Reviews and News » Camera Review

Sony CyberShot TX1: Fast, Compact And Powerful

Noel Kuhlman — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 09:23:54 +0000

Noticeably slim and posting fast operations, the compact Sony CyberShot TX1 stands shoulders above the competition with a killer 10.6 mm Exmor R CMOS sensor. More than the usual camera capabilities, it adds powerful low-light sensitivity, high-speed shooting and motion-detection talents, making it extremely useful for difficult shooting situations.

Specifically, the TX1 makes for an excellent camera for shooting pictures inside dark clubs, outdoor nighttime scenes and other poorly-lit, fast-action situations. Whether you’re trying to take snaps of your friends on the dance floor, performing covert paparazzi work inside a dimly-lit bar or capturing the movement of small animals rustling behind the trees in the middle of the night, the device should manage it better than your standard pocket shooter.

The follow-up to the T90 from February, the new point-and-shoot brings the same looks as its predecessor – a range of vibrant colors, sleek slide-down front and very slim frame. Most of the specs mirror the T90, although Sony decided to drop the resolution from 12.1 to 10.2 megapixels. Don’t worry, though, as the new sensor and improved speed (six photos in a snap) more than make up for it.

Despite the minuscule size, it fits in a bright and responsive 3-inch touchscreen display. While designed for stylus use, it responds to finger-tapping just well (no need to bring the stylus along, really). The features remain pretty souped-up, with plenty of shooting and editing options, along with the introduction of a new Sweep Panorama mode that manages stitching action that rivals the results of capable hands working with Photoshop.

My only real beef, again, is Sony’s insistence on using the Memory Stick media format as storage expansion. Other than that, though, it’s the kind of camera you can gladly leave a bulky DSLR home for. Sure, the Sony CyberShot TX1 won’t manage the same top-shelf shots, but it works excellently. You can get it for $380.

Olympus FE-3010: Great Looks, Super Compact, Torturous Shutter Lag

Noel Kuhlman — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 21:40:52 +0000

The Olympus FE-3010 belongs in that ultra-compact class of point-and-shoot cameras. I’ve always been a bit wary of that specific category, largely because a good camera module rarely fits in the smallest package. Everyone who’s ever used a high-megapixel cell phone should know that.

A device like the FE-3010 makes sense if you want a low-cost, super small and very lightweight shooter. Like that description suggests, the device doesn’t offer the best performance. While it can manage decent photos in well-lit non-action situations, anything that offers more difficulty sees that quality deteriorate fast.

It measures 3.7 x 2.2 x 0.7 inches and weighs a trim 4.4 ounces. Specs include 12 megapixel optics, 3x optical zoom, a 2.7-inch LCD and VGA camcorder at 30 fps. There’s no mechanical stabilization, only digital, so the photos may not be useful for uses other than personal (e.g. social networking profiles, family photographs).

The FE-3010′s best features are all on the surface – the physical design, the controls and the UI. It’s a camera you can slip into the front pocket of old, too-tight-around-the-waist jeans, all while looking particularly good.

You get a fair amount of options during shots (various recording modes, focus modes, white balance settings and a couple more), but it skips color effects and burst mode. Anyone who gets this camera isn’t likely the type to want to fiddle with plenty of settings anyway, so it’s a good fit. Stills, like we said early, are below average for point-and-shoots, but is largely expected for this class of devices. The shutter lag is particularly troubling, though (close to one second on outdoor shots).

Considering its $130 price tag, it’s not fair to expect all that much from the Olympus FE-3010. You get what you pay for, though – a nice-looking ultra-compact with sub-standard shooting quality. Now, if only Olympus can completely ditch the xD card love affair and fix the ridiculous lag, then all the world will be right.

Olympus Stylus Tough 8000: Extremely Durable But Slow

Noel Kuhlman — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 21:06:33 +0000

Bar none, the Olympus Stylus Tough 8000 is one of the most durable compacts around. Able to survive drops of over six and a half feet and crushing weights of up to 220 lbs, it’s definitely the single most destruction-proof camera I’ve ever handled. To go with the sturdy metal build and powerful shock absorption, it can also swim in depths of up to 33 feet and operate in freezing 14-degree Fahrenheit temperature.

But, of course, it has to manage great shots too, right?

With a 12-megapixel sensor, 3.6X optical zoom, dual image stabilization and a good set of shooting options, the Stylus Tough 8000 has everything you can ask for from a camera in its class. From Intelligent Auto to Program Auto to scene modes specifically for outdoor activities, Olympus has prepared a complete device.

Image quality is good, but isn’t the best among point-and-shoots. Noise begins to creep in as early as ISO 200, which is pretty limiting. On low ISO settings, however, colors are gorgeous, with even exposure throughout. It works best with plenty of light, so make sure you employ a bright flash during nighttime use. Video capture at 30fps VGA resolution is decent for YouTube-type use.

One notable problem is the shutter lag (0.7 seconds on well-lit scenes), making this inadvisable if you’re planning to take plenty of action shots. For photographing nature and slow-moving activities, though, it should be fine.

If you need an extra-rugged compact shooter, I can’t imagine anything better than the Olympus Stylus Tough 8000. The extended durability and good set of options make it an attractive choice, provided that you plan to use it in bright scenes without extremely fast action. You will need to look elsewhere, otherwise.

Samsung SL820 Review: Wide 5X Zoom, 3-Inch LCD And Topnotch Image Quality

Noel Kuhlman — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 23:31:26 +0000

If you’re looking for big features on a compact point-and-shoot, the Samsung SL820 should prove an excellent choice. With a 12.2 megapixel sensor, 5X zoom, a large 3-inch LCD and 720p video recording, it’s fitted with plenty of capabilities at a largely affordable price.

Physically, the SL820 is a bit too bulky and hefty to our liking. It still manages to slip into a pocket with no problem, though, despite coming in slightly larger than a typical compact camera. It’s also because of the size that it’s able to fit in a large 230,000-pixel display panel, with very high contrast ratio, and a wide 5X zoom lens.

Controls are largely straightforward and easy to manage, although the zoom dial could have been better designed. Performance is great, with a very helpful UI and very fast operation. Overall, the outside package looks great, with the extra mass not proving all that much of a bother.

Image quality is particularly impressive, with very little noise up to ISO 800. It manages vibrant colors and very sharp lines, with little fiddling required on your part. The camcorder manages terrific 720p videos at 30fps, with a very useful zoom feature. Built-in video features are not as impressive, though, but the quality more than makes up for it.

Priced at $280, the Samsung SL820 is a top performer at this price range, with possible contention only coming from the equally good (though, differently-featured) Canon PowerShot SD780 IS. It’s a toss-up between the two and you’d be wise to put both in consideration when shopping for a point-and-shoot under $300.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H20: Fast Mega-Zoom Point-And-Shoot, Excellent Image Quality

Noel Kuhlman — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 21:56:19 +0000

For the sake of comparative review, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H20 is almost exactly like the W290 compact, expanded with a mega-zoom feature. That means you get the same excellent combination of shooting features, along with a number of extras on a high-zoom lens.

Physically, the DSC-H20 is a chunky piece of work (4 x 3.2 x 1.9 inches, 9.9 ounces). That’s not a complain, though, as the size allows for longer lenses. Even better, it’s a very cool-looking, professionally-styled phone that you’ll have to keep in a separate bag, instead of in your pocket.

Camera details include 10 megapixels of shooting resolution (max 3,648×2,736 pixels), 10X zoom, a 3-inch LCD panel and full image stabilization (both mechanical and digital). Controls get a very good layout, with ample size to make camera operation very easy. I’m especially impressed with the helpful warning facility, which alerts to settings changes. For instance, when you turn on Spot Metering, you’ll be informed that Face Detection will be turned off in order to support it – a very useful tool for those unfamiliar with inner camera workings.

It offers a very good manual mode, although, the camera is really geared towards allowing for minimal fiddling with controls. Options include an Intelligent Auto mode (eight scene types) with an Advanced option that takes two shots with different settings to afford you a better choice, an SCN mode that lets you select from 10 uncommon scene situation (e.g. Firewords, Gourmet), a Sports mode for fast-action stills and an Easy mode to provide the simplest shooting available. It includes a camcorder feature that manages 720p HD motion captures.

Camera operation is very fast, outdoing every mega-zoom shooter we can imagine. Shutter lag is only .4 seconds, with 1.7 frames per second of continuous shooting. Image quality is consistently excellent at ISO sensitivities below 400, with plenty of sharp details and gorgeous colors. Lens is sharper than most mega-zoom cameras around, although there is some lens flare under direct sunlight.

Overall, this is a terrific all-around point-and-shoot. If you can live with the decidedly large body and the narrow lens, it offers top-end point-and-shoot quality, along with plenty of good looks.

Olympus Pen E-P1 Review: Shoots Like A DSLR, Handles Like A Compact

Noel Kuhlman — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 22:34:20 +0000

The latest digital camera from Olympus borrows its moniker from the Pen range of cameras that the company produced back in 1959. As one of the most successful lines in the company’s long history, it isn’t surprising that the new Olympus Pen E-P1 is generating the kind of buzz among camera enthusiasts.

As Olympus’ first Micro Four Thirds camera, it brings a compact body, along with interchangeable lens and a reputation as the world’s smallest DSLR (though it really isn’t a DSLR – go figure). With looks that mimic its forbearers from the 1960s, the Pen E-P1 is guaranteed to draw attention at every enthusiast gathering you visit. That, of course, doesn’t guarantee anything about how well it performs.

Despite the retro feel, the E-P1 fosters some of Olympus’ best hardware in its guts, allowing it to perform like a DSLR (with a matching control setup) but handle like a compact camera (complete with an auto-correcting point and shoot mode).

The new optics provide crisp details and superb image quality, providing the same range as those available for “real” DSLRs like the E-620. Noise and image processing control, via the new TruePic V engine, is superb, making their effect especially poignant at higher ISO levels (the camera gets up to 6400). It sports the same art filters as the E-620 as well, which leads to impeccable shooting modes and gorgeous color.

Other topnotch features of the 12.3 megapixel shooter include superb metering, multi-aspect shooting, excellent low-light performance and capable 720p video (with a matching HDMI out, to boot). All these good things, of course, are somewhat held back by the lack of both a flash and a viewfinder (which you can buy separately). Add those two in to the $800 base price and you’re pretty much set (if you can afford it, that is).

Olympus Stylus Tough 8000: Extremely Durable But Slow

Canon Powershot A2100 IS: Great Image Quality And 6X Zoom, Albeit A Little Slow

Noel Kuhlman — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 22:58:39 +0000

If you’ve been using a point-and-shoot, you’ve probably experienced the lack of usable results a 3x or 4x camera can get you. While those features are appreciated, they seldom help a great deal in real-world images you want to photograph.

As such, trading in your zoom-stingy camera for a 6X compact like the Canon Powershot A2100 IS will create a noticeable difference in your photographs. Coupled with excellent photo quality, high resolution and a powerful image processor, it’s an upgrade that’s difficult to resist – apart from being relatively affordable.

On the specs end, the Powershot A2100 sports 12 megapixel optics, a 3-inch LCD, 36-216mm focal length, image stabilization (mechanical and electronic) and a bevy of automated settings. Of particular note is the use of two AA batteries over a lithium-ion panel, which should make it easier to carry around spares.

Design for this model is pretty much a dead-ringer for its A2000 predecessor from last year, although it touts a decidedly more elegant frame. It is a bit on the heavy end for point-and-shoots, however, which should be forgiveable given the considerably generous 6X zoom.

While the camera looks a bit too busy for its own good, it actually offers simple controls. Don’t let all those buttons fool you – this a largely automated model. You do get some amount of room to create, with a range of options for ISO, white balance, autofocus type, light metering, and color effects. However, more advanced users longing for plenty of manual controls will probably be best served looking elsewhere.

Speed is the decided weakness for the A2100 IS, taking as long as six or seven seconds between shots when you use the flash. Shutter lag is a little over half-a-second in bright mode as well. If you can live with the speed, you’ll be rewarded with some of the best image quality available for its price range, however. In my opinion, it’s a worthy trade-off, especially for a 6X zoom.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1 Review: Pocketable, Wide-Angled And Beautiful Stills

Noel Kuhlman — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 21:33:05 +0000

The 10-megapixel Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1 is a compact point-and-shoot for those who need an uncomplicated camera that can take very good quality image captures. While it looks identical to the ZS3, it does without the HD video recording capabilities of its stablemate, translating to a more affordable device ($100 less) that can do snapshots very, very well.

Sporting a very compact body and a decent 7.7-ounce weight, the ZS1 offers a very good single-handed grip. Despite the wide, long lens, it’s an easily pocketable gadget, making it easy to carry with you on the road. It’s a perfect camera for otherwise skill-devoid lensmeisters like myself, offering straightforward controls, large buttons and logical menus.

Key ZS1 specs include 12x zoom, f3.3-4.9 aperture, 25-300mm focal length, full-resolution ISO sensitivity up to 1600 and a five-shot burst mode. It sports a 2.7 inch LCD that might feel a little too small of you’ve been used to the ZS3′s larger display panel. Apart from 3,648 x 2,736 pixel stills, it can manage VGA-quality videos at 30fps.

Performance is a bit mixed. It posts pretty fast off-to-first-shot average times of around 2.3 seconds, with shot-to-shot delay at about 2.8 seconds with flash. There is some amount of shutter lag and you’ll need to keep your finger on the trigger for at least a second to be sure.

Image quality is among the best in its market range. In fact, there’s little to no trace of typical problems that seem to trouble other megazoom cameras, such as softness and barrel distortion. There’s some amount of noise, although they’re barely noticeable unless you’re specifically on the hunt for flaws.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1 is a very good point-and-shoot, provided you’re fine with a unit that doesn’t offer much manual controls. For $299, it should make for plenty of gorgeous stills and somewhat decent videos too.

Casio Exilim EX-FC100: A Fantastic, Albeit Bigger, Point-And-Shoot

Noel Kuhlman — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 05:13:48 +0000

A downgraded version of the $999 EX-F1, the Casio Exilim EX-FC100 nevertheless manages to charm with a generous heap of features that brings some of the more expensive shooter’s best talents. In many ways, it offers one of the best cost-to-specs ratio among point-and-shoot units today.

Physically, the FC100 is a tad too big and heavy for a compact camera. to the point of tipping the scales at twice the weight of a few other digicams. Considering it’s already half the size of the EX-F1, though, while shipping with a good chunk of its attractive capabilities, the dimensions should be acceptable.

It sports a 2.7-inch LCD that, unfortunately, doesn’t offer the best resolution. Since little of the brightness and clarity has been sacrificed when you use it under sunlight, however, I’ll take it. Good call for Casio here – sacrifice a bit on resolution while making sure it offers great usability outdoors. Menus are beautifully streamlined, with nary a button-push wasted. I love the way they are laid out – very non-intimidating and easy to make sense of.

Features

The EX-FC100 offers a 9.1 megapixel resolution for still photos, along with 5X optical zoom. Image quality is fantastic, with beautiful and accurate colors. The shooting modes seem uncharacteristically limited, although it presented no problem when shooting without manually setting anything. Zoom works great in well-lighted shots – with a less bright environment, though, it doesn’t quite achieve the same fantastic quality.

Need to manage fast-action photography? Try the Slow button on top of the camera, which makes everything on the LCD show up in slow-motion. Even better, you can go the continuous shooting route, which allows the device to shoot up to 30 super-crisp 6.0 megapixel photos per second, with only a short couple seconds of processing time after each set.

HD video is another trait the FC100 inherited from its more expensive stablemate, allowing it to shoot 720p movies with relative ease. It even uses the digital zoom during filming, which allows for plenty of room to maneuver. On the downside, recorded sound comes up a bit low on volume (despite being accurate) and there’s no HDMI out for viewing your shot videos directly on a TV.

Fast action video? No problem, either, as this unit can capture clips of up to 1,000 fps. Of course, video quality suffers with faster frame rates (only the 420 fps and below clips looks usable, from our tests). You can use the same Slow button to create amusing slow-motion videos, the speed of which you can vary in a scale from 1 to 8.

Conclusion

At its price point, the Casio Exilim EX-FC100 is a high-end compact camera that brings a whole lot to the table. With fast shooting speeds, good-quality HD video, slo-mo features and fantastic image quality, it makes a good choice – provided that you can manage the size. While it doesn’t come near the size of a DSLR, it is pretty big for a point-and-shoot and might actually be a bother if you’re used to something smaller.

Kodak EasyShare M1093 IS Review

Noel Kuhlman — Tue, 26 May 2009 22:34:48 +0000

Sometimes, an ordinary camera that works as advertised is all you need. That, most certainly, is the case with the Kodak EasyShare M1093 IS. Aimed squarely at the budget end of the market, it comes with a complete set of expected features, along with one or two pleasant surprises along the way.

Sporting a streamlined and compact frame, the M1093 is extremely pocketable with nary a protruding button or control. While it makes the camera look neat, you can’t operate it without looking at the buttons as each one feels almost the same as the others. The 3-inch LCD display slotted around the back is average for most digital cameras and offers enough brightness even under direct sunlight.

Lag times are just about right for this compact device. Powering on takes under 3 seconds, shutter lag goes between half-a second to 1 second and shot-to-shot stays well under 1.5 seconds every time. It comes with four shooting modes, Smart Capture, Program, Scene, and Video. With this being an entry-level machine, the Smart Capture mode (which integrates scene detection, face detection and optimized ISO, among other things) capably gets good shots all on its own, without requiring much additional fiddling.

As a 10 megapixel camera, image quality is great for the market range it competes in. You’ll need bright lighting for best results, although indoor shots are pretty capable too, despite noticeable noise in some areas. Colors are bright and crisp, with a natural feel to them. It has a 3x zoom lens that manages very clear shots, although the focal range of 35 mm to 105 mm might be a tad too limiting.

One of the camera’s perks is being able to shoot 720p video at 30 fps. Personally, I like the shot quality almost as much as my Flip Mino HD, along with decent audio. While it does tend to suffer from the same stabilizing problems (you can’t make too much movements), it’s a pretty nifty capability for a “bonus feature”. You can even use the optical zoom!

Priced at $200, the Kodak EasyShare M1093 IS is an easy to use compact that offers decent value for your money. It doesn’t perform any fantastic feats, but does what it’s supposed to do capably well.

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