Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX01 Review
Digital Photography Review takes a look at the Lumix DMC-FX01 from Panasonic.
In the space of a few short years Panasonic has come from nowhere to become one of the key players in the digital camera market. And it has done so not by clever marketing or particularly aggressive pricing, but by taking risks, by going off on tangents and - crucially - by identifying gaps in the market and filling them with well-designed products that - more often than not - deliver on both image quality (where the tie-in with Leica lenses has paid off handsomely) and general consumer appeal. The industry has had to stop making jokes about microwave manufacturers not being able to do cameras and has started to sit up and take notice of the stealthy rise of Panasonic as a force to be reckoned with.
In the end it gets a recommended rating due to being a “no brainer” if you need a wide lens and compact size.
Nikon Coolpix S5 Review
The Nikon Coolpix S5 is reviewed by ePHOTOzine, and they seem to think its pretty good.
Nikon’s latest addition to their stylish Coolpix S-series cameras sports an impressive 6 megapixel resolution in a camera not much more than a centimetre thick. In this review Gary Wolstenholme takes a look at whether the impressive styling compromises the excellent image quality and ease-of-use, for which Nikon Coolpix cameras have gained a reputation.
The only downsides they listed to the camera are that at ISO400, there is some noise, and that the ISO range is limited.
Get Most Out Of Digital Camera
Courant.com has an article up explaining ways to get the most out of your digital camera, that you possibly can.
Start with the lens. Does it zoom, and to what magnitude? Practice zooming, then try duplicating the same shot by walking forward instead of zooming. Zooming causes more camera shake, so steady your shot by holding your elbows closer to your body. Also, turn the camera to the side or point it slightly upward for alternative angles.
Next, get in sync with the cycling time between shots (called “shutter lag”). Don’t get frustrated when you want to press the shutter button and the camera’s processor needs to recycle. Experiment with exposure times by shooting a moving subject on fast and slow speeds.
Seems like a great article for those going to buy a digital camera, as well as including some tips on what to do with it once you have purchased one.
Digital Camera Business Not Picture Perfect
India Times has a look at the digital camera business, and talks about how its future is going to be much harder now that it is a mature product, rather than just a cool gadget people were using. Mix that with the tumbling prices, and you have some hard business, much like computer hardware, it will become about moving more units to make profit.
At the end of this month, Konica Minolta will make its last camera. It is the latest victim of wholesale change brought to entire industry by digital camera.
Other big names like Kodak and Fuji Photo Film have also suffered in the digital age. In little more than a decade, sales of digital cameras have soared, they have now almost replaced film cameras.
But now even the digital camera business is maturing. After growing by 670% in 2000-05, unit sales of digital cameras are slowing.
It should be interesting to see what the digital camera market looks like in five years, as companies try to carve out a niche for themselves.
Olympus Mju 700 Review
ePHOTOzine looks at the Olympus Mju 700, a weatherproof digital camera build.
The Olympus Mju series of digital cameras has long stood for stylish design, and excellent weatherproof build quality. In this review Gary Wolstenholme takes a look at whether the new addition to this illustrious line of compact digital cameras is worthy of the reputation associated with them.
The wedge shape of the Olympus Mju 700 is very comfortable to hold. The wider end fits snugly in the palm of my hand making access to the well laid-out control system very easy indeed. For such a small camera, the tapered contour of the camera feels reassuringly secure to hold.
In the end they think that the Olympus Mju 700 is easy to use, nice to hold, but only average in the image department.
Canon PowerShot SD550 Review
Photoxels has a review up on the Canon PowerShot SD550.
This camera is targeted to Point-and-Shoot photographers with 7.1MP resolution and a 3x optical zoom. It gives very good to excellent image quality. AUTO and Scene Modes simplify shooting, but more advanced photographers can also switch to the Manual (M) mode (essentially a Programmed Auto mode with manual long shutter speeds) for more control.
They really liked the image quality of the Canon PowerShot SD550, and say that it is fast, precise, and accurate, and so you can’t go wrong with picking up a Canon PowerShot SD550.
Olympus Stylus 710 Review
Digital Camera Resource Page has a reivew up for the Olympus Stylus 710, an ultra-compact digital camera in the 7.1 megapixel area.
The Stylus 710 is a very stylish, wedge-shaped ultra-compact camera. Olympus touts its scratchproof finish, and sure enough, the Stylus was the only metal camera to survive my ten camera Stanford trip without even a mark. Not only is the body scratchproof, but it’s also water resistant as well. While you can’t go swimming with it (without the optional underwater case, that is), the Stylus can get splashed, and since everything is sealed, dust, sand, and dirt stay out of the camera’s important parts too. The camera is well designed for the most part, though it would’ve been nice if some of the buttons were a little bit larger. The Stylus has a large 2.5″ LCD display that’s great in low light, but the 115,000 pixel resolution left something to be desired.
They say that the bottom line for this camera, is that it does not have the image quality of some of its competitors, and so it is probably one to avoid.
Olympus E-330 Available in Kits
Whether for travel, medical, macro, nature, architectural or underwater photography – and just about anything in between – Olympus will introduce six kits to accompany the sales start of the E-330 digital SLR, and thereby provide customised, professional solutions for virtually any photographic situation. Key element in each of the kits is, of course, the Olympus E-330 body – a remarkable feat of technology. It is the world’s first digital SLR to provide continuous Live Previews. Now, instead of being forced to frame compositions by looking through the viewfinder, photographers have the freedom of framing while looking at the Live Preview on the camera’s large 6.4cm HyperCrystal LCD. The availability of these six new kits makes this surprisingly affordable.
Olympus E-330 Pro Kit
Comprising the Olympus E-330 body, ZUIKO DIGITAL 14-54mm 1:2.8-3.5 lens, FL-50 external flash unit plus the protective SBC-1 E-System Bag Compact, the Pro Kit includes only premium equipment and gives photographers everything they need for a professional start into digital SLR photography. Topping off the kit is the FL-50 external flash, which enables exact control and delivers extraordinary power with an impressive Guide Number of 50.
Olympus E-330 Travelling Pro Kit
Looking for extensive photographic versatility with the guarantee of high quality results while on the move but not sold on the bulk of conventional systems? Then the Travelling Pro Kit is just the shot. It contains the E-330 body, ZUIKO DIGITAL 11-22mm 1:2.8-3.5 splash proof lens, ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 18-180mm 1:3.5-6.3 lens, FL-36 external flash plus SBC-1 E System Bag Compact for protection while travelling. Covering a mammoth focal range of 11-180mm with just two lenses (equivalent to 22-360mm on a 35mm camera), photographers will enjoy incredible flexibility without the burden of needing to lug around a whole suitcase of lenses.
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Sanyo announces Xacti C6
Sanyo has announced the Xacti C6 digital video camera, which it claims is the “smallest, thinnest and lightest solid state still and moving image camera of its kind.”
Featuring a 6 megapixel sensor and a 5x optical zoom lens, the Xacti C6 can shoot MPEG-4 format videos at 30 frames per second, and can store upwards of an hour’s worth on a 1 GB SD card. The C6 weighs 140 grams without battery and has a two-inch 210,000-pixel LCD screen. The camera likewise features image stabilization, a welcome feature especially considering the combination of size and optical zoom capability (which is prone to shakes and shivers).
No retail price has been announced yet.
Fuji FinePix V10 Review
Pocket-lint has a review up for the V10, a compact, lightweight 5.1 megapixel digital camera.
So, Fuji’s back room boys have been busy beavering away in, well, the back room, and the V10 benefits from all that extra “beavering”. It boasts a broad range of sensitivity settings, from 64 ISO up to 1600 ISO, it’s worth saying now, up front, that noise is very well controlled at that high 1600 setting, producing a level of noise akin to that from some competitors models at ISO 400, so it really does work.
In the end it manages to earn itself a nine out of ten and gets a hot product sticker, sound like it is one to try.
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