Olympus E-3 Review

Digital Photography Review has posted a review of the Olympus E-3 EVOLT and the reviewer was very positive about the camera, but was less sure if people would switch.

To start with there’s no doubt that the E-3 is, without a shadow of a doubt the best Four-Thirds camera ever made and a more than worthy (if a little tardy) successor to the original E-1. It offers users of Olympus ‘mid range’ SLRs an affordable way to upgrade to a faster, even more customizable camera with a pro-grade weatherproof body and a significantly bigger, brighter viewfinder. But does it offer enough to tempt users of other systems over to the Four-Thirds camp? The answer to that question is far less clear-cut.

I really like the Digital Photography Reviews as they are so thorough including sample and comparative shots, if you want to get a camera, I would check the review on Digital Photography Review first before anywhere else.

Digital Photography Reviews

Digital Photography Review has recently reviewed quite a few digital cameras these are well detailed and thorough reviews and well worth reading if you are interested in getting a new digital camera.

Olympus SP-560UZ

Canon PowerShot SX100 IS

Sony Alpha DSLR-A700

Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10

The Sony looks like the one I would buy if I was buying a new digital camera, but then I am very fond of my Sony Cybershot and would be interested to see how their SLRs perform compared to my Canon.

Fujifilm Finepix F50fd Review

Digital Photography Review has posted a review of the Fujifilm Finepix F50fd, a compact 12MP camera.

Like any sequel the F50fd was always going to suffer by comparison to its illustrious predecessor, so is Fujifilm’s new flagship compact a Godfather II or a Matrix Reloaded? The answer, unsurprisingly, is that it’s neither one or the other, but something somewhere in between.

Fujifilm Finepix S8000fd Review,

Digital Photography Review has posted a review of the Fujifilm Finepix S8000fd.

Like the other 18x zoom / 8MP cameras on the market the FinePix S8000fd is a camera that tries to be all things to all men, and in some respects it succeeds, in others it shows the limitations of current compact camera technology in a very stark manner.

As with other DPReview reviews, I do like the way in which they compare the cameras they review with similar cameras, which means when it comes to making a choice you have a much better idea about what each camera can and importantly can not do.

Olympus E-510 EVOLT Review

Digital Photography Review has posted a review of the Olympus E-510 EVOLT and the reviewer was very positive about the camera.

I’ve been using the E-510 for an unusually long time – the delay in publishing this review meant I ended up living with it for several months, which allowed me to really get to know it in the same way an owner would. And my overall impression, I have to say, is very positive indeed. 

I often think these long term reviews are so much more useful and realistic than someone having the camera for a few days or even a few hours. It’s only after a lot of use that  you really get to know the ins and outs, the things that work well and the things which annoy you.

“it’s too flawed to be anything other than a novelty”

The Guardian has reviewed the Sony VAIO UX1XN and found that though a wonderment of design, it is somewhat fiddly to use.

But delightful though this notebook is to look at and hold, it’s too flawed to be anything other than a novelty.

UX1XN

The review also mentions issues with the keyboard and the tablet input, which I both agree with.

… there’s the first disappointment – the keyboard. You wouldn’t want to do much more than tap out an email on it, as the size of the keys make it no good for touch-typing. Double-thumb input is feasible, but the tiny keys make it hard to be accurate.

and

The touchscreen is a nightmare. Fiddly to calibrate, it failed to retain its settings and eventually refused even to acknowledge that it was in fact a touchscreen. So I resorted to the pointing device.

I still think it is useful and not as flawed as the review makes out, and the more I use it, the more uses I find for it.

Nikon Coolpix P5100 Review

Digital Photography Review has posted a review of the Nikon Coolpix P5100 and it didn’t go down well with the reviewer.

Ultimately, for us, the P5100 was a disappointment, but not a surprise.

I really like the Digital Photography Reviews as they are so thorough including sample and comparative shots, if you want to get a camera, I would check the review on Digital Photography Review first before anywhere else.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18 Review

Digital Photography Review has posted a review of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18.

…the FZ18 is a well built camera with a brilliant user interface and a superb range of photographic controls. The excellent quick menu gives you comfortable access to all important settings and the entire menu structure is designed in a way that’ll let you know your way around the buttons without any problems after a couple of days or so. There is a very comprehensive range of manual controls, so the choice is yours; you can leave all the thinking to the camera or adjust all settings to your preference. We found the FZ very responsive and quick all around and the efficient stabilization system is a very welcome feature, especially at the tele end of the very long lens.

They do seem to like the camera.

Personally I am not a great fan of this kind of camera format, too big to be easily carried even though generally you will get better pictures, but likewise none of the flexibility you get with a digital SLR.