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May 21, 2009
[REVIEW—NIKON COOLPIX L20]
Price: $280
Nikon? Hmmmm?
The low-down: This 10 megapixel camera has a 38–136mm (film equivalent) lens. It is not image stabilised. The large (75mm) LCD screen is of poor resolution. There are very few user controls, Nikon promises “shooting without worrying about any settings.” Amongst the mode settings is one for Food! The camera operates on AA batteries, so factor in the price of a pair of Ni-MH batteries and charger. There is a small internal memory and it uses SD cards for storage.
Like: When all the conditions are right the pictures are surprisingly good. Exposure and focus are generally reliable. We like rechargeable AA batteries in compacts, but they are not supplied so must be added to the advertised purchase price of the camera.
Dislike: The LCD is the worst we have ever seen on any camera. Consider this: it is the same size as the LCD on the Nikon D300, but it has only one quarter the number of pixels. The result is that, while it is large, the images on it are blurry with no definition or contrast. It is impossible to tell by reference to a review on the LCD if you have taken a decent picture. You won't know until you get back to the computer what you have on the memory card. And the screen is useless as a viewfinder in sunlight.
Verdict: Nikon is one of the proudest names in the camera business, with a range of DSLRs second to none. So we are perplexed. The Coolpix L20 is not a camera to enhance their reputation. It feels insubstantial and cheap. It is lacking in features, such as image stabilisation, that other makers fit into their cheaper cameras. And the wretched LCD makes it almost unusable. For a few dollars more buy the lovely little Canon Ixus 80is.
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Posted by terry at 11:32 AM | Comments (0)
May 15, 2009
[SPOILED FOR CHOICE]
One of the fastest growing sections of the digital camera market is the so-called entry level digital single lens reflex. And $1600 seems to be some sort of sweet spot in the price range at which people trade up from a compact to a DSLR.
Canon and Nikon have both launched new cameras into this part of the market. Canon's new EOS 500D, and Nikon's D5000, distinguish themselves from entry level predecessors by having a high definition movie function of limited usefulness. We are yet to be convinced that a DSLR is the ideal gadget for shooting family movies. You are forced back onto manual focus and that pretty much means that you must stick with stationary subjects.
The Canon is a 15 megapixel camera and the Nikon makes do with 12.3. In real world terms there is no difference in image quality. Both are good.
Construction of both cameras is heavily plastic, both in the bodies and in the kit lenses. Both companies offer two image stabilised kit lenses covering ranges from 18-55mm and 55-200 in the case of the Nikon and 55-250 from Canon. None of the lenses gives stellar performance, the best being the shorter Nikon and the least satisfactory is the long Canon. The Nikons are slow to focus and neither brand has really effective image stabilisation.
The Nikon has a swivelling LCD and the Canon has a larger fixed screen. Both have relatively cramped and dim viewfinders. They are both light and small.
In use the two cameras are similar, being mechanically gritty and noisy and not coming up to the luxurious feel that we associate with the brands. They feel that they are made down to a price. We fitted each of them with better lenses from our Canon and Nikkor optics and then they performed well, producing consistently excellent pictures. The moral of this story is, buy the camera body but spend a little more for better lenses.
The D5000 is another camera from Nikon that doesn't have an in-body auto-focus drive, which means that any additional lens that is bought must have the auto-focus mechanism built in. This excludes a large number of excellent legacy Nikkor lenses and it also raises a question about the value-for-money of the D5000. Good lenses will be expensive.
We have been comparing camera prices on the web site of a national chain of camera shops. Both the new cameras sell for $1600 with the shorter lens, but the incomparably superior Nikon D90 with the same lens is only $200 more. The best always trumps the good.
From the same shop the gorgeous, but superseded, Canon EOS 40D with a better lens, is also $1800. Just a few months ago this superb combination cost 50 per cent more.
And while you're shopping look at the Pentax K20D and the Olympus E30, both offering more to the serious amateur than either of the new cameras. Bottom line: don't fall for the newer is better argument.
Sample image from the Canon EOS 500D—click image to see a larger version
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Posted by terry at 11:58 AM | Comments (1)
May 14, 2009
[REVIEW—SAMSUNG ST50 compact camera]
Price: $380
Petite and sweet
The low-down: This 12.2 megapixel camera has a 35–105mm (film equivalent) lens. It is not image stabilised. The large (75mm) LCD screen is of average resolution and useless in sunlight. Dimensions are tiny with a face area equal to a credit card and a mere 14.2mm thick. It will fit any pocket without a bulge. Surface is attractive brushed metal. Ergonomics are poor with some essential controls, such as exposure compensation, buried in two layers of menu. There is no printed manual and the “quick start” manual is useless.
Like: The image quality is generally very good, when all the conditions come together precisely. Focus is fast and accurate. Resolution is good. At ISO200 images are very good. Surprisingly it is even possible to get acceptably clean images at ISO speeds up to 800. And Samsung is honest – when ISO800 is selected in the menu a notice pops up warning of probable increase in image noise (grain).
Dislike: Both auto exposure and auto white balance are erratic. Generally the camera over exposes by at least one stop. And the auto white balance, which is acceptable most of the time, can be easily upset, resulting in some weird colours. The absence of a proper printed manual is inexcusable. And as with all compact cameras that rely on the LCD as a viewfinder you won't see anything in bright sunlight. Sadly the optical viewfinder is now a rare feature on compact cameras.
Verdict: The appeal of this camera is its small size and attractive appearance. It is a true go-anywhere camera which, used intelligently, delivers very good results. Needless to say most owners will put it into Smart Auto mode and leave it there, which is a pity. The ST50 deserves more discriminating use. It is not cheap and is up against stiff competition from Canon, Sony and Panasonic in this price range.
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Posted by terry at 10:59 AM | Comments (1)
[1001 USES FOR A DIGITAL CAMERA]
The other day we were attending a corporate knees-up in Gomorrah by the Yarra. The car park under this monument to greed and stupidity is at least three days journey from end to end. So, you will not be surprised to learn that when we went back to get the car after the aforementioned knees-up we couldn't find the bloody thing!
It seems that we are not alone in suffering the problem of the disappearing car in the enormous car park. And there is a solution. Why do you think God gave us digital cameras? If we had had the little Samsung ST50 (reviewed here) in our pocket we could have taken several location photos of the car in situ, as it were, and used the instantly retrievable pictures to find it again.
That tip comes from photojojo.com, a chap who has given this matter some thought. Right at the top of his list of twelve ways to use your camera as a tool, he writes: “Mark Your Parking Spot. Before you head out on a long trip, don’t bother rooting around for a pen to write down your parking space number. Take a photo of your parking spot so you can find it again when you come back.” Now he tells us!
Photojojo also uses his camera as a printer. He has some information on a computer screen, like a map or an address or phone number, and there's no printer handy – no sweat. Take a picture and you've got the information with you wherever you go.
The same thing applies to shopping lists. You've found a new recipe with the ingredients list on the page there in front of you. Don't bother to write it all out by hand. Just take a picture and consult your camera when you get to the grocers.
Obviously all this advice also applies to cameras in phones. They are particularly useful when (and this has happened to the Imagings on more that one occasion) Grandma has found a dress that she thinks would suit one of the granddaughters, but she needs parental approval. Imaging holds up the dress, Mrs Imaging takes the photo, and then sends it to parent for approval. Reply comes back at the speed of light.
Photojojo is one of those chaps who takes things apart and then can't get them all back together again without having a piece of two left over. He's solved the problem by taking photos of every step in the disassembling process. Re-assembly is then a doddle.
Over at cockeyed.com there is one clever suggestion – use your camera to identify itself. Take a photo of a sign that says “This camera is the property of Imaging. Please phone... Or email...” Then lock that image on the memory card so that it is never erased. Then any honest person finding the camera and taking a peek at the pictures will find the identifier and immediately get in touch. Well, that's the theory.
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Posted by terry at 10:53 AM | Comments (0)
May 07, 2009
[REVIEW—PANASONIC LUMIX DMC-TZ7]
Price: $770
Good, but very expensive
The low-down: This 10.1 megapixel camera has a 25–300mm (film equivalent) Leica-branded, optically stabilised lens. The large (75mm) LCD screen is of decent resolution and useful even in sunlight. It takes face detection to a new level – it “recognises” people! Construction is good and all controls work well, although it is too easy to inadvertently move the mode selection dial. There is a reasonable degree of user control, although we don't like the fact that we have to move a switch between two positions to go from review mode to shooting. This camera is a sort of hybrid, working both as a still camera and a videocam that will record in a high definition format.
Like: The still image quality is outstanding, with excellent colour, sharp focus and effective image stabilisation. Even at the full, remarkable, 300mm extension images are sharp. Video quality is good, even if it is not broadcast quality. Remember that you need a high capacity SD card if you intend to shoot minutes rather than seconds of video. Naturally Panasonic have optimised the camera's connections to work with their Viera TV range, but we edited video in Adobe Premier Elements and got good playback on a standard definition wide-screen TV. The TZ7 takes video to a new level of refinement for a still camera.
Dislike: The price puts the camera up against some impressive entry level DSLRs, any one of which will produce better images, albeit without the benefit of portability and the video mode.
Verdict: This is a very good camera. Indeed it is one of the best compacts, as it should be at the price. Panasonic seem to have dealt with the noise problem that has plagued their compacts in the past. Images are now clean and sharp, at least up to ISO200, and quite acceptable at ISO400. Highly recommended.
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This is a photo taken with the Panasonic TZ7, not of the TZ7. Do not do this to your TZ7!
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Posted by terry at 11:03 AM | Comments (2)
[DOGMATIC INSTAMATIC]
The famous Gorillapod — the go-anywhere steadycam.
With a little bit of luck we could just be experiencing a real winter. We don't want to say this out too loudly for fear that we will discourage the rain clouds, but let's assume the best, that for the first time in ten years we are going to have a wet, cold winter season. Bliss! But mostly indoor bliss.
How will we fill the time indoors, photographically speaking? Well, we could teach the dog to take photographs. Not photographs of the dog, photographs by the dog.
Kodak has a helpful video on their podcast web site showing how to get Rover into the photography hobby. Jenny Cisney, chief blogger at Kodak, was inspired to get her dog taking photographs by the possibilities presented by the Gorillapod.
The Gorillapod, it is a versatile tripod with bendy legs. It can be used as a flexible three legged conventional tripod or it can be wrapped around any convenient object, such as a tree, a fence post or a dog's neck. Jenny has attached a compact camera to her dog using the Gorillapod as a collar. Then she sets the self-timer and lets the mutt loose. He runs around sniffing here and there as dogs are wont to do and bingo, after ten or twenty seconds the camera fires and he's taken a digital doggy pic.
A commenter on Ms Cisney's blog has suggested a refinement – set the camera on video mode and get a moving dog's eye view of the world.
While looking at Kodak's podcasts have a look at Photo bookmarks. It's another instructional video that has a germ of a good idea for keeping the children amused indoors on a wet afternoon. It is all about making bookmarks from photographs, but it goes beyond simply printing long thin photos and laminating them (although that is a good idea, too).
The Kodak Pro Imaging podcast category has plenty of good ideas for all photographers. The reader who sent us a nasty email berating us for our digital enthusiasm, when everyone knows that only silver-based photography is the genuine art form, will find much to confirm his prejudices in the John Sexton video.
Mr Sexton learned his skills from the great Ansel Adams and, as he says in his eloquent praise of black and white film photography: “I still like the magic of the silver process.” He even likes the uncertainty of not knowing how well he has done his job on location until he gets back to the darkroom and develops his film. He reckons that “the look of film is different from images digitally generated, just as cinematography film is different from video.”
He shows examples of his work in a good quality podcast that is down loadable for replay on portable MP3 devices. This podcast is an eleven minute tutorial which might inspire digital photographers to set their cameras to monochrome, even if it isn't the same as film.
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Posted by terry at 10:53 AM | Comments (0)
May 04, 2009
[PREVIEW—PANASONIC LUMIX TZ7]
THIS WEEK we have been testing the new Panasonic Lumix TZ7. A full review will be posted here on Thursday.
In the meantime we took the camera to the Zoo to try out its AVCHD [that is high definition video] capabilities. We were impressed. It’s impossible to give a real idea of what the camera can do on this blog site, but this little clip gives some indication of the accuracy of focus and exposure and shows the remarkable resolution of the video mode. The TZ7 takes the “hybrid” concept onto a new plane.
Panasonic TZ7 video |
It does mean that the user will need a large memory card to take advantage of the video capabilities. And if travelling it would be as well to have some sort of mass portable storage to unload the card at the end of the day.
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Posted by terry at 06:43 PM | Comments (0)