Digital Camera Reviews

Digital Camera Product Review by Jem


The Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D, priced at $1,599 (body only), is Konica Minolta’s bet for the high-end digital SLR market, competing against the likes of Canon’s Digital Rebel and EOS-20D, Fujifilm’s S3 Pro, Olympus E-1 and EVOLT-E-300, and Nikon D70. What sets it apart from the competition is its Anti-shake system, which is designed to reduce the blurring effects caused by unsteady grip of the camera. The system detects outside movements and produces an inverse motion from the CCD, which is set on a movable plane. The 6.1-megapixel SLR uses Li-Ion battery and comes with a battery charger, LCD protection panel, wireless remote control and neck strap. However, you will need to purchase a memory card since this is not included in the package.

The Maxxum 7D supports both RAW and RAW+JPEG modes and comes with a 25-inch LCD display with 207,000 pixels. The camera is sturdy and firm to grip with its rubberized grip. Minolta is introducing two new lenses specifically to complement Maxxum 7D’s Anti-shake feature, which does not work well with some macro lenses. Other optional accessories available for this SLR are flashes, AC adapter, remote cable releases, focusing screens and angled viewfinder. It has loads of features that enthusiasts would ask for in a D-SLR. Photographers would be excited by the numerous mechanical controls this gadget offers.

This new model, which comes with manual controls, produces excellent, noise-free photos even at high ISO. The D-SLR also offers time-lapse shooting and white balance by color temperature options The camera’s LCD shows useful camera settings, including shutter speed, aperture, exposure, and flash, basically everything you need to know when shooting photos. The Maxxum 7D’s LCD also rotates when you take pictures upright.

The Maxxum 7D will surely be a tough competition in the D-SLR market with its innovative features, excellent photo quality, and slick design, but a major drawback would have to be its high cost. Compared with other 6-megapixel D-SLRs, this camera is too pricey, more or less at the same price level as the 8-megapixel Canon D-SLR. One should carefully consider if the Anti-shake technology is worth the extra bucks.



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Buying a new digital camera by Nick Stubbs


I feel, after visiting so many websites and reading so much advice, and also by frequently visiting photography forums, that I have to speak on this subject.

For the majority of the buying public, there are 2 categories that we fall into when getting started or upgrading in digital photography, the "Absolute Beginner" or the "Amateur" (or serious amateur sometimes labelled as semi pro).

Now for the beginner, or someone getting started in photography itself (not just digital), the choice of cameras nowadays is quite overwhelming! Everywhere you look there are cameras, not just in camera shops like the good old days. You even get given a cheap digital camera as a gift for buying something else in some places. There are reasonably powerful digital cameras in the more expensive mobile phones now and they come in all shapes and sizes.

So where do you possibly start and how do you make that choice for buying a camera for yourself or someone else. Really it is quite simple and there are 3 criteria you should look at:

1.Quality - If you want the camera to last at least a few years and not get bothered by a bit of bashing about, go for quality. A titanium body, not plastic, something that is fairly heavy and robust in your hands, you can feel quality!
2.Features - Do you want quality video capabilities? How big do you want to print the pictures that come from the cameras files (how many mega pixels)? Do you want to have at least some manual features so you can get a bit creative? Or do you just want a "Point-and-shoot" digital camera?
3.Price - You will have a budget in mind of how much you want to spend. Get the best camera and memory you can for your budget, worry about extras later! Don't be cheap; if you want reasonably good quality prints, by spending too little on a very cheap camera, you will waste paper, printer ink and/or good money at your local lab. Get a good make and model of digital camera now and it will outlast a cheapie 4 or 5 times.

DO NOT be swayed by digital cameras that have "Non-Photographic" features, gadgets and gizmos. Any of these unnecessary features added means that some quality has been sacrificed elsewhere. Buy a camera to be a camera, and nothing else. I would also suggest buying one of the top brands such as Canon, Nikon, Konica-Minolta, Olympus etc., they may cost a little more, but the difference in quality is worth it. They all make cheaper end cameras too.

Look for decent features such as a good optical zoom, NOT digital zoom. Digital zoom is an unnecessary marketing tool; it is the same as zooming in on the photo once you get it onto your PC. 10-20X digital zoom is acceptable but I have seen video cameras with 1000X digital zoom, have you ever tried holding the camera steady at these kind of magnifications, even with a tripod?!!

Basically, write down exactly what you want and need from the camera, go to a reputable dealer and buy a good branded camera that has what you need for your requirements and budget, don't be swayed by the salesperson into buying more than you need.

Now, the Amateur or Semi Pro. When you start to look at Semi professional Digital SLR's or Advanced digital compact cameras, the choice is a little less but no less confusing. The same advice goes here as in the previous section, think about what you need the camera for, how you think you may progress in this hobby and your budget.

The "prosumer" advanced digital compact cameras available today are steadily encroaching on the quality of the DSLR, although in my opinion, they will never catch them. The optical zooms are fantastic, the sensors, albeit smaller than the DSLR are powerful and produce stunning images, and some even have "built-in" image stabilisers…Great!

Again, my advice would be to go for quality. These cameras are more expensive anyway and you want one that will last and put up with a bit of knocking from your "getting creative in photography" moments! Once you have your advanced digital compact, don't be swayed by the latest upgrades, updates or releases. Get to know what you have, learn how to use it effectively and learn the photography side of photography, not the technical side.

Once you are happy with your progression and feel that you want to move on, be more in control and maybe even start to earn from photography, only then should you splash out and upgrade to a Digital SLR.

The Semi Professional Digital SLR or consumer DSLR is a fantastic thing in photography. Many of the "die-hard" film photographers are seeing the light and going digital. Many aspects of film are still widely used and will do for some time, as large format film photography produces the absolute finest detail I have seen (at the time of writing. In 2020, who knows?).

However, the latest batch of Digital SLR's have now reached the point where they match or out perform 35mm film. It is predicted that next year (2006) will be "boom time" for the sales of DSLR's as the quality increases and the prices come down. There has never been a better or cheaper way to get into 35mm photography!

The BIGGEST thing to consider when buying a DSLR kit is to choose your brand loyalty. Look at Canon, Nikon, Konica-Minolta, Olympus, Kodak etc., and make your choice, why? As you progress and become more enthusiastic or serious, you will want to add more lenses to your kit. Wide angle, telephoto, zoom, macro, standard….there is a massive choice.

With the way technology is going, you are much more likely to upgrade your camera than you are your lenses and it will be a lot cheaper to do so once you really get into this hobby, believe me! One decent lens in my kit cost €2,000 (£1400) alone. A decent lens will, with care, last you a lifetime. There is only a certain level of quality of the glass you can obtain with optics so remember this point when buying your camera.

My choice? Canon. I used to work for Nikon and had a preference towards them, but nowadays all my kit is Canon. I feel they are one step ahead with technology and the lenses (especially the nice white ones) are amazing! Just look at the next major sporting event on TV, how many "White" lenses you see. Only Canon makes white lenses.

Again, once you have made your choice, BUY the camera, ENJOY it and LEARN from it! If the sensor (i.e. 8MP or bigger) produces LARGE, high quality prints, why be swayed by the newer, latest upgrades? Photography is about "learning" and enjoyment, DO NOT be intimidated by technological gobbeldy gook, as long as your camera has the features that you need, quality to match and you build a nice set of lenses over time, who cares if the latest model has 0.1% better white balance control, or flashing lights?

If you are new to Digital SLR's, I have a section on my website that explains all the bits and buttons…

http://www.all-things-photography.com/digital-slr.html ">Digital SLR Newbie?

All the best and enjoy yourselves!

Nick Stubbs http://www.all-things-photography.com ">All Things Photography



About the Author
Professional photographer with more than 20 years experience. Started at 13 by building own darkroom, progressed to become an apprentice at 16 and have not looked back since.


Digital camera macro mode by Jakob Jelling


The digital camera is a wonderful device that allows a diverse variety of applications with its even diverse spectral collection of utilities. As technology progresses it brings along with it those intense pleasures that human beings have only thought of. Now the digital camera has opened up the dimensions for the people and the photographers in providing with the liberty of capturing whatever they wish and of whatever type they prefer! Well the magic words are macro mode. Although the words might seem to be a bit deceiving they have really a great application in the field of digital photography and digital camera as a device. In general the digital camera macro mode allows a digital camera to photograph close-up pictures of petite objects like flowers, insects, coins, etc. Macro mode potentiality vary from camera to camera but almost all digital cameras offer this exclusive feature to enable the users to widen up their imaginations and their weirdest fantasies in creating art.

Extending the discussion further we can state that just about most of the digital cameras has a macro mode. Each of these digital cameras can be verified of having the macro mode because for each of them one of the menu buttons will have an icon of a flower on it. This is the macro mode button invariably. And thus has the specific technology built in. The macro mode button, when pressed, switches the camera into a special close focus mode and many allow the photographer to shoot less than 10cm from the picture subject. Many cameras of reputed companies like Nikon and Ricoh allows the users to be as close as 3cm from the picture subject that permits barely credible close ups of tiny objects such as little insects. The macro mode has a greater variety of applications in security measurements too. At times macro mode may be also useful for making photographic records of priced jewels for insurance purposes in order to prevent theft and fraudulent activities.

The macro mode is more often than not present on the menu button that as well has an icon of two triangles symbolizing mountains (or rather landscape mode) and sometimes MF (manual focus) too. This button has to be pressed several times until the flower icon appears on the viewing LCD. A number of digital cameras then subsequently by design shift into a particular precinct on the zoom lens making a mechanical sound as the zoom reset. While using a digital camera macro mode it must be noted that it is harder to focus for the digital camera instantly, so it takes a bit of time for adjustment. Thus the users need not hurry while using the digital camera macro mode. As the subject comes in focus the depth-of-field also increases. On the other hand, the depth-of-field is controlled by the camera's aperture. Most digital cameras are full automatic and this setting cannot be changed. Thus patience becomes a virtue while using the digital camera in their macro mode.

Much has already been discussed about the digital camera macro mode. It can be stated here that the digital camera macro mode is a really intricate feature. And every delicate object or subject needs to be handled with care. To really cherish the beauty of the digital camera macro modes the users require developing the expertise and also building a kind of patience that is necessary to cerate beauty in art and object.



About the Author
Jakob Jelling is the founder of http://www.snapjunky.com . Visit his digital camera guide and learn how to take better pictures with your digicam.


Review: Real world Camera Raw with Adobe Photoshop CS
by Maricon Williams


Photoshop CS is no doubt the most momentous Photoshop progress which complements digital photographers. Real world Camera Raw with Adobe Photoshop CS discusses exciting new features for general users, web designers, video editors and digital photographers. This book is authored by Bruce Fraser.

Bruce Fraser is a noted author having co-authored the penultimate Photoshop resource book Real World Photoshop from Peachpit Press. He is also a contributing editor for Mac World plus a regular contributor for CreativePro where he wrote his “Out of Gamut” articles. Fraser is also a co-author of Real World Color Management from Peachpit Press. He has also made a study of human vision and how it relates to reproducible color in photography and photomechanical reproduction. Bruce is a regular speaker and presenter at notable trade shows and conferences as well as Seybold and Thunder Lizard’s Photoshop Conferences. He has also consulted for an extensive series of major photographic and digital imaging companies.

Adobe Photoshop CS is the new version (Version 8) of Adobe Photoshop. It is a part of the newly announced Adobe Creative Suite which combines new versions of Adobe Photoshop CS with ImageReady CS, Adobe illustrator CS, Adobe InDesign CS, Adobe GoLive CS, Adobe Acrobat 6.0 Professional, and the new "Version Cue" file version manager, which lets you track integrations quickly and locate files easily.

Camera RAW part of Photoshop 7 Adobe Photoshop Camera RAW & JPEG 2000 Plug-in Bundle is now an integrated part of Photoshop CS. This has added substantial power to Photoshop CS. JPEG 2000 delivers superior quality for the same compression ratios. Conversely, since no camera support JPEG 2000, support is available through a separate plug-in that ships with the software.

Depending on the camera brand, Raw may come in different flavors. Adobe Photoshop CS covers most RAW formats available today. However, RAW data may not be always read accurately. For example, the white balance of Nikon Coolpix 5000 images may have unnatural result which is not a case with Nikon Capture 3.5. To fix the white balance, click in a non-specular white area followed by a minor tint adjustment. Supplementary adjustments can be made through the advanced “Calibration” tab. The “Adjust” tab controls exposure, shadow, brightness and contrast sliders. Albeit Photoshop CS features now a new Histogram Palette, the RAW dialog box also features live histograms.

Noise reduction is not a problem with Photoshop CS. It has the color noise reduction and luminance smoothing sliders which allow you to reduce colors and luminance noise. Luminance noise should be use with caution because it can lead to an artificial “water paint” effect. The noise reduction performs very well and preserves the image detail and sharpness.

To remove chromatic aberrations, apply a local desaturation in the corresponding color channels. The Lens tab of the Raw dialog box provides effective ways of eliminating these aberrations.

To have additional knowledge of Camera raw with Adobe Photoshop CS, purchase a copy of this book. It will sure enlighten the dark areas of the subject matter.




About the Author
For comments and inquiries about the article visit http://www.ucreative.com


How to Buy a Digital Camera
by Gary Hendricks


Are buying your first digital camera? Well, you must be confused by the bewildering range of models out there. How do you know which model will suit your needs? To make things worse, digital cameras do not come cheap. Choosing a bad camera will easily cost you a few hundred dollars.

In fact, buying a digital camera need not be a difficult task. I'll highlight the key considerations you need to think through before making that purchase decision. Always, always remember to consider these factors when buying a digital camera:

* Battery Life
* Number of Megapixels
* Zoom Lens
* Exposure Control
* User Controls

Battery Life
This has got to be one of the most overlooked features in digital cameras. I know many people who go for the latest and greatest digital cameras which are short in the battery life department. If you want to take good photos, your camera needs to powered for extended periods of time. I've found that cost and battery life don't go together - many cheap cameras have good battery life, while some high-end models drain your battery really fast. Make sure you choose a camera that has good battery life.

Number of Megapixels
The megapixel rating of a digital camera determines how much fine detail you can capture in your shots. Typically, the number of megapixels can range around from 2 megapixels to 8 megapixels. How do you decide how many megapixels you need? As a rule of thumb, if you're only interested in taking small snapshots to send via email or for posting on the Web, you won't need more than 2-megapixels. If you want large print outs of your gorgeous photographs, then you'll probably want to get 5-megapixel cameras and above.

Zoom Lens
You'll definitely want a camera with decent optical zoom. Now the keyword here is optical zoom (as opposed to digital zoom). Optical zoom physically moves the camera lenses to zoom in on a subject. Digital zoom, however, digitally averages and magnifies the image within the camera's microchip - resulting in poor picture quality. Many manufacturers' advertisements talk about digital zoom instead of optical zoom - so do be careful when choosing. I'd recommend getting at least 3x optical zoom in any camera you buy.

Exposure Control
The ability to control exposure settings such as shutter speed and lens opening is critical to professional photographers. Cheaper digital cameras only allow you to shoot photos in automatic mode - just press the shutter release and voila, your picture is taken. More advanced users prefer to tweak the shutter speed and aperture to capture fast moving objects or blur the image background. Choose a camera with good exposure control if you foresee yourself taking on photography as a serious hobby.

User Controls
If you are getting a point-and-shoot camera, make sure you find one that's easy to use. User controls to set resolution, macro mode, flash and exposure should be within easy reach. Of course, if you're a serious photography buff who wants to take the time to tweak all sorts of manual settings, then this many not be so critical. I prefer to try out the camera first in the store - play with the controls and get comfortable with them. Only then will you know whether it's comfortable enough for you.

Conclusion
Well, I do hope this article has helped you understand what factors to consider when buying a digital camera. A general piece of advice I can give is - if you're a total newbie, don't go for the latest digital SLR. It may be tempting to get that Nikon D70 right from the start, but I'd reckon its much better to start off with a cheaper camera first. Learn, experiment and build up your digital photography skills. Once you're more skilled, then proceed to upgrade to a better camera. Good luck and happy shopping!



About the Author
Gary Hendricks runs a hobby site on digital photography. Visit his
website at http://www.basic-digital-photography.com for tips and
tricks on buying digital cameras, as well as shooting great photos.


Product Review on Maxxum D70 Digital Camera by Carla Ballatan


Are you a professional photographer or digital technology enthusiasts into photography and is crazy about the ever-increasing line of digital cameras? If you are then, here’s something new for you from the Konica Minolta. The Maxxum 7D’s (Dynax 7D in Europe) detailed specification came out on September 15, 2004 in a press release, just before the Photokina tradeshow. Maxxum 7D is Konica Minoltas first digital SLR for five years since RD-3000.

Maxxum 7D digital camera is based on the Maxxum 7 (Dynax 7) film SLR with similar body design and control layout. However, the 7D’s main difference is that it has a digital ‘heart’ – a large LCD monitor and control system. It doesn’t have the 7’s grip sensor, though.

This new product by Konica Minolta has an Anti-Shake stabilization system which is unique among digital SLR’s… Not yet awed or want to know how the Anti-Shake Stabilization System work? Minolta first introduced this feature with the DiMAGE A1. With an Anti-Shake Stabilization System in your digital cam, instead of stabilizing a lens element (as in a traditional image stabilization system) the sensor is stabilized. Inside the 7D its six megapixel CCD is mounted on a movable platform controlled by two actuators (x and y axis). This platform moves in the opposite way as the movement of the camera and determined by motion detectors, giving you an additional 3 stops. For example, with anti-shake enabled, instead of requiring a shutter speed of 1/1000s to shoot a particular scene, you will be able to shoot at only 1/125s (8 times slower).

This system can be very useful in shooting moving subjects at low light conditions by panning and/or when using long focal lengths. It can detect a panning movement and only compensate for movement on the opposite axis. It can be disabled by switching on the rear of the camera.

What’s exciting and new about this anti-shake system is that it instantly adds stabilization to the entire range of Minolta lenses. There is an ‘Anti-Shake’ indicator visible through the viewfinder and provides the photographer with feedbacks as to how much the system will have to compensate for shake. Though, if you’re used to seeing the effect of optical image stabilization through the viewfinder of your SLR you have to get used to the fact that you don’t get that on the 7D.

Two new lenses were also launched, designed for use with the 7D. The Konica Minolta claims that these lenses produce high quality digital images especially when used in combination with Maxxum 7D’s Anti-Shake Technology.

Another thing to be excited about -- Maxxum 7D is cheaper than it’s counterparts such as Canon EOS 20D, Fujifilm S3 Pro, Olympus E-1 and Nikon D70, but hopefully, equally as capable. Its main body’s price range is at $1379 – 1599. With all these impressive details, it won’t be surprising if you feel the urge to start hitting the stores now and start snapping away. It is after all an extraordinary piece of digital technology.





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Opinion on the Casio Exilim EX-Z750 by Rick Blythe


Yesterday I bought my third digital camera, the Casio Exilim EX-Z750. I needed a pocketable camera as the Sony DSC-F717 and the Nikon D70 are a bit large to carry around in certain situations. At least, that's how I spun it to my wife.

I thought I'd post a few thoughts I have on the camera here. First of all the size is striking. So much funtionality in such a small package, Casio are masters at this sort of thing. I am also amazed at the battery life from such a teenie battery, again kudos to Casio. There enough Scene modes included in this digicam to cover any situation possible, possibly too many modes. The firmware in this digicam is the best I have seen, ever. I can even tell this camera which settings I want it to remember after I power off the camera, and which to set back to default. I can't tell you how many times I have ruined a shot because my white-balance was set to some screwy setting. But I like it remembering my ISO and flash setting. Love it.

Where I see the camera falling down is in two areas. The flash is definitely under-powered. Luckily I rarely use flash, I prefer natural light with correct white-balance. Secondly, the CCD and metering combination often produce blown-out highlights. The live histogram helps here; you can dial in some EV compensation if you wish, but too many of my shots are having this problem. I can live with it in an ulta-compact though.

All-in-all, I love my little Casio EX-Z750. It's fast, feature packed, and has a very high toy factor to it!


About the Author
Rick Blythe runs www.Camera-News.com, a site about digital cameras and photography


Maxxum D70 Digital Camera
Casio Exilim EX-Z750