Samsung TL225 / ST550 review roundup: some smiles, some frowns

Incredulously enough, no other major camera maker has come out and mimicked Samsung’s front-facing LCD approach found on the TL225 (or ST550 in some areas), so if you’re in the market, it’s either this one or the lesser-specced TL220 (ST500). If you’re considering picking up the former as a bang-up gift for your special someone, you’d probably do yourself a solid by taking a peek at a few reviews around the web. The long and short of it is this: the camera’s dual LCDs are well implemented, and they actually do come in handy for those looking to handle the “self-portrait” duties in the relationship. Beyond that, however, there wasn’t a lot of praise to go around. For starters, the camera relies only on microSD memory, so those spare SD cards you’ve got laying around are no good here. Then there’s the so-so image quality coupled with the staggeringly weak battery life; Photography Blog was only able to squeeze out around 100 shots while making heavy use of the touchscreen. Everyone seemed to agree that the cam wasn’t for everyone, so be sure and take a look around before committing.

Read – Photography Blog
Read – About
Read – Photography Bay
Read – Digital Camera Info
Read – CNET
Read – Steves Digicams

Samsung TL225 / ST550 review roundup: some smiles, some frowns originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 12 Dec 2009 17:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Olympus PEN E-P2 gets reviewed and starts shipping out

We’ve already expressed our opinion on the PEN E-P2‘s price point (hint: it’s not positive), but for those with more cash than problems to throw blank checks at, Olympus’ second-ever Micro Four Thirds camera is now on sale and shipping from a wide variety of respected e-tailers. Just in time for the holidays, don’tcha know? If you’re still wondering if $1,099.99 is worth blowing on this, The Online Photographer has published an hands-on critique, complete with a few luscious sample shots and interesting gripes about the viewfinder. Make no mistake — the image quality looks fabulous, but man, that MSRP. It’s large.

Olympus PEN E-P2 gets reviewed and starts shipping out originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Dec 2009 09:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony Snowflake DSC-TX1 comes with engraved holiday spirit

For a limited time only — and you should be able to guess how long that is — Japanese SonyStyle customers can order up the TX1 in the especially wintry attire you see above. Already available in a choice of five colors, the cam will also let you choose between black, silver and pink for the engraved models, and we also hear these snowflakes are part of a wider range of engraved designs. Options titled Safari, Race, and Heart are also available, and you can even add your own message to the front, or just tag it with your name if you’re feeling narcissistic. Either way, you can see the other color options after the break, or try out all the different looks using the interactive skinning tool at the source link.

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Sony Snowflake DSC-TX1 comes with engraved holiday spirit originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Dec 2009 09:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nikon Coolpix S70 review: excellent spec, but mediocre image quality

We’ll admit we save our Nikon excitement for the sort of gear that comes with “bad mother” stitched into its casing, but sometimes even our jaded souls can get intrigued by a compact. This particular slimline unit has an OLED touchscreen display, with the additional inclusion of multitouch and gesture support, which already gets it right up to speed on the latest trends. With a 5x optical zoom, 12 megapixel sensor, and 720p/30fps video, it’s also no slouch on the spec sheet, but reviewers at Photography Blog found a few shortcomings. The Nikon S70 is said to be overly reliant on the 3.5-inch touch display for controls, and although the camera is both thin and ultrafast to start up, those benefits come at the greatest cost of all: image quality is only average, and noise handling is poor even at base ISO. We’ll file this one in our “vivacious but vapid” archive while you busy yourself with reading the full review.

Nikon Coolpix S70 review: excellent spec, but mediocre image quality originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 08:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nikon D300S review roundup: it’s awesome, but D300 is better value

You’ll know from our Canon 7D review roundup that these semi-pro DSLR reviews tend to take a little while longer to cook than ones for, say, the world’s latest, fastest graphics card. That means we’re looking at analyses of a shooter that’s been out for a while, but boy are they thorough. The D300S (our unboxing can be found here) is Nikon’s gentle massaging of the D300 formula for success — with added 720p video recording and an extra frame for a 7fps burst mode — and that’s borne out by the reviews. You’re still getting an outstanding 12.3 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor, 51-point AF, and a sturdy weather-proofed body, but question marks remain as to whether the new additions offer enough of an upgrade from the D300. The HD video recording is hamstrung by a mono mic and a frankly silly 5 minute maximum clip length (a limitation not present on direct competitors from Canon and Pentax), but the addition of a second memory card slot (now offering SD as well as CF storage) and a dedicated Live View button along with purportedly improved noise performance could just make the difference for new buyers. Hit the links below for more, including comparisons against the Canon 50D and 7D, as well as the Pentax K-7.

Read – dpreview
Read – Camera Labs
Read – Photography Blog
Read – Trusted Reviews
Read – Tech Radar
Read – ePHOTOzine

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Nikon D300S review roundup: it’s awesome, but D300 is better value originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 07:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Casio stuffs backlit CMOS sensors in Exilim EX-FC150 and EX-FH25 superzoom

Casio’s usual Exilim fare might struggle to engender a second look from the weary-eyed camera cognoscenti, but a few of the company’s models do feature an attention-grabbing 1,000fps shooting mode (albeit at a relatively useless 224 x 64 resolution). A pair of those speedy shooters, the EX-FC100 and EX-FH20, have today been ever so gently upgraded with a set of new name badges and mildly improved performance. The EX-FC150 ups the pixel count to ten million while adding a backlit CMOS sensor, but retains the 5x optical zoom, sensor-shift image stabilization, and general performance of the previous generation. The EX-FH25 20x superzoomer (pictured above) has a similar (if not identical) ten megapixel CMOS sensor, which upgrades the camera’s 40fps burst mode from seven to nine megapixel stills, and retains the 720p video recording at 30fps, something the FC150 can also boast. Both are coming out on November 27, though prices have yet to be announced. Hit the read link for the full dish.

[Via 1001 Noisy Cameras]

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Casio stuffs backlit CMOS sensors in Exilim EX-FC150 and EX-FH25 superzoom originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 04:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ricoh GXR now official, generates sample images and early impressions

That Ricoh GXR camera system we saw yesterday has today become official, and dpreview have gotten on the case to provide an early preview and a set of sample images taken with the shooter. The novelty to this new setup is in the so-called lens units, which contain both a lens and an appropriately matched sensor inside a sealed casing. This precludes dust from getting in where it doesn’t belong and provides a tailored pairing of optics and electronics. The body, in spite of not doing much — zoom motors plus aperture and shutter mechanisms are all handled within the lens unit — is built out of a magnesium alloy, and its major attraction will be a good control scheme allied to excellent ergonomics, according to dpreview. What you’re getting then, is a competitor to Micro Four Thirds that’s smaller in size, but larger in price. Sounds about right.

Read – Press release
Read – dpreview preview
Read – Sample image galleries
Read – Comparison shots vs. the Panasonic GF1

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Ricoh GXR now official, generates sample images and early impressions originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Leica X1 photo gallery proves that big shots do come in little packages

For those who’ve never really understood the mystique and allure surrounding Leica‘s retro-styled cameras (and their stratospheric price tags), here’s a gallery of shots that might just lend a little insight into the fixation. The outfit’s X1 was announced back in September, though initial shipments aren’t expected to begin across the pond until early 2010. That said, the shutterbugs over at dpreview managed to procure one ahead of time, and they’ve hosted up a cornucopia of sample images from the currently unpriced compact. Go on and give that read link a look if your interest in piqued — we’re guessing you’ll come away wishing your SD200 could produce similar results.

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Leica X1 photo gallery proves that big shots do come in little packages originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 08 Nov 2009 11:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Canon EOS 7D gets high marks all around

Canon’s EOS 7D is a pretty grandiose piece of image-recording equipment, whether you’re talking about its size, features or price. You’re probably aware of the 18 megapixel APS-C sensor and dual DIGIC 4 processors already, but we’ve all had to be a bit more patient than usual in waiting for the pro reviews to come out. Dpreview doesn’t disappoint though, with a thoughtful 31-page tome awaiting the keen reader, and we’ve also got more digestible video reviews from DPhoto Journal for the less patient among you. If you’re after direct comparisons against competing models, such as the Nikon D300s, you’ll find those sprinkled in among the reviews as well, with Cameratown throwing in a direct head-to-head with Canon’s own 5D Mark II. The 7D was found to produce “virtually no visible noise” all the way up to ISO 1600, and scored further points for its gorgeous 100 percent frame-covering viewfinder and fast 19-point AF. With a weather-sealed, highly ergonomic body design, ridiculously fast processing and a sensor so good that “in most situations the lens, rather than the camera, is likely to be the limiting factor,” the only thing reviewers could criticize was the somewhat uncompetitive pricing, but that’s likely to soften with time anyway. Read on… if you dare.

Read – dpreview review
Read – Photography Blog review
Read – Tech Radar review
Read – DPhoto Journal video roundup
Read – Cameratown comparison with 5D Mark II

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Canon EOS 7D gets high marks all around originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 07 Nov 2009 16:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Canon EOS 7D firmware update cures ‘residual image’ phenomenon

Say what you will, but Canon‘s customer service / engineering department definitely looks out for consumers willing to spend just under two large on a new body. Merely days after the outfit made public that a “residual image phenomenon” was negatively impacting EOS 7D images under certain conditions, it has now published a firmware update to wipe all of those woes away. Firmware v1.1.0 specifically “corrects a phenomenon that in images captured by continuous shooting, and under certain conditions, barely noticeable traces of the immediately preceding frame may be visible.” Hit the read link if you’re looking to put said phenomenon to bed. Or don’t. We don’t care.

[Via CNET]

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Canon EOS 7D firmware update cures ‘residual image’ phenomenon originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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