SlashScope

A review of the stylish Casio Exilim EX-V7 digital camera has been posted over at CNET. ‘At first glance, Casio's Exilim EX-V7 looks like a typical, humdrum compact camera. It borrows the sliding lens cover design made popular by Sony's T-series cameras, has a 7.2 megapixel CCD sensor and a 2.5-inch LCD, and though heavier than most cameras its size, you should feel comfortable carrying it in a pocket. On closer inspection, you'll notice that the lens covers a 7x optical zoom range, covering the equivalent of 38mm to 266mm. Also, Casio includes sensor shift (aka mechanical) image stabilization to help minimize blurry pictures with that long lens.’

Read: Casio Exilim EX-V7 - CNET

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CNET have published a review of the Kodak EasyShare V1003 (slate grey) digital camera. ‘Despite its fat, candy bar shape, the V1003's smooth curves and array of colors make it quite comely. Unfortunately, the camera's sleek design makes for an uncomfortable control scheme. A handful of tiny rectangular buttons strewn across the top and left side of the camera back access the V1003's different modes and menus. The buttons feel unresponsive and are placed so that you have to use two hands while operating the camera, and we had a hard time trying to distinguish between them by touch. Also, you have to use a small, awkward-to-manipulate joystick to navigate the camera's various settings and menus. In our field tests, it often mistranslated directional taps and button pushes for each other.’

Read: Kodak EasyShare V1003 (slate grey)

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A review of the compact Pentax Optio M30 digital camera has been posted over at Pocket Lint. 'Pentax launched this, the Optio M30 along with the (already tested) budget, Optio E30 at the recent PMA show in Vegas and it arrives with a 7.1-megapixel sensor, 3x optical zoom lens and slim line styling that makes it eminently pocketable. The silver liveried metal body feels tough and looks suitably grand, the 38-114mm F3.1 to F5.9 optical zoom packs snugly away, flush with the body when not in use. Turn the camera on using the top plate's on/off button and the lens pops briskly out, the camera ready to shoot in less than a second. Responsiveness is good barring one aspect dealt with in a moment.'

Features:
• 7.1 Megapixel
• 3x optical/4x digital zoom
• 2.5" LCD Monitor
• Digital Shake Reduction mode automatically selects higher ISO setting to prevent blur due to subject or photographer movement
• The Auto Macro feature allows the M30 to automatically switch to the macro focusing mode which captures subjects down to 4 inches (10 cm)
• Face Recognition Auto Focus and Auto Exposure automatically detects a persons face and assures properly exposed portraits
• Mode pallet includes auto picture mode to automatically select the best settings
• High-quality extended movie captures QuickTime motion JPEG (640 x 480) at 30fps with a range of built-in editing functions
• Lens: Type/construction - Pentax SMC zoom lens, 6 elements, 5 groups, 4 aspherical elements; Optical zoom - 3x (6.3-18.9mm); Focal length (equiv.) - 38-114mm; Digital zoom -
• 4x; Combined zoom - 12x; Aperture - F3.1-5.9
• 21.9MB Internal memory
• Recording Media: SD, SDHC
• Power source D-LI63 rechargeable Li-Ion battery
• Dimensions (W x H x D) - 3.8 x 2.2 x 0.7?
• Weight without battery or removable memory - 4.2 oz / Loaded and ready - 4.8 oz

Read: Pentax Optio M30 digital camera Review

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PC Authority have published thier review of the Fujifilm FinePix S9600 DSLR. 'The S9600 is an update of Fuji’s S9500. The bones of the camera are largely unchanged: the 9 megapixel sensor remains, producing best-quality images with resolutions of 3488 x 2616, and the long 28-300mm fixed lens is also a carryover. Image quality throughout the lens’ range is the S9600’s chief strength. Colour accuracy is impressive and images were sharp throughout our testing. In keeping with the S9600’s D SLR aspirations, you can set white balance manually or choose from six presets. Image noise is low, provided you shoot at ISOs lower than 400. The S9600 also offers “anti-blur technology”, but in reality the S9600 just increases the ISO to allow quicker shutter times, with commensurately higher noise.'

Read: Fujifilm FinePix S9600 - PC Authority

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Digital Camera Review have published a review of the Olympus SP-550 UZ camera. 'The Olympus SP-550 UZ is a great choice for someone looking for a long zoom. It's more expensive than some of its competitors, like the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8, but if you want that extra zoom reach - the SP-550 UZ is the way to go. The capability of the camera to shoot at ISO 5000 and the ability to take 15fps sequential shots makes it a possible candidate for someone looking to take action shots of their kids on the soccer or football field. The SP-550 UZ has several improvements over the previous SP model, the SP-510 UZ. It does have the same capture resolution, but probably the most significant features are the longer zoom (18x vs 10x in SP-510 UZ) and dual image stabilization.'

Read: Olympus SP-550 UZ Digital Camera Review

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Laptop Magazine have published their review of the compact Fujifilm FinePix F31fd digital camera. 'On the outside, there's nothing special about the FinePix F31fd's design. The 3.6 x 2.2 x 1.1-inch brushed silver camera could easily get lost on the store shelf among its competitors and even when set next to Fujifilm's FinePix F30, which has the same body, six-megapixel resolution, and 3X optical zoom. This digicam really doesn't start to shine until you fire it up. That's when you'll appreciate its high ISO sensitivity (up to 3200), face-detection technology, and an intelligent flash that keeps your shots from looking washed out. The standout feature on the F31fd is undoubtedly its face-detection capability. If you've ever taken a group shot-or photographed someone in a busy setting-you know that it can be difficult to get your point-and-shoot to focus on the right element. Fujifilm's technology identifies human faces in a frame (up to ten) and automatically adjusts the focus and exposure.'

Read: Fujifilm FinePix F31fd - Laptop Mag

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PC Magazine have published their review of the Canon PowerShot A460 digital camera. 'The A460's lens is pretty standard—a 4X optical zoom with a 5.4mm-to-21.6mm range (which is equivalent to a 35mm lens with a 38mm-152mm zoom) and corresponding maximum f-stops of f/2.8 to f/5.8. Canon did make a few improvements, though. The camera now boasts a 5-megapixel sensor instead of a 4MP one. It's also got a 2-inch LCD, slightly larger than the 1.8-inch one on the A430. And, most important, the camera's list price is $30 cheaper, at $149.99. Otherwise, when it all is said and done, the A460 is nearly identical to the older A430 model. In fact, it's so much of a doppelgänger that I gave this PowerShot the same 3.5-star rating as its predecessor. One attribute on which the A460 measured up better than last year's model was its burst mode: It may not be super-fast, but it is very steady. Shots in this mode with flash engaged, however, were slow. I also like that Canon decided to keep the glass eyepiece and not do away with it in favor of the LCD screen, as has been done on other point-and shoots. This feature comes in handy in bright light.'

Read: Canon PowerShot A460 - PC Mag

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A review of the sleek HP Photosmart R837 digital camera has been posted over at Laptop Magazine. ‘At 5.5 ounces and one inch thick, this svelte silver camera is very light to hold and fits easily into your pocket. The slider on the front protects the lens and powers on the camera. The R837's three-inch LCD is very bright (like the HP Photosmart R967's) and fills most of this digicam's rear. Like many point-and-shoots we've recently tested, HP doesn't include an optical viewfinder. The R837 has few buttons, which adds to its clean design. Mode, flash, and shutter buttons, plus a slider to choose among photo, video, and review modes line the top. The other controls are on the right side of the LCD, including the zoom, back, and trash buttons, plus the four-way toggle. ‘

Read: HP Photosmart R837 – Laptop Mag

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Camcorder Info have posted their initial review of the Panasonic SDR-S10 flash camcorder. ‘The Panasonic SDR-S10 memory card camcorder breaks new ground for Panasonic. The new model comes from a company that built its consumer camcorder reputation on models that offer better manual controls than their peers and above average video performance. While the same excellent manual control suite is in effect on the S10, we expect video performance to be on par with other 1/6" single chip camcorders, which is to say - mediocre. What sets this little number apart from the rest of the Panasonic pack is the video-sharing, youthful, active market for which it was designed - a market the company had not pursued until now. Panasonic's three-chip camcorders are perennially among the strongest video performers on the consumer market, but its one-chip counterparts are mediocre. Last year, about the DVD-D100, we wrote "...it yields is a balanced but rather flat looking picture." That camcorder produced an image that was slightly better than average among bottom-of-the-line DVD camcorders but much poorer than Panasonic's DVD-D300, which had a stunningly good picture. The comparison to the VDR-D100 is apropos because this camcorder shares a 1/6-inch CCD with 680K gross pixels and 340K effective pixels in native 4:3 mode. In 16:9 mode, which letterboxes the image, the effective count drops to 300K effective. (There is a slight bump in still mode to 350K effective pixels.)’

Read: Panasonic SDR-S10 – Camcorder Info

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Computer Active have published a review of the 10-megapixel Casio Exilim Zoom EX-Z1050 pocket camera. ‘Flip the camera over and you’ll find out. The back is almost entirely swallowed up by a 2.6in wide screen, not the biggest in its class, but with a camera these dimensions it’s plenty big enough. A mix of plastic and aluminium, and available in black, blue, silver, gold or pink, the Z1050 feels lightweight. Controls have been kept to a minimum; above the screen sits a pair of buttons, one for shooting mode, the second for playback. To the right there’s an even smaller button for calling up menu options, mirrored below a four-way control dial by a second button marked ‘BS’.’

Features:
• Stylish, slim, compact model featuring 10.1 million effective pixels and 3X optical zoom.
• Maximum 7 shots/second high-speed continuous shooting (Limited to 2.0 megapixels and normal image quality. Requires use of a High Speed SD Memory Card.*)
• EXILIM Engine 2.0 image processing module featuring new motion analysis technology.
Blur-reduction technologies
Automatically analyzes the velocity and vector of a moving subject and sets the most appropriate ISO sensitivity and shutter speed.
Anti Shake DSP reduces blur due to shaky hands and subject movement, using high shutter speeds and high sensitivity settings.
Movie mode with electronic camera shake compensation function.
“Auto Tracking AF” function follows moving subjects, keeping them continuously in focus until the photo is taken.
• Newly developed 2.6-inch Wide and Bright LCD display (maximum brightness of 1,000 cd/m2 at center of screen).
• Control panel that displays shooting information on the right side of the monitor and enables direct camera control.
• Super Life Battery allows up to 370 shots to be taken when fully charged.

Read: Review: Casio Exilim Zoom EX-Z1050 digital camera

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A review of the Olympus FE-240 (black) 7-Megapixel digital camera has been posted over at CNET. 'The FE-240's performance ranged from mediocre to terrible. After a 2.6-second start-up time, we could only fire off a shot every 5.1 seconds; that painful wait increased to 5.7 seconds with the onboard flash enabled. While 5 seconds is indeed far too long to wait between shots, it's not too surprising; the previous-generation FE-200 had shot-to-shot times of more than 7 seconds. The shutter wasn't nearly as responsive as it should have been, lagging 0.8 second on our high-contrast target and 1.9 seconds in low-contrast conditions. Like almost all Olympus FE-series cameras, the FE-240 doesn't have any burst mode. Though its performance was disappointing, the FE-240's images were actually quite nice. Colors were accurate and neutral--even indoors, a tricky thing to accomplish with a camera's automatic white balance. Fine details came through clearly, and we saw very little lens distortion. Because of its fully automated operation, we couldn't perform our full regimen of noise tests, but given adequate lighting, photos had very little grain or fuzz. Just be careful when shooting in low light; the camera automatically ramps up the ISO sensitivity, generating lots of noise.'

Features/Specifications:
• 7.1 Megapixel, up to 3072 x 2304 640x480 at 30fps
• 5x Optical, 4x Digital zoom 6.4 - 32mm Lens, 6 lenses in 8 groups
• Aperture Range: f3.3 - f5.0
• 2.5-inch Color 115K LCD
• Shutter Speed: Auto 1/2000 seconds- 4 seconds
• ISO Output Sensitivity: Auto 50 - 1000
• Recording Modes: Exif 2.21, PIM3, JPEG Still Image & AVI Motion JPEG with Audio
• 16 Shooting Modes: Program Auto, Scene Presets (Portrait, Landscape, Night & Portrait, Indoor, Candle, Self-Portrait, Sunset, Sport, Fireworks, Cuisine, Documents, Behind Glass, Auction), Digital Image stabilization Mode and Movie
• Panorama: Up to 10 frames automatically stitchable with Olympus brand xD-Picture Card
• Built-in flash Modes: Auto, Red-Eye Reduction, Fill-In, Off
• Self-Timer: 12 Seconds
• 20MB internal memory
• Power Supply: Li-ion Rechargeable Battery (LI-42B)
• System Requirements: Windows 98SE, ME, 2000 PRO, XP, VISTA, Mac OS 9.0-9.2x, OS X 10.1-10.4 or higher
• Dimensions: Width 3.7 x Height 2.2 x Depth 0.79 inch
• Weight: 4.1 ounces (115 grams) without Batteries and media card '

Read: Olympus FE-240 (black)

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The Olympus Stylus 770 SW weather-proof camera has been reviewed over at Digital Camera Review. ‘The Olympus Stylus 770 SW succeeds the Stylus 720 SW and does get a few new features. It still has the same 7.1 megapixel resolution and 2.5 inch screen, but the 770 gets more resolution in the LCD (from 115K to 230K pixels). The waterproof feature is also improved, allowing you to submerge the camera to 33 feet under water. Olympus has also added some more “rugged” features – it’s crushproof to 220 pounds and it is freezeproof to 14 degrees Fahrenheit. A built-in manometer records air pressure or water pressure and altitude to your image data and a built-in LED illuminator are other new features to the latest shockproof, waterproof camera from Olympus.’

Read: Olympus Stylus 770 SW Digital Camera Review

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CNET have reviewed the Canon ZR830 MiniDV camcorder. 'Canon's ZR830, the middle of the company's three new MiniDV camcorders, is a whole lot like last year's model, the ZR600. In fact, other than a longer 35x optical zoom lens and some minor menu changes on the ZR830, the two products are virtually the same. Of course, given the ZR600's solid performance, that's a good thing. But, if you plan to shoot any still images with your camcorder, you might want to step up to the ZR850, which includes a 1-megapixel sensor instead of the 680,000-pixel CCD found in this model. We like the layout of the controls on this year's ZRs. All controls are within reach of your thumb or fingers on the right side, and on the bezel of the 2.7-inch wide screen on the left side. This is much better than designs that put important buttons on the left side of the body, behind the screen, where you can't readily see them. Plus, Canon redesigned the menu system to be more like the one on its digital still cameras. When you press the Function button, a list of options appears on the left side of the LCD, and the choices for each of those options appear in a strip along the bottom of the screen. Last year's ZR600 had three buttons below its LCD screen, but the ZR830 only has two: Function and Digital Effects. Canon now makes you delve into the menus to switch between wide-screen and 4:3 recording modes. The lack of accessory shoe and microphone input is annoying, but also typical of camcorders in this price range.'

Read: Canon ZR830 - CNET

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Trusted Reviews have published their review of the Nikon CoolPix L6 pocket camera. ‘The L6 was launched last September alongside the CoolPix L5 that I reviewed last week. It is a basic six-megapixel, 3x zoom model with a 2.5in monitor screen. It is currently available for around £123, which might sound quite cheap for a good quality compact, but is actually slightly above the market average. In terms of specification it compares with the likes of the Olympus FE-210 (£95), Kodak EasyShare C653 (£100), Pentax Optio E20 (£100), Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S500 (£100), Ricoh Caplio RR630 (£110) and Fuji FinePix F20 (£135). So far, so average, but the CoolPix L6 has one extraordinary ability. Nikon claims that it has the longest battery life of any digital camera on the market, capable of over 1,000 shots on a pair of AA cells.’

Read: Nikon CoolPix L6 – Trusted Reviews

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CNET have published a review of the Pentax K10D DSLR. ‘As part of a system, the K10D remains reasonably cost effective, as well. Pentax offers an inexpensive, nicely designed battery grip and a decent, not-too-painfully priced array of amateur and pro KAF2-mount lenses and flashes. At 1.8 pounds, the K10D's body feels substantial, and every door, button, dial, and switch feels high quality, another rarity for its price class. It may be the same fundamental camera as the Samsung GX-10, but small differences in design make me prefer the Pentax to its Samsung fraternal twin. (Check out this side-by-side comparison of the two.) Though aggressively priced, don't mistake the K10D for baby's first dSLR, unless baby's last camera was a midrange film model. Unlike similarly priced entry-level models, the K10D lacks the step-up automation, such as scene modes and verbose help, that assists newbies making the snapshot-to-SLR transition. In fact, a beginner confronted with the six pages of custom setting options--including a dizzying number of configuration combinations for the front and back dials--might run screaming for the nearest Kodak.’

Read: Pentax K10D (with 18mm-55mm lens) – CNET

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The Olympus Stylus 760 weather-resistant camera has been reviewed over at ZDNet ‘The Stylus 760 features Olympus' Dual Image Stabilization (DIS), a hybrid electronic and mechanical system that combines ISO boosting with shifting the camera's sensor to compensate for shake. The latter does the bulk of the work. You can enable DIS by pressing a tiny button on top of the camera, next to the shutter release. While DIS helped reduce some shake and blur in our photos, it just didn't seem quite as effective as the optimal image stabilization we've seen on other compact cameras, such as the Canon PowerShot SD800 IS. Still, the feature works better than most cameras that just boost the sensor's sensitivity. Besides the shiny shell and image stabilization, the Stylus 760 has a mostly standard feature set. The camera includes a fairly narrow-angle 37mm-to-111mm-equivalent 3X zoom lens, a 7-megapixel sensor that can reach up to ISO 1,600 sensitivity, 26 shot presets, and a built-in help guide to walk users through setting up shots. These features are useful, but there is very little you wouldn't find on almost any other Olympus Stylus camera and most of their higher-end FE-series cameras.’

Features:
• 7.1 Megapixels, Up to 3072x2304 Resolution (stills); 640x480 Movies at 15 FPS -
• 3x optical, 5x Digital zoom with 6.5 - 19.5mm Lens 6 lenses in 4 groups, 4 aspherical lenses
• Aperture Range: f3.4-f5.7
• 2.5-inch Wide-View 230K LCD
• Shutter Speed: 1/1000 seconds - 1/2 seconds, up to 4 in Night Scene Mode
• ISO Output Sensitivity: Audio, 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, and 1600
• White Balance: Auto, Pre-Sets (Daylight, Overcast, Tungsten and 3 Fluorescents)
• Recording Modes: JPEG Still Images, AVI Motion JPEG Movies
• Panorama: Up to 10 frames automatically stitchable with Olympus brand xD Picture Cards
• Built-in flash Modes: Auto, Red-Eye Reduction, Fill-in and Off
• Self-Timer: 12 Seconds & Auto
• 18MB Internal Memory
• Auto-Connect USB 2.0
• LI-42B Lithium ion Rechargeable Battery and AC Adapter E-7AC with optional CB-MA1 DC coupler Power Supply
• Accepts up to 2GB xD-PictureCard
• System Requirements: Windows 98SE, ME, 2000 PRO, XP, VISTA, Mac OS 9.0-9.2x, OS X 10.1-10.4 or higher
• Dimensions: Width 3.9 x Height 2.1 x Depth 0.96 inch (99mm x 54mm x 24.4mm)
• Weight: 4.2 ounces (120 grams)

Read: Olympus Stylus 760 (Silver) - ZDNet

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A review of the 7-megapixel Olympus SP-550UZ digital camera has been posted over at Pop Photo. 'In many ways, the Olympus SP-550UZ represents both the best and the worst of digital camera marketing. On the one hand, it's is a solidly built EVF, with an astonishing 18X optical zoom (4.68-84.24mm f/2.8-4.5, or a 28-504mm equivalent in 35mm), effective sensor-shift image stabilization, a 7.1 Megapixel CCD, a RAW shooting mode, and lots of other impressive features. It even feels like a slightly scaled-down DSLR in the hands.'

Features:
• 7.1 Megapixel, Up to 3072x2304
• 18x Optical, 5.6x Digital zoom 4.68 - 84.24mm lens, 14 lenses in 11 groups; 4 aspherical lenses, 2 ED lenses
• Aperture Range: f2.8 - f4.5
• 2.5-inch Color LCD
• Shutter Speed: 1/2000 Second - 15 Seconds
• ISO Output Sensitivity: Auto, High ISO Auto, 50, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, 5000
• Metering Mode: Digital iESP Auto Multi-Pattern TTL, Center-Weighted Metering White Balance: iESP2 Auto, One-Touch, Presets (Sunlight, Overcast, Tungsten and 3 Fluorescents)
• Recording Modes: DCF Exif 2.21, PIM3 and JPEG Still Image, AVI Motion JPEG Movie
• Panorama: Up to 10 frames automatically stitchable with Olympus brand xD-Picture Card
• Built-in flash Modes: Auto, Red-Eye Reduction, Fill-In, Fill-In & Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Off
• Self-Timer: 12 Seconds, 2 Seconds, AUTO
• 20MB internal memory
• Power Supply: 4x AA Batteries, AC Adapter (C-7AU)
• System Requirements: Windows 98SE, ME, 2000 PRO, XP, VISTA, Mac OS 9.0-9.2x, OS X 10.1-10.4 or higher
• Dimensions: Width 4.6 x Height 3.1 x Depth 3.1 inch (116mm x 78.5mm x 78mm)
• Weight: 12.9 ounces (365 gram) without batteries and media card

Read: Camera Test: Olympus SP-550UZ

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