Navigation
Reviews related to : Digital Cameras
In the space of a few short years digital camera technology has decimated the traditional camera market. From what started as a low quality product, expensive and with reliability problems, digital photography rapidly evolved to reduce cost and improve quality to the point where the best digital cameras can match their 35mm SLR counterparts.
If you've not taken the jump to digital photography yet, or you got there first and now want to upgrade your camera, take a look at hte GadgetSpeak reviews down below:
A rather nice small digital camera that I have had a chance to review for slightly longer than the normal two weeks which means I can delve more fully into the various styles available with it while taking out and about with me.
It is 10x6x3cm; with the lens fully extended the 3cm width becomes 7.5cm. The camera is quite weighty for a pocket portable at a tad over 200grams. This weight gives it a very solid feel and also helps with the overall balance. The solid battery is stated to last 1000 shots between charges and while I never managed that many images I never charged it after the initial charge. 10x optical zoom is a decent figure that can still be held still without a tripod. 12.
This is quite a squat offering and it looks almost child like with large buttons and rather garish colouring, very unlike recent PowerShot offerings, there is however a rather good reason for the PowerShot D10 strange appearance.
This digital camera is usable under water and I assume this is the reason for the electric blue front. The shape is also probably for the same reason. I am afraid taking it out in heavy rain and putting it a bath is the nearest I got to 10 metres under water, but in this weather the thought of swimming is not really top of my hit list of things to do in the UK in winter, not even in an indoor pool and I doubt if ‘health and safety’ rules would allow a camera anyway.
Not a writing instrument as you may think from the title, but a DSLR camera, this designed to look like an SLR of a long time ago. It takes brilliant images in daylight; alas I cannot tell you about night time shots as no flash was supplied.
The Olympus Pen E-P1 measures 12x7x11cm with the supplied 14-42mm lens fully extended. It weights 550grams including the supplied neck strap. It is supplied as standard without a flash, a hot-shoe socket is on the top and almost any flash can be fitted. A small rectangular module is mentioned but at the time of my review one was not available to be sent to me so all my tests were in daylight.
While most recent camcorders can take still images and almost all digital cameras have a movie mode this offering from Sanyo really does combine the two items in one casing, so is the camcorder/camera the way to go.
The Sanyo Xacti is designed to be gripped in the fingers with the thumb pressing the shutter and joy of joys – for the left handed – it can be used in either hand. It is 12x7x4cm and weights 187grams. When shooting with the side mounted wide screen display fully open this adds 9cm to the 4cm width. The base has a joint USB&A/V socket as well as the tripod screw. All other controls are on the back of the unit near the top and able to be reached by either thumb.
Another in the range from Canon of their superb Ixus Digital Cameras. If anything I think this one is even smaller, but, this does not mean the image quality suffers in any way. This unit is an amazing 12.1MP and gives superb images.
The Canon IXUS 120IS measures 8.5x5.5x1.5cm but it still manages a TFT of 5.5x4cm. It weights 135grams. My unit was two tone gun metal grey. The face has only the lens and the flash, the later cuts into the side of the lens surround but it is never closer than 3cm from the lens when in use. The optical zoom is 4x and it can take images up to 12.1MP. The right side has an almost invisible wrist strap anchor point. The left side has nothing.
This is very close to what a professional photographer will use. In fact from my very amateur status it was rather frightening to review, mainly because most of the time I was hitting – if not passing – my knowledge levels.
The Nikon D300s Digital SLR (DSLR) camera measures 14x11cm, the thickness is 8cm to the front of the built in flash the most exposed bit of the camera body. The lens I was sent a 16-85mm offering can extend this by up to another 12cm and the total weight is 1.45kilos. I am not going to mention the thirty odd buttons and dials that surround the camera as while they all have letters of illustrations their use can vary according to the mode you are in, something that I am just about grasping.
Unless you are quite young you (or your parents) will remember the Polaroid camera. Take an image and it was printed on rather yucky paper and the image that soon faded if left in sunlight. This is something rather different.
It is 12x7.5x3.5cm and weights 315grams. It is predominately matt black with the tops and side silver grey. It is a conventional digital camera with the Polaroid Zinc printer built in. However unlike the earlier offerings you do not have to print everything. In fact should you wish take ten or twenty images and then only print what you want as it has a TFT screen where you can review everything you take.
This is the latest digital camera from GE a name that entered the digital camera market at the beginning of 2008. This is therefore the second generation of their ‘E’ range. It is a camera that on the face of it offers a lot.
This is a 12.2mega pixel offering with 5x optical zoom. The matt black colouring together with chrome highlights make it look very smart as well as practical as it shows less fingermarks. It is 9x5.5x2cm and weights only 156grams but still has a very positive feel. The base has tripod screw and a door that covers any SD card you use as well as the solid battery.
Another in a superb range of small digital cameras from Canon. This is the forth one I have looked at in the last three years. This one has three subtle tones from silver to grey and it looks are pleasing even to a style dunce like me.
The Canon Ixus 990IS Digital Camera measures 9x5.5x2.5cm and weights 180grams. The last figure, the width, can extend up to 4cm more when on full zoom. The rear is dominated by a huge 6x4.5cm TFT display and it is reasonable in all but the strongest sunlight. To the right of this are four triangular buttons two above and two below the ubiquitous five position joystick. I suspect all but the real camera novice will know what these do from their illustrations.
The CX1 is the latest in the Ricoh line-up of compact digital cameras aimed at personal use.
The Ricoh CX1 measures approximately 102x58x28mm (WxHxD), almost identical to it's stable mate the . The dimensions are not the only similarity with that model and the CX1 can in many ways be seen as a logical successor.
I do not get to see many Sony units as their agency in the past has not the most cooperative hence this unit being supplied by Jessops. This is a small neat unit but it also has a lot of recent features and certainly worth a look.
This looks like many other small digital cameras with a huge TFT. However apart from a very small amount of internal memory it requires a card and because the camera is from Sony it will require their type of memory and not the far more easily available and reasonably priced SD cards. It is 9.5x5.5x3cm the last figure can double when the lens is fully extended. It weights 175grams and my unit was black with a chrome strip around the unit.
A cry of ‘I’ve got a little one’ is hardly likely to bring a rush of the opposite sex. However a small digital camera is something that can attract attention especially from a quality manufacturer like Nikon, this unit is exclusive to Jessops.
It 8.5x5.5x1.5cm silver in colour and it weights only 110grams it easily fits in the palm of an adult hand, but just because its small do not dismiss its capabilities. The left side is clear and the right side has only the wrist strap anchor point. The base has tripod screw and the solid battery door that also houses the SD card slot. The top has the rectangular on/off button and the round shutter release with wide angle/telephoto control around the edge.
This is a little larger than the very popular Ixus range but still a good deal smaller than a DSLR or DSLR size type of unit. It certainly feels a little more meaty in the hand than its smaller sibling.
The PowerShot SX200is from Canon measures 10x6x4cm and weights 237grams, mine was a chocolate brown colour with chrome edges and lens surround. The lens moves out by up to 5cm and when the flash opens it is a minimum of 4cm from the lens. The 12x zoom is quite impressive and while it works well items taken at full zoom will need either a very firm hand or a tripod to get razor sharp images.
This is the second Nikon offering I have reviewed, the first was extremely popular and I see no reason why this mid sized unit will not be equally so with anyone wanting to progress that bit beyond point and shoot.
The Nikon Coolpix L100 measures 11x7x8cm, the latter figure the width can increase by 2cm when the lens is out. It weights 445grams. It is black with silver colour clips for the neck strap and around the shutter area. The left side has an anchor point and a rubber bung to cover the A/V out and DC in. The right side has only the anchor point. The base has tripod screw and battery/SD card door.
If it isn’t broke don’t mend it does not seem to apply to the highly successful range of Ixus cameras. I have reviewed several and numerous things are in different places in fact it looks quiet different to earlier models.
I suppose change had to happen as the wide screen mode alters the form factor it is still small and powerful but the shape has changed. It is 9.5x5x1.5 when the lens is fully extended this adds 2cm to the last figure. The weight is 160 grams. Mine had a powder blue face but they are available in a range of colours. The right side has a door covering the HDMI and A/V out sockets as well as a very trendy looking wrist strap anchor point.
This is a digital camera small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. Size however is no barrier to the number of mega pixels or the optical zoom it can produce, but before you jump to buy the largest zoom and the biggest mega pixel you need to qualify the image quality.
The FujiFilm Finepix F200 EXR measures 9.5x6x3cm and weights 192grams. Mine was black and silver. This unit has a huge TFT screen that at 6x4.5cm totally dominates the back of the unit. Squeezed in the remaining space on the back is a wheel the ubiquitous five position joystick and four small touch buttons. The left side is bare; the right side has a door covering the USB, HD and A/V outlet as well as wrist strap anchor point.
A camera that sits very nicely somewhere between the ‘point and shoot’ and a DSLR. This unit does have a flash shoe but works perfectly well with the excellent built in flash. In fact the 5x wide zoom and 15MP images make this a very powerful unit.
It is 10x7x4.5cm this last figure the width can increase by up to another 4cm when the lens is fully zoomed. It weights a chunky 400grams. Having recently looked at a couple of very powerful units I was concerned that going back to a basic digital camera would be something of a culture shock. However this powerful unit was a very enjoyable experience. Some might even put this on a par with a DSLR. The rear of the unit is dominated by the 6x4.5cm TFT display.
If a full DSLR unit is either out of your pocket or out of your skill set then the next best thing is something like this Power Shot SX10 is. It outwardly looks like a DSLR and has superb 20x zoom on it’s built in lens.
You would need a copious pocket as the SX10 measures 12x10x8cm, fully zoomed this adds 5.5cm to the middle figure the width and it weights 670grams. Having attached the neck strap, insert 4x‘AA’ batteries and an SD card you are ready to go. As with all cameras I find it best to take a few shots with the ‘Auto’ setting while you familiarise yourself with the location of the controls and how they function.
This is another in the range of marvellous Canon Ixus offerings that I have enjoyed reviewing over the years. Not only me but those of my friends who have taken my advice and purchased one of these little Ixus offerings.
The Canon Uxus 980IS measures 9.5x6x2.5cm and the last figure, the width, can increase by up to another 3cm when it is fully zoomed. It weights 178grams. Mine was matt silver with chrome sides and round the lens. It is also available in black. Looking from the rear the right side has the anchor point for a wrist strap and a bung covering A/V out. The left side is clear. The base has entry point for the solid battery and any SD/MMC card you might use, it also has the anchor point for a tripod.
Shape and size wise this is very similar to other offerings from the ‘NV’ range previously reviewed. However this unit has not one wheel on the top but two enabling far more choices to be made quickly without delving.
The Samsung NV30 compact digital camera measures 9.5x6x2cm and uses the same system of grid buttons around the TFT to get to the various settings, strange initially but in fact far easier when you are used to it. The TFT is 5x3.8cm and to the right of this is the telephoto/wide angle rocker. There are seven push buttons to the right of the TFT and seven buttons below it.
The YellowHawk e-Publishing Platform
© YellowHawk Ltd 2003 - 2010, All rights reserved
© YellowHawk Ltd 2003 - 2010, All rights reserved
