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KenRockwell.com recommends Canon PowerShot S90 IS as Best Compact Digital Camera Overall Under $400.

admin — Thu, 27 May 2010 16:21:10 +0000

My Best In Class Pick

Canon PowerShot S90 IS

The Canon S90 IS is the best compact digital camera ever made because it has direct-control dials which let you adjust it for prefect photos every time. … The S90 fits in a pocket and has unbeaten image quality for a compact.

Where to buy

Canon PowerShot S90 IS

Best Price:
$363

See

Samsung ST550 TL225 Review – This One’s Good!

admin — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 16:45:00 +0000

The new Samsung ST550 (aka TL225) features dual LCDs – a touch screen at the back, and a 1.5″ screen at the front for self-portraits etc. The ST550 features a high resolution 3.5″ 1,152k pixel touch screen, a 12 megapixel sensor, a wide angle 4.6x optical zoom lens (27mm – 124mm), 720p HD video recording, optical image stabilisation, and 18.9mm thin body. The ST550 is available from £179 in black and purple, silver, gold, black, or orange.

Samsung have this to say: “Delivering an unrivalled user experience, the ST550′s hidden 1.5″ LCD located on the front of the camera allows you to take accurate portraits using the front image as a guide. Couple this with a huge 3.5″ LCD that boasts the best resolution yet and you have a real winner. Storage medium: Micro SD card (not included).” read more on Samsung’s Website.

View our Samsung ST550 / TL225 Sample Photo Gallery
Continue reading our Samsung ST550 / TL225 Review Here

Specifications / Features:

12.2 megapixels
4.6x optical zoom – 27mm Wide angle lens
Dual Image Stabilisation – Digital Image Stabilisation and Anti-shake Sensor
3.5” LCD with haptic feedback
Smart Gesture UI
Perfect Self timer
Perfect Self-portrait
Face detection (up to 10)
Blink detection
Smile detection
Beauty shot
720P HD Movie / H.264 Format (1280×720) HDMI
Smart Face Recognition
Smart Auto Mode (Scene Recognition)
Scene mode
Smart album
Recycle bin
Auto Contrast Balance
ISO80 – 3200
Li-on Battery, in camera charging system
Storage medium Micro-SD card (not included)

Box Contents:

Samsung ST550 / ST225 Digital Camera

USB Wall adapter (USB cable connects to this)

Samsung USB Connector to USB Cable

Samsung USB out to A/V Cable

Wrist Strap

CD Rom User Manual PDF

SLB-07A 720mAh 3.7v Lithium Ion Battery

A case isn’t provided and I would highly recommend you invest in one, as well as a screen cleaning cloth as it quickly attracts fingerprints.

Picture size and Quality: Options are 12mp, 10mp (3:2), 9mp (16:9), 8mp, 5mp, 3mp, 2mp (16:9), 1mp, with three compression options: Superfine, Fine, and Normal. Higher quality images take a large amount of memory, so a high capacity memory card is definitely recommended, unless you’re prepared to sacrifice image size or compression to fit more pictures in memory. There is a good choice of image sizes, compression options and aspect ratios.

Battery: The battery life was a little disappointing as I could only get about 100 – 140 shots on one charge. Luckily the ability to charge the camera through the USB cable helps combat this, because every time you transfer pictures from the camera to your computer you are charging the camera again.

Memory cards: A large memory card is relatively cheap, and highly recommended, I would recommend at a bare minimum a 1gb memory card, if you intend to take fine JPEG images, and preferably a 2gb memory card, or larger. The larger the memory card, the more photos you will be able to take. If you are likely to go on holiday then the largest memory card you can afford would definitely be worth investing in, as you don’t always know when you will next be at a computer. You can use MicroSD or MicroSDHC memory cards. Have a look at our guide to digital camera memory cards or our article what size memory card should I buy?

Speed: The camera is generally quite quick – not noticeably slow. However the camera takes 3.3 seconds to switch on and take it’s first photo which is a little slow – switching off the startup image speeds things up and it then takes 1.6 seconds to switch on and take a photo. Continuous shooting shoots at 1fps. Shot to shot time is around 2 seconds with preview off. Focus is quick at around 0.3 seconds, and shutter response is very quick at under 0.1 seconds (normally 0.05s).

Ease of Use (and Menu): The camera is easy to use – and the menu is fairly straightforward. The only difficulty is when you need to select a different mode by tilting the camera – if you’ve just been passed the camera then it doesn’t come automatically to mind. There is a smart auto mode that helps for beginners, along with a number of scene modes, and the options are clear and easy to press without being too small. Image stabilisation should also help get clearer photos.

Ergonomics and buttons: The camera is very stylish – and looks much better in real life than in the pictures – although there isn’t much of a hand grip and it’s a little slippery at times so use the wrist strap is highly recommended. One downside for me was that the camera uses MicroSD cards which are small and fiddly compared to normal SD cards. The zoom control is also rather small.

Image Quality: The lens is good, providing a decent wide angle lens and a good amount of zoom, and image quality is generally good. The macro mode is good. View sample photos in the Samsung ST550 / TL225 Gallery.

Video: It records 720P HD videos as .MP4 files, with sound and has H.264 compression that means you should fit long videos onto your memory cards. Optical zoom is available however sound is muted when you use it. Video quality is very good. (Video grab shown above – click to enlarge – or watch the video on youtube)

Dynamic Range Mode: The Samsung has a feature called ACB – Auto Contrast Brightness – it adjusts the photo to give more detail in shadows and highlights and can work quite well.

The back screen is very high resolution – 1152k pixels – compared to the normal average of 230k this is very impressive – and photo viewing is a very good experience on the large bright screen. The front screen can be difficult to see in bright sunlight, however the back screen is good in most conditions.

Image Quality: Image quality is generally good – with good colour, detail, and low noise. Occasionally images seemed a little soft (however this could be due to the camera’s small size and difficulty to hold firmly – it could also be due to the camera favouring lower ISO settings, rather than boosting the ISO) and there was some red-eye in flash photos. I didn’t notice any vignetting (darkened corners). 8/10

Everything else (the camera as a whole): The camera is available in a number of colours as long as you want black – the colour that you can choose from is only on a small part of the camera. But nevertheless the camera looks good, and feels like a well built camera. The main selling point of the ST500 / ST550 is the front 1.5″ screen which is great feature to have especially if you’re socially active (or even if you’re just social on the internet, on facebook or twitter for example). With the ST550, the large 3.5″ screen on the back is very impressive with a very high resolution of 1152k pixels, and the touch-screen is good to use as well. The camera has a very good HD video mode, a 27mm wide angle lens, image stabilisation, and good macro mode. Better battery life would be useful. Is there anything missing? It would be nice if there was a rubber grip on the front and back, and a high speed backlit CMOS sensor. (And manual controls – although I think this would a step too far for the intended market) 9.5/10

Value for Money: Good – initially the price was quite high but over the months the price has become much better value for money – and is priced competitively with other compact cameras – and has one of the best touch screens available, and Samsung is in a unique position or being the only manufacturer to offer a front screen. Other compact cameras worth considering include the: Canon Digital IXUS 210 IS and 130 IS, Panasonic Lumix FP1, FP2, and FP3, Sony Cybershot TX7, and Olympus Tough 8010, or for more zoom the: Fujifilm FinePix F70EXR. 8/10

Conclusion: I’ve used a few Samsung cameras in the past and been a little disappointed, but not with this one! The front screen is useful, clear, and fun for social events – friends really like taking photos of themselves with it – so you tend to capture genuine smiles with it. The huge 3.5″ touch screen on the back is very good – better than a lot of touch-screens on mobile phones! And the way you can tilt the camera to choose modes and scroll through photos is quite neat once you get used to it. (Although it can be confusing for people who want to switch from photo to video mode, and don’t know how to do it). Image quality is good, and the camera provides a useful zoom range, and set of features, such as a very good HD video mode, the camera also fits very neatly into small pockets making it easy to take with you everywhere you go.

Samsung ST550 / TL225 Rating: Recommended (8.5/10)
Check for the latest prices on Amazon UK

What I Like:
Excellent 3.5″ touch screen with high resolution
Fun Front screen
Good wide angle 4.6x optical zoom lens
Compact and stylish metal body
Recycle Bin (can undelete photos)
Good photo quality
Very good HD video quality
Good macro mode
Optical zoom available on videos (sound muted)
Includes face detection and anti-shake technologies
Focus assist lamp

What I Don’t Like:
Uses MicroSD Cards (Small, fiddly, rarer than SD)
Small zoom control
Difficult to view front screen in sunlight
Slippery body – easy to drop
Poor battery life

View our Samsung ST550 / TL225 Sample Photo Gallery
Samsung ST550 is available from Amazon UK.

Source: Digicamreview.co.uk

Ultra Compact Chobi Cam Mini Digital Camera Announced

admin — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 20:30:00 +0000

GeekStuff4U are selling the new Chobi Cam Mini Digital Camera – it’s a 3 megapixel camera that also records 1280 x 960 pixel video at 30 fps as AVI movies, it also features a MicroSD card slot, and voice recording. How small is it? It measures 4.4 x 2.9 x 1.2 cm and as you can see below is surprisingly small. Via Petapixel.

Source: Digicamreview.co.uk

This weeks best deals on Amazon UK: Samsung ES15

admin — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 07:49:00 +0000

Amazon UK are selling the Samsung ES15 for £49 – the 10 megapixel camera has a 3x optical zoom lens, 2.5″ LCD screen, and it is available in black or pink. You might also want to have a look at the Panasonic Lumix FS7 which is available for £115 (also available in Pink!). Also worth mentioning is the appearance of the Nikon D3000 with VR kit lens appearing in the bestsellers list at number 7 – priced at £341.

If this doesn’t appeal to you, then here are some of the other best sellers on Amazon UK this week:

1 – Panasonic Lumix TZ7 – 10mp, 12x zoom, 3″, £199
2 – Samsung ES15 – 10mp, 3x zoom, 2.5″, £49
3 – Canon Powershot A1100 IS – 12mp, 4x opt zoom, 2.5″ screen, £99
4 – Fujifilm FinePix S1500 – 10mp, 12x zoom, 2.7″, £115
5 – Samsung ES63 12mp, 3x zoom, 2.5″, £69

Source: Digicamreview.co.uk

Vivitar Vivicam 8225 Review – Do Not Buy!

admin — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 08:48:00 +0000

Vivitar are selling the Vivitar Vivicam 8225 – the camera specification looks quite promising, especially as the camera is available from £40-£50, it features an 8 megapixel sensor, 2x optical zoom lens (apparently), 2.4″ screen, lithium ion battery, SD/SDHC support, and VGA video mode (without sound), but is it any good? Found out below. The camera is available for £49

The camera uses a CMOS sensor and promises an “optical zoom lens” – the image quality from the 2x “optical zoom” photos looked more like digital zoom to me, and you would expect to be able to see MORE detail in the optical zoom photos, but I could not – in fact the movement of the “zoom” lens looks suspicious – it was fully extended when on wide-angle, then would zoom in and out while zooming in in a somewhat meaningless way. Then when I noticed hot pixels from the CMOS sensor that MOVED when using the “optical” zoom I had to investigate further. I removed the front plastic element from the lens (this improved image quality as ghosting issues disappeared) then I removed the glass lens element from the moving “optical zoom”.* Yet AMAZINGLY the “Optical zoom” still worked!! How can that be? Oh yeah, it’s not real optical zoom, it’s simply digital zoom.

Press shots show “2x Optical Zoom” (and a completely different lens design) yet the box says simply “Optical Zoom” while the real product says: “Optical zoom” and “Auto Focus Zoom Lens” and “36-72mm f2.8″ which appears to be blatant lying – apart from the Auto Focus part, which does appear to be true.

Continue reading our Vivitar Vivicam 8225 Review.
View our Vivitar Vivicam 8225 Sample Photo Gallery.

It’s been a LONG time since I last reviewed a Vivitar camera – a lot has happened since then – they’ve gone bankrupt, been bought, and recently relaunched with a whole new range of cameras – near the bottom of the range is the new Vivitar Vivicam V8225 or 8225 – priced from £40, it features something somewhat unique in this day and age, a 2x “optical” zoom lens. Most cameras tend to have either no optical zoom, or at least a 3x optical zoom lens. It’s price and features meant that I was interested enough to give it a try. It’s cheap, but is it cheerful?

Front on – the zoom lens is a rather strange setup twisting out when switched on – and the front lens element looks so reflective I immediately thought that there was something stuck on that should be taken off. Unfortunately not – the front element is always this reflective and therefore creates some interesting lens flare.

Top – power button, shutter release, and microphone? Unfortunately not – it’s just a speaker hole for the annoying beep that can’t be switched off.

Bottom – SD/SDHC memory card slot, tripod socket, and battery compartment – it uses the Nokia BL-5B Battery rated at 700mah, 3.7v, (a clone, not a genuine Nokia battery) – probably because Nokia use this battery in a number of phones, and they’ve no doubt sold millions of mobile phones, making this battery one of the cheapest available?

Back – 2.4″ screen, Mode button switches between Photo / Video and Playback modes.

Size – quite small – quite slim. Weighs 100g, and measures: 92.00mm x 58.0mm x 19.0 mm

Video – It has a VGA video mode, without sound.

Shown above – side by side – on the left a normal photo, on the right a photo taken with “2x optical zoom”, the photos have been adjusted (levels and saturation) so that you can see the hot pixels and noise more easily, I wasn’t expecting the clear round circle, but this just makes it all the more obvious that the camera is using digital zoom. I’ve uploaded full size images into the photo gallery if you want to view or compare them yourself. (Image 229, 230)

Conclusion: Considering a standard 8mp Vivitar with no optical zoom costs around £30-£35 (eg the Vivitar 8025) – this 8mp Vivitar with “pretend 2x optical zoom” aka no optical zoom costs £40-£50 – then this camera is not good value for money. In fact, I wonder whether they are breaking advertising standards by claiming to have “Optical zoom” when in fact it’s simply digital zoom? In my opinion this camera should be pulled from shelves, and all shops that sell it (Asda, Tesco, Amazon etc) should send it back, and offer any current customers a full refund!

Some of the online material (site screenshot shown above, spec sheet, and official manual!) say it has a 3x optical zoom lens – please – make up your mind! What else are they not telling us? Could it be using a 5 megapixels sensor and interpolating the images to 8 megapixels?

Like:
Lithium-Ion Battery
Um…?

Dislike:
No optical zoom – only digital zoom!
Difficult to remove / put in memory card
Excessive barrel distortion on wide-angle
Says it’s in Focus when it’s not (and vice versa)
Beep can’t be switched off
Lens flare
Poor quality screen – difficult to see what the photos will look like
Over-exposes bright areas on default settings (-1, or -2 exposure compensation needed)
Very Weak flash – red-eye reduction pre-flash is brighter than the actual flash!
Auto-focus hit and miss.

* You can also find out by gently holding in the lens when switching the camera on, take a photo, now hold it in whilst using the zoom, notice how the image on the screen gets larger, yet the lens doesn’t even move! (I realise too that I could have done this without having to remove the lens pieces)

Source: Digicamreview.co.uk

This weeks best deals on Amazon UK: Pentax Optio I-10

admin — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 10:17:00 +0000

Amazon UK are selling the new Pentax Optio I-10 for £149 – the 12 megapixel camera has a wide angle 5x optical zoom lens (28-140mm equivalent), shake reduction (CCD-sensor shift), smile detection, HD video mode, 2.7″ 16:9 LCD monitor, 2.6fps shooting, and it is available in white or black. The top “SLR-like” features a flash on the front, and a speaker on the back, other design features include a thumb operated zoom control, the design was “inspired by PENTAX Auto 110“, more information on the Pentax website and NeutralDay Review. The Pentax Optio I-10 is available for £149. You might also want to have a look at the Panasonic Lumix FS7 which is available for £115 (also available in Pink!). Also worth mentioning is the appearance of the Nikon D3000 with VR kit lens appearing in the bestsellers list at number 9 – priced at £349.

If this doesn’t appeal to you, then here are some of the other best sellers on Amazon UK this week:

1 – Panasonic Lumix TZ7 – 10mp, 12x zoom, 3″, £199
2 – Sony Cybershot W180 – 10mp, 3x zoom, 2.7″, £79
3 – Canon Powershot A1100 IS – 12mp, 4x opt zoom, 2.5″ screen, £99
4 – Fujifilm FinePix S1500 – 10mp, 12x zoom, 2.7″, £115
5 – Panasonic Lumix FZ38 12mp, 18x zoom, 2.7″, £249

Source: Digicamreview.co.uk

This weeks best deals on Amazon UK: Sony W180

admin — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 08:13:00 +0000

Amazon UK are selling the Sony Cybershot W180 in silver and black for only £69. The Sony Cybershot W180 features a 3x optical zoom lens, a 10 megapixel sensor, 2.7″ screen, Memory Stick PRO Duo card support, rechargeable lithium ion battery, and a compact body. You might also want to have a look at the Panasonic Lumix FS7 which is available for £115 (also available in Pink!). Also worth mentioning is the appearance of the Nikon D3000 with VR kit lens appearing in the bestsellers list at number 6 – priced at £355.

If this doesn’t appeal to you, then here are some of the other best sellers on Amazon UK this week:

1 – Canon Powershot A1100 IS – 12mp, 4x opt zoom, 2.5″ screen, £99
2 – Panasonic Lumix TZ7 – 10mp, 12x zoom, 3″, £219
3 – Sony Cybershot W180 – 10mp, 3x zoom, 2.7″, £69
4 – Canon Digital IXUS 95 IS – 10mp, 3x zoom, 2.5″, £129
5 – Panasonic Lumix FZ38 12mp, 18x zoom, 2.7″, £249

Source: Digicamreview.co.uk

Casio Exilim EX-G1 G-Shock Camera Review

admin — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 10:08:00 +0000

Imaging Resrouce has reviewed the new Casio Exilim EX-G1 – the world’s slimmest shock resistant camera, it features a shockproof, dustproof, waterproof (10ft), slim camera body, and has a 12 megapixel sensor, 3x optical zoom lens, and 2.5″ screen. The EX-G1 will be available in December 2009 with an MSRP of $299.99 and will be available in black and red. The UK price is £249, and it is available from Casio at Carnaby, or Amazon UK.

“Sporty, rough-and-tumble cameras like the Casio EX-G1 have been gaining in popularity ever since Olympus really got things rolling with its Stylus TOUGH series of point-and-shoot cameras. With more than 25 years’ experience with its G-Shock timepieces, it makes sense that Casio has released a camera that is shock-resistant, waterproof, dustproof, and freeze proof. It’s also the thinnest camera so far in this category, and has an unusual but cool design.”

Read more Casio Exilim EX-G1 Reviews: Engadget, Trusted Reviews, Digital Camera Review, Steves-DigiCams, Digital Camera Info, Commentary at 1001ncs,

Source: Digicamreview.co.uk

Canon Digital IXUS 130 IS / SD1400 IS Review

admin — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 08:02:00 +0000

Photography BLOG has reviewed the new Canon Digital IXUS 130 IS / PowerShot SD1400 IS – the ultra compact camera features a 14.1 MP sensor, 28mm wide, 4x zoom with Optical IS, 2.7” LCD, Smart Auto, Face Detection, Hints & Tips, HD movies, HDMI, Smart Shutter, Smart Flash Exposure, i-Contrast, DIGIC 4 & Servo AF/AE, Creative shooting modes. Canon have published sample photos here. The Canon Digital IXUS 130 IS is available for £220 in Silver, Black, Pink and Orange.

“The Canon Digital IXUS 130 (also known as the PowerShot SD1400 IS) is the slimmest ever IXUS / PowerShot digital camera. Measuring just 17.8mm at its thickest point, the 14 megapixel Canon 130 compact camera offers a 4x optical zoom lens with a 28mm wide-angle setting and Optical Image Stabilization, 2.7 inch LCD screen, 720p HD video with an HDMI output connection, Smart Auto mode with Scene Detection Technology, Smart Shutter mode and FaceSelf-Timer for easier portraits, and a useful Hints & Tips feature for beginners.”

Click for more pictures.

Source: Digicamreview.co.uk

Pentax Optio I-10 Retro Camera Review

admin — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 08:31:00 +0000

NeutralDay has reviewed the new Pentax Optio I-10 – a 12 megapixel camera with a wide angle 5x optical zoom lens (28-140mm equivalent), shake reduction (CCD-sensor shift), smile detection, HD video mode, 2.7″ 16:9 LCD monitor, 2.6fps shooting, and it will be available in white or black. The top “SLR-like” features a flash on the front, and a speaker on the back, other design features include a thumb operated zoom control, the design was “inspired by PENTAX Auto 110“, more information on the Pentax website. The Pentax Optio I-10 is available for £179.

“One of the more cleverly designed cameras introduced so far this year, the Pentax Optio I-10 is a digital compact camera offering 12.1 megapixels and a 5x zoom lens. Clearly the most striking aspect to the I-10, and likely its most appealing, is its old-school SLR camera styling, cleverly capturing the nostalgia of yesterday’s film cameras, while at the same time providing today’s latest features, including face detection, HD video, and a number of in-camera digital filters.”

More Pentax Optio I-10 Links: Pocket-Lint First Look

Source: Digicamreview.co.uk