Category: Digital Compact Cameras
Ricoh have released a new firmware update. 1.53, for the Ricoh R5 camera, which improves the stability at writing data on an SD card.
Ricoh have released a new firmware update. 1.53, for the Ricoh R5 camera, which improves the stability at writing data on an SD card. Website: Ricoh Caplio R5 v1.53 Firmware Update
CNET have the first online review of the new Olympus mju 730, which offers a 3 inch LCD screen, 7 megapixels and weatherproof body.
“The Stylus 730’s most disappointing aspect is its image quality. We saw massive noise at all sensitivity settings, a snowy grain worse than any we’ve seen recently. Even at ISO 100, images were fuzzy and mottled with color. And, though the most prominent, noise wasn’t the only issue; the lens produced distinct chromatic aberration (purple fringing along high-contrast edges) and notable barrel distortion, resulting in images that ballooned out when shot at the wide end of the lens.”
Website: CNET - Olympus mju 730 Review
CNET have the first online review of the new Olympus mju 730, which offers a 3 inch LCD screen, 7 megapixels and weatherproof body. “The Stylus 730’s most disappointing aspect is its image quality. We saw massive noise at all sensitivity settings, a snowy grain worse than any we’ve seen…
DigitalCameraInfo have reviewed the Casio EX-Z700, a 7.2 megapixel update of the EX-Z600, with a large 2.7 inch LCD screen with a brightness of 1200cd/m2 and 2 new Best Shot modes.
“Announced at the beginning of August and available in September 2006, the Casio Exilim EX-Z700 comes to the market with 7.2 megapixels and all the typical bells and whistles of a Casio camera. It is skinny with a 3x telescoping optical zoom lens on the front and a 2.7-inch LCD screen on the back. This camera adds two more scene modes to the already extensive list for a total of 37 Best Shot modes. The middle-tier Casio Z700 will retail for $299 and is offered in blue, silver, and gray.”
DigitalCameraInfo have reviewed the Casio EX-Z700, a 7.2 megapixel update of the EX-Z600, with a large 2.7 inch LCD screen with a brightness of 1200cd/m2 and 2 new Best Shot modes. “Announced at the beginning of August and available in September 2006, the Casio Exilim EX-Z700 comes to the market…
Imaging Resource have just reviewed the new Canon PowerShot A630 digital camera.
“It seems to me that if you can’t find a Canon that matches your requirements, you just haven’t looked very carefully. The Canon lineup is so rich with options it’s often hard to tell one model from another. The Canon A630 might, for example, be easily confused with the A640, except it has an 8.0-megapixel sensor and doesn’t support remote capture. Neither of which strike me as a problem. Especially when the savings amounts to $100.”
Imaging Resource have just reviewed the new Canon PowerShot A630 digital camera. “It seems to me that if you can’t find a Canon that matches your requirements, you just haven’t looked very carefully. The Canon lineup is so rich with options it’s often hard to tell one model from another…
CNET have reviewed the 10 megapixel Sony Cyber-shot DSC-N2 camera.
“Compression artifacts and noise are the DSC-N2’s biggest weaknesses. The camera’s aggressive JPEG compression that gave nearly all of our images a mottled, feltlike texture that softened and distorted fine details. This problem magnified when shooting at greater than ISO 400, when noise made already fuzzy pictures look like a television screen. Lens distortion was minimal, but we noticed significant chromatic abberations (colored fringes) along high-contrast edges. The N2’s colors were slightly warm and, like most cameras, its automatic white balance produced a yellow pallor under incandescent light.”
Website: CNET - Sony Cyber-shot DSC-N2 Review
CNET have reviewed the 10 megapixel Sony Cyber-shot DSC-N2 camera. “Compression artifacts and noise are the DSC-N2’s biggest weaknesses. The camera’s aggressive JPEG compression that gave nearly all of our images a mottled, feltlike texture that softened and distorted fine details. This problem magnified when shooting at greater than ISO…
Imaging Resource have reviewed the new Olympus Stylus 750, which features a 5x optical zoom, image stabilisation and 7 megapixels.
“Olympus’s Stylus 750 has Stunning good looks, but I was disappointed in its performance. Color just seemed unnatural, and I came home with far too many blurry images for a camera that has image stabilization. I really wondered if the review unit was just malfunctioning. But it wasn’t a mechanical issue. The thumbnails were very blurred, even when the image itself was not.”
Imaging Resource have reviewed the new Olympus Stylus 750, which features a 5x optical zoom, image stabilisation and 7 megapixels. “Olympus’s Stylus 750 has Stunning good looks, but I was disappointed in its performance. Color just seemed unnatural, and I came home with far too many blurry images for a…
CameraLabs have published their review of the Fujifilm FinePix F30, which offers ISO 3200, 6 megapixels, 3x optical zoom lens and a 2.5 inch LCD.
“Decent high sensitivity performance allows you to seriously consider shooting indoors without a flash which in turn can deliver natural-looking results, or allow you to photograph with greater discretion, such as in a church or museum. That said, the F30’s flash is one of its other highlights, again delivering natural-looking results which rarely suffer from a washed-out effect, even when high sensitivities are selected to record background detail.”
Website: CameraLabs - Fujifilm FinePix F30 Review
Website: Read our Fujifilm Finepix F30 Review
CameraLabs have published their review of the Fujifilm FinePix F30, which offers ISO 3200, 6 megapixels, 3x optical zoom lens and a 2.5 inch LCD. “Decent high sensitivity performance allows you to seriously consider shooting indoors without a flash which in turn can deliver natural-looking results, or allow you to…
CNET have just reviewed the new 10 megapixel Olympus mju 1000 camera.
“Noise is the Stylus 1000’s greatest weakness. It started to manifest at ISO 200 and became quite noticeable at ISO 400. At ISO 800 and 1,600, images suffered from a distinct, greenish-purple grain, and details became horribly softened. At the 5-megapixel settings of ISO 3,200 and 6,400, even coarse details were completely destroyed by noise.”
Website: CNET - Olympus mju 1000 Review
CNET have just reviewed the new 10 megapixel Olympus mju 1000 camera. “Noise is the Stylus 1000’s greatest weakness. It started to manifest at ISO 200 and became quite noticeable at ISO 400. At ISO 800 and 1,600, images suffered from a distinct, greenish-purple grain, and details became horribly softened…
Megapixel.net have published their review of the 10 megapixel Panasonic DMC-FZ50 camera.
“It seems the DMC-FZ50, although slightly more prone to noise than its 8-megapixel predecessor, should offer as good an image quality as the FZ30 had. Yet, when set to capture JPEG images, artefacts are visible, and the results are disappointing. In our opinion this is due to the in-camera image processing, as when 100 ISO images are captured in RAW format and processed using Silkypix, the results are very good.”
Website: Megapixel.net - Panasonic DMC-FZ50 Review
Website: Read our Panasonic DMC-FZ50 Review
Megapixel.net have published their review of the 10 megapixel Panasonic DMC-FZ50 camera. “It seems the DMC-FZ50, although slightly more prone to noise than its 8-megapixel predecessor, should offer as good an image quality as the FZ30 had. Yet, when set to capture JPEG images, artefacts are visible, and the results…
DCResource have reviewed the new Nikon Coolpix S10, which has 6 megapixels, Vibration Reduction and a 10x, 38-380mm swivel lens.
“Photo quality, on the other hand, was good—and comparable with the best ultra zooms out there. The S10 took well-exposed photos with accurate colors (on most occasions), pleasing sharpness, and minimal purple fringing. Noise levels were low through ISO 200 and reasonable at ISO 400. While there’s an ISO 800 option, I’d avoid it if possible. The camera’s advanced redeye reduction system did an “okay” job at removing redeye—your results may vary of course, as redeye is different from person to person.”
DCResource have reviewed the new Nikon Coolpix S10, which has 6 megapixels, Vibration Reduction and a 10x, 38-380mm swivel lens. “Photo quality, on the other hand, was good—and comparable with the best ultra zooms out there. The S10 took well-exposed photos with accurate colors (on most occasions), pleasing sharpness, and…
Steves Digicams have reviewed the Casio EX-Z700, a 7.2 megapixel update of the EX-Z600, with a large 2.7 inch LCD screen with a brightness of 1200cd/m2 and 2 new Best Shot modes.
“The Z700’s shooting performance was a bit slower than the Z600. Power up to first image captured measured about 1.5 seconds. Shutter lag, the time from depressing the shutter release and capturing the image, was instantaneous when pre-focused, and less than 1/10 of a second including autofocus. Rapid shooting in single drive mode captured images at intervals of 1.8 seconds without flash, and between 2.7 and 3.5 seconds with flash, depending on your subject’s distance.”
Steves Digicams have reviewed the Casio EX-Z700, a 7.2 megapixel update of the EX-Z600, with a large 2.7 inch LCD screen with a brightness of 1200cd/m2 and 2 new Best Shot modes. “The Z700’s shooting performance was a bit slower than the Z600. Power up to first image captured measured…
Steves Digicams have just reviewed the new 7 megapixel Casio EX-Z70.
“Image quality when using 7m Fine mode was Ok for a 7-megapixel model. The majority of our outdoor samples showed good overall exposure, and color balance. I did notice that on very sunny days, the sky was a bit overexposed in some of our shots, taking away from sky detail. The Z70 features a 3x optical zoom, that covers a 35mm equivalent range of approx. 38 - 114mm. While helping to produce sharp images throughout the focal range, there was some noticeable edge softness. However, this is typical for consumer models, and something you’ll likely not see unless you are critically examining your photos.”
Steves Digicams have just reviewed the new 7 megapixel Casio EX-Z70. “Image quality when using 7m Fine mode was Ok for a 7-megapixel model. The majority of our outdoor samples showed good overall exposure, and color balance. I did notice that on very sunny days, the sky was a bit…
Ricoh Press Release
Ricoh releases third function-enhancing firmware update for GR DIGITAL - User requests reflected in update for functional improvement
Tokyo, Japan – November 20 – Ricoh Co., Ltd. (president and CEO: Masamitsu Sakurai) announced today that it will release on November 22nd a third function-enhancing firmware update for its GR DIGITAL* high-resolution compact digital camera, which has been well received for more than a year since its release. The GR DIGITAL is a high-end digital camera popular with pro photographers, high-end amateurs, and photo aficionados that achieves high resolution in a compact body. It was first released October 21, 2005 and is open priced. The function-enhancing firmware can be downloaded free of charge from the Ricoh website.
Ricoh Press Release Ricoh releases third function-enhancing firmware update for GR DIGITAL - User requests reflected in update for functional improvement Tokyo, Japan – November 20 – Ricoh Co., Ltd. (president and CEO: Masamitsu Sakurai) announced today that it will release on November 22nd a third function-enhancing firmware update for…
DigiCamReview have taken a look at the Canon Digital IXUS 850 IS (known as the Canon SD800 IS in the United States).
“I was impressed by the camera’s image quality - the camera has good detail and excellent colour (accurate, and well saturated with lots of options to fine tune to your liking). Images have good saturation and contrast, with fairly low noise at the lower ISO settings. The higher ISO settings of ISO800 and ISO1600 are probably best avoided. Indoors photos were good, with noise kept fairly low, and red-eye was quite low. Purple fringing was noticed in one of the shots, but wasn’t a problem in the majority of shots. The camera was good at focusing indoors thanks to the focus assist lamp. I did not notice any vignetting, barrel or pincushion distortion, however there was some corner softness in images.”
DigiCamReview have taken a look at the Canon Digital IXUS 850 IS (known as the Canon SD800 IS in the United States). “I was impressed by the camera’s image quality - the camera has good detail and excellent colour (accurate, and well saturated with lots of options to fine tune…
DCViews have just reviewed the Canon Digital IXUS 850 IS (known as the Canon SD800 IS in the United States).
“Colour rendition is very good with nice punchy colours. Colour settings can be tweaked in a number of ways, should you desire different results from the standard settings. It is possible to opt for lively or neutral colours with or without extra contrast, sharpness and saturation, but it is also possible to boost certain primary colours such as red, blue or green independently. The camera can compensate for darker or lighter skin tones and there is a black & white or sepia option. Interesting is the “positive film” setting which promises results more alike conventional slide film.”
DCViews have just reviewed the Canon Digital IXUS 850 IS (known as the Canon SD800 IS in the United States). “Colour rendition is very good with nice punchy colours. Colour settings can be tweaked in a number of ways, should you desire different results from the standard settings. It is…
DigitalCameraInfo are first off the blocks with their review of the new 10 megapixel Olympus mju 1000 camera.
“A new digital camera was deemed king of the Stylus line on August 23 with the announcement of the Olympus Stylus 1000. This 10-megapixel digital camera carries on the all-weather legacy of its series while stuffing in more resolution and a few more interesting features. This model has a “digital image stabilization mode,” a Perfect Fix function in the playback mode, and Bright Capture technology meant for shooting in dim lighting. The Olympus Stylus 1000 also packs a significantly expanded sensitivity range, extending from ISO 64-6400…”
DigitalCameraInfo are first off the blocks with their review of the new 10 megapixel Olympus mju 1000 camera. “A new digital camera was deemed king of the Stylus line on August 23 with the announcement of the Olympus Stylus 1000. This 10-megapixel digital camera carries on the all-weather legacy of…
ePhotoZine have just reviewed the new 10 megapixel Pentax Optio A20 camera.
“The finish of the A20 is typical of Pentax’ Optio A-series. The metallic finish feesl sturdy with out making the camera overly heavy. A small silver fingergrip is provided on the front, which helps gain a secure hold, whilst aiding one-handed operation. The only negative aspect of the design is the lack of space to rest your thumb on the rear when not operating any of the controls. The knurled space provided is small for all but the daintiest of thumbs.”
Website: ePhotoZine - Pentax Optio A20 Review
ePhotoZine have just reviewed the new 10 megapixel Pentax Optio A20 camera. “The finish of the A20 is typical of Pentax’ Optio A-series. The metallic finish feesl sturdy with out making the camera overly heavy. A small silver fingergrip is provided on the front, which helps gain a secure hold…
DPReview have reviewed the new Canon G7, which features a 10 megapixel, 1/1.8 inch sensor, DIGIC III image processor, Face Detection, 35-210mm lens and optical image stabilization system.
“That all said you can’t help but feel a twinge of disappointment with the G7; a feeling that Canon could have taken a few more risks rather than producing what is, essentially, a souped-up A series camera with a couple of token nods to the G series’ tradition and a CCD stuffed to the gills with pixels to such an extent that it compromises image quality. I am also disappointed by the loss of raw capture (even if I only use it for ‘special occasions’ it can be a life-saver) and the vari-angle screen (which I found myself missing on more than one occasion).”
Website: DPReview - Canon G7 Review
Website: Read our Canon Powershot G7 Review
DPReview have reviewed the new Canon G7, which features a 10 megapixel, 1/1.8 inch sensor, DIGIC III image processor, Face Detection, 35-210mm lens and optical image stabilization system. “That all said you can’t help but feel a twinge of disappointment with the G7; a feeling that Canon could have taken…
DIWA member LetsGoDigital have reviewed the new Canon PowerShot A710 IS digital camera.
“he optical image stabilisation is a big improvement on its predecessor. Its usefulness cannot be underestimated. Consumers who use the zoom function will appreciate a light camera, like the Canon A710 IS, while knowing that it is more difficult to hold steady, especially at longer focal point distances. As the optical zoom range exceeds 200mm, image stabilisation is no superfluous luxury. Canon has already had a lot of experience with optical image stabilisation and so it is only logical that this system works perfectly.”
Website: LetsGoDigital - Canon PowerShot A710 IS Review
DIWA member LetsGoDigital have reviewed the new Canon PowerShot A710 IS digital camera. “he optical image stabilisation is a big improvement on its predecessor. Its usefulness cannot be underestimated. Consumers who use the zoom function will appreciate a light camera, like the Canon A710 IS, while knowing that it is…
DCResource have published their review of the 10 megapixel Panasonic DMC-FZ50 camera.
“Photo quality is where the FZ50 starts to fall apart. The camera does take well-exposed photos with accurate colors, pleasing sharpness, and nearly zero purple fringing. While noise is well controlled, in doing so the camera really destroys a lot of fine details in your pictures. When attacking the noise that goes along with a tiny 10 Megapixel sensor, Panasonic could’ve been conservative, gently chiseling away some (but not all) of the noise. Unfortunately, the FZ50 and it’s Venus Engine III image processor take the sledgehammer approach, leaving behind fuzzy details in its wake.”
Website: DCResource - Panasonic DMC-FZ50 Review
Website: Read our Panasonic DMC-FZ50 Review
DCResource have published their review of the 10 megapixel Panasonic DMC-FZ50 camera. “Photo quality is where the FZ50 starts to fall apart. The camera does take well-exposed photos with accurate colors, pleasing sharpness, and nearly zero purple fringing. While noise is well controlled, in doing so the camera really destroys…