Official Olympus E-520 Press Release >>
Olympus E-520 Beta Sample Photos >>

Olympus was kind enough to send me a pre-production E-520 and I’ve been playing with it for a few days now. Since it’s a pre-production camera and the firmware isn’t final yet, I can’t really evaluate the camera’s performance or image quality. However, it does have all the best characteristics of its predecessor, the E-510 - and then some. I liked the E-510 because of the compact size of the body, the built-in image stabilization, and the 2x crop factor of the Four-Thirds lenses. This combination of features made the E-510 - as well as other Olympus digital SLRs - great for travel and outdoor photography, where minimal weight and size make a real difference.

Read the rest of this entry »

Olympus E-420 - World’s Smallest Digital SLR

The 10-megapixel Olympus E-420 is currently the world’s smallest digital SLR. It makes the Canon EOS Rebel XSi / 450D look positively chunky. Olympus recently sent us an E-420 for evaluation so I thought I’d get a short preview up while we work on our comprehensive review.

Read the rest of this entry »

Applicable model: FinePix F100fd

Detail of the update
The firmware update Ver.1.02 incorporates the following issues.
Reduce “pinkish-colored band” which may be rarely found in the left side edge of image when the image is shot at ISO 400 or shot without flash on “NATURAL & FLASH MODE”.

Read the rest of this entry »

Lexar’s Professional UDMA card reader is a compact, collapsible memory card reader with slots for SecureDigital and CompactFlash memory cards. It has a USB 2.0 interface and can read the new UDMA CompactFlash cards as well as high-capacity SDHC SecureDigital memory cards. I’ve been using the Lexar Professional UDMA reader in the office and on the road for a few months now and recently tested it against a couple of other card readers.
 

Read the rest of this entry »

Every mother wants to keep pictures of her loved ones close to her, so cameras and photographs make ideal Mother’s Day gifts.

When it comes to finding the perfect gift for your mom – and don’t forget grandmothers and wives! – there are many photographic options, from cameras and accessories to prints and collectibles. We’ve come a long way since the days of photo calendars and coffee mugs. Here are some gift ideas sure to please every mother on your list (including a few do-it-yourself options for kids and the budget-minded).

Read the rest of this entry »

A New Twist On The Photo Album,
Photo Books Come In All Sizes And Styles

Back in the days of film photography, pictures that didn’t make it into photo albums languished in shoe boxes under beds or on closet shelves. However, the modern equivalent of a shoebox - a computer hard drive - is generally a far less safe location .

On a computer, photographs are extremely vulnerable to being lost in hard-drive crashes, unless they are regularly and securely backed up onto an external hard drive, CD or DVD. But while archival digital storage is important, it’s not much fun for viewing.

The best way to enjoy photographs while ensuring they last for years is to place them in a photo album or its more recent variation, a photo book.

Read the rest of this entry »

The 10.1-megapixel Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX35 has one of the widest lenses offered in a pocket-sized point-and-shoot digital camera. The 4x Leica optical zoom is 25mm at the wide end with an f/2.8-5.6 aperture and Panasonic’s MEGA O.I.S. optical image stabilization. The FX35 also features the 4th generation of Panasonic’s Venus image processing for faster image capture, start-up, and a super-fast frame rate. It’s all packaged in a very compact, attractive metal body with a 2.5-inch LCD.

Want to buy a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX35?
Compare prices and shop for a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX35 digital camera >>

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX35 Studio Test Images
	ISO 100 Sample >> ISO 200 Sample >> ISO 400 Sample >> ISO 800 Sample >> ISO 1600 Sample >>

Pros 25mm 4x Leica wide-angle lens Pocket-sized Panasonic’s MEGA O.I.S. image stabilization Intelligent ISO Panasonic Venus IV processing Lots of auto focus options	Cons Image quality is poor from over-processing Auto focus struggles with low-contrast scenes Face detection doesn’t work well Telephoto end is short

Read the rest of this entry »

The Nikon Coolpix P5100 is a compact, 12.1-megapixel consumer digital camera with a 35-123mm (equivalent) optically stabilized zoom lens. Along with the usual features like face detection, movie recording, and high ISO capability, the P5100 offers an optical viewfinder and a flash hot shoe. Nikon accessory lenses are also available.

Want to buy a Nikon Coolpix P5100?
Compare prices and shop for a Nikon Coolpix P5100 digital camera >>

Nikon Coolpix P5100 Studio Test Images
	ISO 64 Sample >> ISO 100 Sample >> ISO 200 Sample >> ISO 400 Sample >> ISO 800 Sample >> ISO 1600 Sample >> ISO 2000 Sample >> ISO 3200 Sample >>

Pros Ergonomic design and controls Pocketable size and weight Bright, high resolution LCD screen Strong image quality Usable high ISO capability Realistic color rendition Optical viewfinder Flash hot shoe Spot metering	Cons Auto focus needs bright light No RAW format Card write speed is average Slow shot-to-shot speed No continuous shooting in scene modes Battery life is average-to-short

Read the rest of this entry »