I have other digital cameras but I wanted one with slow motion ability. For the cost of this camera: I am truly amazed at the quality at 120fps, 240fps, and even at 1000fps. It does take about 40mb for each second of slow motion video, but for my needs, that's fine. The quality is really good, easy to use, and regular photos and HD video is also better than I expected. Definitely a camera I would recommend to others.
Showing posts with label best compact canon digital camera. Show all posts
Showing posts with label best compact canon digital camera. Show all posts
Pentax K2000 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 DA
Pros:
High quality (sturdy feeling)
Well designed
Superb Image quality
No pattern noise at high ISOs (looks more like film grain)
In body image stabilization
Cons:
No image orientation sensor (if you hold portrait style have to manually rotate)
No red focus confirmation dot (still has green dot in viewfinder at bottom)
Who should buy the K2000? Anyone also considering entry level Nikon or Canon DSLRs. This is fully competitive, but offers in body image stabilization that works with any lens (old and new). Nice feature set at a great value.
The auto focus of this camera is improved, focusing more precisely in low light than previous Pentax models, and also works with the new SDM lenses. Auto white balance is also improved. It does much better under tungsten light than some previous Pentax cameras.
The shake reduction is highly effective, as much so as most in lens systems. About 3 f-stops for me. This is a handy feature because it works with ALL lenses. You don't have to keep buying the same feature for $100 to $500 every time you buy a lens for which you want stabilization. Not to mention, when a new body comes out you get an improved stabilizer. With an in lens system, you have to replace your lenses to get improved stabilizers.
Even though this is a no frills system, it is very capable for those advanced amateurs or pro's looking for a compact body to use with the Pentax Limited prime lenses (compact lenses offering outstanding image quality). The big two haven't invested many resources in prime lenses suitable for APS-C sensors (by far the best selling dSLRs), Pentax has bucked the industry trend with their superb DA Limited series lenses.
Image quality is outstanding. I used it at a studio shoot recently, and had no issue. My only complaints were the lack of user selectable focus points (besides all or center only) and lack of orientation sensor. For the most part these were easy to work around. The picture results were stunning, even up to ISO 800. By 1600 there starts to be a fair amount of noise, but there is no pattern to it (my K20d has awful horizontal pattern noise). These photos are highly suitable for B&W conversion, and they resemble high speed film better than many digital cameras.
In conclusion, you get a lot of bang for you buck with this camera. The bundled AF200FG flash is very good compared to any built in flash offering much better range, better fill, and being off camera helps reduce red eye and shadowing from lenses. The kit lens is excellent at apertures 5.6 and up at any focal length (it is a tad soft at the corners at wide angles at apertures larger (smaller number) than f/5.6. I mounted it to the K20d and it had no problems resolving for the higher resolution sensor. I recommend this without many reservations (see my cons), and for a starter or enthusiast it is a great little camera. With my review title, it is the first time I can feel comfortable to recommend a Pentax to a non-DSLR user (previously they have been better enthusiast, non-beginner models).
Update One: First set of batteries that came with the camera have more than 1000 shots on them, many of these with the flash. This has truly amazing battery life, especially considering how much the back LCD is illuminated (no top information display). This would last many users a year!
The only other little things I have noticed is there is no slot for a cable remote and the back LCD can be bright. This camera wouldn't be the best for star trails for example, but this will only impact a small percentage of users.
I still love it!
High quality (sturdy feeling)
Well designed
Superb Image quality
No pattern noise at high ISOs (looks more like film grain)
In body image stabilization
Cons:
No image orientation sensor (if you hold portrait style have to manually rotate)
No red focus confirmation dot (still has green dot in viewfinder at bottom)
Who should buy the K2000? Anyone also considering entry level Nikon or Canon DSLRs. This is fully competitive, but offers in body image stabilization that works with any lens (old and new). Nice feature set at a great value.
The auto focus of this camera is improved, focusing more precisely in low light than previous Pentax models, and also works with the new SDM lenses. Auto white balance is also improved. It does much better under tungsten light than some previous Pentax cameras.
The shake reduction is highly effective, as much so as most in lens systems. About 3 f-stops for me. This is a handy feature because it works with ALL lenses. You don't have to keep buying the same feature for $100 to $500 every time you buy a lens for which you want stabilization. Not to mention, when a new body comes out you get an improved stabilizer. With an in lens system, you have to replace your lenses to get improved stabilizers.
Even though this is a no frills system, it is very capable for those advanced amateurs or pro's looking for a compact body to use with the Pentax Limited prime lenses (compact lenses offering outstanding image quality). The big two haven't invested many resources in prime lenses suitable for APS-C sensors (by far the best selling dSLRs), Pentax has bucked the industry trend with their superb DA Limited series lenses.
Image quality is outstanding. I used it at a studio shoot recently, and had no issue. My only complaints were the lack of user selectable focus points (besides all or center only) and lack of orientation sensor. For the most part these were easy to work around. The picture results were stunning, even up to ISO 800. By 1600 there starts to be a fair amount of noise, but there is no pattern to it (my K20d has awful horizontal pattern noise). These photos are highly suitable for B&W conversion, and they resemble high speed film better than many digital cameras.
In conclusion, you get a lot of bang for you buck with this camera. The bundled AF200FG flash is very good compared to any built in flash offering much better range, better fill, and being off camera helps reduce red eye and shadowing from lenses. The kit lens is excellent at apertures 5.6 and up at any focal length (it is a tad soft at the corners at wide angles at apertures larger (smaller number) than f/5.6. I mounted it to the K20d and it had no problems resolving for the higher resolution sensor. I recommend this without many reservations (see my cons), and for a starter or enthusiast it is a great little camera. With my review title, it is the first time I can feel comfortable to recommend a Pentax to a non-DSLR user (previously they have been better enthusiast, non-beginner models).
Update One: First set of batteries that came with the camera have more than 1000 shots on them, many of these with the flash. This has truly amazing battery life, especially considering how much the back LCD is illuminated (no top information display). This would last many users a year!
The only other little things I have noticed is there is no slot for a cable remote and the back LCD can be bright. This camera wouldn't be the best for star trails for example, but this will only impact a small percentage of users.
I still love it!
WD Red 2 TB NAS Hard Drive: 3.5 Inch, SATA III, 64 MB Cache
List Price: $179.99
Sale Price: $94.99
Today's Bonus: 47% Off
Here is a quote from a review at pcper.com
I'm going to let the cat out of the bag right here and now. Everyone's home RAID is likely an accident waiting to happen. If you're using regular consumer drives in a large array, there are some very simple (and likely) scenarios that can cause it to completely fail. I'm guilty of operating under this same false hope I have an 8-drive array of 3TB WD Caviar Greens in a RAID-5. For those uninitiated, RAID-5 is where one drive worth of capacity is volunteered for use as parity data, which is distributed amongst all drives in the array. This trick allows for no data loss in the case where a single drive fails. The RAID controller can simply figure out the missing data by running the extra parity through the same formula that created it. This is called redundancy, but I propose that it's not.
Since I'm also guilty here with my huge array of Caviar Greens, let me also say that every few weeks I have a batch job that reads *all* data from that array. Why on earth would I need to occasionally and repeatedly read 21TB of data from something that should already be super reliable? Here's the failure scenario for what might happen to me if I didn't:
* Array starts off operating as normal, but drive 3 has a bad sector that cropped up a few months back. This has gone unnoticed because the bad sector was part of a rarely accessed file.
* During operation, drive 1 encounters a new bad sector.
* Since drive 1 is a consumer drive it goes into a retry loop, repeatedly attempting to read and correct the bad sector.
* The RAID controller exceeds its timeout threshold waiting on drive 1 and marks it offline.
* Array is now in degraded status with drive 1 marked as failed.
* User replaces drive 1. RAID controller initiates rebuild using parity data from the other drives.
* During rebuild, RAID controller encounters the bad sector on drive 3.
* Since drive 3 is a consumer drive it goes into a retry loop, repeatedly attempting to read and correct the bad sector.
* The RAID controller exceeds its timeout threshold waiting on drive 3 and marks it offline.
* Rebuild fails.
At this point the way forward varies from controller to controller, but the long and short of it is that the data is at extreme risk of loss. There are ways to get it all back (most likely without that one bad sector on drive 3), but none of them are particularly easy. Now you may be asking yourself how enterprises run huge RAIDs and don't see this sort of problem? The answer is Time Limited Error Recovery where the hard drive assumes it is part of an array, assumes there is redundancy, and is not afraid to quickly tell the host controller that it just can't complete the current I/O request.
Here's how that scenario would have played out if the drives implemented some form of TLER:
* Array starts off operating as normal, but drive 3 has developed a bad sector several weeks ago. This went unnoticed because the bad sector was part of a rarely accessed file.
* During operation, drive 1 encounters a new bad sector.
* Drive 1 makes a few read attempts and then reports a CRC error to the RAID controller.
* The RAID controller maps out the bad sector, locating it elsewhere on the drive. The missing sector is rebuilt using parity data from the other drives in the array.
*Array continues normal operation, with the error added to its event log.
The above scenario is what would play out with an Areca RAID controller (I've verified this personally). Other controllers may behave differently. A controller unable to do a bad sector remap might have just marked drive 1 as bad, but the key is that the rebuild would be much less likely to fail as drive 3 would not drop completely offline once the controller ran into the additional bad sector. The moral of this story is that typical consumer grade drives have data error timeouts that are far longer than the drive offline timeout of typical RAID controllers, and without some form of TLER, two bad sectors (totaling 1024 bytes) is all that's required to put multiple terabytes of data in grave danger.
The Solution:
The solution should be simple just get some drives with TLER. The problem is that until now those were prohibitively expensive. Enterprise drives have all sorts of added features like accelerometers and pressure sensors to compensate for sliding in and out of a server rack while operating, as well as dealing with rapid pressure changes that take place when the server room door opens and the forced air circulation takes a quick detour. Those features just aren't needed in that home NAS sitting on your bookshelf. What *is* needed is a WD Caviar Green that has TLER, and Western Digital delivers that in their new Red drives.
End quote and back to reviewer.
I've got 5 of these in a Synology DiskStation 5-Bay (Diskless) Network Attached Storage (DS1512+). It is really a sweet setup.
The Synology software has a S.M.A.R.T. test that can do surface scans to detect bad sectors. I have their Quick Test check every disk daily and the Extended Test set to automatically run on each of the 5 disks every weekend. (The Extended Test takes about 5 hours per disk so I separate the tests by 12 hours.)
Samsung NX210 Kit 20.3-megapixel Digital Camera
List Price: $899.99
Sale Price: $390.82
Today's Bonus: 57% Off
First off, if you want an extensive review of this camera go to cnet or dpreview. That's where I went to do my research when I decided to buy an dSLR. Upon doing my research I decided on a mirrorless interchangeable lens system camera. I always purchased Canon cameras, but they're kind of late to this party since they're just now releasing their first mirrorless camera. I narrowed my decision down to the NX210 versus the Sony NEX-5r that is coming out in October. I believe these models stand out because of their Wi-Fi connection and ability to use your cell phone as a remote viewfinder. Ultimately I chose the Samsung because I was able to get a free 50 200 mm lens making it several hundred dollars cheaper than the Sony.
I've had the camera for about a week now and have been satisfied with the image quality, flash coverage, manual options/controls, etc. The panoramic function is excellent and I believe that I will use it a fair amount in the future. The worst part of the camera was the Wi-Fi connection... It continually disconnected hampering the ability to use my smartphone as a viewfinder, and transferring pictures to my smartphone or computer. It just didn't work! I was contemplating returning the camera but today I went on Samsung's website and they just released firmware update 1.10 yesterday. I downloaded and installed the firmware and the Wi-Fi now functions flawlessly! IF YOU PURCHASE THIS CAMERA MAKE SURE YOU HAVE FIRMWARE 1.10 OR HIGHER. IF NOT, INSTALL IT! With the new firmware, this is a 4.5 star camera. The focusing system is not perfect and gets worse in lower light conditions. It's much better than on my previous camera (Canon SX 20), and it's probably one of the best focusing systems out there. If I had it to do over again I would've chosen this camera and I would have no problems recommending it to family and friends.
UPDATE...
Samsung has released firmware 01.11 and Wi-Fi connections are even more stable. Samsung also eliminated a bug that would lock up the camera until the battery was removed. Kudos to manufactures that continue to improve and tweak their products, even after you've surrendered your money to them. I'm still thrilled with the picture quality and features this camera offers. Focusing continues to be average but acceptable; maybe a future firmware upgrade will improve the accuracy and speed of the system. I've convinced a few friends to consider an EVIL (electronic viewfinder interchangeable lens) camera such as the NX210 instead of a dSLR for their next upgrade.
Sanyo Xacti VPC-CA6OR 6MP MPEG4 Weatherproof Digital Camcorder
The CA6 was not available in any local stores so I researched the smack out of this video camera on the web before I bought it from Amazon. I thought I knew exactly what I was getting but the box contained a big surprise. I was expecting something small and utilitarian. Instead, I got a beautiful little jewel. It is delightful to look at and fun to hold. Grant you I am always fascinated with unusual design and shape.
The camera was a Christmas gift for my wife and I wanted to set it up before Christmas day so she could unwrap it and start filming (film?). The Instruction book is as impressive as the camera itself. Not for design but for its volume and it is all in English. I still haven't managed to digest but a few sections.
Video quality is excellent for our purpose. There are six different video resolutions and a variety of photo resolutions available in the easy to use menu system. The SHQ TV resolution is really stunning when you consider the miniscule sized gizmo that created it. We took the camera to Key West last week and recorded in SHQ WEB (320x240 / 30fps) resolution (perfect for making videos for sharing on the web). Every time you start and stop recording, a new MPEG4 file is created on the SD memory card. Using the photo function creates a high resolution JPEG file. At the end of the trip we had a couple of hundred files to download onto the Mac. We are currently editing the files into a movie with iMovie. At the smaller video resolution I was able to get about three hours of MPEG4 files and forty-two high resolution JPEG (2816x2112) files on less than half of the 2gb SD card. The same memory card holds about an hour and a half of video at the highest resolution setting (640x480 / 30fps at minimum compression).
Image stabilization works well enough for moderate hand movement but it didn't keep up with rough water on a sailboat around Key West. I wish the zoom range had more field of view on the wide end but it is tighter than I expected on the telephoto end. This is not a camera for long distance tight shots of wild animals or beach bunnies. It has no tripod mount so the telephoto power is just long enough for the image stabilizer to cope with when hand holding the camera on steady ground.
My hands are really too large for the controls but I found ways to adapt. It fits my wife perfectly. The CA6 is supplied with a hand strap to keep the camera tethered to your body and supply leverage for one handed use. I use the strap mostly for accident prevention and use my left hand to stabilize the camera by holding the outside of the frame of the view screen while delicately mashing the controls with my fat thumb on my right hand. Even with the hand tether attached to the camera we easily carried the camera and tether in our pockets without any problems and I was able to do some incognito filming on Duval Street. The relatively large (and very bright) view screen can be folded back against the camera while recording (folding the view screen back to the camera while not recording or reviewing shuts the camera off) for "shoot from the hip" filming.
Along with a small carrying pouch and a 2 or 4gb High Speed SD memory card, I recommend an additional battery as a necessary accessory. The tiny battery powers the camera in video mode for an hour or so but using the built in flash for photos knocks the small cell down in hurray. Reviewing and messing with the menu also cuts into battery duration. The lithium ion battery is physically smaller than my cell phone battery and recharges in less than two hours. In use it is completely enclosed inside the camera. The Sanyo OEM battery is easy to find on the web and there are a number of less expensive, alternative brands made to fit the Xacti cameras. Also, gentle use of an absorbent lens cloth will keep the view screen and the lens window clean.
The CA6 lacks convenience features that would make it larger and susceptible to problems from dirt and water. There are no ports, jacks or connections on the outside of the camera. The Battery, memory card and USB port access are located under a well designed, seal tight door on the bottom of the camera. A minimal control panel increases durability but somewhat limits easy access to the many system features. All adjustments are made by navigating through the menu on the view screen via the use of your right thumb and the tiniest joystick I have ever seen. It turned out to be much easier to use than I though it would and there is a provision to program favorite settings into some "short-cut" moves on the control stick. Above the menu control is a button for starting and stopping the video recording and another for making photos. A half-inch space and small ridge separates the two controls. Between the exposure / record buttons and the menu control are tiny buttons that activate the menu system and select the mode (puts the camera in record or playback).
Considerations for design and purpose aside, I have some issues that Sanyo should consider. The camera needs an accessory cradle of some sort that would allow it to be placed on a mounting thread. There are a number of features offered on the camera that are next too useless unless I innovate some method of remotely stabilizing it. Gaffers tape works for fastening it on a mounting clamp, monopod or walking staff but I hate putting anything sticky on the beautiful little frame. While Sanyo designs a mounting system they should also make a remote control.
Focusing and exposure are controlled by a sophisticated, multi-pattern, through-the-lens computer program that works well with a polarizing filter (I used my sun glasses) for enhanced image quality. So why is there no provision to thread a small diameter filter over the round lens window opening?
The sound recording quality is very good and the selectable noise filters work better than I expected but I don't see the point to using up the data space for stereo sound when the separation between the left and right channel microphones is a few millimeters. I haven't digested all 166 pages of the instruction book but so far I can't find any provision for recording in mono sound mode. Finally, motor noise from the zoom lens is noticeable in low noise situations. Even though I seldom use the zoom function while recording and I realize this is a common issue in small video cameras but it still bugs me. We usually strip away most the recorded sound and replace it with music or dubbing when editing videos anyway.
Brandishing the CA6 in a crowd will attract attention. As soon as people realize it is a video camera they are on it like flies on poop. My wife likes the attention but I prefer to be unhampered with other people's curiosity.
Sanyo supplies a suite of video/photo editing and DVD burning software for PC users. The CA6 lacks FireWire connectivity for live editing on Macs and there is no Mac compatible software supplied but the camera syncs well as a card reader with my Mac through the USB port for downloading the files to the hard drive. Any Mac owner savvy enough to edit video files and burn DVD's already has the software to accomplish the task. The camera also possesses surprisingly extensive onboard-editing capability through the viewing screen or on your television. Sanyo supplies a cord that plugs into the USB connection and provides a composite video and stereo sound output for your television system where you can view and edit your video and photo files utilizing the camera's amazing menu array. I have no idea about battery duration for this purpose and there is no external power input to the camera (the battery has an external charging cradle). Be aware that lower resolution video file settings look fine on a computer but they are nasty on your television.
Overall the camera is beautiful, reliable and fun to use with lots of features. It is tiny, easy to hide, fast starting, durable, water and dirt resistant. The images are very good. I am delighted with the Exacti CA6 so far (when I can get it away from my wife).
The camera was a Christmas gift for my wife and I wanted to set it up before Christmas day so she could unwrap it and start filming (film?). The Instruction book is as impressive as the camera itself. Not for design but for its volume and it is all in English. I still haven't managed to digest but a few sections.
Video quality is excellent for our purpose. There are six different video resolutions and a variety of photo resolutions available in the easy to use menu system. The SHQ TV resolution is really stunning when you consider the miniscule sized gizmo that created it. We took the camera to Key West last week and recorded in SHQ WEB (320x240 / 30fps) resolution (perfect for making videos for sharing on the web). Every time you start and stop recording, a new MPEG4 file is created on the SD memory card. Using the photo function creates a high resolution JPEG file. At the end of the trip we had a couple of hundred files to download onto the Mac. We are currently editing the files into a movie with iMovie. At the smaller video resolution I was able to get about three hours of MPEG4 files and forty-two high resolution JPEG (2816x2112) files on less than half of the 2gb SD card. The same memory card holds about an hour and a half of video at the highest resolution setting (640x480 / 30fps at minimum compression).
Image stabilization works well enough for moderate hand movement but it didn't keep up with rough water on a sailboat around Key West. I wish the zoom range had more field of view on the wide end but it is tighter than I expected on the telephoto end. This is not a camera for long distance tight shots of wild animals or beach bunnies. It has no tripod mount so the telephoto power is just long enough for the image stabilizer to cope with when hand holding the camera on steady ground.
My hands are really too large for the controls but I found ways to adapt. It fits my wife perfectly. The CA6 is supplied with a hand strap to keep the camera tethered to your body and supply leverage for one handed use. I use the strap mostly for accident prevention and use my left hand to stabilize the camera by holding the outside of the frame of the view screen while delicately mashing the controls with my fat thumb on my right hand. Even with the hand tether attached to the camera we easily carried the camera and tether in our pockets without any problems and I was able to do some incognito filming on Duval Street. The relatively large (and very bright) view screen can be folded back against the camera while recording (folding the view screen back to the camera while not recording or reviewing shuts the camera off) for "shoot from the hip" filming.
Along with a small carrying pouch and a 2 or 4gb High Speed SD memory card, I recommend an additional battery as a necessary accessory. The tiny battery powers the camera in video mode for an hour or so but using the built in flash for photos knocks the small cell down in hurray. Reviewing and messing with the menu also cuts into battery duration. The lithium ion battery is physically smaller than my cell phone battery and recharges in less than two hours. In use it is completely enclosed inside the camera. The Sanyo OEM battery is easy to find on the web and there are a number of less expensive, alternative brands made to fit the Xacti cameras. Also, gentle use of an absorbent lens cloth will keep the view screen and the lens window clean.
The CA6 lacks convenience features that would make it larger and susceptible to problems from dirt and water. There are no ports, jacks or connections on the outside of the camera. The Battery, memory card and USB port access are located under a well designed, seal tight door on the bottom of the camera. A minimal control panel increases durability but somewhat limits easy access to the many system features. All adjustments are made by navigating through the menu on the view screen via the use of your right thumb and the tiniest joystick I have ever seen. It turned out to be much easier to use than I though it would and there is a provision to program favorite settings into some "short-cut" moves on the control stick. Above the menu control is a button for starting and stopping the video recording and another for making photos. A half-inch space and small ridge separates the two controls. Between the exposure / record buttons and the menu control are tiny buttons that activate the menu system and select the mode (puts the camera in record or playback).
Considerations for design and purpose aside, I have some issues that Sanyo should consider. The camera needs an accessory cradle of some sort that would allow it to be placed on a mounting thread. There are a number of features offered on the camera that are next too useless unless I innovate some method of remotely stabilizing it. Gaffers tape works for fastening it on a mounting clamp, monopod or walking staff but I hate putting anything sticky on the beautiful little frame. While Sanyo designs a mounting system they should also make a remote control.
Focusing and exposure are controlled by a sophisticated, multi-pattern, through-the-lens computer program that works well with a polarizing filter (I used my sun glasses) for enhanced image quality. So why is there no provision to thread a small diameter filter over the round lens window opening?
The sound recording quality is very good and the selectable noise filters work better than I expected but I don't see the point to using up the data space for stereo sound when the separation between the left and right channel microphones is a few millimeters. I haven't digested all 166 pages of the instruction book but so far I can't find any provision for recording in mono sound mode. Finally, motor noise from the zoom lens is noticeable in low noise situations. Even though I seldom use the zoom function while recording and I realize this is a common issue in small video cameras but it still bugs me. We usually strip away most the recorded sound and replace it with music or dubbing when editing videos anyway.
Brandishing the CA6 in a crowd will attract attention. As soon as people realize it is a video camera they are on it like flies on poop. My wife likes the attention but I prefer to be unhampered with other people's curiosity.
Sanyo supplies a suite of video/photo editing and DVD burning software for PC users. The CA6 lacks FireWire connectivity for live editing on Macs and there is no Mac compatible software supplied but the camera syncs well as a card reader with my Mac through the USB port for downloading the files to the hard drive. Any Mac owner savvy enough to edit video files and burn DVD's already has the software to accomplish the task. The camera also possesses surprisingly extensive onboard-editing capability through the viewing screen or on your television. Sanyo supplies a cord that plugs into the USB connection and provides a composite video and stereo sound output for your television system where you can view and edit your video and photo files utilizing the camera's amazing menu array. I have no idea about battery duration for this purpose and there is no external power input to the camera (the battery has an external charging cradle). Be aware that lower resolution video file settings look fine on a computer but they are nasty on your television.
Overall the camera is beautiful, reliable and fun to use with lots of features. It is tiny, easy to hide, fast starting, durable, water and dirt resistant. The images are very good. I am delighted with the Exacti CA6 so far (when I can get it away from my wife).
Fujifilm X100 12.3 MP APS-C CMOS EXR Digital Camera with 23mm
List Price: $1,699.95
Sale Price: $1,199.00
Today's Bonus: 29% Off
I will start right off who this camera is not for. If you are looking for an all-around camera, this is not it (Get a GH1 or GH2). If you try to use it as an all around camera you will hate it. If you don't have a good fast camera already then this camera is probably not for you. If you are trying to take pictures of moving objects, this camera is probably not for you. This camera takes a fair amount of time to set up a shot so any fast moving subject will be very difficult to capture properly. This camera is in no way a beginners camera. If you are looking to just point and shoot, then you will need to look elsewhere.
If you like to take your time to frame and set the exposure on your camera then this might be the camera for you. If you want a small portable camera, with exceptional picture quality, great noise qualities, and a built in view finder, then this is most likely the camera for you. If you want an exceptionally quite camera, this one is amazing. There really is no other digital camera like it.
This camera reminds me mostly of shooting my Leica M8 and that is a good thing. If you think of the X100 as an automatic manual focus you can get some really nice shots.
I initially bought the X100 to shoot outdoor portraits and it does that very well. Better than any other camera around right now. That was the initial reason I decided to keep the X100. When I first shot with it I really did not like the handling and was thinking of returning it. My big mistake was trying to use this as an all around camera when it is not.
However, I just spent a week shooting the camera in Berlin and I really enjoyed using it. My kit was a GH1, GH2, and X100. I left all of my Nikons at home as they are too big and heavy. With interchangeable lenses and fast handling the GH cameras can cover almost every conceivable shooting situation. With a fixed lens and slow handling the X100 is limited in what it can cover. However, it makes you slow down and really set up the shot the way you want it. The DSLRS and M4/3 are so fast that it is easy to reel off a number of good shots. The X100 makes you savor each shot. Because of that I really enjoyed shooting it. Just as a comparison I shot 750 (2 battery charges) with the X100. And 1300 frames with the GH2. I had 465 X100 (62%) and 829 GH2 (64%) shots that I liked. I got 132 X100 (18%) and 205 GH2(16%) shots that I really liked. And I got 4 X100 (.5%) and 9 GH2 (.7%) that were my favorite of the trip. As you can see the statistics are very comparable. Use a tool in the way it was designed and you should be able to get consistent results.
The X100 fits very nicely in the Lowa Rezo 60 bag that I loop through my belt. It will also fit in a jacket pocket. I don't like carrying the weight around my I neck so I do not use a neck strap. Instead I purchased a very cheap wrist strap and use that to keep the camera secure.
The way I have the camera setup is as follows:
Quick Startup On
OVF power save Off
Display Option EVF and Back screen
Fn Button 3 Stop ND Filter
Auto ISO 3200 / 1/30
The reason I have the camera setup like this is as follows. I switch the camera off to save power when not in use. The quick startup allows for a .7 start. I use the EVF most of the time so I don't need the OVF power save on. Also, the OVF power save option does some weird things so I don't use it. I use the EVF and back display to switch depending on how I want to frame the shot either back screen or EVF. The camera switches between the two based on whether you put your eye up to the viewfinder or not. The 1/1000 max shutter speed is very limiting at f2 so the ND filter gives a 1/8000 equivalent and is built right in but is activated in the menus. I use it very regularly so I have it set to the fn key. I have the ISO set to auto because it is a pain to get to. The camera does a very good job of keeping ISO down until the shutter speed starts to drop below 1/30. The IQ is very good at ISO3200.
Here are a couple of techniques for using the X100. Both utilize EVF.
1) Set your camera to manual focus and spot focusing. Put the focus square on the subject. Press the focus/exposure lock button to focus the camera. Move the center to where you want to meter and press the shutter release half way to set exposure. Now frame for the picture and shoot.
2) Set you camera to auto focus S. Put the focus square on the subject. Press the shutter release half way to set focus and exposure. Frame the picture and press the shutter release the rest of the way to shoot.
On the down side the menus and buttons need some work but they can be fixed with a firmware update. An example of the poor menus deals with ISO. Setting the ISO is on the shooting menu. Setting up the Auto ISO and switching it on and off is on the setup menu. What is labeled as a RAW button would have been much more useful as an ISO button. I have not tried the video as it is a pain to get to buried in the menus and not as a distinct button.
One of the big selling items is the Hybrid Optical/EVF systems. I did not purchase this camera because of this. However, I leave the camera in EVF most of the time. The EVF shows you what the sensor sees and thus allows for accurate framing. The OVF is a guestimate and at close distances is not a very good guess. Therefore, the Hybrid system is overhyped. If Fuji had just put in a EVF I would have been happy. For those who must be able to see outside the frame and who are not bothered by a poorly framed photo then the OVF is a choice. The other issue with OVF deals with focus. The X100 is a spot focus camera. You can move the spot but it still focuses on one spot. That spot does not necessarily line up with what you see in the OVF. Therefore, you can get some out of focus shots when you think you have everything lined up.
A lot has been made of the X100 price tag. One thing to note is there have been some people paying 2x the price on ebay. There is no real competitor to the X100 as it is unique. However, the Leica X1 with OVF and Ricoh GXR with 24mm and OVF are close. The X1 with OVF costs 2x as much. The GXR with 28mm and OVF costs about the a couple of hundred dollars more but is a little pieced together, still has no EVF option and is not on par with the X100 build quality. Also, cameras invariably come down in price so you can expect for the X100 to come down some.
On the whole the camera is very rewarding to use and takes some fantastic photographs. But you are going to have to work for it. Maybe that is why you take more ownership in your photos Because of the high ISO capabilities and extreme quite abilities, this is a great museum camera. For a fixed lens camera, the 35mm equivalent is a good compromise walk around focal length around. Not too wide that you can't use it for portraits and not so narrow that you have to back up to get in wide items.
Pros:
Unique
Great Build Quality
Amazing Photos weak AA filter
Great High ISO on par with D7000 or K5
Deafeningly Quiet
Light
Small (Fits in a jacket pocket)
Great Satisfaction in Shooting Great Pictures
Cons:
Slow
Horrible Menus which you are forced to use because of the lack of dedicated buttons or quick menu system.
Manual Focus Almost Worthless
Back Rotating Knob Button Annoying and Frustrating to use
RAW button is a waste and would have been much better as a ISO or fn button
Overall this is a very satisfying and rewarding camera which makes great pictures. The camera is 4 stars because of the poor menu system and controls. However, the intangible reward you get from using this satisfying camera make it greater than the whole and give an extra .5 point for total of 4.5 stars.
Update July 9
I have been shooting with this camera for a little over 2 months now. It is definitely an amazing camera. The firmware update made the camera more useable and the optical view finder is now actually usable. There still needs to be further improvement but it was a definitive move in the right direction.
Something else I have discovered is the Auto White Balance is amazing. It is by far the best in the world. I was shooting at night with all sorts of crazy lights, incandescent, sodium vapor, moon, etc. The auto white balance pulled off the shot. Amazing. During the day the white balance is equally terrific. Additionally, while the autofocus was slow, ISO 1600 and F2 allowed me to catch night shots of slowly moving objects and keep up the shutter speed at 1/30. The results were fantastic. The camera would not always lock focus but it allowed me to take the picture and more often than not the picture was in focus.
Still not a beginners camera nor an all around camera, this camera has some amazing capabilities that no other camera can match.
Sony HDR-CX100 AVCHD HD Camcorder with Smile Shutter & 10x
List Price: $599.99
Sale Price: $349.99
Today's Bonus: 42% Off
This camera is amazing. Once I charged up this puppy and fired it up it looked awesome. I filmed my dog and you could see every strand of hair on his body and the texture of the hair. It also has the smiling sensor technology that is really neat. Put it in video mode and when someone smiles SNAP!....a photo is automatically taken (you can set it on or off). I like that its flash memory as well (hard drives dont survive drops so well). I gotta say Sony put out one sexy stylish camcorder. It looks great in the hand and it definitely got some peoples attention. Once you get this camcorder you'll never want to go back to SD recording. Here are my PROs and CONs:
PROS:
+ Amazing quality video
+ Lets you take a photo while filming
+ Smile detection
+ Ready to film once screen is open
+ Small and compact
+ Very good looking camera comes in three colors
+ Flash memory (bad/good you decide)
+ HDMI support
CONS:
Not just any HDMI cable will work
Proprietary memory stick format (memory sticks are expensive)
Low 10x optical zoom
3 hours recording time
Love this camera and highly recommend it.
Nikon MB-D12 Multi Battery Power Pack
List Price: $616.00
Sale Price: $349.99
Today's Bonus: 43% Off
Nikon deserves to sell very few of these and indeed a lot of us will skip it or wait for aftermarket. This is a fine grip, just like previous models. It offers absolutely nothing new yet costs FAR more (twice the price!) of the D700 grip. 3rd party companies will have a BIG business building a better grip for less money. This accessory is a real shame in light of the very fairly price D800.
Like the MB10 the grip feels sturdy and all controls work well. The battery compartment comes with a tray for AA batteries and another for Nikon's battery. This will also get you the 6 FPS in DX mode. But the price is insulting. There's just no other way to look at it.
Sony HDR-AX2000 Handycam HDV Camcorder + Sony 32GB Class 10
List Price: $3,600.99
Sale Price: $3,498.00
Today's Bonus: 3% Off
Shortly after I bought this camera, (Sony AX-2000) I bagan to have trouble with it. As I was recording, it would just suddenly stop, and go dead. I would have to turn the camera off, turn it back on, and then go through a recovery routine to recover what I had recorded...... what a HUGE pain!
This problem got progressively worse, doing it more and more often, until I finally decided I couldn't stand it any more. I called Sony (getting to a human being was VERY difficult), and the lady gave me instructions to send the camera to Precision Camera in Connecticut, as they handle Sony's warranty issues. She told me they would either repair the camera, or send me a new one.
I paid $63 to ship the camera to their warranty center, and they finally checked it into their system 6 days after it arrived there. Precision Camera has a web page where you can monitor the progress of your camera, and after about 5 more days, there was a message there that said "Waiting on Entitlement". I called to check on it, and discovered that I had to pay the labor charge for them to check the camera out. I then discovered that Sony's warranty on labor was only 90 days, and I had sent the camera at about 100 days after I bought it. (Only 90 days!!!! Shame on me for not reading Sony's warranty policy more closely). I gave them my credit card for $150 labor.
About a week later, the Precision Camera web site message changed over to "Ordered Parts". I called to learn that they had to order the replacement parts from Sony, and Sony had backordered them.
At this point, I was fed up with the entire process, so I called Sony back and requested that they send me a new camera. Over several days of trying to talk with someone at Sony that would help me, I got bounced around to people in the Dominican Republic, and the Phillipines. I could never connect with anyone in the U.S. The last person I talked to (located in the Phillipines) instructed me to contact Precision Camera, have them send the camera back to me, and then resend the camera to the Sony repair center in Laredo, Texas so they can check the camera out (and of course I get to pay the shipping on all this). At this point I just gave up. Precision Camera still has my camera, I paid $63 to get it to them and $150 to authorize their labor charge, and I have no idea when I will get it back. I have had to just forget my plans for videoing our Christmas celebration this year.
I will NEVER buy another Sony product as long as I live!!
Sony NEX-6 16.1MP Compact Interchangeable Lens w/ 3" LED Screen
List Price: $1,403.00
Sale Price: Price Unavailable
Today's Bonus: 29% Off
This is an exceptional camera. For many years I have been a Leica and Nikon fan, thinking that these brands offered state of the art photography. Three years ago I purchased a Sony DSC-HX7v and was astounded at the picture quality, but was disappointed with my inability to see the LCD screen outdoors. With this in mind, I purchased the Sony NEX 6 with its electronic viewfinder, though I was concerned about the quality of the 16-55 kit lens that had been discounted by reviewers. Accordingly, I purchased an adapter so I could use my favorite Leica Summicron 40mm and Elmar 90mm lenses. Again, I was surprised. Using a tripod, I took pictures with the kit lens and the Summicron. Both were equally sharp, but the color rendition of the Sony G zoom lens was a slightly more vivid than the Leica product. I like the benefit of a lighter and more compact camera with all the features I want in a DSLR. In the past, I thought Sony made cameras for casual photographers, but am now impressed with the exceptional quality of their digital cameras and camcorders.
My principal objection to the NEX 6 is that its WiFi and the Sony software program require PCs. Sony should recognize that serious photographers also use Apple products.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 Kit 12.1MP Micro Four-Thirds
List Price: $1,999.95
Sale Price: $1,999.00
Today's Bonus: $0.95 Off
I now own this combination of the Panasonic GF1 with both the 20mm 1.7 lens and the 14-45mm 3.5 5.6 lens. However, only the 1.7 lens was purchased directly from Amazon and the camera body and the 14-45 lens came from a competitor. The total package was $1098 or $298 less than currently being offered through Amazon.
Bower SLY85N High-Speed Mid-Range 85mm f/1.4 Telephoto Lens
List Price: $399.99
Sale Price: $268.98
Today's Bonus: 33% Off
This is a very nice lens. I bought it for use on my Panasonic AF-100 with a Nikon adapter.
The lens is great for low light work as it steps down to f1.4 and focusing is accurate and
has a nice throw to it, so you can more accurately focus. The lens has a manual aperature
ring which has very good tactile stops to it and is very smooth. Overall this is a quality lens
that is well worth the price.
Nikon 1 V2 14.2 MP HD Digital Camera with 10-30mm & 30-110 VR 1
List Price: $1,149.95
Sale Price: $1,046.95
Today's Bonus: 9% Off
To start with I do own the V1 and all the Nikon 1 lenses except for the 10-100 PD zoom. I just borrowed my friends V2 for the weekend and did some comparisons between the two to see if it would be worth upgrading to the new V2. These are only my initial impressions and only for still photography. I do not shoot video so I have no opinion on the video capabilities of this camera. I consider myself an advanced amateur when it comes to photography and have sold some of my work at local art shows and craft fairs. I use mainly a D3X and the D800 for my work but have come to enjoy the 1 series (it took awhile) for its light weight, compatibility with F mount lenses, and more than adequate image quality for those times when I do not want to carry a DSLR.
It seems that Nikon has not learned its lesson with the V1 and is still overpricing its top of the line 1 series cameras. Even with the $50 instant rebate the camera is seriously overpriced for what you are actually getting. At today's price of the V1; (Nikon is giving them away) of $299 there is no real reason to buy the V2. That difference in price is not getting you much more for the extra money that has to be spent; in fact you are giving up some features.
So what are you paying a premium price for compared to the V1:
Well you get:
An improved 14.2 MP sensor vs. a 10MP, not a big change in IQ but it is welcome. Base ISO has been increased to 160 vs. 100 from the V1. Just be aware the mechanical shutter has a maximum speed of 1/4000 of a second. If you shoot at large apertures this may present a problem in bright light. You may have to switch to the electronic shutter which has a maximum speed of 1/16,000 of a second. You get a better more direct way to access functions like white balance, ISO, metering, and exposure mode without going back into the menus. Image review can now be turned off if you desire. These items are much welcomed and are a big improvement over the V1.
Nikon adds yet another "silly mode" to the "smart photo selector" & "motion snapshot" called the "best moment capture" which allows you to pick the best frame of a 40 frame sequence. These are totally useless IMHO and should be ignored as should the auto exposure mode.
A redesigned body with a built in grip and flash. Also a rear command dial has been added which allows easier control of camera functions. The exposure mode dial has been relocated so that is less likely to be inadvertently changed. I have put gaffers tape on my V1 exposure mode dial to keep it where I want it. These are welcomed features and are big improvements to the handling of the camera.
The electronic viewfinder (EVF) seems different from the V1. During use objects seem to jump around almost like the refresh rate is not high enough and the color seems to be off sometimes. In low light it seems grainier and not as sharp as the V1. I wonder why Nikon changed anything from the V1 since the V1 has an excellent EVF.
HDR has been added to the shooting menu. IMHO Nikon should have added auto exposure bracketing rather than in camera HDR to allow the user to process their own images using an external program such as Photomatix or Photoshop instead of the camera processing the image on its own.
The camera will now provide 15fps vs. 5fps in AFC. There are some minor differences in the AF-C focus mode. There are now brackets in the "detailed" display of the LCD and EVF that shows you where your subject should be to acquire focus. Also the manual does not discuss any limitations of the AF system at the higher frame rates as the V1 manual does. Need to do more testing on that. Other than that the AF seems to be just as fast and accurate as the V1.
So far so good you say, but hold on; you are losing some things that you might have wanted:
No IR sensor in the back of the camera, if you want to use the IR remote you have to point it at the front of the camera now. The V1 had sensors in the front and back. This can be a real pain if you use a tripod since you now have to stand in front of the camera to use the remote.
You also lose the interval timer which is a nice feature to shoot time lapse photography, the feature was on the V1 but it looks like it has been dropped from the V2.
The V2 will only use the electronic shutter when you either put it in the silent photography mode or change your frame rate to greater than 5 FPS. So if you need a fast shutter speed say to take a picture in bright light with a large aperture to get that shutter speed greater than 1/4000 you have to go into the menus and either turn on silent photography or change your frame rate. The V1 allowed you shift from mechanical to electronic shutter by using the function button.
For all of you that own other Nikon equipment you will now have to buy yet another type of battery if you want spares. The V1 uses a battery that is used in the D600, D800, and the D7000. I guess that Nikon felt they were losing money because owners were not buying enough spare batteries and chargers so we have yet another battery to add to our collection.
The option for sound settings in the setup menu has disappeared. Now instead of being able to control the sound of the electronic shutter and autofocus/self-timer separately you now have a silent photography selection in the shooting menu which turns off both. In addition when you turn on silent photograph it automatically selects the electronic shutter. So if I want to turn off the beeps for autofocus but still have the shutter sound or keep the mechanical shutter active I am out of luck. If shooting flash with silent photography turned on I am now stuck with a 1/60 sync speed. In certain cases I like to hear the shutter to confirm the picture was taken but want to turn off the autofocus beeps because the beeps seem to disturb people more than the shutter sound. There should be way to control sound level for each function not just a master switch for all sound which also selects the electronic shutter. Nikon takes a step in the wrong direction.
So Nikon is giving some but it also taking back some with the feature set. I always thought that newer models take steps in the forward direction and not backwards.
But the real reason that the V2 is still not worth the extra money are the items that were wrong with the V1 and are still not incorporated into the V2. What are these you may ask?
The camera still does not have a standard hotshoe. This means that you will have to buy the 1 series flashes if want to use an external flash. Another thing that has yet to be incorporated is ability to use the built in flash as a remote commander. Since Nikon has not produced an adapter to use a standard flash on 1 series cameras you cannot use one of Nikons wonderful external flashes as a remote commander either.
Speaking of flashes, Sync speed is still 1/250 of a second for the mechanical shutter and only 1/60 of a second with the electronic shutter. My D40 had a sync speed of 1/500 of a second. There is no reason not to add either FP high speed sync to the mechanical shutter or a faster sync speed on the electronic shutter. The higher sync speed becomes very useful to stop motion in certain situations when using flash.
The Auto ISO feature still does not have the ability to for the user to input a minimum shutter speed that tells the camera when to increase or decrease the ISO. The thing that makes this annoying is that Nikons preset value shutter speed (seems to be around 1/30 of second) of when to increase ISO are still to low IMO for use on lenses without VR such as the new 18.5 mm 1.8. Not all of us are human tripods. The newer Nikons also take lens focal length into account when determining the correct ISO; the V2 does not seem to take this into consideration. So if you want to use auto ISO the camera now forces you to go into shutter priority so that you can maintain your shutter speed fast enough to prevent blur in your photographs.
The camera still does not display RGB histograms. This is totally unacceptable on camera in which costs this much and exposure is so critical to control noise due its small sensor size. The luminous histogram will not always show when a channel is blown out. My Canon S90 has this ability and it costs a lot less.
No programmable function button or user setting. There should be at least one function button that is user programmable for our shooting needs instead of only having only what Nikon thinks we need available. Also there should be at least two custom setting banks that allow the user to change from one bank to the other at will so that each setting does not have to be changed individually when conditions dictate a change in settings (i.e. switching from landscape to sports photography).
Also if you own the V1 you have probably have had to buy spare accessory port covers since they are small and easy to lose, well the V2 accessory port covers are also small and easy to lose and they are not the same.
Last but not least is that auto exposure bracketing has still not been added. Since this camera has a limited dynamic range, when you take a picture in a high contrast situation, HDR photography becomes important. Without this feature I am severely limited when I choose to use HDR because I must adjust the exposure manually which takes time and forces me to use a tripod. Nikons in camera HDR has limitations and is not as good as using a program such as Photoshop or Photomatix.
The worst part of all this is a lot of these things can be fixed with firmware updates, but Nikon has chosen not update the V1 and I do not see them doing it with the V2 either. So if you value these things in your photography do not expect Nikon to add features to the camera with firmware updates.
After weighing the good with the bad I feel that the V2 while a big improvement over the V1 still does not command the premium price tag Nikon has put on it. (Even with the $50 instant rebate) The V1 with its discount is a steal at this time and is a great camera once you adapt to it. Things like not being able to turn picture preview off or having to go into the menu to change ISO, WB, or exposure mode will probably annoy you at first but over time you tend to adapt to the camera. The V2 is also a great camera, better than the V1 in some respects, worse in others, but not worth the extra money you will need to spend to own it, remember most are going to have to buy spare batteries which are only used in the V2.
So in a nut shell if you are looking at a V2 should you buy it? The V1 price cannot be beat right now and the image quality of the V2 is not that much different than the V1. If I did not own the V1 already I would buy it in a heartbeat vs. the V2. Am I going to upgrade? No, not at this time, I am going to wait until Nikon discounts the camera to a price that is more reasonable as they have done with the V1 or wait for the V3.
AmScope 3.5X-180X Manufacturing 144-LED Zoom Stereo Microscope
List Price: $2,700.00
Sale Price: $679.98
Today's Bonus: 75% Off
I got much more than I anticipated when I purchased this microscope. It is amazing. I bought it to grade coins, but, I have been looking at a lot of things with it. Things like bugs, serial numbers, items that I can't see clearly (or not at all).
Rear View Safety 7" LCD Color Backup Camera System with Audio
List Price: $249.99
Sale Price: $219.99
Today's Bonus: 12% Off
We purchased this system a couple of months ago for our motorhome. We just got home from a trip and loved it! Shipping was very fast. I broke a little piece off the monitor stand and they shipped a new one out the same day at no charge. Very nice people. Very easy to install. I installed the wiring under the motorhome while my husband installed the camera and hooked up the power supply. Our rearview mirror inside the motorhome is useless so we intalled the monitor above the mirror and leave the camera on the whole time we are travelling and use it as a rearview mirror. Now we can see our towed vehicle and all the traffic behind us. It eliminates all blind spots. It is just awesome! We feel much more confident now travelling with this camera/monitor system. It works great at night too. We highly recommend this system.
Dell All-in-One Wireless Printer (V515w)
This printer is horrific. I purchased it from the Dell website when buying a new tower for my desktop. The worst feature is that the ink cartidges last for about twenty pages. Print a couple of articles and a couple of map quest directions and you're done. The next worst is that the wireless feature doesn't work much of the time. One has to reboot both computer and printer to allow them to find one another. You won't receive an error message every time often simply nothing will happen. Or you will receive an error message even though the indicator light shows the printer is connected to the network. To top it off, good luck finding cartridges unless you go to Staples or some other specialty store. Places like CVS only carry HP catridges. Literally, I wouldn't even give this printer to a impoverished friend in need of one.
Nikon COOLPIX P520 18.1 MP Digital Camera with 42x Zoom (Dark
I was a little bit afraid being the first person buying this package, but I am very satisfied with the product and delivery time. My only recommendation is to have a better picture of the camera bag, because I preffer rubish bags. The product is wonderfull, and the camera is all what i want, excellent pictures, amazing zoom, and easy to use it.
