Finest Digital Cameras

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I had the Camera for a month or so now and i must say that i was used to Point and shoot cameras with above average performance when it comes to specific areas (point and shoot are fine in their own right)… So i wanted to “migrate” into the next level and really focus on my plating photography…I Blog regularly at [...] and i soon realized that despite my old Sony zoom and daylight pics were good there were lacking that essence ….And then when shooting plated food there is all kind of things to have in mind , specifically lighting conditions…. So i browsed and compared and decided that i like both canon and Nikon Platforms ,only to make a final decision to go with Nikon D3000…And why D3000?
well the features on this camera are more than enough for someone to handle especially someone coming into more serious attempts of photography … At the price range right now there is little competition or none…And the picture quallity is great and you will start shooting as soon a you get it… I got a crash course into using it on a trip to NYC where i had the opportunity to take a lot of indoor shots and some outdoor shots with great results (and then some with not so great) but bare in mind that i am as picky as i can be..I will take several pictures , as many as possible and then choose the best angles and results to go on and use or print…
Overall i am really happy…This camera has enough features for the serious amateur that wants to learn how to use DSLRs and the basics of good photography…. Of course if you are looking into more serious cameras i am sure there are plenty of Nikon and CANON cameras to fit anybody’s needs , but for the little guy that is just starting on DSLRs the d3000 is perfect… And its pretty light too…I was carrying around without much trouble all day….Best Buy Nikon D3000 Best Price, Buy Now! [Click Here!]

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This camera is much more than I expected, I can hand it to my 7 year old and he gets amazingly good pictures. The picture quality is wonderful. The point and click mode works so well that I have trouble wanting to use it as a straight SLR but even when I do I still get amazing pictures! The only drawback I have found is that it will not take an SD card smaller than 4 meg, make sure you get one! I purchased an extra battery too but I have yet to use it. Great family camera.
I would recommend this to anyone looking for a great quality, easy to use digital camera, or a beginning SLR user.Best Buy Panasonic Lumix DMC G1 Best Price, Buy Now! [Click Here!]

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I purchased this camera for two reasons: [...] recommended it; and because I have a number of lenses for my Pentax ME Super. I did some research on the use of the older lenses with the K200 and the message was that you needed to do a lot of things to get a good picture with the combo of the camera and old lenses. This was not my experience! I was able to connect my lenses and by simply selecting the camera into manual mode was able to take great pictures without any hassle. The camera itsself is extremely robust albeit a bit heavy. I was recently at the OshKosh air show and with my camera and 80-200 (legacy lens) was able to take some awesome photos where I was able to see the expressions on pilots faces while flying by at great speed. Highly recommended.Best Buy Pentax K200D Best Price, Buy Now! [Click Here!]

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This was a replacement for my K1000, 35mm. I loved my K1000. I bought the K1000 in 1978. I finally broke it. I have a snapshot digital camera too. Get one of those snapshot things for your facebook site or use your phone. This is a real camera, it takes great pictures. The lenses it came with are excellent. The zoom is good. It is not a macro. You can get better lenses to mount to it, but the two it came with work for every situation I photograph. It is not a pro-camera. It’s for an amateur, but even amateurs can take some pro-quality pictures with the K2000. It came Corel Paint Shop Pro, which is a great program. Corel seems easier to use then Photoshop. I love the burst-mode and auto-bracket. Burst-mode is great for a fast moving situation. It does three or four frames fast, then it starts writing to the memory and slows down. It has digital filters. It has a small flash, but you can get sync flash if you want. It has shake reduction. You can adjust the ISO. The controls are somewhat complicated, but I am coming from a K1000, and snapshot digital. There are so many controls. I have not even tinkered with all of them. Until you can afford that Leica or Nikon D700, and lenses to go with, this is perfect. Best Buy Pentax K2000 Best Price, Buy Now! [Click Here!]

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Olympus E-620 is positioned between Olympus beginner and advanced DSLR camera. Currently, Olympus has E-420/450 and E-520 in the lower level class, and E-30 and E-3 in the higher end class. Compared to other popular DSLR cameras, Olympus employs smaller image sensor called 4/3 live MOS sensor. 4/3 means that the native image has 4 : 3 ratio instead of 3 : 2 ratio. This could be plus and minus. The plus is 4 : 3 ratio is widely used in TV screen size and monitors. It is also squarer. In my opinion, it is better for portrait. However, you can adjust the ratio to 3:2, 16:9 or other as you like at the expense of maximum image resolution.

The negative side of this type of sensor is the noise in high ISO. There is appearance of noise in lower ISO level such as ISO 640 or 400 as well. Fortunately, I found the noise is rendered very fine and more pleasing to look at than noise generated from other DSLR or compact cameras. It has the film like feel to it.

WHAT IS NEW COMPARED TO E-420 and E-520?

Compared to Olympus E-420, the E620 is just a tad bigger, but it is now has Image Stabilization that works with Olympus or third party lenses. Compared to both cameras, E-620 has 7 AF points instead of 3. A slightly bigger viewfinder, improved 2.7 swivel LCD screen, wireless flash commander and six art scenes mode.

BODY & HANDLING

Olympus is not the lightest camera around. It weights 521g, which is almost the same as best seller Canon XSi / 450D, but measured 130 x 94 x 60 mm, 2mm shorter and thinner than Canon XSi. The E-620 noticeably smaller than Olympus E-520.

Despite the size, Olympus E-620 is very solid to hold. Thanks to the weight and ergonomic design. The built quality is also a step up from entry level DSLR cameras. It has a nice rubberized texture in the hand and thumb rest on the back.

It has one thumb dial and four-way buttons which you will use to change various settings and navigate the menu. Each of the four-way buttons for navigation and also for access popular settings such as ISO, WB, metering, and AF mode. This is buttons are similar buttons that you often find in compact camera layout.

In addition, there is Super Control Panel. By the touch of INFO button, it will let you navigate and change various important settings in one screen. This is very smart design. Canon and Nikon interface does not come close.

Buttons are considered small compare to other DSLRs, so if you have a big fingers, you might find a bit uncomfortable to find or access the button. Unique to Olympus E-620, it has backlit buttons, which is automatically light on when you are in dark condition. This small feature is significant if you often shoot in low light condition indoor or outdoor. There is also a dedicated live view button, which will activate live view mode instaneously.

Viewfinder (96% coverage, .95 magnification) is slightly bigger than E-520 but still smaller and narrower than other entry level camera. Looking at the viewfinder is like looking at the tunnel, which is uncomfortable. You will notice significant different if you regularly shoot with higher end cameras such as Olympus E-30 or Nikon D90.

Overall, the body design and ergonomic is very good, better than some beginner DSLR cameras on the market. Despite that, you might have balance issue when you mount Olympus pro grade lenses which is heavier than regular kit lens. Olympus has thought about it and provide battery/vertical grip to counter this problem. The only significant downside is the small viewfinder.

LCD SCREEN & AF PERFORMANCE

Olympus E-620 has swivel LCD screen which is helpful for composition and also for people who are used to compose photos using back LCD screen (compact camera users). The resolution of the screen is standard (230k) but it is clearer and more detailed than other DSLR with 230k resolution.

Auto focus in live mode is slower than most compact camera, but works very well in bright or low light condition. Depending on the light condition, it takes a round one to two seconds for the camera to focus.

Aufo focus performance in viewfinder are much faster. Now it has 7 AF points, 5 of them are cross type sensor. AF continuous works very well, it is very quiet and fast. There is nothing to worry about.

To change AF points, there is dedicated button in the top left of the camera, and then you change it using thumb dial. This approach is similar to Canon DSLR cameras, but different from Nikon approach. Nikon uses four way buttons which I prefer more because it is faster and spot on.

IMAGE QUALITY

Image rendered by this camera is generally very good dan very detailed. Thanks to the above Olympus Zuiko lenses. ISO. Unfortunately, noise in in issue. There is noticeable noise especially in shadow area across ISO (low of high). Of course in high ISO, the noise are more prominent. ISO 800 is the limit between acceptable and unacceptable image.

However, to be fair, the noise generated by this camera is not annoying like many other DSLR. It is more film like than electronic noise which is usually generated by camera with CMOS sensor. It is also worth to mention that Olympus prefers to keep details rather than losing it by smearing the noise, which could be good or bad depending on your taste.

ART SCENE MODE

Art scene mode is fairly new in Olympus DSLR cameras. Basically, the camera will process the image directly after you take the picture. The process is very fast and negligible. If you use live view mode, you can see the effect on the screen. This might be fun for people who has no editing or photoshop skills but for advanced / photo enthusiasts, they might want to take original image instead and edit the photo later. In the other words, donft based your decision on buying this camera because of this feature.

OTHER

1. The shutter noise gka-chingh is not very appealing. It is quite loud and sounds cheap.

2. The size of the camera and kit lenses are equally small. It is half the volume of pro grade system, and much more enjoyable to carry on traveling or walking.

3. Evaluative metering is slightly underexposure to protect highlight, but there is also exposure compensation button that you can use to adjust it. I usually set it at +0.7 in various lighting condition.

COMPETITORS

Olympus E520
Olympus E-520 is an older DSLR cameras which is a bit bigger in body size, but have fewer and less sophisticated features. Like E-620, it has built-in image-stabilization, but thatfs about it. E-520 has a smaller viewfinder, non-swivel LCD screen, no backlit buttons, no art scene mode, and only has 3 AF points and 10 megapixel image resolution. But E-520 wins in price. It is approx. $250 cheaper than E-620.

Canon T1i
Canon T1i is $100 more expensive than E-620 but it has movie mode, bigger and hi-res (910k) LCD screen, 11 AF points and compatible with EOS lenses collection.

Pentax k-x
Newcomer Pentax k-x has better image quality in high ISO, very compact size, has a live view mode but in a cheaper package. Pentax kx might be the toughest competitor Olympus must face beside Canon and Nikon cameras.

Nikon D5000
D5000 also has swivel LCD screen, but lack of AF motor that prevent this camera to use older Nikon lenses. Image quality is superb in low or high ISO setting.

CONCLUSION

Olympus E-620 is an interesting camera, it focuses on compact size which is the right thing to do to get advantage of four third sensor. Built quality is better than most beginner DSLRs. There are many dedicated buttons and very friendly menu / control panel so you can find and change setting you want very fast. The ergonomic is also very good especially for average hand man/woman. Featurewise, this camera is very up to date although it lacks movie mode. In addition, it has backlit buttons which is non-existence even in my Nikon D700, a $2500 camera. It also has crystal clear swivel LCD screen. I find myself using it for many occasions. There two weaknesses of this camera, small viewfinder and noticeable noise in ISO 1600 or higher. If Olympus fix this problem in upcoming dSLR while retaining the compact size, this camera will make a great travel or street companion.

Subjective rating relative to beginner DSLR cameras in 2009
Image Quality : 4/5
Features : 5/5
Performance : 5/5
Body and Handling : 4/5
Value for Money : 3/5

Please visit my website for sample images, high iso comparison and size comparison.

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The quality of photos is great, with very quick autofocus, and using a zoom lens with the IS feature still gives very sharp images. There is a learning curve with all the features on the camera, and searching through the menu or book takes some time to learn, but using the features makes them easier to remember. Indoors and in flash situations, I haven’t found a way to MAKE it take a picture even with the flash unit raised. Seems it wants to find its own focus rather than my manual focus, or something other, but this is the only irritating thing about the camera. For outdoor photography this isn’t an issue, but indoors it is.Best Buy Canon EOS 50D Best Price, Buy Now! [Click Here!]

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The D90 was my first step into DSLR and I chose Nikon because of 20+ years of good past experience with a rock-solid (and very basic!) N2000 and later the digital Coolpix 950. I bought my D90 in June 2009 and for several thousand images it fell in the category “you shouldn’t ever feel this close to an inanimate object”. I like the way it feels in my hand and its weight isn’t a problem for me, although I’ve seen a few negative comments about that. I’m happy with the bright display. The batteries have lasted well. The controls are where they should be for a Nikon. It was solid: you can easily freeze the hummingbird in the air and the water droplets falling from a dolphin at its apex. It had the kind of responsiveness that you’ll recall if you’ve worked with plain old SLRs (and minus the “lag” of the older non-SLR Coolpix!).

It’d be safe to say I love almost everything about the camera…*except* that I’ve recently run into the F– lens mount error. I’d read Amazon reviews before buying the camera, but blew off what people had written

You can read more about the problem (and 18-135 lens kit) here:

[...]

and in the results of a Google search of “d90 lens error” or similar.

I’ve removed the lens, cleaned the contacts, etc. but quite often now I’ll be squeezing a shot and nothing…sometimes jiggling the lens or remounting fixes the problem. Even slight pressure on the side of the zoom can correct the problem.

All I can really say about the problem is that if you don’t have it, you’ll probably love the D90. If you *do* have it, it’s really a deal breaker. In any situation with a moving/changing subject, you almost never have a second chance once you’ve nudged the lens a bit and tried to clear it. And having that confidence in your equipment that it will work reliably when you need it is unspeakably important.

Without the lens mount/electrical contact error, I’d give the camera the highest rating. As is, I now have to figure out what the Nikon terms are on servicing the camera, determine where to send it, etc. All I really want now is to have this camera back working correctly because I think it’s a beautiful piece of technology when working.Best Buy Nikon D90 DX Best Price, Buy Now! [Click Here!]

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I’ve had my G1 for three months, and there isn’t much I can add to the other 5-star reviews. It’s a very solid camera that is easy to carry and easy to use. It takes great pictures. It has three excellent kit lenses to choose from, and it can use hundreds of great lenses from the days of film that are now very inexpensive and easily available.

I have both kit zooms and 3 legacy primes. I’m particularly impressed by the performance of the zooms, which are both exceptionally good for such moderately priced lenses.

All in all, I highly recommend this camera (or its sibling, the GH1, if you need video) to anyone who is moving up from a fixed lens camera and to anyone who is tired of lugging the weight of a full frame dSLR around.

One note: I’ve noticed that several reviewers cited poor high-ISO performance as a drawback. While literally true – a less than full frame sensor is at a technical disadvantage with respect to noise – I’ve found that this is much less of a problem than I expected. Part of the reason is that Panasonic took a deliberately conservative approach to setting ISO levels, unlike Canon, Olympus, and others who have exaggerated their ISO numbers. For this reason, a G1 image shot at what Panny calls “ISO 800″ is essentially identical in exposure to what many dSLRs produce when set at what those other companies call “ISO 1600.” The amount of light hitting the sensor is the same in both cases, and therefore the amount of noise is quite similar.

Thus it is important to compare the noise in an ISO 800 shot from the G1 with the noise from most other popular cameras set at 1600, and so on at every other ISO increment. (Certain Nikons are an exception, as they are closer to the Panasonic definitions of ISO than the inflated Canon/Olympus definition.)

After all, it’s the actual exposure settings that matter, not the labels the camera makers put on the ISO. If two cameras shoot the same scene with the same aperture and the same shutter speed, the two exposures will be the same. It doesn’t matter that one camera is set at ISO 200 and the other is set at ISO 400, the amount of light reaching both sensors is the same.

What this means in practical terms is that the G-1′s TRUE low light performance is one full stop better than most people expect if they just go by the ISO settings.Best Buy Panasonic Lumix DMC G1 Best Price, Buy Now! [Click Here!]

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I love my new camera! The pictures are very sharp and colors are amazing. I only have the kit lens and so far, I am really happy with the quality of the pictures. This is my first DSLR camera, and I purchased this one because of the HD video recording capability. I use an 8 gb Sandisk Extreme III SDHC with it (as recommended by another reviewer) and I have not had any problems with video recording or playback. I do suggest using a Speedlite 430EX with it if you intend to take a lot of indoor pictures or anywhere where there is poor lighting. The flash on this camera is powerful but can only do so much. I borrowed one from a friend and my pictures came out better with the Speedlite. As long as you don’t use live view, battery life is great. I was able to take pictures and videos all day long (about 12 hours) at Magic Kingdom without having to change the battery. If you are thinking about getting the XSi, get this one instead. It is a much better deal for a couple hundred more. Best Buy Canon EOS Rebel T1i Best Price, Buy Now! [Click Here!]

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Every aspect of the purchase was as advertised. The sale from Beach Camera through Amazon went without a hitch. The package arrived on schedule, without damage, and all warranties/instructions were included. The camera has performed, so far, as expected. The 18-200mm zoom will make a good all-purpose TRAVEL lens and I expect to be purchasing additional lens (not necessarily for travel) in the future.Best Buy Nikon D300 DX Best Price, Buy Now! [Click Here!]

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