Archive for November, 2006
CANON Powershot G7 digital camera
The Age, Australia
CANON Powershot G7 digital camera
Price: $900
Verdict: Perplexing
Low-down: This is a compact 10 megapixel camera with an optical viewfinder and the latest model in Canon’s top-of-the-line G series of compact cameras. It has a 6x zoom lens with optical image stabilisation. The focal length range is 35-210 mm, film equivalent.
The styling is retro and it looks and feels like a real camera. It will function as a fully automatic point-and-shoot, but that is not its intended purpose. There is a full suite of manual controls, most of which are directly accessible - such as the ISO speed, which is set using an old-fashioned knob. Other settings are quickly accessible using the well-known (and liked) Canon Function button.
The optical viewfinder is good, showing about 80 per cent of the picture area, and the LCD screen is a 60 mm, bright and high-resolution viewer. It is not articulated, unfortunately. There is an external flash shoe and a bayonet mount for optional extension lenses.
Like this: The camera will appeal to photographers who remember the days when a camera was not a fashion accessory. It is solid, black and weighty. It is too large for most pockets but will fit into a winter jacket.
Dislike that: Should a happy owner of a Canon G6 think of “upgrading” to a G7? The answer is no. Look at the price. The G7 is $200 cheaper than the G6. The price reduction has been achieved by leaving out RAW processing, an infrared remote control, articulated LCD screen and a fast lens. The G7 lens is a 6x zoom compared with the 3x of the G6 and the G7 has 3 million more pixels and neither of those changes can be called an advance. Using the camera at ISO400 and above (it goes up to ISO1600) picture noise is always evident.
Verdict: This camera is a joy to use, except for the absence of the swivelling LCD screen. But the images are disappointing. The pixel madness has Canon in its grip - this is the second camera from the company that has disappointed by its excess pixel-induced image degradation. And to think that nine months ago Canon announced that the pixel race was over.
November 30th, 2006
Some tips when buying a digital camera
Cincinnati Post, OH
Remember film? You know, the small canister we loaded into our cameras so we could take pictures? For me, film was a pain, so I am happy to be part of the film-free, digital-camera generation. I have instant access to my photos and can print them directly or upload them to my computer. I can crop, enlarge, rotate or delete. I can e-mail them, insert them into my blog or burn them to a CD for long-term storage.
Like most things technical, digital cameras are changing rapidly. Here’s the dilemma: You don’t want to buy more quality than you need, but you sure don’t want a camera that will be obsolete next week.
Set priorities: What is your primary reason for buying a digital camera? Do you want to print 8-inch-by-10-inch enlargements or mostly make 4-inch-by-6-inch snapshot prints? Do you want to create electronic photo albums and send pictures by e-mail? Knowing your primary purpose will help you narrow the choices.
Type of camera: Digital cameras come in compact, subcompact, advanced compact, super-zoom and SLR models. All digital cameras have point-and-shoot simplicity, but many allow you to set shutter speed and exposure manually, too. If you want a camera that is simple to use, small and inexpensive, look for a compact or subcompact model. If control and versatility are your hot buttons because you like to change the settings, make enlargements and edit your photos, look for an advanced compact or a super-zoom model. If you want versatility and power to create professional-looking, high-quality pictures, then you will be most happy with an SLR model. You will, however, spend a lot of money with this option.
Megapixels: Basically, the number of megapixels measures how much fine detail a camera can capture. With more megapixels, you can print larger photos with better image quality. And the more megapixels, the higher the price.
Battery life: You want to get as many shots from a charged battery as possible. The best-performing cameras get around 300 pictures per charge, the worst only about 50. A good option for a less expensive camera is to carry a second battery that is charged and ready to go. An extra battery is likely more economical than the cost to upgrade to a higher-quality camera.
Speed: When taking pictures with a digital camera, it is necessary to wait after each shot for the camera to process the picture. If you have a particularly slow-speed camera, you may miss an important shot while you are waiting. However, adding speed will increase the price, too.
Storage: Shooting at its highest resolution, a typical 4-megapixel camera can store eight to 10 images on a 16-megabyte “starter” memory card. You will quickly tire of having to download to your computer if you have only a small amount of storage. However, the size of the memory card that comes with the camera should not be a very important requirement. If you find a great deal on a camera with 16 megabytes of storage, you can spend another $25 or less to buy a 256-megabyte storage card and just swap it out. With 256 megabytes, you should be able to store at least 100 pictures.
Mary Hunt is the creator of the Cheapskate Monthly newsletter. You can e-mail questions or tips at cheapskate@unitedmedia.com or Everyday Cheapskate, P.O. Box 2135, Paramount, Calif., 90723.
November 29th, 2006
Now Sony Recalls Digital Cameras
TrustedReviews, UK
Just when Sony thought 2006 couldn’t get any worst (10m recalled laptop batteries and numerous – still ongoing – PS3 production issues) it appears the company dropped the ball on digital cameras too.
Late last week Sony admitted that it needs to recall eight models of its popular Cybershot camera after discovering a problem with their LCDs which means the screen may not display images correctly. Thankfully the error won’t cause the device to overheat and explode which must make for a pleasant change!
Sony has identified the problem as being ‘caused by a glitch with the image sensor’ which doesn’t help aspiring techno DIY-ers much but it did reveal it would only recall models sold between September 2003 and January 2005. A free repair will be offered to any camera which Sony decides shows evidence of the error so – unlike the laptop batteries – don’t post it off if all seems well.
The official recall model list is as follows:
DSC-F88 (in thumbnail)
DSC-M1
DSC-T1
DSC-T11
DSC-T3 (pictured)
DSC-T33
DSC-U40
DSC-U50
Funnily enough this isn’t the first time Sony has had problems with its digicams. Last October 20 Cybershot models were recalled and free repairs provided.
‘Annus horribilis’ is the phrase I once heard one old woman use…
Link:
Sony UK
November 28th, 2006
Leading Taiwan digital camera OEMs expect big shipment growth in 2007
DigiTimes, Taiwan
Jimmy Hsu, Taipei; Adam Hwang, DigiTimes.com [Monday 27 November 2006]
Premier Image Technology, Altek and Ability Enterprise, three of the top four Taiwan-based OEM makers of digital cameras, are optimistic about OEM orders in 2007, and expect shipment volumes to increase from this year by 25% to over 50%, according to industry sources.The makers expect that Japanese brands will increase outsourcing of production to minimize production costs, the sources pointed out.
This can be seen from the increase in the number of planned layoffs by Sanyo Electric, the world’s largest digital camera OEM, from the original 1,000 employees to over 2,000, the sources indicated.
In related news, Premier Image will formally merge into Taiwan-based Foxconn (the registered trade name of Hon Hai Precision Industry) on December 1 of this year.
November 27th, 2006
It’s time to buy a new digital camera
Moneycontrol.com, India
Thirty-year-old nurse Rie Wakaume is a camera maker’s dream.About to get married in Italy, Wakaume is ready to splurge on the latest trend in photography — digital SLR cameras — even though she has a perfectly good camera.She highlights not only the readiness of shutterbugs to snap up professional-level technology now that prices have come down, but also a potentially lucrative change in the camera business: shorter replacement cycles
“Digital SLRs are now cheaper, smaller and take better pictures,” Wakaume said after visiting her local electronics store.
Digital SLRs — single-lens reflex cameras that enable consumers to see images exactly as they will be captured — are all the rage. And Wakaume says prices are about half of what she remembered two years ago.
Wakaume is one of several million consumers who may switch to the most profitable models in the $34 billion digital camera market. Previously, only professionals and serious hobbyists bought digital SLRs.
“Price declines are accelerating, especially as digital SLRs aimed at women enter the market,” said Christopher Chute, an analyst at researcher IDC. “So, no end in sight for price drops.”
Those price declines can be good news for top makers Canon Inc., Sony Corp., Eastman Kodak Co., Olympus Corp. and Nikon Corp. Mirroring earlier trends in mobile phones, they herald faster upgrades.
“The replacement cycle is becoming shorter,” said Ryosuke Katsura, a Mizuho Securities analyst who had previously expected the life cycle of digital cameras would be roughly half the eight years for film models.
Thanks to the revived demand, global shipments may jump 24 percent to 100.5 million units in 2006, Mizuho’s Katsura estimated. But he expects growth in 2007 to slow to 11 percent, followed by a 13 percent rise in 2008.
EMERGING DEMAND
Shipments in the recent months have exceeded market expectations, and also prompted Canon, Olympus and Pentax Corp. to raise shipment goals.
One reason is rising demand in emerging markets.
“The industry is becoming mature, and that’s why we have to expand our sales efforts in China and Russia, where we’re seeing growth,” Tomonori Iwashita, the head of Canon’s camera unit, said in an interview with Reuters this month.
By 2009, some 22 percent of global digital camera shipments will be to the region it calls the rest of the world (ROW), which includes Brazil, Russia and India, according to IDC. The Asia-Pacific region, including China, will make up 26 percent.
“Consumers in developing countries are spending almost as much money on digital SLRs and interchangeable lenses as consumers in Japan,” Scott Foster, an analyst from HSBC Securities, said in a report this month.
November 24th, 2006
Canon Digital Ixus 900Ti
Ashley Norris
Thursday November 23, 2006
The Guardian
Not that long ago Canon hinted it was dropping out of the race to squeeze as many pixels as possible on to its cameras. So it is surprising to see the arrival of the 900Ti, a robust titanium-finished compact snapper that is capable of talking 10 megapixel images.
In my opinion 10 megapixels is excessive for all but a tiny minority of compact camera users, but there’s no denying that the 900Ti is a superb camera. There some very neat touches such as the optical viewfinder in addition to the good-quality 2.5in LCD monitor.
Start-up time is impressive too, with the camera ready for taking pictures in less then a second. There’s also a great anti-shake system, and, unusually for a compact, the option of shooting in widescreen. Video quality is the best I have ever seen from a compact camera, with impressive levels of detail and accurate yet rich colour rendition.
It is hard really to criticise the 900Ti, except to say that unless you have a specific reason for shooting large images, you don’t need a 10 megapixel compact camera. So also check out the Canon IXUS 800IS; or if quality is paramount, look at budget digital SLRs such as the Canon EOS 350D or the just-announced Nikon D40.
November 23rd, 2006
Mega-Zoom Camera Offers Substantial Rewards
TechNewsWorld, CA
With the Olympus SP-510UZ’s 10x optical zoom — it has a 5x digital zoom, too — you can get up close and personal with your subjects without having to get in their face. Additionally, with the camera’s digital image stabilization, you don’t have to worry about “the shakes.”
Thin is all the rage these days in digital cameras. If a shutterbox can’t fi in the pocket of a pair of designer jeans, some consumers will just tur their nose up at it. I’m not one of them
Thin has its merits, but so does substantial. Among these merits are more muscular zoom lenses — 10x or more.
Oh, I know Kodak makes a thinnie, the EasyShare V610 with a 10x zoom, but it can’t beat the photo quality of something like the Olympus SP-510UZ.
This latest Olympus entry into the mega-zoom category is a compact silver package — it measures 4.2-by-2.8-by-3 inches — that’s nicely balanced, and while it’s a heavyweight compared to thinner offerings, its 11.5 ounces feel substantial without feeling leaden in the hands.
One-handed shooting with the 7.1 megapixel camera, which sells for US$284 to $329, is comfortable when you hold it by its grip on the right side of the unit.
Convenient Controls
Controls on the 510UZ are logically placed and easy to reach.
On top of the camera are the power and PictBridge buttons. PictBridge allows you to print photos directly from the unit by connecting it to the USB capture port of a printer.
Flanking those buttons are the mode dial and the shutter release, the latter of which is embedded in a zoom control ring. Some camera makers have tinkered with the relationship between the shutter release and zoom control, but I’ve found this design to be the most convenient and intuitive to use.
On the back of the unit is a bright 2.5-inch color display. Although slightly washed out when shooting in bright sunlight, there was plenty of resolution on the screen for framing shots.
Above the display are buttons for flipping up the unit’s flash and turning off its display. With the display off, shots can be framed in the camera’s electronic viewfinder.
Double Duty
To the right of the display are the snapbox’s main cluster of controls. There are buttons for displaying shot composition information, turning on the self timer and trashing unwanted photos.
In addition, there’s a control dial for navigating through system menus.
The navigation buttons on the dial serve double duty. Not only do they allow you to go left, right, up and down through menus, but they give you quick access to macro mode, compensation exposure, flash modes and a quick view of photos you’ve taken.
In macro mode, the 510UZ can shoot objects as close as three centimeters.
With compensation exposure, you can under- or over-expose a photo up to an exposure value (EV) of two, in increments of one-third.
Good Indoor Shots
The pop-up flash has five modes: auto, red eye, fill, fill with red eye and slow. Flash pictures taken with the camera were very good. They looked more natural than those I’ve seen from other cameras. They’re exposed evenly and don’t have the high contrast and color saturation that can give some photos that “shot with a flash” look.
Outdoor pictures were also excellent. Colors were true, exposure was good and sharpness was excellent.
When using the camera outside, shutter lag — the time between the shutter button’s activation and the camera’s capture of the desired image — was barely noticeable. Inside, however, with the flash activated, there was a considerable lag.
The 510UZ runs on four AA batteries, and it starts up very quickly.
Big Beautiful Camera
With the unit’s 10x optical zoom — it has a 5x digital zoom, too — you can get up close and personal with your subjects without having to get in their face. Additionally, with the camera’s digital image stabilization, you don’t have to worry about “the shakes.”
The lens has an aperture of F/2.8 - 3.7 and the zoom’s 35mm equivalent is 38 - 380.
In addition to stills, the camera can shoot video with sound. The video, which is stored in QuickTime format, is about YouTube quality.
Photos shot with the camera are in JPG format, but it also supports RAW shots.
If thin is your thing, then the 510UZ isn’t your camera. However, if you’re looking for a camera that feels substantial, can get you in the thick of the action from afar and is chock full of features to stimulate your creativity, then this Olympus offering may be for you
November 22nd, 2006
CNET editors’ review
Reviewed by: Philip Ryan
Reviewed on 11/20/06
Things are about to become very interesting in the world of digital SLRs. Now that Panasonic has its Lumix DMC-L1 in stores, three of the world’s largest consumer electronics companies have joined the big leagues of digital imaging. How the L1 fares against the offerings from Sony and Samsung, as well as from the more established players in this market, should tell us a lot about what the future will hold for the digital camera world.
Each of these newcomers owes its SLR technology to other camera makers: Sony to Konica Minolta, Samsung to Pentax, and Panasonic to Olympus. But, while Samsung’s dSLRs have so far been rebranded clones of Pentax models, both Sony and Panasonic have managed to distinguish their products from their partners’ cameras. Plus, since Sony actually bought Konica Minolta’s technology, it will likely have a larger role in future camera development than either Samsung or Panasonic–if they don’t end up purchasing their partners as well.
While Panasonic has been making digital cameras for a while now, the L1 seems to indicate they still have a lot to learn. Its design doesn’t have the comfort of the advanced ergonomic bodies offered by more established camera makers. While the kit lens is nicer than many kit lenses out there, the extra cost associated with it puts Panasonic at a major disadvantage, since competitors offer more comfortable body designs, with decent kit lenses for less than half the price of this one. You won’t get optical image stabilization, but by forcing the issue, Panasonic will likely lose lots of sales. To its credit, the L1 does have decent performance and nice image quality, so it shouldn’t be dismissed outright, but it’ll probably still have a tough time on the store shelves.
Design of Panasonic Lumix DMC-L1
Physical design is probably the Panasonic Lumix DMC-L1’s worst attribute. As they admitted at the Photo Marketing Association trade show last February, the body shares much of the internal design with Olympus’s Evolt E-330, including its side-swinging Porro Mirror view finder, which provides a through-the-lens view without the prism that causes most SLRs to have a hump in the middle of the top of the body. The cameras also share the same 7.5-megapixel Live MOS sensor, which lets them offer a live view from the sensor on the camera’s LCD screen, so you can frame your shots as you would on a compact camera. Unlike the Evolt, which has a second CCD sensor for a second live view mode, the Panasonic has only one sensor and one live view mode.
The two companies part ways when it comes to the ergonomics of the body designs. Olympus’s design feels comfortable and natural in your hand, but Panasonic’s is unbalanced and leans to the left. Also, the body is rather boxy, and some controls poorly placed. For example, the power switch faces inward next to the spot where your thumb should rest. Since the spot for your thumb is so small, we accidentally switched the camera off a few times during field testing. Also, Panasonic embeds the shutter release in the middle of the shutter-speed dial, making it awkward to reach with your index finger. The vast majority of SLRs angle the shutter release forward and place it where your index finger naturally rests.
While it’s cute to see a shutter-speed dial on a dSLR, it’s not as convenient or as quick to use as the thumb and/or finger dials that most cameras now employ and it’s further hindered by the fact that you can’t rotate it a fully around. It stops at the auto setting and makes you rotate back around, so switching from very slow to very fast shutter speeds, or from auto to a fast shutter speed takes longer than it should. Plus, since the kit lens includes an aperture ring, Panasonic seems to assume that everyone will want to control aperture from the ring. But, since the camera has a Four-Thirds lens mount, it’s highly likely that some users will want to use another manufacturer’s lens at some point. When we put an Olympus lens on the L1, we didn’t know where to look to change the aperture and had to consult the manual to find out that the Func. 1 button next to the shutter-speed dial automatically converts from controlling exposure compensation to controlling aperture when a lens without an aperture ring is mounted on the camera. Also, when we noticed that you have to set either the shutter or aperture to auto to activate shutter- or aperture-priority modes, we realized why such retro controls went by the wayside.
Panasonic does deserve some design credit though. For instance, the switches for metering, drive, and focus modes are very convenient and well-placed. Plus, the fact that the built-in flash can angle upward for bounce flash almost makes up for some of the other awkwardly placed controls. Panasonic goes to great lengths to tout the Leica branded kit lens, and though it is impressively fast with its maximum aperture range of f/2.8 to f/3.5, and its optical image stabilization we were less impressed with its build quality. The zoom ring isn’t as smooth or as well damped as we’d like, and the plastic lens barrel doesn’t feel as tough as you’d find on some other manufacturers’ lenses. At least the front element doesn’t rotate, so you can use graduated neutral density filters without any hassle.
Features of Panasonic Lumix DMC-L1
At a time when manufacturers are building more and more scene modes into digital SLRs, Panasonic eschews them with the Lumix DMC-L1, so if you’re stepping up from a compact camera and love your scene modes, this may not be the dSLR for you. However, if you love framing photos on an LCD, this dSLR is right up your alley. In Live View mode, you can frame and focus using the L1’s 2.5-inch LCD screen. Since focusing can be tough to judge on a screen like that, Panasonic includes a convenient magnification feature. When in Live View mode and manual focus, just press the left or right menu navigation buttons and a small yellow box appears. You can enlarge it with the command dial and position it anywhere in the frame with the menu navigation buttons. Once you have it in place, just press the menu set button and the image magnifies, making focusing a snap. Just beware, the Live View mode takes a hefty bite out of the camera’s battery life, and it doesn’t provide an accurate preview of the shot’s exposure.
Tweakers will appreciate the DMC-L1’s custom functions. For example, in addition to the four color and three black-and-white film mode presets, you can set two custom film modes, wherein you can choose the levels of contrast, sharpness, saturation, and noise reduction applied to JPEG images. As alluded to earlier, there are two custom function buttons located next to the shutter-speed dial. Each can be set to control things such as film mode, picture size, raw on/off, and more. Also, a subsection of the menu system, called the custom menu, lets you set a number of shooting options, such as color space and AF zone, and save your selections as one of three custom sets. This is especially useful if multiple shooters will use the same camera, or if you want to set certain functions for specific shooting conditions.
The rest of the features are what you’d expect in a dSLR of this class, though unlike some pricier cameras, ISOs move in full-stop instead of half- or third-stop increments. Also, unlike the E-330, which offers plus or minus 5EV of exposure compensation, the L1 offers only plus or minus 2EV. We were just as surprised to notice that the autofocus system has a mere three focus points. Most dSLRs targeted above entry level have more than three AF points. On the plus side, like the E-330, the Lumix DMC-L1 shakes dust off the sensor when you start up the camera.
Performance of Panasonic Lumix DMC-L1
In our lab tests, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-L1 performed slightly slower than its competition. It took 1.1 seconds from turning the power on until it captured its first shot. Once it was on, it took 1 second between capturing JPEG images, 1.4 seconds between capturing JPEGs with the built-in flash, and 1 second between RAW images. Shutter lag measured a speedy 0.5 second in bright light and a somewhat sluggish 1.6 seconds in low light.
Continuous shooting fared slightly better in our tests. In the low-speed mode, we were able capture 7.5-megapixel Super-Fine quality JPEGs at a rate of 2fps. In high-speed burst mode, that jumped to about 2.8fps.
November 21st, 2006
Take your pix: Options abound in photography
Digital camera perfect accessory for fishers, hunters
Houston Chronicle, United States
Technology fascinates me, especially as it applies to outdoor photography.
Hunters and fishermen actually are sending snapshots straight from the field and the boat now, sharing memories almost as quickly as they’re made, and that real-time spreading of enthusiasm is good for outdoor recreation.
There have been no outgoing photos transmitted from my cell phone just yet — the device is capable; I am not — but a digital picture arrived Wednesday from Houston Dynamo midfielder Brad Davis
One of this city’s many professional athletes who are nuts about deer hunting (and the only one just now who also is a league champion), Davis called from the road somewhere in Missouri between his family farm and a deer-processing house.
He wanted to share the story of a big whitetail he sacked. About halfway through his description of the antlers, Davis paused.
“Can you get pictures on your phone?”
“I think so.”
“Do you know how?”
“No, but there are younger people in the office.”
Minutes later, Davis forwarded a shot (which I managed somehow to open without assistance) of him posing with his buck. No wonder he was excited. His hands were wrapped proudly around the thick antler bases. Tines were tall and heavy, and Davis’ smile was nearly as wide as the rack’s inside spread.
From days to seconds
Not so many years ago, back when the Chronicle still processed more black-and-white film than color film, my earliest opportunity to see his buck would have come days later — after Davis submitted his negatives, returned to pick up his photos, selected the best one and mailed it to me.
Either that, or we’d have waited until Davis returned to Houston from his hunting trip.
The instant picture isn’t so new. Polaroid and Kodak got that ball rolling decades ago. What’s different now is our ability to share those images electronically.
Forwarding photos from a recent outdoor adventure punctuates the excitement of the story as it is being told, whether that’s by phone or by e-mail, an hour or a day later.
Cell phones take pictures, but not particularly good ones. If you’re serious about making and distributing photographic evidence of your exploits among friends and family, carry an actual camera.
The higher the megapixels, the sharper the image, and don’t get overly concerned with magnification power. The tighter you “zoom,” recognizing exceptions in top-dollar equipment, the greater the sacrifice to picture quality. For closer shots, just find a way to get closer to your subjects.
For use in the real outdoors (which is a harsher environment overall than the sidelines of a youth soccer field), select a camera that is rugged and easy to operate even while you’re wearing gloves. If the device is especially delicate or expensive, you’ll be hesitant to reach for it except on bright days under puffy, white clouds.
The best outdoor photo opportunities occur at the beginning and end of the day, during the activity and not afterward. A shot of ducks over decoys is more exciting than one of birds hanging limp and dead on a strap, the same as bent rods and splashing fish make better shots than does a stack of cold-curved fish in an ice chest.
On the fly
In addition to the usual stock-market tips and online pharmacy ads, Thursday’s e-mail included two after-the-smoke-cleared photos from waterfowl hunters. (Action or a nice mood-setter would have been better, but I don’t mind seeing “Look what we did” shots now and then.)
One photograph showed a five-man limit of snow geese and specklebellies — yes, 100-plus geese — taken near Markham the previous day under a low ceiling created by high wind. The other was of a friend grinning proudly over his mixed bag of geese and ducks shot off a flat west of Houston.
Plenty of hunting photos cross the desk this time of year, and we receive fishing images year round. They’re always welcome, and the next to inspire a column for this space won’t be the first.
Throw a digital camera into the hunting bag or jacket next time you hit the field, and don’t be shy about using the thing. If your personal computer doesn’t have one, spend the few bucks to get yourself a card reader.
Our ability to transmit images in an instant creates nearly unlimited opportunity to share passions for the outdoors with people who already get it and people who do not. Remind the former and teach the latter that there’s more to be gained from a trip outdoors than just meat for the table.
Improve your images, and share them, and you improve the image of outdoor recreation.
doug.pike@chron.com
November 20th, 2006
Nikon Releases The D40 Compact Digital SLR - Even You Can Use It
Slippery Brick, OR
If you are one of the many that would like to be able to take great photos with a performance of a digital SLR camera, but never wanted to invest the money or take the time to learn all the features involved, Nikon has come out with the right camera for you. This digital camera could very well bridge the gap for many amateur photographers from the popular point and shoot compact cameras to a little more serious but manageable photographing instrument.
One significant feature of this offering has nothing to do with the camera specs, but is the price. At an estimated $599, consumers can get a pretty nice, lightweight and SLR camera for less than most similar models. Another nice feature is the 2.5″ color display. Nikon has made a more novice, user-friendly display on the screen with a few different layouts to appeal to the newer photographer and help avoid some of the apprehension that comes with the functionality of a high-end camera.
Another cool property of this camera is the shutter speed and start-up speed. If you use a point and shoot camera, you may have noticed that most of them take a few seconds to “boot-up” before you can take a photo. If you are in a hurry, a lot of times you have lost your photo opportunity by the time your camera is ready. The Nikon D40 has a .18 second start up time, which basically means that it will be ready about as fast as you can get it up to your eye to aim. It also can shoot two and a half frames per second for up to 100 photos that are instantly converted to JPEG’s. You can also take those photos of yourself if needed with a wireless remote control.
This digital camera is also light at only 1lb and 1oz it is relatively small compared to similarly featured cameras, and is boasted as the “lightest and most compact digital SLR ever…” by Nikon. It has a battery that allows up to 470 pictures to be taken on one charge, and more if you never use the flash. The camera stores data on memory cards through the built in SD slot.
Just because you are saving a few bucks on this camera, you are still getting a pretty good deal in the way of image quality. Pictures are taken at 6.1 megapixels with some high quality detail and color. The camera has over 30,000 different “scenes” it can pull from automatically to get the best exposure and picture quality.
November 17th, 2006
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