Tagged Products - 10.1mp

Olympus Stylus 10.1-Megapixel Digital Camera - Silver

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I discovered that this is not true. Taking an image into the sun (i know this isn't recommended) while holding the camera up high (which people will use when at weddings to shoot over people's heads) leads to glare. I had to guess what i was shooting at. I'd say image visibility on the lcd was ~50% when doing this.

Even given the above, i still like the camera a lot. Looks nice. Takes panoramic photos, battery lasts forever. Used it on and off for 4 days before it finally warned me of being low. Be careful b/c the battery indicator is deceiving. It said full for most of the time and then jumped to warning quick on me. Didn't even notice any intermediate indication position.

I give it a 3 for now until i go and try out the underwater capability.

Edit #1: Forgot to mention that the menus are pretty easy to use. Scrolling wheel menu cycles between the different options. One touch photo preview. Icons are easy to understand.

I've tried using the macro and super macro - works really well. Good detail on the close images.

One other con though - could not for the life of me figure out how to get the face detection to work. I swear that it'll sometimes follow a face and sometimes it'll target a random cup. I don't yet see an option in any of the menus that allows me to force it to do face rec every shot. Not a huge issue - but it's a spec that is being advertised, therefore i expect it to work.

Olympus Stylus 10.1-Megapixel Digital Camera - Black

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the middle of the screen. This was not dirt on the outside of the lens where I can get at and clean. It would disappear under certain lighting conditions, but most underwater shots had it. My guess is that it's an internal reflective defect or dirt on the optics. Curiously, I don't notice it in my photos, just videos.

In addition to this, the lens would fog up during the night after some underwater excursions. The fog would cloud up the lens internally, so all photos and videos were foggy. Holding the camera in my hands would warm it up, causing the fog to get cloudier. As a work-around, I would air dry the camera each night with all its ports open, but this doesn't always work.

Another major drawback of this camera that was not publicized very well is that you MUST use the type M+ XD memory card to record VGA in 30 frames/sec. Using the included adapter my 4GB MicroSDHC card, you are limited to 10 seconds VGA 30 frames/sec videos. You can record lower resolution or VGA with 15 frames/sec videos without the M+ XD memory card, though.

Additionally, my videos would sometimes have strange regular very loud clicking sounds, about once click per second for certain stretches. This was very disconcerting.

I also noticed that the videos of bright lights indoors would sometimes have vertical glares above and below the light sources. I never noticed this phenomenon on my TZ-5 videos.

The final weird restriction that I found out only after using this camera was that it had two video modes: Underwater, and Non-underwater. In Underwater mode, you have no audio, but can use zoom. In Non-underwater mode, you can record audio, but cannot zoom. Perhaps the zooming caused horrible audio noises to be recorded so the engineers decided to never record audio while allowing zooming?

In conclusion, the Olympus Stylus 1030 SW was everything I was looking for on paper and would have been a wonderful all purpose point-and-shoot photo and video camera for all occasions. Unfortunately, my particular unit seemed not be quite waterproof as advertised, and the model had some major design drawbacks in the areas of video recording.

I really cannot recommend this camera based on the unit I had.

Olympus Stylus 10.1-Megapixel Digital Camera - Green

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the middle of the screen. This was not dirt on the outside of the lens where I can get at and clean. It would disappear under certain lighting conditions, but most underwater shots had it. My guess is that it's an internal reflective defect or dirt on the optics. Curiously, I don't notice it in my photos, just videos.



In addition to this, the lens would fog up during the night after some underwater excursions. The fog would cloud up the lens internally, so all photos and videos were foggy. Holding the camera in my hands would warm it up, causing the fog to get cloudier. As a work-around, I would air dry the camera each night with all its ports open, but this doesn't always work.



Another major drawback of this camera that was not publicized very well is that you MUST use the type M+ XD memory card to record VGA in 30 frames/sec. Using the included adapter my 4GB MicroSDHC card, you are limited to 10 seconds VGA 30 frames/sec videos. You can record lower resolution or VGA with 15 frames/sec videos without the M+ XD memory card, though.



Additionally, my videos would sometimes have strange regular very loud clicking sounds, about once click per second for certain stretches. This was very disconcerting.



I also noticed that the videos of bright lights indoors would sometimes have vertical glares above and below the light sources. I never noticed this phenomenon on my TZ-5 videos.



The final weird restriction that I found out only after using this camera was that it had two video modes: Underwater, and Non-underwater. In Underwater mode, you have no audio, but can use zoom. In Non-underwater mode, you can record audio, but cannot zoom. Perhaps the zooming caused horrible audio noises to be recorded so the engineers decided to never record audio while allowing zooming?



In conclusion, the Olympus Stylus 1030 SW was everything I was looking for on paper and would have been a wonderful all purpose point-and-shoot photo and video camera for all occasions. Unfortunately, my particular unit seemed not be quite waterproof as advertised, and the model had some major design drawbacks in the areas of video recording.



I really cannot recommend this camera based on the unit I had.

Canon Rebel XS 10.1MP Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens (Silver)

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purchased with the same EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Kit Lens. If you buy the XSi camera body only, it's even cheaper than the XS with kit lens.
* Both have Live View Function with their LCD displays.
* Both are compatible with Canon EF and EF-S lenses.
* Both utilize SD and SDHC memory cards.
* Both use the same battery pack (LP-E5) and the same optional battery grip (BG-E5).
* The XS is compatible with most of the Canon EOS camera system accessories that can be used with the XSi.

Now here are the differences between the "newer" Rebel XS and the recently released Rebel XSi:
* The XSi has more megapixels at 12.2MP while the XS is 10.1MP.
* The XSi can continuously shoot at 3.5 fps while the XS can do 3.0 fps.
* The LCD monitor of the XSi measures 3.0 inches while the XS has a smaller screen at 2.5 inches.
* The XSi has a 9-point AF system while the XS has only a 7-point.
* The XSi has Spot metering while the XS does not. Both have Evaluative, Partial, and Center-weighted metering, however.
* XSi's RAW is 14-bit while the XS RAW is 12-bit.
* XSi has Highlight Tone Priority while the XS does not.
* The viewfinder of the XSi provides 0.87x magnification while the XS provides 0.81x.
* The XSi can utilize the RC-1 or the RC-5 wireless remote shutter release, but the XS is not compatible with either so you won't be able to use a wireless remote release.

The Canon EOS Rebel XSi clearly is the better choice and if you are buying your very first digital SLR camera, the XSi is a top model for entry-level compared to others currently out on the market. With the XSi and the XS being sold at the same price, why would you go for something that has less to offer?

* August 19, 2008 UPDATE: Amazon.com has lowered the price of the XS, which makes it somewhat cheaper than the XSi as of this update, but I still strongly feel that the XSi is a better value. Do know that the price of the XSi has dropped significantly throughout Summer 2008, so I'll bet that the XSi and the XS models will have a price war as time goes on.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ10 Digital Camera - Black-10.1-Megapixel Compact Digital

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purchased with the same EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Kit Lens. If you buy the XSi camera body only, it's even cheaper than the XS with kit lens.

* Both have Live View Function with their LCD displays.

* Both are compatible with Canon EF and EF-S lenses.

* Both utilize SD and SDHC memory cards.

* Both use the same battery pack (LP-E5) and the same optional battery grip (BG-E5).

* The XS is compatible with most of the Canon EOS camera system accessories that can be used with the XSi.



Now here are the differences between the "newer" Rebel XS and the recently released Rebel XSi:

* The XSi has more megapixels at 12.2MP while the XS is 10.1MP.

* The XSi can continuously shoot at 3.5 fps while the XS can do 3.0 fps.

* The LCD monitor of the XSi measures 3.0 inches while the XS has a smaller screen at 2.5 inches.

* The XSi has a 9-point AF system while the XS has only a 7-point.

* The XSi has Spot metering while the XS does not. Both have Evaluative, Partial, and Center-weighted metering, however.

* XSi's RAW is 14-bit while the XS RAW is 12-bit.

* XSi has Highlight Tone Priority while the XS does not.

* The viewfinder of the XSi provides 0.87x magnification while the XS provides 0.81x.

* The XSi can utilize the RC-1 or the RC-5 wireless remote shutter release, but the XS is not compatible with either so you won't be able to use a wireless remote release.



The Canon EOS Rebel XSi clearly is the better choice and if you are buying your very first digital SLR camera, the XSi is a top model for entry-level compared to others currently out on the market. With the XSi and the XS being sold at the same price, why would you go for something that has less to offer?



* August 19, 2008 UPDATE: Amazon.com has lowered the price of the XS, which makes it somewhat cheaper than the XSi as of this update, but I still strongly feel that the XSi is a better value. Do know that the price of the XSi has dropped significantly throughout Summer 2008, so I'll bet that the XSi and the XS models will have a price war as time goes on.

Olympus Stylus 10.1-Megapixel Digital Camera - Blue

...

purchased with the same EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Kit Lens. If you buy the XSi camera body only, it's even cheaper than the XS with kit lens.


* Both have Live View Function with their LCD displays.


* Both are compatible with Canon EF and EF-S lenses.


* Both utilize SD and SDHC memory cards.


* Both use the same battery pack (LP-E5) and the same optional battery grip (BG-E5).


* The XS is compatible with most of the Canon EOS camera system accessories that can be used with the XSi.





Now here are the differences between the "newer" Rebel XS and the recently released Rebel XSi:


* The XSi has more megapixels at 12.2MP while the XS is 10.1MP.


* The XSi can continuously shoot at 3.5 fps while the XS can do 3.0 fps.


* The LCD monitor of the XSi measures 3.0 inches while the XS has a smaller screen at 2.5 inches.


* The XSi has a 9-point AF system while the XS has only a 7-point.


* The XSi has Spot metering while the XS does not. Both have Evaluative, Partial, and Center-weighted metering, however.


* XSi's RAW is 14-bit while the XS RAW is 12-bit.


* XSi has Highlight Tone Priority while the XS does not.


* The viewfinder of the XSi provides 0.87x magnification while the XS provides 0.81x.


* The XSi can utilize the RC-1 or the RC-5 wireless remote shutter release, but the XS is not compatible with either so you won't be able to use a wireless remote release.





The Canon EOS Rebel XSi clearly is the better choice and if you are buying your very first digital SLR camera, the XSi is a top model for entry-level compared to others currently out on the market. With the XSi and the XS being sold at the same price, why would you go for something that has less to offer?





* August 19, 2008 UPDATE: Amazon.com has lowered the price of the XS, which makes it somewhat cheaper than the XSi as of this update, but I still strongly feel that the XSi is a better value. Do know that the price of the XSi has dropped significantly throughout Summer 2008, so I'll bet that the XSi and the XS models will have a price war as time goes on.

Nikon Coolpix 10.1-Megapixel Digital Camera - Black

...

purchased with the same EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Kit Lens. If you buy the XSi camera body only, it's even cheaper than the XS with kit lens.



* Both have Live View Function with their LCD displays.



* Both are compatible with Canon EF and EF-S lenses.



* Both utilize SD and SDHC memory cards.



* Both use the same battery pack (LP-E5) and the same optional battery grip (BG-E5).



* The XS is compatible with most of the Canon EOS camera system accessories that can be used with the XSi.







Now here are the differences between the "newer" Rebel XS and the recently released Rebel XSi:



* The XSi has more megapixels at 12.2MP while the XS is 10.1MP.



* The XSi can continuously shoot at 3.5 fps while the XS can do 3.0 fps.



* The LCD monitor of the XSi measures 3.0 inches while the XS has a smaller screen at 2.5 inches.



* The XSi has a 9-point AF system while the XS has only a 7-point.



* The XSi has Spot metering while the XS does not. Both have Evaluative, Partial, and Center-weighted metering, however.



* XSi's RAW is 14-bit while the XS RAW is 12-bit.



* XSi has Highlight Tone Priority while the XS does not.



* The viewfinder of the XSi provides 0.87x magnification while the XS provides 0.81x.



* The XSi can utilize the RC-1 or the RC-5 wireless remote shutter release, but the XS is not compatible with either so you won't be able to use a wireless remote release.







The Canon EOS Rebel XSi clearly is the better choice and if you are buying your very first digital SLR camera, the XSi is a top model for entry-level compared to others currently out on the market. With the XSi and the XS being sold at the same price, why would you go for something that has less to offer?







* August 19, 2008 UPDATE: Amazon.com has lowered the price of the XS, which makes it somewhat cheaper than the XSi as of this update, but I still strongly feel that the XSi is a better value. Do know that the price of the XSi has dropped significantly throughout Summer 2008, so I'll bet that the XSi and the XS models will have a price war as time goes on.

Nikon Coolpix 10.1-Megapixel Digital Camera - Black

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Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5K, 4K, and DMC-FZ18K, which rank very high on Amazon, but not as high on some other sites (for example B or B+ at HQ, compared with Coolpix P80's A-). It looks that 5K and 4K are great for outdoors, while FZ18K is out of the question for now as Amazon doesn't have it.

Finally I set my mind on Coolpix P80. With its 18x wide angle, vibration reduction, rechargable battery, and sale price at Amazon, it's really a great value compared with Lumix FZ18K and Canon S5. And there's the 10M resolution. Although I don't really care about the M's, a bigger M number means it's less easy to get outdated. I read all the negative reviews on Amazon, which are mainly on the shooting speed, and picture quality under conditions that I should seldom encounter. My L1 is very slow, but with the help of continuous mode, I have taken enough pictures over the time. So I decided I can put up with it.

The camera arrived by free shipping four days after I placed the order. I have shot about a hundred pictures using its automatic settings since then. The pictures turned out surprisingly good, if you don't zoom out of the recommended values listed in the manual. The manual is pretty good. There's also a quick start guide, which doesn't mention how to open the flash. So I had to shoot my first indoor pictures without flash. The pictures turned out pretty good though.

So far it's good.

Sony DSC-W170 Cyber-shot® 10-Megapixel Digital Camera - Silver

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Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5K, 4K, and DMC-FZ18K, which rank very high on Amazon, but not as high on some other sites (for example B or B+ at HQ, compared with Coolpix P80's A-). It looks that 5K and 4K are great for outdoors, while FZ18K is out of the question for now as Amazon doesn't have it.



Finally I set my mind on Coolpix P80. With its 18x wide angle, vibration reduction, rechargable battery, and sale price at Amazon, it's really a great value compared with Lumix FZ18K and Canon S5. And there's the 10M resolution. Although I don't really care about the M's, a bigger M number means it's less easy to get outdated. I read all the negative reviews on Amazon, which are mainly on the shooting speed, and picture quality under conditions that I should seldom encounter. My L1 is very slow, but with the help of continuous mode, I have taken enough pictures over the time. So I decided I can put up with it.



The camera arrived by free shipping four days after I placed the order. I have shot about a hundred pictures using its automatic settings since then. The pictures turned out surprisingly good, if you don't zoom out of the recommended values listed in the manual. The manual is pretty good. There's also a quick start guide, which doesn't mention how to open the flash. So I had to shoot my first indoor pictures without flash. The pictures turned out pretty good though.



So far it's good.

EasyShare Z1012 IS Digital Camera, 10.1 Megapixel, 12x Optical Zoom, 2.5" LCD Display, Optical Image Stabilization, Smart Capture Mode, High Sensitivity (ISO 6400), Capture HD Video & Picture

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Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5K, 4K, and DMC-FZ18K, which rank very high on Amazon, but not as high on some other sites (for example B or B+ at HQ, compared with Coolpix P80's A-). It looks that 5K and 4K are great for outdoors, while FZ18K is out of the question for now as Amazon doesn't have it.





Finally I set my mind on Coolpix P80. With its 18x wide angle, vibration reduction, rechargable battery, and sale price at Amazon, it's really a great value compared with Lumix FZ18K and Canon S5. And there's the 10M resolution. Although I don't really care about the M's, a bigger M number means it's less easy to get outdated. I read all the negative reviews on Amazon, which are mainly on the shooting speed, and picture quality under conditions that I should seldom encounter. My L1 is very slow, but with the help of continuous mode, I have taken enough pictures over the time. So I decided I can put up with it.





The camera arrived by free shipping four days after I placed the order. I have shot about a hundred pictures using its automatic settings since then. The pictures turned out surprisingly good, if you don't zoom out of the recommended values listed in the manual. The manual is pretty good. There's also a quick start guide, which doesn't mention how to open the flash. So I had to shoot my first indoor pictures without flash. The pictures turned out pretty good though.





So far it's good.

Nikon Coolpix 10.1-Megapixel Digital Camera - Black

...

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5K, 4K, and DMC-FZ18K, which rank very high on Amazon, but not as high on some other sites (for example B or B+ at HQ, compared with Coolpix P80's A-). It looks that 5K and 4K are great for outdoors, while FZ18K is out of the question for now as Amazon doesn't have it.







Finally I set my mind on Coolpix P80. With its 18x wide angle, vibration reduction, rechargable battery, and sale price at Amazon, it's really a great value compared with Lumix FZ18K and Canon S5. And there's the 10M resolution. Although I don't really care about the M's, a bigger M number means it's less easy to get outdated. I read all the negative reviews on Amazon, which are mainly on the shooting speed, and picture quality under conditions that I should seldom encounter. My L1 is very slow, but with the help of continuous mode, I have taken enough pictures over the time. So I decided I can put up with it.







The camera arrived by free shipping four days after I placed the order. I have shot about a hundred pictures using its automatic settings since then. The pictures turned out surprisingly good, if you don't zoom out of the recommended values listed in the manual. The manual is pretty good. There's also a quick start guide, which doesn't mention how to open the flash. So I had to shoot my first indoor pictures without flash. The pictures turned out pretty good though.







So far it's good.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS20 Digital Camera - Silver-10.1-Megapixel Compact Digital

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controls are lacking, and it has a horribly short battery life.

** Powershot: Obvious barrell distortion due to the lens (why Canon, why?!), more noise in high ISO photos than Nikon or Lumix, oddly designed rounded body does not allow the camera to stand upright (for selftimer for example).

** Exilim: This camera has a lot going for it - especially great software and incredible battery life that seems to go on-and-on-and-on, HOWEVER, the photo quality is worst of the group with noticeable blue-purple haze at edges where highest contrast areas meet (e.g. sky and trees). This not visible if you are only viewing images on your computer screen at normal sizes, or are not making enlargements, but it is there none the less.

** Lumix: In most ways, best overall (and best reviewed) - - The images have extraordinary clarity for a camera in this price range. The Lumix image stabilization system and Venus engine is the same in this camera as in their high-end cameras, and it shows. Simply great! The camera also has a first-rate Leica Vario-Elmar lens with very little detectable distorion edge-to-edge in the frame (puts Canon to shame); and has wide-angle 4X optical and 7.1X digital zoom. The Auto Focus system sensor at low-light levels is unmatched by other cameras in this group. The flash is excellent. "Noise" is an issue with all snapper cameras at high ISO levels, and the Lumix no worse than any other brand. The auto-rotation of images in-camera is surprisingly good. The software Manual Override systems are outstanding (they deserve an award) - easy to learn and easier to use, and delivers pretty much what I am looking for. As for hardware, the Joy-Stick Control works so well, I expect that all companies will adopt this design in the future. I also find the camera body solid and attractive (but not a dazzler). It has no view finder - (they are useless on pocket models in my opinion, anyway) - but, the huge 3-inch viewing screen has four brightness levels.

The Lumix has 50MB of memory built-in. I use a 4GB SDHC SanDisk Extreme III with it, which runs fairly fast. (FYI: This Lumix cannot run 2GB SD cards.)

I have not tested video capabilities more than a couple of times, but has worked fine for me when tested in different modes.

The drawbacks about the Lumix are these:
* Out-of-the-box, especially in iA mode, photos are slightly "warm." I shot about 350 images outdoors over two perfect days, and the sky veered toward cyan rather than blue without adjustments. This won't bother most people, but it does me, although it can be corrected.
* In iA mode, the sensor will get confused in, for example, a green lawn with dappled sunlight - tough for any sensor - one image may shift warm to compensate for shadows, and the next cool to adjust for the sun, even when the position of the camera is not moved. (This isn't really a complaint, just an observation. To stop this from occurring, put the camera in "Normal" mode and create your own settings.)
* The images from my Lumix camera, in the farthest upper-right corner of the frame, appear very slightly underexposed - up to a half stop - compared to the rest of the image... but not all of the time. (I can't figure this out at all.) I can crop it out of prints or fix it in Photoshop when it occurs, but it is annoying.
* The battery life is only average, equal to PowerShot, but far shy of the amazing Exilim. I am only getting about 190 shots (no flash or playback), which is less than I expected, and less than advertised. - For me, the battery issue is the camera's biggest drawback because I had been used to consistently getting over 300 still shots on a charge that could last weeks in my old camera.


Overall: The Lumix DMC-FS20 gets 4 stars - - - I chose the Lumix and I am generally satisified, but after actually owning and using it, I would choose the Exilim EX-Z200 on a do-over because of its strongest point - stellar battery life, which is important to me when I travel. (Please note again: In my opinion, the Exilim EX-Z200 does not deliver the picture quality of Lumix, but it is still very acceptable.) If long battery life is not an important concern for you, you will find the Lumix to be an excellent choice.

Samsung L200 10-Megapixel Digital Camera - Silver

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controls are lacking, and it has a horribly short battery life.



** Powershot: Obvious barrell distortion due to the lens (why Canon, why?!), more noise in high ISO photos than Nikon or Lumix, oddly designed rounded body does not allow the camera to stand upright (for selftimer for example).



** Exilim: This camera has a lot going for it - especially great software and incredible battery life that seems to go on-and-on-and-on, HOWEVER, the photo quality is worst of the group with noticeable blue-purple haze at edges where highest contrast areas meet (e.g. sky and trees). This not visible if you are only viewing images on your computer screen at normal sizes, or are not making enlargements, but it is there none the less.



** Lumix: In most ways, best overall (and best reviewed) - - The images have extraordinary clarity for a camera in this price range. The Lumix image stabilization system and Venus engine is the same in this camera as in their high-end cameras, and it shows. Simply great! The camera also has a first-rate Leica Vario-Elmar lens with very little detectable distorion edge-to-edge in the frame (puts Canon to shame); and has wide-angle 4X optical and 7.1X digital zoom. The Auto Focus system sensor at low-light levels is unmatched by other cameras in this group. The flash is excellent. "Noise" is an issue with all snapper cameras at high ISO levels, and the Lumix no worse than any other brand. The auto-rotation of images in-camera is surprisingly good. The software Manual Override systems are outstanding (they deserve an award) - easy to learn and easier to use, and delivers pretty much what I am looking for. As for hardware, the Joy-Stick Control works so well, I expect that all companies will adopt this design in the future. I also find the camera body solid and attractive (but not a dazzler). It has no view finder - (they are useless on pocket models in my opinion, anyway) - but, the huge 3-inch viewing screen has four brightness levels.



The Lumix has 50MB of memory built-in. I use a 4GB SDHC SanDisk Extreme III with it, which runs fairly fast. (FYI: This Lumix cannot run 2GB SD cards.)



I have not tested video capabilities more than a couple of times, but has worked fine for me when tested in different modes.



The drawbacks about the Lumix are these:

* Out-of-the-box, especially in iA mode, photos are slightly "warm." I shot about 350 images outdoors over two perfect days, and the sky veered toward cyan rather than blue without adjustments. This won't bother most people, but it does me, although it can be corrected.

* In iA mode, the sensor will get confused in, for example, a green lawn with dappled sunlight - tough for any sensor - one image may shift warm to compensate for shadows, and the next cool to adjust for the sun, even when the position of the camera is not moved. (This isn't really a complaint, just an observation. To stop this from occurring, put the camera in "Normal" mode and create your own settings.)

* The images from my Lumix camera, in the farthest upper-right corner of the frame, appear very slightly underexposed - up to a half stop - compared to the rest of the image... but not all of the time. (I can't figure this out at all.) I can crop it out of prints or fix it in Photoshop when it occurs, but it is annoying.

* The battery life is only average, equal to PowerShot, but far shy of the amazing Exilim. I am only getting about 190 shots (no flash or playback), which is less than I expected, and less than advertised. - For me, the battery issue is the camera's biggest drawback because I had been used to consistently getting over 300 still shots on a charge that could last weeks in my old camera.





Overall: The Lumix DMC-FS20 gets 4 stars - - - I chose the Lumix and I am generally satisified, but after actually owning and using it, I would choose the Exilim EX-Z200 on a do-over because of its strongest point - stellar battery life, which is important to me when I travel. (Please note again: In my opinion, the Exilim EX-Z200 does not deliver the picture quality of Lumix, but it is still very acceptable.) If long battery life is not an important concern for you, you will find the Lumix to be an excellent choice.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX35 Digital Camera - Silver-10.1MP Silver Digital Camera

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controls are lacking, and it has a horribly short battery life.





** Powershot: Obvious barrell distortion due to the lens (why Canon, why?!), more noise in high ISO photos than Nikon or Lumix, oddly designed rounded body does not allow the camera to stand upright (for selftimer for example).





** Exilim: This camera has a lot going for it - especially great software and incredible battery life that seems to go on-and-on-and-on, HOWEVER, the photo quality is worst of the group with noticeable blue-purple haze at edges where highest contrast areas meet (e.g. sky and trees). This not visible if you are only viewing images on your computer screen at normal sizes, or are not making enlargements, but it is there none the less.





** Lumix: In most ways, best overall (and best reviewed) - - The images have extraordinary clarity for a camera in this price range. The Lumix image stabilization system and Venus engine is the same in this camera as in their high-end cameras, and it shows. Simply great! The camera also has a first-rate Leica Vario-Elmar lens with very little detectable distorion edge-to-edge in the frame (puts Canon to shame); and has wide-angle 4X optical and 7.1X digital zoom. The Auto Focus system sensor at low-light levels is unmatched by other cameras in this group. The flash is excellent. "Noise" is an issue with all snapper cameras at high ISO levels, and the Lumix no worse than any other brand. The auto-rotation of images in-camera is surprisingly good. The software Manual Override systems are outstanding (they deserve an award) - easy to learn and easier to use, and delivers pretty much what I am looking for. As for hardware, the Joy-Stick Control works so well, I expect that all companies will adopt this design in the future. I also find the camera body solid and attractive (but not a dazzler). It has no view finder - (they are useless on pocket models in my opinion, anyway) - but, the huge 3-inch viewing screen has four brightness levels.





The Lumix has 50MB of memory built-in. I use a 4GB SDHC SanDisk Extreme III with it, which runs fairly fast. (FYI: This Lumix cannot run 2GB SD cards.)





I have not tested video capabilities more than a couple of times, but has worked fine for me when tested in different modes.





The drawbacks about the Lumix are these:


* Out-of-the-box, especially in iA mode, photos are slightly "warm." I shot about 350 images outdoors over two perfect days, and the sky veered toward cyan rather than blue without adjustments. This won't bother most people, but it does me, although it can be corrected.


* In iA mode, the sensor will get confused in, for example, a green lawn with dappled sunlight - tough for any sensor - one image may shift warm to compensate for shadows, and the next cool to adjust for the sun, even when the position of the camera is not moved. (This isn't really a complaint, just an observation. To stop this from occurring, put the camera in "Normal" mode and create your own settings.)


* The images from my Lumix camera, in the farthest upper-right corner of the frame, appear very slightly underexposed - up to a half stop - compared to the rest of the image... but not all of the time. (I can't figure this out at all.) I can crop it out of prints or fix it in Photoshop when it occurs, but it is annoying.


* The battery life is only average, equal to PowerShot, but far shy of the amazing Exilim. I am only getting about 190 shots (no flash or playback), which is less than I expected, and less than advertised. - For me, the battery issue is the camera's biggest drawback because I had been used to consistently getting over 300 still shots on a charge that could last weeks in my old camera.








Overall: The Lumix DMC-FS20 gets 4 stars - - - I chose the Lumix and I am generally satisified, but after actually owning and using it, I would choose the Exilim EX-Z200 on a do-over because of its strongest point - stellar battery life, which is important to me when I travel. (Please note again: In my opinion, the Exilim EX-Z200 does not deliver the picture quality of Lumix, but it is still very acceptable.) If long battery life is not an important concern for you, you will find the Lumix to be an excellent choice.

Kodak EasyShare 10.1-Megapixel Digital Camera - Black

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in it's finish that would attract finger prints ... something that drives me crazy. Upon picking up the camera I then noticed it was a Kodak and was a little surprized. To be honest, I've not perceived Kodak cameras as being of particular quality or performance. Upon playing with the controls I was immediately impressed with the build quality and the feel of the buttons. Discovering the joystick control ... I was off to the races. Most of the camera operation was fairly intuitive and I found the joystick a much more convinient selection method than the multi-way controls used in most pocket cameras. I was also impressed by the quick responses of the camera ... start-up time, shutter lag, magnification and image scrolling on playback were all quite good, particularly by pocket camera standards. I decided to wait and research the camera some more and then once I found out about the HD video modes with MPEG-4 compression, I decided to give it a try. After several days of using the camera, I'll say that overall I'm fairly impressed with it. The image quality doesn't compare with my DSLR but even though shots in low light are frequently a bit noisy and blurred (again, by DSLR standards), they look pretty good compared to other pocket cameras I've seen reviewed. With 10mp you can afford some blurriness which you'll never see unless you enlarge quite a bit. While full manual modes are not present on this camera, it does give some manual control and has several features that surprized me on this type of camera (spot metering and histogram to name two). On one hand the high ISO settings can make for pretty blotchy and/or noisy images, but again, I've seen far worse in camera reviews of shirt pocket cameras and I must say I'm surprized that these images seem usable even at such high settings. I'm just a bit embarrassed to admit that I've grown accustomed to shooting most of my shots in fully-automatic "dummy" mode. I can't complain about the results and should I need a little more control, to some extent I have it. All in all I'd have to give this little bugger a big thumbs up.

Canon EOS-1D Mark III 10 Megapixel SLR Digital Camera - Body Only

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in it's finish that would attract finger prints ... something that drives me crazy. Upon picking up the camera I then noticed it was a Kodak and was a little surprized. To be honest, I've not perceived Kodak cameras as being of particular quality or performance. Upon playing with the controls I was immediately impressed with the build quality and the feel of the buttons. Discovering the joystick control ... I was off to the races. Most of the camera operation was fairly intuitive and I found the joystick a much more convinient selection method than the multi-way controls used in most pocket cameras. I was also impressed by the quick responses of the camera ... start-up time, shutter lag, magnification and image scrolling on playback were all quite good, particularly by pocket camera standards. I decided to wait and research the camera some more and then once I found out about the HD video modes with MPEG-4 compression, I decided to give it a try. After several days of using the camera, I'll say that overall I'm fairly impressed with it. The image quality doesn't compare with my DSLR but even though shots in low light are frequently a bit noisy and blurred (again, by DSLR standards), they look pretty good compared to other pocket cameras I've seen reviewed. With 10mp you can afford some blurriness which you'll never see unless you enlarge quite a bit. While full manual modes are not present on this camera, it does give some manual control and has several features that surprized me on this type of camera (spot metering and histogram to name two). On one hand the high ISO settings can make for pretty blotchy and/or noisy images, but again, I've seen far worse in camera reviews of shirt pocket cameras and I must say I'm surprized that these images seem usable even at such high settings. I'm just a bit embarrassed to admit that I've grown accustomed to shooting most of my shots in fully-automatic "dummy" mode. I can't complain about the results and should I need a little more control, to some extent I have it. All in all I'd have to give this little bugger a big thumbs up.

Nikon Coolpix 10.1-Megapixel Digital Camera - Black

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is grainy.

Returned it to tigerdirect and probably will go with Canon S5 IS or Canon SX 100 IS.

Nikon Coolpix 10.1-Megapixel Digital Camera - Black

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or poor color or out of focus MY FAULT! Setup is very easy to do and can be altered anytime I tried the fireworks setting on the 4th of July and did it free hand(needed a tripod) I was surprised how nice it took fireworks considering it was freehand! it has not been a disappointment for me it has been a joy and I think you might enjoy it too it is rated as slow on some things but its great for me because it does what I want and the way I want if you are advanced in your knowledge of photography you may not like it and on the other hand you may, I hope you do! This is my first Nikon and it is not a disappointment to me! Hope you enjoy it! JD

Olympus Stylus 10.1-Megapixel Digital Camera - Silver

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or poor color or out of focus MY FAULT! Setup is very easy to do and can be altered anytime I tried the fireworks setting on the 4th of July and did it free hand(needed a tripod) I was surprised how nice it took fireworks considering it was freehand! it has not been a disappointment for me it has been a joy and I think you might enjoy it too it is rated as slow on some things but its great for me because it does what I want and the way I want if you are advanced in your knowledge of photography you may not like it and on the other hand you may, I hope you do! This is my first Nikon and it is not a disappointment to me! Hope you enjoy it! JD

Pentax Optio W60 Underwater 10 Megapixel Digital Camera - Blue

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I've tried that on "Infinity" and that works for me. To their credit, Pentax admits this sound issue a couple of times in the truly comprehensive manual.

I was briefly tempted to return the W60 on the basis of these video limitations and exchange it for the Lumix FZ5a, which has 30 fps 720p and a longer optical zoom.

However, the fact that this small camera is waterproof is just darn cool (particularly for those who like to kayak or hang out at the beach). There are few options otherwise (the Olympus, or carrying around a waterproof case), and the W60's feature set is otherwise great. So it really comes down to what compromises you're prepared to make. Frankly, I love the freedom to shoot underwater or in the rain with this camera. I'll live with the video limitations. It's a keeper!