Digital Camera Information

Here is an interesting review by Prophotohome.com where the review is interactive based. They review different features of the camera with each entry.

The first entry is the AI Servo Autofocus performance where they write:

“From the very first time we saw the specs for this camera we were impressed by what was being offered for the money. Just a few years ago 6.5 fps would have been considered more than enough for serious sports photography. It is weather sealed to boot. Could we really have a serious sports camera for $1,299? It immediately occurred to us that we would indeed have to do the running test on this camera to see how it compares to the 1D MKIII and 1D MKII.”

For the full review, it can be found here

A review by CNET in the UK about a camera combat between the Camera phones, a digital compact camera and a digital DSLR has to be the worst review I have ever read. In fact the review is more like a primary school project and I think this is where it is aimed.

In this review they compare the picture quality between the camera phones: the Nokia 6300, Sony Ericsson K810i, Nokia N95 against the digital compact camera; the Canon IXUS 70 against a DSLR camera; the Canon 400D. Both normal and low light were compared for visual appearance only.

Although the conclusion was that the Canon 400D came out on top, the Nokia N95 was not that far behind. I hope people do not use this as a true review but as a negative control on what NOT to read.

Have a laugh at these quotes:

“colours came out fairly balanced if not a little yellow, but that’s probably due to the lighting in the room.”

“.. but the shot came out a little blurry, which may have been due to moving our hands slightly when we took the shot.”

Source

Trusted Reviews has reviewed the new Nikon D40X and although it does lack a bit of depth, it does give a good idea about the camera for which they praise highly. For example, they mention the great ISO performance with noise from ISO 100 to ISO 800, but failed to say how the Noise Reduction (NR) which looks amazing does start to blur the details at higher ISO’s settings. They also forgot to mention the lack of Auto focus motor.

Anyhow here’s what they write:

“The Nikon D40x may finally have got the entry-level DSLR that can give Canon a run for its money while holding off Sony’s advance. It is, by an admittedly narrow margin, a better camera than the EOS 400D in many respects, including the crucial area of overall image quality. It is easy to use, has Nikon’s traditional fantastic build quality, and performs superbly well. If you’re looking for an SLR for under £500 the D40x should be near the top of your list.”

The full review can be found here.

Imaging Resource has reviewed the Nikon D40 and concludes with:

“Nikon really shocked the market with the D40. We’ve been pleasantly surprised with its excellent performance in low light and its simple grace as a day-to-day shooter. Then we remind ourselves that all this quality comes at less than $600, and we shake ourselves awake. The Nikon D40 is one great camera!

Though the Nikon D40’s kit lens is pretty good, and also fast and quiet, we were a little disappointed with the significant flare we see in its images with high contrast elements out toward the corners, even in the middle of its zoom range. Its chromatic aberration was also fairly high at wide angle, but none of these minor problems were significantly different from other comparably priced offerings. The lens performed very well in most circumstances, so it’s well worth the price.”

The Nikon D40 stands up well against the competition — even those with higher resolution — with great image quality at all speeds, and near-perfect utility as a family camera. It’s tough to ask for more. The Nikon D40 lives up to our expectations, and even exceeds them. There’s no question that the Nikon D40 is a Dave’s Pick.

Read the full review here

Although it has just been announced, Luminous Landscape has a preview of the new Canon 400D / Rebel Xti. Here’s what they write:

“With the Rebel XTi Canon’s entry level DSLR has gown up, and in some ways even surpassed its older sibling the 30D. Try as I might, given the feature set, implementation and price point, I find it really hard to find fault with the XTi. Within the current Canon paradigm I find that the XTi has an easy to learn and use interface. Few of the camera’s controls are problematic, and image quality is about as good as it gets from a non-full frame DSLR. Many pros will likely find themselves buying an XTi or two as their backup camera, and even find themselves using it more than their big guns when light weight and small size are paramount.

By way of an observation – it has always been Canon’s MO to put new technology into their lower end cameras first, then migrating the things that work to their pro level cameras on the next generation. I am assuming that this will be the case with both their new dust elimination capabilities and their higher resolution sensor. A bit of quick math shows that with the small photo sites and greater fill factor found in the XTi, a full frame sensor using this technology would yield between 22–24 Megapixels. The issue likely will be, can the Digic II processor support high enough frame rates at this data volume to meet the demand of pro users? Likely not, and so a Digic III is said to be just around the corner. This issue may even be the reason behind our likely not seeing a new 1 Series body for another half year or so, as noted below. “

Click here for the full preview.

The Fujifilm Finepix F30 has been reviewed by Popphoto.com and writes:

“The Fujifilm Finepix posted impressive numbers in the lab, keeping noise at bay all the way up to ISO 3200, which scored a 2.45 (Moderate) in our noise test, with just about a 20% drop in resolution (1310-Very High) over the resolution results for ISO 100 (1655-Extremely High.) Fujifilm is doing a lot of things right with their in-camera processing and noise suppression algorithms to post results such as these. Color accuracy is excellent (Average Delta E: 7.94 ISO 100 Auto White Balance.) The 3x zoom shows slight barrel distortion at 38mm (17%), imperceptible barrel at 78mm (.07%) and imperceptible pin cushioning at 108mm (.02%.)”

In terms of ISO performance it concludes with:

“This camera has a truly usable ISO range of ISO 100 to ISO 800, and makes images at the extreme ISOs of 1600 and 3200 that can hold up to comparison with ISO 400 and 800 results from some of its competitors.

The world is not made entirely of perfectly lit bright sunny days calling for ISO 100 — and Fujifilm deserves praise for pushing camera performance technology towards much more usable high ISOs in the compact market”

So far all the reviews I’ve read have been quite favorable of the F30; it is definitely on my shopping list.

Click here for the full review.

The Nikon D80 has been reviewed by Hardwarezone and although the camera is yet to be released for sale, a review was performed and was recommened favourably. It writes:

“The Nikon D80 is a fantastic camera for its price. It is definitely better than its predecessor D70s but not quite the level as the mid-range D200 even though they share some similar features. And this is rightly so, because that’s exactly how Nikon has positioned the D80 - the upper rung of budget DSLR cameras. However that doesn’t deny the D80 from sharing certain attributes as its dearer D200 brother. For instance, besides some of the key specs, you can expect the same good quality build and a generous rubber cushioning on the grips for extra comfort.

For those of you willing to wait out no matter the availability concerns, the D80 will put a smile on your face when you lay your hands on it. With the D80, Nikon offers a complete DSLR lineup where there’s something for almost every segment and price category, with this excellent newcomer taking a favorable spot between the low and midrange DSLR categories of the D70s and the D200. The D80 is definitely the best Nikon camera yet for its entry-level class and is strongly recommended for beginners migrating to the DSLR scene. “

For the full review click here.

The Fujifilm Finepix F30 has been reviewed by Steves digicams and writes:

“Like its predecessor, the F30 relies on its high sensitivity to help you capture images in lighting conditions that other consumer camera’s find difficult. While the F10 had a maximum ISO settings of 1600, the F30 raises the bar with a sensitivity of 3200; something only more advanced dSLRs use to offer. The “Picture stabilization” mode, which uses this ability to offer faster shutter speeds in lower lighting conditions, reducing camera shake and motion blur. I was very surprised at how low noise levels were, even at ISO 800. Both ISO 1600 and 3200 are also quite low for a camera in this class, due to the in-camera noise reduction processing. Image detail, however, does suffer a bit, making pictures look a bit “fuzzy” when being viewed at 100%. However, the usefulness of this feature greatly out weighs the negative effects.”

He concludes with “.. The FujiFilm Finepix F30 is an awesome digital package. With its unmatched ISO capabilities, great image quality, robust performance, durable metal body, and loads of useful exposure modes, the F30 is tuff to beat in the 6-megapixel category. While its retail price of US$399 is a bit more expensive than many of the other 6-megapxiel models, we feel that its versatility and advanced features allow it to still offer a great value.”

I tend to agree that althought it’s more expensive than the competition, the high ISO makes up for it and it’s surely worth the extra dollars.

Click here for the full review.

Although the Sony Alpha has not has not been released, it has been reviewed by www.trustedreview.com. I assume its a pre-production model.

They conclude with:
“An extremely impressive debut from a new player in the digital SLR market, the Sony Alpha α100 is pitched at the consumer end of the market, but is actually a better camera than most of its mid-range rivals too. It bristles with clever technology, but is very easy to use and produces consistently excellent results. It would be a good camera for a newcomer to SLRs, but more experienced users will also find it very satisfying to use “

Interestingly, the noise level at ISO 1600 is high and writes “At 1600 ISO the image is quite noisy despite the very fast shutter speed. It’s no worse than most of its rivals though”. That is, in terms of noise it’s on par with the Nikon D200.

Source: Trusted Review

Choosing which camera to buy is a difficult decision to make. There are just as many different cameras to choose from as there are different types of mobile phones in the market. Do you go for the small and light compact or do you buy an entry model Digital SLR camera. With so many choices out there it gets even more difficult.

Well, to make it easier for you to decide, you must stick to the core brands. A friend of mine was ready to purchase the 11 megapixel Supacam DVX and I advised him otherwise. The Supacam DVX claims to be a video recorder, video player, MP3, webcam etc, this is the biggest piece of rubbish I have ever seen and one that should be avoided. Actually it should not be sold at all.

To be safe you can’t go wrong with a Canon, Nikon, Fujifilm, Konica Minolta, Pentax, Olympus and Kodak just to name a few.

With the different types of camera available, the confusion gets larger as you probe deeper. Newer and newer models appear every month and so you basically bombarded with endless amount of information.

To make it easier, most cameras fall into two groups. You can either go for a good point or shoot camera or an entry model Digital SLR camera.

Although my decision may not suit all of you, I would buy go for a DSLR as my first camera. Why because you cannot beat that SLR experience and with the great auto focus system, short lag time and high ISO you get fantastic picture. If you are going to take one picture, you want it to be the best. There are many excellent models and tow of the best includes the Nikon D50 or Canon 350D/XT.

If I have the extra money I would then go for a small compact model that has great portability, good features and great picture quality. Make sure you check out the ones with high ISO so that you can take some good low light pictures.