.) 921k-dot LCD monitor which offers vivid colour reproduction and sharp contrast. Boasting Nikon’s Clear Color Display technology, it reduces power consumption and minimizes reflections, even in bright sunlight.

The COOLPIX P300 will be available in black.

High-power zoom that has it covered – the COOLPIX P500

A superb performer with incredible range, the compact COOLPIX P500 boasts an astounding 36x zoom, a tiltable high resolution 921K dot LCD monitor and Full (1080p) HD movie recording. Whether capturing a sweeping vista or getting up close to wildlife, the camera’s ultra 22.5mm wide-angle to 810mm super-telephoto coverage will make sure you get the shot you want.

Perfect for capturing distant objects and bringing them closer, such as in sports or wildlife photography, the 36x superzoom offers impressive capabilities. A unique side control lever also enables smooth, steady zooming throughout the long zoom range when shooting photos or movies.

Anti-blur technology within the camera counters blurred images in seven key ways:

• Hybrid VR (Sensor-shift and Electronic Vibration Reduction) reduces the effect of camera shake and can be set simultaneously for additional protection

• High ISO (up to 3200) light sensitivity reduces the risk of blurred images with fast-moving subjects or in low-light

• Motion detection compensates for camera and subject movement

• Best Shot Selector (BSS) automatically selects the sharpest of up to 10 sequential shots

• Night Portrait Mode combines images with varying exposure to counter blur

• Night Landscape mode lets you shoot sharp images at low ISO

• HDR backlight mode offers impressive tonal detail in any situation

When filming in Full (1080p) HD with stereo sound, not only are the optical zoom and autofocus functions available, but you can also capture a photo at any time. Giving even more options, the COOLPIX P500 can film in slow or fast motion using recording speeds of up to 240fps (QVGA). What’s more, a built-in HDMI connector with HDMI-CEC support enables you to link the P500 directly to an HD-enabled TV, and view your photos and films with family and friends.

The tiltable LCD monitor will help you discover your creative side, making it easy to take shots from above or below and immortalize scenes that are just are you remember them. Advanced exposure modes also allow control over key settings and a dedicated continuous shooting button allows quick switching from single-frame to continuous shooting.

ViewNX 2

EXPEED C2

COOLPIX P300- Specifications

Effective pixels 12.2 million pixels

Image sensor Type: 1/2.3-in. type CMOS with active cell array; Color filter array: RGB filter; Total pixels:Approx. 12.75 million pixels; Recording pixels: Approx. 12.00 million pixels (4000 x 3000)

Lens NIKKOR lens with 4.2x optical zoom; Focal length: 4.3-17.9 mm; Aperture: f/1.8-4.9; Lens construction: 7 elements in 6 groups

Focus range (from lens) Normal shooting: approx. 30 cm (1 ft.) to infinity (at wide angle setting), approx. 60 cm (2 ft.) to infinity (at telephoto setting); Macro close-up mode: approx. 3 cm (1.2 in.) to infinity (at wide-angle setting), approx. 30 cm (1 ft.) to infinity (at telephoto setting)

Monitor Size: 7.5 cm (3-in.); Number of dots: Approx. 921k-dot; Type: TFT LCD monitor; (Acrylic) cover: Anti-reflection coating, antifouling and water-repellent coating

Storage media Internal memory (approx. 90 MB), SD/SDHC/SDXC memory card*2 (exFAT compatible, UHS not compatible)

Vibration Reduction (VR) Lens shift vibration reduction (still image and movies)

ISO sensitivity ISO 160, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200 (4000 x 3000), Auto (ISO 160 to 1600), Fixed range auto (ISO 160 to 400, 160 to 800)

Interface Hi-Speed USB/PictBridge

Power Sources Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL12 (1050 mAh), AC Adapter EH-62F (option)

Battery life Approx. 240 shots with EN-EL12 battery

Dimensions (WxHxD) Approx. 103.0 x 58.3 x 32.0 mm/4.0 x 2.3 x 1.3 in. (excluding projections)

Weight Approx. 190 g/6.7 oz. (including battery and SD memory card)

Movie HD 1080p: 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), HD 720p: 1280 x 720 (30 fps), VGA: 640 x 480 (30 fps); HS movie 15/60/120 fps, no sound)

Supplied accessories Camera Strap AN-CP19, Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL12, Charging AC Adapter EH-69P [NEW], USB Cable UC-E6, Audio Video Cable EG-CP16 and ViewNX 2 CD-ROM

Optional accessories Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL12, Charging AC Adapter EH-69P [NEW], USB Cable UC-E6, AC Adaptor EH-62F, Battery Charger MH-65 and Audio Video Cable EG-CP16

COOLPIX P500- Specifications

Effective pixels 12.1 million pixels

Image sensor Type: 1/2.3-in. type CMOS with active cell array; Color filter array: RGB filter; Total pixels:Approx. 12.75 million pixels; Recording pixels: Approx. 12.00 million pixels (4000 x 3000)

Lens Optical 36x zoom, NIKKOR lens; Focal length: 4.0-144mm (35mm [135] format equivalent to 22.5-810 mm); Aperture: f/3.4-5.7; Lens construction: 14 elements in 9 groups (one ED glass element)

Focus range (from lens) Normal shooting: approx. 50 cm (1 ft. 8 in.) to infinity (at wide angle setting), approx. 2.2 m (7 ft. 3 in.) to infinity (at telephoto setting); Macro close-up mode: approx. 1 cm (0.4 in.) to infinity (at closest focus distance), approx. 2.2 m (7 ft. 3 in.) to infinity (at telephoto setting)

Monitor Size: 7.5 cm (3-in.); Number of dots: Approx. 921k-dot; Type: TFT LCD monitor; (Acrylic) cover: Protective acrylic panel with anti-reflection coating on both sides and HD coating (no air-gapless structure

Storage media Internal memory (approx. 102 MB), SD/SDHC/SDXC memory card

Vibration Reduction (VR) Image-sensor shift type + electronic type (still image); Other blur-reduction functions: Motion Detection (conventional type), BSS (Best Shot Selector)

ISO sensitivity ISO 160, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200 (4000 x 3000) , Auto (ISO 160 to 800), Fixed range auto (ISO 160 to 400)

Interface Hi-Speed USB/PictBridge

Power Sources Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL5 (1100 mAh), AC Adapter EH-62A (option)

Battery life Approx. 220 shots (EN-EL5)

Dimensions (WxHxD) Approx. 115.5 x 83.7 x 102.5 mm/4.6 x 3.3 x 4.1 in. (excluding projections)

Weight Approx. 494 g (1 lb. 1.5 oz) (including battery and SD memory card)

Movie HD 1080p: 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), HD 720p: 1280 x 720 (30 fps), iFrame 540: 960 x 540 (30 fps), VGA: 640 x 480 (30 fps); HS movie: (15/60/120/240 fps; no sound)

Supplied accessories Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL5, Charging AC Adapter EH-69, USB Cable UC-E6, Audio Video Cable EG-CP16, Camera Strap AN-CP21, Lens Cap LC-CP23 and ViewNX 2 CD-ROM

Optional accessories Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL5, Charging AC Adapter EH-69, Battery Charger MH-61, AC Adapter EH-62A, USB Cable UC-E6, Audio Video Cable EG-CP16 and Lens Cap LC-CP23

About Nikon

Founded in Japan in 1917, Nikon has grown to become the world leader in digital and precision optics technology with a strong presence in all four corners of the world.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1 Review

2011-03-12T02:41:00.000-08:00

Introduction

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1 is a super-zoom camera with some rather unique features up its proverbial sleeve. These include a 20x zoom lens and 9 megapixel CMOS sensor, both of which utilise Sony’s DSLR technology, 3 inch tiltable LCD screen, and fast 10fps burst shooting mode.

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1 is an innovative super-zoom compact camera, offering a 20x optical zoom range (28-560mm) and a G branded lens that was originally developed for the Sony Alpha DSLR family. The 9 megapixel Sony HX1 features a new Sony-developed Exmor CMOS sensor which promises to deliver outstanding images with reduced noise, and the powerful BIONZ image processor supports full-resolution shooting at a remarkable 10 frames per second. Other standout highlights include 1080/30p HD movies, a 3.0 inch tilt-angle LCD screen, and a new Sweep Panorama mode which captures extra-wide landscapes easily and quickly.

Ease of Use

With its numerous new and intriguing features, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1 was one of the surprise announcements of 2009. If we consider it a successor to the H50 of yesteryear, then we can argue that Sony is showing a rare example of megapixel restraint here; as the new model has the exact same resolution as its immediate forebear. Instead of upping the pixel count, Sony decided to endow the HX1 with a new lens, faster electronics and some truly unique features - and this was more than enough for the camera to make the headlines. No wonder we were eager to get our hands on a production model for a review!

A camera with a 20x zoom will never be shirt pocketable, but the Sony HX1 is actually quite compact and lightweight; definitely smaller and lighter than most DSLRs with a typical 3x kit zoom. Interestingly, this does not really affect handling in a negative way. While people with large hands will find that the little finger of their right hand has a more comfortable place underneath the camera than on the right-hand grip; most users will find the grip quite nice actually. It is ergonomically sculpted and the textured finish provides great purchase for your fingers.

Arguably the most remarkable part of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1 is the lens. As mentioned earlier, this is a 20x zoom that spans focal lengths ranging from 5mm to 100mm (28-560mm in old money). While there are a couple of competitors sporting an even more impressive range, this is still nothing to sneeze at - and Sony are even offering a 1.7x add-on teleconverter as an optional accessory; for those who would like to push the telephoto end to an almost incredible 952mm equivalent. The maximum aperture is a fast f/2.8 at the wide end and a more modest, yet perfectly acceptable f/5.2 at the other extreme of the zoom range. The zoom is of course stepped, but feels surprisingly smooth in action. It is quite fast too, especially for the huge focal range it spans.

The lens proudly bears the G designation, originally introduced by Minolta to distinguish their most prestigious lenses from the rest of the pack. Fortunately, it has lived up to our expectations - you can read more about this in the Image Quality section. Putting such a huge zoom on a camera that is intended chiefly for hand-held use would of course be nearly pointless without image stabilisation - thankfully, the feature is on board, under the brand name Optical SteadyShot. From the main shooting menu, you can specify if you want it to be always on or to kick in only when you are actually taking a picture. In the former case, you get a stabilised live image that helps with your composition, while in the latter, you theoretically get more effective stabilisation and definitely less battery drain. The Optical SteadyShot feature can also be switched off completely, for tripod work.

Above the lens is a bulge that resembles a prism hump, although of course there is no pentaprism to be found on the HX1. You can frame your shots using either the rear screen or the electronic viewfinder (EVF). Switching between the two is done by way of a button to the left of the mock prism housing, viewed from the back. I would have preferred Sony to place eye proximity sensors around the viewfinder eyepiece, so that the switch would occur automatically when you lift the camera to your eye, but you can get used to the button too. The EVF itself is crisp and reasonably fluid, but very small. One gets the feeling that this was one of the areas where Sony cut corners in order to keep the price within reasonable limits.

As far as the rear LCD goes, it is a three-inch, 230,400-dot affair that tilts 90 degrees both up- and downward. This makes it more flexible than the one on the A330/A380 DSLRs, which does not tilt that much down, but it’s still not quite as great as the vari-angle design of some competitors. Outdoors visibility is quite good; perhaps not the best we have seen, but definitely a lot better than many other screens.

Front Rear

For its size, the Sony HX1 has quite a lot of external controls. This is most welcome, as these controls provide quick access to the most often used functions. Some ingenious design ideas improve the handling experience further still. The humble-looking thumb wheel is a case in point: depending on shooting mode, it can be used to alter up to three different settings, e.g. shutter speed, aperture and ISO sensitivity. Its ‘secret’ is that you can not only rotate it but also press it inwards, and pressing it is how you go from one parameter to the other. Intuitive it may not be - upon picking up the camera for the first time, I spent quite a few minutes looking for an ISO button or menu item in vain, but once you figure it out, you’ll be blessing the designers for their creativity. (OK, it’s not the first jog dial in the world, but it’s definitely one of the best implementations out there.)

Right above the thumb wheel is the shooting mode dial. At first sight, it looks absolutely conventional, but a closer look reveals a few unique icons. However, let’s start with the more traditional stuff. Experienced photographers will be delighted to hear that the Sony HX1 has all the typical P, A, S and M modes, with the P mode even featuring a Program AE Shift function. Exposure compensation is available in the P, S and A modes via the thumb wheel, and works particularly well in tandem with the optional live histogram you can have superimposed over the live image, irrespective of whether you are using the rear LCD or the EVF. Even your picky reviewer finds it hard to criticise anything here, except for the oddity that the top shutter speed is 1/4000 second in S mode, but only 1/2000 in M.

Those who don’t like to fiddle with shutter speed and aperture but would still like to communicate to the camera what kind of subject they intend to photograph can choose from 10 different scene modes by turning the mode dial to the SCN position and pressing the MENU button. Alternatively you can trust the scene selection to the camera by picking the intelligent Auto mode. There is also an Easy mode, best used when handing the camera over to someone who isn’t familiar with it at all - for in this shooting mode, they can’t alter any settings except for the flash mode and the self timer.

And now for the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1’s novelties. One of these is the Sweep Panorama mode, which lets you capture a panoramic image very easily, without the use of a tripod. All you need to decide is whether you would like to start from left or right, top or bottom. Then press and hold down the shutter release while doing a sweep with the camera in hand. Exposure compensation is available before you start the sweep, but the exposure is of course fixed once you depress the shutter button. After you are done with the sweeping, the camera does all the processing required, and presents you with a finished panoramic image. The catch is that it’s of relatively low resolution: the shorter side is invariably 1080 pixels, whereas the longer side is 4912 pixels for a ‘standard’ panorama, and 7152 pixels for a ‘wide’ one. Note also that if you do the sweeping too slowly, or you let go of the shutter release button too early, the panorama will be truncated.

There are two more shooting modes that are new: Hand-held Twilight and Anti Motion Blur. In both of these modes, the camera takes six shots in a rapid sequence, typically at a high sensitivity setting and a (relatively) fast shutter speed, and then combines them into a single image that has somewhat less noise than a single shot taken at the same ISO and exposure settings. In my experience, the difference between the two modes is that in Anti Motion Blur mode, the camera is more willing to pick a really high ISO setting like ISO 1600 to maintain a fast shutter speed, whereas in Hand-held Twilight mode, it will only go as high as absolutely necessary to avoid camera shake at the chosen focal length. If light levels are truly low, however, the HX1 will pick a high ISO speed even in this mode.

Movie recording is also accessed via the shooting mode dial. The Sony HX1 can capture standard-definition VGA, 1280x720-pixel HD and 1440x1080-pixel HD movies, the last of which comes in two flavours, Standard and Fine, which differ in their bit rates. The frame rate is 30fps in all video modes. Sound is recorded via the stereo microphone sitting on the top of the camera, behind the flash. Note that there is no wind filter. A big plus is that you can use the optical zoom while filming.

Pop-up Flash Top

Like a number of other Sony compacts, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1 reproduces the mode dial on the LCD/EVF while changing modes. This proved to be a great help when shooting in the dark.

In front of the mode dial, there are two buttons for focus mode and drive mode selection. For a digicam, the Sony HX1 has a surprisingly comprehensive set of focus modes. Multi AF is best when shooting a subject against a homogeneous background, such as a bird or an airplane in the sky. Center AF is self-explanatory, while Flexible Spot AF allows you to position the active autofocus point almost anywhere in the frame. Ironically, this is much more straightforward to accomplish on the HX1 than on the Sony A330 DSLR we recently reviewed. Just push the button in the middle of the four-way pad once, and then use the arrow buttons to move the AF point around in the frame.

On top of the autofocus options, there is semi manual and full manual focus available too. In both of these modes, you are presented with a superimposed distance scale, and can use the Left and Right buttons to pick a subject distance. The centre of the frame is magnified in both of these modes to aid you with focusing. The difference between the two modes is that in semi manual mode, you set an approximate distance, and the AF system then tries to focus on something that’s roughly that far away from the camera. Full manual mode is what it says on the tin: focus is set to the distance you specify. The HX1’s approach is less natural than turning a focus ring, but it works. I’d prefer to see more distance markings though.

Pressing the drive mode button brings up a number of options, including single shot, high-, mid- and low-speed continuous and exposure bracketing. Out of these, the high-speed continuous mode is the most remarkable. The camera takes up to 10 full-resolution photos at a frankly astounding 10 frames per second. I had the opportunity to try this feature out at an air show, and the results were spectacular indeed. The fly in the ointment is that once the burst is completed, it takes over fifteen seconds for the camera to clear the buffer, and during this time you cannot take another picture. In the other two continuous shooting modes, the Sony HX1 also takes up to 10 pictures, but at a speed of 5 or 2 frames per second. In bracketing mode, the camera takes 3 shots with different exposures in rapid succession.

There is a customisable button marked with the letter C, which activates the now familiar Smile Shutter by default, but can be reprogrammed to provide quick access to the metering modes or white balance options instead. This is nice, but I would love to see a couple more options, like SteadyShot and DRO settings, both of which are only available via the main shooting menu.

Somewhat surprisingly for a camera in this class, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1 does not feature a hot-shoe, so the only way to sync up an external flash with it is to optically slave it to the built-in unit. Speaking of which, it lacks a mechanical button to simply pop it up. As with the Sony A330 DSLR, you need to go into the Flash menu by way of the Right arrow key, choose the required flash mode and exit the Flash menu. The flash will only pop up when you (half-) press the shutter release. If you don’t want to use it any more, it is not enough to push it back - you need to re-enter the Flash menu and select the Flash Off option. Otherwise it will pop up again the next time you hit the shutter button.

Battery Compartment Memory Card Slot

Once an image is captured, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1 can display it immediately - but you can’t erase it, and the quality is not that great either. In order to properly check focus and / or delete the image, you must enter playback mode via its dedicated button. The image is much crisper and more detailed than in instant postview. As in record mode, you can choose from a variety of display options via the DISP button, including image only, shooting info with or without histogram, at two different brightness levels. As with a number of other Sony compacts we have tested, the post-capture histogram is not always displayed, even when you are in the right display mode. Very often a crossed-out circle will appear where the histogram should be.

One thing I found incomprehensible was that the lens retracts way too soon, just 15 seconds after entering playback mode. This means that if you spend more than 15 seconds reviewing the image you’ve shot, you will have to reset the zoom to its previous position manually when you re-enter record mode.

The images are captured on Memory Stick Duo or Memory Stick PRO Duo cards (there is a 11MB internal memory too, but it only holds two full-res images, so it’s not much to fall back on). The HX1 seems to prefer Sony branded cards - it will take third-party memory cards too, but grudgingly. With a Lexar branded Memory Stick PRO Duo card inserted, the HX1, like the H20 we reviewed earlier, would take every opportunity to display the warning, ‘This Memory Stick may not record or play’, despite the fact that it worked perfectly.

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1 runs on a proprietary Lithium ion battery that bears the Info LITHIUM logo. What this means is the camera can display how much recording time is left in minutes, which I found very handy and much more informative than the usual battery indicator.

The connectors include a DC IN socket and a proprietary port that also serves as an HDMI interface (you’ll need the supplied HDMI adapter and a separately sold HDMI cable though). On the bottom of the camera, there is a standard tripod socket, which is made of metal but is not aligned with the lens’ optical axis. It is too close to the battery/card compartment door, so changing batteries or memory cards is not possible while the camera is on a tripod.

In use, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1 proved to be a fun, flexible and generally snappy camera. Shot-to-shot times averaged barely more than a second in single shot mode, and auto-focus was generally zippy too for this class of camera. However, when dealing with really fast-moving subjects, especially in high-speed continuous mode, it was still better to prefocus, anticipate the action and rely on depth of field than to hope that the AF system would be up to the task.

This rounds off our evaluation of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1’s handling, features and performance; now let us see how it fared in the image quality department.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H55 Review

2011-03-11T06:03:00.000-08:00

Introduction

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H55 is a new compact travel-zoom camera, sporting a 10x, 25-200mm lens and 14 megapixel sensor. A cheaper alternative to the Sony HX5, the H55 model also offers a 3 inch LCD screen, 720p HD movies and Sweep Panorama mode.

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H55 is a new travel-zoom camera, boasting a 10x optical lens with a focal range of 25-250mm and Optical Steady Shot image stabilisation. Other highlights of the Sony H55 a 14.1 megapixel sensor, 3 inch LCD screen, 720p HD video recording, Self portrait timer and Smile Shutter technology, plus Sony’s trademark Sweep Panorama feature that lets you capture panoramic photographs effortlessly. The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H55 is available in black and silver.

Ease of Use

Described as a stylish super zoom with high end features by its manufacturer, we couldn’t, on first impressions, claim to disagree with Sony’s assessment of the Cyber-Shot DSC-H55 digital compact. It marries a high performance 10x optical zoom lens backed up with optical SteadyShot image stabilisation to impressive 14.1-megapixel effective resolution from a Super HAD CCD (as opposed to Exmor R CMOS) plus 720p HD movie recording, yet it still manages to squeeze unobtrusively into a trouser or jacket pocket.

As such this big zoom, small-ish form factor compact (with dimensions of 102.9x57.7x28.9mm) does battle for your pennies with a growing number of rivals. These include Panasonic’s TZ series, Canon’s PowerShot SX210 IS, plus Casio’s Exilim EX-H15 to name a few. There’s no question that a bigger than average zoom affords a greater wealth of compositional opportunities - from landscapes and group shots to candid close ups - and, high pixel count aside, this is the camera’s main lure. With a focal range that stretches from a 35mm-equivalent 25-250mm, the price, surprisingly for a Sony compact. With a more conventional layout than recent Sony snapshots, complete here with top-mounted shooting mode dial, the camera pulls off the usual trick of feeling solidly built whilst relatively lightweight when gripped at 200g with battery and removable media inserted.

Like the more expensive albeit waterproof DSC-TX5 fashion compact we had in to review simultaneously, the H55 features several of Sony’s recent technologies, including the operationally impressive sweep panorama function. This takes a rapid burst of images as the user pans with the camera and automatically stitches them together to provide a single letterbox-format image - so there’s no need for Photoshop expertise post-capture to achieve similar. Face Detection, Smile Shutter - the camera automatically firing when a smile is detected in the frame - and intelligent auto modes also feature, further ensuring point and shoot simplicity. Active SteadyShot image stabilisation can also be deployed when shooting video to enable smoother imagery if filming whilst walking for example. Macro shooting is possible as close as 5cm from your subject.

Seemingly having all operational bases covered, such thoroughness extends to choice of recording media. With the Cyber-shot DSC-H55 Sony is offering users the choice of recording to removable Memory Stick Pro media or the more widely available SD or SDHC cards. Like the TX5 there’s only one slot for both, located within the battery compartment at the camera’s base. The obvious problem here is that the different media are of different physical dimensions, so in practice we found it fiddly to wiggle a Memory Stick into (and out of) the wider SD-shaped slot. Fair enough it works, but parallel slots (as usually offered by digital cameras that boast compatibility with more than just the one card) might have been a more practical solution.

Front Rear

Battery life is good for 310 shots according to official CIPA testing, a performance that is neither great nor bad - in fact it’s respectably average for its class. In practical terms, we took the camera away for a week and a half’s holiday using it every other day and only had to recharge it on our return.

As mentioned at the outset, the faceplate of the metal and plastic build H55 is fairly conventional looking, given a dose of sophistication courtesy of its all-black livery. It is dominated by the large G series Sony 10x optical zoom lens, protected by an automatic cover when not in use. Though it can’t obviously compete with ultra slender 3x or 4x zoom models in terms of portability, helping to keep dimensions as compact as possible the majority of the H55’s lens is also concertinaed within the body when the camera is inactive.

Top left of the lens (if the camera is viewed face on) is a lozenge-shaped window for the built-in flash, and, over at the top right hand side of the lens, a porthole window for built-in self-timer/AF assist lamp. The flash positioning means that it’s all too easy for fingertips to creep in front of it when gripping the camera firmly, a compromise we have to put up with in return for overall compactness. On a more positive note, a slightly rounded edge to the side of the camera welcomingly provides more purchase for the fingers to snake around than slender pocket snapshots. There’s also a thoughtful indentation at the top right edge of the camera back that provides a comfortable resting place for the thumb.

The top plate of the camera continues the impression of a conventional operational ethos, featuring as it does the aforementioned mode wheel set into the top of the grip, an adjacent large and springy shutter release button encircled by lever for operating the zoom - a raised lip falling under the pad of your forefinger - and smaller on/off button. Unlike the other two controls this power button is recessed into the bodywork to help prevent accidental activation when placing into or retrieving the H55 from a pocket.

Front Top

The shooting mode dial meanwhile feels slightly loose; ranged around this are intelligent auto, program, manual exposure, sweep panorama and video shooting modes, joined by dedicated ‘easy’ mode and separate scene mode settings. The 11-strong options presented on the latter feel distinctly weedy in number when compared with the 40+ options on Casio’s also 10x zoom, 14MP EX-H15 rival, but in truth feature all the essentials. So with the Cyber-shot we get pre-optimised High Sensitivity, Soft Snap (defocused background for portraits), Sports, Landscape, Twilight, Twilight Portrait, Gourmet and Pet modes, plus Beach, Snow and Firework options.

Press the on/off button and the camera powers up in just under two seconds, rear 3-inch, 230,400-dot resolution LCD displaying the Cyber-shot logo before revealing the scene/subject before the lens, the optic extending to maximum wideangle setting from its former resting place within the body. As expected there’s no optical viewfinder alternative - the screen itself does all the work. A half press of the shutter release button meanwhile and the H55 determines focus/exposure more or less immediately, central AF point highlighted in green. Go on to take the shot, and maximum resolution JPEGs are committed to memory in 2-3 seconds; another standard showing for a camera of this class.

Examining the back of the camera, to the right of the screen there is a minimal quartet of buttons - all relatively small in size and seemingly needlessly so. Topper-most is an immediately identifiable playback button, with just below it a four-way directional control pad featuring centrally located set button. At 12 o’clock on this dial and moving around it in a clockwise direction are a way of manually adjusting the LCD display from normal (default) brightness to ‘bright’ setting, a further ‘bright plus exposure info’ setting (i.e with a live histogram on screen), plus finally, the brighter setting again but now with all other screen icons turned off. Moving around to three o’clock we have a means of adjusting the flash settings - basically to either on or off if shooting in one of the fully auto modes. Switch to program mode and auto and slow synchro options are added.

At six o’clock on the dial is a means of selecting self-timer options. Here we find the usual two or ten second variations joined by two face detection-linked options - the camera firing two seconds after it detects either one or two faces in the frame, making it suitable for self-portraits. At nine o’clock on the dial is the familiar to the Sony range smile shutter option. As expected the camera responds instantly to all such adjustments and settings, making operation a fluid process.

Memory Card Slot Battery Compartment

Below this four-way control pad is a final pairing of buttons - with a menu control to the left, and an always very useful dedicated delete button to the right to save having to otherwise dip into menu folders. A press of the ‘menu’ button summons up a Canon-like toolbar which graces the left hand side of the H55’s LCD screen. Using the control pad users can tab up or down and select highlighted options with a central press. Its here that, when shooting in Program or Manual mode, users can adjust image size, from the full complement of a 14 megapixels, 4:3 ratio image down to 640x480 pixels in the same ratio, or 11 or two megapixels in 16:9 widescreen format if so desired for reviewing on a flat panel TV or widescreen monitor. Next down the tool bar there is a means of switching from single shot to burst shooting, and next down again, we find a chance to bracket for both exposure and - separately - white balance.

Fittingly then, the next item on the LCD’s tool bar allows adjustment of exposure compensation (-/+ 2EV), then ISO (ISO80 through ISO800), white balance, focus (multi area, central or spot AF), and metering (multi zone, centre weighted or spot again). Subsequent toolbar options let the user govern the camera’s sensitivity to detecting a smile - firing the shutter only on a slight, normal or big smile for instance. Face detection and dynamic range optimizer also get their own toolbar settings - the latter allowing the user to either turn off the shadow detail/exposure enhancing feature, again set it to ‘standard’ optimisation or maximum DRO Plus setting. At the very end of all these toolbar options there appears a toolbox icon denoting the camera’s set up folder.

Here, as on the TX5 snapshot we examined at the same time as the H55, the user has access to four further sub folders governing further shooting settings, main settings, media card and clock settings. It’s amongst the former settings that photographers can turn red eye reduction on when shooting with flash, activate the AF illuminator (or turn it off) plus summon up compositional grid lines. Basically providing the degree of control you’d expect from a camera of this ilk.

While that’s it for the camera back, the right hand flank of the camera if examined from the rear provides a lug for attaching the wrist strap included in the box, while the opposing side is free of any controls whatsoever. The base of the H55 meanwhile features an unprotected slot for the attachment of the composite AV/USB cable provided, and, over to one side and just left of the lens (rather than directly below) a screw thread for attaching a tripod. At the other side of the camera base are a slide open, spring-loaded catch protecting combined battery and media card compartment. Though this can be easily slid open with the thumb it doesn’t feel like it might just pop open unexpectedly.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX1 Review

2011-03-11T05:13:00.000-08:00

Introduction

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX1 is a small, stylish and svelte pocket camera with a twist - it delivers excellent image quality in almost any situation. With Sony’s new Exmor-R sensor at its heart, the TX1 takes great pictures in all lighting conditions, and thanks to its amazing 10fps burst mode, it can keep up with the action too. Other key features include touch-sensitive operation via the 3 inch LCD screen, innovative Sweep Panorama mode, a 4x zoom lens and ISO range of 100-3200. We find out if the Sony TX1 strikes the right balance between form and function in our latest expert review.

The Cyber-shot DSC-TX1 is the latest addition to Sony’s range of slim and stylish ultra-compact digital cameras. The TX1 isn’t just another incremental update, though, because it features the new 10 megapixel “Exmor R” back-illuminated CMOS image sensor. This new technology promises to greatly improve low-light performance, resulting in cleaner images with less noise. Featuring a metal body, sliding front plate and folded lens optics, the Sony TX1 measures just 14.1mm thick whilst offering a 35-140mm equivalent 4x zoom lens, 3-inch touch-sensitive rear screen, Super SteadyShot optical image stabilisation, face and smile detection technology, ISO 3200 and intelligent scene recognition. The Sony TX1 also boasts continuous burst shooting up to 10 frames per second at full resolution, Sweep Panorama mode for extra-wide landscapes, and 1280x720 pixel 720p HD movie recording with stereo sound and HDMI output. Available in silver, grey, pink and blue.

Ease of Use

Like both of those earlier models, the TX1 features a sliding faceplate that covers and protects the lens when not in use, and also acts as another means of activating the camera when it’s slid open. The TX1 is minimalist and slender, measuring a mere 14.1mm at its narrowest point, with a large 3-inch, widescreen ratio 230k-dot resolution LCD screen at the rear.

As you’d expect with a screen of that size on a compact, the TX1 has no optical viewfinder to fall back on. In fact the only physical controls the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX1 possesses are a rectangular playback button situated top right of the LCD, plus a top-mounted on/off switch recessed into a mirrored strip. Alongside this is a second larger rectangular button for the shutter release and a small rocker switch for gliding through the 35-140mm equivalent focal range provided by the internal non-extending lens.

The mostly metal TX1 feels rock-solid sturdy yet lightweight at just 142g with the supplied NP-BG1 battery inserted. Providing the only actual means of gripping the camera are a narrow ‘bezel’ around the screen, with a couple of raised ridges and eyelet for attaching a wrist strap over to its right hand side. As well as inevitably festooning the screen itself with fingers and thumbprints (that only show up when it’s switched off), the polished front plate also attracts smears. So you’ll be wiping this camera clean almost as often as you’ll be taking pictures with it. Commendably both the body and screen do seem resistant to scratches, although it’s a good idea to invest in some kind of protective cover.

The lack of physical substance also suggests the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX1 will be prone to camera shake. So Sony has fitted a dual image stabilisation mechanism in the shape of both optical SteadyShot and an ISO range that extends up to ISO 3200. If not quite class leading, it’s better than you’ll find on an average point and shoot. As with its recent predecessors, present and correct on the TX1 is the increasingly ubiquitous ability to shoot High Definition video clips at a maximum 1280x720 pixels video at 30fps, here in PC friendly MPEG-4 format with use of the optical zoom and the ability to fire off a snap in the middle of filming. There’s also a direct HDMI output from the camera, useful for playing back the 60 minutes of footage that can be stored on a 4GB Memory Stick (Duo or Pro variety), although sadly there’s no HDMI cable supplied in the box.

Sony has included intelligent auto scene recognition in its line-up of shooting modes, accessed via the left-hand onscreen toolbar, and working in virtually identical fashion to the intelligent auto modes of Panasonic’s and Canon’s compact ranges. The user points the TX1 at a scene or subject and the camera analyses it and automatically chooses one of 11 pre-optimised settings to best suit. Adding to its snapshot simplicity, this feature joins enhanced face recognition and smile shutter functionality on board, the former mode biasing human faces in the frame and the latter mode firing the shutter when it detects a smiling subject.

Front Rear

With the camera looking fashionably understated when inactive, press the teeny, recessed power button on the top plate or slide open the faceplate to reveal the lens and, like its forebears, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX1 readies itself for action in a just over a second. The rear LCD bursts into life sound tracked by a musical flourish (which thankfully can be turned off). The adequately sized shutter release button has a definite halfway point, determining focus and exposure with a bleep of affirmation, focus points highlighted in green on the LCD. Go on to take the shot and maximum 10 megapixel resolution JPEG images are committed to memory in a single second, the screen momentarily blanking out and then displaying the captured image before the user can go on to take a second shot.

In revealing the lens, also exposed is the TX1’s built-in microphone, plus a small and narrow window for flash and a porthole for the self-timer/AF illuminator. As we’ve found in the past, with the lens situated to the far top-right of the camera’s front, when holding it steady with both hands, it’s all too easy for the ends of fingertips to dip forward and therefore into shot. However, once thus ‘bitten’ you quickly learn to subsequently avoid it.

Talking of fingertips, to the right of the shutter release button, if viewed from the back, is a small rocker switch for operating the zoom and alternating between wideangle and telephoto, the raised lip of which is only just large enough to connect with the pad of your digit. The action of the zoom itself is leisurely smooth rather than rapid, gliding unhindered through the focal range in a single, steady motion.

With the TX1’s degree of design minimalism meaning that is it for the front and top of the camera, moving to the rear of the TX1, we find a single playback button top right of the screen. Other than that single physical control, every other operation takes place in the virtual realm, the central portion of the screen displaying the image in 4:3 ratio on its default setting, while two menu bars with white text or icons on an all-black background frame it on either side, in effect cropping the screen’s full 16:9 ratio.

The screen on the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX1 is responsive without being overly sensitive and, with use, we didn’t find ourselves accidentally selecting the setting next to the one we intended as often as we initially thought we might. Touch-screen operation is either love it or hate it. Luckily the buttons and icons on the Cyber-shot TX1 are just large enough for finger operation (with an alternative plastic stylus provided in the box that clips onto the wrist strap). That said the busy array of options around the screen - especially in Program mode - can be rather distracting, although thankfully easily toggled on and off.

Touch-screen

The icon at the top of the left-hand bar, in regular stills capture mode, is the means of accessing the TX1’s Menu with a finger or stylus jab. Press this lightly and the user is instantly provided with some of the camera’s main functions - shooting mode, image size, macro mode, EV, ISO, white balance, Focus mode, Metering Mode and others - plus an icon top-right to access the 4 Settings menus. The latter includes the ability to deactivate the camera’s ‘bleep’ that otherwise sounds at every button press.

Back to the left-hand bar, and below the Menu button we firstly find a self-explanatory smile detection icon, a second for turning flash on or off plus a forced on and slow synchro setting, a third providing access to the various self-timer choices, and a fourth for the burst shooting modes. On the right-hand side are two interactive icons, the all-important Mode button which provides access to the optimized scene settings, along with intelligent auto, program, sweep panorama, anti motion blur, hand-held twilight, plus shooting video. The movie mode has its very own underwater shooting mode and the choice of 1280x720 (Fine or Standard) or lower VGA quality clips, plus the ability to change the EV level and curiously self-timer options.

The Sweep Panorama mode lets you capture a panoramic image very easily without the use of a tripod. All you need to decide is whether you would like to start from left or right, top or bottom. Then press and hold down the shutter release while doing a "sweep" with the camera in hand. Exposure compensation is available before you start the sweep, but the exposure is fixed once you depress the shutter button. After you are done with the sweeping, the camera does all the processing required, and presents you with a finished panoramic image. The catch is that it’s of relatively low resolution: the shorter side is invariably 1080 pixels, whereas the longer side is 4912 pixels for a ‘standard’ panorama, and 7152 pixels for a ‘wide’ one. Note also that if you do the sweeping too slowly, or you let go of the shutter release button too early, the panorama will be truncated.

There are two more shooting modes that are new to the Sony T-series - Hand-held Twilight and Anti Motion Blur. In both of these modes, the camera takes six shots in a rapid sequence, typically at a high sensitivity setting and a (relatively) fast shutter speed, and then combines them into a single image that has somewhat less noise than a single shot taken at the same ISO and exposure settings. In my experience, the difference between the two modes is that in Anti Motion Blur mode, the camera is more willing to pick a really high ISO setting like ISO 1600 to maintain a fast shutter speed, whereas in Hand-held Twilight mode, it will only go as high as absolutely necessary to avoid camera shake at the chosen focal length. If light levels are truly low, however, the TX1 will pick a high ISO speed even in this mode.

Front Battery Compartment

Pressing the drive mode icon brings up a number of options, including single shot, high-, mid- and low-speed continuous options. Out of these, the high-speed continuous mode is the most remarkable. The TX1 takes up to 10 full-resolution photos at a frankly astounding 10 frames per second, which is faster than most compact cameras and indeed most DSLRs too. The only fly in the ointment is that once the burst is completed, it takes over fifteen seconds for the camera to clear the buffer, during which you cannot take another picture. In the other two continuous shooting modes, the Sony TX1 also takes up to 10 pictures, but at slower speeds of 5 or 2 frames per second.

The default ‘normal’ display, as described above, can be changed to an image-only option by simply holding down dragging the left-hand icon bar off the screen (or via the more mundane Shooting Display Settings menu option), which as it sounds turns off all the toolbars and buttons (apart from the display itself). The touch-screen interface can also be used to set the focus point by simply "pointing" at the subject that you want to focus on - very intuitive, although it doesn’t cover the entire frame. Gridlines can also be added to the display to aid composition, but sadly there’s no histogram either during shooting or playback, which is a rather serious omission on a camera that is focusing so much on delivering better quality images.

Staying with the rear screen menus and options, switch to playback mode via either the dedicated physical button or onscreen icon, and review options are again presented left and right of screen, running top to bottom. Looking first at the left, users have the ability to dip in and out of created folders of images, view thumbnails, select slideshows and choose transitional effects and accompanying music, or delete duff shots. Also useful is the ability to be able to zoom in and scroll around an image to check focus and exposure simply by tapping and flicking the screen. Press the shutter button halfway or hit the onscreen camera icon at any point and the user is helpfully catapulted back into capture mode. And that’s basically it. With a press of the Menu button in playback, users have access to a few in-camera retouching effects, including the ability to crop and sharpen an image and apply red-eye correction. ‘Painting’ onto an image - or more likely scribbling all over it - adding a stamp or a frame is also encouraged.

The bottom of the slender Sony TX1 features the merest of embellishments. There’s a standard screw thread for attaching it to a tripod, alongside which is a narrow flap with lockable catch that protects the shared lithium-ion battery and removable media (an optional Memory Stick Duo or Pro variety with a hardly worth it 11MB internal memory to fall back on). Sony claims the battery is good for up to 250 shots or 125 minutes of video from a single charge, which isn’t particularly long-lasting, so if you’re looking at this as a possible travel companion you’ll definitely want to take its charger and possibly a spare battery with you.

Sony Cybershot DSC-TX7 Review

2011-03-11T04:38:00.000-08:00

Introduction

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX7 is a slim and stylish digital compact camera. The TX7 offers a 10 megapixel back-illuminated Exmor-R sensor, 3.5 inch touch-sensitive LCD screen, innovative Intelligent Sweep Panorama mode, 1080i HD movies with stereo sound, 10fps burst mode, a 4x zoom lens, and an ISO range of 125-3200.

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX7 is the latest addition to Sony’s extensive range of slim, compact and stylish pocket cameras. The 10 megapixel TX7 has an Exmor R back-illuminated CMOS image sensor which promises to greatly improve low-light performance, resulting in cleaner images with less noise. Featuring a metal body, sliding front plate and folded lens optics, the super-slim Sony TX7 offers a 25-100mm equivalent 4x zoom lens, 3.5 inch touch-sensitive rear screen, SteadyShot optical image stabilisation, face and smile detection technology, ISO 3200 and intelligent scene recognition. The Sony TX7 also boasts continuous burst shooting at up to 10 frames per second at full resolution, clever Intelligent Sweep Panorama mode for extra-wide landscapes, and 1920x1280 pixel 1080i HD movie recording with stereo sound and a HDMI output. Compatible with both SD(HC) and Memory Stick PRO Duo memory cards, the Sony TX7 camera is available in silver, blue and red.

Ease of Use

The ideal point and shoot camera is surely one that is as unobtrusive as possible, whilst still coming packed with the latest technological must haves. Could the credit-card sized Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX7 with 25mm equivalent wide angle lens, which goes up against the likes of Fuji’s Z800EXR, be that camera? At first glance the glossy, metal build compact with easy-to-use slide open and shoot lens cover/faceplate appears remarkably similar to the equally slender DSC-TX5 that we reviewed late spring/ early summer. But, chiefly, whereas that model reflected the seasons in being waterproof, this one isn’t.

Powering up from cold in just over a second, in common with its sibling the TX7 is a model almost entirely operated by a widescreen ratio touch screen at its rear, here a welcome 3.5-inches to the TX5’s 3-inches. The touch screen controls are clearly labelled and easily navigated. So for once this feature doesn’t feel like a triumph of form over function. Everything is pretty much where it usually is, so you don’t have to waste time hunting around, as on Sony‘s NEX hybrid cameras.

The LCD surface coating doesn’t hide fingerprints well unfortunately, so you’ll be constantly wiping it free of smears, or attaching the plastic stylus Sony provides in the box to the wrist strap that also comes with it. More positively, Sony suggests the monitor’s ‘TruBlack’ screen technology minimises reflections and boosts contrast for a richly detailed view, even when outdoors in bright daylight. We were using the camera in a sunny environment and didn’t have to resort to cupping a hand around the screen, so in that respect the hype rings, um, true. In terms of low light performance, selectable light sensitivity settings stretch from ISO80 at the bottom end to ISO3200 at the highest, matching that we’d expect for its class.

In terms of portability for anyone looking for an able photographic companion for that short city break meanwhile, the camera weighs 133g and sports overall dimensions of 97.8x59.5x17.5mm. As we’d expect from Sony, the build quality is high and the camera feels solid despite its diminutive size. It’s available in dark blue, silver or red, which on our review sample appeared more cough sweet purple.

At the heart of the camera resides a 1/2.4-inch Exmor R CMOS sensor (Sony’s flagship chip) offering what we’d describe as a ‘sensible’ pixel count of 10.2 megapixels (same as the TX5). Also worth shining a spotlight on is AVCHD format video capability at Full HD 1920x1080 pixels and a frame rate of 50fps, a maximum (stills) continuous shooting speed of 10fps, while Sony’s intelligent Sweep Panorama function that produces an elongated image if the user spins around on the spot ‘sweeping’ the camera in an arc, and as also seen on the TX5, again makes an appearance. It’s fun if inessential and works rather well if you time the speed of your own movement just right, which takes a couple of goes. Shots are saved to either SD media Sony’s own Memory Stick Pro Duo or 45MB internal capacity.

Front Rear

The lack of physical controls lends this Cyber-shot an attractively contemporary, minimalist appearance overall, though, unlike the TX5, this model finds room for a stereo microphone at the front. We also get the lens with internally folded 4x optical zoom mechanism over at the top right hand side of the body where it again falls prey to fingertips straying into the frame when shooting handheld. Next to this is a similar set up to the TX5; a lozenge shaped integral flash is incorporated next to an AF assist/self timer lamp. All these features are hidden by the lens cover when it has been slid shut and the camera is inactive. Expectedly there’s nothing approaching a grip at all on the camera, which can make it difficult to hold rock steady. As a result we ended up with our fair share of soft images in lower lighting conditions, but perhaps a lower percentage than we might otherwise had got if it weren’t for the Sony’s built-in anti shake in the form of optical image stabilization.

The top plate of the TX7 is where what few physical controls there are reside. We get a stubby (and so rather fiddly) zoom control lever over at the far right, adjacent to a lozenge shaped shutter release button and next to this again, an on/off button inset into the metalwork to prevent accidental activation. Although opening or shutting the faceplate/lens cover also powers the camera up or down, this separate control is useful should one wish to quickly review images without otherwise exposing the lens.

A half press of the shutter release button and the camera determines focus and exposure in the blink of an eye. Take a shot at maximum 10.2 megapixel resolution and with barely perceptible shutter lag a shot is committed to memory in two seconds, the screen briefly freezing with a display of the captured image whilst it is written to memory. Switch to playback mode to review what you’ve just shot and left and right directional arrows appear at the bottom right hand corner of the screen for tabbing through previous images too.

Set back from the uppermost controls, where top plate meets back plate, are dedicated controls for playback, and a shared button for alternating between stills and video capture. This seems slightly superfluous as a red camcorder-style record button features on screen, a virtual press of which kick starts recording whatever alternative shooting mode might have been previously selected. Whilst the wider screen is a boon for watching video playbacks, in regular 4:3 stills capture mode, black bands crop the image either side. These disappear once you’ve hit the red video record button however. It has to be noted that older PCs and Macs will struggle with replaying the AVCHD format video files the TX7 records in, if they’ll be able to access them at all, so fortunately there’s the option to drill into the set up menu and swap to MPEG-4 format at 25fps if required.

In terms of stills photography meanwhile there is a choice of seven different record modes. The default snapshot setting is of course Intelligent Auto - being Sony’s scene and subject recognising ‘smart’ mode - which is mostly reliable for those who do just want to point and shoot, plus there is also a program auto setting for those who want to get hands on to a greater extent. In this mode menu functions that were previously inaccessible in ‘iA’ mode suddenly become so.

Front Top

Among the other offered mode icons on screen we have the intelligent Sweep Panorama mode fast becoming a standard feature of Sony Cyber-shots and NEX models, an Anti Motion Blur setting, a useful Handheld Twilight mode, an equally handy and reliable Backlight Correction HDR mode for shooting against the sun whilst maintaining both shadow detail and highlights - which in practice delivers a rather washed out looking shot - plus, finally, a Scene Selection mode. Press this for access to 12 pre-optimised settings for photographing pets, fireworks, underwater scenes and even the food on your plate courtesy of the gourmet mode also found on the TX5.

When shooting stills there’s the further option to adjust the point of focus simply by tapping a portion of the LCD screen - again, a feature introduced with the TX5 - thus providing the ability to bias attention to something or someone who might not be traditionally dead centre of the frame.

The above shooting modes aside, also presented within the black bands either side of the screen are a means of kick starting movie recording with that red virtual record button - along with a means of controlling the flash (merely off or on in intelligent Auto mode) and altering self timer settings (10 seconds, two seconds or off, along with a couple of self portrait options). Continuous or burst shooting can further be selected here, with a choice of ‘Hi’, Mid, or ‘Lo’ speed options, the camera’s maximum being a respectable 10 frames per second as mentioned at the outset of our review and which it rattles through machine-gun like, the resultant shots slowly appearing as a collected series of thumbnails on its rear screen for review.

Further on-screen icons in capture mode include a virtual playback button to go with the physical button also provided, plus a self-explanatory virtual ‘menu’ button. Additional on-screen info squashed into the screen’s top right hand corner gives an indication of battery life, the number of shots remaining, image ratio and resolution.

Tap the ‘menu’ icon top left and even more options are presented to the user. It’s here we’re offered the chance to switch to ‘easy’ mode or select ‘smile shutter’ mode, adjust image size and ratio - with the ability to shoot stills in 16:9 format rather than 4:3, albeit with a resolution drop to 7MP at best - plus select macro mode, adjust exposure compensation (+/- 2EV), and metering modes, switch on face detection and turn display settings on or off.

Memory Card Slot Battery Compartment

Top left of this icon-led menu screen - and only found once you’ve accessed menu itself - is a small toolbox icon; its placing meaning that it is easy to overlook. Tap this inquisitively however and four further sub folders are presented. In decreasing order of importance, the top one, denoted by camera and spanner icon, is a Shooting Settings folder, just below which is a second ‘Main Settings’ folder, then a ‘Memory Card Tool’ folder, and lastly Clock Settings (date and time etc) weirdly get a folder all to themselves.

Going back to the Shooting Settings, it’s here if shooting in Program Auto mode that the user can summon up the AF illuminator (or turn it off), as well as the compositional aid of on-screen grid lines, digital zoom, red eye reduction when using flash, plus blink alert to warn if a subject might have closed their eyes at the crucial point you fired the shutter. LCD brightness can further be adjusted. All the essentials you’d expect are here in fact, including the ability to alternate between capturing video in AVCHD or MPEG4 format.

In playback mode we have the further ability to view/search images by date via an on-screen calendars - or view them collectively as a series of thumbnails, the tapping of any one of which displays it full size on the screen. There’s additionally the ability of course to view all images on the back screen in the form of a slideshow accompanied by a selection of different musical styles, or hook the camera up to your TV to do the same.

A press of ‘menu’ alternatively when in playback mode and, along with the menu options offered in capture mode we have the ability to paint or draw cutesy hearts onto images - the kind of thing beloved of Japanese youngsters - with a virtual eraser button also presented to wipe clean any such doodles. Limited retouching can also be carried out in camera - in the form of red eye correction, trimming or unsharp masking to add some saving grace definition to slightly soft shots and avoid having to do the same in Photoshop. And all this with the press or swipe of a fingertip.

If there’s an obvious Achilles’ heel on the TX7, apart from the lack of grip and lens positioning encouraging fingertips into the frame, it’s that battery life is unimpressive, equivalent to some 115 minutes or 230 images according to Sony, but in practice amounting to around 130 shots. As operation is reliant on the screen and the larger LCD size also tempts you to review captured images frequently, the TX7 evidently sucks up power quite quickly.

And yet, as we found with the TX5, once you’ve surveyed all the options and got used to the touch screen operation the TX7 is easy and fun to use. There are more options here than provided on regular point and shoot cameras so that users won’t get bored easily. But, at the end of the day it’s image quality that counts more than a collection of features and functionality, so how does the TX7 measure up? Read on to find out.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T99

2011-03-11T04:14:00.000-08:00

Introduction

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T99 is a good-looking 14 megapixel compact camera with a large 3 inch touchscreen LCD and a wide-angle 4x zoom lens.

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T99 is a slim and stylish digital compact camera for beginners. The T99 features a 14.1 megapixel image sensor, 4x zoom lens with 25mm wide angle setting and Optical SteadyShot image stabilization, 720p HD movie recording, Sweep Panoramas, Intelligent Auto (iAuto) mode, ISO range of 80-3200, and a 3 inch wide touchscreen LCD. The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T99 is available in silver, black, violet, pink or green.

Ease of Use

Unlike Sony’s Cyber-shot WX5 with its conventional boxy shape and protruding zoom lens, the flat-fronted brushed metal 14.1 effective megapixel, 4x optical zoom T99 is a slim-line snapshot contender of the slide open and shoot lens cover variety. This means its internally stacked optics are hidden from view when the camera is inactive, and at no point extend proud of the faceplate surface when in use.

This enables the camera to retain coolly minimalist proportions of 93x55.6x16.8mm that are almost an exact match for a business card in width and height (if not quite depth), while rounded edges further ensure that the T99 slips easily into any trouser pocket, shirt pocket or handbag to be ready for spur of the moment snapping. It’s available in the usual array of colour options - five in the

- including the smart silver version we had in for review, and weight is 105g without rechargeable battery or SD/SDHC/SDXC or Pro Duo card (32MB internal capacity providing back up).

While the above could describe almost 50% of compact JPEG-only point and shoots these days, the difference here is that the T99’s entire back screen is taken up by a 3-inch widescreen ratio touch sensitive display boasting a standard 230, 400-dot resolution, meaning that what few physical controls there are have been pared back to the essentials and are found located only on the camera’s top plate.

These comprise the shutter release button, small and indented on/off button, equally small and slightly fiddly zoom lever shunted to the top right hand corner and given a roughened surface to improve purchase, plus, thankfully, a dedicated playback button so that images can be viewed quickly without having to slide open the faceplate and expose the lens first. A press of this also powers up the camera, without having to first press the on/off button. So getting up and running with the T99 is also fairly intuitive.

Again, lens, LCD and resolution aside, a smattering of the latest must haves are on board. These include HD movie recording - albeit at 1280x720 pixels, 30fps and in widely compatible MPEG4 format - along with Sweep Panorama, in 2D, rather than the triple aspect provided by the WX5 and TX9. Though more unusually for your otherwise standard snapper here we get an Underwater Sweep Panorama option (the camera itself isn’t waterproof), as found on the TX9, along with more regulation issue Bionz processor and Carl Zeiss branded lens. There’s no HDMI output however for hooking directly up to a flat panel TV; just the standard AV/USB out via a multi component cable attached to exposed universal port at the camera’s base.

Front Rear

For those looking to shoot in a wide variety of lighting conditions, ISO800 up to IO3200 is offered in incremental steps, the lens optically stabilized to help further prevent blur when shooting handheld, though as with other cheaper snapshots we found the T99’s built-in flash is overly keen to fire to preserve detail when the camera is in ‘auto everything’ intelligent auto mode - and seemingly when there is plenty of available light. Inevitably it’s tricky to hold the camera rock steady as there’s no concession at all to a handgrip, so the rear screen becomes covered in finger and thumbprints as your digits slip and slide over its surface and you wrestle with it.

More positively it’s also worth mentioning that the T99’s lens starts out at a wide angle 25mm (35mm equivalent) and runs up to a more modest 100mm at the telephoto end. So it’s adept at those wide angle landscape shots and group portraits, if not quite the ideal for candid portraiture as you do have to get fairly close to any subject if looking to fill the frame with it. At the macro end of the scale, subjects as close as 1cm from the lens can be captured.

Of course you want any point and shoot camera to be as easy to use as possible, and Sony here includes the scene and subject recognizing intelligent Auto mode as the T99’s default option, though alternative shooting modes, including program, the aforementioned Sweep panorama and movie mode, plus a 13 option strong scene mode are also available for selection with a finger tap.

In normal 4:3 aspect ratio mode, black bands crop the T99’s screen at left and right hand side, and it’s on these bands rather than overlaying the image itself that shooting display and selection options are provided, though if you do select shooting modes these choices fill the screen instead. However, if choosing menu option, the available choices overlay the picture itself, so there’s a lack of consistency there.

As we noted at the outset, from the front the Cyber-shot DSC-T99 looks very smart when held in, and almost enveloped by, the palm. With faceplate obscuring the lens, it won’t be immediately obvious to the untrained eye that this is a camera at all. Slide open the faceplate and there’s an audio flourish while the rear screen bursts into life.

This exposes the fact that the lens is located top right of the flat faceplate when inevitably it can fall prey to fingertips straying into shot if gripping the camera in both hands to take a picture, though it’s light enough for one handed operation. To the left of the lens is a small AF assist/self timer lamp window, and to the left of this again a very narrow sliver indeed housing the built-in flash, which has to be one of the very smallest we’ve ever seen on a digital camera. Beneath the flash is housed the built-in mono microphone.

Front Main Menu

On the subtly rounded top plate we find the physical controls. These include a dedicated power button which here feels slightly superfluous, as - as noted - the camera can be activated by sliding open the lens cover to take a shot, or simply pressing the playback button on the rear to review any image captures. Press this however and the camera readies itself for the first shot in a second, which is commendably swift. The largest control is the shutter release button, which, like the on/off button, is set into and falls flush with the body for maximum compactness.

A half press of this and auto focus point/s appear on screen framed in green with a beep of affirmation that focus and exposure has been determined and the user is free to proceed and take the shot. Do so and a maximum resolution top quality JPEG is committed to memory in around three seconds, screen blanking out briefly and then freezing to display the captured shot as the image is being written to card or internal memory. The only control therefore standing proud on this camera is the knobbly zoom control lever.

Give this a nudge and the zoom powers swiftly and silently through its range from maximum wide angle to extreme telephoto in all of two seconds. Nudging back and forwards more gently results in the zoom taking incremental baby steps, though it’s hard to be particularly precise in this manner.

Start recording video with a press of the shutter release button - there’s no on-screen ‘record’ button, meaning that you actually have to have video mode selected before filming can commence - and you’ll discover the full extent of the optical zoom can be accessed here too, which is a blessing. The screen also loses the black bands from its edges and the full width of the LCD becomes your viewfinder. If you like the aspect ratio when shooting stills can also be altered, from the default 4:3 to 16:9 though inevitably you do lose something in resolution, with either 11 megapixel or two megapixel images being offered in this setting.

Set back from these controls, on the ridge that slopes down toward the backplate LCD, are a built in speaker and the dedicated playback button, as previously mentioned, being narrow and lozenge shaped and therefore requiring fingernail precise activation. Those with larger hands may find the T99 just a little too petite and fiddly, as the on-screen function icons are similarly small as a default.

This being a fully auto point and shoot camera, some of the manually adjustable settings that might have been given their own controls as time-saving shortcuts on enthusiast models - such as being able to access and change ISO settings - are instead located within the main menu options, meaning that it takes a few button presses to find and implement them.

Memory Card Slot Battery Compartment

Also included within the menu screen are an additional operational mode - easy mode, which enlarges font and button sizes as well as paring down the adjustable options to flash, self timer and image size - making the camera virtually idiot proof one might say and useful if you’re handing it over to someone to take a snap who isn’t familiar with it and might otherwise make accidental button presses.

Likewise included on the menu screen and adjustable with a tap of the relevant icon are an exposure compensation slider (+/- 2EV), access to burst and macro settings, along with white balance, focus (multi AF, centre AF or spot) plus metering choices (multi, centre or spot). It’s here that face detection options also ‘live’. With the default being auto detection, this can be changed to bias a particular face when it is touched on screen and therefore specified, or to bias adults or children in particular. The camera can also be directed to search for a smile and fire the shutter automatically when it finds one via the relevant smiley face icon on the T99’s opening screen - which is useful for those self portrait shots. The intensity of the smile to be captured can also be specified, from wry thin smile to open mouthed belly laugh.

Sony has also seen fit to include its dynamic range optimizer (‘DRO’) settings on the T99 for theoretically more even exposures, which are also manually swappable, with ‘standard’ being the default, and the other choices being either to switch it off entirely or to go for the more intensely processed ‘DRO Plus’ option if the former doesn’t satisfy.

When the T99 is in playback mode, users are given the opportunity to carry out a limited degree of in-camera retouching (trimming, red eye retouching or in camera sharpening) or ‘paint’ onto the image if scribbled annotations are your thing. There are also the usual slideshow with music and calendar date options found as standard features of the Sony Cyber-shot range. At each point the screen is quick and nigh instant in its response to each inquistive touch and proud, so users can get to where they want to be quickly and easily.

Moving back to the outer body for a moment, the smooth side flanks of the T99 are devoid of any features entirely, except for a means of attaching a wrist strap at one side. The base meanwhile features an off centre screw thread for the attachment of a tripod, centrally located output port, and shared compartment for battery and card (SD or Memory Stick Pro Duo sharing the same slot) protected by sliding catch.

The provided wafer-slim battery is good for 230 shots from a full charge, which is average for the T99’s point and shoot class. But what about the images the T99 provides; are they average in themselves or do they transcend the T99’s relatively modest point and shoot aspirations to deliver potential masterpieces for your mantelpiece? Read on to find out.

Sony Cybershot DSC-TX9 Review

2011-03-11T03:12:00.000-08:00

Introduction

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX9 is a slim, stylish and full-featured digital compact camera. The TX9 has a 12 megapixel back-illuminated Exmor-R sensor, 3.5 inch touch-sensitive LCD screen, innovative 3D Sweep Panorama mode, 1080i HD movies with stereo sound, 10fps burst mode, a 4x zoom lens, and an ISO range of 125-3200.

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX9 is the latest addition to Sony’s extensive range of slim, compact and stylish pocket cameras. The TX9 is one of the first Cybershots to offer 3D Sweep Panoramas, taking up to 100 images and automatically combining them to create a stereoscopic pair of frames. If you don’t have a 3DTV, the Sweep Multi Angle mode shoots fifteen frames and creates a 3D-style image that can be viewed from different angles either on the camera or a conventional 2D TV set. The new Superior Auto mode takes 6 images and combines them to create one low-noise picture with wide dynamic range, while the Background Defocus mode makes it easy to blur the background to make the main subject stand out. The 12 megapixel TX9 has an Exmor R back-illuminated CMOS image sensor which promises to greatly improve low-light performance, resulting in cleaner images with less noise. Featuring a metal body, sliding front plate and folded lens optics, the super-slim Sony TX9 offers a 25-100mm equivalent 4x zoom lens, 3.5 inch touch-sensitive rear screen, SteadyShot optical image stabilisation, face and smile detection technology, ISO 3200 and intelligent scene recognition. The Sony TX9 also boasts continuous burst shooting at up to 10 frames per second at full resolution, clever Sweep Panorama mode for extra-wide landscapes, and 1920x1280 pixel 1080i HD movie recording with stereo sound and a HDMI output. Compatible with both SD(HC) and Memory Stick PRO Duo memory cards, the Sony TX9 camera is available in black, gold and pink.

Ease of Use

The DSC-TX9 is another predictably ultra-stylish entry in the Cyber-shot ‘T’ series, with a slim profile of 17.5mm in depth, glossy fascia, credit-card size and sporting a slide open and shoot lens cover mechanism that powers up the camera at the same time, thus ensuring that taking a picture is really, really easy. Idiot proof one might say, especially with the intelligent auto mode selected that recognizes common scenes and adjusts the on-board settings to achieve the desired result. The TX9 feels lightweight enough at 150g to slip into a shirt pocket, yet doesn’t seem at all brittle. In fact it’s as well made and solid as we’d expect a Sony product to be, plus as usual there’s a choice of body colours.

The TX9 has a massive 3.5-inch, 921,600-dot high resolution touch screen LCD, which presents a wide-angle format ratio yet displays images in the standard 4:3 ratio format. It thus leaves room left and right of the screen for operational icons, selected with a fingertip or the end of the plastic stylus pen included in the box, which can be attached to the wrist strap. Despite doing this at the outset of our test period, we rarely used the stylus, a finger tap making for quicker and more intuitive operation, though you’ll be constantly wiping the LCD clear of smeared fingerprints as a result.

Fortunately with near instant response the TX9’s screen performs as intuitively you’d expect it to: captured images can be scrolled through with a sweep of a finger, or tapped in playback mode to progressively zoom in and check sharpness. Frequently used functions can also be dragged into the camera’s menu screen. An on-board Bionz processor helps ensure those rapid response times and that overall operation zips along. The Cyber-shot DSC-TX9 offers a modest sounding 12.2-megapixel effective resolution, especially so in the era of 14MP compacts. Albeit this is from an Exmor R CMOS sensor which its manufacturer claims makes for a low light performance that is twice as effective as ‘conventional’ models.

The TX9 also offers the option of recording JPEG still images and Full 1080i HD video in the AVCHD format at 30 frames per second to either Sony’s own Memory Stick Pro Duo media or the more commonly available SD or SDHC cards. The two share the same slot, but are obviously not of the same size. This makes for a rather fiddly insertion of a Memory Stick into the central portion of the wider SD-sized slot, where due to its narrower dimensions it ‘wiggles’ about a bit. Still, good to see compatibility with SD offered on a Sony camera, the company historically liking to stick with its own proprietary media.

Design wise, the only break from the camera’s minimally slim and streamlined proportions is a raised lip on the corner of the top plate which proves useful in providing a point of purchase for the fingertip when operating the lever for the commendably silent 4x optical zoom. Once again this Cyber-shot employs a folded optic that ensures at no point does the lens stand proud of the body. Thus you don’t get the problem of the sliding lens cover clunking against the optic itself when powering down the camera. The fact that the zoom operation is silent means that its full extent can also be usefully accessed when shooting video, so users don’t have to suffer degraded image quality from having to utilize a digital zoom instead when recording movies.

The TX9’s lens starts out at a wide-for-its-class 25mm (35mm equivalent) and runs to 100mm at the telephoto end, making it as adept at shooting landscapes as it is group portraits. Next to the lens at the front is an indicator lamp for the self-timer/AF assist lamp, built in stereo microphone plus very narrow lozenge shaped flash. These, like the lens, are all hidden behind the sliding lens cover/faceplate when the camera is inactive, so protected from fluff and scratches when transporting the camera in a pocket.

Front Rear

For those photographers looking to take in just a little bit more, the camera also features Sony’s impressive-in-action Sweep Panorama function. This rattles along capturing a series of images and stitches them together in camera to provide a single narrow letterbox format image providing a wider view that the lens or a standard panorama feature would allow. New to the TX series are 3D Sweep Panoramas, with the TX9 taking up to 100 images and automatically combining them to create a stereoscopic pair of frames that can then be played back on a 3D TV set (if you’re lucky enough to own one). We saw some examples on the Sony stand at Photokina and were suitably impressed. For all those of use without a 3D TV, the new Sweep Multi-angle mode shoots fifteen frames and creates a 3D-style image that can be viewed from different angles either on the camera or a conventional 2D TV set, although the effect is very subtle.

Aiding handheld shooting performance in low light are also Twilight (found amongst its nine scene modes) and Anti Motion Blur modes. Again selecting these prompts the shooting of a burst of images to combat the effects of hand wobble - in each case six frames which are then combined to produce a single (in theory) low noise, blur free image. However we found in practice that while indeed minimizing softness, this seems to have the knock on effect of sapping colour from subjects, resulting in a literally pale imitation of the scene before the lens. So while useful in getting handheld shots one might otherwise have not attempted at all, the solution is not a wholly perfect one.

The new Superior Auto Adjustment mode takes 6 images and combines them to create one low-noise picture with wide dynamic range, particularly useful for low-light environments, although there wasn’t much difference between this and a well-exposed image taken with one of the other in most instances. Background Defocus is more obviously effective, making it easy to blur the background to make the main subject stand out, although only if they’re about 30cms from the camera and only if you don’t mind the artificially smeared background effect.

The other two physical controls on the Sony TX9’s top plate are a narrow lozenge-shaped shutter release button, plus what at first feels like a rather extraneous on/off button. However if operating the camera with the sliding faceplate mechanism otherwise closed - to review photos for example, rather than take them - then this dedicated power button does indeed come in handy.

As with any digital compact that strives to make itself as small as possible, there are some compromises with the TX9. We’ve already mentioned the single yet dual format card slot, and another is the positioning of the lens, which, by being located over at the far edge of the faceplate, can often fall victim to fingertips straying into shot when gripping the camera in both hands. Though, with use, you become more aware of where you’re putting your fingers to avoid this irritation, hand the camera to anyone else for a quick portrait of you and yours and there will inevitably be tell tale finger-shaped blobs appearing in the corner of the frame.

The back of the camera continues the minimalist design ethic of Sony’s T-series, being given over entirely to the 3.5-inch widescreen ratio touch panel LCD with the only physical controls being dedicated Playback and Camera/Movie buttons sitting just above it where the edge of the backplate meets the top plate. Otherwise a couple of raised ridges to the right hand side of the screen provide some purchase for the thumb when gripping the camera, the mirrored faceplate at the front meaning that it’s easy for fingers to otherwise slip and slide around. The dedicated playback button is useful in that with the camera otherwise in its dormant state it can be pressed to quickly review images without having to press an additional power button to turn the camera on first. Again this not only makes for intuitive user-friendly operation, but also speeds up use of the TX9.

Front

Slide open the lens cover at the front and the LCD blinks into life in just over a second, briefly displaying the Cyber-shot logo before providing a view of the scene or subject in the absence of an optical viewfinder alternative. As mentioned earlier, when taking still photographs the screen is cropped to a 4:3 ratio as a default, functional white icons presented legibly against black bands either side of the main image rather than directly across it.

Among these icons is a means of choosing from a selection of recording modes. Here we have the default point and shoot setting of Intelligent Auto, the previously mentioned Superior Auto Adjustment, regular Program Auto, iSweep Panorama, Movie Mode, Background Defocus, 3D Shooting and finally the Scene Selection mode. Select this last option and the screen fills with a plethora of further icons, including pre-optimised settings for Backlight Correction HDR, which compensates for subjects backlit by the sun, Anti Motion Blur, Hand-held Twilight, High Sensitivity shooting, Soft Snap, Landscape, Twilight Portrait, Twilight, the food photographing ‘Gourmet’ mode, along with the more familiar Pet, Beach, Snow, Fireworks, Underwater and lastly High Speed shutter option for practicing your golf swing.

When shooting stills there’s the further option to adjust the point of focus simply by tapping a portion of the LCD screen - the camera gives the user a text prompt to actively encourage this - thus providing the ability to bias attention to something or someone who might not be traditionally dead centre of the frame. Furthermore the camera will actively track the subject if it moves around the frame, ensuring that it remains well-exposed and in focus.

The above shooting modes aside, also presented within the black bands either side of the screen are a means of quickly starting movie recording, along with an icon for controlling the flash (merely off or on in intelligent Auto mode) and altering self timer settings (10 seconds, two seconds or off). Continuous or burst shooting can further be selected here, with a choice of ‘Hi’, Mid, or ‘Lo’ speed options, the TX9’s maximum being an impressive 10 frames per second which it rattles through machine-gun like, the resultant shots slowly appearing as a collected series of thumbnails on its rear screen for review.

Further on-screen icons in capture mode include a virtual playback button to go with the physical button also provided, plus a self-explanatory virtual ‘Menu’ button. Additional on-screen info squashed into the screen’s top right hand corner gives an indication of battery life, the number of shots remaining, image ratio and resolution.

Tap the Menu icon and even more options are presented to the user. It’s here we’re offered the chance to switch to Easy mode, which simplifies the menu options, and access Smile Shutter mode, with three options governing how pronounced a smile you want the camera to recognize. There’s also options to adjust the image size and ratio, with the ability to shoot stills in 16:9 format rather than 4:3 albeit with a resolution drop to 9 megapixels at best, select Macro mode, adjust the Exposure Compensation (+/- 2EV), ISO speed and White Balance, change the Focus and Metering modes, plus turn Face Detection and Display settings on or off.

Memory Card Slot Battery Compartment

Top left of the menu screen a small toolbox icon also appears; its placing meaning that it is easy to overlook. Tap this inquisitively however and four further settings folders are presented. In decreasing order of importance, the top one, denoted by camera and spanner icon, is a Shooting Settings folder, just below which is a second Main Settings folder, then a Memory Card Tool folder, and lastly Clock Settings (date and time etc) weirdly get a folder all to themselves.

A half press of the shutter release button and the camera determines focus and exposure in the blink of an eye. Take a shot at maximum 12.2 megapixel resolution and with barely perceptible shutter lag a shot is committed to memory in two seconds, the screen briefly freezing with a display of the captured image whilst it is written to memory. Switch to playback mode to review what you’ve just shot and left and right directional arrows appear at the bottom right hand corner of the screen for tabbing through previous images too.

A press of Menu alternatively when in playback mode and, along with the menu options offered in capture mode, we have the ability to paint or draw cutesy hearts onto images - the kind of thing beloved of Japanese teenage girls - with a virtual eraser button also presented to wipe clean any such doodles. Colourfully chintzy borders or frames can further be chosen to garnish your in-camera ‘masterpiece’. Limited retouching can also be carried out in camera - in the form of red eye correction, trimming or cropping the image as a whole or using unsharp mask to add some saving grace definition to slightly soft shots and avoid having to do the same in Photoshop. And all this with the press or swipe of a fingertip; no further skills necessary.

Once you’ve got to grips with the multitude of options on offer and got used to the touch-screen operation the Sony TX9 is easy and fun to use. There are more options here than provided on regular point and shoot cameras so that users won’t get bored easily.

Canon PowerShot S90 Review

2011-03-11T02:33:00.000-08:00

Introduction

The new Canon PowerShot S90 compact camera offers a lot of DSLR functionality in a pocketable format. Support for the RAW format, full range of manual shooting modes, and a fast f/2.0 lens should grab any keen photographer’s attention, especially as the Canon S90 can easily slip inside a shirt pocket.

The Canon PowerShot S90 is a new small compact camera with a wealth of professional features. Marking the return of the Canon PowerShot S-series, the Canon S90 is aimed at the DSLR owner looking for a backup compact or the enthusiast who wants DSLR functionality in a pocketable format, with RAW format support, a full range of manual shooting modes and a sophisticated level of customisation on offer. The PowerShot S90 features an intuitive lens Control Ring, which enables users to adjust the settings of various functions by twisting the selector at the base of the lens barrel to the left or right. The S90 shares the same 10 megapixel CCD sensor as the G11, as Canon targets image quality rather than out-and-out resolution. Other key highlights of the Canon S90 include a 3.0 inch LCD display with a resolution of 461K dots, 3.8x, 28-105mm zoom lens, RAW format support, optical image stabilizer to help combat camera-shake, and a 1cm macro mode.

Ease of Use

Canon‘s new PowerShot S90 is designed to reinvigorate and re-launch its S-series of compacts. In fact, the S90 feels like a point-and-shoot camera that, to use crass MTV parlance, has been ‘pimped’. So first impressions suggest Canon’s breathless billing of this product as ‘the return of the pocket powerhouse’ might not in fact be that wide of the mark. Interpreted another way, it’s like a bulkier G-series camera - such as the recently reviewed G11 - has been shrunk to more manageable proportions. It feels solid even at its body-only weight of 175g when gripped in the palm - if missing an actual grip - and slips readily into a trouser pocket or handbag.

Like the G11, the S90’s identically ‘modest’ 10-megapixel sensor indicates that Canon is continuing to call a halt to the race for more megapixels in preference to improving said sensor’s ability to perform better at higher ISO settings. Thus the S90 offers the ability to shoot at maximum ISO 3200 at full stills resolution, with, more unusually still, a plethora of incremental 1/3 stop adjustments available between the lowest ISO 80 setting and this top option. Canon suggests its f/2.0 lens has been fitted to allow in twice as much light as a more standard issue f/2.8 aperture optic, allowing for faster shutter speeds and shallower depth of field.

Other specification of note on the S90 includes a 28mm wide-angle setting, optically stabilized 3.8x zoom providing a four stop advantage claims its manufacturer, 3-inch, 461-dot resolution LCD in the absence of its bigger brother’s additional optical viewfinder, side mounted HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) port, plus Digic 4 processor and exposure adjusting iContrast function now a standard feature across the Canon family. More surprisingly for a compact with a width not a great deal broader than your credit card, both Raw and JPEG capture are also offered.

Perhaps more predictably, point-and-shoot user friendliness on the S90 comes in the form of the fully automatic face detection, motion detection and Smart Auto scene detection technologies regularly found on Canon’s snapshot compacts. Less predictable - and disappointingly so - is that video clips are of bog standard 640x480 pixels resolution rather than the increasingly ubiquitous 1280x720 or 1920x1080: the fabled Full HD. Had Canon included this nigh ubiquitous functionality the little S90 might have had it all - on paper at least.

But, pared down to the essentials (which includes a quick start guide in the box and full manual on provided CD only), there’s nothing initially about the S90 that feels extraneous or gimmicky. This includes the fact that there isn’t a dedicated button for activating the pop up flash, so this is done via selection of the settings offered via the rear command pad/scroll wheel. Select forced flash and, technically, rather than popping up, the bulb instead rises majestically from the body with a low mechanical accompaniment… very cool.

Front Rear

Of course, though first impressions are, impressive, once again, net you an entry level DSLR and kit lens as an alternative. Is portability and a feature set that falls between compact and DSLR really worth quite that much? In an ideal world no, but let’s grit our teeth and press on nonetheless to see if there’s sufficient sugar to sweeten the pill…

The most prominent feature of the S90’s clean and rather serious looking faceplate is firstly the lens itself, and secondly the aforementioned control ring that encircles it and turns with a series of satisfyingly audible clicks. Functions are attributed to a twist of the ring in conjunction with a press of the lozenge shaped ‘ring function’ button recessed into the camera’s top plate. In this way, to take one example, users can elect to adjust focus manually, a distance slider appearing on the right hand side of the LCD screen and the central portion of the image enlarged as a further aid to accuracy. Other options for the ring function are the selection of ISO speed, the tweaking of exposure (+/- 2EV), manual adjustment of white balance or as a stepped zoom, providing the equivalent of 28mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm and 105mm steps.

And, if you opt for the new ‘nostalgic’ mode hidden within the scene mode options, a continual twist of the lens ring in either direction will progressively de-saturate the colours in your image to give the effect of ageing, with a full twist rendering the shot relayed on screen as black and white.

Apart from the enticingly tactile draw of the lens ring, the flat front plate of the S90 houses a microphone within a hole the size of a pinprick plus an AF assist/self timer lamp window top left of the lens. The aforementioned flash is housed within the top plate so that when it’s raised it is at least a centimeter away from the lens in a cursory attempt to avoid the blight of red eye.

Moving to the top plate then we find at its foremost edge a shutter release button encircled by a zoom rocker switch with front lip that has been squared off to fall into line with the width of the body and avoid distracting from the clean lines. There’s just enough of it to achieve purchase with a fingertip, lens traveling steadily and surely from maximum wide-angle setting to extreme telephoto in just under two seconds sound-tracked by a low operational whirr.

Also set into the top plate is the previously indicated ring function button, plus next to it a smaller identically shaped on/off button. Press this with a fingernail and the S90 powers up for action in just over a second, rear LCD bursting into life soundtracked by a musical ‘sting’ and lens barrel extending from its stacked hiding place within the camera‘s innards to its maximum wide angle setting. A half press of the nearby shutter button and the camera chooses a point of focus within a second or so, AF point or points flashing in green accompanied by an affirmative ‘beep’. Go on to take the shot and there’s little if any discernable shutter delay, while full resolution JPEGS are written to inserted (optional) SD or SDHC card (there’s no internal memory provided to fall back on) in the standard two to three seconds, with Raw files - selectable in program or one of the other four creative shooting modes - taking a mere fraction of a second longer.

With the integral flash housed and hidden to the far left of the top plate (if gazing down on the camera), to the right is an inset shooting mode dial operated by the thumb. Rigid to the touch, it clicks definitely into place at each of its nine mode settings. These comprise the creative grouping of program, shutter priority, aperture priority, manual and a single custom mode, plus separate smart auto, low light, scene and video modes. The low light mode is a new addition to the Canon range, boosting ISO up to an equivalent ISO12800, with the trade off being that resolution drops to a relatively lowly 2.5 megapixels. The S90’s smart auto functionality goes ‘one louder’ than rivals in comparing common scenes or subjects with not just five or six options, but 22 variables to deliver - in theory - the most appropriate and optimal results.

Top Pop-up Flash

Click the mode wheel around to each subsequent setting and the name and icons of said mode appears on the camera’s LCD with, in some cases, a brief text description of the best application for the particular mode. This suggests that the S90 can be used as readily by beginners as more seasoned digital camera users, the variety of shooting options to be found on the mode dial allowing first timers to move beyond their initial comfort zone as familiarity with the camera’s workings grows over time.

With the back of the compact largely swallowed up by the LCD screen, the visibility of which proves more than adequate both indoors and out (even if larger is nearly always better), a familiar array of controls is found shunted to the right hand side. Familiar, in that they ape those found on the G11 to a fair extent, including the love it or ignore it scroll wheel surrounding the thumb operated four-way control pad.

From the top then, we have a rounded piece of moulding extending from below where the mode dial sits on the top plate, a subtle indentation provided into which rests the tip of the users thumb when gripping the camera for shooting handheld. This is the only place on the camera affording much in the way of manually steadying the S90; as mentioned, keeping things resolutely compact, there’s no grip provided at the front or sides - being one of the few areas in which this model feels truly compromised.

With an indicator light to the left and a built-in speaker to the right of this thumb dip, below we find a pairing of buttons for earmarking images for direct print via a PictBridge enabled device and a dedicated playback/review button respectively.

Beneath this again is that control pad and scroll wheel combo. At points north, east, south and west we get options, in capture modes, for adjusting exposure compensation, flash settings, self-timer options, macro or manual focus - if not already using the front lens ring for the latter. If the camera is in playback mode, points north and south allow a series of captured images to be leapfrogged if hunting down a particular shot saved to card in a hurry, or alternatively deleting a duff capture.

In the centre of the control pad we find a function/set button. Press this, and as we’re used to from recent Canon compacts a toolbar appears down the left hand side of the screen, options highlighted or de-selected dependant on whether the user is in auto capture or one of the more fully featured creative capture modes.

In program mode for example, selecting the ISO icon provides a slide rule across the bottom of the screen with ISO speeds set out incrementally in the following order: Auto, 80, 100, 125, 160, 200, 250, 320, 400, 500, 640, 800, 1000, 1250, 1600, 2000, 2500, 3200. The user simply utilizes the scroll wheel or tabs between them to select the desired setting.

Memory Card Slot Battery Compartment

The other selectable options on the tool bar comprise white balance, Canon’s familiar ‘My Colours’ effects modes, an exposure or focus bracketing option - whereby three successive shots are taken - the ability to adjust the intensity of the flash, switch between evaluative, centre weighted average or spot metering, single or continuous shooting modes or the various image capture formats - including Raw or JPEG plus a widescreen format option.

Returning to the camera back, and below the control pad we find a final pairing of buttons for display and self-explanatory ‘menu’. Press the former once and the user is rewarded with both a nine zone compositional grid and simultaneous histogram being added to the on-screen info.

A press of menu meanwhile brings up a trio of folders, for image capture, set up and My Menu settings, in that order. It’s via the first folder that the user can enable such settings as iContrast and auto red eye reduction/removal, as well as blink detection and adjusting the image stabilization mode to come into effect only when taking a shot, when panning the camera, or have it on continuously. Here we further find the opportunity to enable the recording of Raw and large JPEG images in tandem - very DSLR-like - when the Raw option is selected from the on-screen side toolbar.

While the left hand flank of the S90, viewed from the rear, is devoid of controls, the right hand side features hard plastic covered ports for both an HDMI cable (not supplied in the box) plus more regular combined AV out/USB out port (for which two separate cables are provided).

The base of the camera meanwhile features a screw thread for a tripod attachment just left of centre and a sliding door with catch protecting slots for the provided lithium ion rechargeable battery and optional SD/SDHC card, both of which slot relatively easily into place. A battery life lasting 220 shots without flash isn’t particular generous however, and any less would be downright alarming at this price point. As it was, after a couple of days’ use our battery was back in the provided charger, so you’ll want to cart this or a spare battery away with you on any extended trip or visit.

So, what can we conclude from the above? Well, the one message that comes across loud and clear is that, for those who have eyed up the likes of Canon’s G11 flagship bridge model but concluded that even that was too bulky for their purposes, the S90 offers a more portable - and let’s face it, a whole lot cuter - alternative.

Canon PowerShot SX20 IS Review

2011-03-11T01:41:00.000-08:00

Introduction

World Exclusive! This is the first online review of the Canon PowerShot SX20 IS super-zoom camera. Featuring a 20x wide-angle zoom lens, 12 megapixels, 2.5 inch tilting LCD screen, electronic viewfinder, external flash hotshoe, HD video recording and full range of shooting modes, the compact Canon SX20 sounds like a thinking photographer’s dream. Read our in-depth review of the Canon SX20 IS to find out if it lives up to expectations...

The Canon PowerShot SX20 IS is a new super-zoom camera, sporting a 20x zoom lens equivalent to a focal length of 28-560mm. Successor to the SX10 IS model, the Canon SX20 IS additionally features high-definition video (720p), with a dedicated movie button for instant access to movies in still mode and instant stills shooting during movie recording. There’s also an HDMI mini port that makes it easy to play back footage on compatible TVs. The megapixel count has been increased from 10 to 12, and Canon have included image stabilisation to help ensure that the majority of your shots are sharp, plus there are Ultrasonic Motor (USM) and Voice Coil Motor (VCM) technologies that promise fast, accurate and quiet zooming and focusing. Full manual control over both aperture and shutter speed, a 2.5 inch vari-angle LCD II, an electronic viewfinder and external hotshoe complete the SX20’s headline specifications.

Ease of Use

Following on from last year’s SX10 model, at launch the SX20 IS officially costs the same in the US, but slightly more in both the UK and Europe. This is a DSLR-styled compact camera with a versatile 20x image stabilized optical zoom, providing a broad 35mm equivalent focal range of 28mm to 560mm, and making it a direct challenger to the likes of the Olympus SP-570UZ, Panasonic DMC-FZ38 and the Casio EX-FH20.

As with its forebear, the SX20 IS features built-to-last hard plastic bodywork with a larger than average grip offered, its size partly due to the four alkaline AA batteries required for power slotting into its base. While this contributes to overall weight as well as a feeling of solidity (at 560g), a matt black finish lends an overall air of sophistication, a point of difference being the metallic silver grey encircling the shutter button and left hand side of the grip (if the camera is viewed lens on). If you’re looking for a camera that will slot into a jacket pocket, however, think again. The SX20 IS’ dimensions are not much more compact than an entry level DSLR, so it’s a case of attaching the provided strap for over-the-shoulder portability, or investing in a dedicated camera bag to protect it from the elements and prying eyes when out taking photographs.

There’s no full hard copy manual provided out of the box, just a very rudimentary getting started pamphlet, with the full manual on CD. While the latter is fine if you’re chained to a PC, when you’re outside shooting and can’t track down the setting you want, not having a manual to hand to quickly flick through is a right royal irritant. The new Hints & Tips feature incorporated within the user interface partly makes up for the this, providing short descriptions of key functions, but it’s obviously not as in-depth as the full manual. More positively a hotshoe for an accessory flash is offered in addition to the built-in raised variety, plus a flip out and twist (or in Canon parlance ‘vari angle’) 2.5-inch LCD screen at the rear. This monitor tilts forward through 180° and backwards through 90° in order to achieve those otherwise awkward angle shots when users can’t quite get their eyes level with its electronic viewfinder, such as when shooting low to the ground or over the heads of a crowd.

As touched on earlier, the Canon SX20 IS offers a huge zoom range that’s not only much more portable and cheaper when compared with its equivalent on a DSLR but also has the advantage of being able to shoot video clips. Canon have fixed one of our key criticisms of the previous model and upgraded the video quality to 720p HD, although it still falls short of full HD 1920x1080 pixel video. It also boast stereo sound courtesy of microphones positioned either side of its lens, plus a dedicated button at the rear that activates the video feature whichever shooting mode you’re in. Marked by a red dot that universally signifies a record button, this falls readily under the user’s thumb at the rear of the camera.

Looking down on the SX20 IS, you’re presented with a fairly busy but well-spaced smattering of clearly labeled and sufficiently large buttons and dials. These run in an L-shape from the flash button at the far left, across the familiar DSLR-like hump housing the electronic viewfinder, built-in flash and hotshoe, to a shooting dial on the other side featuring no less than 13 user selectable modes. Canon has improved the feel of the mode dial so that it no longer accidentally moves into another position when placed inside a pocket or bag.

The aforementioned shooting modes range from full auto, through program, shutter priority, aperture priority and manual to a user-attributable custom setting – and, as you twist the physical dial, a virtual version appears in the top right hand corner of the rear screen if it’s in operation, or in the EVF above if it’s not, so you don’t need to take your eyes off the subject. This is handy, as we found the camera sometimes confused by busy scenes, so being able to re-compose a couple of times without missing the shot is a bonus. Further, this time pre-optimised modes include dedicated settings for shooting portraits, landscapes, night snapshot, sports mode, a grouped selection of scene modes, including the familiar likes of a dedicated fireworks setting among others, plus a stitch assist mode to help with shooting a sequence of shots for compositing together later as a single panorama. The final mode on the dial is that for capturing movie clips.

Front Flip-out LCD Screen

Adjacent to the shooting mode dial is a recessed but big enough on/off button that glows orange when the camera is activated, and on the forward slope of the grip itself we find a main shutter release button encircled by a rocker switch for controlling the whopping zoom. Press the power button and the responsive SX20 IS primes itself for an initial shot in just over a second, the zoom barrel extending to maximum wideangle setting and the rear 230k-dot LCD, or 235k-dot EVF, bursting into life for composing the image. Unlike rivals, there’s no obvious EVF/LCD button for switching between the two – as the camera’s default, this task falls to the display button. Instead the camera can be set up so if the LCD screen is facing into the body upon power up, the EVF automatically bursts into life. Alternatively, if the screen is facing out at the user, then it provides that method of shot composition.

As you’d expect from an enthusiast model, shutter delay is imperceptible and committing of full resolution images to memory takes less than a second at highest resolution – so no complaints as far as operational speed is concerned. Sound-tracked by a low mechanical whirr the zoom is also very responsive, so much so that determining an exact point in its range can be tricky, though, unusually, markings detailing incremental steps throughout its range are etched onto the top of the lens barrel. You can tab through these in baby steps with a gentle nudge of the lever. As indicated on the lens barrel, an Ultra Sonic Motor (USM) ensures your zoom transitions are commendably smooth and jerk free. Given the Canon’s relative bulk, it feels most natural to hold the camera with both hands, and fortunately there is enough of a ridge to the left, when viewing the camera from the rear, and at the back by the hinge for the LCD, for the user to do so without inadvertently smearing the screen with thumbprints.

Moving to the back of the SX20 IS then, and top left of the LCD is a direct print button that will be familiar to users of the Canon PowerShot range that doubles up in shooting mode as a user assignable short cut key to the likes of red eye reduction or auto exposure lock. Adjacent to this we have the rubber eye relief for the electronic viewfinder, just set back from a partly recessed dioptric adjustment wheel, while on the right hand side of the EVF we find the aforementioned record button for shooting video clips. Luckily, the full extent of the optical zoom can be deployed when filming, and coupled with the stereo sound, this means that, while no match for a dedicated camcorder, video clips look better than expected from your average compact.

Front Top

Top right of the camera back are a trio of buttons set into the back of the curved grip whereby they fall immediately under the thumb. The top one is self evidently for image playback, its positioning meaning you can quickly check the results of a capture while your finger remains hovering over the shutter release button for the next possible shot. A press of the next one down brings up an exposure compensation slider (+/- 2EV), or, if alternatively the user is still in playback mode, allows a sequence of images to be ‘jumped’ to find the one you’re looking for more rapidly in this age of ever larger card capacities, search criteria determined either by a number of images, categories or folders. The bottom and last of the three smaller buttons is for deleting images when in playback mode, or when in capture mode, lets the user move the otherwise central AF point to another portion of the screen. This is effected in conjunction with the four-way control pad with central ‘function set’ button and fiddly scroll wheel that encircles it just below.

At four points around this pad are, at 12 o’clock, a means of determining manual focus. Press this and you’re presented with a distance slider on the right hand side of the screen and an enlarged central portion of the image so focus can be more accurately determined. The rather over sensitive scroll wheel is used for moving through the available range. At three o’clock is a setting for adjusting ISO – here a range that moves from ISO 80 through ISO 1600 – while at six o’clock is a means of switching from single to continuous shooting or choosing one of the available self timer options. Moving around to nine o’clock we find a close up mode – with either macro or super macro settings possible.

Press the function/set button at its centre when in any of the capture modes, and an L-shaped toolbar that will be familiar to Canon users appears on the screen, offering pull out toolbars with further options from the range when you come to rest on a particular setting. In auto mode, only resolution/image size for stills and video is highlighted from the range, whereas if you move into one of the more creative PASM modes and press the button again, you can choose from any of the now fully accessible options. These include being able to adjust white balance, select from the familiar Canon ‘My colors’ modes – of which we preferred the ‘vivid’ setting for added visual punch – the chance to bracket exposures or focus, tweak the intensity of the flash, plus switch between evaluative, centre weighted and spot metering.

Memory Card Slot Battery Compartment

Beneath this control pad and wheel are two more familiarly marked buttons, this time for image display and menu. With subsequent presses the former turns the display on off, or calls up a nine zone compositional grid with live histogram. A press of ‘menu’ meanwhile provides the user with the ability to select from four separate folders – the first containing a comprehensive list of shooting options, the second being the fairly generic set up menu, and the third for accessing user-defined My Menu settings. Again the PowerShot SX20 IS is as quick and responsive as you could hope for as you tab though and effect the various options. While it is capable of shooting JPEG stills and high definition video however, one thing the SX20 IS still omits that several competing super zoom cameras include is RAW capture, which really would have made this an appealing proposition for current DSLR owners looking for a second camera.

While the left hand side of the SX20 IS, if still viewing it from the back, features a built-in speaker and catch for attaching the provided strap, the right hand (grip) side is slightly busier, featuring a dedicated slot for an SD or SDHC card protected by sliding cover near the base, above which is a plastic flap covering its USB port and new HDMI port, and a further flap hiding DC in and AV out ports. None of these covers feel as flimsy as on competing models, and reinforce the view of the SX20 IS as literally a solid contender. Flipping the camera upside down you find a familiar screw thread for a tripod at its base, and slightly stiff (and so awkward) sliding cover for the battery compartment that houses the four AAs needed for power.

As with the near-identical SX10, anyone used to handling a budget DSLR will find the SX20 IS reasonably easy to use, sharing familiarities in its control layout. Anyone upgrading from a point-and-shoot compact will be faced with an initial learning curve, but once you’ve got used to the operational quirks you’ll soon be confidently shooting candids and close ups thanks to the creative flexibility that the long lens affords.

CANON POWERSHOT A800 - REVIEW

2011-03-08T06:11:00.000-08:00

The Canon PowerShot A800 is an affordable and easy to use compact digital camera. Available in a red, silver, black or blue finish, the Canon A800’s key features include 10.0 megapixels, 3.3x optical zoom lens, 6.2 cm (2.5”) LCD, Smart Auto mode, Blur Reduction mode, and 16 shooting modes including FaceSelf-Timer. The Canon PowerShot A800 is available from February 2011.

Capturing stunning photographs is as simple as point and shoot with the new PowerShot A800

United Kingdom

, Republic of Ireland, 5th January 2011 - Canon today announces the launch of the PowerShot A800, an affordable and easy to use compact digital camera that makes capturing the perfect picture as simple as point and shoot. With Smart Auto mode the PowerShot A800 enables everyone, from first time photographers to casual snappers, to capture and enjoy Canon quality stills in seconds.

Stylish design, smart features

Available in a red, silver, black or blue finish, the PowerShot A800 combines a subtle, soft-edged design with a genuine Canon lens to deliver Canon image quality at an affordable price. Compact enough to slip in a pocket, the PowerShot A800 offers 10.0 Megapixels, a 3.3x optical zoom and a bright 6.2 cm (2.5”) LCD display to make capturing and sharing images quick, easy and fun.

Fantastic photographs – wherever you are

The PowerShot A800 features Smart Auto mode which automatically detects up to 19 different scenes and applies the best picture settings for the conditions, so whether you’re taking photos of people, landscapes, sunsets or close subjects you can rely on Canon know-how to take the best picture. When shooting indoors or capturing moving subjects, the Blur Reduction mode Blur Reduction Mode with resolution fixed at 1600 x 1200 helps to put an end to blurry images. If you’re feeling more creative you can choose Super Vivid or Poster Effect for more colourful and artistic results.

The PowerShot A800 has the added benefit of being powered by two AA batteries, making them easy to replace if you’re ever out of power on the go.

Snap, shoot and share

Upload and share high quality video footage directly from the PowerShot A800 using the YouTube™ upload software. Free membership to the CANON iMAGE GATEWAY means users can store, share and edit photos and videos with friends and family. The CANON iMAGE GATEWAY offers 2GB of online space, allowing users to showcase their creativity in a quick and simple way.

PowerShot A800 – key features:

10.0 Megapixels
3.3x optical zoom lens
6.2 cm (2.5”) LCD
Smart Auto mode
Blur Reduction mode
Easy to use design
16 Shooting modes including FaceSelf-Timer
DIGIC III
Long Play Movies
AA Batteries

CANON POWERSHOT D10 REVIEW

2011-03-08T06:05:00.000-08:00

Introduction

The Canon PowerShot D10 is an all-action compact camera that will cope with just about everything that you throw at it. Water, dust, freeze and shock proof, the new Canon D10 is a distinctively designed 12 megapixel camera with a difference.

The Canon PowerShot D10 represents Canon’s first foray into the all-action world of adventure cameras. The Canon D10 is waterproof up to 10 meters / 33-feet deep, freeze proof from -10°C / 14 degrees Fahrenheit, shockproof up to 1.22 meters / 4 feet, and is fully protected from dust. More regular features include a 12 megapixel sensor, 3x zoom lens with Optical Image Stabilization, 2.5 inch LCD screen, and new Smart AUTO, Blink Detection and FaceSelf-Timer modes.

Ease of Use

The Canon PowerShot D10 is certainly very distinctive, with toy-camera-like looks that you'll either love or hate. Our review model had a turquoise blue and silver colour scheme, which can be customised by purchasing an optional coloured Front Cover Set. This is a well-made digital camera with a sturdy metal body and excellent overall finish. It's just about small enough to fit into the palm of your hand, featuring a 3x optical zoom lens that's equivalent to a focal length of 35-135mm. The maximum aperture is a fast f/2.8 at the wide end and a respectable f/4.9 at the other extreme of the zoom range. The PowerShot D10 is quite bulky, measuring 4.9cms thick when turned off, making it more suited to a small camera bag than a trouser pocket, but it only weighs 190g without the battery or memory card fitted.

As with most Canon cameras that we've reviewed before, the PowerShot D10 is one of the better models around in terms of build quality. Even the tripod mount is metal instead of plastic and positioned centrally in-line with the lens. The only minor criticism is the lack of any handgrip on the front, with just a smooth, flat finish embossed with the Canon logo, making it more difficult to hold than it really should be. Also, changing cards or batteries is not possible while the camera is mounted on a tripod, because the compartment door hinge is too close to the tripod socket.

The Canon PowerShot D10 has relatively few external controls, 14 in total, which reflects the fact that this is quite a simple camera in functionality terms, with only limited photographic control on offer. All the controls are clearly labeled using industry-standard symbols and terminology. As this camera will spend quite a lot of its life underwater, it thankfully has large On/Off and Shutter buttons, and the optical zoom is operated by buttons on the rear, rather than a more fiddly push/pull lever. We would have liked the zoom buttons to have been a little bigger though for quicker access in more unfamiliar shooting environments.

Located on top of the PowerShot D10 are the Print Transfer, Camera/Movie and Play buttons, plus the On/Off and Shutter buttons, and on the bottom are the metal tripod mount and sealed battery compartment, which also houses the SD memory card slot. On the rear of the PowerShot D10 is the 2.5 inch LCD screen, with all the rear controls located to the right. You can directly access the various focus and flash options by clicking left and right on the navigation pad, whilst up and down are respectively used to set the exposure compensation and timer options. There is sadly no dedicated button for ISO speed, which is a commonly used feature, although you can work around this by optionally setting the Print Transfer button to one of 7 available options (which include ISO speed).

Virtually all of Canon's compact digicams offer a few little known but advanced functions, and the PowerShot D10 is no exception. These well-kept secrets, which you usually only learn about if you read the user guide attentively, include auto-focus lock (AFL), autoexposure lock (AEL) and flash exposure lock (FEL). To lock the focus on a subject for a series of consecutive shots, press the Left button on the four-way pad once while holding the shutter release depressed halfway. To lock the ambient exposure, do the same with the Up button. Flash exposure lock is achieved the same way when the flash is set to Forced On. AEL is available in Program, Quick Shot and Movie modes (you needn't hold down the shutter release for AEL when you are in Movie mode though).

Front Rear

The Function/Set button in the middle of the navigation pad opens a sub-menu, which allows you to set ISO speed, white balance, colours, metering, continuous shooting and image size/quality settings. This system is a good compromise given the size of the camera's LCD screen and therefore the limited space for external controls, although using it underwater is rather less intuitive. Note that some of these options may be unavailable depending on which shooting mode you are in.

The 2.5 inch LCD screen has a wide viewing angle from left to right, adequate resolution of 230,000 dots, and is visible in all but the brightest of sunlit conditions. It offers twice the normal levels of brightness by default, with 5 adjustable levels available, and a 2mm perspex shield protects it against scuffs and fingerprints. Both the screen cover and camera body had a few fine scratches, though, after a couple of weeks of use. There is no optical viewfinder on this model.

There is a single sealed port on the right side of the Canon PowerShot D10 (when viewed from the back), which accepts both the USB interface cable required to connect the camera to a printer or computer, and the AV cable. There are no controls on the left side of the PowerShot D10. Interestingly the D10 features an innovative connection system on all four corners of its body, enabling you to decide where the supplied wrist strap or the optional carabineer, shoulder, or neck straps are attached.

The menu system on the Canon PowerShot D10 is extremely straight-forward to use and is accessed by a dedicated button underneath the navigation pad. Quite a lot of the camera's main settings, such as white balance, exposure compensation and ISO speed, are accessed elsewhere, so the main menu system isn't actually that complicated. A row of 2 icons along the top of the LCD screen represents the Camera and Setup sub-menus, with most of the options being the kind that you set once and then forget about.

Due to the bright LCD screen, the various options are easy to access and use, especially as only 6 are shown onscreen at one time. In the Shooting menu, you may do things like specifying the AF Frame (Centre or Face Detect AiAF, the latter of which can now recognise faces at sharper angles), enabling or disabling Servo AF (useful for tracking subjects in motion), adjusting various flash settings, and setting the new i-Contrast function (which is Canon's answer to Sony's DRO, Nikon's D-lighting and Olympus' SAT, and works by lifting the shadows while leaving the midtones and the highlights alone in a high-contrast scene).

If you have never used a digital camera before, or you're upgrading from a more basic model, reading the comprehensive and fairly easy-to-follow manual before you start is a good idea. Unfortunately Canon have chosen to cut costs and only supply the full manual as a PDF on a CD, rather than in printed format (there's just a short printed guide to the camera's basic features). Not much use if you're taking pictures and need to find out what a particular option does.

Front Waterproof

The Canon PowerShot D10 offers Program and a comprehensive range of different scene modes - including dedicated Underwater, Snow and Beach modes - aimed at the user who just wants to point and shoot, making this camera particularly well-suited to the beginner. The new Smart Auto Mode automatically determines the subject's brightness, contrast, distance and overall hue, then selects the best scene setting from 18 possible modes, which is more than most competitors. The PowerShot D10 uncannily selected the right kind of scene mode for almost every environment that I tried it in. Strangely, Canon have not included their Easy Mode on the PowerShot D10, a useful mode for beginners which automatically sets every shooting option apart from turning the flash on and off.

The PowerShot D10 has a comprehensive Face Detection system that makes it easier to take great portraits. It detects up to 35 faces in a shot and adjusts the focus, exposure, flash settings and white balance automatically. The new Face Self Timer function is very useful for including yourself in group- or self-portraits. When you press the shutter release, walk into the scene, and two seconds after the camera detects that a new face appeared in the frame, the camera will automatically take the picture. Finally, Blink Detection can detect if a person in the picture has blinked and will automatically prompt you to retake the photo.

The Canon PowerShot D10 features an anti-shake system, called IS Mode - turn it on in the menu system and the PowerShot D10 automatically compensates for camera shake, which is a slight blurring of the image that typically occurs at slow shutter speeds. There are three different modes. Continuous is on all the time including image composition, Shooting is only on when you press the shutter button, and Panning as the name suggests is best when using the camera to track a moving subject. In practice I found that it does make a noticeable difference, as shown in the examples on the Image Quality page. You don't notice that the camera is actually doing anything different when anti-shake is turned on, just that you can use slower shutter speeds than normal and still take sharp photos.

Leaving the anti-shake system on all the time didn't affect the battery-life too much, with the camera managing just over 200 shots before the rechargeable Lithium-ion battery ran out of power. As part of a belt and braces approach, the anti-shake system is also backed up by motion detection technology that assesses camera or subject movement. The latter is effectively what rivals would refer to as digital anti-shake, as, activated in Smart Auto mode, it boosts ISO to a level (between ISO 80-800) it considers will compensate without hopefully introducing too much noise.

The PowerShot D10 can record VGA video at 640x480 pixels at 30fps in the Quicktime MOV format. Unfortunately sound quality is not that great, with the usual background noise that accompanies movies shot with cameras that only have mono sound, and there's no speaker on the camera to actually playback the sound. Even worse, you can't use the optical zoom at all during movie recording, just the 4x digital zoom setting. On a more positive note, the D10's anti-shake system is available when shooting movies, which helps to ensure less shaky footage.

Battery Compartment Memory Card Slot

The start-up time from turning the Canon PowerShot D10 on to being ready to take a photo is quick at around 1 second, and it takes about 3 seconds to zoom from the widest focal length to the longest. Focusing is very quick in good light and the camera happily achieves focus indoors or in low-light situations, helped by a powerful focus-assist lamp. It takes about 0.5 second to store an image, allowing you to keep shooting as they are being recorded onto the memory card - there is a very brief LCD blackout between each image. In Continuous mode the camera takes just 1.1 frames per second at the highest image quality, which is slow for this class of camera, although the shooting rate is at least maintained until your memory card is full.

Once you have captured a photo, the Canon PowerShot D10 has a good range of options when it comes to playing, reviewing and managing your images. You can instantly scroll through the images that you have taken, view up to 9 thumbnails, zoom in and out up to 10x magnification, and filter images by date, category, folder and file type. You can also view slideshows, delete, protect, resize, trim and rotate an image, and set the print order and the transfer order.

The Red-eye Correction options fixes red eye after you have taken a photo (useful if you forgot to activate it before) and i-Contrast improves the shadow/brightness areas, with Auto and Low, Medium and High settings (if you select i-Contrast before taking a photo, only Auto and Off settings are available). MyColors allows you to apply any of the 10 different effects on offer to a photo.

The Display button toggles detailed settings information about each picture on and off, such as the ISO rating and white balance, and there is a small histogram available during playback which is helpful in evaluating the exposure. A third press of the Display button shows the image alongside a small, magnified section, useful for quickly checking the sharpness.

In summary the Canon PowerShot D10 is a distinctive, well-built point-and-shoot model that can be safely used in a wider range of conditions than most other digital cameras.

CANON POWERSHOT SX120 IS - INDIA

2011-03-08T05:57:00.000-08:00

Introduction

The Canon PowerShot SX120 IS is one of the most affordable super-zoom cameras around. Canon SX120 offers a 10x optical zoom lens, 10 megapixels, 3 inch LCD screen and fast DIGIC 4 processor. Curiously aimed at both the family market, with Easy and Smart Auto modes, and prosumers, with a full range of manual controls, is the Canon PowerShot SX120 IS a successful jack-of-all-trades or master-of-none? Mark Goldstein finds out...

The Canon PowerShot SX120 IS is a new 10 megapixel digital camera featuring a 10x zoom lens complete with optical image stabilizer. Successor to last year’s SX110 model, the Canon SX120 IS offers a focal range of 36-360mm, 3 inch LCD screen, DIGIC 4 image processor, and Face Detection complete with Face Select & Track and Face Self-Timer modes. The SX120 IS has 20 shooting modes including Smart Auto and Easy Mode for complete beginners and full manual control for more experienced photographers. A high ISO setting of 1600, 30fps VGA movies with a Long Play mode and is power in the form of readily available AA batteries completes the SX120’s headline specifications.

Ease of Use

We reviewed the SX120's predecessor, the 9-megapixel 10x zoom SX110 IS, in October 2008, and, additional million pixel boost aside, outwardly very little appears to have changed at first glance. There's the same tactile control layout with reasonably large buttons and dials to intentionally keep things family friendly, plus that identical optically stabilized zoom range equivalent to 36 to 360mm in 35mm terms.

Though like its forebear the SX120 IS is chunky compared with the average point and shoot, it is smaller than the typical super zoom or bridge camera pitched at enthusiasts. There are no higher end features here such as a hotshoe for additional flash - merely one of the pop up variety - while power is again provided by two standard alkaline AA batteries that slot into the base of the handgripas does the 128MB SD card supplied in the box. While these features are indicative of a budget model, so too is the mainly plastic build, though it's handily disguised by a matt black finish. Those two AAs also add weight and, as we found with the SX110, generally the camera feels substantial when gripped in the palm.

Front Rear

The front of the SX120 IS is dominated by that behemoth of a lens, the majority of which is hidden flush to the body when not in use, rapidly extending (in a couple of seconds) to maximum wideangle with a press of the slightly recessed but clearly labeled lozenge-shaped on/off button up top. On initial inspection the front of the SX120 and SX110 are identical, but look very close and you'll see that the handgrip on the left is just a little wider. Three narrow slits indicate the built-in microphone nestling top left of the lens, and over to the right-hand side of the lens we find the same rounded window housing the AF assist/self-timer lamp as found on the earlier SX110.

While the above changes are largely cosmetic, when it comes to more practical considerations there's a more important omission. As on its predecessor there's no optical viewfinder or EVF - the space instead occupied by the built-in flash. Continuing around the slight curve of the handgrip we find a loop for attaching the supplied wrist strap and a sturdy pull-open plastic cover for the AV out, DC in and USB ports.

Front Top

The top of the SX120 is likewise identical to its predecessor. The SX120 has the exact same user-friendly control grouping as the SX110, namely a shooting mode wheel, on/off button and shutter release button encircled by a zoom lever. The mode dial is almost flush with the top of the body, although fortunately the dial itself has enough of a ridged surround to be able to turn it decisively with your thumb, and there's a cutaway portion at the camera back to allow access. It has a stiff action with a distinct click, so you're highly unlikely to shoot past the setting you want in the heat of the moment.

With the camera taking a couple of seconds to get going from cold, once again the action of the optical zoom is smooth and steady, though its motions are still sound-tracked by an audible mechanical buzz. More positively, with a half press of the shutter release button the SX120 is lightning fast in determining focus and exposure, while there's no noticeable shutter delay as you go on to take the shot. Operational speed is slightly improved than before, with the new DIGIC 4 processor on-board, although current SX110 IS owners would be hard-pressed to tell the difference.

Starting at the new Smart auto mode, which automatically chooses from 18 different scenes, and moving clockwise around the mode dial are the more creatively enticing settings of program auto, shutter priority, aperture priority and manual. The chosen mode is also shown as a virtual version on the screen, so you don't need to take your eye off your subject while making adjustments. Continuing clockwise we get a dedicated VGA-quality video mode (with a long play feature plus a further 320x240 pixels alternative), a selection of scene modes (including fireworks, snow, aquarium and an ISO 3200 mode), an optimized indoor setting mode, a dedicated children and pets mode, a night scene mode, plus landscape and portrait settings and finally the no frills 'Easy mode', which turns the camera into a purely point-and shoot experience, perfect for complete beginners.

Front Pop-Up Flash

The handy auto red-eye correction feature is accessible via a flash settings option that's rather hidden away among the SX120's menu screens. Red eye reduction can also be turned on/off in capture mode by delving into the same menu; like the SX110 it's not included among the options accessed via the dedicated flash switch at the rear, but at least here it's 'on' that handily appears to be the default setting rather than 'off'. The quality of the video - although disappointingly still the standard 640x480 pixels resolution, rather than High Definition - is again commendably sharp with 30fps allowing for more realistic motion, and the sound, though mono, is equally respectable. Another remaining disappointment is that the 10x optical zoom can't be used when shooting video, though a 4x digital zoom can (albeit with a certain loss of quality).

Moving to the back of the SX120 IS, we find a 3-inch, 230k dot LCD, identical to its predecessor's. The direct print button on the SX110 IS that was positioned top left of the screen has disappeared, presumably because most people didn't use it. The display and menu buttons are located beneath the rather fiddly four-way control pad-come-command wheel that remains centre right of the LCD. A press of 'menu' in capture mode brings up two folders on screen, one with shooting options and the second with more generic set-up features. A press of 'menu' in playback gives access to both image review plus print selection folders, while the third folder is the same set up menu. If you've used a Canon camera before, the menus will be immediately familiar: their design pretty basic but easy to navigate because of it. Mirroring these two buttons above the command wheel are a dedicated face detection button (on/off) and exposure compensation button (-/+ 2EV).

Face Detection has been improved, with the DIGIC 4-powered system now capable of recognising up to 35 faces in a scene and automatically adjusting the focus and exposure settings. Face Detection includes the Auto Red-Eye Correction, Face Detection AF/AE/FE, and Face Self-Timer technologies – the latter is a new feature that waits until it detects a new face in the frame before taking the shot. Face Select & Track allows a particular face to be tracked as they move around the frame, making sure that your chosen subject is always in focus and well-exposed.

Memory Card Slot Battery Compartment

Playback again has its own button on the camera back, rather than squeezing in among the modes on the top dial. As noted in our review of the SX110, when you come to access the options set at four points around the control pad/command wheel it's easy for your thumb to slip round to the adjacent setting. Being pre-aware of its liveliness, this time around it didn't irritate so much, but it's a little too easy to inadvertently change the wrong setting.

Ranged around the control dial, which additionally features a function set button at its centre, are a means of accessing ISO speed (Auto, Hi, ISO 80 to 1600), flash setting, self timer or continuous shooting, plus macro or manual focus – whereby users are presented with an enlarged central portion of the screen to check focus, its distance dialed in using the aforementioned wheel.

As you'd expect when up-ending the camera, the base of the SX120 features a screw thread for a tripod and a compartment storing the two AAs and SD memory card, opened by flicking the substantial catch and pressuring it proud of the unit. Closing it is a little awkward however as you have to press down on the two AAs as you're sliding it shut.

In summary, the SX120 IS is far more evolutionary than revolutionary, falling into the incremental yearly update cycle that a lot of modern digicams seem to follow, with slightly faster processor times and the improved face detection system being the new standout highlights.

SlashGear Week in Review – Week 10 2011

2011-03-08T03:59:00.001-08:00

Welcome to the latest edition of the SlashGear Week in Review! There were big goings on this week in the tech world with a new tablet and lots more so let’s get to it. The Kinect was hacked into a 3D scanner for turning the person it scans into a 3D foam bust. The pieces it makes are like foam puzzle pieces.

An ad agency in

New Zealand

created a new board for park benches that presses an ad into the legs of the people that sit down. When those ad pressed folks start to walk around people behind them can read the ads. Fujitsu unveiled a really cool 22-inch screen that has no cords at all. The display uses inductive power and wireless data links for a very clean look.

TazTag announced that it would be showing off a new tablet at CeBIT 2011 called the TazPad. The little tablet is pretty slick with NFC, ZigBee and the Android OS onboard. Intel outted a new SSD early in the week called the 510 Series that uses the SATA 6Gbps port. The cool part about that is that the SSD has blazing fast 500Mb/s read speeds.

Tractor beams are a sci-fi staple when it comes to capturing enemy ships trying to escape. Chinese physicists think that they tech might actually be possible by using laser beams to turn photons in to tractor beams. LG has won an injunction against Sony and customs in Europe has seized PS3 shipments. LG has also filed for an injunction against Sony in the US but so far that hasn’t been granted.

The price on the WiFi only Xoom tablet by Motorola was confirmed Tuesday. The cool and geeky InPulse smartwatch has been updated with Facebook Places check-in capability. The feature allows the user to check in with one button press.

A company called Tobii unveiled an interesting laptop this week that is controlled using the eyes. All the user needs to do is look at an icon to launch it. Microsoft is launching the next version of IE on March 24. The new browser would be IE 9 and 36 million copies of the beta are in use.

We reviewed the new 15-inch MacBook Pro notebook computer early last week. The new notebook is dramatically faster than the one it replaced thanks to Sandy Bridge. Some shots of what was supposed to be the iPad 2 leaked early in the week ahead of the official unveil by Apple. The images showed the back of the tablet.

Olympus Tough TG-810 “crushproof” digital camera surfaced this week and it has GPS and should be strong enough for some harsh climates outdoors. The camera has a 14MP sensor and 5x optical zoom among other things. Olympus also unveiled another new standard digital camera called the SZ-30MR. The camera has a 16MP sensor and can shoot 1080p HD video and still shots at the same time.

At the iPad 2 event, mid-week Steve Jobs took a chance to bash the Android Market and the number of apps for Android 3.0. A nice little graphic noted that there were 100 Android 3.0 apps and 65,000 iOS apps. The Apple iPad 2 went official on Wednesday and we were at the event to see it firsthand. The new iPad 2 has a dual-core processor, front and rear cameras, and lots more making it a worthy update to the original.

We spent some hands on time with the new iPad and put it on film for you to look at. The video shows off the features of the iPad 2. Mid-week we also spent some time comparing the iPad 2 to the original iPad. This is the story to read if you are trying to decide if you should upgrade from your original iPad.

We learned that some of the new Samsung Galaxy S II smartphones will have NVIDIA Tegra 2 inside and some will have the Samsung Exynos SoC inside. The catch is buyers will have no idea what version they are getting. Sprint has teased that it may have a new LTE network in place across the US as early as late-2013. The final decision on to LTE or not will be made later this year.

The new dock for the much thinner iPad 2 surfaced this week with a new design. RIM is apparently getting version of its BlackBerry Messenger app ready for both Android and iOS devices. This is expected sometime in late 2011 according to source and will let the different devices chat on the BlackBerry platform.

The Apple Digital AV Adapter surfaced this week that will work on the new iPad 2 as well as the iPhone 4, latest touch, and the iPad. The adapter will shoot video in HD resolution out to the TV via HDMI. A wind-powered mobile phone charger concept surfaced at Yanko Design late in the week. It looks like the wind turbines that are used offshore to generate power and in this case, it sends power to a charge pad that needs no wires to charge your device.

If you purchased an iPad in the last two weeks and were mad when you saw the new iPad 2 launch and the price of remaining iPads get cut you can get a refund. A Samsung exec has noted that the company is looking at the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and will improve parts of it that are inadequate. The changes could include a new lower price.

The first 3D film in the Star Wars franchise has a release date. Episode I The Phantom Menace will land on 2-10-2012 in theaters around the country in 3D. Microsoft started to let owners of Samsung WinPo 7 devices get the download that was previously pulled after some smartphones were bricked. As it turns out the “fixed” update had issues as well.

Angry Birds now has its own official page on Facebook. A version of Angry Birds will be coming to Facebook soon. Asus has tipped that its will have a 3D quad-core tablet this year and might have a Windows Phone in 2012. The devices will use a quad-core chip and that chip is thought to the NVIDIA Kal-El. Thanks for reading, see you next time!

Olympus SZ-30MR, digital super zoom camera with multi-recording

2011-03-08T03:33:00.000-08:00

For those who are careful with their cameras and not inclined towards sporting activities on weekends, the Tough-TG-810 may not hold as much appeal as the newest super zoom offering from Olympus. Rendering a multi-recording function for shooting 1080p HD videos along with 16MP stills, the Olympus SZ-30MR includes a 24x optical wide-zoom lens and displays captured content on its 3” high-resolution LCD.

Embedding a 16MP backlit CMOS sensor, the camera should be capable of shooting crisp images even in poorly lit conditions. Apart from the multi-recording mode, some of the newly introduced functions cover Eye-Fi card compatibility, a 3D photo mode and an enviable fps rate for continuous shooting at full resolution. The multi-recording ability comes courtesy of the dual TruePic III+ Image processor which also allows for two different videos to be recorded in wide-angle and close-up, full HD and lower resolution or original and filtered modes.

“The Olympus SZ-30MR has one of the world’s first multi-recording function to ensure you can take both full-resolution 16-megapixel stills and 1080p HD video to capture life’s most important moments,” explained Jennifer Schmell, product manager, Olympus Imaging America. “With its 24x optical zoom, 16MP backlight CMOS sensor and the ability to capture still images in 3D, the Olympus SZ-30MR gives the photo enthusiast a powerful tool.”

Then there are a variety of Magic Art filters for coloring up stills and HD footage which include fish-eye, pin hole, pop art, soft focus and so on. The SZ-30MR delivers dual IS as also mechanical sensor-shift IS. Users are proffered ISO levels of up 3200 and those who’d rather not bother with tweaking the controls can simply tune the camera to iAuto mode. The other main features of this new Olympus snapper span over AF tracking, HDMI connectivity, Smart Panorama, Olympus [ib] software and SD compatibility among others.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX9V

2011-03-08T03:21:00.000-08:00

First impressions

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX9V looks set to deliver long-zooming thrills in a compact package. We just hope the image quality is good enough to justify its high price.

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX9V is a compact superzoom with some muscular specs, including a 16.2-megapixel sensor and a lengthy, 16x zoom lens. It’ll be out in April. We’ve just got our mitts on the HX9V, and here are our first impressions.

Small package

Anyone familiar with compact superzooms like the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ8 or TZ10 will feel right at home with the HX9V. This chunky little snapper is light enough to carry around all day, weighing a modest 215g. Measuring 105 by 59 by 34mm, it’s also slender enough to fit in a trouser pocket and still leave room for a mobile phone.

Along the right-hand side of the camera, there’s a bulky slab of grip that’ll ensure the HX9V doesn’t slide out of your grasp. We found that the camera isn’t uncomfortable to hold, despite being blocky. We were also impressed by the flash, which is housed in the top left corner of the camera, and pops up like a submarine periscope when needed.

We only have one minor gripe in terms of design, although a few more may emerge once we get the camera in for a full review. Our gripe is that the zoom rocker on top of the camera feels rather uncomfortable. It’s small and pointy, so it could prove slightly painful for your fingertips, especially if you’re shooting in cold conditions, as we were.

Sweet sixteen

With a 16x optical zoom, the HX9V could be a decent choice if you often try to photograph naked people in hotel rooms things from afar. The zoom mechanism seemed speedy enough, and we were pleased with the stability of images taken at the maximum zoom setting -- we didn’t notice any blurring, which can be a problem with this type of camera.

We weren’t playing with the final-version of the HX9V, so its image quality could change before the camera’s released, but we were still impressed by the photos we took. They looked sharp and colourful. Still, in a camera of this price, anything less than genuinely spiffing image quality will invoke our ire.

Smart snapper

The HX9V features plenty of gizmos. An ‘intelligent auto’ mode will automatically choose the right scene setting based on the shooting conditions. There’s also a ‘superior auto mode’ that essentially adds a high-dynamic-range effect to your photos if you’re shooting in low light. We found this mode did its job pleasingly quickly, and we didn’t have to wait ages before we could take the next photo.

The camera’s GPS tech will let you know where your photos were taken, and there’s a 3-inch LCD display on the back of the camera. There’s no viewfinder, but there is a dedicated video button for quickly capturing footage.

The HX9V can take 3D photos. As it doesn’t have two lenses, you have to take two photos at different focus points, and then the camera will stitch them together into one photo. There are a variety of 3D shooting modes, including one that lets you take 3D panoramic shots, but you can’t view photos in 3D on the camera itself -- you’ll need to hook the HX9V up to a 3D-enabled telly or laptop and wear some dorky specs.

We’re sceptical about whether these 3D features will produce anything worth donning daft glasses for. Nevertheless, we’ll give the camera the full review treatment before we rule these features out.

Outlook

If the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX9V can deliver when it comes to image quality, it could prove a worthy rival to the Lumix DMC-TZ20, the latest offering from the king of the compact-superzoom sector, Panasonic. Stay tuned for a full review.

Fujifilm introduces FinePix AV200 digital camera in India

2011-03-01T05:56:00.000-08:00

Fujifilm released its new digital camera, called the FinePix AV200 for the Indian market. The new FinPix AV200 digital camera features a 14 megapixel sensor and a 3x Fujinon zoom lens. The camera also comes with a sleek and stylish body and includes about 21 shooting modes.

The FinPix AV200 camera is available in Indian market for sale with the more affordable price of Rs.5,499. The camera also integrates features such as face detection, 21 pre-programmed scene modes, motion panorama mode, single and tracking auto focus and automatic red-eye removal. The lightweight AV200 model uses digital image stabilization technology for clear pictures without blurring of images.

The FinPix AV200 digital camera offers 720p video recording with peerless clarity and captures high-definition photos. The Country General Manager of Fujifilm India, A Rajkumar said, “The Company is extremely happy to have brought out the AV200. An ideal choice for people who want sharp, clear and color loaded pictures, the camera boasts of a 3x zoom and excellent sensory resolutions.”

The Managing Director of Fujifilm India, Kanichi Tanaka told, “Fujifilm has launched the new ‘A’ series cameras that are sure to be on the year’s hot list. The AV200 is a unique 14 megapixel camera and has excellent high resolution sensors combined with high sensitivity settings to deliver sharp, clear images whatever the shooting conditions may be.”

Sony 3D Digital and Video Camera: Review of Tech

2011-02-28T23:33:00.000-08:00

During CES last year 3D TVs had a big showing, but there seemed to be a lack of support from other consumer electronic products. However, things were very much different this year, as there was a huge showing. The Sony 3D Digital and video camera range is not that large at the moment, but during a recent Connected Products Brief that was hosted for Netshelter we got an insight into their vision for 2011 and beyond. So let us review the tech that is available so far.

Sony said that they are the only consumer electronics maker that covers the entire 3D world, from behind the camera to in the home. However, they will need to move at a faster rate this year, as we can only see two 3D digital cameras and one camcorder. These are the Sony HDR-TD10 Full HD video camera and the DSC-WX5 and DSC-TX9 Sony Cyber-shot cameras.

The HDR-TD10 from Sony has been a long time coming, but most of you will agree that the wait has been worth it. How cool will it be to take 3D video recording of something and then be able to play it back on your Sony BRAVIA TV with Full 3D support? What makes this device more versatile is how you can switch from 2D to 3D in an instant. You cannot help think that you are looking at a portable Johnny Five from Short Circuit with those two eyes staring at you.

The DSC-WX5 is not what you would say a Full 3D camera, as it only takes Multi Angle images to offer 3D-like effects. However, it is still very effective in how it achieves this. You will still need a 3D TV to see the photos come to life.

The Sony TX9 Digital compact camera also employs that same technology, but this is certainly a higher-end product. We have to wonder how much truth there is in Sony’s claim when they say that this model offers “DSLR-like picture quality”? What we do like with the TX9 is the touchscreen, this does make using the camera much easier, although you do need to keep cleaning that screen.

These are just three 3D camera devices that Sony had to offer, and we hope to see many more in 2011. Do you think that 3D will be as big as consumer electronic makers say it will be?

Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-HX5V Digital Camera w/ Upto 10fps Shooting

2011-02-28T05:17:00.000-08:00

The HX5V is in an exclusive category of point-and-shoot cameras, it offers more than your standard point-and-shoot but it doesn’t change too much in form and price doesn’t jump to high either.

The HX5V boosts a 10.2-megapixel Exmor R CMOS image sensor and a BIONZ image processor. The teaming up of the back-illuminated CMOS sensor and the BIONZ image sensor you the user get to experience up to 10 frames-per-second (fps) image capture and even 1080i HD video capture. The camera itself also has a 3.0-inch LCD and a 10x optical zoom Sony G-Lens.

Sony has outfitted the HX5V with quite a bit of features, see those features in their entirety on this page, you will also be able to catch the current one day only sale on that page.

Buy a Digital Camera

2011-02-26T05:18:00.000-08:00

INTRODUCTION

Gone are the “megapixel wars” of recent years; it’s hard to find a new camera with anything less than a 10-megapixel sensor. Instead, we’re seeing a different kind of battle nowadays: manufacturers are building specialized cameras for different types of shooters.

We’re here to help. This Digital Camera Buying Guide will help you make a purchasing decision based on the specs you’ll need to examine closely (and the specs you can basically ignore) before you fork over your hard-earned cash.

Choosing the Right Digital Camera from pocket megazooms to basic point-and-shoots, we’ll walk you through the different kinds of digital cameras.

The Specs explained buying a digital camera isn’t all about megapixels. We’ll translate the jargon and tell you just how important each specification is to your purchase.

Digital Camera Shopping Tips before you head to the store, check out our advice for making a smart digital camera choice.

And if you want to dive in and see the latest PC World rankings and ratings of digital cameras, you can find them here:

Top-Rated Point-and-Shoot Cameras

Top-Rated Pocket Megazoom Cameras

Top-Rated Point-and-Shoot Cameras With Manual Controls

Top-Rated Point-and-Shoot Cameras for Video

Top-Rated Compact Interchangeable-Lens Cameras

Top-Rated DSLRs

CHOOSING THE RIGHT DIGITAL CAMERA

If you’re having a hard time figuring out which camera to buy, you may be tempted to make a decision based solely on megapixel count. However, outside of making huge prints or blowing up small portions of an image, megapixels can be meaningless. In fact, a high megapixel count can lead to noisier, less-sharp images unless you’re using a camera with a larger image sensor (such as a DSLR or a compact interchangeable-lens camera).

Other features are often more important, and they depend on what you’ll be using the camera for. For example, a lethargic camera that takes too much time between shots is a lemon for sports or action photographers, and a big, heavy DSLR that takes amazing photos may spend more time on the shelf than in your carry-on bag. A camera with no manual controls may take fabulous shots in bright sunlight, but lousy ones in more challenging situations.

Starting at the top of the photographic food chain, here are the pros and cons of each type of camera.

Digital SLR (DSLR) Camera

Strengths: Superb photos, videos, and low-light shooting; no shutter lag; versatile interchangeable lenses; manual controls for exposure and focus; through-the-lens optical viewfinder

Weaknesses: Expensive; lack of portability; not all DSLRs shoot video; can be complex and intimidating

If money’s no object and performance is your top priority, a digital SLR yields the best photo quality and imaging controls of any type of digital camera. The combination of a large sensor, high-quality lenses that you can swap out to achieve a wide range of effects, great high-ISO performance in low light, and lightning-quick shutter response times make it the go-to camera for hobbyists and pro shooters. A DSLR is also the only type of camera that lets you frame shots using a through-the-lens optical viewfinder, meaning that what you’ll see through the eyepiece is a true-to-life representation of your shot.

Though the prospect of using a DSLR can be intimidating for novice users, most modern models are outfitted with point-and-shoot-like features and LCD-based viewfinders to make the migration easier. Beyond user-friendly auto-exposure and scene modes, you also get room to grow as a photographer due to a DSLR’s full range of manual controls.

The only major drawback to a DSLR is its size, which makes it a tough camera to bring anywhere you go. Additional lenses are a must when it comes to unleashing the full power of your DSLR, and they usually cost several hundred dollars a pop (at least). If you’re interested in shooting video, make sure your DSLR supports it; these cameras capture stunning HD video, but only the newest DSLRs are video-capable.

Compact Interchangeable-Lens Camera (Panasonic G-Series, Olympus PEN, Sony NEX, Samsung NX)

Strengths: More-compact than a DSLR; excellent photo and video quality; no shutter lag; versatile interchangeable lenses; manual controls for exposure and focus

Weaknesses: No through-the-lens optical viewfinder; can be expensive; fewer lenses available than for DSLRs; still a bit bulky for everyday use

If you can live without an optical viewfinder, these interchangeable-lens cameras offer most of what a DSLR offers in a more-compact body: a large sensor, fast mechanical shutter, swappable lenses, noticeably better image and video quality that your average point-and-shoot, and manual controls.

The lack of an optical viewfinder is a byproduct of these cameras’ smaller size: by eliminating the somewhat large mirror box that lets you frame your shot through the lens, manufacturers were able to make these interchangeable-lens cameras more compact.

One of the main problems is deciding which of the emerging compact interchangeable-lens formats to buy into, because like DSLR lens mounts, they’re incompatible with one other: Panasonic and Olympus both use the Micro Four-Thirds System lens mount, but not all Micro Four-Thirds lenses are compatible with both companies’ cameras; Samsung’s NX10 uses its own NX lens mount; Sony’s NEX series uses the E-Mount system; and other companies are bound to release their own interchangeable-lens compacts.

Because this is a newer type of camera, there aren’t as many lens options to choose from, either. Adapters are available that let you use full-size DSLR lenses with these cameras, but they often cost a hundred dollars or more.

Megazoom (Fixed-Lens High-Zoom) Camera

Strengths: Very high optical zoom range; manual controls; normally has excellent image stabilization; better lenses than standard point-and-shoot cameras

Weaknesses: Bulkier than a point-and-shoot camera; expensive for a fixed-lens camera; not much smaller than an interchangeable-lens camera

Megazooms don’t give you the same lens-swapping versatility of a DSLR or compact interchangeable-lens camera, but they are the most-versatile fixed-lens cameras available. They’re called “megazooms” because their lenses serve up a whopping amount of optical zoom (20x to 36x), offering impressive wide-angle coverage and telephoto reach.

Most megazooms also offer DSLR-like manual controls for aperture and shutter, as well as excellent image stabilization to help steady full-zoom shots. Because of the versatility of their lenses, they’re good cameras for landscape photography (they can capture both wide-angle vistas and faraway details), sports photography (you can sit in the crowd and still get tight shots of in-game action), and animal photography (because you really shouldn’t get too close to that bear).

Although a megazoom camera is smaller than a DSLR, it’s about the same size as some interchangeable-lens compact cameras, and it won’t slip into a pocket or purse. You’ll probably need a backpack or camera bag to tote it along with you.

POCKET MEGAZOOM (COMPACT HIGH-ZOOM) CAMERA

Strengths: Very high optical zoom range for a pocketable camera; portable but versatile; normally has excellent image stabilization; many have manual controls

Weaknesses: Some are a bit bulky; more expensive than basic point-and-shoot cameras; some lack manual controls; normally has narrower aperture than an advanced point-and-shoot

If you’re attracted by the versatile fixed lens of a megazoom camera but want something a bit more portable, a pocket megazoom is your best option. These compact cameras offer optical zoom ranges up to about 18x, and although they’re definitely more compact than a full-size megazoom or DSLR, some of them aren’t quite small enough to slip into a pants pocket. A jacket pocket or purse should be big enough, however.

These are great cameras for vacationers or for everyday use, due to their versatile combination of zoom range and portability. They’re small enough to bring anywhere, and they offer enough optical zoom to cover anything from wide-angle scenery to faraway shots of sporting events or wildlife.

Although many pocket megazoom cameras have manual controls such as aperture and shutter priority, not all of them do, so be sure to check the specs if you’d like those features. These cameras normally have very good optical image stabilization to bolster their high-zoom lenses.

Advanced Point-and-Shoot (Compact Camera With Manual Controls)

Strengths: Better image quality than most fixed-lens cameras; manual controls over shutter speed and aperture settings; usually has a wide aperture at wide-angle end of the zoom; good secondary camera for DSLR owners; good learning tool for novice shooters

Weaknesses: More expensive than a basic point-and-shoot; can be more complicated to use than a basic point-and-shoot; smaller optical zoom range

Not all point-and-shoot digital cameras can live up to the scrutiny of a DSLR-toting pro, but an advanced point-and-shoot often gets the nod as a pro shooter’s secondary, more-portable camera. These cameras have manual controls for setting the aperture, shutter, and ISO, letting you fine-tune your shot more granularly than you can with a basic point-and-shoot.

Their lenses also tend to have wider maximum apertures than most fixed-lens cameras, meaning that you can shoot at faster shutter speeds, get good shots in low light, and achieve shallow depth-of-field effects to give macro shots and portraits a more artistic look. Although you don’t get the zoom range of a pocket megazoom, image quality is often better; you don’t end up with the distortion you sometimes see with a high-zoom lens.

RUGGEDIZED POINT-AND-SHOOT CAMERA

Strengths: Immune to drops, water, freezing, and sand

Weaknesses: Usually has fewer features than a standard point-and-shoot camera; sometimes has subpar image quality

These are the ultimate cameras for extreme-sports enthusiasts, mountaineers, snorkelers, and the just-plain-clumsy. Quite a few waterproof, freezeproof, drop-proof, and dustproof cameras are available, and they’re great for taking underwater shots of fish, lugging to the beach, or taking on a snowboarding trip.

Due to their unique looks and sometimes-barren feature sets, these rugged cameras aren’t the first choice for everyday on-the-go use. Image quality can be a mixed bag, as well: they’re rugged, but they usually don’t have the best optics or biggest sensors. But they’re durable, and that’s sometimes a more important trait to have.

BASIC POINT-AND-SHOOT CAMERA

Strengths: Very easy to use; inexpensive; small enough to fit in a pants pocket; usually has a large number of scene modes that select the right in-camera settings for your shot

Weaknesses: Usually doesn’t have any manual controls; image quality is typically mediocre, especially in low light; inflated megapixel counts

A basic point-and-shoot camera is a no-brainer pick for anyone who just wants an affordable camera to have on hand at all times; most of them even shoot 720p HD video now. In-camera automation is getting better and better, meaning that these cameras basically drive themselves; you don’t get manual controls that help you fine-tune your photos, but these cameras normally have very good Auto modes and scene selections that choose the appropriate in-camera settings for your shot.

These cameras usually have small sensors, so don’t fall into the trap of buying an inexpensive camera with a very high megapixel count. Packing more megapixels into a small sensor usually leads to image noise, especially when you’re shooting at higher ISO settings.

Although they won’t offer the same optical zoom reach as a more-expensive camera, a good thing to look for in a basic point-and-shoot camera is wide-angle coverage (ideally around 28mm on the wide-angle end). That extra wide-angle coverage comes in very handy for group shots, arm’s length self portraits, and landscape shots.

THE SPECS EXPLAINED

Different specs are important to different people, but there are a few generalizations we can make when it comes to cameras.

Megapixel Count

If you intend to take pictures only to e-mail them to distant friends or to print at snapshot size, a camera of most any resolution will do. Even so, having more pixels gives you greater flexibility--you can print sharper pictures at larger sizes, or crop and print small sections of pictures. These days most cameras offer a resolution of at least 10 megapixels, which is overkill for most shooters. 5 megapixels is enough to make a sharp 8-by-10 print. 8 megapixels is enough to make a sharp 11-by-14 print. A 10-megapixel camera can produce acceptable prints of up to 13 by 19 inches, though they may lose some detail. Images from a 13-megapixel camera look good at 13 by 19 inches and can be pushed to 16 by 24 inches. Many digital single-lens reflex (SLR) cameras today exceed 13 megapixels-all the better to creatively crop your images.

IMAGE QUALITY

All megapixels aren’t created equally; cameras with larger sensors and lenses normally take better shots, regardless of the megapixel count. Bigger sensors normally create better images, as do higher-quality lenses; this is why DSLRs take such stunning photos. If you can’t get any hands-on time with a camera before deciding whether to buy it, check the specs to see how big its sensor is, and look at the physical size of the glass on the front of the camera. If both are big, it most likely offers good image quality.

SHUTTER LAG AND STARTUP TIME

Even if the camera you’ve decided to buy has some drool-inducing specs, shutter lag may keep you from capturing the perfect shot. When it comes to shutter lag, a camera can let you down in a handful of ways: a slow shot-to-shot time, a slow startup-to-first-shot time, and a laggy autofocus that has trouble locking in on a crisp shot.

You can check for only one of these problems by scanning a camera’s spec sheet: To get a grasp on a camera’s shot-to-shot time, look for the camera’s “burst mode” or “continuous shooting” count in shots per second. This is the number of shots a camera will take in rapid-fire succession as you hold the shutter button down. If you’re interested in shooting a lot of sports or action photography, look for a camera with a continuous shooting mode of at least 3 shots per second; keep in mind that the continuous shooting speeds usually refer to situations with the flash turned off, as the time needed to recharge the flash will usually be longer than the shot-to-shot time. Some cameras are built for high-speed shooting with shot rates much higher than that, but usually they significantly reduce the resolution of each photo in order to speed up image processing and write speeds.

The other forms of shutter lag are important reasons to get some hands-on time with any camera before you buy it, if possible. Check to see how long the camera takes to power on and snap a first shot; generally, anything close to a second is considered fast. Another good hands-on, in-store test is to see how long the camera’s autofocus system takes to lock in on a shot after you press the shutter button halfway. If the camera searches in and out for more than a second, you’d be better off with another camera for sports or spur-of-the-moment casual shots.

SIZE, WEIGHT, AND DESIGN

To some users, how much a camera weighs and whether it fits in a pocket may be more important factors than resolution. Slim cameras are convenient, but they frequently have tiny dials and few buttons, which make changing settings somewhat trying. Smaller cameras usually don’t have many manual controls, relying on automated in-camera settings that pick the right in-camera settings for your shot. These auto modes normally do a great job, but you have less control over the look and feel of a photo.

ZOOM LENS AND IMAGE STABILIZATION

Inexpensive cameras often lack a powerful optical zoom lens, but that’s changing.

If we had to choose between a point-and-shoot camera with more optical zoom and one with higher resolution, we’d take the model with the more powerful zoom lens--it means you won’t have to magnify your subject and then use software to crop the image (and discard some of the resolution as a result).

If you’re buying a DSLR or a compact interchangeable-lens camera, both the zoom range and the stabilization features depend on the lens you’re buying. A few DSLRs and interchangeable-lens compacts have in-body image stabilization, meaning that your images will be stabilized by in-camera mechanics regardless of which lens you attach. If your camera doesn’t have in-camera stabilization features, optically stabilized lenses are available, but they’re often a bit more expensive.

Fixed-lens cameras now offer zoom ratings of up to 36X. These lenses are great for nature or sports photography, but unless the camera has good image stabilization (look for a camera with optical image stabilization) or a very fast shutter, you may need a steady hand or a tripod to avoid blurry pictures at extreme telephoto lengths. You should try a camera’s autofocus at full zoom: We’ve tested some models that were slow to focus at full zoom in low light.

Also note that not all high-zoom cameras are created equal. You know how you have to ask everyone in your group shot to gather in close to get in the shot? A wide-angle lens can solve that problem, so pay attention to the wide-angle end (lowest number) of the optical zoom range, not just the telephoto end (highest number). If you take a lot of group shots or landscape shots, the wide-angle end of the lens is even more important; it lets you capture more of the scene when you’re zoomed all the way out. A good wide-angle lens starts at about 28mm or less on the wide-angle end; the lower the number, the wider-angle the lens.

Be wary of advertised zoom ratings--many vendors combine the optical zoom (which moves the lens to magnify the subject) with digital zoom, which merely captures fewer pixels and magnifies those. Optical zoom gives you all the benefit of the camera’s maximum resolution, combined with the ability to focus in tight on faraway action.

RAW MODE

All digital cameras take .JPEG images by default, which compresses your photos and compromises the details in each shot. Many DSLRs and compact interchangeable-lens cameras, and some advanced point-and-shoot cameras also allow you to shoot in RAW mode, which preserves all the data in your images without compression. Shooting in RAW lets you bring out more detail in your image during the editing process, but it also means that the file sizes on your images will be much higher. If you plan to shoot in RAW, make sure you have a high-capacity storage card to hold all that extra data.

MANUAL FOCUS

For close-ups and situations in which a camera’s autofocus doesn’t quite cut it, switching to manual focusing can help you get the shot. Low-end cameras often omit manual focusing or allow only stepped focusing, which forces you to choose from a few preset distances. It’s also a good idea to test out a camera’s autofocus before you buy; some cameras struggle to lock in on a focus point at full telephoto or in macro mode, meaning you may not be able to capture your perfect shot.

STORAGE

If you have an existing storage card that you’d like to use with your new camera, make sure that it’s compatible with your new purchase. Most cameras on the market today use SD (Secure Digital) or SDHC (Secure Digital High Capacity) format cards. SDHC (Secure Digital High Capacity) cards are more expensive, offering storage capacities up to 32GB, but they’re not backward-compatible with standard SD slots. There’s also a new format on the block: SDXC, which supports storage capacities up to a whopping 2TB; those are even more expensive, and they aren’t compatible with all SD/SDHC card slots.

In addition to storage capacity, there’s also the speed issue to consider. SD and SDHC cards have a “Decoding Class” rating listed, which refers to the data-writing rate for each card. The higher the Class number, the faster the write speed; if you’re planning on shooting video or using a high-speed burst mode, look for a Class 4 or Class 6 card at the very least.

To complicate matters further, there are a couple of other formats out there. Some cameras support MicroSD or MicroSDHC cards, a smaller version of the SD card format that isn’t compatible with full-size SD slots. Older Sony cameras take MemoryStick cards, and older Olympus cameras use the XD card format; both companies’ new cameras now support SD/SDHC cards. What’s more, many higher-end DSLRs have a larger-format CompactFlash card slot.

BATTERY LIFE

Some digital cameras quickly drain batteries--especially alkaline batteries--which can be expensive and annoying. Battery life and cost often aren’t related; some inexpensive cameras have great battery life, and some expensive ones use up a charge quickly. Either way, it’s a good idea to buy spare batteries.

MOVIES AND SOUND

The majority of today’s cameras can capture video as well as still shots, and some even record 1080p high-definition video. If you plan on shooting a lot of video with your camera, here are some things to consider:

- Can the camera zoom in and out optically while filming video?

- Can you use autofocus while shooting video?

- Does your video-editing software support the format your camera records? Most cameras’ video output will work with any video-editing program, but the AVCHD format is still incompatible with some software. That said, the AVCHD format will upload directly to YouTube.

- Do you have a Class 4 or Class 6 SDHC card? You’ll want to pick one up to make sure it can handle the speed of video capture.

If you’re torn between a digital SLR camera and an advanced point-and-shoot model, check to see whether the DSLR you’re considering shoots video. A growing number of DSLRs capture high-definition video, and the larger sensors and lenses mean that the video quality is usually phenomenal.

EXPOSURE SETTINGS

All digital cameras let you shoot in fully automatic mode--just press the shutter release and you get a picture. Some cameras also offer aperture- and shutter-priority modes, in which you adjust the size of the lens opening or how long the shutter stays open, and the camera automatically controls the other variable to give you the proper exposure.

Typically, you’d use aperture priority to maintain control over an image’s depth of field--for example, to blur the background of a shot while keeping the foreground sharp--and shutter-priority mode to capture fast-moving subjects. A camera that relies exclusively on full auto would attempt to keep both the foreground and background in focus in the former example, and it would probably blur the moving subject in the latter.

Usually, cameras that offer priority modes also provide full-manual exposure control, in which you set both variables. These modes make a camera adaptable to almost any situation.

MENUS

When evaluating a camera, consider how easily you can reach common settings--resolution, macro mode, flash, and exposure adjustments--and how easily you can play back just-taken images. Too many buttons, and you waste time trying to figure out which button does what; too many menus, and you waste time digging through them.

SCENE MODES

Some cameras try to entice prospective buyers, particularly beginning photographers, with a large number of scene modes--presets that are designed for a variety of settings and subjects, such as the beach, fireworks, and underwater. However, selecting one of these less common modes usually requires a trip to the menus, and multiple button presses. Some cameras let you assign one of the modes--or a custom mode of your creation--to a position on the control dial, where you can more easily access it. Some DSLRs offer multiple positions on their control dial for storing customized settings, and some point-and-shoots allow you to store customized settings as a mode within the scene modes menu or via the control dial.

One potentially helpful feature offered by almost every point-and-shoot camera is facial detection. In detecting people’s faces, the camera aims to optimize both focus and exposure for the subjects, presumably to better effect than the more traditional portrait mode that almost every camera offers. Some new cameras even have smile recognition, which will automatically take a picture when someone in the frame smiles; this feature is great for baby pictures or for shooting an otherwise moody subject.

UNIQUE SHOOTING MODES

With the megapixel wars officially over, camera manufacturers are focusing on other ways to make their offerings stand out from the pack. Some in-camera features are worth the price of admission alone, and they vary by vendor. For example, Casio has a high-speed shooting mode in many of its cameras that takes up to 60 shots per second. Nikon has a camera with a projector in it. Sony has a Sweep Panorama mode that lets you press the shutter button once and then pan across a scene to create an instant panoramic image. Canon and Olympus both have scene modes that make large objects look like miniature models, and several companies have cameras that shoot 3D images. You’ll also find quite a few cameras available now with built-in GPS and mapping features. When it comes to cameras, don’t be afraid to dive into the details; you might discover a cool feature hiding in the spec sheet that makes a camera a top contender for meeting your needs.

WHITE BALANCE

Almost all digital cameras allow you to choose a white-balance setting via presets. This setting tells the camera which elements in a shot should look white, and then by inference which elements should look black and what everything in between should look like. If you’re finicky about color accuracy, look for a custom white-balance mode in which you press the shutter button while aiming at a white object.

LCD AND VIEWFINDER

All digital cameras have an LCD screen; these vary in size from 1.8 to 3.5 inches. The smaller size limits your ability to review just-taken images on the camera. A good LCD is essential for knowing whether you got the shot you wanted, and can usually give you an indication of whether it was properly exposed. Some new cameras have touch-screen LCDs that allow you to tap on subjects in the frame to focus on, as well as to navigate menus. If you’re thinking about getting a camera with a touch-screen LCD, make sure the screen is responsive--and account for the screen-smudge factor.

LCD quality varies widely: Many wash out in sunlight or become grainy in low light, or the image may change if you tilt the camera slightly. If you can, try a camera outside before you buy it. Some cameras also have an eye-level viewfinder, which is a convenient backup for framing your shots (and if you turn off the LCD when not using it, you’ll save battery power). Perhaps the best way to ensure an accurate exposure is to view the photograph’s histogram on the LCD (if the camera offers this feature). A histogram is a graph that will show you highlights that are overexposed to the point of being pure white, and shadows that are underexposed and show as pure black.

Panasonic Lumix TZ20 review

2011-02-26T04:29:00.000-08:00

The Panasonic Lumix TZ20 updates the incredibly popular Panasonic DMC-TZ10. Now with a 16x optical zoom, Full HD video and even a 3D mode. Just how does the TZ20 weigh up? The What Digital Camera Panasonic DMC-TZ20 review...

Pros: Excellent image sharpness, rapid focusing, useful optical image stabilization

Cons:Manual control access, underused touchscreen, high ISO image quality

The Panasonic Lumix TZ20 updates last year's very successful Panasonic DMC-TZ10 and is a review sample we've been most looking forward to getting our hands on. The original Lumix TZ10 was a highly recommended long-zoom compact, offering the likes of GPS and HD movie recording with a 12x optical zoom. To this end it comes as no surprise that the successor, the TZ20, adds to the majority of those features but also makes some notable changes such as trading in the old 12x optical zoom for a new and all the more spangly 16x optical zoom.

PANASONIC LUMIX TZ20 REVIEW - FEATURES

Although the Lumix TZ20's body shape hasn't especially changed over its previous model, it's what's on the inside that's interesting: gone is the 12.1MP CCD, now replaced by a newly-adopted 14.1MP MOS sensor.

The TZ20's 16x optical zoom (24-384mm equiv.) lens offers Panasonic's 'Power' Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) system, as per the TZ10, although on this occasion an 'Active Mode' has been added to minimise motion shake during movie recording. And speaking of movie capture, the TZ20 now offers AVCHD, as opposed to the previously utilised 'AVCHD Lite' of the TZ10. This means Full HD 1080i recording is possible and, given the improvements of the new sensor, this should be much higher quality too. Zoom can also be employed while capturing, and continuous auto focus is also possible.

On the camera's rear is a 3in, 460k-dot LCD screen that now has a touch panel for touchscreen control. Like the TZ10, the Lumix TZ20 also includes Global Positioning Satellite technology (GPS). This allows for geotagging - i.e. metadata information to be tagged on to your images as 'hidden' data that records the location of where shots are taken. This can then be used for a variety of purposes, such as cataloguing or interacting with websites to automatically place images on a mapped area, for example.

One major addition Panasonic has been grabbing the headlines with is the addition of 3D to many of its product lines. The TZ-series isn't one to miss out, as the TZ20 now offers a mode that can be used much in much the same way as real time panorama capture. By physically moving the camera and capturing two separate images in one motion the TZ20 can compile this into a single MPO file for 3D playback on your 3D TV or 3D-capable device. The time taken to process images and execute the 3D creation is surprisingly straightforward and quick, as long as the camera is moved in the desired direction rapidly enough (otherwise it won't work!).

Like the TZ10, the Lumix TZ20 continues to offer full manual controls. The relatively DSLR-style of controls makes them easy to access and adjust. Similarly two My Scene modes are available to set up a personalised shooting mode - this allows for rapid switching between your favourite capture settings as opposed to trawling through menus. Custom mode goes a step further, in that it can customise the ISO and a plethora of other settings for immediate access via three Custom menu options. There's also intelligent Auto (iA) mode that adapts to subject or lighting condition, taking on board the scene at hand and selecting the various options accordingly - a great option for the point-and-shoot user.