Archive for March, 2008
Panasonic DMC-FZ18 digital camera review
Pocket-lint.co.uk, UK
13 March 2008 – When I first prized the FZ18 from its box, two things, the small size, and the rather uninspiring plastic build struck me. Even turning the thing on, which is a fleet affair, takes less than a second and the enormous zoom range on offer does not make itself apparent at first. This is because the impressive lens only protrudes an inch at the full 504mm end of the zoom; at the wide end, the lens protrudes less than a quarter of an inch.
That lens also has a respectable maximum aperture range providing an F/2.8 to F/4.2 at the extremes of the zoom. This becomes important because you need as much light as you can get into the thing, as those zoom ratios increase, helping prevent camera shake (hand wobble) problems. But Panasonic has dealt with that too.
The FZ18 has OIS or Optical Image Stabilisation in two modes (and an off setting) that provide continuous stabilisation (mode 1) and stabilisation only when the shutter release is pressed (mode 2), which is actually the more effective of the two.
In short, the FZ18 is a camera that will be as at home among bird watchers and wildlife photographers as it will among family snappers or those who prefer shooting wider vistas.
Zooming is responsive and speeds up (there are two speeds) the harder you press the zoom lever, plus the zoom motion is smooth throughout the range. Interestingly, the image size can be adjusted too, which can have the effect of increasing the zoom ratio to a maximum 28.8x magnification without loss of quality
But it’s not all lens. The camera also features a set of features and handling capabilities akin to the growing band of consumer D-SLRs. The bridge-style design means the prominent hand grip offers reassuring one handed control (though even with OIS, you not want to shoot one handed at full zoom) and allows easy reach for your fingers across all the top late controls, the zoom lever and the overly recessed shutter button and is the one control that seemed to have an unattractive handling foible.
Having said that, the large top plate mode dial is great to use, even wearing gloves, it is deeply knurled for “gripinessâ€. Here you can get at the main shooting modes that include a set of subject program modes (including portrait and landscape modes) and the key manual options of program, manual, aperture and shutter priority.
Add to this an intelligent auto mode that picks the most appropriate subject program mode (portrait MODE for a portrait, for example), ideal for novice users, or those wanting to get snapping as quickly as possible.
Add to this custom setting options, where you can quickly call upon up to three previously saved set up options, a VGA, 30fps movie mode and get access to a further 14-subject programs including party, fireworks and a high sensitivity setting. The latter has a downside however, as it cuts the resolution available to a maximum or 3-megapixels in the 4:3-ratio shooting option.
And speaking of image format ratios, the camera can be adjusted to shoot at the 4:3 ratio as above but also at 3:2 and 16:9 widescreen ratios, these modes crop part of the sensor (with a commensurate drop in resolution) but they offer further flexibility.
As you can already tell, the FZ18 is packed full of kit, but further features of note include user defined intelligent ISO settings which can be capped to use any ISO setting up to ISO 400, ISO 800 or ISO 1600, depending on how far you want the camera to switch under given lighting.
Manual focus control is included and a superb macro setting can get you as close as 1cm from the subject, so almost touching the lens. The 2.5-inch screen is nice to use and includes display information from framing guides to an active histogram and an animated display for mode selection, reflecting the operation of the top plate mode dial.
A small rather fiddly joystick control on the camera’s back, just above a four-way controller allows you to adjust and scroll around settings such as aperture changes, manual focusing and exposure compensation adjustment. If feels superfluous to me (why not use the four-way jog controls for all such controls?) but does offer a familiar control interface.
The electronic viewfinder (EVF) is actually rather good, as EVFs go, with an 188,000-pixel resolution and 100% filed of view mirroring perfectly the larger screen.
Other advanced controls includes an AF/AE lock and the AF provides face detection AF, multi-area focusing with 11 selectable focus zones, you get two high speed focus modes that restrict the AF to one large central AF zone or three smaller ones across the frame or you can fix the AF to a single, small AF zone. Auto bracketing is in there too as is, in playback mode, a clever image group mode, by date for example and there’s a neat calendar view.
And so to image quality and performance. Images are very nice overall with images a little too vibrant out of the box; of course, you can adjust such things to your own liking. Images are detailed and both metering and focusing is actually rather good.
The camera’s small 1/2.5-inch sized sensor means noise rears its head at ISO’s above 400 but it is never terrible and thanks to the ability to cap the top ISO setting, you can combine maximum apertures and OIS to help get the shot you want in lower lighting without resorting to the highest sensitivities.
The small sensor can capture most of the detail the lens is capable of producing, noise processing can affect detail (see comments on higher ISOs above) but not overly, which means Panasonic’s done a darn good job working around the compromises of sensitivity, noise and image degradation because of both issues.
Add to this mix RAW capture and although it’s one of the more expensive superzoom models on the market, it offers a superior package to any of them.
This camera is a combination of high end features, nice handling and good image quality with an astonishing 18 zoom lens crow barred in to a compact body making the Panasonic DMC-FZ18 a real contender for those looking to buy a camera that can be (almost) all things to all photographers.
March 13th, 2008
CeBit 08: Samsung Shows off Cameras
Techtree.com, India
We reported about Samsung’s myriad announcements at CeBit 08. The company has also showcased two of its newer digital cameras. Here’s looking at them…
The one, the GX-20 — a DSLR fitted with a high-quality APS-C size (about 23.4 x 15.6mm) 14.6 mega pixels CMOS image sensor, and the other, the NV24HD — a premium HD compact digital camera.
An intermediate-level DSLR camera targeted at families, amateur photographers, and professionals, the GX-20 has been released in the Korean market this month. It comes with a 14.6M CMOS image sensor with vibration-type Optical Image Stabilization (OIS), dual dust removal function, and other image correction functions that promise to take images to the next level in terms of clarity and precision.
Samsung claims GX-20′s CMOS sensor is the fruit of two years labor that began in 2006, and boasts the advantage of extended battery use in-sync with low power consumption. The CMOS sensor improves upon the amount of light received per unit area through refinement of the circuit process, promising clear images with high definition and color reliability. The image sensor vibration-type OIS quickly detects minor vibrations of the hand, and minimizes camera shake by moving the image sensor in a direction opposite to that of the shake.
The GX-20 is optimized for resistance to dust and water. The dual dust removal function prevents microscopic dust from getting absorbed onto the image sensor. And if at all, dust does get absorbed, the vibrating image sensor system helps shake it all off.
The GX-20 supports high sensitivity ISO 3200 (ISO 6400 in the user setting), and integrates upgraded image correction technologies such as HDR or High Dynamic Range function for a wider gamut of expressions. For professionals, the camera comes geared with X-sync for connection with an external flash, one-touch RAW and JPEG conversion button, plus upbeat RAW format conversion software.
A high-quality 2.7-inches LCD, and a live-view function for shooting subjects by directly looking at the LCD screen complete the specs of this camera.
The other shot from Samsung, the 10.2 mega pixels NV24HD, is a lean-mean looking digital camera that comes fitted with a 24mm wide-angle 3.6x optical zoom Schneider lens, and a Smart Touch UI (user interface). The camera’s DRIM (Digital Real Image and Movie) Engine developed exclusively by Samsung, is intended for shooting high resolution images more quickly and clearly.
The NV24HD uses Gen-Next H.264 video encoding standard, and can shoot videos/pictures in up to 1280 x 720 pixels resolution at 30 fps (frames per second) HD video to match HD camcorders.
Other features of this camera include: a next-generation AMOLED or Active Matrix OlED to not only give rich color to videos being shot but also display video subjects clearly in bright light; plus Dual IS, a next-step upgrade in image stabilization technology that deploys both OIS(Optical Image Stabilization) and DIS(Digital Image Stabilization).
March 10th, 2008
Camera makers to ride retail gravy train
Business Standard, IndiaÂ
Suvi Dogra / New Delhi March 10, 2008
With increasing disposable incomes and rising consumer awareness for genuine products, camera makers are bullish on the Indian market. Canon India, for example, hopes to generate 50 per cent of its revenue target of Rs 1,000 crore from cameras alone in 2010.
 The company plans to take the retail route for ensuring stronger sales. At present, the company expects over 30 per cent of sales to come from retailers such as Home Solutions, Vishal, Spencer’s.
The company has also set up exclusive brand shops in New Delhi and Bangalore to showcase latest products.
 According to experts, the compact camera market in India is estimated at 1 million units, while it is 12,500 units for professional cameras. Both categories have been growing at a CAGR of 30 per cent in the last three years and the momentum is likely to continue.
Nikon has big plans as well. Despite being a late entrant in the Indian market, the company hopes to garner a 45 per cent market share of the digital SLR market and 10 per cent of the compact camera market by 2010.
 “In order to achieve this target, we are aiming at 100 per cent expansion in retail consumer outreach through our dealer network,†said Hidehiko Tanaka, managing director, Nikon India.
The company plans to take the number of dealers in the country to 1,000 from 400 by 2008-09. Nikon products are available across traditional multi brand outlets and consumer electronics retail chains such as Croma.
 For Sony India, the exclusive retail store network contributes 35 per cent to revenues. The company, which introduced 17 new models last year, has 7,000 channel partners and 260 Sony outlets.
 Samsung India, too, plans to up the ante in the camera segment through 115 Samsung Digital Plazas. The company also has tie-ups with Reliance Digital, Croma, and other multi brand outlets.
 While the Indian import duty structure has compelled Nikon to operate on low margins, the biggest challenge for the company remains grey market sales.Â
“Our biggest competition in India is Nikon itself. Nearly 80 per cent of the Nikon products sold in India are through the grey market,†says Tanaka.
 While grey market is canabalising into Nikon share, others like Sony and Canon do not give it much weight.
 “We look at the grey market as a missed opportunity,†says Alok Bhardawaj,President, Canon India.
“Our strategy of branded stores in leading locations that offer international shopping ambience, guaranteed product quality, warranty and widespread after-sales are acting as catalysts in changing customer preference from grey to original products,†says Sachin Rai, product head (digital still camera), Sony India
 Also, the government’s initiatives such as reduction of duties and FTA policies have led to a decline in the hold of the grey market.
 Further, the emergence of organised retail through large nationwide store chains has further strengthened the position for original products.
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March 10th, 2008
It pays to think big with digital camera sensors
Guardian, UK
I’ve just bought a new digital SLR camera, my old one having failed, and bee reminded just how fast these things change. I went for a Nikon D40 for £25 (after cashback), which is less than half what I paid for my first digital camera, a Olympus Camedia compact. One thing hasn’t changed: buyers still have to negotiat the pixel inflation problem. In my case, this meant choosing a D40 that records si megapixels (6MP) rather than the newer D40x, which offers 10MP
Both have the same size light-capturing sensor, much the same body and the same lenses, so the D40x is unlikely to produce noticeably better pictures, despite having 66% more pixels.
You should see a difference if you print pictures bigger than 11 x 8 inches, but you won’t see it on screen or in the Technology section. Maybe you would see it if you crop images, but I grew up with the Henri Cartier-Bresson Adoration Society, and always use the whole frame. Anyway, it felt like a bargain to get what was a £450 camera for £250.
It’s amusing, in hindsight, that the camera review site DP Review welcomed the D40 by saying: “The biggest news however is probably [the] fact that Nikon resisted the temptation to keep chasing megapixels (hooray for that) and instead appear to have concentrated on what makes a good camera.” (tinyurl.com/yhte7g). Nikon’s resistance was so strong that the D40x was launched only four months later …
Pixels are, of course, important. As someone with three Canon 35mm SLRs and more lenses than would be polite to mention, I certainly wasn’t willing to pay any price for early models that captured 640 x 480 pixels or 0.3MP: the same resolution as a VGA screen. Any pixels you don’t capture at the scene are lost forever.
For comparison, my 1.3MP Olympus compact offered the resolution of an SXGA (Super Extended Graphics Array) screen, which is 1,280 pixels across by 1,024 pixels down.
This is enough for snapshots, websites and most newspaper uses. A 6MP camera gets you up to about 3,000 by 2,000 pixels, enough for a 15 x 10 inch print, if the image is printed at 200ppi (pixels per inch).
Beyond 6MP, it’s the law of diminishing returns: you get more pixels, but if the pixels are smaller, you also get more noise (tinyurl.com/k2ma4). This can make the image worse rather than better. To benefit, you need a camera body/lens that delivers more resolution (to exploit the smaller pixels) or does a better job of noise reduction – preferably both.
This should not be a surprise. Nobody expected a Box Brownie to produce the same image quality as a Hasselblad simply because they used the same film. In fact, a camera’s megapixel rating can be misleading because it stops people from thinking about sensor size.
In the days of film cameras, many or most people knew that a bigger negative generally produced a better quality image. The sensor in a digital camera is the equivalent of the film, and having a bigger sensor also makes a difference.
Nikon’s “prosumer” models such as the D40/50/60 have sensors that are roughly half the size of a 35mm negative, whereas the 12MP professional D3 has a full-frame (36mm x 24mm) sensor, albeit for £3,300. If you want more, you can get a 39MP Hasselblad H3D-II with a sensor twice the size (48mm x 36mm), for something over £20,000, and that’s without the lens.
Buy a compact camera, however, and the sensor could be anything from 2/3 (8.8mm x 6.6mm) to 1/2.5 (5.8mm x 4.3mm). I’m sure somebody can get 6MP out of a 25 sq mm sensor, but can it match 6MP from a Nikon D40′s 370 sq mm sensor? No way.
March 6th, 2008
Sony’s eco-friendly, hand-powered digital camera in action
ZDNet
Check out this video of the first working prototype to come out of Sony’s odo project, which generated a lot of buzz at Tokyo’s Eco-Products 2007 exhibition late last year. Developed at the Sony Design Center in Los Angeles, the project has a lofty goal of helping to establish a sustainable society by setting a good example through environmentally and socially responsible product models.
The video shows the Twirl N’ Take digital camera in action. The hand-powered still camera uses a built-in generator that can charge up to take one picture as you push its roller back and forth for about 15 seconds. According to Mitsuhiro Nakamura, a member of the Sustainable Design Team at the Sony Creative Center, products like the Twirl N’ Take grew out of an attempt to figure out how children in developing countries would be able to enjoy music and video. “They don’t have electric power so we have to think about how to generate electricity,†said Nakamura. “So we started looking at electricity generation from kinetic energy and we came up with these odo products that children can enjoy.â€
So far the odo project only has an handful of other concept designs, including the Spin N’ Snap, another digital still camera that’s powered by sticking your fingers through two holes and spinning the camera end over end, and the Push Power Play photo and video viewer that sports a roller on the base that generates power as you roll it.
[Via NetworkWorld]
March 5th, 2008
Get Ready for the Underwater Digital Camera Mask
Inventorspot
Our Guest Blogger, Thomas A. Parmalee, is a professional writer and editor living in New Jersey. He is the author of Broken Teeth: A Book of Short Stories.
He wanted to share an innovative business concepts with the readers of InventorSpot.com.
Snorkellers everywhere will likely be even more eager than ever to hop into the water this summer when they get a look at a new digital underwater camera mask from Liquid Image Underwater.
The mask has a camera built into it, so water lovers do not have to wade around with one while trying to enjoy the underwater scenery.
To take a photo or record video underwater, a user just has to line up crosshair marks on the mask with an object and press a capture button. Later, the user can transfer photos and video from the mask to a computer using a USB cable. The mask even comes with 16 MB of internal memory. A Micro SD card slow allows the memory to be expanded if needed.
March 4th, 2008
Ricoh GR DIGITAL II: Review
www.thinkcamera.com, UK
The Ricoh GR DIGITAL II is one of those gems unlikely to receive the attention it deserves. There’s no good reason for this – even in the film days the Ricoh GR film cameras were desirable, yet under-represented. Building from that orignal GR concept, the GR DIGITAL II is aimed at high-end enthusiasts or pros looking to always carry a compact with them.
The Camera:
This is no ordinary compact camera. It’s a simple but fully manual 10megapixel compact. You don’t even get an optical zoom lens – it’s a top of the line 28mm f2.4 single focus prime lens instead, which for many may be reason enough to step away from the GR DIGITAL II philosophy of working.
Such a lens spells wonderfully crisp reproduction, with very little barrel distortion for such a wide focal length. At present, there are two optional lens accessories (both sold separately) – the 21mm wide and 40mm tele conversion lenses set the stage for the GR DIGITAL II approach. There are also optical viewfinders to fit in the hot shoe, which itself gives the chance for more powerful flash than the pop-up supplied.
A big flash rather defeats the object of the camera, though. The onus here is for discreet use – rather than poking a stonking great DSLR in someone’s face the GR DIGITAL II offers a viable, small and transportable alternative… but at a price. Expect to pay out £400 for the pleasure of owning one, and yet some more cash for any additional accessories.
Unlike many current compacts, there’s not a littering of scene modes here – it’s largely down to user discretion and a number of clever devices for optimum picture taking. As well as Auto, full Manual, Aperture Priority (A) and Programmed Auto (P) there’s the inclusion of two ‘My’ settings that can be programmed to suit your needs. Shooting can either be in jpeg or RAW at the single click of a button.
The GR DIGITAL II will never automatically pop up the flash, instead it must be manually released with the flick of a lever on the side of the camera. It’s not entirely discreet however as there’s a rather powerful green auto focus (AF) light that unduly beams out like a tractor-beam in low light. It’s not just “beaming up†that’s an issue as the auto focus really ought to be a bit quieter – a common complaint with Ricoh cameras.
Whereas little sister model the GX100 has a bit of an issue with inconsistent flash, the GR DIGITAL II seems to have different in-camera software issues – becoming unstable and crashing on a number of occasions. This isn’t to say flash issues are solved – there’s the ability to compensate for flash by a couple of stops, yet close objects have the liklihood of becoming drowned out from flash.
However, when it’s good, it’s very, very good! There’s some wonderful features such as the auto levelling bar that displays when shooting – much like the Nikon D3 but £3,500 less. The playback orientation is equally as clever – when viewing images on camera it ‘knows’ which way you are facing and adjusts images to face accordingly.
All functions can be preset to the adjustment wheel on the back of the camera – having such user defined control allows for the camera to be set up ideally from user to user.
There’s an optional multi bracketing mode that auto brackets half a stop above and below exposure also – may not seem like a lot, but to the seasoned enthusiast that could be the difference between a shot and the shot.
White balance has standard presets and can also be manually set. As far as the GR DIGITAL II is concerned, this ‘manual’ setting is a little misleading as it merely takes a spot reading, as opposed to offering manual adjustment (in Kelvin) or fine tuning. If you happen to carry a white sheet of paper around with you at all times, then this is ideal. If not, then best load up some white card into that back pocket.
Battery life is spectacular – hours of use and hundreds of images (a claimed 370 per charge) and there’s no sign of surrender.
The images:
The GR DIGITAL II may be infinitely useable it does still have its problems – most of which are ‘old Ricoh favourites’. ISO runs from a smooth ISO80 through to a mosaic-like ISO1600. It’s a lot better than the former Ricoh GR DIGITAL, but it’s still shy of being as good as it ought to be.
Possibly the most astounding thing about the camera is the Macro mode. Easily activated, shooting can operate as close as 1cm away from subject to lens. It’s no word of a lie – the example image (below) is of a carpet.
Wonderfully sharp too, but on occasion through the format of reshooting. This makes it all the more of a shame that image stabilisation is missing from the Ricoh GR DIGITAL II check list.
Manual focus is available, albeit very much in a compact state. Given the abundance of DSLR-type features, there’s almost an expectation to grab at the lens and make the necessary adjustments. Not so here however – manual focus has to be set up through in-camera options, and adjusted via the use of buttons. There’s a 100% zoom option available to ensure that the focus is spot on. And whilst this on-screen zoom is a bit fluffy around the edges, it depicts the subject successfully enough and is distinctly useful in modes such as Macro.
There’s Black & White modes available, alongside some obscure scene settings such as “skew correct†and “text†mode. The former rarely functions, whilst the latter is essentially a severely posterised black and white mode for text.
Conclusion:
The Ricoh GR DIGITAL II is a specialist camera – it’s not for everyone, but for everyday for those who fall for its unique charms. Once you get into the ‘old’ style way of working, the conversion lenses and the like, it’s an inspiring way of working that delivers great results.
It’s not without its issues though – the higher ISO settings still need to be cleaner, the in-camera software more stable and the focusing ought to be a little quieter. That aside, if the GR DIGITAL II feature-set is precisely what you are looking for in a compact then it potentially substitutes some of the lesser DSLR on the market. That’s a pretty big claim from a dinky black box, but the GR DIGITAL II does what it’s designed to do well – provide some exceptional tools and manual controls to assist in taking great photographs.
It really is as discreet as Ricoh claims, infinitely useable and easily transportable, there’s no reason to not to always have one in the pocket – assuming you have a spare £400 to dish out.
March 3rd, 2008
Fuji S6500 Face Detection Digital SLR
Unbeatable.co.uk News, UKÂ
User Reviews of the Fuji FinePix S6500 Digital Camera
how good does it get
martin jeeves – 2/3/2008 1:40:32pm
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i bought this fuji finepix 6500 in oct 07 .I used to have kodak digital with 4.5 meg and 10 optical and was very pleased.However I have been intrested in photography for more years than i care to count and as I have retired I wanted to try my hand at RAW digital processing using various programmes. This Fuji is superb!
The quality of build is good and feels sturdy.Because the lense range is from 28mm to 300mm there is no risk of dust getting in and macro is down to 0.4in!.I was a bit worried about battery life but the first set that came with camera lasted about one month,I now use Ni-Mih recharges and have no problems,take a spare set just in case.for the money £149 you cannot get better value than this and the results are stunning,also good software comes with camera that includes raw processing.Go Buy one
Pros:
rapid shot rate on AA batteries with refresh very fast.
March 3rd, 2008
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