Expert Camera Reviews

The Nikon D80 digital SLR is the successor of the D70s. It is positioned between the entry-level D50 and semi-professional high budget D200, directly targeting photographic enthusiasts or those who simply want an extra boost but within their budget. The D80 has a combination of many features from both the D50 and D200. The Nikon D80 has the same 10.20 Megapixel resolutions, 2.5 inch LCD screen with user interface as that of the D200. The Nikon D80 spots an 18 -135mm DX kit lens; this makes it a killer photographic tool for amateur and intermediate photographer.

Some very good features of the Nikon D80 are:

• The 0.94x viewfinder is unusually large for a DSLR and very bright due to the pentaprism optics used
• User can control high-ISO noise reduction
• LCD is large, bright and very clear
• Powerful in-camera color-filter capability
• Excellent range of custom settings
• Very good and attractive menu system with help screens

Drawbacks of the camera are:

• Maximum shutter speed is a low 1/4000 compared to 1/8000 of the D70’s
• Auto white balance mode provides poor handling of household incandescent lighting
• Contrast adjustment has limited range
• Kit lens is quite sharp but has more chromatic aberration on the images

Specifications:
Megapixels – 10.20
Weight (oz.) – 20.5
Optical Zoom – 3x
LCD Size – 3 inch
Flash Range (ft) – Built-in
Image stabilizer - No
Battery type – Lithium Ion
Special features - Image storage on SD and SDHC memory cards, USB 2.0 High speed support, User selectable White balance with 9 modes and manual fine tuning, bright viewfinder, NTSC video cable for playback on TV

Summary:
The Nikon D80 is solidly built and Nikon’s combination of build quality, image quality, extensive configurability, rich post-capture processing features, and excellent kit lens makes the D80 a genuine bargain camera. This is a camera that’s quite friendly for complete novices and also for the serious amateur with a range of creative control and sophisticated operating features.

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The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T50 is an update to the existing DSC-T30 model. The ultra-slim and stylish Cyber-shot DSC-T50 is equipped with a 7-megapixel Sony CCD image sensor, a 3x optical zoom lens, a large 3.0 inch Touch panel LCD display, VX Fine movie mode, and 56MB of internal memory. This camera is available in three different colors, red, black and silver. The camera is provided with elective options of either a 4 GB Memory Stick Duo or Memory Stick PRO Duo media cards which allows play back of not less than 1100 high-resolution images in slide show mode.

Strengths of the camera:
A large LCD monitor usable in full sun and in surprisingly dim lighting too
A very good flash range for a compact camera
Excellent lens which provides sharp images
Excellent image stabilization for photos even in dim lighting
Excellent photo quality for 13×19 inch prints

Weaknesses:
Strong blues in images are oversaturated
Shots at High-ISO are very noisy
White balance performance under household incandescent lighting not good enough
Continuous shooting mode is slow
Touch screen interface requires more touches for many settings

Specifications:
Megapixels – 7.2
Weight (oz.) – 5.9
Optical Zoom – 3x
LCD Size – 3.0 inch
Flash Range (ft) – 4 ft to 11.2 ft
Image stabilizer –Yes, optical
Battery type –lithium ion
Special features –Touch Screen User Interface, In-Camera slide show, white balance adjustments with six modes, Movie mode with MPEG VX option, DPOF and PictBridge compatible

Summary:
The Sony T50 looks like another winner. Apart from the touch screen awkwardness, the T50 looks like a great small digital camera, with a huge, beautiful LCD screen and great anti-shake technology built in. The slightly larger body also gives it better battery life and a very better flash range than other cameras in this category. The camera is great for indoor photography.

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The Fujifilm FinePix S6000fd belongs to the bridge cameras group whose primary features are live-preview on the digital cameras. It is an ultra zoom camera with a 6.3 Megapixel SuperCCD sensor that produces less noise than regular CCDs, and giving this camera the potential to be the low light king of its class. An interesting new face detection feature is available with this camera. The camera has a 10.71 x zoom and the 10.71x (28 – 300mm) lens is not separable, although it feels like a detachable lens with a rubber ring for full manual zoom control around the barrel.

Some very good features of the FinePix S6000fd are:
• Face detection technology is great for shooting pictures of people in groups
• Priced very low for the good quality lens and sensor it offers
• The camera is very light, has an excellent grip and resembles a dSLR camera.
• Manual zooming is simple and effective
• Supports the RAW file format
• High resolution LCD unit
• Excellent flash exposure

Some drawbacks of the camera are:
• No optical image stabilization provided, just picture stabilization mode which degrades image quality
• While capturing RAW images the shot-to-shot speed is quite slow
• The electronic viewfinder is hard to use
• Bulky in size

Specifications:
Megapixels – 7.2
Weight (oz.) – 5.9
Optical Zoom – 3x
LCD Size – 3.0 inch
Flash Range (ft) – 4 ft to 11.2 ft
Image stabilizer – No
Battery type – Lithium Ion
Special features – Auto and Manual focus modes, new face detection technology, three continuous shooting modes, self-timer for delayed shutter release, DPOF and PictBridge compatible, Movie recording with sound

Summary:
The camera’s 6.3 megapixel image chip might not impress when there are models which boast up to 10 megapixels of resolution, but the images produced out of this camera are rich in color and impressively sharp, even in difficult shooting or low light conditions. The Fujifilm S6000fd can compete with many higher-resolution super zoom models and even over some digital SLRs.

The Canon EOS 30D has a perfect price and features that include excellent image quality to become a favorite Digital SLR camera for a lot of photographers. The EOS 30D shares many common features with its predecessor the 20D which include the same 8.2 MegaPixel CMOS sensor, DIGIC II Image processor, 5 frames per second fast continuous shooting mode, high precision 9 point Auto Focus system and a viewfinder. The 30D gives excellent photos especially at high ISO sensitivity settings.

Some very good features of the Canon 30D are:

• Interchangeable lenses can be used
• Red-eye reduction feature by built-in illuminator
• Supports 24 bit JPEG and 36 bit RAW data file formats
• Electronic self timer
• Operates in shooting priority mode to view pictures
• Ability to adjust ISO in 1/3 stop increments

A few Drawbacks of this SLR camera are:

• No memory card included with the 30D
• LCD not as bright or sharp as compared to other models

Specifications:
Megapixels – 8.2
Weight (oz.) – 24.7
LCD Size – 2.5 inch
Flash Range (ft) – 43 to 102 ft
Battery type – Lithium-Ion
Special features – Spot metering options, Improved shutter with a 100,000 life cycle, Print/Share button, USB 2.0 high speed support, Supports JPEG and RAW recording format.

Summary:
If you are willing to spend a good amount for a compact Digital SLR which should have a fast frame rate and high grade build quality and a lot of additional features and performance like improved camera operation, large buffer, full manual controls, then the Canon EOS 30D is a good choice for you.

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The Canon PowerShot SD430 happens to be Canon’s first PowerShot with built-in Wi-Fi technology, which allows you to send photos to your Windows PC without touching a USB cable. The SD430 has a 35mm to 105mm lens with a relatively slow f/2.8 to f/4.9 maximum aperture, a 2 inch LCD screen, optical viewfinder and limited manual control, snappy shooting performance, but with impressive remote control capabilities. Using Canon’s RemoteCapture utility for Windows XP SP2 a PowerShot SD430 user can remotely control zoom, ISO speed, macro mode, white balance, color mode, metering mode, focus point, image size and compression level , autofocus type and flash mode

Positive features of the PowerShot SD430 are:

• Built-in wireless control, image transfer and printing
• With the ‘My Colors” features one can customize the photos while shooting
• Shutter speeds of 15 seconds to 1/2000 second
• Voice memos can be attached to still images
• Continuous shooting at 2 frames per second till memory permits
• Unlimited length of movie mode at 640×480 with sound

Negative features of the PowerShot SD430 are:

• The zoom and focus mechanisms are a little noisy
• WiFi transfers works only to Windows systems
• Shutter response at telephoto focal lengths is a little slow
• Inaccurate optical viewfinder
• Only white balance and EV compensation options in Manual mode
• Low battery life

Specifications:
Megapixels – 5.0
Weight (oz.) – 4.5
Optical Zoom – 3x
LCD Size – 2.0 inch
Flash Range (ft) – 1.6 to 12 ft
Image stabilizer - No
Battery type – Rechargeable Lithium battery
Special features – Print/Share button for direct printing, 16 MB SD Memory, Customizable “My Camera” settings, Continuous shooting mode, Connect to Television

Summary:
The SD430 is attractively styled, but considering its poor battery life and noisy operation, and priced at $500, the SD430 is a bit on the expensive side for a 5-megapixel camera with wireless features. It’s $100 more than the Nikon P2, which also includes wireless.

The second digital camera from Leica is the V-LUX 1, which is clearly based on Panasonic’s DMC-FZ50 technology. This camera has almost identical specifications to the DMC-FZ50 with a 10 megapixel CCD, a Leica branded 12x optically image stabilized lens, a tilting 2 inch LCD screen for optimum picture checking, electronic viewfinder, flash hot-shoe and full manual controls. The V-LUX 1 also comes with a 512 MB SD card. The V-LUX 1 has a 0.44″ color electronic viewfinder with 235,000 pixels for those who prefer to hold the camera to their eye.

Pros:

• ISO sensitivity ranges from 100 to 1600
• High Movie resolution at 848×480 pixels
• The large range of focal lengths offered eliminates the need of changing lens.
• Optical Image Stabilization which can be switched ON or OFF at any time
• The Picture Signal Processor (Venus Engine III) ensures quick picture signal processing

Cons:
• The V-LUX 1 is priced quite high at $800 compared to other models with the same features

Specifications:
Megapixels – 10.0
Weight (oz.) – 25.7
Optical Zoom – 12x
LCD Size – 2.0 inch
Flash Range (ft) – 1 to 22 ft
Image stabilizer – Yes
Battery type – Custom Lithium Ion
Special features – Support for SDHC Memory Cards, NTSC/PAL TV standards, USB 2.0 High speed support, High movie resolution at 848×480 pixels, JPEG, RAW and MOV file format supported

Summary:
The V-LUX 1 model is recommended due to the numerous positive features it has compared with its only drawback of being a bit highly priced which I guess most consumers will ignore.

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The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-N2 is an upgrade of the existing DSC-N1 model. The Sony N2 derives its higher ten megapixel resolution from a 1/1.7″ CCD imager coupled with the same Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar zoom lens, which offers a 3x optical zoom range equivalent to 38-114mm on a 35mm camera. Also included in the Sony N2 is a slideshow mode with a range of transitions including zooms, fades, pans, and wipes, all selected automatically by the camera. The feature that sets the DSC N2 apart from all other digital cameras is its big 3 inch LCD screen

Some positive features of the Sony N2 are:

• Fast response with a good shutter lag time and very good shot-to-shot speed
• Good color accuracy and contrast adjustments
• ISO sensitivity up to 1600
• Very good low-light shooting capabilities
• Very fast Multi-burst mode
• Image noise at ISO 200 and below is pretty good
• The touch screen LCD is wide, efficient and simple to navigate
• Stylus to keep fingers off the LCD screen

Drawbacks of the Sony N2 are:

• Slow continuous shooting speeds
• High chromatic aberration lens distortion which is noticeable at the edges in some images
• Image noise high at ISO 400 and up; at 800 and 1,000 images are almost unusable
• Auto white balance is unsuitable with household incandescent lighting

Specifications:
Megapixels – 10.0
Weight (oz.) – 6.5
Optical Zoom – 3x
LCD Size – 3.0 inch
Flash Range (ft) – Built-in
Image stabilizer - No
Battery type – Custom Lithium Ion
Special features – Email mode, In-camera editing and cleaning tools, Movie recording with sound, DPOF and PictBridge compatible, White balance adjustment with 6 options

Summary:
Though the higher ISO settings do produce a bit of noise while capturing images, the Sony N2 is still quite capable of capturing useable images under very bright or dark conditions. Not to forget that the touch control features allows you to alter images with the in-camera paint tools and pinpoint focus exactly where you want it as you shoot. The DSC-N2 offers a lot in its small package and we certainly feel it’s a deserving case to recommend.

Like its predecessor LX1, the Panasonic LX2 is clearly motivated by the swelling popularity of widescreen televisions. The LX2 employs a unique set of triple-wide features which are, 10.2 megapixels combined with a 28mm wide-angle Leica lens, a 16:9 wide CCD, and a 16:9 wide LCD. If you are someone who likes to have a high count of pixels, then the Panasonic LX2 is an ideal choice with a 10.2 megapixel CCD that uses the full resolution of the sensor when shooting at 16:9. The Panasonic LX2, includes many notable manual options, face detection, scene selection and Panasonic’s MEGA Optical Image Stabilization feature.

Some good features of the Panasonic LX2 are:
• Very fast all-around performance with no shutter lags during pre-focus
• Latest LSI Venus Engine III image processor which lowers overall noise
• Very high quality Leica lens which offer lower than average distortion, very low chromatic aberration and excellent sharpness in pictures
• Movie mode shoots in 16:9 widescreen and offers above average resolution.
• Long battery life
• Images with excellent white balance, exposure, and color saturation

Drawbacks are:
• Images shot at ISO 1600 and above are too noisy for printing
• HD movie clips are playable at only 15 frames per second
• Very small built-in memory of 13 MB
• Slow playback of full resolution images on LCD screen

Specifications:
Megapixels - 10.2
Weight (oz.) – 7.6
Optical Zoom - 4x
LCD Size - 2.8 inch
Flash Range (ft) – Built-in
Image stabilizer - Yes, Optical
Battery type - Rechargeable Lithium Ion
Special features – RAW and JPEG recording modes, Venus Engine III Processor, Sensitivity upto ISO 3200, 13 MB built-in memory, support for SD memory cards

Summary:
As one can see from the long list of positive features and very short list of drawbacks above, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX2 has a lot going for it and is an ideal camera for novices to handle and expert photographers to have in their arsenal.

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Built with a colossal 12x optical zoom lens comparable to 36 - 432mm on a 35mm camera, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H2 is Sony’s current envoy in the ultra-zoom class of compact digital cameras. The DSC-H2 has a 6 megapixel sensor and features Sony’s Super Steady Shot image stabilisation system which ensures sharper results when hand-holding the camera at the longer focal lengths. Some other highlights of the Sony DSC-H2 are, it has a large 2 inch LCD monitor screen for easy composition of shots and playback, 7 different scene modes to select from for the beginner and artistic shutter-priority, aperture-priority and manual exposure modes for experienced photographers.

Strong features that make the Cyber-shot DSC-H2 an ideal choice are:

• Sony’s Clear RAW noise reduction technology minimizes picture noise, making it easier to shoot at faster shutter speeds. • The anti-blur features are an advantage when shooting in low-light conditions
• The zoom feature can be used either slowly or quickly, by changing the pressure applied to the buttons
• Very fast multi-burst mode
• Image noise at ISO 200 and below is pretty decent
• Very good battery life

Some negative features of this model are:

• Image noise high at ISO 400 and above, at ISO 800 and 1000 images are almost unusable
• Anti-noise processing trades away some subtle subject detail at all ISO levels
• Small 2.0 inch LCD screen compared to its predecessors

Specifications:
Megapixels – 6.0
Weight (oz.) – 20.7
Optical Zoom – 12x
LCD Size – 2.0 inch
Flash Range (ft) – Built-in
Image stabilizer – Yes, Optical
Battery type – AA (x2)
Special features – 32 MB built-in memory, USB 2.0 support, Support for Mac and PC, MPEG Movie format with sound, Macro lens adjustment, Email mode

Summary:
Except for the disappointing high chromatic aberration and softness in the corners of telephotos, the Sony DSC-H2 is fairly fast among the others, with faster than average shutter response, a smooth and responsive zoom, and very good shot to shot cycle times. Optical quality is very good. The Sony DSC-H2 is ideal long-zoom camera for novices and experts to have.

The Olympus SP-510 UZ is coupled with a 7.1 megapixels and a 10x optical zoom lens that’s equivalent to 38-380mm in 35mm format. The SP-510 employs Olympus Bright-Capture technology for low-light photography and image reviewing with ISO sensitivity ranging from 50 to 4000, though at ISO 2500 and above the camera’s resolution drops to 3 megapixels. The SP-510 gives some amazing features that will help to take professional quality photos in nearly any situation. In fast-motion events digital image stabilization takes away the problems of blurred images. The camera is powered by 4 AA size batteries

Pros:
• Sleek design
• Great color, good dynamic range, and respectable sharpness in images shot in low-light conditions
• Comfortable handgrip
• Digital image stabilization provides better pictures in shaky and fast motion situations.

Cons:
• Excessive noise in images shot above ISO 400
• While taking pictures and during general operations it has a sluggish performance.
• Outdated menu system
• Inadequate resolution for a 2.5 inch LCD
• Only digital image stabilization for 10x zoom which increases noise and degrades quality

Specifications:
Megapixels - 7.1
Weight (oz.) - 10.6
Optical Zoom - 10x
LCD Size - 2.5 inch
Flash Range (ft) - 1.2 to 14.4
Image stabilizer - Yes
Battery type - AA (x4)
Special features - 21 scene modes, xD Picture card storage, Multi-language
menu, Bright-Capture technology,

Summary:
The Olympus SP-510 UZ is packed with cool features, but a few features such as the not wide enough lens, slow performance, failure to include optical image stabilization and noisy images could be deal breakers for many consumers. The Olympus SP-510 UZ would surely appeal to amateur photographers who desire ultra zoom features with a high degree of manual controls.

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