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| | | | FAQ Revisions | Editors: tmpchaos  , Sunsetstrip , DavisPhotog
Last modified on 2007-09-29 08:12:18
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2.4 Res 4.1-5 MP·Canon Power Shot s50
·Nikon Coolpix 5700
·Olympus C-5050 Zoom Camera
·Kodak DX4530
·Canon Powershot A85
| | | The Canon Power Shot s50 is a 5MP digacam. It is a good digacam for beginners and intermediate users. You can go as high as 2,592 x 1,944 pixels. There is a RAW mode or can save as jpg. It has a 3x optical lens and a 4x digital zoom. You can go full auto mode or manual mode for more advanced users. You can make short videos with sound with this camera but I have yet to do that and may not ever. They give you a 32MB Compact Flash card but I would recommend getting a larger one like a 128MB since the high quality pictures take up a lot of space. One negative about this camera is the battery indicater. There doesn't seem to be one like other cameras. The battery low icon doesn't come on till the battery is very close to going dead. (Editor note: This battery indicator problem seems to be very common with canon digital cameras.) On the good side the battery life tends to be of the longer lasting type. At the time of this review 6/17/03 you can get this camera for $599 USD.
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by hep cat edited by DavisPhotog
last modified: 2003-06-18 00:59:39 | | | This review provides information on the features I find most useful or lacking. For a more complete review, see dpreview.
The Nikon Coolpix 5700 is a 5 megapixel camera with a built-in 8x telephoto lens. It has an electronic viewfinder (EVF) as well as a live fold-out, swivel LCD screen, and although the EVF to me seems much more convenient and provides a very good representation of the final shot, the LCD is also certainly useful in some situations. The 5700 features Automatic, Aperture priority (f2.8 to f8 at 1x, shorter range at higher x), Shutter priority (8s to 1/4000 plus bulb), and full Manual modes; it's very easy to switch between modes and settings with only the touch of a few buttons/dials necessary, all located on the top of the camera. It's also very easy to switch the +/-EV setting.
The 5700 has macro and landscape modes, and although a bit inconvenient to use, allows manual focus as well, which is very useful for lower light situations and very close macro shots where the autofocus is sometimes lacking (which I suspect is the case for many cameras). The autofocus can be set to continuos or single (half-depress of the shutter causes focus), and the display gives a green light when AF is achieved. ISO speed can be set from 100 to 800 or left on auto; although 800 is probably a bit too noisy without post cleanup with something like Neat Image. Controls located along the lens barrel allow setting of the ISO speed, as well as macro/landscape/flash mode and picture size; the location of these take a little getting used to, but after a while I've found these to be a very convenient and easily accessible location.
Other features, such as adjustable white balance (see dpreview link above), are located through a system of menus. I found the menu system, like the other navigation buttons, to be very intuitive, and after a few hours of use was able to navigate through these with very little difficulty. With 2560 x 1920 mode (fine), a 256 MB CF card will hold up to ~150 photos. Transfer of the pictures is easy as well; this can be done directly from the camera or using a CF card reader. Nikon supplies Nikon View 5 software, but I usually transfer directly (XP). Battery life is acceptable; I've taken over 100 photos (no flash) on a single charge.
So far photo quality has been excellent. Colors appear vivid and realistic and details are sharp, even at 8x zoom. The Aperture and Shutter mode controls allow easy bracketing, but in general Automatic mode does an excellent job under most conditions. The flash is powerful, but doesn't seem to wash out the subject under most conditions. I particularly like the design itself; I've found my usually shaky hands can hold the 5700 steadier than any other camera I've used, even getting the occasional clear handheld shot (very rare and usually after multiple tries!) at shutter speeds of 1/8s, something I've never been able to do with other cameras where usually my 1/30s shots were blurred! While shutter lag could be less, it seems acceptable. Performance under low light with the Noise Reduction feature is excellent, producing very little grain in photos I've taken so far. Finally, the different metering modes and focus modes have proven to be very usual is some situations; it's certainly nice to have that flexibility.
Things I dislike about the 5700 are minor. The camera I received (slightly used) has two stuck pixels that showed under low light; however, the Noise Reduction feature corrected these under lower light, and one slowly seems to be fading on its own. Also, the focus noise seems loud compared to other cameras, but not something I can't live with. The manual focus is tedious to use for close-up/macro shots, but certainly is functional. Some of the accessories (e.g., lens adapter for filters) at one time were difficult to come by, but now seem to be widely available. Finally, it's a bit pricey when new; I'm sure I wouldn't have bought this model if I had not gotten a lower price because it was slightly used. However, I must admit, after using it, I would probably be tempted to spring for even the full price, especially now that the price has dropped.
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by mikeky edited by DavisPhotog
last modified: 2003-12-10 09:59:00 | | | This camera is perhaps the best that the market has to offer for professionals and casual shooters alike. It sports a plethora of features, has nice picture quality, and is decently priced at 600 dollars street. The controls for the various options are nice, and are easily accessible. The design is compact, and can easily be fit into a small camera bag. It takes three different types of storage media; XD, SD, and CF. You can also use CF and XD or SD simultaneously and swap which one you are storing pictures on on the fly. I have two gripes with this camera; if you leave the lens cap on the camera and you turn it on in any other mode than play, it makes horrible grinding noises and beeps, and it also lacks proper printed documentation; you must look at the accompanying CD. All in all, this is the camera to buy for the digital camera enthusiast.
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by epsilon9090 edited by DavisPhotog
last modified: 2003-06-26 00:50:45 | | | This camera has a target market and if you fit into that market, this camera is wonderful. If you don't fit that market, this camera will frustrate you. "What market is that?" you may ask. Kodak's tag line for this camera should tell you - "Simple yet powerful". The DX4530 has almost no user exposure adjustments, nearly everything is under automatic control.
There are a minimum of exposure controls: the user can set the exposure time in one of 6 settings (ranging from .7 seconds to 4 seconds). Useful to capture very dimly lit still objects or for the "time-lapse" effect. Users can also set f-stop +/-2 in half-steps (but can't set f-stop & exposure at the same time).
That would be it for exposure controls. Its pretty much point & shoot. Which is fine if one never has the intention of using the numerous controls offered on other cameras. If you want the numerous other controls, you'll find the DX4530 frustrating.
That's the camera. I humbly offer my experience with it.
The Good:
Photo quality 5 megapixels. The pictures are just great. Kodak's Color Science turns out a finely balanced picture. The white balance is excellent, and the colors are somewhat oversaturated, but since most people like vivid colors, thats what camera companies do, oversaturate clolors.
Batteries - excellent choice between lithium CRV3 (found nearly everywhere), and regular AA batteries (such as rechargeable Ni-Mh). Kodak doesn’t recommend using alkalines, but its nice to know if you're on vacation & the batteries go out, alkalines will do in a pinch, although they won't last long. I also like that the CRV3 is a common photo battery available in most stores with a photo department & not a proprietary battery.
Zoom The DX4530 has a 3x optical zoom, a nice feature still not found on many $300 cameras.
32 MBs of internal memory I have an external memory card reader & its easy to forget to put the card back in. With this camera, you always get a least some pictures. Kodak says one can fit 21 pictures at the highest resolution, 79 at the lowest resolution (1.2MP)on the internal memory. It can also, obviously, supplement any additional memory you may buy.
Additional lenses I have yet to try these, but they did factor into my decision. Kodak makes a 37mm to 43mm adapter that allows one to use a wide-angle lens (twice the field of view), a 2X telephoto, and a close-up set of lenses.
The Bad:
Lens cap I don't understand Kodak's thinking on this one. All other cameras I looked at (including other Kodaks) have an automatic covering that protects the lens. Turn the camera on & the lens covering slides open & the lens readies for pictures. Turn off the camera & the lens covering automatically covers up the lens. The DX4530 has a traditional lens cap. Turn the camera on & the cap pops off (onto the floor if you don't tether it to the camera). And its up to you to replace the lens cap when done. Minor, but annoying.
Compression Kodak uses an aggressive compression without a way to write uncompressed files to memory. The compression isn't terrible, but there would be times when I'd like to have a RAW or TIFF picture to work with. Again, minor but annoying.
*edited from my review on epinions.com*
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by ScottMo edited by DavisPhotog
last modified: 2003-12-10 19:44:37 | | | This is my second digital camera, after a Sony Mavica (which was only 1.3 MP). I looked at a lot of review sites before buying, and this one had great reviews. A few different things sold it to me, one was that you were able to control everything manually, another was the size, and the fact that it took standard batteries, as opposed to proprietary batteries that can cost a lot. My NIMH Energizer batteries are 2300MAH, and last a day or two before I have to recharge. I find that pretty impressive. The image quality is also great, and the camera has a lot of extra features. The custom white balance, MANY different modes, video, and the AF assist lamp are wonderful things to have.. So if you want a camera that can take higher resolutions than the A75, and don't want to pay the extra money for an A95, I'd definitely recommend this camera.
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by WGF_Crafty edited by tmpchaos
last modified: 2004-12-04 22:01:56 |
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