Pentax Optio SV Review at Steve's Digicams

Steves Digicams - Pentax Optio SV User Review: "The Optio SV is a compact point-n-shoot that captures high-quality images with 5.0 effective megapixels. It also employs a high-contrast smc PENTAX 5x optical zoom lens that boast a high-level of clarity for sharp detailed images."

Steves Digicams - Pentax *ist DS Digital SLR Preview

Steves Digicams - Pentax *ist DS Digital SLR - User Review "Despite its size, the *ist DS offers 6.1 million effective pixels of resolution and PENTAX original image processing technology. The camera is compatible with most existing PENTAX interchangeable lenses to meet a wide range of applications and visual creativity."

Steves Digicams - Pentax Optio MX4 - User Review

Steves Digicams - Pentax Optio MX4 - User Review: "The second of the palm-sized 'MX' series cameras from Pentax (as of 11/2004), the Optio MX4 captures both high quality still images and VGA (640x480) sized movies. It meets consumer demand to capture distant subjects with its 10X optical zoom lens, which has a focal range covering angles of view equivalent to those of a 38mm-380mm lens in 35mm format."

Pentax Firmware Updates

For: Pentax Optio 750Z, and Pentax Optio 30. (Found at PhotographyBLOG)

Fuji FinePix A607 for £99

"Would you recommend the Fuji FinePix A607, now that it has been reduced to £99?" is a question I'm getting asked a lot. Here's the answer: The camera is a 3 megapixel digital camera with a 3x optical zoom, the only difference between it and the A330 is the original price, and the 3mp super ccd sensor. Originally the A607 was a rediculous £249 at PC World / Dixons / Currys, a couple of months ago they reduced it to £149 (which is the price of the 4 megapixel A340), and now they have reduced it to £99, which is the current price of the A330 (see Asda, or if you want a REAL bargain, see the Fuji Refurb Shop, where they have the A340 for £99!).

So now that the A607 is the price that I think it should have been from the start, would I recommend it? And would I recommend it over the A330? No, and No - no because the A607's 6 megapixel setting takes up much more memory on your memory card, and doesn't really add that much to the images - they're basically just bigger and take up more space, and No because the screen on the back of the A607 was very poor.

So am I recommending the A330 or the A340? I can't really say, because I haven't played with the A330 or A340 in real life - it might have a better screen than the A607 - but the specifications appear the same. Saying that other sites that have reviewed it have rated it highly.

Based on my experience of the A607, and my experience of other digital cameras, for around £99, I would recommend one of the following: the extremely popular Olympus C-310, Canon A400, Canon A75, Pentax Optio S30, Nikon 3200, or maybe even the Kodak CX7330*. Find the latest prices on Amazon.co.uk.

* I will be reviewing the Kodak CX7330 nearer the end of the week, so if you want to find out what it's like, check back here regularly, subscribe to my rss feed / bloglines, or subscribe to the newsletter (top right).

Related Links:
Fuji FinePix A330 Info
Fuji FinePix A340 Info
Fuji FinePix A607 Info (fuji site)
Fuji FinePix A607 Review (this site)
Fuji Refurb Store UK

Digital Cameras: The Best from the Best

Digital Photography Blog: "PC Magazine have done a survey of their readers on their favorite digital cameras. This year the highest rated digital camera manufacturer was Nikon with a score of 8.6 followed closely by Canon with a rating of 8.5 and Panasonic with a rating of 8.4." More at PCMag.

Konica Minolta Dimage Z10 Review at PhotographyBLOG

PhotographyBLOG give the Konica Minolta Dimage Z10 a big thumbs up: "The Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z10 is an amazing camera at an amazing price which you should go and buy at once - it's as simple as that. Konica Minolta have bucked the trend by designing an entry level camera that will allow your photography skills to flourish as you gain more experience, whilst not being too intimidating for complete beginners. If you are just getting seriously interested in photography and want the immediate feedback of a digital camera without spending too much, the DiMAGE Z10 is the one for you. Konica Minolta have also included a great 8x optical zoom that provides a zoom range of 36-290mm, probably all that you will ever need (and there is an optional wide-angle lens accessory available anyway). As if that wasn't enough, the camera is easy to use both externally and in terms of the menu system, with fast operation and a great macro mode."

Samsung Digimax V50 Review at DPNow

DPNow: "With a five megapixel sensor, full manual shutter and aperture setting capability and a generous two inch swing-out and tilt colour LCD screen, the Samsung Digimax V50 is a camera that provides higher than average creative control features. Samsung has also provided an upgrade path for accessory lenses, underlining the emphasis on enthusiast features. But it's also a camera small enough to slip into coat pocket or small bag and it can be easily used as a simple point and shoot camera."

Sony Cybershot T3 Review at i4u

i4u: "Sony made several small changes to the DSC-T3, which all make sense and I think most of them are driven by consumer feedback. The buttons on the back got rearranged. The DSC-T3 feels also a bit snappier. Based on spec the startup time is 1.3sec (Same as DSC-T1) and the shutter time is 0.23s (DSC-T1: 0.24s). The high-speed burst mode also got faster. The 2.5 inch screen is based on specification 30% brighter and has more pixels than the DSC-T1."

New Olympus Mju µ DIGITAL 500 / µ-40 DIGITAL Announced

Olympus announce the compact 5 megapixel, 3x optical zoom lens Olympus Mju Digital 500 - with an extra-large 2.5" LCD screen, available in 3 colours: Silver, Red and Blue. More details are available at the Olympus website.

"Olympus Imaging Corporation (President: Hiroshi Komiya) is pleased to announce the introduction of the 5-megapixel*1 and 3x optical zoom all-weather µ-40 DIGITAL compact digital camera. Equipped with a 2.5-inch, high-definition LCD monitor that offers a wide viewing angle."

"The µ-40 DIGITAL is a next-generation standard model for the µ DIGITAL line. In addition to the all-weather construction that the µ DIGITAL series known for, the µ-40 DIGITAL features a new flat-surface body design, a large LCD monitor, and a wide range of easy-to-use high-performance shooting functions."

Although exceedingly compact, the µ-40 DIGITAL is equipped with a 2.5-inch, high-definition HyperCrystal™ LCD monitor that provides a bright, clear image for both shooting and viewing, with 160° screen visibility on both the horizontal and vertical axis. The camera also features the "Top Shell Barrier" first introduced on the µ-mini DIGITAL, and boasts full-flat body design and a fast startup time of less than one second."

Film Cameras vs Digital Cameras

A good post over at Camerahobby talks about film vs digital cameras: "Now that 4x6 prints are available for no more than what the 35mm based 4x6 print costs, the era of consumer film use is pretty much over. As film cameras sputter and die, the user will not purchase another compact film camera to replace it; they will purchase a digicam instead." Another site worth checking out, especially for Nikon information and reviews etc is Nikon Links.

Digital Camera Buying Advice

From Shutterfly / Only Punjab: "For the highest quality photos, select a camera with a minimum of 3 megapixels -- ideal for those that enjoy traditional 4x6 prints and occasional enlargements. To best capture high-quality close-up shots, select a digital camera with three-times optical zoom, or more. Finally, replace the manufacturer's small memory card with one that has at least 64 megabytes. This will allow the camera to hold approximately 70 to 100 high-resolution images at a time."

For more information, or recommendations of digital cameras that suit your budget, have a look at my Christmas buying guide / My Favourite Digital Cameras of 2004.

Canon EOS 1Ds vs. 1Ds Mk 2

Digital Outback Photo: "Quite a few readers interested in the Canon 1Ds Mk. II ask the question what camera to get or is the 1Ds Mk. II worth upgrading from a 1Ds. Here are the Canon candidates: * 1Ds eventually second hand * 1D Mk. II * 1Ds Mk. II"

Sony Cybershot DSC-U40 Review On-Line

I review the Sony Cybershot DSC-U40, an ultra compact metal 2mp digital camera, with an auto-focus fixed lens. The camera has a 1" screen, and takes 'AAA' batteries. Find out what I think of it in my full review.

Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D First Impressions

Imaging-Resource: "The long-awaited Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D has just arrived here at Imaging Resource. We've rushed it into preliminary testing, but with the Holidays at hand we figured many of you didn't have the time to wait for the full review before you heard our first impressions of this potentially important digital SLR. The following is a quick writeup of our first thoughts after a very short time with the camera."

Olympus C-70 C-7000 Wide Zoom Review

Olympus C-7000 Wide Zoom Digital Camera Review: Intro and Highlights: "Seven megapixels, 5x zoom, great pictures, a ton of features, and great build quality - A real winner!" "The C-7000 Zoom carries on the "high value" tradition established by the previous "C" series models, offering a very strong feature set at a very affordable price." "Highly recommended, and definitely a Dave's Pick." Available for £330 from amazon.co.uk.

Digital Camera - the 2nd most desirable present this year

Digital Photography Blog are reporting that Digital Cameras are the second most desirable electronic gift this Christmas, after Plasma TVs. Read more here.

If you want some quick recommendations for some budget £99 digital cameras, then you can't go wrong with these 3 megapixel, 3x optical zoom digital cameras: Pentax Optio S30 £99 at amazon.co.uk, the Kodak CX7330 £99 at amazon.co.uk, the Olympus C-310 also £99 at amazon.co.uk. The Fujifilm FinePix A607 which I recently reviewed, is also £99 at PC World / Currys and Dixons - the camera was previously £249, then reduced to £149, and now £99.

If you would like some more recommendations, have a look at my Christmas Buying Guide.

Many people confused by digital cameras

Globetechnology: Confused by digital cameras: "Although the number of megapixels is a measure of resolution and a crucial characteristic of a digital camera, few people understand its importance. 'Thirty per cent of digital camera owners say they don't know how many megapixels their camera has,' said Michelle Slaughter, director of digital photography trends at InfoTrends, a market research firm in Weymouth, Mass." (found at Digital Photography Blog)

Epson R-D1 Review at Luminous Landscape

Epson R-D1 Review: "Seiko Epson and Cosina Voigtlander jointly developed the Epson R-D1 digital rangefinder camera. To both companies, I say: congratulations. This is an exceptional little camera, one of the best and most enjoyable I have ever used. Just an hour into working with the R-D1 on the streets of Northampton, Massachusetts I already felt like the camera was an old and familiar rangefinder."

The PhotoHunter details at Engadget

The PhotoHunter - Engadget - www.engadget.com ++ "the PhotoHunter, a silent, motion-activated infrared camera that you put up in a tree. Ostensibly it’s for just snapping pics of wildlife or trespassers, but apparently the real purpose is so hunters can keep track of what times of day or night animals tend to pass by."

Camborg: Olympus i:robe IR-500 Digital Camera

Camborg: Olympus i:robe IR-500 Digital Camera Camborg post up some nice pictures of the Olympus i:robe IR:500.

LG planning first 7 megapixel cameraphone

LG planning first six megapixel cameraphone - Engadget - www.engadget.com ++: "LG just let slip that they are planning on using Canon's new cameraphone module to create the world's first six megapixel cameraphone. And just to mess with Samsung even more, they might make just try and squeeze a seven megapixel module in there, too."

Price Watch...

Spotted the Kodak CX7330, a 3 megapixel, 3x optical zoom digital camera for £99 on amazon.co.uk (including vat and free postage). It has a 1.6" screen, and records videos with sound. Also spotted the Canon Powershot S1 IS, 3 megapixel, 10x optical zoom with image stabilisation for £213 including vat at ebuyer.com - that's at least £50 cheaper than anywhere else!! They also have the new Fuji FinePix S5500, a 4 megapixel, 10x optical zoom lens digital camera for only £223 including vat at ebuyer.com!

Konica Minolta DiMAGE X50 Review at PhotographyBLOG

PhotographyBLOG -:- Reviews -:- Konica Minolta DiMAGE X50 "Disappointingly the image quality of the Konica Minolta DiMAGE X50 didn't match its great ease-of-use, producing a below-par set of test images. The 5 megapixel images were soft straight out of the camera (which can't be changed) and definitely require some post-processing in an image editing program. Noise is well controlled at the slowest ISO setting of 50, but at ISO 100 noise is evident and by ISO 200 and ISO 400 it's plain to see, making the Konica Minolta DiMAGE X50 only really suitable for bright conditions. Worse still, the camera exhibited chromatic aberrations in most high-contrast images when the sun was either in or to one side of the frame."

Macworld: Digital Camera Shopping Guide

Macworld: Digital Camera Shopping Guide: "No matter how much research you do ahead of time, it's easy to get distracted when you're in the camera store surrounded by dozens of options. To stay focused, download and print out the PDF version of this checklist before you go and mark the features that are most important to you."

Canon PowerShot SD300 IXUS 40 Review at DPReview

Canon PowerShot SD300 Review: 1. Introduction: Digital Photography Review "The SD300 (along with little sister the 3MP SD200) is the smallest, slimmest and most powerful ELPH yet, and features several key improvements over the previous generation. The SD300 and SD200 are the first cameras to incorporate two UA (Ultra-high Refractive Index Glass Molded (GMo) Aspherical lens) elements which has allowed Canon to produced its smallest cameras to feature a 3x zoom."

Kodak EasyShare CX7300 review at CNET

Kodak EasyShare CX7300 review - Digital Cameras - CNET Reviews: "What this very basic camera lacks in shooting options, it makes up for in simple operation and a bargain price." (found at Digital Photography Blog)

Competition Reminder

DigiCamReview.co.uk: Win a 128MB SD Memory Card! Just a quick reminder to let you know, that you still have till the 12th of December to enter the competition to win a memory card!

Also, why not subscribe to my RSS feed to keep up to date with this site, you can use Bloglines, or the XML rss feed - if you don't know what I'm talking about, simply click the Bloglines link.

AnandTech Guide to Better Photos: Composition

AnandTech: AnandTech Guide to Better Photos: Composition "Composition is the arrangement of elements in a picture, but we are going to be discussing specifically arrangements that will make your pictures more visually appealing and interesting. When dealing with composition, it does not matter if you have a high-end digital SLR or a cheap point-and-shoot. In fact, experimenting with composition might be easier to do with a point-and-shoot camera because the simplicity of the shooting process will allow you to concentrate on what you are looking at."

Vivitar Vivicam 8300s 8mp DigiCam Expected

"The VIVICAM 8300s is a super slim, feature-packed, 8.3MP zoom digital camera with a maximum resolution of approximately 3250 x 2500,and is designed as a versatile, super high quality digital camera that will be easy to carryanywhere. The VIVICAM 8300s digital camera is planned for availability in 2nd Quarter, 2005 and the suggested retail price for the camera is expected to be $599.95." more details at DCViews.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX7 Review at Megapixel.net

Megapixel.net: "A thin and elegant design with the back almost entirely occupied by a very large 2.5 inch LCD monitor and the absence of an optical viewfinder are the first elements to draw the eye when discovering the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX7. The DMC-FX7 offers a 5 megapixel resolution, and a stabilized 3X Leica DC Vario-Elmarit zoom." You can read my review here. This is one of my favourite digital cameras of 2004, and is available for £289 / $449 from Amazon.

Sony Cybershot P73 Review at Cameras.co.uk

Cameras.co.uk: They say this about the 4 megapixel, 3x optical zoom lens digital camera: "Excellent all round digital camera. One of the few digital cameras I have tested that was able to take good shots indoors as well as out. Good set of features, but still easy to use. Highly recommended." Available for £154 from Amazon.co.uk, in Silver and Blue.

Canon Powershot A400 Review at Trusted Reviews

TrustedReviews: "With a price tag that just makes it into triple figures, my expectations for this 3.2 megapixel camera were low to say the least. Initial impressions however, were quite pleasing." You can read my review here. This is one of my favourite digital cameras of 2004, and is available for £110 / $159 from Amazon.

Nikon Coolpix 8800 Review at Imaging Resource

Imaging-Resource: "With an 8-megapixel sensor, a 10x zoom lens with ED glass, Vibration Reduction, and the panoply of advanced features we've come to expect from the upper end of the Coolpix digicam line, the Nikon 8800 is poised to compete at the very top of the "prosumer" digital camera market."

Canon EOS 20D Review by Bob Atkins

Bob Atkins: "Well, the EOS 20D is a better camera than the EOS 10D. The question is whether or not it's worth the approximately $600 it will cost an EOS 10D owner to upgrade. I'd suggest 10D owners in such a position put a dollar value how much each of the following major features is worth to them." (found at PhotographyBLOG)

RolleiFlex MiniDigi Review

Cameratown: the summary reads like this but paraphased by me: 'This digital camera is rubbish at taking photos, but good because it looks like a RolleiFlex', in their words it reads like this: "It would be easy to drag this camera through the mud if image quality and features were the real reason to own this camera. However, the truth is, this camera is for Rolleiflex enthusiasts who will get great pleasure at showing up at an event with this camera around their neck, cranking the handle, and looking down into the LCD viewfinder to snap a picture. Yes, the camera lacks a flash, zoom lens, good image quality, and many more features we have come to expect in cameras selling for $100.00 - but none of the those cameras will give you the nostalgic feeling that holding this Rolleiflex MiniDigi camera will give you." (found at PhotographyBLOG)

Server move complete!

Hooray! www.digicamreview.co.uk is now pointing to the right place, and I'm now on a much faster web host - so you should now find the reviews, site, gallery, everything much quicker, so long as you're using the new address for reviews. I'll be updating the links on this site to make sure they're all pointing to the right place! Update: The site is up and running! Please note the new RSS feed address! (If you want something to read it, I highly recommend www.bloglines.com) Also, why not have a look at the DigiCamReview Christmas Digital Camera Buying Guide, also known as "My Favourite Digital Cameras of 2004", link here.

Olympus EVOLT E-300 8mp DSLR Price Announced

The US price for the 8 megapixel Olympus EVOLT / E-300 DSLR has been announced as $999 US Dollars, the price includes a 14 - 45 mm lens. More details at DCResource. I expect the UK Price will be announced tomorrow, if I haven't already missed the announcement.

Canon Powershot SD200 / IXUS 30 Review @ DCResource

DCResource: "The PowerShot SD200 Digital ELPH ($300) is a totally new design in Canon's line of compact point-and-shoot cameras. The SD200 takes everything that made the S410 great and makes it smaller -- except for the LCD, which got a lot bigger. Other features on the SD200 include a 3.2 Megapixel CCD, great VGA movie mode, an AF-assist lamp, and a couple of manual of controls. For those who want more resolution, Canon also offers the 4 Megapixel PowerShot SD300."

Kodak EasyShare LS753 Review

DigitalCameraInfo.com: "With the Kodak EasyShare LS753, the consumer assumes the strong shooting elements of its predecessor, the LS743 with an expanded 1/2.5-inch 5-megapixel CCD. The two cameras are physically similar, with an emphasis on its low-slung silver gray body and slim profile that allows for practical and effortless transportation. The back of the camera features an attractive and amply sized 1.8-inch LCD screen with LED lights that allow for easier navigation, a feature that will be appreciated by any user who has ever attempted to shoot in low light. The only major drawback of the Kodak LS753 is the relatively restrictive 2.8x optical zoom lens."

Nikon Coolpix 4100 in black!

Spotted the Nikon Coolpix 4100, a 4 megapixel, 3x optical zoom digital camera in black - details here. Looks rather nice!

Olympus m:robe MR-500i digital photo viewer/MP3 player Review

Found at Engadget: "besides having 20GB of storage the MR-500i also sports a built-in digital camera, a 3.7-inch VGA resolution touchscreen LCD, and tons of software for organizing, viewing, and “remixing” your digital photos (you can transfer pics directly over from a digital camera)." the review's here but in Japanese.

Konica Minolta Dynax 7D Sample Images

DPNow: "But now we have a production camera and an additional page has been added to this article. It contains our preliminary experience of the production camera, plus image samples exploring noise and anti-shake performance as well as a small selection of full, un-edited, image samples for you to download."

Sony Cybershot DSC-V3 Review @ Steve's Digicams

Full Review: "The Cyber-shot DSC-V3 is a compact yet fully-featured 7.2-megapixel digital camera that was designed to satisfy the needs of advanced photographers. Housed in an all-black, metal alloy body that resembles a 35mm rangefinder camera, the DSC-V3 is equipped with a Carl Zeiss 4x optical zoom lens and loaded with state of the art digital features."

Casio Exilim Pro EX-P700 Review @ Buy-n-shoot

Casio Exilim Pro EX-P700 Digital Camera Review: "Building on Casio's success with the EX-P600 is the new higher resolution EX-P700. The main difference between the two models is the capture capacity, increasing the capture from 6 mega-pixels to 7 mega-pixels, now producing images at A3 size with every click." (found at Digital Photography Blog)

Canon Powershot S70 Review @ Digital Photography Blog

Canon Powershot S70 Review: "This leads me to my final question: does the average family happy snapper really need 7.1 million pixels? Considering a 2MP camera will more than adequately print 6"x4" images, perhaps we should all think twice before falling victim to the camera manufacturers megapixel race."

Updated: My Favourite Cameras of 2004 Christmas Buying Guide

I've updated "My Favourite Digital Cameras of 2004" / Christmas Buying Guide to include a number of excellent digital camera priced between £100 and £600, digital cameras to suit your specific budget, and impress even the most fussy person - assuming that they don't already have one that is! :) Click here to view the guide.

Canon Digital IXUS 40 Review @ Pocket-Lint

PocketLint: "It’s not all just good looks. The IXUS 40 is small, simple to use and stylish, but backs this up with great image quality and at a reasonable price into the bargain." (found at Digital Photography Blog)

Olympus Camedia D-535 / C-370 Review @ Photoxels

Photoxels: "The Olympus Camedia D-535 Zoom should appeal to first-time users desiring an affordable entry-level point-and-shoot digital camera." (found at PhotographyBLOG)

Olympus Mju Mini Digital Review at Slo-Foto

Slo-foto: review the ultra small, ultra stylish Olympus Mju Mini Digital, known as the Stylus Verve in the US. (Found at PhotographyBLOG) You can read my review here. The Olympus Mju Mini Digital is my favourite digital camera of 2004 - see my other favourites here.

Konica Minolta Dimage Z3 Review @ Digit.no