Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips
Trusted Reviews has posted a review of the new Ricoh GR Digital II.
The Ricoh GR Digital II is a unique and ambitious camera. Despite its lack of a zoom lens it offers a level of versatility higher than almost any other pocket-sized compact camera on the market.
Camera Labs has posted a review of the Olympus E-520.
Indeed while the competition now offers some key features you should carefully weigh-up, we can still confidently award the E-520 the Highly Recommended rating of its predecessor. If you’re shopping for a new DSLR at this price-point, it should be on your shortlist.
You can read more about the new camera on Photography Bay’s Olympus E-520 page.
Luminous Landscape has posted a review of the Phase One 645 camera.
If you currently own a Mamiya 645 system and lenses and want to move to a medium format back and updated body, then the choice of the Phase One 645 is a no-brainer.
Trusted Reviews has posted a review of the Fujifilm FinePix J50.
Indifferent performance, a lack of even fairly basic features and seriously substandard image quality mean that this is one to avoid.
Trusted Reviews has posted a review of the Canon PowerShot A470.
Despite its very low cost the Canon PowerShot A470 acquits itself well. The build quality could be better, the control layout has a couple of major problems and it’s a lot larger and heavier than it really needs to be, but it makes up for these faults with extremely fast performance, excellent autofocus especially in low light, and even pretty good image quality, although it does have a few problems in this area. In general though the A470 is a genuine bargain and you won’t find much better for the price.
Cameras.co.uk has posted a review of the Nikon Coolpix S600. The S600 is a 10 megapixel point and shoot digital camera. It also features a 4x optical zoom, Nikon’s VR image stabilization and a sensitivity range up to ISO 3200.
From time to time I find a digital camera I just cannot get on with. This is the case with the Nikon Coolpix S600. It is a shame because the camera has a number of impressive points such as start up time and shutter lag delay.
Luminous Landscape has posted a review of the Canon Rebel XSi. The new Digital Rebel XSi kit comes with an stabilized 18-55mm lens. Canon’s entry-level DSLR now features a 3? rear LCD panel that’s capable of Live View framing and focusing.
As we have seen, image quality (at least within its ISO range) is on a par with anything else on the market, and better than most in this price range.
Read Photography Bay’s Canon Rebel XSi Review.
For more news, reviews and info on the XSi, check out Photography Bay’s Canon Rebel XSi Reviews and Resources.
PhotographyBLOG has posted a review of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX500. The FX500 is a 10.1 megapixel point & shoot camera with a 5x wide angle lens. It also features Panasonic’s O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilization).
Despite the poor performance at higher ISO speeds, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX500 is a fantastic compact camera that’s equally at home in point-and-shoot mode, or a more creative shooting mode.
I work on photographs on two different computers. I find myself constantly wishing that I had a file that’s on the other machine, having to hunt down a thumb drive and move it over. Network folders have helped, but what I’ve really been looking for is a solution that requires no help from me. I’m lazy — I want my files to always be in the right place, but I shouldn’t have to move them myself.
That’s where GoodSync comes in. It takes a few clicks to select folders that you want the software to keep synchronized, and then you’re done. GoodSync does all that hard work I’ve been complaining about: if you drop a file in a synced folder, it’s available on that other machine.
Installation and set up was pretty simple. GoodSync runs on Windows 2000 through Vista. I downloaded the executable file, agreed to the terms and had GoodSync up and running in under a minute (mileage may vary, depending on the speed of your internet connection). The interface is easy to use, especially considering some of the file management systems floating around out there. I especially like the automated features. You can set synchronization for any number of times, such as before you log off. It’s flexible enough to fit into anyone’s work schedule.
Furthermore, you don’t have to limit your synchronization to your photos. Anything, up to and including those many gigs of MP3s you’ve downloaded, can be synced between your computers. It’s pretty much an automatic backup made better by the fact that GoodSync protects against data loss without filling up your hard drive with duplicate files.
My only question for GoodSync is when they’re going to release a version that will let me sync with files on my Mac. It may be wishful thinking, but it would be nice.
You can download a free trial version on the GoodSync website, or purchase a license for $29.95.
Below are some of the best photography links from other sites that I came across this week. Enjoy!
10 Ways to Take Stunning Portraits – Digital Photography School – Darren Rowse gives us 10 great ideas for portraits that stand out. If you like this one, then see the follow up post, 10 More Tips for Stunning Portrait Photography.
Iran State Media Used Photoshop to Make Missile Tests Look More Impressive – Gizmodo – That’s right, journalism at its finest. Check out the extra missile that wasn’t really launched, but rather cloned in to make Iran seem a little tougher.
How Every Flickr Photo Ended Up on Sale This Weekend – JMG Galleries – This article shows just how dangerous Flickr’s API can be . . . especially when a ringtone/wallpaper site for cell phones starts offering up Flickr photos for sale as cell phone wallpapers.
The 100-Year-Old Photo Blog – Shorpy – I can’t believe that I never came across this site before. “Shorpy is a blog about old photos and what life a hundred years ago was like: How people looked and what they did for a living, back when not having a job usually meant not eating.” Pretty cool stuff.