The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX60 offers a comprehensive front line spec to appeal to all those who need to tick the right boxes with their compact camera. It comes with a 12-megapixel sensor, the ability or shoot HD video footage and the promise of good low-light performance from the Leica lens. But does it deliver on these promises?

The FX60 is a good looking camera. It has a premium sheen about it thanks to a metal body and a relatively slim profile, but is carrying a little weight compared to similar spec rivals like the Canon IXUS 120. It measures 97.2 x 54.1 x 19.4mm and weighs 147g all-in with memory card and battery.

Around the back you'll find a 230k-dot display measuring 2.7-inches on the diagonal and offering 100% field of view. It gives great colour reproduction making it a pleasure for previewing images with excellent viewing angles - ideal for sharing images with friends.

Controls are conventionally placed on the top plate and the back of the camera. The top sees the power switch and shutter button encircled by the zoom ring. A mode dial sits neatly on the back edge, falling comfortably under the right thumb. On the back the controls continue, giving you a switch to move from shooting to playback. Otherwise you are left with a four-way controller with the usual shortcuts and finally display and quick menu toggles.

The construction is good, it feels solid and there is a nice precise action to the buttons, the mode dial and the switches. There is no chance of turning this on in your pocket or accidentally changing to video over regular stills shooting. The switch for playback or shooting does mean that you can't simply flip between the two without physically sliding something, which adds an extra step over the more common single press option.

Shooting modes offered on the dial look rather limited, offering Panasonic's iA (or Intelligent Auto), auto, scene, video and a final "clipboard" setting, which takes low res shots and will ultimately be ignored. There is no sign of manual control for more advanced shooting, but all is not lost, because the quick menu does offer up some options for those wanting a little more.

A Leica branded 5x zoom (25-125mm 35mm equiv) F/2.8 lens sits on the front of the camera and isn't the fastest in zooming or deployment, but does offer quite a range from such a compact bundle. There is noticeable barrel distortion at the wide angle as is often the case with compacts.

Focusing gives you the option of the usual face detection and macro and so on, but also 11-point AF and AF tracking with metering thrown in. A neat AF lock is easily accessible meaning you can lock on to your focal point and aim off for creative effect and it works very well. Normal focusing is a bit hit and miss however, sometimes failing to grab the point of focus you want first time.

Another headline boast tackles the area of low-light shooting. The FX60 has a normal shooting range running up to ISO 1600. You can keep this under control by selecting an upper maximum, to stop the camera bumping the ISO to capture a low light image when it really needs a longer exposure. That said, you can't select the value you want, only limit the range to a maximum of 400, 800 or 1600.

Noise is evident in dark and shadow areas at ISO 400 and gets progressively worse up to ISO 1600, where it is really invasive. The FX60 doesn't bump the ISO high for no reason though, so indoors you'll often find you are shooting at ISO 400, where rivals might take you higher.

Image noise on the crowded 12-megapixel sensor can be a bit of a problem for the FX60, with 100% crops showing this noise bringing in softness in normal shooting that can take the edge off some photos, but this will only bother those who like to crop closer to the detail or who are planning to print at full size.

Boosting the low light performance is Panasonic's famed Power OIS, or optical image stabilizer, giving some compensation for camera shake. It works too, letting you hand hold shots of a longer exposure than you'd often consider, but giving you plenty of warning that shake is possible through icons on the display.

Metering is generally good with great colour results coming out of everyday shooting. You can expect luscious greens and authentic flesh tones, but it does sometimes lose grip on details in tricky sky areas and highlights can lose detail, a common problem on compact cameras. Some purple fringing is evident on high contrast shots.

There is no continuous shooting option, but you are offered burst shooting which will give you three full resolution shots in quick succession. Strangely, this is one of the options that is hidden away in the full menu and not through the quick menu.

Scene settings allow you to take advantage of the preconfigured options to get the result you want in lieu of much direct control. All the normal suspects are in here, from night portrait to pets, including the option to name and age those pets in the picture, if that rings your bell.

Image results overall are generally good, with the iA mode scanning the scene and choosing the appropriate settings. For many point and shooters this will suffice for the majority of everyday shooting, with scene modes being automatically picked out, for example taking indoor shots without using the flash.

Video gives you several options of resolution up to 1280 x 720 at 30fps. HD video capture gives some good results but suffers from noise in shadow areas and in low light. There is plenty of detail at the highest setting however and for those candid moments, you'll get video that is perfectly acceptable on your TV in the lounge. As is often the case, the mic is a little exposed to wind noise.

The battery life is impressive and we managed to get close to the documented 360 shots from a single charge. In terms of connectivity you'll find a flap opens to reveal two bespoke connections and if you want to hook-up to your HDTV you'll need to buy Panasonic's DMW-HDC2 Component accessory cable for an extra ?25, or settle for the bundled Composite cable, which won't let you take advantage of your high resolution video.

Verdict:

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX60 is an easy to use point and shoot, demonstrating excellent build quality and giving results that great for the majority of everyday shooting. The HD video capture will please those who like to bring a little quality to their home movies and the battery life will see you through your average wedding.

The FX60 stumbles on noise however, with crammed sensor showing its hand and bringing in noise sooner and many rivals. However, if you most print album shots and share online this won't be much of an issue as you'll be able to make use of most shots anyway.

It is a little on the expensive side for the range of controls on offer, but overall it is a competent little camera.

Tags: Cameras Compact cameras Digital cameras Panasonic Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX60 12 megapixels

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX60 compact camera originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 26 Nov 2009 16:44:38 +0000

With a design based on its previous starter model in the Pentax K-m, and some trickle down features from the higher end K7, the new K-x in offering 12.4 effective megapixels from a 12.9-megapixel CMOS sensor should in theory offer a best of both worlds’ solution, providing potential owners trading up from a point-and-shoot compact a pretty sound investment for their cash.

With conventional looks and control layout the K-x shouldn’t prove cause for operational confusion either; its auto picture option the most prominent setting found on the 14-strong shooting mode dial. This also includes the regulars of program, shutter priority, aperture priority and manual settings along with an increasingly ubiquitous video shooting option. As an answer of sorts to the Art Filters on Olympus E-series DSLRs, Pentax here offers its own user selectable creative digital filters: toy camera, high contrast, soft, star burst, retro, extract colour, fish eye, custom.

Pick the camera up and, feeling deceptively lightweight and plasticy out of the box, added sturdiness is leant to the K-x via the insertion of the four alkaline AAs required for power into the base of the grip. At this point the camera, with 18-55mm equivalent test lens attached, immediately feels rock solid. The combo is not so weighty or huge however at 615g that carrying it around all day taking pictures will result in neck or back injury.

And, while the slots for AAs, readily indicative of a budget model, is initially a disappointment – for the overall price we’d expect a rechargeable lithium-ion cell – Pentax claims if using NiMH batteries up to 640 images can be captured as opposed to the so-so 210 using bog standard alkalines.

Flick the on/off switch encircling the K-x’s shutter release button and you’re up and shooting instantly, rear LCD displaying essential shooting information in a clear and colourful format and a cool Samsung-like blue light illuminating on the top plate. Unlike Sony’s rival Alpha DSLR models the display information doesn’t flip through 90 degree if you turn the K-x on its side. However, in common with that range, the camera does feature in-body anti-shake, here Pentax’s own sensor-shifting Shake Reduction (SR) mechanism compatible with most of the manufacturer’s K-mount based lenses, old and new. And the K-x’s grip is of sufficient size to achieve a reassuringly firm hold.

Usefully, a dedicated "LV" (Live View) button in the middle of the back plate means that it’s easy to switch between optical viewfinder and screen below when composing shots, the internal mirror flipping out of the way and viewfinder itself blanking out when doing so. With rivals such as Canon’s DSLR range the user has to first wade through many menu settings to first enable the feature.

More unusually still at this level, the K-x’s light sensitivity settings can be boosted to a semi-pro equivalent ISO 12,800 for flash free photography in the near dark and 16:9 widescreen format HD video recording – at 1280 x 720 pixels, 24fps, rather than Full HD 1920 x 1080 – marking this out as an affordable all-in-one device.

However, there’s not the HDMI port we might also expect to find in attendance; just a combined AV/USB out hidden under a small plastic flap on the DSLR’s left flank (when viewing the camera from the back).

For those looking to shoot in lower light and achieve the best results possible, non-expanded light sensitivity settings otherwise run from ISO 200 to ISO 6400; pretty much what we’d expect to find at this level. We also get a pop-up flash and top-mounted hotshoe for the addition of supplementary flash if required, and the regulars of shooting JPEG, RAW and both file formats in tandem.

Examining results straight out of the camera, even exposures are the norm, colours a little cool but realistically so with the camera left on its default settings. Unadulterated images benefit from the application of Unsharp Mask and we did notice some obvious pixel fringing in evidence when enlarging sections of an image in Photoshop to check detail. In the main though, the camera and basic kit lens configuration performs very well.

Verdict:

Ultimately the K-x is a camera that will endeavour to provide both beginners and more experienced users with their, er, kicks. It’s an affordable, well-featured all-in-one device and very capable with it too, making it a tempting proposition for those not already wedded to a rival system due to ownership of pre-existing lenses.

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Tags: Cameras DSLR cameras Pentax Pentax K-x 12 megapixels

Pentax K-x DSLR camera originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:09:09 +0000

The Canon PowerShot S90 was singing to us as soon as it was announced and from our first hands-on with the high-end compact, it was clear that there was something special going on. Having lived with the S90 for a couple of weeks, that special impression is still with us - it's a magnificent compact camera.

It doesn't quite come in as small as some of the other compacts on the market, with dimensions of 100 x 58.4 x 30.9mm, but it is still small enough to slip into the pocket of your jeans. The simple all-black livery brings to mind Leica and Ricoh models and of course the Panasonic Lumix LX3, giving the impression of a compact that is packed full of power.

The most distinctive feature of the S90 is the front-mounted Control Ring, which accounts for some of the depth. The Control Ring gets a corresponding button on the top plate named (rather amusingly) Ring Func, which gives you an extra control option, more on which later. On the side you have AV and (mini) HDMI connections.

Across the top plate you get the power button and the shutter release, ringed by the zoom controls, as normal. There is also the mode dial, letting you switch around from Auto, through Program, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, Manual and Custom (user defined) modes. The same dial continues to give you access to the Scene presets as well as a separate Low Light shooting mode and finally video.

Splitting out Low Light accepts that hunting through the preset Scenes isn't always the first thing on your mind, so is a real convenience for those less familiar with the advanced features on offer. By contrast, the additional Custom setting (and shortcut button on the back) means you can set it up for certain styles of shot or shooting conditions that you often encounter, something that will appeal to enthusiasts.

The back offers the normal direct controls over the likes of the flash and engaging the macro setting, but also delivers another surprise. The normal four-way controller (with central ok/Set button) is again ringed with a ridged scroll wheel. This offers direct control over exposure compensation in most shooting modes, another little touch that makes you feel a bit more in control of proceedings.

The Shortcut button on the rear can be set to toggle a number of useful features (face select, ISO, metering, white balance, custom white balance, servo AF, digital tele-converter, red-eye correction, i-Contrast, AE lock, AF lock, display off). Some of these functions are easily accessed elsewhere, but things like the i-Contrast toggle is well hidden in the menus. It's a useful addition with the likes of AF lock expanding your creative options.

The 3-inch LCD display on the back gives you 461k-dots, something of a bump over many rivals. The result is that image previews look spectacular on the display and given the control options this camera gives you, that's a good thing. Not only does the screen deliver, but the image playback is really slick, especially as you scroll through images using that ridged scroll wheel.

Sitting at the core of the S90 is a 10-megapixel CCD, backed by Canon's DIGIC 4 processor. It's commendable that Canon haven't just bumped up the pixels on the sensor – 10 megapixels is plenty for a compact and it means things run along at a fair lick, without giving you those huge image files blighted by noise.

Lets talk about that Control Ring. In Auto, you could almost forget it is there, as it gives you focal length setting, duplicating the zoom toggle around the shutter button. But flip into a more advanced shooting mode and it really comes into its own.

In aperture priority mode, for example, the Control Ring will allow you to change the F setting, supported by feedback on the screen. The neat thing is that as you change the focal length, the scale greys out over that part of the aperture range you can't use. This is a great visual reminder that the widest angle offers the largest aperture and draws you into experiment – recompose your shot to use the hardware to best advantage.

The Ring Func button, means that you can change the function of the Control Ring too, using the ridged scroll wheel on the back as a double act. Switch the Control Ring to change the ISO level and the scroll wheel will take over AV function. This sort of creative control really opens up the options the camera gives you and before long you'll be trying things you perhaps wouldn't normally. For enthusiasts it means it is really easy to get to settings and change them as you are shooting; for newcomers it means you can really experiment and any camera that encourages you to do that should be commended.

The same things applies to the shutter speed selection. Too many compact cameras will have you diving into a menu, moving it up and down. Here you can make changes on the fly, making the S90 a powerful compact from a creative point of view.

The flash hides in the body and powers out of the top of the camera when you need it. It has that "premium" look and feel to it, but you do need to make sure you're not gripping the camera at that point when it wants to deploy. We can envisage some will always get in a muddle with this.

If there was another minor design criticism, and we'll repeat minor, it's that we were forever pressing the mode dial over the shutter button in those fleeting point-and-shoot moments. Sure, part of it is a familiarity issue, but we’d have liked a touch more prominence on the shooting button.

The menus are typical of Canon compacts, giving you a main menu and quick access function settings, so you can dive in and change the options available to your shooting mode.

The 3.8x zoom lens gives you a 28-105mm (35mm equiv) range, with F/2.0 at the widest aperture, making this a better performer in lower light than some rivals. There is fairly severe barrel distortion at the wide angle of the lens, although this is effectively corrected by software in the camera. If shooting RAW then you'll have to allow for it and be prepared to change the focal length and recompose your picture, or use it to artistic effect.

The ISO range runs from 80 to 3200. Shadow noise creeps in around ISO 800 and above. Some pictures at ISO 2000 were acceptable however; at ISO 3200 things do look rather mottled, but if you only need a 6 x 4 print or a candid website shot, it should work out fine, which is impressive performance. It's worth acknowledging that the manual controls do at least mean you have other options besides turning up the ISO.

You get RAW shooting, something that enthusiasts will appreciate, where you'll be able to work out more detail if you are that way inclined.

Colour representation is good, if a little flat at times, but reds will sometimes come out a touch over-saturated, we like the punch that this brings so it isn't always a negative. High contrast scenes bring some purple fringing to edges, but this is relatively well controlled.

Shutter lag wasn't a noticeable problem, nor buffering. Start-up to first shot was around 3 seconds. Focusing was generally solid, but once a subject gets close, you'll have to deploy Macro, listed as working down to 5cm. If shooting in the Auto mode, the S90 identifies the scene and selects a setting, although it does tend to flip back and forth, so if you are set on using scenes, then you might want to set them manually. Some work nicely, like the fireworks setting, for example.

Autobracketing is offered, ideal for those who want to indulge in a touch of HDR photography with some post-processing, as well as continuous shooting, but only at around one frame a second. Focusing is limited to centre or face focus through the menus, and the AF lock is a little clunky, not offering a visual indicator of the focal point on the screen, so after the heady highs of getting really stuck into the creative options of offer here, you come down with a gentle bump. But the biggest bump is reserved for those interested in shooting video.

The S90 shoots video at VGA resolution, 640 x 480, which comes as something of a surprise in a camera pitching at this level. Canon explained this away as a pricing issue. However, the results are rather good. It doesn't compete with 720 or Full HD rivals, but there is VGA video capture from devices that is much worse. It holds a nice solid 30fps, so is good enough for passing video clips.

Video does get digital zoom, so best avoided, and the creative controls on offer elsewhere in the camera don't come into play here.

The battery will give you somewhere around 200 shots, which is fairly average performance for this type of camera. To prolong the battery you can turn down the screen brightness and turn off the screen without shutting the camera down, so you are ready to jump into shooting in an instant.

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Verdict:

The Canon PowerShot S90 brings some powerful creative controls in a package that fits right into your pocket. But it is a compact camera first, and as such, delivers impressive point and shoot performance. For those looking for a little more fun, then the S90 delivers it by the bucket load.

It isn't alone in this regard, with Canon taking some of the lessons from the popular G10 and giving you a tighter pocket-friendly (if not wallet-friendly) package. It joins cameras like the Panasonic Lumix LX3 which still stands as perhaps its biggest rival and on paper, perhaps the more attractive package.

But in the hand the S90 is an absolute delight, with the Control Ring flirting with the playful side of photography, putting controls literally at your fingertips. Yes, it costs a lot for a compact, but it really puts power in your pocket.

Tags: Cameras Compact cameras Digital cameras 10 megapixels Canon Canon Powershot S90

Canon PowerShot S90 digital camera originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:48:52 +0000

It you take a lot of photographs then you know that workflows are all-important. Wireless transfer of your files is nothing new: some DSLR systems will let you shoot with a wireless connection to your computer - many will let you shoot with a wired connection, stepping around the need to plug-in and download files. Eye-Fi brings this sort of sophistication to any camera that takes an SD card, using Wi-Fi.

The system has finally made its way to the UK having enjoyed successes in the US and we've always been keen to take a look, as on paper, it sounds like a crazy concept. Open the packaging and you have the 4GB SD card and a USB card reader.

To get started, all you do is plug the card reader and Eye-Fi card into your PC or Mac for configuration. All the software is on-board for both Windows and Mac users, meaning there is no fiddling around finding the right software. Configuration is simply a case of setting your network details and defining your preferences.

Once done, you can remove your Eye-Fi SD card from the reader, replace it in your camera and you are ready to start shooting. You don't need to make any changes to the camera – essentially, the camera has no idea what the SD card is doing, it just writes the data as usual. We didn't find any slowdown in camera performance over a regular card using a Canon PowerShot S90.

The system works by sending the image files from the SD card via your Wi-Fi network to a PC or online, or both. The software interface is browser-based and lets you look at your file transfer history, as well as tinkering with all the settings. The Eye-Fi servers online sit behind the operation and move the image files from one place to another.

The important part of the operation is your camera, as this needs to be on long enough to send the files out via the Wi-Fi network. If you snap a full resolution picture and then turn it off, it won't arrive at your PC. Generally we found that the images were sent before our test camera went into power saving mode and turned off, so as long as you are aware of what you are doing, it isn't a problem.

The Eye-Fi Manager offers a Relay option, which lets you send the images to the Eye-Fi servers whilst your computer is turned off, so they will be delivered when you turn your PC back on again, and/or delivered straight to your online sharing site of choice. It's has great potential, as you don't need your PC sitting around turned on, in fact you don't need your PC after configuration of the card. You could simply arrive at a friend's party, configure the card to send your photos to Flickr via their Wi-Fi network and off you go. Of course, you need to establish general rules for the card via your computer: once set, they stay the same.

The online sharing options include most of the big name sites – Facebook, Flickr, Picasa and so on – and you simply have to plug in your details through the browser and set any permissions that are needed.

The Eye-Fi card could also be useful for the sort of person who takes lots of pictures in a studio environment, without having to return to the computer to transfer files, or who has someone else working on image processing.

The system also works with video, so you can transfer video files and have them uploaded directly again to Facebook or to your YouTube account, as well as others. It's incredibly simple and it just works simply and easily.

The biggest stumbling block might be figuring out how you want to use this new freedom? Given the range of Wi-Fi networks, you could very well be able to roam around a particular venue taking pictures and have them remotely collected at your PC. It might be that you have a studio in a different part of the office building, or you want to take pictures around the school site, or of a particular event.

You can configure numerous locations on a card so if your venue is covered by a number of networks, you can set them all up. In the software setup, the detection of wireless networks is done by the Eye-Fi card, so you can see the contrast to those that your PC finds. From this you'll quickly deduce that the Eye-Fi card is somewhat limited in range compared to say you mobile phone or PC. You'll also find that it takes some time to register on a network and start sending - so if moving around a lot you need to be mindful of this.

For those working in real time with images, it takes a step out of the equation. For some others, it might just mean you don't need to use a USB cable when you return from a day out with a camera. Because it contains and stores the 4GB of photos as normal, the card can work in both ways.

But the potential here is still slightly locked away. Those in the US can also use Wi-Fi hotspots from Wayport to upload images as they go, but you need the Eye-Fi Explore card which gives you a year free Wayport access, but thereafter it will be $14.99 a year. For some it will work, for others, you'll want to guarantee that you'll have convenient access before you part with your cash. For those in the UK, you'll have to wait to see what happens.

A geotagging option is also available at extra cost too, but is a more common feature in modern cameras. The geotagging feature works by identifying Wi-Fi networks (if you opt for this feature) which isn't going to give you the same result as using a camera with a GPS module for a true position, so we probably wouldn't make it a priority.

You can also opt for notification messages so you know the status of a file transfer, so if you are on location and relying on the Eye-Fi to transfer images back to a central controlling computer, you'll know if things are interrupted, as the camera has no way of indicating this. However, after setup, we didn't get these working.

Is it a flawless system? No, it doesn't seem to be. Used with the PC on, we found that images dropped in quickly with no problems, but using the relay to instantly upload, we found that some photos never arrived at our chosen sharing site. They did arrive on the PC when it reconnected to the network, as well as being stored on the memory card, but we're guessing the Eye-Fi server didn't pass it on, or encountered some unreported problem.

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Verdict:

There is oodles of convenience that comes with the Eye-Fi card, but it doesn't come cheap. The basic 4GB card will set you back ?49.99, compared with about ?6 for a standard SDHC card, so you are paying a lot for novelty. If it is going to take a chunk of time or effort out of your workflow, then you might see this as a justifiable cost.

Of course the other consideration is that the card needs power to send, and that power is going to come from your camera battery and reduce the number of shots you can take before you need to swap out or recharge.

We love the technology offered by Eye-Fi and despite a few quirks in the system, we found it cut out lots of connections we'd normally have to make. It may be expensive, but it's impressive none the less.

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Tags: Gadgets Cameras Memory cards Wi-Fi Eye-Fi

Eye-Fi Share Video wireless SD card originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:00:00 +0000

When we first heard what Ricoh was planning with the GXR we had to stifle a giggle. One of the things we like about using a DSLR is swapping components around to best suit your environment, but the idea of sliding off the front of the camera seemed a little odd to us.

But the Ricoh GXR system gives enthusiast photographers a degree of control over components that is missing from compact cameras. High-end compact units such as the Canon PowerShot G11 will let you add a flash, but you are restrained by the focal length on offer.

The Ricoh GXR goes up against Micro Four Thirds more directly, hitting not only a similar price point, but offering a similar principle of interchangeable lenses. The first Micro Four Thirds models we saw – the Panasonic Lumix G1 and GH1 – sit in a slightly different category with their mini DSLR appearance. But the recent Lumix GF1 and Olympus Pen models both compete in this compact enthusiast area.

Micro Four Thirds has a distinct advantage over the GXR, in that it uses a fairly conventional lens connection system, so you aren't depending on Panasonic or Olympus to launch a whole new range of lenses, as an adapter ring will give you access to existing system lenses.

One thing that Ricoh has in its corner is an existing range of compact cameras that reside in the higher end, so the GXR is likely to appeal to those who want a little more flexibility, but don't want the burden of a full DSLR rig.

The body of the camera measures 113.9 x 70.2 x 28.9mm excluding any protrusions. It won't compete in the pocketable stakes alongside many compact digital cameras, but it comes in smaller than the Micro Four Thirds options out there. The body, in effect, is the power and control for the camera.

Around the back is a 3-inch 920k-dot LCD display with the controls sitting to the right-hand side and across the top. At first glance it resembles Ricoh's GR models. The main controls fall under the right thumb without too many problems, although there isn't a great deal of space for your thumb to lie.

The grip is a decent size, however, and the first observation would be that depending on what lens you put on the front (and whether you add any accessories, such as a wide angle converter), the extent of your grip will change as the balance of the camera shifts.

So on to those lens units. On the front of the camera you'll find a release catch which will allow you to disengage the lens unit. It slides away easily, but the catch is plenty secure. When in place, there's no rattle or movement – it feels like a complete one-piece camera. Aligning a new lens unit for the first time takes a few goes, but once you have the action, you can switch lens in a matter of seconds. The tracks on the back stop you from getting it wrong, so it is relatively simple.

The electronic viewfinder is excellent quality, as we've seen previously from the likes of the Panasonic GH1. We still prefer using an optical viewfinder, but the high-resolution 920k-dot EVF does give a 100% field of view. It is also vari-angle, so you can tilt it up to make those low-angle shots easier to compose. It's a shame it costs ?219 on top of the camera price.

One of the big elements that Ricoh is pushing with the GXR is its simple Direct menu, which gives you easy access to your most often used controls. Main shooting modes are controlled through the Mode dial on the top, however it doesn't have a movie mode on it, despite the camera offering movie recording (at variable quality depending on the attached lens).

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Verdict:

We didn't have long with the camera, and Ricoh wouldn’t let us take it out of the briefing room, so we weren't really able to give it a thorough testing. However they were happy for us to take away the memory card with a few test shots, as long as we declared that the software wasn't final, so there will be tweaks before the camera comes to market.

The Ricoh GXR seemed easy enough to use, however the focusing did seem a little slow in our tests with the 24-72mm lens. The camera is happy enough to snap away indoors without resorting to the flash, with acceptable results in Auto mode in the few test shoots we took. We've included a test shot below shot using the teleconversion kit and hood, handheld at F/2.5, 1/30sec exposure, ISO 400 and there seems to be a good deal of punch to blues on the bottles, and sharp reflection detail.

We'll have to wait until we get our hands on the Ricoh GXR to evaluate the true performance and image quality in a full review. From what we've seen from our initial hands-on, however, the idea of changing lens units no longer seems so laughable.

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Related links:

• Photos - Ricoh GXR hands-on
• News - Ricoh GXR interchangeable unit camera system launches
• News - Understanding the Ricoh GXR

Tags: Cameras Compact cameras Digital cameras Ricoh Ricoh GXR

Ricoh GXR digital camera - First Look originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:00:00 +0000

The pocket camcorder market has enjoyed successes over the past year, more recently taking the step up to high definition and offering better overall quality and performance than many mobile phones would offer. Medion have now joined the race with the Life S47000, an all-weather pocketable which appears to be a reskinned DXG model.

To differentiate itself from the likes of the popular Flip Ultra HD models or Creative's Vado HD, the S47000 pitches itself as a sports camcorder, offering a degree of protection against the ingress of moisture. Despite this, the dimensions are still relatively compact measuring 65 x 105 x 23mm.

The overall design makes it comfortable in the hand and it looks good too, with sporty touches like the top attachment point a practical consideration. Grip seemed secure enough too thanks to the profile of the black trim edging the camera, although we'd have perhaps chosen to make the main recording button a touch larger to make it more appealing to those using gloves. The bottom of the camcorder has a standard tripod mount.

The S47000 offers a usable internal memory of 85MB, which equates to less than a minute of video capture. Your main memory option is provided by the SD card slot hiding under the flap on the side, sharing the same bay as the rechargeable li-ion battery. A memory card is not provided, so you'll have to consider one at the point of purchase.

In terms of accessories in the box, the S47000 really does Medion credit, expect for the lack of SD card of course. You get the camcorder itself and the battery, the battery charger and a case. On top of this you get an HDMI cable, AV cable, USB cable and a set of headphones, which rounds out the package nicely.

The camcorder therefore offers connection points for all these cables, with the mini variety of HDMI lurking under a flap along with the AV/USB connection. You don't get an onboard USB plug proper like the flip offered but the trade-off is a more compact overall package.

A 3.5mm headphone jack will let you check the quality of the recorded audio, or playback your movies without disturbing others, but it doesn't let you do live monitoring of the audio – it's a playback feature only. And before you get excited, no, it doesn't double as an external mic input.

The screen on the back is 2-inches, so you have plenty of space to see what you are doing and watch back your movies. It will playback MOV files from other cameras as well as view JPGs from the SD card, but we found the folder interpretation was rather random. Dumping MP3 files in a Music folder will mean you can playback tracks as well, so if you need something to keep you entertained whilst sitting on the chairlift, this should sort you out.

On the back you get a central four-way controller, with the main record button in the centre. A Mode button lets you switch between playback and recording, with a power and delete button for erasing files. Menu entry is toggled through a simultaneous press of the Mode and Del buttons.

Menu choices are kept to a minimum, which keeps things simple. You get regional options so you can switch between NTSC and PAL and 50 or 60Hz, set the date or format the memory, but chances are you'll not touch these options once the camera is set-up.

Video capture is fixed at 1280 x 720 pixels, so qualifies as HD, if not earning the Full HD tag. You don't get the option to turn down the resolution, but its unlikely to deter anyone and does save you from accidentally recording at settings lower than optimum. The output is 16:9, so it will fit nicely on your HDTV at home via the HDMI.

It is a fixed focus camera, which does limit your creative options, but suits recording on the fly. There is no option for macro focus like on the Kodak Zi8, so you won't be able to get too close, but for everyday shooting that might not be a problem. A digital zoom gives you 2x zoom, but as with most digital zooms, you probably want to leave it alone.

Startup is relatively fast, so you'll be recording in about 2 seconds. The S47000 copes with changing light conditions fairly well, but as with most camcorders of this ilk, there is a slight delay as it adjusts from dark to light. It is a F/2.8 max aperture lens, so low light performance is pretty standard for this class of camcorder. Shadow noise is prominent and noise shows all over as the light drops.

The S47000 records at a fairly solid 30fps, so the results are generally fairly smooth and free from judder. Purple fringing and highlight blowout seem to be the biggest problems that the camera faces in normal shooting conditions, with high contrast scenes presenting the biggest problem, but that's no different to rival devices.

Quality is good overall, giving you a noticeable boost over the VGA offering of most mobile phones give you. Colours are reasonable, perhaps lacking the punch that the Flip HD offered, but supplying vibrancy and definition.

Audio capture is generally good, with some noise coming in from manipulation of the S47000 in the hand. The range on the mic is limited, meaning that audio capture drops off over distance but works fairly well for close subjects. The mic is exposed, however, so wind noise will soon blight things.

We managed to get a couple of hours from the battery, which is average for this class of camcorder.

Verdict:

Overall we were impressed with the performance of the S47000. If offers a slightly different proposition to some rivals, giving a touch of environmental proofing and a complete package in the box that comes in at an affordable price, offering better value for money than rivals.

Music and JPG support means that you can do a little more than on some other devices. The move away from the convenience of the type of device that comes with an integral USB connector is perhaps less of an issue because of the use of an SD card.

Sure, better quality HD or Full HD video is offered by some of the more expensive rivals, but at under ?100, the Medion Life S47000 looks like a winner.

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Related links:

• Buy it! - Medionshop.co.uk

Tags: Cameras Camcorders Medion Medion Life S47000

Medion Life S47000 pocket camcorder originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Panasonic’s first two Micro Four Thirds system cameras – last year’s G1 and this spring’s GH1, which added high-def video – based their designs on that of traditional digital SLRs. Even though technically they weren’t, having junked the integral mirror box mechanism in order to bring lens and sensor closer together.

In theory this promised more diminutive camera bodies and lenses, yet in practice neither G1 nor GH1 are much smaller than the latest entry-level DSLRs based around regular APS-C sized sensors.

But that aspect is about to change. As the advertising blurb runs, the new Micro Four Thirds Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 is like a DSLR – in that lenses can be changed and image quality is a step up from a bridge camera – only smaller.

Its styling is closer to a compact camera, albeit one that will be a snug fit for even the deep pocket of an overcoat; the busy top plate control layout recalling the look of a high-end rangefinder camera. It is the manufacturer’s answer to, and direct rival of, Olympus’ E-P1, otherwise known as the Pen.

While that camera’s hybrid nature was deemed revolutionary on release, it omitted a couple of fairly crucial features for the photo enthusiast – especially one spending ?600 on a body without lens.

Fortunately the similarly solidly built (but fractionally lighter) GF1 has shoehorned in one of its rival’s omissions – a flash of the pop-up variety to maintain the Lumix’s boxy lines – whilst, doubtless partly due again to size, still failing to deliver an optical viewfinder.

However it does offer an electronic viewfinder (EVF) like those incorporated on the G1 and GH1, as an optional extra that clips onto the vacant top plate hotshoe. This costs around ?160, compared to ?100 for an optional optical viewfinder for the Olympus Pen.

Photos are composed on the GF1 in its absence via the 3-inch, 460k-dot resolution LCD with Live View; double the resolution offered by the E-P1, which in our eyes makes for a much smoother, more life-like display image.

Headline resolution is otherwise nigh on identical, at 12.1 effective megapixels from a 13.1 megapixel LiveMOS sensor, and, like the Pen is basically a concertinaed Olympus E-series DSLR, so the GF1 squeezes the functionality of its G1 and GH1 forebears into a more manageable shape.

This includes a mono HD video mode with a dedicated recording button, and a choice of AVCHD or (more widely compatible) Motion JPEG compression, resolution being the lower 1280 x 720 pixels rather than the Full HD 1920 x 1080. A side mounted HDMI port is also provided for hooking the camera up to an HD TV, though the required cable costs extra.

If you really want the most compact camera solution, then opt for the 20mm non zoom "pancake" lens we had on test, equivalent to 40mm in 35mm terms, which, when bought in conjunction with the Panasonic body, will set you back a not-so-cool ?800. We found it works best for shooting portraits and close ups, where a shallow depth of focus, blurring distracting backgrounds, proves a specific aid to creativity.

If we’ve one true criticism it's that the blocky, rectangular GF1 lacks anyway in the way of a decent grip, with only a thin raised strip on the front providing purchase for the fingers when shooting handheld. Still, it’s also possible to use the camera as a gloried point and shoot courtesy of Panasonic’s reliable intelligent Auto (iA) mode, whereby it recognises common scenes and subjects and adjusts settings automatically, saving the user otherwise fiddling around with controls and dials to achieve similar results.

With the GF1 powering up for action with DSLR-approximate swiftness in just over a second, other built-in aids to creativity include its "My Colors" modes that come across as Panasonic’s re-interpretation of the Olympus Pen’s Art Filters. They even include a pop art style "Dynamic Art" option.

We also get film simulation modes "borrowed" from its G1 and GH1 siblings and a Peripheral Defocus Mode that blurs potentially distracting backgrounds – even when you’re not shooting with a 20mm lens. Left on standard default settings colours are rendered beautifully natural and life-like with a crispness few standard fixed lens compacts could match. Impressive stuff – though of course it comes at a price.

Verdict:

So does the GF1 beat the Pen as the best, most affordable DSLR/compact hybrid to date?

Of course the answer depends on your personal requirements, but used as a tool for general purpose photography, the clearer, smoother LCD for shot composition and review, plus built-in flash inevitably take the Panasonic up a notch.

It therefore gets our vote as the current most successful marriage of DSLR functionality with compact portability and usability. But with further incarnations of the Pen promised very soon by Olympus, it’s unlikely to stay that way for long.

It’s also worth noting that for the near ?600 UK asking price for the GF1, one could buy a very capable APS-C sized DSLR with lens included.

PHOTOS: Panasonic Lumix GF1 digital camera

Tags: Cameras Micro Four Thirds Compact cameras DSLR cameras 12 megapixels Panasonic Panasonic Lumix GF1

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 camera originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:00:00 +0000

The new EOS 7D is a fully redesigned EOS with high performance in mind so the new, extremely well-specified, EOS marks a step change for Canon's EOS models featuring an 18MP APS-C sized sensor and HD video to name two of the key features.

At first glance the EOS 7D seems to be like many other Canon EOS DSLRs with the familiar, slightly swooping top plate design and deeply recessed handgrip. The pentaprism housing hosts a useful pop-up flash unit and it is this that starts to mark the 7D out as being a little different from recent EOS models, such as the 5D Mark II, to which it is closely allied.

However, the 7D is a quite radical departure for the EOS marque, one designed to slot between the 50D and 5D Mark II and a not insignificant price tag of just shy of ?1700 may need some justifying for many tempted by its treats.

It is also a camera designed to help Canon pull back market share that competitors have been nibbling away at over recent months, to provide a professional level of control and performance within a body priced at the semi-professional level.

Headline changes are impressive, a new APS-C sized, 18MP CMOS sensor and 19 zone (all cross type) AF setup, which sports its own processor making AF accurate and blisteringly fast, particularly when tracking fast moving subjects.

8fps sequence shooting is very good indeed, the AF tracking across the frame proving no problem. However, slightly more challenging were subjects moving directly at the camera, which were less well handled.

However, given the camera is shooting at a class leading 18-megapixels at 8fps - for up to 126 JPEGs - that's not bad. Though to get that speed and buffer power, you'll need to use UDMA CF Type I/II storage.

This is key when shooting RAW; the buffer starts to bulge at 15-images but the camera's all new image engine, dual DIGIC 4 image processors, means that while the frame rate does drop as the buffers fills, it'll continue to shoot at around 3fps as the camera gulps down the huge, (up to) 30MB gobbets of RAW image data. Still, the only camera to compete with it in terms of speed is the 10fps professional-level EOS 1D Mark III.

You can fully customise the AF set-up; the AF points used for both camera orientations as well as the AF mode used can be changed or tweaked to how you want them; you can also build-in specific AF tweaks for specific lenses if required. The 7D’s AF makes use of the camera's accelerometers, which also provide data for the camera's rather natty built-in electronic spirit level system.

One caveat to the AF speed is when shooting in Live View, which has three focus modes of Live mode, Face AF Live mode and Quick mode. The latter is relatively fast, as you'd expect, but the other two settings are slower and of course when shooting in Live View, you have to factor in the time needed to get the mirror up and out of the way; then back again and between each exposure.

One of the best things about the 7D is its new, clear and bright viewfinder; the 7D is the first EOS offering a 100% field of view finder, at 1.0x magnification and it's probably the best APS-C DSLR viewfinder we've come across.

We particularly like the transmissive LCD used for a clever heads-up-display for framing and AF point selection indication, and it provides a comprehensive level of shooting data that helps make this finder a joy.

A 22mm eyepoint makes using the finder excellent when wearing spectacles, but only just, as the bottom extremes of the data information are only just visible. The large pentaprism “hump” denotes the camera from its older 50D sibling and hides the aforementioned pop-up Speedlite, a useful addition for those moments where a puff of flash can lift a backlit shot, say.

One disappointment centres on the otherwise superb 3-inch Clear View II LCD screen, with its 920k-pixel resolution. It is not articulated and while it features a wide 160-degree viewing angle (Canon has stripped away the air gap between the protective cover and liquid crystal found on previous iterations of such screens to improve contrast and reduce glare, which it does) reflections can still be an issue in bright conditions when using the screen at such oblique angles.

A magnesium alloy body has a suitably tactile covering, so holding the thing is reassuring and making it easy to hang on to in the rain –?while environmental seals ensure the camera is in no way compromised by such shooting conditions.

Wireless flash control means the 7D has another EOS first. It's the first EOS to have an integral Speedlite transmitter, allowing remote control of (up to) three groups of four flashguns - an impressive pro' level of performance at the price.

In terms of the physical controls, the most obvious thing is they are larger than on both the 50D and 5D Mark II, ideal for use wearing gloves in inclement weather and, now there's a dedicated switch for Live View and movie shooting with an integral Start/Stop button for recording. This marks a step change because at last the camera's movie mode is an integral camera system, part of the default kit and operations, as opposed to a seemingly add-on feature as on previous EOS models.

Otherwise, the layout is typically EOS, though the control dial lock and power switch have been separated; the on/off switch now nestles below the mode dial on the top plate, along with other adjustments, a much more logical - and welcome - handling enhancement.

A couple of new controls include a dedicated button to quickly change the selected image quality setting to RAW + JPEG and a new “Q” button, which activates an interactive display of your control options on the screen, which you can browse and select using the control dial, the multi-selector control and the Set button.

This is nice since those familiar with the physical controls of an EOS, and the menus, can carry on as before, while those less familiar to the camera (or EOS models, if trading up or across to the 7D) can still get at everything, quickly and simply and importantly, learn the controls and what they do as they go.

And it is here that we get even closer to the beating heart of the 7D since, despite all the new kit and the 1080p movie making frills, it still looks quite pricey. Yes, it has significant enhancement over the 50D, but the question is simply this: “Should I consider trading up to this model?”

If you looked at the 7D as an EOS 5D Mark II “lite”, it might not look good value. The APS-C format means there is a 1.6x field of view adjustment needed for any focal length you use compared with the full frame 5D Mark II. Although the additional depth of field control this provides, certainly where portrait or macro work is involved, and the extra leg it gives any telephoto optics or zooms, arguably outweighs this as a possible niggle, compared to the full frame 5D Mark II.

However, throw in the fact the 5D Mark II costs around ?1000 more, and you realise that much of your hard-earned cash would make a great fund towards more (or better) optics; it is certainly not as straight forward an equation as it might at first seem. So now consider this…

Compared to the ?4000 (body only) EOS1D Mark III, the Canon it most closely resembles in terms of speedy performance, say, and suddenly you get another complexion completely. You could buy two 7D bodies for the price of one 1D Mark III and have plenty of change over for another lens.

Okay, so you loose a couple frames per second continuous shooting compared with the 1D Mark III but then you gain a greater sensitivity range; ISO 100 to a boosted ISO 12,800. And you get Full HD movies (with stereo sound when using optional stereo microphones) plus a superb new viewfinder.

Also bear in mind, the build quality is on a par with the 1D Mark III but the camera control is (arguably) better than the more expensive Mark III sibling. Oh! And you'll have a spare back-up 7D body into the bargain.

Metering and exposure control are pretty faultless, a new Focus Colour Luminance system measuring (as the name suggests) focus, and colour and luminance across 63 zones, while switching between the four metering modes of evaluative, partial, centre-weighted average and spot metering, provide differing “looks” to the same scene, depending on where you meter in a scene. On balance, my preference was for centre-weighted average, which gave the best overall metering balance overall.

Detail and colour are excellent; shooting RAW+JPEG gave superb results though the auto WB setting left things looking a tad warm. Processing the RAWs (I shot RAW + JPEG throughout) using the supplied Canon Digital Photo Professional software was easy, even if said software is a tad slow, particularly when exporting the RAWs as JPEGs.

One of the most impressive aspects of the 7D is the low noise performance at higher ISOs. Shooting between ISO 100 and ISO 2000 was a delight, since noise is non-existent at the lower end of that scale and almost invisible at the higher end.

A series of ISO test images show the amount of detail retained up to ISO 2000 is good, above ISO 3200 details starts to drop away but noise is still well controlled. Above ISO 6400 and detail is stripped away making images seem rather fuzzy, which is a shame.

The dual DIGIC IV engine really struts its stuff in the 7D, but arguably overdoing it a bit at ISO 5000 to 12,800. Noise processing can be adjusted (as can much of the camera settings) to your preference.

The only other slight niggle is some purple and blue fringing on some high contrast subjects shooting using the cameras new EF-S 18-135mm IS zoom; in RAW you can process this away if needed, but the net effect otherwise, is to give a slight softness to the images in which the fringing is present and add another level of work to post shoot processing.

The EOS 7D is the third EOS to sport Full HD at 1920 x 1080-pixels after the 5D Mark II and EOS 500D. Shot at 29.97fps the 7D provides superbly smooth widescreen video with sound. Stereo sound can be recorded with optional stereo microphones that can plug straight into the camera. Clips up to a second shy of 30-minutes can be shot in HD, providing you use UDMA CF cards. Otherwise the longest clip possible is of a lowly, 5 seconds duration. You also get full manual control over shutter speeds and aperture settings during shooting, though focusing adjustment needs to be done manually.

The camera's custom control interface is another example of how this camera's handling has been enhanced. Here, a simple diagrammatic representation of the camera control layout is shown providing a fast ready reckoner of what button does what. Each camera control location has a highlight and a range of adjacent options to change the behaviours of the buttons or control in the display, and that makes sorting your preferred custom camera control very easy and provides an almost endless range of options.

I shot around 1300 images for this test and all of that on two charges of the LP-E6 battery pack. The last charge is still at 80%, checked from within the camera's menus system; after a full, 2 days of shooting, I still had 23% of power to spare on the first charge and that after plenty of reviewing on the screen, frequent Live View shooting and a modest amount of (built-in) flash photography. This is very impressive power performance indeed.

Verdict:

Well made, quickly intuitive to use, fleet-of-foot across most performance measures and able to produce stunning results, even at high sensitivity settings, all means the Canon EOS 7D is both a cleverly realised combination of professional specification and semi-professional pricing.

The EOS 5D Mark II is the step down model for those social photographers working on a tighter budget compared against the 1Ds Mark III, here, the EOS 7D provides the same job for sports or wildlife photographers compared with the EOS 1D Mark III.

The 1.6x APS-C field of view crop boosts your lens focal lengths, helping you help tuck your subject tight into the frame, while the smaller 18MP CMOS sensor (than the full frame chip in the EOS 5D Mark II) means it can be blisteringly fast too.

There's no compromise on image quality apart from (arguably) shooting above ISOs of 6400 and the purple fringing evident in some high contrast shots. The 7D might not be the natural substitute for those social photographers thinking of the 5D Mark II, but for those shooting sporty stuff or where longer focal lengths need to be considered for wildlife work, and you're on a tighter budget, the 7D makes a lot more sense than the EOS 1D Mk III. Looked at in that way, it also represents superb value for money as well.

Tags: Cameras DSLR cameras Canon Canon EOS 7D 18 megapixels

Canon EOS 7D DSLR camera originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:52:20 +0000

If you're a disorganised photographer then chances are you store your digital photos on your computer, back them up and then forget about them until someone says:

"Do you have a picture of a women on a bus in London eating a sandwich?"

Of course you do, but how the devil do you find it. In steps Adobe's Lightroom package that allows you to catalogue your photo collection and edit your photos without getting too "Photoshopy" and then print them or publish them to the Web.

Lightroom has been around for sometime, but with a new version, Lightroom 3, entering public beta, what can we look forward to in the new model, and should you start using it from today.

The first thing you should note is that this is very much a beta and Adobe is keen to express that. What that means is that there is no official support for the software and there are a number of features Adobe says are yet to come. It also means that you can't import your current Lightroom 2 catalogue into the software package just yet and that's probably not that much of a bad thing - you don't want all your metadata corrupting do you?

So for the purpose of our review we imported a number of images into the catalogue and ran the software side by side measuring the performance and keeping a close eye on the differences.

So what's new? Well one of the main things that isn't is the interface. While there were fairly large changes from Lightroom to Lightroom 2 in the look and feel of the package, here, the transition to Lightroom 3 is going to be minimal. For us that's a good thing. While not everything is perfect, we are happy with the structure of Lightroom and find it fairly easy to navigate around the package. The same can be said for Lightroom 3. The panels are all in the same place and apart from the odd new button or panel, everything is how you know it.

The main focus therefore has been on how the program works with your images and how you get them in.

The import window sees the biggest overhaul with a completely redesigned interface that is not only more in keeping with the design style of Lightroom, but also in functionality.

Split into three panels, you can select the source from the left, the target on the right and see the images you're importing in the middle, whether it's from a disk, drive or memory card. You now also get "Loupe" ie single image view and can choose to add, copy or move them into the catalogue. There is also the option to add metadata or keywords as before and save all those options so it's just a press of a single button the next time. If you aren't interested in any of that you can compact the import view to a single bar, which gets to work straight away. Overall it's a massive improvement and makes getting your images into the system quick and simple, especially in comparison to Lightroom 2.

Those familiar with Lightroom know that the package is split up into different zones; Library, Develop, Slideshow, Print, and Web.?

Library

New features to the Library include adding photo uploading services support so you can now upload images directly to flickr and the like. Within the beta you can only upload to flickr, although Adobe says that other galleries, presumably like their own Photoshop online service will be added.

The system works as a gateway to the service rather than just an uploader and that means you have control over what is online, what isn't and the ability to sync it with comments for example.

Interestingly you can also create a synced folder that doesn't have to be online but on a network drive or even your iPhone. With the system you can then sync photos to and from that device. It's easy and if you are transferring images on an external hard drive it's a good way to "check-in" and "check out" images from your catalogue.

Elsewhere multiple info views have been added to the Loupe view, there is the ability to auto sync in library mode (something that was only available in develop previously) and greater import control into specific folders. A small detail, but nonetheless one we've found helpful is the ability to see within sub-folders. And lock filters from folder to folder.

Develop

Develop has seen the most "under the hood" development, after all Adobe has got to justify the upgrade from 2 to 3 somewhere. Here you get improvements to the processing options for RAW and jpeg.

The imaging improvements are there but for the most part subtle. Zoom in 1:1 and you'll see the changes, work from afar and you'll be wondering whether it's done anything, but they are there.

New tools and sliders to master include sharpening, colour noise reduction, a re-structuring of the vignette tool for a more natural effect as well as the ability to control the colour and highlighting vignette to boot.

You can also add a grain effect for those looking for more of a "film" look, although we personally haven't found a reason to use this yet.

There is also a camera calibration mode now that allows you to try and correct chromatic aberration, however this isn't an automated process like some software packages, which would be a really nice addition.

Finally Brushes has had a good overhaul and its now a lot easier to use on your photos.

When the package is finally ready you'll also be able to choose whether or not to reimport your Lightroom 2 images in with the new settings or leave them as they were - either way doing so will change the look of the image.

The good news is that in the beta the processing and general performance of the software was good, nippier in most cases than Lightroom 2, although we aren't ruling out the possibility that it's because our Lightroom 2 catalogue has over 16,000 (yes 16,000) photos in it.

Slideshow, Print, and Web

Slideshow gets a brief look in via the ability to add music from your music folder to your images. A nice touch is that the software will automatically change the length the photos are shown so it fits the music to save you having to try and work it out. You can then dump the slideshow into H.264 to do as you will.

Likewise Print gets more "interactive" templates that make it easier to create printouts for your clients all at the drag of a mouse, rather than having to actually really understand anything.

As for web support? Easier watermarking and that's about it for the moment.

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Verdict:

Lightroom 3 looks to be taking the software in the right direction, although for beta users you will be mainly seeing under the hood changes rather than anything that will visually knock your socks off from the get go.

Adobe is clearly following Microsoft and the Windows 7 route here by allowing its user base to get to grips with the software in order to hear how they use it so the package can be improved. It's a new way of developing software but one that is worth the input.

I think the biggest disappointment is the inability to upgrade my current catalogue - doing so would allow people to give it a good run for its money rather than treating it like a sandbox. If this was the case it would allow you to really get to grips with what does and doesn't work by the time the software eventually comes out.

Promising, but without the ability to import your own catalogue you'll find this is a weekend intrigue rather than your new favourite software package until the final version is released.

Tags: Software Mac software PC software Photo editing software Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 Cameras

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 beta originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:00:00 +0000

"Oh that's a nice picture" you hear one of your family or mates say when they are around your house looking at a photo on your mantle piece. "Can I have a copy?"

You've then got the hassle of finding that picture, printing it out and then probably sending it to them as the whole process has taken so long they've given up and gone home. Sony is hoping to cut out the waiting with the launch of a digital photo frame with a built-in printer, so you can create and deliver the print there and then.

Sounds great, but is it?

The DPP-F700 sports a 7-inch, 16:10 WVGA screen with a resolution 800 x 480 and can print 4 x 6-inch, 300 x 300 dpi photos in 45 seconds.

The frame, which features a large black boarder offers touch-sensitive controls, that like other frames on the market, appear only on touch, however for some reason Sony has opted to use a different non-gloss material - a matt plastic it seems, which doesn't work.

Controls allow you to navigate through the basic menu system and here you can edit images before printing with options including enlarge, reduce, crop, date stamp on/off, border/borderless as well as brightness, contrast, hue, and sharpness adjustment.

Images can be transferred onto the frame via USB from a PC, and there is an array of memory card slots around the side including support for SD, MMC, Compact Flash and xD.

Failing that, there is 1GB of on-board storage. Storage levels will vary, with Sony boasting 2000 images as a headline grabbing number, but as this is only at a 2-megapixel resolution, expect this number to be around 200 if you're using a 7-megapixel or higher camera.

The DPP-F700 uses dye-sublimation as the printing technology, the print quality was good, not amazing, however they were able to be handled straight away when we played with the printer at a trade show.

The concept is perfect, unfortunately the realisation isn’t. The biggest problem isn't the quality of prints, or the software interface, it's the form factor.

As you might imagine adding a printer into a photo frame will add some bulk to a photo frame. Sony has surprisingly done a pretty good job of hiding this underneath the frame (see pictures) and the end result therefore is that it looks like you've perched a regular digital photo frame on to a box, no problem there.

The problem, however, is that rather than then put the photo paper tray within this box or to the side, it sits rather awkwardly out the front giving the game away that there is a printer hiding inside.

Yes it is detachable, but that's not the point. There is no way you could place it anywhere like a window ledge or mantle piece because of the width of the overall footprint. So you might as well give up on the idea altogether and use a small compact printer.

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Verdict:

In the future, if we are still printing photos, all digital photo frames will have a printer built in. It makes sense, it's a nice idea and we can see why someone at Sony approved the making of the DPP-F700.

However, it seems that "approving person" walked away after they were pitched the idea, as the end result neither looks good or has a form factor that would make it suitable (from our brief play) for where it should live in the living room.

This really is one of those moments where the end result could have been so much better.

The DPP-F700 digital photo frame-printer will be available in the States for about $200 in January.

Tags: Cameras Sony Digital photo frames Printers Photo printers Sony S-Frame DPP-F700

Sony S-Frame DPP-F700 digital photo frame - First Look originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:00:00 +0000

We’ve not come across many – if any – digital camera upgrades that have taken a step back in terms of "specification".

But, on perusing the enthusiast targeted G11’s headline features, when compared with the G10 it appears that is exactly what has happened: 10 megapixels instead of its predecessor’s 14.7, a smaller LCD screen at 2.8-inches rather than 3, battery life at 390 shots from a full charge falling short of its forebear’s 400, and even a reduced burst mode of a lowly 1.1fps rather than 1.3fps.

At least the stabilised optical zoom has stayed the same at 5x, with a broader than average focal range of 28-140mm, making it as well suited to landscapes and group portraits as paparazzi-style close ups.

So what gives? Well, while reducing pixel count, Canon has kept the same size 1/1.7-inch CCD sensor as the G10, the inference being that less pixels crammed into the same space may produce a better performance in terms of reduced noise/grain when shooting in low light and at higher ISO settings.

This theory is born out upon discovering that maximum user selectable ISO has been raised from a previous ISO 1600 to ISO 3200, with a further ISO 12,800 equivalent option now achievable via a low light mode on the camera’s top mounted shooting dial – albeit with resolution dropping to 2.5 megapixels at this expanded setting.

The smaller LCD is also explained away by the fact that it is now of the vari-angle, rotate and twist variety, rather than the G10’s standard fixed display.

This is a boon for those who want to experiment with shooting from creative angles where it would be otherwise impossible to get an eye level with the optical viewfinder directly above – and the manufacturer claims its implementation was the result of customer requests. It can further be folded screen inwards to the body to provide an added degree of protection.

Worry not though, as the overall construction of the G11 is, as expected, reassuringly rock solid with chunky lithium-ion rechargeable battery and optional (yet essential) SD media card inserted. Its ruggedness practically matches that of an entry-level DSLR that you could alternatively buy for this compact’s ?569 UK price tag.

Weight without such accessories is a manageable 355g, though its shape – not too dissimilar to Panasonic’s similarly priced rival in the new GF1 – means it is one for slipping into the deep pocket of an overcoat rather than your skinny fit jeans.

Indicating that this camera is aimed at the more advanced user, even if it does feature the usual full auto options, are the array of rangefinder-like dials and controls festooning the top plate.

These allow the manual adjustment of exposure (+/- 2EV), the aforementioned ISO settings, plus the choosing of shooting modes. On the G11 we have the usual program, shutter priority, aperture priority and manual modes, plus 17 pre-optimised scene settings and a video mode, though sadly recording in standard definition 640 x 480 pixels rather than the increasingly ubiquitous high definition. The optical zoom can’t be used either when shooting video, which is a pain.

In contrast to the busy top plate, which also throws in a hotshoe for optional flashgun, the G11’s front plate looks rather spare. It’s dominated by lens with automatic cover that slides open on activation as its barrel extends to maximum wide-angle setting in just over a second. A filter thread is provided for the attachment of supplementary lens converters, while a subtly sloping padded ridge to the front provides purchase for the fingers.

Oddly though, we couldn’t find anywhere identifiable to place our thumb at the G11’s back plate when gripping for a handheld shot, leaving it to wander over the operational controls, one of which is the delete button.

Once you’ve lined up a shot via the adequately clear LCD or optical viewfinder above, press the shutter release button encircled by the zoom lever, and, with no noticeable shutter lag, a maximum resolution JPEG is committed to memory within 2-3 seconds.

The camera offers maximum quality, unprocessed RAW file capture too, selectable via a L-shaped toolbar on screen. Take a further shot in this mode and any difference in writing speed is barely noticeable, suggesting operational speed and image quality need not always be separate bedfellows.

Verdict:

So is it really worth spending as much, or more on the G11 than an interchangeable lens camera such as Panasonic’s GF1 or Olympus EP-1, or a full-blown digital SLR with standard APS-C sized sensor?

If the choice is a straight one, arguably not: we’d prefer the ability to swap lenses any day. But everyone’s requirements are different and the G11 does present photographers with a rather neat all-in-one solution, so there will be those thinking "so what that you can’t change the optic in use? What’s there is as much as I need".

It’s worth noting however that despite Canon trumpeting that with the G11 it has greatly improved low light photography, reducing noise and delivering a two-stop advantage, the camera has to first find a subject bright enough to focus on – in spite of its admittedly powerful AF assist lamp.

Even when it does, at maximum ISO 12,800 setting resultant images take on a watercolour effect, detail smudged. However, stick less ambitiously at ISO 3200 on the dial, and you get a result comparable to lesser compacts at ISO 800; much more impressive.

Shooting in less challenging daylight conditions the G11’s focus remains sharp with just a touch of barrel distortion at max wide angle and pixel fringing upon close inspection. We welcomed the ability to add punch to colours via a vivid "My Colours" option, plus apply a neutral density (ND) filter setting to preserve detail in landscapes when shooting images with contrasting dark foregrounds and bright backgrounds.

Taking all of the above into consideration however, unless you regularly shoot in low light and/or low to the ground or over the heads of a crowd whereby that flexible LCD screen might aid composition, sticking with the 14.7 megapixel G10 – identically priced at the time of writing – seems the sensible option.

But for those who do prefer that extra flexibility to "push" the image without resorting to the use of flash, the G11 is a solid contender in every sense.

?

PHOTOS: Canon PowerShot G11

Tags: Cameras Digital cameras Compact cameras Canon Canon PowerShot G11

Canon PowerShot G11 digital camera originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 09:00:00 +0000

Joining Fujifilm's current F200EXR and S200EXR models comes an attractive, largely metal build, pocket compact incorporating the same innovative "switchable" Super CCD EXR sensor and, for the first time in the series, marrying it to a 10x optical zoom (27-270mm equivalent in 35mm terms). It does this whilst maintaining a depth of a relatively slender-for-the-spec 22.7mm, and all for a price that, on initial inspection, suggests very good value.

Aimed, apparently, at "the gadget lover who likes to be in control", as we noted in our review of the DSLR-styled S200EXR, Fujifilm's unique EXR sensor technology allows the user to utilise the F70EXR's chip in three different ways. To kick off, photographers can shoot maximum resolution JPEGs - here 10 effective megapixels - or, secondly, capture images with increased dynamic range. The camera does this by taking two shots in quick succession - one at a high ISO (light sensitivity) setting, the other at a low ISO setting - combining them as a single 5 megapixel image.

The third user-selectable EXR option aims for high sensitivity but low noise; achieved by coupling together same colour pixels to achieve larger light gathering pixels. Again final resolution is 5 megapixels.

Can't decide which setting best suits? Well, in addition there's an auto EXR option that allows for point-and-shoot operation, the camera comparing the scene before it with six pre-programmed settings and deciding which EXR mode fits. Like rival intelligent auto modes, Fujifilm's offering gets it right most of the time, allowing the user to concentrate on subject rather than settings if so desired. Anti-shake is offered in the form of CCD shift to cancel out any effects of hand wobble shooting in low light or maximum zoom.

With the camera powering up in 2 seconds, in the main, the F70EXR's buttons and controls are of a decent size and similarly responsive, though we found the zoom lever a tad loose. Images are composed via an adequate 2.7-inch, 230k dot resolution LCD monitor at the rear, while EXR and regular auto shooting modes are selected via a dime-sized mode wheel set into the top right hand corner of the camera's back plate, where it naturally falls under the thumb.

Other options include the more regular program AE and manual modes, plus video capture (disappointingly at a standard definition 640 x 480 pixels, whereas HD would have really helped this camera to shine), scene modes (including pro focus and pro low light modes alongside the regular pre-optimised beach, snow and firework settings), along with Fujifilm's separate natural light and natural light with flash modes. Take a shot and the camera commits a full resolution image to memory - here a 47MB internal cache or removable SH/SDHC media - in less than 2 seconds.

Worth singling out for further attention are those pro focus and pro light options, as Fujifilm is claiming the F70EXR can deliver a "DSLR-like" performance in these modes. The first is, effectively, a focus bracketing mode that takes several images and combines them into a single shot to deliver a shallow depth of field effect, blurring distracting background detail and therefore making it best suited to portraits.

To get it to work properly you need both subject and camera to stay completely still, therefore use of a steady surface or tripod is a must. Ditto when selecting pro low light mode, which itself combines four frames taken at high ISO.

As on the S200EXR, helping the F70EXR to stand further apart from the pack - and make the most of its manufacturer's analogue heritage - are additional eccentricities such a trio of film simulation modes located by pressing the quick-access "F" (for "Foto") at the rear, as are the essentials of image quality and ISO settings - here up to a whopping ISO 12800 equivalent on offer.

With an identical range of offerings to its sibling, F70EXR photographers can aim to match the look of shooting with the naturalistic Provia (the camera's default setting), the warmer, flattering Velvia, or smoother, softer Astia film (Slightly wishy-washy for our tastes), plus more commonly found black and white or sepia colour effect options.

Use of the F70EXR will be intuitive for anyone who has previously handled a Fujifilm compact - there are many common family traits - whilst, for new converts, point and shoot operation will ease them in gently.

To our eyes, images straight out of the camera were naturally coloured if a little flat looking when left on default Provia setting. We welcomed the in-camera Velvia setting therefore for capturing the first colours of autumn. If, inevitably, the lower resolution shots look a little soft and almost painterly in comparison when downloaded and viewed on the desktop, a subtle application of Unsharp Mask in Photoshop can add the missing crispness.

Shooting at top ISO 12800 equivalent setting similarly delivers results more closely resembling a watercolour than photograph, but that said cheaper digital compacts deliver comparable results at a much lower ISO 1600. On this Fujifilm, users can shoot up to that ISO 1600 setting with surprisingly minimal amounts of noise. Plus you have all the additional features to tailor your images in camera we've already outlined.

Verdict:

More than most of its ilk, the F70EXR suggests itself as an ideal travel companion best suited to spur of the moment snaps. That said the broad focal range and EXR and film simulation modes do provide a wealth of creative possibilities, ably allowing the photographer to take in everything from landscapes to candid close ups. With the F70EXR suggesting excellent value even at its top UK recommended price of ?260, the ultimate winner here is the consumer.

Tags: Cameras Compact cameras Digital cameras 10 megapixels Fujifilm Fujifilm FInePix F70EXR

Fujifilm FinePix F70EXR digital camera originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:00:00 +0100

It is probably safe to start this review by saying that the Nikon Coolpix S1000pj is the one with the projector. A bold move by Nikon, perhaps, launching a device that mashes together the trend for pico projectors with a regular 12-megapixel camera.

If you are really wondering how you combine a camera and a projector, then it is worth glancing at the iFixit teardown of the camera that lays out its innards. It's probably not as exciting as you'd expect, it simply adds the small projector into the mix.

This does of course mean that the camera carries a little weight, making it larger than other 12-megapixel compacts. So you do make something of a compromise for your pocket projector but it's not devastating. The measurements swell to 99.5 x 62.5 x 23mm, average dimensions for compacts a few years back, but well above the likes of a comparable modern camera. It will still slip happily into your jacket pocket and it isn't as though it is wasted space – there's a projector in your pocket after all.

Build quality is good and the S1000pj feels solid in the hand, free from creaks as you manipulate it. Controls are logically laid out, with most of the options sitting to the right of the 2.7-inch display on the back, where they fall neatly under your right thumb.

Across the top of the camera you get the usual shutter button surrounded by the controls for the 5x zoom. You also get a dedicated projector button and a slider so you can get the thing in focus depending on your distance from the surface you are projecting on to.

The extra bulk of the camera means the 5x optical zoom is housed internally, without the need to slide out the lens as is common on smaller models. Startup is reasonably swift and zooming is fast, if a little noisy. You get a 28-140mm (equiv) range from the lens and when out of use it sits behind a lens cover. No protection is offered to the projector lens, however, which sits in the centre of the camera under the flash.

Menus are easy to navigate using the four-way controller and ok button on the back. Although no manual control is offered, the Auto mode does offer you the likes of limiting the ISO range, or indeed picking the option you want, right up to the top ISO 6400, albeit accepting a drop to 3 megapixels at this setting, and the 3200.

Menus change based on whichever shooting mode you have currently selected and once you dive out of the regular Auto mode you find your options are limited, usually to the overall resolution and nothing else. Direct controls through buttons let you selection flash firing mode, self-timer, exposure compensation and macro mode (good from 3cm) however.

The usual scene selections are in here, as well as a Smart portrait mode which combines all the technical gubbins to try and eke out a good shot: face detection, skin softening, smile timer and blink detection. Why this isn't simply bundled into the Scene options too we don't know. You also get Subject tracking which is a neat focus lock, whether you use it to track a subject across the lens or to reposition a focal point to aid composition.

Video capture is supported at an average top setting of 640 x 480 (which holds a fairly solid 30fps). The results are good in daylight, but even in shadow or shade outdoors does pick up a lot of noise bands, with lower light video very noisy overall. The front mounted mic is relatively good though, giving good results, but exposed to wind noise and the like outdoors.

As a camera the S1000pj gives you results you'd expect from an experienced company like Nikon and it is good to see that image quality hasn't been compromised to deliver the novelty of the projector.

Colours are well represented, with nice punchy blues, giving great rich skies. Reds can be a little over-saturated at times, but not to a degree that detracts from the overall image and you do get colour presets in the menu if you want? something different. Exposure and metering is good, with clear on-screen symbols of when camera shake is likely to occur, when the included vibration reduction tries to help out.

Low light performance is reasonable, with the ISO 6400 taking on something of a mottled appearance. It won't stand 100% views or cropping, but if your plan is sharing online, then it works well enough. With the lens packing a max aperture of F/3.9, it isn't as versatile as some rivals in low light. However the best results come out of restraining the ISO range through the menu to stop Auto running wild, something we like a lot. High contrast scenes are handled relatively well with purple fringing kept under control and certainly no more of a problem than in other compacts out there.

We did notice some darkening in corners when using the camera at the widest angle with some barrel distortion too, but once you know it is there it can be used to artistic benefit – see the Cenotaph sample image.

Sitting at the left-hand end of the top plate is the projector button. Press it once and the projector fires up and you have your image beamed out the front. It is rated at 10 lumens, so best results come in a darkened room. Daylight with the lights off is certainly possible, but you really need to pull the curtains or close the blinds to get the greatest impact. Outdoors, in daylight, you won't get a visible image.

The throw is from 26cm (5-inch image) up to 2m (40-inch image) and the slider on the top will help you get it in focus across this range. Resolution of the projected image is 640 x 480 which is to be expected from a projector this small. It supports zoom however, so you can zoom in on parts of a photo to see more detail if you wish.

Options are limited, but you can set-up slideshows so you don't have to keep pressing the buttons and it even comes with music tracks. In the box you'll also find a small stand, giving the camera an angle to raise the projection off the end of a table. You also get a remote control, so you can show your images with ease, or use it for remote capture, a much preferred option over the usual self timer, with zoom controls too.

You can only project those photos and videos you have taken, you can't use it as a giant Live View option – you'd be looking at what you were projecting, so you'd be left with a feedback loop and little else anyway. It isn't designed for playing back media from other devices, but it did project other image files we had on our memory card.

Battery life is rated at 220 shots, although using the projector cuts this drastically and we found with mixed snapping and projecting we managed nearly 100 before we got a battery warning: some of this can be put down the excitement of having a projector to show off though.

Verdict:

So the camera delivers decent results and the projector works too. But the real question is what you are going to do with it. We guess that if you are interested in the camera you can already see the benefits of having projection in the same device.

If you spend your time taking shots and then instantly plugging into a computer to show them off again, then this saves that step for sure. We don't know who might do this, but the S1000pj makes it possible. But then we've all been in that situation when someone shows you a shot on the back of a camera. Give yourself a darkened room and you'll be able to entertain wedding guests or party goers with shots of the day. Kids love it too and there seems to be limitless entertainment in taking photos or video and projecting it onto the wall or ceiling.

Nikon have stuck to their principles and delivered a compact camera which performs as you would expect it to, so you don't lose out in opting for the S1000pj, except in pocket bulk.

If you've never been in the situation where you need to instantly share your images you'll get the same imaging quality in a smaller package for less money elsewhere. You do pay a little over the odds for the camera, but what price do you put on novelty?

Tags: Cameras Digital cameras Compact cameras Nikon Pico projectors Nikon Coolpix S1000pj 12 megapixels

Nikon Coolpix S1000pj digital camera originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 10:30:48 +0100

The Ricoh CX2 is basically the same as the CX1, it looks stylish and is undoubtedly well made; once again we had the black liveried version to test, though silver and a two-tone version with a coloured top plate are available. A simple control layout belies the underlying complexity; a small mode dial perched on the rear corner joins with a small on/off button and a combined zoom control and shutter button.

The lens zoom lever controls a very nice 28-300mm (35mm equivalent) lens that has a respectable F/3.5 to F/5.6 maximum aperture range that is only slightly reduced compared with the CX1’s F/3.3 to F/5.2 aperture range.

The lens is very sharp and helps gather and direct light on the same 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor as found in the CX1, but what is more remarkable is the fact that such a large lens can be folded away into the camera’s svelte 29.4mm wide body. Though slim, the camera’s handling is actually rather good, although the long focal lengths on offer mean reduced apertures, and so camera shake can become an issue, particularly in low light and at the longer end of the 300mm zoom.

The Smooth Imaging Engine IV returns and combines with the sensor to give high-speed image processing for an improved 5fps shooting an impressive frame rate as good as some entry level DSLRs. It can also shoot in an “enhanced” ultra high continuous shooting mode, that provides VGA sized images at up to 120fps. These images are combined into one final Multi-Picture Format image.

An M-Continuous Shooting Plus mode joins the high-speed snapping systems and provides a way to shoot images at 15fps or 30fps, the camera storing the 1 or 2-seconds worth of frames just prior to removing your finger from the shutter release.

In other words, keeping your finger on the shutter button until just after the key event has finished, you can be sure you’ve captured it on one or more of the preceding 15 (or 30) frames, each shot at 2MP necessary to achieve the high frame rate.

The screen stays active throughout – so you can pan along and compose with fast moving action – even though the refresh rate is reduced. Ricoh’s high-speed shooting system works very well, with the caveat on the image file size, but even an 2MP, astute use of image editing software should give reasonable sized prints if required.

One of the other features developed for the CX1 and found here also, is the rather tongue twisting Dynamic Range Double Shot Mode, thankfully, DR for short. DR is designed to boost the camera’s effective dynamic range – something often seen as the Achilles heel of digital cameras – to around 12EV, at least according to Ricoh. In essence, the system works by combining two images, or rather, the properly exposed portions of two images shot at different exposures, one biased to the highlights, the other shadows.

An obvious downside is immediately obvious if you try this hand held, or with moving subjects; the combined image is blurred and so DR is only really effective on static subjects that are shot using a tripod. However, when it works the effect is akin to an HDR image and helps get more shadow and highlight information from otherwise hard-to-expose scenes.

So, a tripod and careful use of DR can provide a powerful tool for hard to expose shots or where (perhaps) you might want to dig out more detail than would otherwise be achievable. Of course, the inclusion of a RAW shooting mode, something lacking here, might have helped too as you can claw back extra highlight and shadow detail when playing with RAW files on a PC. But, the extra processing “at home” this needs, may be a step too far for the potential, “snapper” oriented market?

The “strength” of the DR effect can be adjusted in four steps from “very weak” to “strong” but that necessitates a certain amount of trial and error to learn which strength is best for specific subjects; practice is important then here and on balance it’s better to shoot four (or rather eight!) images at each level and be safe than waste time fiddling, since you’ll need to “test” the effect for each subject you use it on.

However, the excellent screen makes this experimentation in-camera and when in the field achievable, since its 920,000-pixel resolution provides enough detail to see what’s going on. However, the cleverest bit about this is that Ricoh’s boffins developed an algorithm that compensates for overexposure within the green segments of the R, G, B, Bayer colour filter matrix (green allows more wavelengths of light through, than does the red and blue sectors of the matrix) used to reconstruct colour in the images. It re-calculates lost green values from surrounding blue and red sections of the Bayer filter helping get better and more natural colours.

Just like the CX1, there’s a dedicated processor for this, so it does not slow image capture or image processing and it is always active, can be used in the DR mode and on the two DR images (see above) to give a much more dramatic boost, if needed. Another big plus for those needing high quality images, is this system works without affecting the sensitivity, so does not have the problem of increasing image noise within images.

The CX2’s white balance control includes Multi-Pattern Auto White Balance. This is great for scenes where you have mixed lighting such as flash, sunlight and tungsten, for example. The camera can define the “correct” white balance for each section of the image and fit the white balance to the proper level for each zone within the image. This seems to be an accomplished system, as some of my abstract fibre-optic lamp shots, taken in low and mixed light, have been handled extremely well and with few noise artifacts.

Indeed, colour rendition and saturation are great, easily on a par with the CX1, as you’d expect, and yet lifelike, with a deep richness that is natural looking rather than overblown as some consumer oriented digital compacts tend to be.

The Multi-Pattern Auto White Balance is also great for fill-flash work shooting portraits, where you have mixed lighting – natural light with flash – say, and as you’d expect (and just like the CX1), you still have all the “normal” WB presets to choose between such as sunlight, cloudy and shadows. The set of manual WB setting, set via a single press of the display button, once this mode selected from the menus.

The next feature of note is the focus system. AF is very good, the multi-AF system works well and will pick a range of options within a complex scene to give a correct focus range encompassing the lot, or you can pick a single (central for example) focus point if preferred, ideal for macro or portrait work.

Alternatively, Multi-Target AF shoots seven, quick-fire images with a variety of focus points based on elements within the scene, and you can then choose the most appropriately focused image. Interestingly, Ricoh recommends this focus mode for macro work and given the excellent closest focus point of 1cm, it can help get the correct focus point if you don’t have the time to set up on a tripod, for example. A new mode is continuous AF, which makes shooting a sequence of a moving subject much easier to do – and keep the shots sharp.

Multi, centre-weighted and spot metering are very good; exposure control overall is excellent, particularly given exposure compensation can be quickly accessed via the ADJ(ust)/OK button on the back. This mini joystick, while a little fiddly to use, also provides fast access to WB, resolution, ISO and focus controls; adding to the camera’s armoury further is the auto exposure bracketing mode, and there’s flash exposure compensation too.

Other back plate controls include a “Fn” or function button that can be assigned up to 11 separate function, from Macro focus point selection to WB bracketing, or limiting the minimum aperture that can be used by the camera; useful if you need further control the amount of light reaching the sensor to help prevent camera shake or add an element of control for depth of field.

The excellent digital spirit level remains, via a small graph-style indicator on the screen to show whether the camera’s horizontal or vertical, an excellent handling bonus on a svelte camera such as this. And so there’s plenty of complexity crammed into the CX2, all reached via menus presented as two large lists.

Just like the CX1, the menus seem rather daunting at first. The more enthusiast user will not be put off, but given most users will simply point and shoot and (probably) won’t delve into menus unless something goes wrong, this is a menu layout that may make a few users tremble in trepidation, should they should dip in.

However, the detailed menus are easy to read, thanks largely to that stunning LCD with its high-resolution, 920,000-pixels. The screen is good to use for composition in most conditions, but only just in direct sunlight, when even with the low reflection coating, it’s often a challenge to compose (or check the correct focus point has be selected) for a shot.

The lack of an optical viewfinder means you have no fallback composition tool either, or should you need to conserve battery power; having said that, for power consumption, Ricoh claims a full charge will provide enough juice for around 290-shots. Actually that’s about average performance at this level in the market.

There are a couple of new shooting modes to join the array already present and carried over from the CX1. The Easy Shooting mode remains for those that want to leave the “thinking” to the camera. However, when shooting both the focus and exposure areas can be shifted within the scene to anywhere, making fine tuning of exposure and focus in portrait or macro work easy and eminently controllable.

One of the new scene modes is the very clever “Miniaturize” mode, which blurs an area at the top and bottom of the image to give the impressions you’ve shot a miniature scene. A little bit of creative fun then but how useful it is remains to be seen. The new High Contrast B&W mode seems more useful and, as you’ve probably guessed, it boost contrast and shoots a mono image akin to that from grainy black and white film.

And the CX2 now has its own “Manner”. No, not an area in East London, but a scene mode for snapping indoors, a mode more commonly called a “museum” mode on other makes of camera. Here, operational beeps and whizzes are muted; flash and the AF auxiliary light are also cancelled, so you can shoot with impunity inside a museum, for example.

In terms of image quality, the CX2 offers an extremely good performance; with the slightly over saturated colour from the CX1 tamed nicely here, out of the box. Sensitivity is usually the key to image quality, or rather noise at higher ISOs. For the CX2, things are as rosy below ISO 400 as was the CX1, at ISO 800 noise is obvious and at the top ISO 1600 setting, as expected, noise becomes intrusive.

Detail does not suffer the image processing working to preserve detail, even if that means more visible noise in the final shot, but the film-grain like quality at least allows you to make a more (arguably) creative decision on its inclusion, should the high ISO mode be your only option, given there’s still no optical image stabilisation on offer and the longer focal lengths make camera shake even more likely than with the CX1.

The slight smoothing of detail from the CX1 at low ISO is less prevalent so that’s an improvement, and so, overall the image quality, metering, focus and WB setup is excellent and better than the CX1. And yes, the image processing, used to pull detail out of the highlights works and actually does help get more subtle tones from within highlights and detail within shadows.

Verdict:

The CX2 is, well, just the like the CX1 – only more so. A relatively minor update might furrow some brows as to why the CX1 needed replacing so soon. The longer focal lengths are (arguably) more useful, but the flip side is problems with camera shake and low light. However, this is a highly specified, well-crafted camera with a host of very clever and new features that work.

The Ricoh CX2 is undoubtedly a machine for the more advanced user, but offers image quality to match for those that know what they’re doing and is easy enough to use. The all-auto and scene modes have useful tweaks but to get the most from the camera you’ll need to keep control to yourself and you’ll be amply rewarded with some stunning shots.

Tags: Cameras Digital cameras Ricoh Ricoh CX2 9 megapixels Ricoh CX2

Ricoh CX2 digital camera originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 12:00:00 +0100

We all know the iPhone camera isn't the best, we also know that chances are you take pictures that are good, but maybe need a little help on the improving side. Yep, there is an app for that. But has the imaging software company cracked it, or is this one Adobe app you shouldn't bother to download??

Available for the iPhone, the app is currently free, however isn't available in other countries like the UK. You can however get it on Windows Phone handsets.

Fire it up and you are presented with three main options: edit a photo, view your online Photoshop.com gallery and upload your images to the service.

Opt for the editing process and you can either select a photo from your camera roll or take a fresh photo to then edit.?Once you've got your photo loaded you can then start manipulating it. There are a plethora of options from cropping (1:1, 3:4, 4:3 ratios or custom) to rotating your image to flipping horizontally or vertically.

But it's not just about cropping out the random dude in your photo, Exposure, Saturation, Tint and Black & White are also available to you. All the editing features are controlled via your finger simply by moving it from one side of the screen to the other. The editing process is incredibly easy and luckily Adobe has thought to add a numbering or colouring system to each editing filter so you can achieve the same settings each time on different pictures. You can't punch that in as a number, but at least you can replicate it.

All that's good, but where would a photo editor be without the ability to create crazy image effects? Here you get a range of them. Two - Sketch and Soft Focus - will actually change the image drastically, with the Sketch option making it look like a drawing. The other photo effects are based on colour washes, most of which are fun rather than useful. We can't really see you wanting to "Rainbow" or "Pop" many pictures (see images for example), however used on the right photo and Black & White, Warm Vintage, and Vignette Blur could be very handy.

Once you've created and edited your work of art you can then save it to your Camera Roll as a new image or chose to upload it to Photoshop.com, Adobe's picture service.?As you would expect the app gives you access to that space so you can view images stored on the service and you get 2GB free with the option to add more storage at a price.

Uploading is simple but limited as you can only upload your image to the Photoshop.com service. There is no social networking functionality, no Flickr support, no Facebook support, no nothing. It's a shame because if you want to do upload anywhere else you have to come out of that app and then start up another app (i.e., Facebook) to get the job done. It's no biggie, but it would have been nice to have been able to do it from the one application.

With live access to your Photoshop.com galleries you can then bore the world with your favourite images from the palm of your hand and you can play albums and images as a slideshow, but you can't play it back to music or anything.

On the PC or Mac you can access the site via a standard browser.

Verdict:

The Photoshop Mobile for iPhone app is impressive when it comes to editing your images, especially as it is free.

The big catch is that it is isolated to the one service, something that makes this more of an advert for Photoshop.com rather than an all powerful imaging app that will make you dump all the others you've downloaded on your phone.

If that doesn't bother you and you just want a basic image editor with some fun features then you might as well give it a spin, after all it's not going to cost you anything.

Tags: Phones Mobile phone apps Adobe Apple iPhone iPhone apps Photoshop Mobile for iPhone Cameras Photoshop Mobile for iPhone

Adobe Photoshop.com Mobile for iPhone originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 04:30:46 +0100

With the trend of late for ever-larger zoom lenses crammed within ever more miniscule camera bodies, Fujifilm’s new S200EXR – which offers a 14.3x optical variety – comes as a something of a shock.

Upgrading the S100fs?and ape-ing a digital SLR "proper" in design and control layout – not to mention price – this 12-megapixel bridge model is unapologetically chunky and substantial at an 820g body-only weight.

Hefting this latest super zoom out of the box and holding it firmly in both hands, construction feels rock solid too; the digits of the right comfortably wrapping around the large grip, while the left encircles the prominent zoom barrel with manual focus ring. To zoom in or out you simply twist said barrel, which feels much more satisfying than merely pressing a button with thumb or forefinger.

Though a broad focal range equivalent to 30.5-436mm in 35mm film terms proves ideal for both candid portraits and amateur wildlife photography, plus its Tonka toy-like physical dimensions are what make the biggest initial impression, again with this camera it’s what’s on the inside that counts – as much if not more.

For this is Fujifilm’s third camera (after the pocket-sized F200 and F70) and its first bridge model to feature the company’s innovative Super CCD EXR sensor technology that allows the user to utilise said chip in three different ways. EXR option one is to simply shoot regular 12-megapixel maximum resolution images (as JPEG or RAW files), while the second is to capture images with increased dynamic range. The camera does this by taking two shots in quick succession – one at a high ISO (light sensitivity) setting, the other at a low ISO setting – combining them as a single image.

The third user-selectable EXR option aims for high sensitivity but low noise; achieved by coupling together same colour pixels to achieve larger light gathering pixels.

Additionally there’s an auto EXR setting found on the top plate mode dial that allows for point and shoot operation, the camera itself choosing which of the trio of options best suits subject and conditions. Other shooting modes include the more regular program, shutter priority, aperture priority and manual modes.

Though this all sounds like fun, at times the differences between shots taken in the various EXR modes are very subtle – particularly in daylight conditions – leading us to conclude that, for general-purpose usage, one shouldn’t be swayed to buy this camera for its "EXR" properties alone.

Fortunately, helping the S200EXR to stand further apart from the pack – and make the most of its manufacturer’s analogue heritage – are additional curiosities such a trio of film simulation modes.

Photographers can aim to match the look of shooting with the naturalistic Provia (the camera’s default setting), the warmer, flattering Velvia, or Astia film, plus more run-of-the-mill black and white or sepia. These options are accessed via the easy to read and intuitive to navigate menu screens, a dedicated button for the selection of which is located at the centre of the four-way control pad on the camera back.

With the camera powering up ready for the first shot in just under 2 seconds, pictures are composed via fixed 2.7-inch LCD or electronic viewfinder (EVF) directly above the larger screen (and in place of the optical alternative). It would have been good to see a higher resolution screen and a tilting one at that for maximum visibility, but what’s provided is adequate.

The camera is commendably fast to determine focus and exposure if left on auto setting, though when shooting handheld at maximum telephoto, even with image stabilisation on board, we found we sometimes needed to take two or three shots to get one that was nicely crisp. Purple fringing can also be a problem when shooting subjects framed against bright skies, though that’ true of most of Fujifilm’s competitors.

Whilst both pop-up flash and hotshoe for supplementary alternative are offered, so is up to ISO 12,800 light sensitivity for those who want to switch off any artificial illumination and go for the natural look.

In practice however noise intrudes noticeably from ISO 800 upwards when left on the camera’s default settings, detail softening at ISO 1600 which is a little disappointing, as is the fact that the S200EXR’s video resolution is a mere standard definition 640 x 480 pixels rather than the latest high-def 1920 x 1080 or 1280 x 720.

More positively the full extent of the zoom can be utilised when recording, focus automatically adjusting – and quickly – as the user moves through the range.

Verdict:

So does the Fujifilm S200EXR offer pretty much all that a DSLR does, whilst saving the need to swap lenses or invest in additional optics? No, but it gets a fair degree of the way there, the combination of Super CCD EXR sensor and bolted-on Fujinon branded lens delivering an impressive degree of sharpness under most conditions.

That said, as we usually find with Fujifilm cameras with the camera left on its default settings, colours can look a tad wishy-washy, particularly on overcast days. Therefore we welcomed the added punch provided by selecting the Velvia film mode, which for us often delivered results closer to those seen by the eye.

So, while results straight out of the camera at times benefit from further tweaks in the image-editing package of your choice, the Fujifilm’s intended audience of photo enthusiasts who’ll want to get hands-on shouldn’t be dissuaded from purchase – even if the suggested retail price still smarts.

Tags: Cameras Prosumer cameras 12 megapixels Fujifilm Fujifilm FinePix S200EXR Fujifilm FinePix S200EXR

Fujifilm FinePix S200EXR digital camera originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 09:00:00 +0100

The most striking feature about the Canon PowerShot D10 might well be the range of funky colour choices you get, from blue through to camouflage. Pitched directly to action fans, the D10 is battling it out alongside the likes of Olympus' Tough cameras.

In that vein, one of the defining features of the D10 is it's environmental sealing. Yes, the D10 name is matched by waterproofing down to depths of 10 metres and the promise of operating in minus 10 degrees too. It also features shock resistance, so will take the odd bash.

We are quite taken with the looks; with action heroes in mind, the butch styling is something to admire, but it won't be the most pocketable camera around. Essentially, given the 12-megapixel sensor backed by the DIGIC 4 processor and the 3x optical zoom (35-105mm equiv.) it is a similar offering to some of the recent IXUS models from Canon.

With the styling giving a little more scope for external features, you'll find a neat twist lock attachment points on each corner. It looks good, but does limit you to buying the official accessories, rather than just using a normal anchor point.

The biggest bulk, however, is in the housing that covers the lens, giving the D10 a distinct bulge to the front, but allowing all the lens zooming to take place in a sealed environment. Fewer moving parts on the outside means less to go wrong when it gets covered in mud or sand.

Minimalist isn't the word, with a rich collection of buttons and controls arranged around the body. The top gives you a power button adjacent to the shutter button - perhaps not the best placing, but it does mean you can power on and shoot with one hand. The zoom buttons which often sit in the top move down to the back, which makes them easy to see, but they are too small to use with gloved hands.

Further controls lie both to the top of the 2.5-inch 230k-dot display and to the right-hand side. The top row gives you - perhaps rather randomly - the print controls, playback and the shooting mode selection. Selecting shooting mode needs the use of the four-way controller and the Func/Set button, which generally makes it a two-handed operation.

However, the Auto mode is pretty smart and will identify the scene it is looking at and pick out the best settings for you. It works pretty well too, as we've found in other Canon models using the same technology. The menus, however, are typical Canon fare, and easy to navigate and pick out the settings you want using the Func button and menus.

There's no sign of manual controls, so you'll have to make do with the Program mode, which gives you control over ISO, white balance, metering and colour tints, but that's about it. For those wishing to use it underwater, there is a dedicated Underwater "scene" mode. This camera doesn't float, so make sure you use a strap of some sort.

The ISO range runs from 80 up to 1600 in Auto modes or via selection in P mode. An ISO 3200 mode is also selectable for those must-have low light shots, although it only shoots at 2-megapixels. Noise races into shadows at ISO 800 but shots remain usable, while at ISO 1600 noise blights most aspects of the image. The ISO 3200 mode still suffers high noise, but perhaps makes the better choice for candid indoor shots for sharing online, if you want to avoid the flash.

Aiding the low light performance is image stabilisation, which takes some of the shake out of longer exposures or the far end of the zoom and a fairly typical F/2.8 max aperture on the lens. Combined, they provide good scope for capturing indoor shots (in daylight) without having to deploy the higher ISOs.

The 2.5-inch display is wonderfully bright and gives colours real punch, making the D10 a great camera for shooting and showing to friends. The screen is a little small by current standards, shrunk to fit in with the design. There is no optical viewfinder.

Video capture comes in at a rather miserly 640 x 480 max, but does give you a nice solid 30fps with good, rich, colours. Audio is not so good, with noticeable noise from hand movements and also struggling to cope with wind noise.

Overall performance for still shooting is very good, with nice bold colours leaping out. Beautifully rich greens are perhaps offset by a tendency to over-saturate reds, but these things are easily adjusted post-shoot and it doesn't mar the images overall.

High-contrast scenes are handled rather well, with a small amount of purple fringing around edges and the occasional blow-out of light tones in bright conditions, but it copes as well, if not better than many other compacts out there. Barrel distortion is easily noticeable at the wide end of the zoom.

The flash is unusually placed over the top of the chunky lens housing and does seem to be a little under-powered. It's location, however, does mean that you can have a nice solid right-hand grip on the camera without the risk of obscuring it with a wayward finger.

Startup is relatively fast, flashing on in about a second and giving you your first shot about 2 seconds later. Continuous shooting gives you about 1 shot per second, not the fastest, but it will happily chew through plenty of shots without buffering being a problem. Shutter lag is not a noticeable problem either.

The battery gives you a recorded 220 shots, which we found to be about right.

Verdict:
As Canon's first foray into the world of pocket bomb-proof cameras, it's a compelling offering. It is a little more bloated than Olympus rivals, but it does give you something to grip onto when using it in more remote locations, such as diving or climbing, where it sits nicely in the hand when you want to grab it and shoot.

The price, although at the upper end of compact cameras, is reasonable considering the versatility of the D10. The performance is very much in line with models from the top of the IXUS range, which is a good thing: imaging hasn't suffered to give you the weatherproofing.

Those hitting the slopes might want something more compact, but for those who want something easy to grip and happy in all weathers, the Canon PowerShot D10 is well worth a look.

Tags: Cameras Compact cameras Digital cameras Canon 12 megapixels Canon PowerShot D10 Sports Fitness Canon PowerShot D10

Canon PowerShot D10 digital camera originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 28 Sep 2009 12:00:00 +0100