Archive for December, 2006
Fuji Intros New D-SLR Consumer Cam
By Greg Scoblete, STAFF
Digital Animators, CA
(TWICE) _ Valhalla, N.Y. Fujifilm pulled back the curtain on its previously announced S5 Pro d-SLR and added its first consumer point-and-shoot with a blog mode.
The S5 Pro, introduced at Photokina http://www.twice.com/article/CA6378880.html?text=s5, will ship in February for a suggested $1,999.
The S5 Pro can offer a wider dynamic range than competitive models because it employs two 6-megapixel sensors, Fujifilm said. A new processor allows the camera to offer light sensitivities to ISO 3200.
The camera employs Fujifilm’s new face detection technology http://www.twice.com/article/CA6353775.html?text=face+detection as a post-capture feature to zoom in on faces to confirm exposure or whether eyes were open or closed. The S5 also features an 11-point AF system, a 2.5-inch 235,000 pixel LCD screen with a 30-second live preview and compatibility with Nikon F-mount lenses.
For consumers, the company will ship the 6-megapixel FinePix Z5fd in March for a suggested $229. It is the company’s first to offer a blog mode. When the Z5fd is set to blog mode, the camera captures two copies of an image a full resolution file and a compressed version suitable for posting to the Web.
It is also Fujifilm’s first Z-Series model to incorporate face detection technology. The Z5fd uses face detection before image capture, to identify up to 10 human faces in a frame and find one to focus on.
The all-metal Z5fd will be available in red, brown and brushed silver with a sliding lens cover and non-extending 3x optical zoom lens.
For low-light photography, the Z5fd offers ISO sensitivities up to 1600 at full resolution. The camera offers a picture stabilization mode which aligns the camera’s shutter speed and ISO setting to minimize the blur caused by camera shake. It also includes Fujifilm’s i-Flash technology, which adjusts flash intensity based on available light.
For consumer’s wavering on whether to use the flash, a dual shot mode snaps two images in succession, one with the flash on, the other with the flash off, for comparison’s sake.
The camera sports a 2.5-inch scratch resistant LCD, 14 scene modes, and 26MB of internal memory.
Copyright The Associated Press 2006. All Rights Reserved
December 8th, 2006
Advanced Digital SLR Cameras: Olympus EVolt E
PC World Canada, Canada
Entry-level SLR digital camera brings 8 megapixels and a 2.5-inch LCD to the fray. PCworld.ca rating: 84, Very Good.
This well-equipped and reasonably priced entry-level digital SLR produces high-quality images. The 8-megapixel camera comes with a wide array of features that establish it as a legitimate challenger to Canon’s popular, similarly priced Digital Rebel XT. Regrettably, usability issues prevent me from wholeheartedly recommending it over the XT.
Olympus markets the E-500 in three versions: the thriftier body only version, the body plus a 14-45mm lens (the kit I tested), and a higher end model that also adds a 40-155mm lens. The E-500′s body felt sturdy, the rubber grip fit snugly in my hand, and the 2.5-inch colour LCD was eye-catching. By contrast, the Canon Digital Rebel XT seems somewhat less rugged, its hand grip is too skinny and the colour LCD is smaller.
For beginners, the E-500 offers 15 scene modes, but its true strength lies in its deep feature set. For example, the exposure lock and autofocus lock functions are highly customizable. And it offers plenty of choices for automatic exposure bracketing, white balance and in-camera processing. Plus, the E-500 has a dust filter.
I enjoyed using the camera, but I found some aspects of its design and performance a bit frustrating. The camera’s response to the control wheel is sluggish, and I struggled a bit when trying to focus the lens manually. Also, images shot at high ISO settings of 800 and 1600 were less than stellar, despite using the noise reduction feature.
The price and quality of the E-500′s kits are hard to beat. But, old-school photographers who like shooting in manual mode might find this camera a bit too slow to respond, and if you expect to shoot using high ISO settings, the Digital Rebel XT may be a better bet.
UPSHOT: A large LCD, extensive menus and a nice price make this camera compelling, but it has a few usability issues.
December 7th, 2006
Picking the Right Digital Camera
Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies, CT
“Some people come in and that’s all they want to know about. And you can’t talk them out of it,” Friedland said.
‘Consumer Reports’ recently tested nearly 70 digital cameras and says the emphasis on megapixels is part of the game manufacturers play to get people to buy more expensive cameras.
‘Consumer Reports’ says many people just share photos online or make small prints. Tests show for that you don’t need a high megapixel camera. ‘Consumer Reports’ compared photos from a 10 megapixel SLR with a five megapixel point and shoot camera. They found very little difference between the pictures.
So for small prints and sharing photos online, ‘Consumer Reports’ says the five megapixel Canon PowerShot A530 is a very good choice, it costs about $180.
But if you’re giving a camera to someone who’s interested in cropping photos and blowing them up to 8 X 10 size, that’s when higher megapixels can pay off. More megapixels allow you to get more sharpness and resolution.
So to be able to make big prints, ‘Consumer Reports’ recommends a ten megapixel SLR from Nikon, the D200, which it costs $1,700.
‘Consumer Reports’ says if you’re looking for a subcompact camera that will fit in a purse or pocket, consider the Casio EXILIM Zoom EX-Z750 with seven megapixels for $300.
Consumer Reports is published by Consumers Union. Both Consumer Reports and Consumers Union are not-for-profit organizations that accept no advertising. Neither has any commercial relationship with any advertiser or sponsor on this site.
All Consumer Reports Material Copyright © 2006 Consumers Union of U.S. Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
December 6th, 2006
Holiday Shopping Notice; Buyer Beware!
CameraTown.Com (press release), NH
December 4, 2006 — In 2003 PC World wrote an article titled “Camera Confidential,” which helped to expose the pushy and, at times, unethical practices of many Brooklyn, NY based computer and camera dealers. PC World went undercover, shopping online and by phone at Broadway Photo and at six other dealers in the New York area that sell over the Web.
Their findings could be best summed up by the old saying “Buyer Beware.” PC World goes on to say that “While prices are tempting, the hassles can be incredible. Most stores gave us an aggressive sales pitch for pricey accessories, charged excessive shipping-and-handling fees, and in some cases took weeks to issue refunds for stuff we returned.”
PC World is back again with another informative article titled “Shopping Engines: Suspect Advice?” Like the previous article, this story exposes how many of these same Brooklyn, NY based online retailers are getting 4 and 5 star ratings while their BBB rating tells a different story.
“When we went window shopping at NexTag for a Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT digital camera, the shopping engine recommended, by way of its Trusted Seller logo, several online stores with “unsatisfactory” BBB ratings and complaints filed against them at the New York Department of Consumer Affairs.
When we searched at Yahoo Shopping for popular consumer electronics (a portable DVD player, an iPod, a digital camera, a camcorder, a GPS navigator, a portable game system, and a flat-panel display), nearly a third of the merchants that came up in search results had “unsatisfactory” ratings with the BBB.”
If you are shopping online this holiday season, and many of you are, please take a few minutes to read these two articles. While a low price is always a big motivation, keep in mind that a company cannot legitimately sell below cost without some trickery. Many of these “shady” retailers will remove included accessories from the box then try to sell them to you in a package or as an add-on when they call you to “confirm” your order.
These articles from PC World also help to expose that many of these retailers are actually owned and run by the same people under different aliases. For example, dBuys, one of the seemingly lower priced online retailers, also does business as:
Dbuys.com, Inc.
I Buy Digital
IBUYDIGITAL.Com
Ibuyplasma.com
Real Deal Shop
While retailers like the ones mentioned above or in the PC World article(s) help to tarnish the online shopping experience, other retailers – the ones that often seem to have “higher prices” – go out of their way to satisfy their customers and do try to mislead through advertising and deceptive “bait & switch” sales practices.
At Cameratown.com, we have made it a point to only accept retail sponsorships from legitimate photo retailers – such as Adorama and Hunt’s Photo & Video. That said, you will still find these Brooklyn based retailers listed on our site from time to time through random Google Ads and through our shopping portal that is run by Pricegrabber (cameratown.pricegrabber.com).
Below, we have compiled a list of retailers that we either have had good experiences with and are known authorized dealers for the products they carry or are satisfactory members of the BBB.
Adorama (adorama.com)
Hunt’s Photo & Video (huntsphotoandvideo.com)
B&H Photo (bhphoto.com)
Buy.com (Buy.com)
OneCall (OneCall.com)
J&R Music (JR.com)
Zeff Photo Supply (Zeffphoto.com)
Staples (Staples.com)
OfficeMax (Officemax.com)
NewEgg (NewEgg.com)
TigerDirect (TigerDirect.com)
Norman Camera (normancamera.com)
Ritz Camera (RitzCamera.com)
MWave (Mwave.com)
Circuit City (Circuitcity.com)
Best Buy (Bestbuy.com)
The camera retail business has very slim margins – even at the manufacturers suggested advertised prices (M.A.P.) – so discounts that go beyond 10 or 15% are probably worth investigating before handing over your credit-card. In the end, the old adage “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is” should always be in the back of your mind.
December 5th, 2006
Sound Advice: Downloading update can boost memory limit in cameras
Pittsburgh Post Gazette, PA
Saturday, December 02, 2006
By Don Lindich
Q: We own a Pentax *ist DS camera purchased two years ago. With the prices of SD cards going through the floor, I’d like to get some two gigabyte SD cards. However, I don’t know if our camera can address that much memory. Nowhere in the camera manual is there a discussion on memory size limits. Perhaps I am asking a stupid question. Is there a limit to the amount of memory digital cameras can use?
EARL RYBA
State College
A: First of all, neither you nor any other reader should for a moment think they are asking a “stupid question.” Electronics and home entertainment are ever changing, especially now as things transition from analog to digital. What’s more, the industry compounds the problem by introducing competing formats (HD-DVD vs. Blu-ray and DTS vs. Dolby Digital, for example), changing its mind about what it is doing (first there was DVI, then HDMI as the industry-standard digital video connection), and confusing consumers with strong sales pitches for things you don’t really need (expensive cables, extended warranties and “performance protection plans”). It’s practically a full-time job just to keep up with all of this stuff, so no one should ever feel bad for being confused.
You will be pleased to know you were right on the money with your question about the Pentax *ist DS and its maximum memory capabilities. As it was shipped it could not handle memory cards above 1 GB. You can download a firmware update at www.pentaximaging.com/customer_care/show_firmware?firmId=3, which will allow the camera to use cards larger than 1 GB.
Be sure to buy the high-speed memory cards for use with your camera. Digital SLRs are designed to take advantage of high-speed memory. It will allow you to take pictures in more rapid succession, view them on your display faster, and cut down on the time it takes to download them from card to computer. My favorites are the Sandisk Ultra II models. They have a lifetime warranty, are extremely reliable and available at great prices right now.
Even those without a digital SLR can benefit from high-speed memory, especially if their camera is above 6 megapixels. Shooting speed and image review times are likely to be the same, but with a USB 2.0 card reader the high-speed memory will download pictures to the computer in a fraction of the time required with normal memory cards.
Q: I have an older Kenwood VR 405 Receiver that has Dolby 5.1. This accompanies four PSB bookshelf speakers, with a Fluance center and Jensen Sub. I listen to classical music and enjoy an occasional movie. Would replacing the receiver with a new one that has DTS and more wattage provide a discernible difference in my listening? Would the Onkyo Receiver you recommend be a good one?
JOHN FAIL
A: You may hear a difference with DTS vs. Dolby Digital but unless you are overdriving your current receiver, adding more watts is unlikely to make a worthwhile difference. I do prefer the Onkyos, particularly in the lower price ranges where they are standouts, but I do not think going from Kenwood to Onkyo much of a jump.
Receivers are not the place you will find big improvements in sound quality — speakers are, and it is important to match the center channel to the front speakers. The first step you should make if making changes to your system is to get a PSB center channel to match the rest of your PSB speakers.
December 4th, 2006
Most Innovative Digital Cameras
PC Magazine
As 2006 draws to a close, I’ve been reflecting on the intriguing developments taking place in the digital camera industry this year. One in particular was the fact that although cameras continue to increase in megapixels, what manufacturers have been really promoting in their marketing campaigns has been new features, formats and functions. So, in this roundup, I decided to point out several really innovative cameras that went through PC Magazine’s Labs within the last 12 months.
Of all the cameras introduced this year, Kodak’s dual lens/dual sensor format and design was a bold new step. With its introduction of several models, including the EasyShare V610, the camera giant reminded everyone that digicams don’t have to conform to the same form or structure as a traditional film camera. And by introducing this design twist, Kodak was able to drastically reduce the size of the camera body. In fact the device could easily be confused with an ultracompact digital camera. But despite its small size the camera has not one, but two zoom lenses and two image sensors. With its ability to capture stills, MPEG-4 video clips and transfer the media wireless via a Bluetooth connection, I found the EasyShare V610 to be a truly unique ultracompact superzoom. Stay tuned for more on where Kodak might take this multi-lens/multi-sensor technology in the future.
Another big development took place at the higher-end of the market, in the popular D-SLR category. Olympus broke ground here by introducing the Evolt E-330, the first live-sensor D-SLR model. Like the V610, the Evolt includes two sensors but its second sensor is used only for display purposes. (Stay tuned to see if any camera companies introduce video capabilities in these dual-sensor D-SLRs!) So, unlike most D-SLRs which can only preview images on its LCD screen, the Evolt E-330 gives consumers the option of composing right on the display. This feature in some respects combines point-and-shoot composing with D-SLR quality and control.
Wireless also continued to generate lots of buzz in 2006, despite the fact that many (including me) are skeptical about just how essential such technology is in a point-and-shoot camera. Companies keep making ‘em though, and even Canon’s included one model in its PowerShot line. I found the PowerShot SD430 Digital Elph Wireless to be an excellent point-and-shoot that lets you transfer and print wirelessly too. As with all the wireless digital point-and-shoot cameras I’ve tested thus far, it’s not for those who easily get confused by technology. But this Digital Elph was one of the best wireless digital cameras that came across my desk this year.
I also noticed some other, less obvious innovative features that might help entice consumers into buying another point-and-shoot. For example, Sony’s Cyber-shot DSC-T50 included a large 3″ LCD screen which was also touch-sensitive. The menu tabs and icons are so large that you didn’t need to use a stylus to activate the options, which makes using it a lot easier.
And then there were some cameras that were what you might call specialty cameras. For instance, the Olympus Stylus 720 SW shoots images and video underwater (up to 10 feet). It’s also shock proof, so you can actually drop the camera and not worry about needing to run to the repair shop or worse, buy a new one.
So there you have it, my top five picks for innovative digital cameras of 2006. I can’t wait to see what is coming in 2007.
December 1st, 2006
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