FujiFilm F40fd
If you are all about achieving the highest possible image quality (even
at the expense? of other features), Fuji?s F40fd is the camera in this
roundup for you. Images were noticeably sharper and slightly more
vivid?with less noise at high ISO speeds?than those produced by the
other cameras reviewed here. You can expect to get nice 5x7 prints at
800 ISO. This quality comes with a bit of a performance trade-off, as
the F40 was more sluggish in shot-to-shot performance, and the 3-second
startup time is nearly twice as slow as that of the other cameras
reviewed here. And unfortunately, the F40 does not offer optical
image-stabilization. Like the 780 and W80, the F40 has effective
face-detection. However, unlike those two cameras, the F40?s may be
used in playback mode as well?you can use it to take a quick look at up
to 10 faces in a picture to make sure no one has their eyes closed or
is sticking out their tongue. ? Of the three cameras tested here, the
F40 has the most solid-feeling construction. And the 2.5-inch LCD was
the nicest, too. And, the F40 also lets you use both SD and xD memory
cards. Unfortunately, slow performance and the lack of image
stabilization mar what is otherwise a very solid camera.v
Olympus Stylus 780
Olympus?s Stylus 780 packs a 7.1 megapixel sensor, a 5x optical zoom, a
crisp 2.5-inch LCD, and face-detection technology into a weatherproof
camera body that is slightly larger but more stylish than the Sony
DSC-W80?s. Like the W80, the Stylus sports dual image-stabilization,
pairing mechanical optic adjustments with optional faster ISO speeds
when excessive hand shake is detected or lighting conditions are poor.
Results were excellent in good lighting situations, but unlike the W80,
this cam also performed well when lighting was less than ideal. The 780
also includes shadow adjustment and panorama scene modes, which aren?t
offered on either the W80 or the FujiFilm F40fd (reviewed here). Shadow
adjustment can be activated with a simple button press and will
automatically change exposures to compensate for areas of high contrast
or backlighting. The 780?s noise reduction also performed acceptably,
delivering occasionally serviceable results up to ISO 1600 and reliably
usable images at sub-800 ISO. The macro modes were also noteworthy for
delivering nice, sharp images. Color saturation was good, as well;
outdoor images, particularly, were bright and vivid. Overall, however,
image quality was not quite up to the standards set by Fuji?s F40fd,
but if you live in harsh climates or like to shoot pictures in the
rain, the Stylus 780 is a rock-solid choice.
Sony Cyber-shot DCS W80
Sony?s 7.2 megapixel DSC-W80 boots quickly, and its 3x zoom lens
focuses with minimal shutter delay. Plus, this cam includes a
traditional, if tiny, optical viewfinder! The W80?s optical image
stabilization?at low shutter speeds the camera will move a lens element
slightly to compensate for hand shake?performed well in our tests. To
further combat hand shake, Sony pairs this feature with increased ISO
speeds, depending on shooting conditions, which served up mixed results
due to high noise. The W80 also sports the latest buzz in
digicams?face-detection technology. This may sound like bunk, but it
actually works. Enable face detection, and the camera will seek out and
frame up to eight faces in a shot, ensuring they are in sharp focus. We
did notice a significant improvement in group-portrait shots when using
this feature. Image quality was decent?shots were well exposed with
good color saturation. However, noise artifacts became quite obvious at
400 ISO and above, rendering the higher ISO settings all but useless.
Fujifilm FinePix V10
Are digital cameras now headed in the direction of ?smartphones?? gotta
wonder when you hear about a point-and-shoot camera games?what?s next,
a camera that makes phone calls? OK, we jest, but if you spent some
time with Fujifilm?s FinePix V10, you wouldn?t blame us. As a camera,
this is a very capable, very user-friendly, very stylish, compact
point-and-shooter. It takes nice 5.1 megapixel photos at ISO speeds up
to 1600, thanks to its aggressive, and effective, noisereduction
capabilities (though, you?ll still be happiest with images shot at 400
ISO and below). Its large 3-inch LCD is bright, sharp, and almost makes
up for the absence of a traditional viewfinder. The LCD real estate is
put to good use, offering a 30-thumbnail display and a useful Post Shot
Assist mode that shows the last three snaps alongside the live
viewfinder window. The camera gains up nicely in low-light situations
but can still be problematic in bright sunlight. The V10?s a relatively
snappy performer, too, with shot-to-shot intervals of less than 2
seconds; plus it offers several burst-mode options, and its 10-step,
3.4x optical zoom lens is smooth, quick, and quiet. The only real
glaring chink in the V10?s shiny armor is its lackluster battery
life?ours needed a recharge before we hit 100 shots. This is no doubt
due to the fancy-pants LCD, and the games, which, quite frankly, are a
gimmick. The camera sports four titles: Number Puzzle, Block Buster,
Maze, and Shooting Game (yes, those are the real names.) All of them
are more frustrating than fun to play using the camera?s controls,
which thankfully are excellent for the V10?s true
calling?picture-taking. Photogs can safely ignore the games and focus
on the camera?s manual controls, which allow you to quickly and easily
perform exposure compensation and white balance tweaks. And the V10
includes a healthy stable of scene presets, covering just about every
imaginable shooting condition from nighttime to sports. The games might
be disposable, but the V10?s capabilities are very worthy of
consideration?just make sure you also consider an extra battery, or
two. Month Reviewed: October 2006 VERDICT: 8 URL: www.fujifilmusa.com
Kodak EasyShare V570
Ever have that problem where you want to take a nice group picture of
your friends, say at the Grand Canyon, and you just can?t get ?em all
in the frame? So you ask them to keep backing up a step and before you
know it? oops! Well, this camera will help make your next vacation a
bit safer. The V570 packs two lenses into its sleek body: an ultra-wide
angle (23mm) and a 5x optical zoom (39mm-to-117mm). This amounts to all
the standard capabilities of a point-and-shoot, plus the ability to go
to wide-angle for group portraits and the like. Of course, with dual
lenses you?re talking about dual 5-megapixel image-sensors, which
translates into a higher price compared with competing single-lens
cameras. We think the added functionality of the dual-lenses is worth
it, especially when you take into account the camera?s overall solid
image quality, particularly indoors. There is, however, a noticeable
hitch in the LCD viewfinder image when the camera makes the jump from
39mm to 23mm?you must depress and re-press the zoom controls to make
the viewfinder register the switch. Call us old-school but we miss
having the optical viewfinder in addition to the LCD, for composing
shots. That said, the 2.5-inch LCD is crisp and performs well in all
but the brightest outdoor settings, and the camera?s controls,
including automatic scene modes, are easy and comfortable to use. A
30fps MPEG-4 movie mode is offered, but the video suffers from severe
grain, rendering it an afterthought at best. An included panoramic
picture mode guides you through the process of snapping up to three
pictures, providing image overlays on the LCD and then stitching them
together in-camera. This is pretty cool, as you can immediately view
the results?which were quite good in our tests?and determine whether
you need to retake the shots. If you?re looking for simplicity and
flexibility, the V570 is well worth consideration. (Note: Kodak has
already released an updated 6-megapixel version, the V610, with
integrated Bluetooth capabilities and a 10x optical zoom, for $50
more.) Month Reviewed: September 2006 Verdict: 8 URL: www.kodak.com
Konica Minolta Dimage X1
The X1 makes it clear that Konica is well aware of our penchant to
gravitate toward, hold, and purchase shiny objects. However, unless you
care little about performance and getting the highest-quality images
possible for your dollar, there are better options available. The X1
looks great on paper: It?s the first compact camera with folded optics
to sport an 8-megapixel CCD and anti-shake technology. The anti-shake
mode kicks in automatically when hand movement is detected, adjusting
the lens accordingly. It?s effective; we?d rather have it than not.
It?s particularly useful in low light and when shooting video?a slick
indicator light comes on to let you know when anti-shake is on. The
smooth, metallic body is comfortable to hold, and the buttons are
well-placed for easy use. We especially like that you can customize the
functions of the four-way controller on the back of the camera.
Unfortunately, while the body finish looks nice, it?s impractical. It?s
prone to fingerprints, and is highly reflective?so much so that shots
can be difficult to compose outdoors in direct sunlight (there?s no
optical viewfinder, so you must use the LCD). To make matters worse,
the LCD display is very grainy, which makes it hard to tell if your
snaps are correctly exposed in the field. All of this might be
forgivable if the X1?s image quality was tip-top, but it?s average at
best. Noise was more prevalent overall than with other competitive
cameras we?ve tested?and its fastest ISO speed is a lowly 200. Outdoor
shots tended to be well-exposed with good color saturation, but just
not as sharp or vibrant as other compacts we?ve tested lately, such as
Canon?s SD500. Also, the X1?s a pretty sluggish performer: Lag time
between shots at the highest resolution was a bit more than three
seconds, which is below average. Video quality was also average and
capped at 20fps?30fps is becoming the norm these days. Indeed, once you
get past the X1?s looks, there?s not much to warrant a recommendation,
given the performance of its competitors. Month Reviewed: March 2006
Verdict: 5 URL: www.konicaminolta.us
Nikon D50
Nikon?s D50, the company?s latest foray into the sub-$1,000 digital-SLR
category, outstrips most other budget bodies in its class and kicks
much point-and-shoot ass. Much of that capability comes from the D50?s
lineage. The body feels and functions like a detuned D70, which was
itself a breakthrough product. The D50 sports the same imaging sensor
as the more expensive D70, and delivers terrific bang for the buck. The
body is rated for 2.5fps, which sounds slow, but thanks to fast write
times, the D50 will shoot almost continuously until your memory card is
full (provided you own a fast card, of course). We tested the D50 with
a SanDisk Ultra II SD card and only experienced slowdowns shooting RAW
or at high ISO. Nikon likely switched to SD to save space and make the
D50 smaller. The body is plastic but feels solid. Ergonomics are good
but a few things irked us. First, you have to use the menus to switch
metering modes. And there?s only one command dial, so changing exposure
settings in manual mode is cumbersome; it?s much easier with two dials.
Hobbyists will also miss a mirror-lock feature for macro or telephoto
work, and we hate that the top LCD lacks a backlight. Grrr. The biggest
weakness of the camera is in perception though. At 6.1MP, many
consumers will pass on the D50 in favor of a point-and-shoot with a
higher pixel count that costs about the same. That would be a mistake.
With its larger CCD sensor, the D50 will shoot far superior images to
any point-and-shoot on the market today. With a mirror lock-up feature,
and a better viewfinder, this would be a Kick Ass camera, without a
doubt. Coming off the full-frame EOS 5D (reviewed in April) and its
spectacular viewfinder, the D50 finder looks like a disposable
camera?s. That shouldn?t be a deal breaker, though, as the D50 is a
great bargain. Month Reviewed: March 2006 Verdict: 8 URL:
www.nikonusa.com
Canon EOS 5D
Look into the viewfinder of a consumer-grade digital SLR and you?ll
notice a startling difference compared with a film camera and the same
lens: Your view is cropped, in much the same way black bars crop a
widescreen movie to fit an older TV. Those black bars are gone with
Canon?s breakthrough 12.8MP EOS 5D camera, the first semi-affordable
full-frame digital SLR. Peer through the beautifully bright viewfinder
of the 5D and you?ll be stunned by how much of the image you?ve been
missing with your run-of-the-mill SLR. That ?black bar? effect is due
to the size of the camera?s image sensor. While a normal frame of film
is roughly 36x24mm in size, the average consumer digital SLR, such as
Canon?s EOS 20D or Rebel XT, features a sensor that?s about 22.5x15mm.
The smaller sensors in these cameras, in effect, turn a ?normal? 50mm
lens into an 80mm telephoto. An ultra-wide angle 20mm lens is
equivalent to an average 32mm lens. Why doesn?t everybody use a
full-frame sensor? The problem is cost. The larger the sensor, the
lower the yield. The lower the yield, the more it costs. That?s the
breakthrough with the 5D. While a $3,300 street price sounds steep, the
company?s first full-frame camera cost $8,000 in 2003. To lower the
price, Canon cut out pro features such as weather resistance and a more
advanced auto-focus system. That doesn?t mean the 5D is a featherweight
that?ll short out on a humid day. In fact, the magnesium alloy body
feels more solid than the EOS 20D body and should survive light rains
or mist just fine. Just don?t expect to cover a hurricane with it. Even
without pro-level auto focus, the 5D is still improved over the 20D.
Focus response is snappy and accurate, even in low-light conditions. We
also like the diminutive size of the 5D compared with the huge pro
bodies that scream ?rob me at knife point, please.? Given its
three-frames-per-second capture rate, the 5D isn?t intended as a sports
camera, but its deep buffer of 60 JPEG or 17 RAW files, and fast write
times to Compact Flash cards mean you?ll likely never wait for a shot.
We compared the 12.8MP 5D to an 8.2MP EOS 20D and Nikon?s 12.4MP Nikon
D2X. In low-light conditions, the 5D?s high ISO performance is
stunning. At 1600 ISO, it outclasses the 20D, which was the previous
benchmark for low noise, or ?grain.? Thanks to improved noise
algorithms, and a sensor that isn?t as crowded with pixels as the
smaller sensors in the D2X and 20D, the 5D is the new camera to beat
for low-light photography. In resolution, as expected, there?s no
discernible difference between the D2X and the 5D, but both offer a bit
more detail than the 20D?s 8.2MP. Is the 5D right for you? As any
photographer will tell you, a camera is just a tool, and you pick the
right tool for the job. The 5D is the tool for landscape, wedding,
studio, or street photography, but not the best tool for sports or
action shoots. We give Canon kudos for getting a full-frame sensor into
the hands of serious amateurs, but Canon isn?t demonstrating the zany,
out-of-the-box thinking that Nikon has with its D2X, which features an
even more ?cropped? mode to increase the frame rate from 5fps to 8fps
at the cost of resolution. Still, hold the 5D up to your eyeball, and
you?ll have a hard time looking through the viewfinder of a cropped
camera again. Month Reviewed: February 2006 + Henri Cartier-Besson:
Butter-smooth images in low light, no crop factor, and a huge LCD. -
Carter Country: Soft-touch shutter release feels mush; skimpy
viewfinder info. Verdict: 9 URL: www.canonusa.com
