13

Sep

Panasonic Lumix digital camera DMC-TZ10 review

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Panasonic recently launched a unique digital camera to the TZ series, amidst the race by ace manufacturer’s. The camera is named outside the USA as Lumix DMC-TZ10, and in the USA as DMC-ZS7.? It retains the flavor of its predecessor model DMC-TZ7, nevertheless equipped with state of art features expected to revolutionize the concept of “Travel Camera”.? In a nutshell, Panasonic has immensely concentrated to upgrade aspects, right from the film capture to film output. An alteration in lens up to photo viewing promotes the DMC-TZ10 camera for versatile applications and, oriented to continue the legacy of TZ7.

Overview:

Despite of a sturdy appearance, the Panasonic DMC-TZ10 Digital Camera is in fact less lighter, than her precursor. The most notable addition is the GPS functionality. The integrated geographical coordinating system viz; latitude and the longitude, is picked up by the camera and, the location where the photo is taken is displayed. Hence it is worth to call a “travel camera”. Moreover, enrichment is carried at all aspects than its previous model TZ7 (review of Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ7). Most obvious enhancements are with respect to mega pixel count raised from 10 to 12.1, single touch movie record and bigger LCD Screen. The new Intelligent Resolution Function synonymous to Intelligent iAuto system in TZ7 improves the quality of picture output to a greater extent. The optical image stabilizer is upgraded from Mega O.I.S to POWER O.I.S with good image noise reduction technique. Panasonic also finally compromised to add the long awaited A, S and M exposure modes applicable for higher end photography.? Produced in black, silver, red, blue and brown the TZ7 quietly slips to cater both the category of amateur photographers to professional ones.

Design:

Panasonic preserved the TZ7 design specifications in the TZ10, as a result latter’s figure resemblance reminds her precursor in many ways. However, the user would notice minor improvement in the ease of handling the camera.? The body is metallic with Panasonic’s Leica 12x lens, with flash and self timer in the front, devoid of optical view finder. The Leica ELMAR 25mm ultra-wide-angle lens with a 12x optical zoom system is compactly arranged to accommodate, 10 elements in 8 groups, 2 extra low dispersion lenses, in addition to 2 aspherical lenses/ 3 aspherical surfaces.?? The rear side is primarily occupied by the 3 inch LCD screen and additional button to manage adjustments for the manual exposure modes. The hand grip with the HDMI socket is placed conveniently on to the side.

Screen Display:

The 3 inch LCD screen display is accentuated with high resolution 460,000-dot Intelligent LCD with a wide viewing angle and AR (Anti-Reflection) coating.? The word Lumix is coined from “luminance” and “mix, representing the association of Panasonic and Leica, leader in optical technology to create ever lasting photographs. Lumix owned Intelligent LCD function, adjusts the brightness in 11 steps and the AR coating controls glare thereby, yielding pictures of crystal clarity.

Power and Controls:

The Front view:
The front view is neatly arranged with the majority portion occupied by the Leica Lens. The flash button and the self timer indicator is placed on either side of the lens. The HDMI socket is placed on the extreme left corner of the front end. The user has enough space to handle the camera at ease.

The Top View:
The top view is cluttered with options to give space to the new GPS tracking system control. The speaker is pushed towards the extreme left corner and the GPS projection lies next to it. When compared to the previous model, the buttons are quietly rearranged. The mode dial was placed in the extreme left in the TZ7 model. This was regarded as a drawback because; most of the users accidentally hit the button thinking it as shutter button. The mode dial is now replaced in the new model next to the speakers and few inches away from the shutter button! The camera On/Off switch lies directly on the edge of the right corners and can be accessed easily.

The Rear View:
The 3 inch LCD screen display in Lumix DMC-TZ10 Camera looks impressive and the buttons are finely trimmed to provide maximum clarity to the user. Almost all the controls are located in the same position except for the status indicator, which is placed below the Menu buttons in this model.? The manual exposure button is newly added feature and as per requirement it is simple to change the aperture or the shutter speed as applicable. The playback selector swaps readily between shooting to playback without even changing the playback mode.

Solid Controls:

The tripod socket occupies the mid-bottom of the camera as the previous model. Even though, there are additional controls on the Mode Dial button than the previous model, care is taken to increase the clarity for the users, by using nominal font size. The Mode Dial button is used to select various shooting and scene modes. Besides, the Q.Menu and iA shooting mode, the remaining 14 controls are clearly specified and readily accessible, like any other digital cameras. Most of the menu options are readily navigable, but for extremely new beginners to digital cameras it is advisable to travel with the user manual.? It is because; Panasonic includes features that could be unclear for starters. The constantly used set of operations can be quickly retrieved using the Q.Menu option.

User Interface:

As stated earlier, with the help of the user manual, the Menus can be navigated quickly. There are various unique setting options and latest additions such as, the Title Edit Function enables to edit the destination and travel date and so on. The same is displayed during playback and can be printed on the photos. Rapid mode changes are possible while operating. This model, unlike the previous TZ7 memorizes up to three repeated setting patterns and, instantly applies the same to the camera. The photos can be added to the clipboard and is retrieved within seconds.

Feature:

Lens:

The lens quality is a vital constituent in deciding the picture quality. Panasonic in collaboration with Leica (Leaders in Optical Technology) designed the LEICA DC VARIO ELMAR 25mm ultra wide angle lens with a 12x optical zoom. Using the latest materials, the lens is designed with 10 elements in 8 groups, two ED lens, and two aspherical lenses with three aspherical surfaces. Technically speaking, the lens properties such as aperture number, focal length and distortion are evenly balanced in the Panasonic TZ10 Compact Digital Camera. Professional photographers, using the camera can manually control the amount of light and shutter speed, a much awaited feature from Panasonic fans.? The aperture number decides the amount of light to be permitted through the lens, the lower the aperture number, great amount of light is permitted to pass through it. The TZ10 consist of “Aperture Priority Mode” which can set the light exposure between F3.3-6.3 (Wide) and F4.9-6.3 (Tele). This ensures the depth of the field is appropriately adjusted for portraits and landscapes respectively. The lens assures a very minimal spherical distortion occurring at wide angles and provides sharp resolution even in the edges.? The adjustable shutter speed ranging from 60 to 1/2,000 can capture even fast moving objects.

Venus Engine HD II and Intelligent Resolution:

The image processing technology used in Panasonic camera is Venus Engine HD (High Definition). In the TZ10, the same is redesigned and integrated with “Intelligent Resolution” technology. The technical trick is increased processing speed by employing twin CPU’s.? This means the image signal processing is of high quality capturing photos and movies with high definition. Image noise normally seen as film grains affects the picture quality. The two types of noise viz, luminance noise and chrominance noise has its own impact on the image clarity. The Luminance noise resembles like film grain. Chrominance noise appears as coloured blotches of magenta and green.? The conventional noise reduction technique used in SLR cameras still needs more perfection. However, Panasonic with the image sharpening approach is innovative and the latest noise reduction offers image separation into three types; viz; outlines, detailed texture areas and soft gradations. The outlines are perfected to sharpness, the texture areas are highlighted, and soft gradations are smothered. By distinct separation and image processing of the details, it achieves a good image noise reduction.? The response time is faster than the previous model, due to the up gradation of the Venus Engine HD II.

ISO speed and Image Noise:

ISO is a measure of camera’s light sensitiveness. The higher the ISO value means the higher the light sensitivity and, offers faster shutter speeds and narrower apertures. The Panasonic TZ10 ISO value is 1600 which means it can record pictures in low light situations. During instances of faint light signal, the picture quality is undesirable with contrasting coloured dots or film grains. Panasonic has considerably controlled the noise at higher ISO’s in TZ10 camera, due to the Venus Engine HD II and Intelligent Resolution Image processing technology.

Power O.I.S:

The digital camera is vulnerable to tilt and angular movement in between the shooting process. It is highly pronounced at slow shutter speed or with long focal length, thereby producing a blurring image. Panasonic Power O.I.S limits the camera shake to a considerable extent. The Panasonic DMC-TZ10 camera is equipped with Power O.I.S; an improvised version of Mega O.I.S. The Power O.I.S is geared with in-built gyro sensor that can detect hand movement. On recognizing the hand movement, a signal is transmitted to the camera and rapidly calculates the compensation. A liner motor shifts the lens as required for the incoming light from the image. The Venus Engine completes the process within fraction of nano seconds which the user will not even recognize. It offers continuous correction for high quality image and yields maximum compensation in all directions. The Power O.I.S with iA feature improves the picture quality in night scenes and low lighting.

Entertaining options and modes:

Panasonic DMC TZ10 12.1 Megapixel Camera secretly hides all the creative features in the iA (Intelligent auto mode) option. Once set to the iA mode, a fun filled photo shot is assured. Options included in the iA are scene detection, happy mode, subject detection, light detection and motion detection. The scene detection has 6 modes. The scene is selected automatically as per the surrounding lighting. But we cannot use the flash light in the night portrait mode. Panasonic confess the limitation of the scene detection mode as the camera cannot identify the apt sequence at certain lighting. The happy mode truly brightens up the screen and adds a visual vibrancy. It can be used in combination with other modes. The subject detection and the motion detection mode are employed to take moving subjects. Using a regular camera, opportunities like capturing a sports action is taken by pushing the shutter button midway continuously. A normal drawback is image blur or out of focus issues. But with the subject and motion detection operating simultaneously, it dramatically improves the shooting experience as any spur of moment can be captured, like wild life photography, playing children, and moving vehicles and so on. It cannot be highly trusted for night photography as the focus speed dwindles in poor lighting. The light does not fall uniformly throughout the subject’s area. The dark and bright contrast exists at some level of the picture. Panasonic DMC TZ10, light detection mode can throw brightness only on the under exposed area, by adjusting the aperture and shutter speed. The scene mode for still image is 28 than compared against the previous model (27 modes). The new mode additionally added is the high dynamic mode. This is again an image brightness tool, controlled by the user. The image slide show with a background music score is possible, by selecting the music function in the camera and it also provides options to play the music of user’s choice. The in-built Youtube uploader can transfer the image/ movie directly to the Youtube site.

Face Detection and Recognition:

Face detection and recognition is made possible in this camera. Face detection is a commonly employed aspect, where the camera captures the subject in focus with approximately good settings. Here the face recognition technology employed is preferential focus over a particular subject with respect to other subject within the frame. The user must activate this feature, by registering the details of the favourite person within your image list. Recognition up to six faces is possible and three pictures per subject are permissible, so as to increase the accuracy in face recognition. In the future, when the registered face appears, the camera automatically puts a good focus on to the face in the group. Consequently red eye correction, auto focus adjustment, can be done.

Smart Assortment:

The PHOTOfunSTUDIO 5.1 HD Edition makes the archiving work simpler. It can sort in specific ways like organising pictures of the same subject (face detection technology). The other way of listing is using the facility of in-built GPS function. The function displays the place, time and date on the image and hence can be managed easily.

Comparative Mode:

In the in-built setting such as light detection, motion detection is fine to get along with beginners and casual photographers. But for those, who desire to make a sincere effort to develop their photographic skill, the manual exposure mode is the best. Even so, once the setting is done, the camera can give a comparative study of the image against the camera’s automatic setting based image.

Marine Case Compatibility:

Panasonic DMC-TZ10 Digital Camera is compatible with the optional marine case accessory. The camera is offered a protection till a depth of 40m. Panasonic has not included any water resistance or shock resistance test carried while using this combination. This might retard the user to test the camera for underwater photography.

Zoom:

An exquisite blend of optical zoom and digital zoom operates in the DMC-TZ10 model. It is more like a Zoom optimisation technique, namely extra optical zoom. The close up shot looks crisper by, increasing the zoom ratio to 1.3 times and zoom power to 23.4 times in additional to the digital zoom.

HD movie Mode:

The movie recording time is eventually increased to approximately 100 minutes, thanks to the AVCHD lite set up. Panasonic leads in AVCHD phenomenon that was originally developed for camcorders. With a bundle of tuning options like the optical image stabilizer, scene detection, face detection, iA mode, movie recording is as equivalent to recording using a camcorder. The camera’s stereo microphone offers a good audio output. The good aspect is, for a compact digital camera to perform almost like a camcorder is incredible.

GPS Function in DMC-TZ10:

Often, people scribble the place of visit on the photo album. For those, who are interested to catalogue the pictures as per the place of visit, the Panasonic unveils the GPS tracking function in this camera. With an immense data of around 173 nations and greater than 500,000 landmark information, it is a great gift for the travel buffs. But teething problems persist in the GPS functionality. Lack of notification on altitudes, inaccurate search result persists. Any way the latest inclusion is highly welcomed!

Performance:

Image Quality:
The image quality spruce up by adding many features in to the camera. The unmistakable Lieca lens feel is brought up in the end result. The image quality is taken care by numerous aspects like Power Optical Image Stabilization, Venus engine II HD with Intelligent resolution and various detection technology renders overall good picture clarity. The image noise is reduced to a greater extent. The photo print resolution is good to a range of 16 x 20 inch. On comparing the printout quality at various ISO’s these are the following observations;

ISO and print out specification80, 100 ( 16 x 20 inch ) print out)Murky tint influencing the yellow and orange coloursMild softening as a result of noise control

To conclude the image quality is good, but Panasonic could have concentrated to bring out a uniform colour composition.

Warranty:

Panasonic DMC-TZ10 Digital Camera comes with one year warranty.

Battery:

The battery type is rechargeable lithium-ion battery and can support approximately 300 photos on a single charge.

Verdict:

The fulfillment of taking a picture depends largely on the final picture quality. This is the core concept used by Panasonic in developing and upgrading the DMC-TZ series. Panasonic has concentrated on the core concept thoroughly, by studying the pitfalls occurring when a picture is taken, the environmental influence on the picture quality and the expertise level of the user. By carefully narrowing down the pitfalls, it was easy to incorporate the features that can bring a fulfillment and satisfaction of taking a picture. The camera has so many miscellaneous features, if used properly can never give away a poor shoot, this is for sure. Even if the user’s photographic skill set is low, then too with the in-built functions the camera will decently pull through a quality picture. This is the most wanted ability in any digital cameras which can be designed to nullify the user’s shortcomings. Panasonic DMC-TZ 10 serves great for the regular users, travelers, creative photographers and even for professional ones. It of course, surpasses the previous model and competitors such as Sony with respect to design, compactness, usability, functionality and so on.

Panasonic DMC-TZ10 Digital Camera – Technical Specification Table

218 g (Battery and SD Memory Card)3.0″ TFT Screen (460,000 dots)
Field of View: Approx. 100%
Wide-viewing Angle
Auto Power LCD Mode, Power LCD ModeBuilt-in Memory, SD Memory Card, SDHC Memory Card,
SDXC Memory CardF3.3 – 4.9 / Multistage Iris Diaphragm (F3.3 – 6.3 (W) / F4.9 – 6.3 (T))f = 4.1 – 49.2 mm (25 – 300 mm in 35 mm equiv.)Normal: Wide 50 cm (1.64 feet) – infinity / Tele 200 cm (6.56 feet) – infinity
Macro / Intelligent Auto / Clipboard: Wide 3 cm (0.10 feet) -
infinity / Tele 100 cm (3.27 feet) – infinityLEICA DC VARIO-ELMAR
10 elements in 8 groups
(2 Aspherical Lenses / 3 Aspherical Surfaces / 2 ED Lenses)Intelligent: 16x
Digital: 4x
(Max. 48.0x combined with Optical Zoom without Extra Optical Zoom)
(Max. 124.0x combined with Extra Optical Zoom and Intelligent Zoom)Extra Optical: 14.7x (4:3 / 8M), 18.8x (4:3 / 5M), 23.4x (under 3M)2-Speed Zoom
Zoom Resume
Optical Zoom in Motion Picture
Macro ZoomAuto / Daylight / Cloudy / Shade / Halogen / White Set
(Selectable at Portrait, Soft Skin, Transform, Self Portrait,
Sports, Panorama Assist, Baby, Pet, High Sensitivity,
Hi-speed Burst, Pin Hole, Photo Frame, High Dynamic, Underwater)Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction,
Forced Off 0.6 – 5.3m (Wide/ISO Auto), 1.0 – 3.6m (Tele/ISO Auto)8-1/2000 sec (Selectable minimum shutter speed),
Starry Sky Mode : 15, 30, 60sec.Face Recognition, Intelligent ISO Control, Face Detection,
Intelligent Scene Selector, Intelligent Exposure,
AF Tracking, Digital Red Eye Correction, AVCHD Lite REC: NTSC / PAL,
One-Touch Movie Button, Mode Dial,
Unlimited consecutive shooting, Motion Picture Recording,
Backlight Compensation, Auto (AE) Bracketing, Multi-Aspect,
Light Metering, Quick Menu, Audio Dubbing,
Real-time histogram, Composition Guide line,
Auto Review, Orientation Detector,
Self Timer and Focus Icon SelectStill Image: JPEG (DCF / Exif2.21) / Image with Audio:
JPEG (DCF / Exif2.21) + QuickTime / Motion picture:
AVCHD Lite, QuickTime Motion JPEGPortrait, Soft Skin, Transform, Self-Portrait, Scenery,
Panorama Assist, Sports, Night Portrait, / Night Scenery,
Food, Party, Candle Light, Baby1, Baby2, Pet, Sunset,
High sensitivity, / Hi-Speed Burst (Image Priority / Speed Priority)
Flash Burst, Starry Sky, Fireworks, Beach, Snow,
Aerial photo, Pinhole, Film Grain, UnderwaterPortrait, Soft Skin, Transform, Self-Portrait, Scenery, Low Light, /
Food, Party, Candle Light, Sunset, Beach, Snow, Aerial,
Pinhole, Film Grain, Underwater, High Sensitivity /
(Activated by selecting Still Picture Scene Mode
then pressing movie button. Still Picture Scene Modes
without corresponding Movie Scene Mode is
recorded in Normal Mode)Full-Resolution Image, 2.3 frames / sec
Max. 5 images (Standard Mode), Max. 3 images (Fine Mode)
Hi-speed Burst Mode: Approx. 10 frames / sec (Speed Priority),
Approx. 6 frames / sec (Image Priority)
(recorded in 3M for 4:3, 2.5M for 3:2, 2M for 16:9)Program AE
Exposure Compensation: 1/3 EV step, +/-2 EVAuto / 80 / 100 / 200 / 400 / 800 / 1600 High Sensitivity (ISO 1600-6400)Standard, Natural, Vivid, Black & White, Sepia, Cool, WarmNormal Playback, Slideshow, Mode Playback,
Category Playback, Favourites PlaybackZoomed Playback, Calender Display, Set Favorites,
Playback Still Images with Audio, Playback Motion Picture,
Slideshow Mode, Show Histogram, DPOF Print Setting,
Set Protection, Resize, Trim, Aspect Conv, Leveling, Copy,
Title Edit, Text Stamp and PictBridge SupportPHOTOfunSTUDIO v3.0 HD Edition / ArcSoft
(MediaImpression / Panorama Maker) / USB Driver, QuickTimeminiHDMI, USB2.0 High speed / AV Output (NTSC/PAL or NTSC only) /
DC Input (requires optional Multi Conversion Adapter)ID-Security Li-ion Battery Pack (3.6V, 895mAh)
AC Adaptor (Input: 110-240V AC)Rechargeable Lithium ion batteryBattery Charger, Battery Pack, Battery Case / AV Cable,
USB Connection Cable, AC Cable / Hand Strap, CD-ROM

263 days ago Short URL Comments

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13

Sep

Kodak EasyShare M530 digital camera review

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Kodak EasyShare M530 has used an idea that is quite progressive in compact digital cameras. Primarily because, most of the point and shoot compact ones targets to design the click and capture part easy. On the other hand, Kodak has set foot in less tested water such as the effective on-line sharing.? The ‘EasyShare’ tag used along with the camera gives an easy platform to communicate and share the pictures taken within minutes of capturing it. With a straight one stop hit on the EasyShare button, the user can readily transfer the contents in to any portal such as the Youtube, Flicker and many more. Not to mention, it certainly attracts a good deal of attention with different colour combinations and tremendously stylish model. The Kodak EasyShare M530 is a great investment particularly for the youth community.

Overview

The Kodak EasyShare M530 has many features that are very rarely bundled in to a low budget camera. The camera offers the smart camera feature that conveniently eases out the trouble of getting quality pictures. With many aspects such as the face detection, face detection priority, motion detection, auto macro detection, expanded dynamic range are excellent package in the smart feature. One would not miss a great shot. The LCD monitor is compactly shrunk to 2.7 inches, though visibility and the range of view is hindered, it does justice to the amount invested. The camera’s design is somewhat peculiar from the rest and it contains the controls and the switches arranged horizontally across the LCD screen. Moreover the user can adjust certain criteria in the mode button to get the manual settings right. The EasyShare is equipped with in-camera charging, so that it facilities charging and sharing at the same time.

Design
Measuring just 0.9 inches thick the Kodak EasyShare M530 camera is uniquely sleek. It is rightly classified under sleek and stylish category. The camera is really compact with a height of 2.7 inches and weighing 130 grams without the battery. The camera sparkles off in three different colours viz, blue, carbon and red. The colours are on one side and the other side is black. The rear side of the camera maintains a neutral black colour. The red and black combination looks jaunty in particular and adds leverage to the trendy and sleek claim.

We start the design review by stating that the camera is a cusp of point and shoot, stylish and compact features. By declaring it as compact, it is readily understandable that too many unwanted options such as the pop up flash, mode dial, rear dial etc…has to be eliminated, but yet it has tried to regain all the essential controls. The buttons are chosen and laid out in a well composed manner. The users would take sometime to get accustomed to the unique design of the controls. Take for an example, the mode dial is replaced by a mode button.

There is an additional wide angle telephoto switch and so on. Nevertheless, the user might not freak out while holding the camera because the slight denser portion at the rear side with a flare gives a good grip despite the slender finish.

As stated earlier, the camera design is simple yet practical.? The front part consists of the lens, the self timer, flash, microphone and the video light. The self timer option is usual as seen in any camera from two to ten seconds. However using the picture timer, two pictures can be taken with the first one kept at a delay of ten seconds and the second one with a delay of eight seconds.

The LCD monitor measures 2.7 inch wide and gives an optimal visibility under low and bright light conditions (sunlight). The pixel count is to the tune of 230k which is something expected from low budgeted camera. The LCD brightness can be set to either high or low and even the auto brightness feature adopts the LCD display brightness to the surrounding environment. This one definitely gives a better visibility for outdoor shots, something an unexpected quality in the sleek and low priced cameras, however the view is restricted to about 45 degrees.

In continuation with the same, the button design is somewhat peculiar. The power switch, the flash button and the mode button are arranged collinear, with completely no space in between the controls. We felt that the nearness of the buttons created so as to bring compact arrangement would widely lead to wrong hitting many a times. Even more, it could be difficult to handle with gloves. Another surprising fact is that there are four buttons arranged horizontally, viz the review, menu, info and the delete buttons. With just a push the control can be activated. The info button increases the user interface as it highlights the shortcut such as the exposure compensation, auto focus and self –timer.? The preferred settings can be selected using the navigation menu. There is a dedicated wide / angle telephoto button placed next to the LCD screen. The positioning is apt, since there is no viewfinder; the user gets a good adjustment by viewing the screen directly. Only concern here is the operation part of the slider which is a bit different. To activate the digital zoom, the user needs to press the slider till the LCD screen is at the farther end of the optical zoom range.

The mode button offers four basic shooting adjustments. One is the smart capture option, scene mode, program and video mode. The smart capture is something like auto focus, but the user can set the picture size to 3:1, 16:9 and 4:3. The program mode is vibrant offering manual setting up to ISO 1000. In addition to it, the scene modes are typical found in many higher end cameras. Strikingly twenty one scene modes are available and the user can choose and apply appropriately. A unique button, namely the sharing button is placed right next to the navigation menu. The share button is something unheard even in the latest model, because a one stop operation can directly upload the photos to any desired social networking sites.

EasyShare M530 Features

Smart Capture and Manual setting
The smart capture just does everything for the user. Right from the face detection up to rendering the final touch, the camera is a great gizmo. Up to five faces can be recognised and tracked in the face recognition mode. The user can select more preferred face using the face detection priority option, and it can rightly focus on the prioritised one. The camera can be very handy to take spontaneous shot because the face priority with the flash control can capture any spur of the moment shot. Using the smart capture motion detection option, moving objects at appropriate ISO and white balance level can be captured. Not to mention subject as close as 70 cm can be filmed in the macro mode detection. The expanded dynamic range compensates the colour contrast at highlighted and shadowed areas. The ISO sensitivity gets to work in a very low lighting environment to give a brighter picture.

On the other hand the manual control also yields a decent picture. The optical zoom can be adjusted to 3 X and gets all set for close-up and distant shots.

Great technologies permits the shooting right away. And with on-camera features, taking the picture is just the beginning. High ISO mode even up to 1600 is possible and coupled with the perfect scene modes. Especially, panorama stitch mode adds up to three pictures to make one large shot. Despite the manual mode, Kodak offers a perfect touch technology to enhance the picture quality. This adds up the compensation of lack of optical image stabilisation facility.

Face Recognition
The face recognition feature in Kodak EasyShare M530 Digital Camera is active yet cannot be termed as wholesome. It successfully reckons the face only if the face is not turned sideways or the background is brighter or under very low light conditions camera cannot carry out the face recognition technology. The face tagging is also available and can be done in two methods, viz name tagging and keyword tagging. The optimal working range of face priority is 1.6 ft.

EasyShare
The star feature of the EasyShare M530 12.2 MP Camera is the EasyShare feature. With a straight one hit button from the camera, the user can connect to the online networking platforms and start transferring the content. Organising the pictures based on ratings, tags, time are possible, and can immediately fetch any photo using the search option. Prior to loading the content in any site, the user can edit the pictures for red eye reduction, and some features that beautify the picture. Such a type of feature is available in –built in higher end camera, but Kodak has added it in the software editing part. Not to mention some good templates for album creation, cards, and many more are available which can be used to arrange categorically. When we observe the current trend, sharing photos with friends either through email or social networking sites is on the rise. The Kodak EasyShare button will immediately wakes up to upload pictures in such sites. Actually, this camera has taken good efforts to increase the user interface with the transferring part after taking the pictures.

Keyboard
The camera is equipped with a keyboard and once activated the operation is simple. It increases the user experience especially for tagging names and writing e-mail address on the photo, once when the EasyShare is activated the picture can be wired to that particular e-mail address. The word selection and application is chiefly done using the navigation buttons.

Charging
Kodak EasyShare M530 Camera with Blur Reduction can be charged directly as it has in-camera battery charger facility. The charging process is notified through the blinking button. This approach has more pros such as the user need not pull out the battery and put in charge, transfer process can be done simultaneously when the battery is getting charged.

Performance

Considering the initialisation speed, it takes up to three to four seconds and nearly the same to resume again. It could be because; the processor speed would not be very high. The same effect comes in to picture in the flicking process, as there is no continuous AF system; in between the shots the camera enters a two second delay to buffer it up. Though it is slow, we can live with it. The image and the video quality cannot be boxed as excellent and is unfair to expect from it. However, when compared to overly priced compact cameras this one surely lives up to the expectation. The dynamic range stand apart from the rest, and with such a superior lens the picture comes out in brilliant colours. Despite the blur reduction mechanism in play, the camera fails to reckon it at ISO’s of even more than 100.

Verdict

The overall performance of Kodak EasyShare M530 is decent and if compared to the particularly low budget cameras, this one exceeds expectations. It is because; none of the low priced cameras would contain good collection of features such as the smart capture. To be more specific the blur reduction function triggers out a good performance in tough lighting conditions. Though it is not controlled to a greater extent, the end result is tolerable. The auto focus suffers from slow speed and the low light performance is not very satisfactory. Moreover, many unique items such as the in-camera charging and EasyShare fetches extra feather for the product. The EasyShare option would be highly appreciated by the younger market because with just a push, online sharing is at its best.

Check other Best Selling Digital Camera Reviews in this website.

Kodak EasyShare M530 Digital Camera – Technical Specification Table

Built-in flash and memory cardFace detection, multizone, center zoneBattery charger, Battery, Wrist strap, and USB cord

263 days ago Short URL Comments

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13

Sep

Canon PowerShot digital camera review S95

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It is not a wonder that Canon Digital camera scores 97% in the Which? Reliability test amongst its competitors. Reliability is built over a period of time; by making the product that really make sense to the buyer’s purpose, and also assuring a good return on investment.? Product development has different facet to it; the major one is to understand the customer requirement. Canon has a line up of digital cameras boxed under each category. The PowerShot S series defines compactness, point and shoot option. Once after the S30 series, the development is reared on prosumer strategy and the aftermath PowerShot S series are the lower cost substitute for the canon G series. Canon PowerShot S95 is the direct descendent from the S90 model with some features added to it.

Overview:

The Canon PowerShot S95 is a compact camera loaded with features that one would require to pursue serious photography. The camera’s body is trimmed to fit in-between the fingers. The in-built HS system delivers good image quality regardless of the low light settings.? The close-up shots could not get any better with the Hybrid IS feature. To give a traditional camera feel, a control ring is added over the lens. The presence of Hybrid Image stabiliser perfects the image clarity, whereas the RAW mode permits the enthusiastic users for image manipulation.

Design:

Much is said about the sleekness of the model, it is better to move on to other highlights. The PowerShot S95 sports a chic look with a raven black alumite coating. The aluminum finish is fetched from the EOS series camera. It offers a good grip while handling the camera. The camera’s front panel houses the lens and an innovative control ring enclose the lens. The control ring operates with a button placed on the top panel. The control ring maneuvering is simple, but users might require several shots so as to avoid misconception of control ring button to that of power button. The microphone is located on the front panel separated by the lens. The AF self timer lies on the upper left of the lens.

Surprisingly, the lens is moved from the front panel and sits majestically on the top panel. The spot is highly favourable to avoid the condition of red eye, and can be activated not by a button but from the menu settings. The flash position with some users has a damage potential as the location where it is sits is the common place where we place our grip. This is somewhat a drawback, but on continuous usage the same can be avoided.

The top panel of S95 Camera consists of the On/Off button, the ring function button, shutter release and the shooting mode dial. There is enough distance between the ring button and the On/Off button. The ring button could have been designed somewhat rigid because, with some casual press or an accidental touch activates the control ring. A much more studier control is appreciated. The shutter release button is housed within a shallow dent adjacent to the On/Off button.? The shooting dial mode is rigid and locks on to the place where it is touched. There are nine settings better than the previous model S90. The upper portion certainly gives a clean look and can be handled at ease.

The rear side is adorned with the top class 3 inch LCD screen. The screen visibility is not drastically impaired at outdoors and at some particular tilts. The camera uses a scroll wheel type control pad. Beneath the control pad is the display and the menu button. Just above the control pad, the Pictbridge and the playback / review button is located.

Overall, the structure is compact but compromise is made on the ease of handling. The only spot where the user can place their thumb comfortably is the small protrusion underneath the shooting dial mod. We can shoot with this set up, yet hovering the camera for manual setting creates a slight difficulty. Anyways it is impossible to bring everything in one product. The camera’s basement houses a compartment for the tripod connection.

Features:

HS System:
The HS system encompasses a 10 MP sensor of high sensitivity that couples with the Canon’s acclaimed Digic Imaging Processor. The high sensitive image senor contains a good mix of green-red-green-blue filter. The filtering is pixel selective and produce fine details with greater colour intensity. The Digic Imaging processor is truly a Canon innovation. Unlike the traditional Neumann Processor, the Digic uses negligible processing time and supports a continuous shooting mode.? The Digic Imaging Chip is congregation of major elements used in the digital camera, like the sensor, signal processing, JPEG compression/ expansion, memory card control and LCD display. The image quality is good and is produced at a greater speed. Not only the image clarity, but provides a good low light performance. The HS system gives a good performance at various ISO settings. An ISO of 3200 the system supports completely and minimises noise occurrence. At an ISO range of 12,800 along with the low lighting mode gives a reasonable picture with reduced resolution. In the Auto ISO mode, the user can define parameters and can handle the shot as accurately as possible. Overall good scores can be given to the highly evolved HS system for imparting better image quality at higher ISO, Image noise reduction, good low light performance, enhanced colour reproduction and ability to permit more light in to the camera. But relatively higher ISO (12800) colour desaturation and visible image noise (fine grains) is noted, yet the picture can scrawl to a relatively better quality. Another condition is the camera’s sensitivity to low light, hinders the performance at a contrasting situation, particularly standing behind very brighter objects.

Hybrid IS:
Hybrid Image Stabilisation technique is used in the Canon PowerShot S95 10.0 MP Digital Camera. There is a good boost in the image details with respect to capturing the right background and tuning up with the right effect. Besides, the hybrid IS assures a good camera shake controllability. It is designed with premium motion sensor that can detect even the slightest shake such as the rotational and the liner ones. Hence, a major issue viz, image blur is greatly reduced. Fine Macro shooting is possible with the hybrid IS. The focus can be extended up to range of 5cms from the subject.? At such closer shots, less sharper image were produced. Once trimmed using a photo manipulation application, the drawback is fixed.

Control Ring:
By introducing the control ring provision around the lens from the S90 model, Canon is stretching the limits of compact point and shoot digital camera to an advanced professional one. The control ring received both positive and negative critics from the users.? The negative critics were taken as scope of improvement by Canon and indeed designed the camera by avoiding the issues from the previous model.? The confusion of clicking the ring button and the On/Off is eliminated by, relocating the position of the ring button. A more prominent “Click” notification prevents involuntary setting changes.

The flexibility is improved with respect to different settings such as the ISO, aperture and shutter speed. Advanced levels of adaptability can be done through the custom setting feature, wherein the user can stipulate the lens control ring and the multi control dial functions at several modes.? Short cut button is available and on configuring the same to the pre-set control dial functions the user can take quickly get ready for any surprise shots. It is a significant feature for the nature and wild life photography aspirants.

Lens:
The popularly acclaimed canon’s UCD lens is used in the Powershot S95 Compact Digital Camera. The lens is precisely located. The amount of light collected and transmitted to the sensor is crucial. It is the core factor that determines the image colour contrast and sharpness.? The lens is of 28 mm wide angle capable of 3.8x optical zoom with an f/2.0 aperture. The lens, aperture and the zoom has their own strong point. The 28mm wide angle gets a close-up sight of the far-off subject. In conjunction with the HS system, the user can take pictures at higher shutter speed, especially with fast moving subject. The lens glides smoothly from the wide angle to the telephoto mode at an unimaginable speed. With a good lens aperture, maximum light gushes in to the sensor and the resultant image is devoid of blurring.

HD mode:
The most wanted HD video mode is introduced in the S95 Digital Camera model. The HD mode comprises 720p with a good 24 frames per second movie recording. The choice of scene expression is wide, by setting either shadow correction or dynamic range correction. Adding a miniature effect in video recording at slower frame rate gives a dramatic aspect to video footage. The HDMI port enables the HDTV viewing.

Raw Mode:
The RAW mode, as the name implies stores the image from the sensor in the uncompressed file and not the conventional JPEG file. The main difference between the RAW format and JPEG is, in the JPEG the camera does everything for the user including white balance, colour balance and so on. Whereas the RAW format is a huge file with unprocessed data. The user can customise the file as per the requirements, as it provides precise information and loss of details during file compression is avoided. The RAW files must be edited using the Canon DPP image adjustment software. It is possible to simultaneously record in RAW and JPED images. The RAW format consumes a lot of time for perfecting even one picture, but at the same time the results are amazing. A very suitable mode for professional photographers.

Depth of Field (DOF):
Depth of Field add spectacular dimension to photography. Canon S95 Multi-Aspect Shooting Camera has the DOF option. DOF is the average distance between the near and the far-off objects within a subject. The main subject of focus is highlighted and the other aspects are thrown out of focus within the picture. It is an interesting art to manipulate DOF, as it is a very subjective term and varies with every individual. The S95 supports picturing landscapes with greater depth of field and macro photographs at shallow depth of field.

AF Tracking:
The AF tracking mechanism is effective in S95. The ability to track moving subject’s right from the frame centre and continuous tracking as they move is simply effective.

Performance:

The Canon Powershot S95 supports 3.8 x optical zoom, 4 x digital zoom and can be incremented to 15x in combination with the IS system. The digital zoom is ineffective in the RAW mode. Five types of multi aspect ratio can be set viz 3:2, 4:3, 1:1, 16:9 and 4:5. The multi aspect ratio gives a strong choosing ability on the composition, thereby removing the need for processing further. The image quality is further increased with options like “My colour Effect” mode, white balance, exposure; focus bracketing option (enables three successive shots). With the DR correction option, the user can manually revise the DR strength. The pictures taken using the manual control of various ISO settings are good. The focus during the manual setting is adjusted by a slider appearing on the LCD screen. It gives a good sharpness to the image. A highly adorable feature is the way S95 allows customisation under the manual settings, playing around with the ring functions, aperture setting, ISO speed, adjusting the exposure and so on. Certain usage features makes the camera to compete with higher series of Canon. The camera marginally manages the chromatic aberrations as some degree of purple fringing is noted. This is only observed at above the average contrast conditions. The lens demonstrates a mild barrel distortion giving away the softening along the corner. This occurs at the 28mm wide-angle setting. The most noticeable feature is the performance in the night shots and dim setting. The anti-shake tremendously supports the camera for the low light environment. The images appear sharp, and further can be improved using some software. Capturing fast moving objects is on the average side of the score scale.

Package contents:

Canon PowerShot S 95 includes the camera, USB Interface Cable IFC-400PCU, Li-ion Battery Pack, Battery Charger, Wrist Strap, AV Cable AVC-DC400ST, and Digital Camera Solution CD-ROM.

Warranty:

The PowerShot S95 Digital Camera comes with a one year warranty.

Battery:

The battery used is Rechargeable Battery Pack NB-6L and can support 200 shots and play back time of approximately 5 hours on single charge.

Verdict:

Canon had always bigger dreams to rapt the attention of camera users’ world wide. The PowerShot S95 can be described in simple words as a DSLR camera in a compact body. The camera strikes good scores amongst the amateurs to the professional ones. Bouncing S95 in the market, Canon tightly shuts the customer’s gaze in purchasing a lower end “point and shoot” camera. For any amateur the camera is a simple “point and shoot” offering good quality pictures without any complications, and can dance to the tune of professional photographers.

Canon did not take the bridging of the camera’s features with the user quite seriously, because the camera is loaded with numerous functions.? At the same time, Canon did not provide a printed version of the operating manual. This puts many users to be satisfactory with simple functions and would not explore further. On the other hand, for some totally new users they will finally land up in confusion.? And few have stated that the picture quality is average, this might be because many features could have gone unnoticed as there is no proper reference manual. Some concern is on the unfavorable position of the flash. The battery life is something that Canon must really focus; considering the amount invested it should be certainly of good quality. Excluding the cons, Canon PowerShot S95 is truly a miniature delight to be carried for all occasions.

Check other Latest Digital Camera Reviews in this website.

Canon PowerShot S95 Compact Digital Camera – Technical Specification Table

193 g (battery and memory card)Built-in flash and memory cardSD, HCMMC plus, SDHC, SDXC, MMCOptical Zoom – 3.8x.
Digital Zoom-4x ApproxCentre-weighted average, Spot (centre), inked to
Face Detection AF frame1 – 1/1600 sec. (default)
15 – 1/1600 sec. (TR)JPEG compression, Digital Print Order Format [DPOF], RAW,]
Version 1.1 compliant,
Exif 2.3 [Exif Print], Design rule for Camera File systemHi-Speed USB , HDMI , A/V output (PAL/NTSC)Soft Case DCC-1450
Case Weight WW-DC1
High Power Flash HF-DC1
Waterproof Case

263 days ago Short URL Comments

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12

Sep

Canon EOS 550 D digital SLR camera review

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The endless line up of digital cameras would be truly bewildering for consumers, to choose the right one. Many online digital camera reviews give a preview of what is in store in the product, but the in-built applications are left for the user to discover. It is definitely not a simple and easy task to operate something that would give away quality pictures, as most of them are designed in a rather ambiguous manner with higher end features. Canon rarely takes such a long shot, because each of it’s cameras serves and satisfies one sect of customers such as casual photographers, globe trotters, and professional photographers. The EOS line up is designed as a cusp for professional and the personal use. Many sophisticated features are included that just needs to be explored so as to magnify the shooting experience. On the other hand, the in-built technology would give a decent shot even if it is pictured by a budding amateur. The EOS 550D Digital Camera is actually the successor to the EOS 500D 15 mega pixel. The product is marketed in the North America as EOS Rebel T21.

Overview:

EOS 550D’s back bone is the 18 mega pixel CMOS sensor and the Canon’s authentic Digic 4 image processor. Together sparks are guaranteed. Creative shooting and basic image shooting mode is possible. The manual control supports up to a frame rate of 50 to 60 fps with 720 pixel resolution is possible. The 3.0” LCD screen offers better clarity with a dedicated button that offers one-stop direct access to frequently employed functions. Canon EOS 550D can be connected to an external microphone socket. One of the notable part is the compatibility of the camera with Canon’s wide spectrum of lenses.

Design:

The Canon EOS 550D Digital SLR Camera poses a striking resemblance of the 550D model. It is a pretty compact camera weighing about 530 grams. It is packed with a strap to string it along. EOS 550D is rock solid and one would feel the sturdiness while carrying the same. The body is coated with black with a tint of grey. Considering the grip part, the camera has a good provision, but at some angles, the grip is compromised.

When comparing to the previous model, 550D the buttons and controls are shuffled to some extent and the alterations propounds the aesthetic effect. The colour of the mode dial is blackish and brings a good contrasts and visibility to the buttons rather than the silver shade of 550D model.

Additionally the user can find a surprising short cut button that gives an easy access to the frequent sequential operation. This has largely reduced the cumbersome operations involved in operating the camera and has increased the user-interface. The live view button is situated next to the viewfinder and offers a steady grip of the thumb. Hot shoe slot is available and the EX series Speedlite can be attached to it. Though the function is similar to that of built-in flash, the output is very high. Canon has even extended the compatibility of third party Speedlite but a rate of 1/200 sec, and the synchronisation of the camera with the external flash must be checked. 550 D has got a remote control terminal unit, which facilitates the operation of shutter button remotely. But the remote switch has to be brought separately. This is a good thought for many users who would wear gloves and operate the camera or who would be trekking and would like to click a shot. Monaural sound is produced by the in-built microphone unit set near the strap-unit. Stereo sound can be produced by attaching an external microphone in to the microphone IN terminal. The focal plane situated above the strap mount measures the minimum focus distance of the camera from the subject. It blinks when the user is near to the subject.

Lens:

Canon 550D 18MP Camera is designed to integrate digital single reflex lens. It can also work with EF lenses. Attaching and detaching the lens is breezy process but has minor alignment variation. The EF-S lens should be in line with the white mark, whereas the EF lens must be in alignment with the red mark. The EF-S 18-55 mm is constructed with 11 elements in 9 groups, whereas the 18-135mm is made of 16 elements in 12 groups. The lens image stabiliser avoids the blur shot by correcting the camera shake factor. Conversely, the image stabiliser is not as equivalent to that as some of the Panasonic Lumix model. It is because it does not greatly reduce the blur for moving objects and vigorous camera-shake. Hence it cannot be very supportive for all adventures. Canon has generously added around 25 lenses peripheral illumination correction data to the camera, the user has a good flexibility to extend the correction data for unregistered lens by using the software instruction manual. Slight shortcomings such as the correction will be lower for higher ISO and also with lens that lack information on distance. The image sensor aspect ratio is 3.2.

LCD Screen in 550D:

The LCD screen is of TFT liquid crystal monitor type measuring to 3 inch with around 1.04 million dots. Maximum coverage and with seven brightness level adjustment is possible and it also reduces the black stripes. The image magnification on the LCD screen could be done to the tune of 1.5 x to 10 x. The live view focusing has been made a lot easier. The LCD monitor displays shutter speed as a fraction whereas the viewfinder displays as a denominator. In the live view shooting, the LCD screen flickers a bit when the light source changes, alternatively it can be rectified by focusing in the actual light at first. The LCD screen is not robust under very bright settings and appear black and hence the purpose of live view is not achieved. However under very dark settings, if the user sets the LCD brightness higher, chrominance noise occur in the screen, but is actually not reflected in the final image, which is good point.

Mode Dial:

The mode dial in Canon 550D 18 MP APS-C CMOS sensor Digital Camera is comprised of three zones viz, the basic zone mode, the creative zone mode and the movie shooting mode. The basic zone has three different functions possible, viz fully auto, creative auto and image zone. The basic zone not only permits the fully automatic shooting but also it allows the user to fine tune basic functions, such as the brightness, depth of field in the creative auto option. The movie shooting mode is located just adjacent to the image zone. In the creative zone mode, automatic depth of field (indicated as A-DEP in the mode dial) is relatively a new feature to be added in the mode dial. The mode dial offers a steady circular operation.

Basic Zone mode:

The basic zone has several modes such as the flash off, portrait, close-ups, landscape, sports and night portrait. The flash-off deactivates the flash at particular surrounding where it is prohibited. The portrait shooting looks appreciate when we use the telephoto end of the zoom lens and when the shutter button is held down, a maximum of 3.7 shots can be taken with different facial expressions. The landscape mode brings out the vividness of the green and blue shades, provided the wide-angle end of the zoom lens is employed. The average distance that the user can near the subject for a close-up shot varies with the lens focus distance. The focal plane blinks when the camera is too near to the subject, if taken otherwise will give not give the intended image quality. The sports mode represents the picture to be taken for moving objects. By far Panasonic has done a great deal with respect to image blur in moving objects; well Canon is getting tempted to outreach the image clarity. The night portrait mode is relatively better if the subject’s average distance does not exceed 5 meters. The creative auto shooting mode would be highly useful for eager enthusiast. Once the mode is set, changes such as the depth of field, brightness can be done using the display menu four directional controls. The image record quality function stored within the creative auto mode, notifies the user the extent of quality achieved.

Creative Zone:

The creative zone consists of Program AE, shutter priority, aperture priority, manual exposure and A-DEP. Frozen actions and blurred motion can be caught effectively in the shutter priority option. Customisation of shutter speed ranging from 1/4000 sec to 1/30 sec to take moving objects and frozen images. While fine tuning the shutter speed, camera blinks when the aperture display exceeds the maximum aperture. The user can adjust the depth of field. The aperture display and the f-number adjustment largely depend on the type of lens use, however lens with higher aperture speed if used can cause camera shake which is again inevitable. Tripod is recommended under such circumstances or the user can trigger higher ISO. In the manual exposure mode, bulb exposure can be done but it yields grainy image. Overall, the creative zone can be tweaked to a good limit to gain better and preferential image quality.

Features:

CMOS Sensor and Digic Image Sensor:

Canon’s CMOS sensor is featured in 550D Digital SLR Camera also. The image clarity and finesse of details is stable even in low lightning conditions with negligible image noise. Furthermore, might be the CMOS sensor is slightly upgraded providing a better ISO options. The ISO expansion that was performed as a task in the previous model, is been replaced by a straightaway ISO 6400 option. The greatest expansion range is broadened thereby reducing handshake at higher ISO. The Digic 4 image has reduced the time taken for face detection, motion detection and also yields a reduced image noise.

ISO:

Canon 550D gives a good range of ISO 6400 to 12800, wherein the lighting is lower. The ISO button lies next to the power switch. An ISO range of 100 to 400 without flash is best for sunny outdoors, whereas for indoor shots a limit of 6400 is perfect. Beyond that limit, the image quality gradually decreases. However Canon has provided few options to reduce the noise reduction at higher ISO’s. When the distance from the camera and the subject is larger, the higher ISO setting extends the flash range.

iFCL metering:

The 63 zone dual layer sensor iFCL (intelligent focus, colour and luminescence) metering algorithm not only takes care of colour and luminescence value but also checks the information given at each point of the auto-focus system. Within the dual layer, individual layer is perceptive to various wavelengths, viz each layer is sensitive to each light. They measure and analyse light within the particular spectrum. The metering system is feasible under all AF points, and the highlight is it could recognise as which section of the image is the subject. The metering system is so efficient to give consistent shots even in complex environment such as the reflections.

Full HD movie recording:

The movie recording in Canon EOS 550D can be done at manual control or at desired frame rate setting. The shooting speed can be done up to 60 frames per second and gives a resolution of 720p. With a fully charged battery the shooting time can be extended to one hour. Restrictions such as the AE lock in the manual exposure shooting, image flickering at fluorescent lighting cannot be avoided. The movie quality is definitely better if used with appropriate lens, wherein the lens must not change with zoom.

Miscellaneous Feature:

Besides the afore-said features, there are still many quality features integrated in to the camera. Take for an example, the Highlight tone priority improves the dynamic range from standard to 18% and thereby increases the highlight details. Furthermore, the file numbering method seems to be beneficial. Up to four digits number can be saved in one folder and the user can customise the same, provided the numbering sequence is intact even in card replacement conditions. If the replaced card consists of images, those are duly numbered and carried forward. If the user does not prefer it, either formatted or new card must be used or auto-reset function can be activated. This will allocate numbers for each card added to the camera. Manual reset of the numbering is possible and the user can sort the pictures categorically. Despite the card memory, the user cannot store any image once the number is reached to 9999. This is the only drawback noted. The camera is equipped with automatic dust cleaning mechanism. Image playback on HD television using standard HDMI cable gives a better clarity. A RGB histogram displays the image brightness and colour saturation. The mirror lock-up procedure controls the camera vibrations produced by reflex mirror that can hinder the shooting with telephoto lenses.

Battery:

The battery used is of LP-E8 type and can support up to 430 images with the optical view finder. About 160 shots are possible with live view. A charger also comes with the package contents.

Performance:

The image quality is brilliant and with the Digic 4 processor, nothing but a quality shot is assured. It is because many factors like better focusing and increase in image sharpness and noise reduction attributes a better picture quality. With an assortment of 9 focus points, the shoot is always gets better with different lenses. Under poor light settings, the camera strives hard to pull a decent shot. But customised approach lowers this issue. With the iFCL metering system, image sharpness is good and a considerable improvement when compared to the previous models. Lower ISO gives a good shot, but at higher ISOs and moving objects the camera cannot yield a robust output. The RAW images are better as they contain the real essence.

Verdict:

Like the level of users differs based on the photographic knowledge, Canon has wisely contrived to three modes, viz basic zone mode, custom zone mode. Even in the basic zone mode, once the user is adept, option like the custom auto is highly appreciable. Coming to the design part, Canon has retained the structural similarity with the EOS 500D? Compact Size Digital Camera model. Not to mention, the extent of customisation is tremendous, right from the availability of attaching external flash, external speaker, and remote control operation by purchasing external accessories makes the camera complete. Another worth-mentioning leap is the extended frame rates. The RAW images pose a good resolution factor and less image noise. Overall the camera is versatile enough and can be handled at ease.

Check other Canon Digital Camera Reviews in this website.

Canon EOS 550D Digital SLR Camera – Technical Specification Table

Built-in flash and memory cardSD card, SDHC card or SDXC cardEvaluative metering, Partial metering at center, Spot metering,
Center weighted average meteringJPEG, RAW: RAW (14bit, Canon original RAW 2nd edition,
DPOF Version 1.1 compliant, Fine, Exif 2.21
[Exif Print] compliantHi Speed USB, Video Output and HDMI outputViewfinder, Lens, Case, Flash and Hand Strap

263 days ago Short URL Comments

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12

Sep

Choice digital camera Pentax W90 review

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Pentax affectionately describes Optio W90 as “The water proof cross over”. The Optio W90 is described to cut the land and water boundaries. The camera with all these features is to attract the globetrotters!? It is definitely not an easy task to pull all the premium features and then blend it to make the camera. Compatibility between the features is the concern. An aspect would tic one function to work properly and at the same time it can hinder the performance of another. So, to juggle everything in one camera is a massive task and we shall see as how Pentax as scrapped it through! With Pentax skill in designing water proof camera, the W90 can never be short of surprises. Let’s see as what is in store in the 11th gen Optio series water proof digital camera.

Overview:

Pentax Optio W90 is not the type of camera for casual users, of course they could use, but at the same time it is highly beneficial for adventurous travelers. Pentax W 90 is powered with water proof body up to depth of 6 m, shock proof up to 1.2 m, dustproof and cold proof up to -10 oc. The gala continues, by adding surprises like microscopic mode, triple anti shake function, underwater photography modes and so on. Pentax comes in three rich colours viz, Black, Green, and Orange.

Design:

The Optio W90 Digital Camera is rectangular shaped and slightly broadened after the three fourth area of the body. Pentax has designed the front face, by studding three yellow tiny bullets cornered at each side, oversight it might appear as some functional button, but they are mere screws fastened and coloured. Pentax water resistant lens is carefully embedded inside the dial. Three macro LED’s is triangularly placed on to the outer circumference of the lens dial. The LED light control is within the menu settings; however the macro lights turn on automatically in the digital microscopic mode. The macro lights illumination factor, as stated by Pentax is environment sensitive. The camera body has a rocky look and feel, with a cool wrist strap option and a carabiner strap. The carabiner strap is highly suited for rock climbers and so can be easily belted anywhere. The buttons and controls exactly duplicates like the predecessor models, as most of the users find it comfortable. The buttons are legibly marked. There is enough room for the user to maneuver through the buttons. The microphone placed on the upper side of the camera faces the brunt of water hitting on it, especially while trying to picture the rain.

Display screen:

The 2.7 inch LCD screen display (230k dots) is located on the rear side of the Pentax Optio W90 Digital Camera. The previous model W 80 consists of 2.5 inch. The 0.2 inch increment in the W 90 model is really good. The LCD screens are coated with anti reflective coating, so it avoids the discomfort in viewing under critical lightings. But, in the real life experience the anti reflective coating can only control the situation. The Pentax W 90 is no exception in this phenomenon. Comparatively, the 2.7 inch LCD screen is bright enough to reduce the reflections occurring at several angles.

Features:

Water Proof:

The Pentax W90 Camera supports a cool 6 m depth underwater shooting for pictures and movie recording. The camera can run up to two hours continuously. Most of the water resistant camera’s are identified with JIS rankings (Japanese Industry Standard). Starting from Grade 0, the rankings are given based on the camera’s withstanding power to several levels of water exposure. The Pentax W90 is graded 8 as per JIS norms, which means that it is truly an underwater camera. Mere selection of “Underwater” scene mode from the 4 way button is sufficient. The term “underwater” must not be confused with some camera’s performing stunts in discovery channel, viz jumping from a height in to the water with a camera in the hand, or swimming and shooting etc… is to be avoided. It cannot withstand under strong water currents such as waterfalls. The picture quality varies slightly with the water body, the river types gives somewhat foggy image. The video resolution options include 640×480, 320×240 and 1280×720. Overseeing the image noise, the overall picture quality in underwater mode is more than average. Pentax W 90 is also cold-proof up to -10°C. Consequently the battery performance depreciates under the cold conditions, hence always recommended to carry additional batteries at such occasions.

Shock and Dust Resistance:

The Optio W90 Digital Camera from Pentax can survive a shock of 1.2 meter fall. Pentax conforms to the MIL-Standard. The Shock test is done by dropping the camera from a height of 1.2 m on a 5cm thick plywood surface. The shock proof camera’s is highly suited for civil engineer’s, and road bikers. The camera can absorb the effect to a considerable impact. The dust proof passes the JIS test to grade 6, which means there is no way for the dust to enter. It is equivalent to IP68 (Ingress Protection Standard) and as per IP standard it refers dust tight and shielded against total and persistent? submersion in water from 15 meters or 50 feet. Again, the data is subjective and can vary according to the usage.

Digital Microscope mode:

The Pentax W90 12.1 MP Digital Camera can shoot tiny objects from about 1 cm distance. The microscopic shooting facility operates in the presence of three LED’s. This feature could be handy for research based facility, wherein a close up shoot of objects or test results is required. It can also suit nature photographers. The notified limitation is the image size cannot exceed 2.1 mega pixels. Shadowing effect could not be avoided at such close shots.

Triple Anti Shake:

Knowing the rugged use of Optio W90, Pentax has instilled a triple anti shake prevention. The Pixel Track SR is used while shooting images and the camera automatically tone down the shake effect. Simultaneously, when the video mode is on the Movie shake reduction can be activated. But the user has to live with the narrow angle of view at the Movie SR mode. The high sensitivity anti shake mode operates at higher shutter speed by doubling the ISO to 1600.

Other Features:

Face detection:

The face detection function can never be as useful as employed in underwater cameras. It can straight away detect up to the limit of 32 faces (even faces of animals), so within short span of time, any object can be clicked instantaneously.

Sub-screen input function:

This is something like a screen saver that is placed on the upper left corner of the screen. The image can be used as a benchmark to shoot other images with the same angle and size.

HD 720p movie Recording:

Movies can be recording by setting the frames per second and accordingly the pixel size varies. At higher pixel size, there is clarity at the cost of larger file size. One might wonder as why the movie recording stopped abruptly at certain instances. Sometimes while recording the movie, using an SD memory card, the recording does not get registered in the memory space despite of having the space.

Performance:

Image Quality:

As stated earlier, engineering an underwater camera with lots of goodies is not an easy task. The various elements are great, but when it comes to image performance, most of the underwater cameras are slightly unlively.Pentax W90, being the 11th generation of underwater camera series, has evolved a lot. The expertise level for Pentax is much higher when compared to its ace competitors. That’s the reason the image quality is being upgraded in every release of the Optio W series. The fore runner indeed had some issues like image noise at higher ISO, not friendly for night shots etc. Pentax W90 equipped with Pentax Zoom lens, a CCD image sensor produces 12.1 mega pixels. The Pentax Optio W90 5x wide angle zoom lens encompass focal length from 28mm wide to 140mm telephoto. The image quality is better than W80, but still some issues are pertinent to any underwater camera. Pentax has to concentrate on the image noise factor. In the Pentax W90, the effect is somewhat diluted, but still present. Image distortion in larger prints is unavoidable.

Package contents:

The camera comes with AV cable, , AC cable, Li-ion battery, carabiner strap, strap and software ,USB cable, battery charger,

Warranty:

The camera has a one year warranty period.

Battery:

It runs on rechargeable type D-LI88 lithium-ion battery. The battery performance is nearly around 200 photos on a single charge.

Verdict:

The brighter side of Pentax Optio W 90 is the privilege of taking it to exotic locations. Designing a multipurpose camera requires a lot of parameters in to consideration. For any camera, be it a simple compact to the latest DSLR camera, the image efficiency factor is all that trickles down. In most of the water resistant cameras the limitation aspect is the compromising picture quality. Pentax W90 undoubtedly surfs the rough seas of camera critics quite smoothly. The image quality is comparatively better than many underwater cameras, but still is not up to the mark. It gets a good score with respect to the shock proof and water proof. Even though, the camera looks rugged, it must be handled in a very good manner. Care in cleaning the lens after an underwater shoot is mandatory; some maintenance comes as part and package of such cameras. The battery cannot withstand the impact of sudden varied environment, such as shooting in extreme cold conditions and so on. Hence, the user must carry additional batteries in case of any emergency. Such inconvenience can be avoided in the future model. Summing up, Pentax can concentrate to build Optio series that has least maintenance issues. The camera’s application is unlimited. It is very handy for site engineers, research labs and underwater studies and so on. Pentax Optio W 90 is definitely a multipurpose camera.

Pentax Optio W90 Underwater Camera – Technical Specification Table

5.1 oz ( without battery and card)Built-in flash and memory cardf = f4.9-24.5mm (f27-135mm 35mmf)Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Fluorescent (H&L)
Tungsten, CustomFlash Off, Flash On, Auto + Redeye, On + Redeye,
Soft Effective range: 13’ (wide, auto ISO), 8.2’ (tele, auto ISO)USB 2.0 High-speed / HDMI / NTSC, PAL

263 days ago Short URL Comments

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12

Sep

Leica V-Lux 20 digital camera review

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Leica cameras are carefully assorted based on the usage area. Moreover, it is classified primarily based on the legendary Leica lens. The Leica V-Lux 20 is catalogued as travel camera with numerous catchy features. The first and foremost is that , despite having a fantastic zoom factor the Leica V-Lux 20 resembles like an enlarged mobile phone. Compactness and light-weighted aspects render good points to the travel camera aspect.

Secondly, the zoom is to 25 to 300mm, which is strikingly good and adding better leverage to the point and shoot camera. Moreover Leica‘s partnership with Panasonic cannot be overlooked. It is because the V-Lux 20 model also contains certain features that could be seen in some of the Panasonic TZ models. Finally, the performance is all that matters and Leica V-Lux 20 certainly satisfies that area.

Overview

Leica VX-20 Digital Camera consists of 3 inch LCD screen that is more than required in the compact models. Leica V-Lux 20 is equipped with Leica DC Vario Elmar lens, a characteristic element that gives the Leica a class performance. The design is intuitive with the basic controls scattered logically at the correct places. The sensor supports an effective 12.1 mega pixel count and the camera can take pictures in the various aspect ratios for the entire zoom area, which is equivalent to 25-300mm. The camera supports the easy auto focus clicks and the creative manual operations. In either ways, the Leica feel is not diluted. The HD movie recording is a good addition to the compact variety. Moreover, it is surprising that despite the compact model, Leica has made sincere effort to integrate the GPS function in to it, purely because it is categorised as the travel camera.

Design

The design speaks in length about the camera quality and performance. The Leica V-Lux 20 with the chrome elements integrated acquires a professional look. The user could feel the metal body and the matte finish which gives a perfect hold. Well, many would be baffled by the performance of this tiny camera. It is compactly packed with all the controls and operations within the reach. The rest of the menus are tucked inside the menu system. The front part is kept simple with the self timer, flash and the Lens. The upper panel consists of power switch, Shutter button, Mode dial, GPS antenna and the microphone. The rear side consists of the LCD screen display, record switch, exposure button, menu, quick menu and display button. The HDMI and the AV sockets transfer the content easily. This is the camera in it simple form. None of the rarely used functions are placed outside. It is also provided with a zoom lever that can be used to maneuver the screen. Not to mention, the premium resolution LCD screen measuring 7.5 cm diagonally and 3 inch wide gives a good justice to the picture coverage. The in-built brightness compensation factor tunes the picture quality in the preview and the final output. The camera is accessorised with hand strap. The only drawback is that that is the only point that the camera can anchor and unfortunately there is no neck strap and it is not possible to add one. Though, this could be ignored, the users would expect such facilities since Leica V-Lux 20 is marketed as travel camera.

Mode Dial

The mode dial is silvery and slippery. The compact design has compressed the size of the mode dial. With the shutter button positioned adjacent to it, the mode dial diameter is reduced. Though the letters on the mode dial is coated with black over silver contrast, it acquires a congested look. It has the regular PASM modes.? Additionally, it has the Snapshot mode, Custom mode, MY1/MY2 scene mode, scene mode and clipboard mode.

Snap Shot Mode

The snapshot mode in V-Lux 20 Compact Digital Camera is synonymous to the auto mode used in different cameras. The user needs to rotate the mode dial and point on to that particular mode. The camera automatically recognises the scene setting and snaps the picture. Various factor such as the distance, face, brightness are aptly calculated and taken just with the ease of point and shoot camera. Especially the ‘Happy Colour’ can be used only in the snap shot mode. The pictures taken in happy mode give a bright effect on the subject.

Exposure Modes

The program mode assists the zoom, picture brightness, flash, colouring and the close up pictures. The orientation detection function gives the flexibility to rotate the pictures taken held vertically, only if the function is activated. In the program mode, the focus display and the focus range can be used concurrently to resolve a desired composition. The shooting action might be interrupted until unless the user gets used to the fact that the display disappear when the shutter button is pressed halfway. Using the pre-set aperture mode, it is possible to determine the depth of the field. The scene mode is almost similar in function to that of the snapshot mode, except that the scenes are selected by the user and no changes has to be applied. Likewise My scene mode1 & 2 enables the user to register to the maximum of three scene modes. The custom mode contains the pre-registered settings and is useful for learners. Another mode that is differently used is the clipboard mode. It comes handy while taking pictures of memos and timetable. The one question that remains a puzzle is as why Leica V-Lux 20 has used too many modes that contains a striking resemblance of the other. Rather than doing so, had it been fitted with just the apt modes, the mode dial could have spared some space for better visibility.

Lens

The lens used in Leica V-Lux 20 is Leica DC Vario Elmar consisting of three aspherical surfaces. Needless to say, the Leica quality shines throughout. As such the lens falls under the travel category and has a compact dimension. The contrast and the details are rendered effectively even at the smaller f-stop. At higher f-numbers the depth of field is amiable to cover a scene with good focus. The lens controls the fogging effect caused by bright level, possibly perceived due to the multi-coating protection over the lens. But some restrictions such as the image noise at low light conditions are unavoidable, particularly because it is a slower lens. All in all, the lens is good for travel coverage and with the integrated lens cover, it is particularly useful. The 12x zoom is the selling factor the lens.

Features

Focal Length

The intuitive focal length is projected as the best part of the camera. It offers a 25-300 mm zoom, not surprising because of the fact that Leica lens are designed to trigger out extraordinary shots. The range is definitely not customary to be used in point and shoot compact cameras. Be it a macro photography or wide- angle picturing, the V-Lux 20 is terrific. The image sharpness is accelerated with the OIS mechanism which not only controls the camera shake but also prevents image blur. However, at long zoom range the noise effect cannot be controlled. At the same time, excessive distortion and stretching of the image towards the edge is unavoidable. It is somewhat an expected flaw of the compact cameras. The image sensor is fitted with 12.1 mega pixel capacity and the sensor performance can be exploited to the fullest for the entire focus assortment and aspect ratio.

HD Recording

The movie recording and the play back are fused in to one slider switch located adjacent to the LCD screen. The slider switch is ergonomically designed. The intelligent movie recording system just shifts the recording process to a convenient level. It is because many aspects such as the automatic scene selection and exposure are taken care of. Even if the user suddenly shifts the focus from one particular scene to another, the camera is spontaneous to sustain the shift. The face recognition is robust in the recording mode as well, and can register up to six faces. This is a good number considering the compact camera category. The subject is recorded in the M-JPEG format, and the only area of apprehension is the recording time. It provides a maximum time limit of 8 minutes and 30 seconds. Awkwardly the user gets an abrupt ending towards the point where it is stopped and it must be buffered to the disk. Once again, the shooting process is resumed but is again restricted for 8 minutes. This short span of recording and buffering can lead to losing important scenes during the recording process. Finally, there are several playback modes that one could use, especially the GPS and travel play, if activated is interesting to watch.

GPS function

Usually many camera manufacturers give a dongle for the GPS connection as in Nikon D3100. But like the higher end Panasonic TZ family camera, Leica has launched the GPS tagging in the compact camera model. If it is set to on, even when the camera is switched off, the GPS function and tagging will work. Thanks to the status indicator notification which is embedded to inform the user to turn off the GPS especially at critical locations. The GPS conveys the location and the corresponding local time on the pictures taken. It is stored in the EXIF data location of the picture file. The GPS function stands as a good travel companion and particularly it can signal the user the interesting location in the neighbourhood and contains as much as 500,000 of such points. But the only limitation is the power consumption, as the GPS tagging takes some time to stabilise and identify the location.

Image Processing

The image processing is assisted with a supplement copy of the image processing software (Adobe Photoshop). The concept is good and the post photo processing is controlled by the user and can be readily transferred to online social media, printing and the mobile phones.

There are many features that are unbelievable in the Leica V-Lux 20 14.5 Mega Pixels camera. To be more specific, the travel mode record the travel date, time, location can be fed and the pictures can be sorted in that manner.

Performance

The V-Lux 20 Leica camera offer an undoubted performance and this one grabbed the attention for being one of the best zoom feature in the field. Though it is marketed as travel camera, it is also marketed as ‘semi-pro camera’. With respect to the performance, the best things first, the colour rendition is far more superior than the Canon power shot cameras. It is sharp and the contrast levels are handled well. Particularly the scene modes are adequate to set the camera to any preferable environment. Also, it does not get slumped due to the edge softness particularly at the wide angle area. Still the picture quality is defective at low light settings, and some image softness is unavoidable. The movie recoding mode gives a decent performance and the image can be cropped and edited within the camera body to a certain extent. With the burst mode enabled, a rapid rate of 2.3 pictures/ second can be taken. It also contains IR resolution technology and by setting the camera in iZoom, the pictures are crisper and sharper. The stabiliser detects the camera shake and can control it either during the shooting period or applies the correction when the shutter button is pressed. This second one is more sensible option and it marginally controls the camera shake.

Verdict

Leica V-Lux 20 is aimed at frequent travelers to pocket it and carry out at ease. But we could say it truly expands the usage horizon and is a great companion for personal and family gatherings. We have to admit that the camera even competes with higher end models, as it positioned with the mode dial and geo tagging. But considering the market competition, Leica has placed V-Lux 20 at a higher price pad when compared to the Canon Power shot series and Panasonic Lumix series. However, the Leica V-Lux 20 gives a full range of satisfied performance and is worth for the money invested.

Leica V-Lux 20 Digital Camera – Technical Specification Table

Built-in flash and memory cardSD card, SDHC card or SDXC cardFace detection, 11 field high speed, AF tracking? field/SpotHi Speed USB, Video Output and HDMI outputBattery charger, Battery, Battery Case,
Wrist Strap, AV cable and Software CD

264 days ago Short URL Comments

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12

Sep

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ45 digital camera review

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Super zoom digital cameras are still highly regarded the best for wild life photography. It can do justice provided they are light-weighted and can be lugged around during any safari ride. However, comprise is done in the image quality so as to bring a compact camera body. It is the significant limitation noted in this type of camera. The compactness is achieved by integrating as many cells as possible in the camera’s chip. This would obviously create a mirage of higher pixel count, but in reality that does not happen. The image quality is adversely affected, creating grains on the final image. Nonetheless, many camera manufacturers are trying to design the super digital camera that could overcome the afore-said issue at least to some extent. Panasonic with the launch of Lumix DMC-FZ45 is the successor to DMC-FZ38.

Overview

Panasonic DMC-FZ45 Digital Camera consists of Leico DC Vario Elmart lens and 14.1 mega pixel count. The 25mm wide-angle lens with 24x optical zoom can be doubled to 35mm shooting area. The zoom can also be increased to 50.6 times. It is because of the additional optical zoom employed at the center portion of the CCD. Movie recording in High Definition under AVCHD lite gives a nice recording and good sound output. The OIS and Mega OIS handles the camera shake and reduces the image blur occurring in the night shots. Panasonic’s authentic Intelligent Resolution technology offers multi- area detection. The intelligent zoom increases the zoom and the image quality is taken care pixel by pixel. The user can take good advantage of Panasonic DMC-FZ45’s manual control and good customisation features.

Design

Panasonic DMC-FZ45 Digital Zoom Camera consists of a projected look in the front panel because of the huge lens occupying the larger space along with the lens hood attachment. The lens hood attachment controls the lens flare. The self-timer and the AF assist light lies towards the right side of the lens. Using the conversion lens, the user can record pictures that are further away and can grab close-up shot of small objects. The pop-up flash activates with a press button. The user had witnessed many instant pop-up flashes, such as in the Canon Power Shot S-95. The trick in designing such a flash is that it must not hinder the camera grip. Maybe in future, attaching a remote control operation as in Canon could resolve this concern. The camera houses a diopter adjustment dial. On rotating the dial, the user can set the viewfinder for better clarity.? The lens hood attachment and detachment is simple. It cannot be used while taking pictures especially with the flash as vignetting effect might occur. DMC-FZ45 gets the cut above the rest Leica DC Vario Elmarit lens. As the lens belongs to the Leica family an undoubted performance is assured.

The quick menu in DMC-FZ45 is placed adjacent to the LCD screen and notifies the constantly reviewed functions. It also performs the function of delete button. Hence a dual purpose button actively interwoven facilitates faster operation. Panasonic has included AF macro and Macro zoom switch. Using the AF macro wide zoom the user can flick close-up shots up to even 1cm close to the subject. Digital zoom of up to 3x is possible by maintaining the subject distance as wide as 1cm. The zoom range is highlighted in the display screen. The LCD monitor measures to 3 inch wide and is packed with almost 230,000 dots, and concisely designed for a full coverage. The LCD monitor brightness up on hitting the display button. Actually one of the two screens viz the play back mode or the recording mode appears and the user can aptly use whichever is applicable. Monitor priority option is available which makes the user to navigate through the viewfinder till the screen mode appears. The LCD monitor brightness correctly to bring out the exposure levels in the histogram and the user gets a peek of the final picture quality.

The zoom lever is surprisingly located near the shutter button. Normally in such camera’s the zoom feature is either critically integrated or lies inside the menu screen. The notion to put the zoom right next to the shutter control is a novel idea. The zoom operation largely relies on the rotation angle of the zoom lever. It normally operates at two speeds, the zoom speed is lower when the angle of rotation is kept low and vice versa. Zoom resume option gives the user the freedom to store the zoom position and reverts to the registered zoom. The extra optical zoom sets the picture size to 3M pixel as the CCD wisely crops to the centre area thus permitting a greater zoom effect. The motion picture control is replaced from the rear side to the upper part of the camera, so it could be easily operated in a logical manner. This control is just the apt for spontaneous usage, as the mechanism is catered by just a push of the button. The camera’s responsive action can readily enable the user to get aligned to shoot movies instantaneously.

In addition to the mode dial, a supplementary rear dial is located at the uppermost part of the LCD monitor. The rear dial can be operated by two ways either by rotating it or by pressing the switch. The rotating option enables to select items from various settings whereas the pressing option offers the exit menu. However notable shortcomings are the positioning of the rear-dial and the sound created from it is directly recorded during movie shooting. Furthermore, making fine adjustments are difficult and could be done only using the cursor button. The rear dial gives an easy access to program shift, play back, manual focus, and shutter speed and calendar search.

Model Dial

The mode dial is divided in to three sections namely the basic mode, advanced mode and advance scene mode. The mode dial diameter is shorter and as a result the functions are not as bold as in other sophisticated cameras. The basic mode comprises of intelligent mode and program AE mode. The intelligent mode can be set for beginners. The program AE mode adjusts the shutter speed and aperture value depending on the subject’s brightness. The advance mode consists of aperture priority mode, shutter priority mode, manual exposure mode, creative motion picture mode, custom mode, scene mode and my colour mode. None other cameras provide such numerous setting options as Panasonic does. Within each of the scene mode and the advanced scene mode, there are number of settings. Ranging from candle lit mode to high speed bust, the scene mode covers almost all the occasions in which we use the camera. Special modes are panning mode, aerial photo and snow. The panning mode is used to take pictures wherein the subject is brighter and the surrounding is blurred. The panning mode if handled professionally, the jitter effects occurring at slower shutter speed could be reduced. The snow effect tries to show the snow as white as possible. The aerial photo permits the user to take pictures from the airplane; however the focus range is 5m and cannot be taken effectively under cloudy skies. The audio recording is carried flawlessly by the internal mic and as result of the wind cut feature there is considerable improvement in the sound recording. The performance is far better in contrast to the existing cameras.

To conclude, Panasonic DMC-FZ45 Lumix Hybrid Super Zoom Digital Camera inherits an intuitive allocation of buttons and controls. It subtly avoids the user to frequent accidental press, as the buttons are clearly arranged. The shoulder strap can be fitted easily in to the hole and thus makes the camera complete.

Features

Power image stabiliser

Power O.I.S image stabilisation system prevents hand-shake. Otherwise it results in blurred image that usually occurs at lower shutter speeds. The DMC-FZ45 camera handles the image stabilisation at various modes, such as the PASM mode, night shot, scenery etc. It identifies the jitter and actively compensates the same. The detection and compensation process actually happens at three various modes. Mode 1 is active throughout the time; Mode 2 compensates the shake only when the shutter button is hit. Finally the auto mode truly optimises the jitter based on the existing condition. Not only the camera smoothly operates the hand shake but also the battery life is not compensated due to the image stabilisation mode. However the camera is not very robust to optimise jitter when the zoom magnification is higher and also in the case of moving object. Customisation of some scene modes with respect to the O.I.S modes is restricted. Take for an example, the O.I.S is set to off in the starry scene mode.

Focus

The auto focus mechanism of Lumix DMX-FZ28 operates at a rapid rate with negligible shutter delay time. The focus button is intuitively aligned with the shutter button. Besides the AF mode, the Pre-AF can make the focus adjustments immediately based on the settings. The quick-AF operates when the camera shake is minimal whereas the continuous focus carries out the adjustment at all times. The modes are highly effective for capturing rapid shots. The manual focus is facilitated by the MF assist button and is activated by sliding the rear dial a few times. The rear dial operation would prove a bit troublesome for some users because the focus range vanishes off when the rear dial is not operated for more than five seconds. Furthermore, it commands some expertise to carry out the fine adjustments; hence for the inexperienced users the cursor comes handy for manual focus. It is possible to do AF even when the MF is displayed, which is a suitable setup for the prefocus. A final note of conclusion is that the re-focus speed is much better than the previous model.

Intelligent Auto

The intelligent resolution technology enhances the outlines, textured area and soft gradation areas. The areas are effectively detected based on the pixel by pixel manner thereby improving the sharpness. The intelligent auto mode guarantees a very appropriate setting defined by the camera for beginners. In this mode several functions such as the face detection, red eye correction and backlight compensation automatically comes to life. The pictures taken are rich and crisp. The intelligent zoom offers a maximum magnification of 32k and 67.4 inclusive of extra optical zoom. The picture quality is not deteriorated. The intelligent exposure automatically fine-tunes the contrast and exposure level especially when there is a vast difference in the subject and the background brightness. However the iexposure mode is turned off in the raw mode.

Zoom

There are total of four types of zoom viz the optical zoom, digital zoom, intelligent zoom, and the extra optical zoom. The zoom factor in the intelligent zoom can pull a decent shot up to a level 1.3 times without any characteristic deterioration in the picture quality. It is attributed to the intelligent resolution technology. Though the digital zoom offers a wide magnification range, picture quality is less pronounced at these levels. The macro zoom permits the user to click pictures with digital zoom up to 3 times by maintaining the distance between the subject and the camera towards the extreme wide position. Once when the lens is in full zoom position, the camera is nearly 15cms in depth.

ISO

Lumix DMC-FZ45 sets the ISO speed in the auto mode and it can be varied to a limit of 1600 in the manual mode. In the auto mode, the ISO sensitivity is decided by the camera as per the scene brightness. The maximum limit is set to ISO 400 and it can be extended to ISO 800 when the flash is kept open. On the other hand, the intelligent auto gives maximum of ISO 1600. Panasonic has correctly balanced between the shutter speed and the ISO setting. Though higher ISO’s are used under low light conditions, ISO’s exceeding 1600 succumb to image noise factor.

Movie Recording

The movie recording is of HD under AVCHD lite. Similar to still images, the movie consists of various modes. Notable ones are the creative motion picture mode and my colour mode. The creative motion picture mode allows the user to set the aperture and the shutter speed. The limitation of recording time not decreasing in order could have been avoided. Convenience is the key word to describe the movie operating button

Shooting Speed

Compared to the other packages that are available in this digital camera, the shooting speed could have been better. It is suspected that the image sensor which is of CCD type cannot withstand a faster shooting speed like that of other sensors. The speed could be pulled up to 1.8 frames/ second and can click 5 still images in the standard mode, whilst it is only 3 images in the fine mode. Even when compared to its own family, the FZ100 grabbed 11 frames per second. Again, there is no uniformity with respect to the shooting speed in either the JPEG or the RAW mode.

Modes

It is somewhat unlikely to find in cameras such an immense collection of modes. It is not deliberately inserted and does not look out of the pack or useless, all the modes if effectively handled can yield amazing pictures. To name a few, in the “my colour mode”, the picture can be previewed with the desired effect and the user would not have witnessed such effects. Silhouette colour mode enhances the subject in the shade by using the background. The results are good. In addition to it, elegant, retro, expressive, pinhole, film grain brings out photographs with unseen styles. In a nutshell Lumix DMX-FZ28 14.1 MP Digital Camera if rightly used by understanding the various scene modes, any occasions can be captured. Be it a panoramic view or sports in action, or a candle lit dinner, the camera comes a long way. Nevertheless, small drawback with some of the scene modes is the reduction in the resolution.

Performance

Panasonic Lumix handles the chromatic aberrations very well and can control the purple fringing effect to a greater extent. The effect is pronounced at very high contrast situation. Especially, the night door shots captured retained the details in a better manner. The camera gets a maximum shutter speed of 60 seconds and gathers a good amount of light. The pop-up flash is decent in in-doors with negligible red-eye and good exposure. Not to mention the anti-shake co-ordinates during the shooting process and under dim light conditions. Some cameras are not as robust with the macro performance as this one does. We can ultimately go as near as 1 cm but the images are bit softer. Nevertheless, it can be enhanced using some photo software.

Verdict

Panasonic camera rallies with other cameras by etching certain features that are uncommon in other cameras. To be more specific, Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ45 concentrates more time in getting the picture quality right under any conditions. Such requirement is met by adding numerous scene modes ranging from scenery to party to baby modes. The scene modes are integrated by taking in to account the conventional settings such as the surround light, shutter speed, aperture in to consideration. Hence, the image quality is better even when operated by a beginner. However, it would take time to understand the navigation method and the menus. Finally to conclude, the camera offers a satisfying performance at limited ISO and at higher ISO the noise is apparent. Though the noise reduction feature is available, it cannot be applied to higher ISO’s. It is competitively priced Lumix DMC-FZ45 does afford features that are much better when compared to other cameras.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ45 Digital Camera – Technical Specification Table

Built-in flash and memory cardBuilt-in Memory, SD Memory Card,
SDHC Memory Card, SDXC Memory CardOptical zoom, digital zoom, extra optical zoomAF, Continuous AF, manual FocusIntelligent Multiple / Center Weighted / SpotStill: 60 – 1/2000
Movie Mode : 1/30 – 1/20,000 secStill Image: JPEG(DCF/Exif2.3) / Motion picture: AVCHD Lite,
QuickTime Motion JPEGAV Output, mini HDMI, USB2.0 High speedBattery Charger, Battery Pack, AV Cable, / USB Cable,
Shoulder Strap, CD-ROM, Lens hood, / Lens cap,
Lens cap string

264 days ago Short URL Comments

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12

Sep

Review of FUJIFILM FinePix camera X 100

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Fuji FinePix X100 has received remarkably numerous accolades for the design and the usability. Though tagged as a professional camera, it consists of features that can be used by even beginners. Hence it can be stated as the wider usability range of cameras. The FinePix X100 is one of its kinds of DSLR camera with compact design. It is sure to evoke a nostalgic feeling for those who had used DSLR cameras from previous decades. It is because the artistic essence of retro camera is integrated in to the external design concept of this camera. The highlight feature of the product is that the versatility and usability are delivered at style. Not to mention, the camera is poised with several achievements such as the Camera Grand Prix & Japan Editors Choice Award, Digital Camera Enthusiast and TIPA awards. Whatever is the award or recognition category, the final verdict given by various forums projects an all-round robustness of the FinePix X100.

Overview

The APS-C sensor serves as the backbone to generate quality images at higher ISO sensitivity. Almost 12.3 million pixels are closely packed and the technology speaks for the final output. Another characteristic highlight is the lens optimisation. Maximum light is captured by the lens and then expanded and delivered all the way to the sensor. The EXR processing engine takes the camera for a multi-purpose ride, blending the best of the resolution and low noise reduction. The image quality is perfected by the tone and sharpness adjustment. Aspects like the auto bracketing of the dynamic range, ISO, film simulation and AE makes it an excellent camera even in the hands of beginners.

Design

The Fujifilm? FinePix X100 Digital Camera is designed as how a traditional camera looks. It is compact and light-weighted and can be carried around swiftly. The body is built using magnesium alloy of high precision so as to provide reinforced durability. The rest of the body has leather like finish that gives a good grip and feel. The major difference from the contemporary ones is the style and the layout of the buttons. The power switch is a slider type and is fused at the bottom of the shutter button. Though it does not cause any major confusion while taking the pictures, the power switch is a small type of rotating knob, hence cannot be handled at ease if worn with gloves. The LCD monitor in FinePix X100 measures 2.8 inch with 460k dots and gives 100% coverage. The compensation dial and the exposure dial are designed with mechanical mastery. These dials aid each other by an individual base. These two incorporate two different types of plastic washers. In addition to this, spring with a matching strength offers the click notification under different angle of rotation. The construction offers the click sensation as preferred by the user. Not to mention, the torque and the balanced smoothness is an added bonus. The aperture ring consists of eight grooves that have been precisely cut in the inner area. The aperture setting can be activated thereby allowing the range from to F2 to F16. The rotation interval of aperture is reduced from 12° to 10.5° satisfying the needs of professional photographers.

The front part is primarily occupied by the lens set-up. The focus ring can be turned in either the left or right to adjust the distance between the camera and the subject in the manual shooting mode. The lens used is the Fujinon fixed focal length and sits firmly inside the camera. The AF illuminator blinks to assist the auto focus mode. At the same time, it also blinks when the self timer mode is activated. A small hot-shoe duct is available to mount the external flash. The camera operates with third party flash, provided they meet the exposure metering, aperture and sensitivity requirements.? Such a foreign flash set-up can be controlled through the in –built flash operation. The camera is equipped with the optical/ electronic view finder and the LCD screen for viewing. Either one of the option can be chosen by pressing the view mode. However eye sensor, located adjacent to the view finder window comes handy in the automatic display selection. It activates the view finder when the user puts the eye on it and it activates the LCD monitor when the user moves the eye away from it. The eye sensor sensitivity is high and responds to object brighter such as the direct light. The microphone is fixed next to the view finder selector. However the microphone is susceptible to the sound made from the lens during recording.

Shutter Dial

The shutter button, exposure compensation dial and the shutter speed dial are closely located and resembles like three knobs in varying sizes. The exposure compensation dial can be tuned to control the light entering the lens. The exposure range is within +2EV to – 2EV and is incremented in the value of 1/3 EV.? The shutter speed dial can be set in the program mode, shutter priority mode, aperture priority and the manual exposure mode. In any of the setting, the shutter priority dial has to be rotated to the correct alphabet. It is possible to get the long time exposure by either setting the shutter speed or bulb B. It can even support third party remote release to be used for long time exposures.

View Finder

As stated earlier the camera has hybrid view finder, viz electronic and optical view finder. Merging such a variety of viewfinders has its own purpose. The optical view finder in Fujifilm FinePix X100 12.3 MP Camera can be selected when the subject’s expression has to be checked all the time. Moreover, the field of depth is larger than the lens thus enabling the user to spot the subject without even the need for removing the eye from the view finder. However, in certain cases parallax is inevitable. On the other hand, in case of the electronic view finder pictures everything as seen in the lens such as the depth of field. It can deliver precise shots, yet with a little display lag, which can be avoided in the optical view finder setting.

Camera Rear Side

The Fujifilm FinePix X100 camera rear side is neat and is different from the other camera with respect to having a few buttons on the either side of the LCD screen. The left side hoists the diopter adjustment button, play back button, auto exposure button and view mode button. The diopter can be adjusted to -2- +1 to get the difference in vision and to capture a sharp focus. The command dial has a four directional navigation button and located on the right side of the camera. The four operations that can be performed include delete, flash, macro and white balance. At the same time the command dial can be rotated to fix the combination of aperture and shutter speed. Though both the operations are integrated in the command dial, any accidental touch of the controls while shooting can be avoided by locking it.

All in all, Fuji FinePix X100 has a different operating mechanism than the regular ones. It is because some of the features can be controlled with more than one button. Take for an example, the command dial adjust the aperture speed and the shutter speed and is located adjacent to the LCD monitor. However, it can be controlled using the command control slider switch by either turning it to the left or the right and is located away. The same is the case with the zoom function, which can be fine-tuned by pressing the centre of the command dial. Therefore the construction is made versatile and it is up to the user to make use of such inter-linked connections.

Features

CMOS Sensor

The censor used is the APS-C CMOS sensor which is claimed to achieve the performance level ten times better than the existing FinePix compact variety. For a compact variety, this is amazingly good, and the performance is made better by dissipating the heat in a sophisticated manner. In addition to this, the set-up of the microlens is well optimised and the incident light captured is expanded covering the edge of the sensor. Due to this, the light can be even distributed to the photodiodes to get a crisper image.

EXR Processor

The EXR processor is projected as the next generation engine configured with dual CPU and EXR core. The function of the processor engine is multifold enhancing the performance in three levels, viz the EXR trio. The trio is inclusive of the high resolution, wide dynamic range, and high sensitivity and low noise. The high resolution effect is understood in capturing the finest details. The wide dynamic range technology comes to play in contrast bright and shadow areas. Hence the washed out effect or the shadow element is not lost. Along with the innovative vector graphics processor, the high sensitivity range performs better with minimal color deterioration.

Film Simulation Model

The camera has a trick employed that can simulate pictures equivalent of the film quality. The user can simulate colour reversal types such as the Provia, Velvia and Astia in the case of the colour photography. Whereas in the case of the monochrome picture, the colour filters can be used to enhance the monochrome looks. The contrast can be improved with the Ye filter and the R filter, and the greens and red with the G filter.

Expanded Dynamic Range

The dynamic range can be expanded to 100%, 200% and many more. The dynamic range expansion avoids the washout effect of the subject. The user can control the contrast by selecting the lower values so as to improve the contrast and the higher numbers to reduce the contrast level. But the higher values must be used in the bright sunlight and the shade. Nevertheless, mottling is unavoidable at very high value.

Image Quality Control

The image quality is enhanced by many features such as the shadow tone, highlight tone, sharpness adjustments and many more. The colour space is something unique for a compact variety camera. Depending on the situation either sRGB or Adobe RGB can be selected. The latter is to be used in case of commercial printing. In the high sensitivity mode, the noise reduction can be controlled in five levels. The white balance setting can be chosen from a preset of nine choices and can even customise the white balance. The high sensitivity range is greatly controlled in the FinePix X100 camera. The ISO auto adjusts to get a good exposure.

Powerful Built-in Auto Bracketing Functions

The auto bracketing function is available for the AE, ISO sensitivity, film simulation and the dynamic range. The dynamic range bracketing gives the user the facility to shoot 3 pictures continuously at different exposure level. Similarly for the film simulation mode, three effects can be caught under one single exposure. With respect to the ISO sensitivity, one particular scene can be caught under three ISO limits, thus varying the levels of brightness.

Focus

For the AF setting, 49 selectable points are available and the subject is swiftly identified and gives a perfect focus. In case of the optical view finder, there are 25 AF points. The shutter lag amounts to 0.01s in the optical view finder, and hence any spur of the moment can be caught immediately.? Even with the auto focus the EXR processor has an upbeat precision not to miss any shot. Macro shooting is also made possible and can be shot as near as 10 cm away from the lens. The FinePix X100 gives a 120o degree and 180 o degree view so as to take panorama shots.

Performance

The image quality of the FujiFilm FinePix X100 is excellent. The noise reduction feature works well, and it is recorded noise free even up to the 3200 range. The raw files are notably great. The dynamic range is controlled well and it can be seen with pictures in high contrast conditions and if at all there are any effects, it is only mildly visible on the edges of the picture. The in-built flash is good and works effectively indoors. The night portrait also looks good and the exposure level can be well extended using the bulb mode.

Verdict

FujiFilm FinePiX100 tagged in the bit expensive range performs to the amount of money invested. Right from the camera’s appearance and the handling, it will strike a good chord with the user. More than the retro style, it has certain features that make it a class apart from the compact DSLR camera. Not to mention the hybrid view finder mechanism. The only limitation noticed when compared to its rival like Leica M8.2 & Olympus E-PL2 is the auto focus feature. It could have been made more assertive.

Check other Best Digital Camera Reviews in this website.

Fujifilm FinePix X100 Digital Camera – Technical Specification Table

Internal memory and memory cardTTL ( spot, average and multi)Fujinon fixed focal length lensBattery, Battery Charger, Lens cap, USB cable , clip attach tool

264 days ago Short URL Comments

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12

Sep

Nikon digital SLR camera review D3100

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Tons of accolades have been showered on the Nikon D3100 D-SLR camera. Each and every award is unique and given for varied reasons such as the design, usability and performance. D3100 had easily bagged the CES innovation design and Engineering Awards honoree for being an innovative electronic item of this year. On the other hand, the iF product design award had been given for the features such as the image processing technology (EXPEED2) , CMOS sensor and the brilliant HD movie recording. The most admirable credit is that from National geographic channel, that has named D3100 as “Gear of the Year” award. On the conclusion note by the writer, Nikon D3100 gets a full round of applause for concentrating on designing the camera with one of the best video resolution in a creative manner. Not to mention D3100 is competitively priced and sure it is tough wrestle for many manufactures such as Panasonic, Canon, Samsung and many more.

Overview

Nikon D3100’s deliverability lies not only in designing compact and lightweight model, but the core strength of integrating 14.2 mega pixel DX format image sensor and EXPEED 2 processor engine in it. The lens used is Nikkor VR image stabilisation lens that produces accurate and crisp details along with the VR image stabilisation. Complete improvement is made in the 1080p high definition video recording which competes with cinematic excellence. The ISO sensitivity is expandable up to 12,800 and is stated to perform even in lower lighting situations. Active D lighting assures clarity even in shadows and the not to mention the intuitive controls make the shooting process completely breezy. The AF is zeroed to 11 point system and the scene recognition mode adjusts the exposure and white balance to give away wonderful results and can be used professionally.

Design

Nikon D3100 Digital Camera has gained ground by being able to be the best amongst the innovative sort of cameras. The outstanding feature of the camera is the logical spread-out of buttons and controls. They are positioned in an ergonomic manner with good space for the thumb rest. No sooner than we say there are ample external buttons, the user would get goose bumps. However in no time, the user will be able to master the camera. All the major operations are coherently aligned and hence just with a few flicks a quality shot can be attained. Nikon has gone an extra mile in providing rubberised coating that offers better handling. Replacing the IR remote receiver with GPS socket seems to be a good exchange. The live view viewer along with the movie button is located at the rear-side of the camera. The device can be connected to television through HDMI connector. A few trivial concerns such as the wrong positioning of Fn button at the side and less frequently used control is placed adjacent to the shutter release could have been avoided. Nikon D3100 is one amongst the type of the latest camera that has eliminated the in-built focus motor. Hence, the main upshot is the limited compatibility with traditional screw drive lens in the manual focus. The live view activation mechanism is by sliding the protrusion using the thumb. A bold red button within the live view control activates the movie shooting. The ease of controlling two aspects under one single button is cock tailed in a very efficient manner. Such designs must have a greater edge in controlling accidental operation, which Nikon D3100 does it effortlessly. Similar to that of Canon EOS model, Nikon D3100 too poses an accessory shoe unit with the safety lock pin. On the contrary, the camera is comfortable with only Nikon Flash accessories and third party items could damage the sync circuitry.

Mode dial

The model is studded a bit deeper than the previous model. The model offers a choice of shooting modes. In addition to the PSA and M modes, it comprises of auto mode and the quick guide mode. Furthermore, the scene modes that are usually tucked inside the display menu is brought out in the mode dial. It could be one of the budget crunch approach of Nikon to eliminate the bracketing option which is not available in the basic DSLR model. The “guide mode” dictates the user for operating basic operations such as the view, set-up and shoot functions. The “auto mode” gives a satisfactory feel of point and shoot camera. The Nikon D3100 14.2 Megapixel camera is designed to fire flash under low lighting conditions; however the user can deactivate the flash wherein it is prohibited. Availability of basic scene modes, such as the landscape, portrait, child, sports and night portrait maneuvers out an excellent creative shoot. Still, we felt that Nikon could have integrated far more innovative scene modes as employed by Panasonic Lumix models. The mode dial is closely semi-circled with the release-mode selector. It comprises of single shot, continuous shot, quiet shutter release and the self timer. Based on the desired output, the user can rotate the selector and choose any one of the option. Up to 3 frames per second can be selected in the continuous frame mode. The quiet shutter release will enable the user to click away the shots in the silent surroundings.

LCD screen

The LCD screen measures up to 3 inch in diameter and is based on TFT technology. It houses nearly 230k dot count and the clarity is good. Alternatively, the screen’s brightness can be increased. There are two basic information display format, viz graphic format and the classic format. Both the format’s visibility can be increase by changing the back ground colour appropriately. The information screen also tilts to the tune of 90odegree of the camera’s rotation.

Viewfinder

The viewfinder’s specifications are comparable to the competitor’s standards. It provides frame coverage in the range of 95% vertical and 95% horizontal and approximately 0.8x magnification factor. The lens aperture can be controlled electronically. The viewfinder is fitted with diopter adjustment and hence can accommodate the difference in vision. The user can choose 11 focus points and with availability of focus lock, the composition can be altered after focusing. The focus lock function does not retain the same value if the distance between the subject and the viewfinder is changed.

Lens

Nikon has provided a range of compatible lens. AF-S or AF-I, AF Nikkor lens, Type D-PC Nikkor and non –CPU are a few lens listed. Some functions such as the exposure meter and 3D colour matrix metering and auto focus are not supported in all lenses. The lens attachment and the detachment process are elemental. When the camera’s lens is tilted the exposure metering may not function properly. The AF-S DX Nikkor lens 18-15 mm assists the vibration reduction function. It is activated by sliding the shutter button halfway. It reduces the camera shake in the viewfinder and simplifies the framing process in auto and manual focus mode. The vibration reduction is possible even when the camera is panned, and the VR is applicable to the area that is not panned. The electronic rangefinder is to be used while using lens of maximum aperture f/5.6. The focal plane mark notifies the distance between the camera and the body.

Command Dial

Command dial lies adjacent to the mode dial in combination with other controls. It can optimise the shooting details on the monitor. Flexible program is possible by fine-tuning the aperture and the shutter speed. When the CPU lens is attached and when shutter speed besides the ‘bulb’ is opted, the exposure indicator signals the user as whether the image is over or under exposed. The details are displayed both on the viewfinder and the information display.

Information Display

On activating a small button near the LCD screen, the information display screen appears. Even though most of the controls are scattered at appropriate locations on the camera body, the information screen provides an outline of the same. One notable point is the availability of help screen. The help screen gives a list of recurrent errors encountered while shooting using the device and the solutions respectively. Such an addition has indeed perosnalised the product a lot and it sincerely attempts to increase the user’s knowledge about the camera handling.

Features

CMOS sensor and EXPEED 2 Image

The CMOS image sensor in Nikon D3100 is a newly evolved one and gives a finer and smooth detail. The colour gradation is uniform and not so quirky. The image sensor’s quality is crucial in determining the picture quality. The pixel count is to the tune of 14.2 and delivers picture comprising even the intricate texture. The CMOS sensor performance can be felt when the user gets noise low and grain-less image output. The EXPEED 2 image processing engine is defined by Nikon as state of art in the field of image improvement. With the right blend of the CMOS sensor and the image stabilisation mechanism, the image quality is seamlessly perfect.

ISO Sensitivity

The ISO range of 3200 can be achieved with Nikon D3100 Digital SLR Camera. Faster shutter speeds minimises the camera-shake even in lower light settings. The dim lit pictures give a good competition to many ace cameras as the output quality is good. The faster shutter speed can also be used to click away moving objects. Under critical circumstances the ISO can be incremented using the Hi 1 and Hi2 functions. Not only it adds the ISO level but also performs at low-light environment. However, the image looks foggy and noise at higher ISO level which is as expected. The user can also fix the ISO sensitivity using the auto sensitivity mode.

Guide Mode

Designing a device as interactive as possible must be executed with care because making too much of information available can avert the user. In this case Nikon D3100 has taken calculated risk and indeed accomplished to fuse in the Guide mode and help screen menu more wisely. The guide mode provides a step by step approach to take a picture, whereas the help menu assist with the regular trouble shooting concept. The two parts are intertwined in a manner that does not confuse the user with overloading of information. It is rightly mixed and if aptly navigated, the user can self-train to become an excellent professional photographer. The guide mode is something that many manufacturers have discarded, plain and simple because of the complicity involved. But the guide mode used in here reveals out many nitty gritty details essential for photography and even displays sample photos for each setting.

New Auto Focus and Scene Selector mode

D3100 has AF modes to capture stationary and moving objects.? Based on the latest fulltime-servo technology, the camera stores the subject in focus and the user need not hit the shutter-release button. Faces of the subject can be locked using the face priority option and can be used on subject that are not directly seeing the camera. It can identify up to 35 faces while focusing and captures the one that is supposed to be the nearest. It can track even when the subject’s distance increases from the camera. The scene auto selector is designed to readily analyse the subject and apply an appropriate scene for the image in the live view.

High Definition Movie Quality

None of the cameras in the recent past has concentrated so much on delivering movie recording feature as much as Nikon D3100 has done it. Apart from the recording at different angles, the prominent feature is the editing and trimming part of it. The flicker reduction option compensates the light effect caused by the surrounding. The movies are edited using a direct re-touch button, wherein the various editing options are available. The trimmed movies can be saved in the camera’s memory card. The only requirement to trim the movie is that it must be longer than 2 seconds.

Scene Recognition System

The scene recognition system is something similar to that of Panasonic’s Intelligent Resolution technology. It comes handy for beginners as they need not hassle around to optimise the setting. Everything right from the exposure, focus, white balance is taken care off by the camera. It utilises 420p sensor and assures an outstanding image quality and rapid analysis and composition of the subject and the setting. The face detection system gets benefited from this technology and provides better recognition with accuracy and details. The Active D-lighting optimally reduces the contrast between light and the dark areas, thereby controlling the tone reduction. Unlike the higher end DSLR cameras, it consists of only two settings, and hence has limited stretch.

Dust Reduction system

D3100′s in-built dust reduction system is efficient. It is because something like an air flow control system prevents the dust from entering directly. Alternatively, it redirects the fine particles to pass the filter situated in the image sensor. Every time the camera is turned off and on, the filter readily vibrates at particular frequencies to release fine dust that not only degrades the image but also spoils the sensor.

ISO sensitivity

Nikon D3100 Camera is equipped with sensitivity range of 100-3200 and can be expanded up to 12800. The camera increments the ISO speed to 1EV (equivalent to ISO 6400) or 2EV (equivalent to ISO 12800) depending on the situation. Auto sensitivity is also feasible. Auto sensitivity can also work along with the ISO sensitivity provided it is used in sync with a few built-in flashes. This avoids the camera from operating at slower shutter speeds.

Miscellaneous Features

Some of the features in the Nikon D3100 give the user better advantages than the rest of the cameras. To name a few, the retouch menu is something not included in many of the cameras. The options in the re-touch enable the user to trim the pictures directly rather than routing it through a photo software application. To be more specific, options such as the perceptive control, distortion control and quick-retouch gears up the user experience. The distortion control reduces the peripheral distortion. Another notable feature is the memory buffer, allowing the user to temporarily store while continuing with the shooting. Remarkably, the buffer size is up to 24 images. The camera has also option for transferring images using the Eye-Fi card.

Performance

First and foremost spotlight on D3100 is the ability to churn out quality pictures even under demanding conditions. The image quality is substantially improved as it employs the 14 mega pixel sensor to get the most desirable results. More specifically the ISO sensitivity gives an output that is distinguishable better to its competitors. Even at an ISO of 3200 the picture is crisp. Though Nikon had been bit ambitious in extending the ISO to 12800, it had good confidence in the noise reduction function. Default camera settings has the NR activated and it is wiser to maintain the same. The noise suppression is handled well without deteriorating the image quality. Even at high ISO limit, camera puts the maximum effort to wave away the noise effect. But as expectedly the camera dwindles off and produces very visible noise at higher ISO such as the 12800. The raw mode is pretty convincing, and the image quality is consistent till a tolerable ISO range. It captures even the finest of details. The highlight dynamic range averts the loss of bright details. However, if it is unexplored and kept at the default setting, the metering mode would overexpose under high-contrast environment. To place D3100 at more competitive market, Nikon could have added the low-shadow noise reduction feature in this camera also. When compared the JPEG image quality against the raw image, the latter performs well.

Verdict

Nikon D3100 has indeed garbed new attire by shredding off few skins from the previous model D3000 such as the introduction of rubber grip. Positioning buttons at more accessible points is another worthy feat. The camera is designed uniquely by scattering the buttons at every possible location that the user might be able to touch at ease. Moreover, the features are truly awesome and assure a good shot. If the user masters the fine-tuning process, an excellent output is assured. The image quality is also good and overall it serves the purpose in a better way considering the amount invested in purchasing the same.

Nikon D3100 Digital SLR Camera – Technical Specification Table

Built-in flash and memory cardCenter-weighted, color matrix metering II, Spot metering1/4000 to 30 sec. in steps of 1/3 EV
BulbRaw, Jpeg ,NEF (Raw), NEF (Jpeg)MC-DC2, GPS unit: GP-1
HDMI output: Type C mini-pin HDMI connector,
Hi-speed USB, and
NTSC, PALEN-EL14 Rechargeable Li-ion BatteryBattery, Battery Charger, Eyepiece Cap, Rubber Eyecap,
Camera Strap, Accessory Shoe Cover, Body cap

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12

Sep

Praktica DPix 5200 digital camera review

Nearly 150 years of experience in the optical industry, leading to emerge with a Praktica numerous drawings of camera. Unlike other competitor Praktica follow a different nomenclature for digital cameras. The classification is based on the pixel size. Surprisingly, even the pixel size is further sub classified as per size. No cameras Praktica is enormous build. Praktica is also apt for price conscious market, as the camera come at an affordable price without compromising quality.

Design:

Praktica DPix 5200 camera design seems impressive because of the bright pink metallic coating. It is also available in Silver metallic coating. The structure is square. Inside the small structure, the lens is neatly framed. Comparing the weight of the DPix 5200 digital camera with the Olympus FE-190, is extremely light weighted with weighing only about 3 oz (85 g). Praktica DPix 5200 digital camera has infused opportunities within the framework of the budget is defined as the tripod mount.? The back side is equipped with 2.5 TFT screen. It would be better if the screen is enlarged slightly vertically TFT, and yet it seems crammed in. On/Off switch is located at the top. The default auto power off setting is up to 3 minutes, which can be restored. Recurring operating manual reference is minimized by using extremely limited navigation buttons, such as the operation is the doll of Satan. The camera can be handled even more comfortable as comes with a wrist strap that can be stowed in the camera. Compact camera pouch comes with this model.

Display:

2-inch TFT screen is similar to a compact digital camera. Praktica DPix 5200 5MP digital camera , launched in November 2007 and the screen TFT deemed to give you impressive quality, appearance, colors in another note. The flat consists of one transistor for each pixel, creating good laudable enough resolution for a mobile camera.

CMOS sensor and Pixel:

The pixel is the smallest piece of manifestation of an image that calculates the resolution.

Praktica DPix 5200 digital camera has a count of 5 million pixels, CMOS sensor with a diameter of 1/2.5 inch. The picture quality is reasonable, but not to the template. There are several compact cameras that increase the resolution in order to improve overall image quality. But the image quality resulting in a simple resolution increase is negligible. It is not wise to smaller size camera sensor to squeeze in more number of pixels. This will extend the image noise. The CMOS sensor is generally the argument it is cheap and the picture quality is poor. However, progress in the CMOS sensor is reduced on the illusions.

Webcam movie and Record:

Movie recording is possible, but this is not the lack of built-in speakers sound performance. The camera can be used as a webcam cam. Connect the camera to the computer and optimizing the settings, the camera can operate fully as a webcam cam. Suitable for video conferencing options.

Zoom:

Praktica DPix 5200 employs a 4 x digital zoom. Normally, the digital zoom stretches the image quality is the magnification and need some need to use the photo editing software. The Giants changed the digital camera concept digital zoom that sells quite well. In accordance with Praktica, beautifies the descreen embedded in image quality. The user cannot wait an extremely high quality. In addition, the camera Praktica is based in the Centre weighted metering model. The model is located in the hotel, in the light of more in the center of projection. This is the normal configuration mode and the quality of the image meets our expectations.

Memory:

The DPix 5200 camera built-in memory is 32 MB. Memory card supports up to 12 images with high resolution. The expansion SD possible and supports up to 1 GB capacity.

Battery:

The camera is powered by 3 AAA batteries.

The contents of the package:

Praktica DPix 5200 camera consists of a USB cable, battery lithium ion battery, wrist strap, camera pouch, user manual and software CD.

Verdict:

It is indeed an achievement of Praktica DPix 5200 to design a minimum profit margin. Apart from displaying the slimline, the camera offers a bit more complicated in relation to image quality. Sometimes screen appears black in sunlight. Praktica has included some of the prominent features, you must have a digital camera. In the final analysis, it ignores to optimize image quality. The camera can be donated to the children or the elderly, mainly because the camera would have been quite a new technical aspect in their hands. One can practice to take photographs, understand the digital camera and so on. It is not appropriate for some serious photography. Definitely worth the money, there is still room for improvement.

Praktica DPix 5200 digital camera (silver, pink)-technical specification details

Built-in flash and memory cardNormal: 0.5 m to infinity, macro 20 — 30 cmAuto/daylight/cloudy/tungsten/fluorescent-2.0 to + 2.0 EV Auto EV (in steps of 1/3 EV), daylight, Cloudy, Fluorescent_H,
Fluorescent_L, tungsten, CustomUSB cable, video cable, pouch, strap, software CD
2xAAA alkaline batteries

264 days ago Short URL Comments

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