Ricoh Caplio R3 Review
Trusted Reviews has a look at the Ricoh Caplio R3, a 5 megapixel digital camera with a better than average optical zoom.
Digital cameras have got so sophisticated in the past couple of years that it is getting increasingly difficult for a new model to make any sort of impact, especially if it comes from a company outside of the “big five”. Take this Ricoh Caplio R3 for example. It’s a pocket-sized compact with a 2.5in LCD monitor, 7.1x optical zoom, image stabilization and a 5 megapixel CCD. In most respects it has an extremely impressive specification for just £219, but it seems that most people have completely ignored it.
Olympus SP-350 Review
Megapixel.net has a very detailed look at the SP-350, and in the end give it an eight out of ten.
A relatively compact camera offering a good ergonomic design, the Olympus SF-350 incorporates a wide array of functions and a large, 8-megapixel image size at a comparatively reasonable price.
While its 3X optical zoom is a standard expectation with current compact cameras, the inclusion of complete advanced shooting modes, a plethora of scene modes — 24 to be exact — a RAW image format, and a hot shoe are unusual for a camera in this range, and impart it with great flexibility.
Canon PowerShot A620 Review
A 7.1 mega-pixel digital camera from Canon has a review up on the Digital Camera resource page and it seems like they are positioning it as a great upgrade or replacement for the A95.
The Canon PowerShot A620 is a very competent midsized camera that’s a good fit for both beginners and enthusiasts, and it gets my highest recommendation. With both automatic and manual shooting modes, very good movie and continuous shooting features, and expandability, the A620 is a lot of camera for under $400.
The A620 is a midsized camera made of a mixture of plastic and metal. It feels very solid considering its low price, and I found it easy to hold. The A620 is one of very few lower priced cameras to offer a flip-out, rotating LCD display, and the one here is 2 inches in size (up from 1.8″ on the A95). Images on the screen are sharp, motion is fluid, and low light visibility is top-notch.
The PowerShot A620 features a 4X optical zoom lens, which is higher than what most of the competition offers. In addition, you can add conversion lenses and filters quite easily. An external slave flash is also available. As far as shooting features go, the A620 has virtually everything you can imagine. If it’s automatic modes you’re after, you’ll find numerous scene modes as well as a panorama helper. Enthusiasts will appreciate the full manual controls on the camera, ranging from shutter speed and aperture to focus and white balance. There’s also a custom spot on the mode dial to which you can store your favorite camera settings. Like Canon’s other recent cameras, the A620 sports the unique My Colors feature.
HP Photosmart R817 Digital Camera Review
Digital Camera Review does what their name implies and reviews the Photosmart R817 from HP.
The R817 is the successor the R717. While the R817 has one fewer megapixels, the addition of the 5x optical Pentax lens and refined user interface make up for it. While the Pentax lens may take slightly sharper photos, noise continues to be an issue for people wanting the best image quality for their money.
At the time of this writing, the R817 can be had from Internet sites for around $225 after rebates. Given the simplicity of the camera, its very good user interface, PictBridge capability, plethora of scene modes, ability to share photos by email easily, and integrated HP technologies, I would recommend the R817 as I did the R717.
Canon PowerShot SD430 Wireless
Amstelveen, The Netherlands, 25th October 2005: Canon, a leader in photographic and imaging technology, today releases the Digital IXUS WIRELESS – Canon’s first wireless digital compact camera. Bringing IXUS style and performance to the wireless age, the camera’s Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11b) support offers users a new level of flexibility and convenience in digital photography.
The Digital IXUS WIRELESS supports several innovative features, including automatic wireless image transfer and wireless control of camera shooting functions from a PC. It comes supplied with the Wireless Printer Adapter (WA-1E) for out-of-the-box wireless direct printing to any Canon PictBridge compatible printer.
A sleek new Slit & Frame design complements the camera’s wireless capabilities while staying true to the iconic IXUS style. Appealing to admirers of high-tech elegance, the compact Digital IXUS WIRELESS sports a silver finish and incorporates a stylish blue LED that illuminates during wireless communication. Image quality is assured with a 5.0 Megapixel CCD sensor, a compact 3x optical zoom Ultra-high refractive index Aspherical (UA) lens and Canon’s second generation DIGIC II image processor. Other features include a bright 2.0″ LCD display and 14 shooting modes for creative experimentation.
“With wireless technology extending beyond the office to personal home networks, Canon expects Wi-Fi support to be the next big trend in the digital photography market,” said Mogens Jensen, Head of Canon Consumer Imaging Europe. “The Digital IXUS WIRELESS delivers freedom and ease-of-use that consumers expect from wireless devices.”
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Sony Cyber-shot DSC-R1, N1 & M2 Launch Event
The great folks over at Hardware Zone got to attend the launch of some digital cameras from Sony: the R1, N1, and M2.
They start the article with a tribute to the Handycam, as it turns twenty years old, and then move on to the launch news.
The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-R1 looks like a pretty large 10.3 mega-pixel digital camera with a 2-inch free angle LCD screen located at the top of the camera.
The Cyber-shot DSC-N1 is a compact 8.1 mega-pixel digital camera with a 3-inch LCD screen and 26MB of internal memory.
The Cyber-shot DSC-M2 is a compact 5.1 mega-pixel camera that comes with a unique swivel and flip LCD panel.
I look forward to reading detailed reviews on all of these cameras as they come out.
Olympus E-500 EVOLT Review
After nearly a month since Digital Photography Review mentioned the Olympus E-500 EVOLT digital SLR, they finally have a full review up of the camera that should make those waiting for more information happy.
As mentioned earlier the E-500 has a much more traditional SLR appearance, in fact it’s a neat compact design which doesn’t sacrifice ergonomics and in use it works well. From the front the large rubberized hand grip dominates with the lens aligned almost to the edge of the right side. The viewfinder prism completes the look. Around the back the layout is logical enough with a column of buttons down the left side of the new large 2.5″ LCD monitor, the four-way controller to the right bottom and two buttons directly ‘under your thumb’.
The camera itself appears to be constructed from very heavy duty plastic with a metal sub- structure, it in now way feels any less robust than the E-300, if anything I’d say it feels better put together than Canon’s EOS 350D (Digital Rebel XT).
Casio Exilim EX-Z57
Cnet has a review of the EX-Z57, though they used the Z55 for the review, the only differences between the two models are a larger LCD and lack of a viewfinder, so all of the other tests and advice they give should be rather accurate.
The centerpiece of the Z57’s design is its 2.7-inch LCD screen, which takes up most of the small camera’s back and, thus, seems even bigger. With this model, Casio dropped its predecessor’s comically small and essentially useless optical viewfinder. Casio crams all of the buttons on the 5.6-ounce Exilim Z57 to the right of Screenzilla but organizes them logically despite their cramped layout. Though the camera lacks ports to charge the battery and download photos directly, the included dock accomplishes both tasks seamlessly.
The Casio Exilim EX-Z57’s 3X optical zoom works well, although you’re limited to six stops from its widest angle of 35mm to its 105mm telephoto (35mm equivalents). The camera’s lens is small enough to keep the camera looking sleek but protrudes enough to keep you from inadvertently taking 10 shots of your own finger. We like Casio’s novel memory menu, which enables you to instruct the Z57 to remember the camera’s current settings–zoom length, color and ISO settings, white balance, and flash modes–even after you’ve turned it off. This feature will benefit anyone who chooses to use the Z57 with a tripod, as you’ll be able to compose your shots, then take a break without losing battery power. Speaking of the Z57’s battery, it’s phenomenal: we took more than 1,000 photos, 50 percent with flash, without needing to recharge.
Read the rest of the review at Cnet.
Kiosks Or Minilabs?
WRAL.com has an article up going over the decision for digital camera users to print their photos either in a do it yourself kiosk, or at the same minilabs we have used for our regular film processing time and time again.
Consumer Reports tested to find out where you can get the best prints. Testers put images onto memory cards and sent them to 15 people around the country.
“They sent them out to different labs and kiosks, and then we collected the images and evaluated them for print quality here,” said Kerry Allen of Consumer Reports.
Testers found the stand-alone kiosks that use Fujifilm processing were disappointing. The best results were from Fujifilm minilabs. They consistently returned very good prints. Plus, they cost the least with as little as 17 cents for a 4×6 photo.
If you’re looking for good-quality digital prints from a store, Consumer Reports said try a minilab that uses Fujifilm processing. You can find them at many stores, including Costco and Wal-Mart.
Casio Exilim Card EX-S600
Casio has released a new six megapixel digital camera, and not only is it thin, it includes image stabilization technology, not normally seen in ultra-compact cameras.
With a battery life running in around 300 shots, the camera maybe be light, but is not a light weight in battery power.
As with many of the new cameras, Casio’s new EX-S600 continues to work on the shutter lag problem that has slightly hindered the adoption of digital cameras by being able to take a picture in around one second, when the camera is powered up.
One of the striking features of the camera is its ability to record MPEG-4 movies at 640×480 at a full 30 frames per second, and putting one hour of video on a one gigabyte SD memory card.
A new in camera editing feature called Revive Shot mode, refreshes faded colors of old album photos.
The EX-S600 is currently only available in Japan and other Asian markets.
Press Release to Follow: (more…)
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