Reviews by keith_evetts
Olympus E-520
Price: $358.99 - $399.99
E520, kit lenses10/15/08
- Pros:
- Well thought out, well made, comfortable in the hand, very good kit lenses, excellent image stabilisation, dust reduction
- Cons:
- Noise at ISO sensitivity of 1600 (max) but can be overcome; images seem soft at first but this can also be overcome. Autofocus in low light can be tricky
This package (with the 14042mm and 40 - 150mm kit lenses) is unsurpassed value for money. The camera is very well designed ergonomically and has a lot of features nearly all of which are very useful. The image stabilisation is outsstanding. So is color rendition. The Zuiko kit lenses are a cut above other makes for size, weight and all-important image clarity and faithfulness.
Press reviews have slightly criticised the 'soft' output from the 4/3 sensor and the noise performance at higher ISOs. There is some foundation for these criticisms, but as you get used to the camera - especially if you shoot in RAW - you find that there is plenty of pixel information to work with and the sensor's output combined with RAW development and post-processing produces superb results.
Basically, this camera combined with the excellent Zuiko glass is an enthusiast's camera that is the right size, not too heavy, and produces great results. It can also easily be used by other family members who have little knowledge of photography, with acceptable results.
The Olympus 'family' online is outstandingly friendly and helpful compared with other user groups and this is a bonus factor.
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Canon PowerShot SD1100 IS Digital ELPH - Blue
Price: $159.95 - $181.31
Beat this with your clunky DSLR08/19/08
- Pros:
- small, light, reliable, practical, image quality,
- Cons:
- makes you look small if you have a more expensive camera
I bought one for my 18 y/o daughter, who has not had a camera before. It's simple, straightforward and reliable to use. After trying it out for a month she took it on an Arctic expedition for five weeks. Tiny enough to be carried in a warm pocket - she didn't miss a photo and there were no problems with cold batteries etc. Nor fumbling with cold fingers. One battery lasted four weeks and 350 pix including video and live review. She took a spare. And quality? Take a look at some of the images she came back with, on Flickr (search for shimmer2's photostream or for Canon and Svalbard)
If you want a camera whose sole purpose is being there to take photos, this is great.
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Canon PowerShot A710 IS
Price: $ - $
Canon A710IS11/24/06
- Pros:
- Zoom, image stabilisation, AA battery life, size, menus, optical finder
- Cons:
- 180 dpi max res, tacky socket covers and tripod mount, indifferent LCD screen res
Nice weight, size and feel with good lens, good zoom, IS and loads of features. Fairly intuitive controls and menu. A very nice little camera let down by a few plasticky fittings and an LCD screen that could be clearer.. The metering is excellent and the image quality good but not quite great. Very good value from mainline discount suppliers. A very practical small camera.
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