Waterproof Camera Group Test

There’s a new group review of waterproof digital cameras just posted, wherein DPreview was were trying to find out how good the current generation of waterproof cameras are, and which would be best (if any) should you decide to only take one camera with you to the beach or on a holiday involving some water activities. What they found was that with one exception (the Pentax W60) the typical specifications (3x optical zoom and VGA video recording) lagged behind those of the best compact cameras today, though 10 or 12 MP sensors and ISO ranges from 50 - 1600 were more in line with modern standards.

Features aside, when you are purchasing a camera, what you really want to know is which camera will consistently produce the best image quality. And on that front this review quickly turned into a story of two groups of cameras, with the Canon D10 and Pentax W60 producing better results in pretty much any situation than the Fujifilm Z33 or the two Olympus Tough models.

 

Read the reviews here.

Nikon D5000 Review

Here’s a review of the new Nikon D5000 from Richard Butler of DPreview. I personally prefer the D90 or D300 over this one, but you cannot argue with value, and this cameras has it, without compromises.

The Nikon D5000 aims to be a lot of things to a lot of people - stepping in above the D60 as an offering designed to attract upgraders from older entry-level DSLRs, as well as lending a welcoming hand-up to DSLR ownership for compact camera users looking to get more involved in their hobby. The features and technologies passed down from the D90 make it a very capable camera but the difference in feature set - low-res LCD, smaller viewfinder, single control dial, fewer direct-access buttons, smaller battery and more limited lens compatibility - should mean it doesn't tread on its big-brother's toes too much.

Check out the Nikon D5000 at Amazon.

"Overall performance is quite good and the camera always feels snappy and responsive. Processor power and buffering have, compared to the Nikon D60 which itself wasn't a slouch, been further improved making the D5000, especially in the continuous shooting department, one of the fastest cameras in the 'entry level' segment. Even in raw mode the Nikon D5000 rarely gets in the way of the action."

Nikon D5000 Features:

• 12.9 megapixel DX-format CMOS sensor (effective pixels: 12.3 million)
• 2.7" tilt and swivel LCD monitor (230,000 dots)
• Movie capture at up to 1280 x 720 (720p) 24 fps with mono sound
• Live View with contrast-detect AF, face detection and subject tracking
• Image sensor cleaning (sensor shake)
• 11 AF points (with 3D tracking)
• IS0 200-3200 range (100-6400 expanded)
• 4 frames per second continuous shooting (buffer: 7 RAW, 25 JPEG fine, 100 JPEG Normal)
• Expeed image processing engine
• Extensive in-camera retouching including raw development and straightening
• Connector for optional GPS unit (fits on hot shoe)
• New battery with increased capacity
• 72 thumbnail and calendar view in playback

UserManualDownload.com has the user manual you can download.

Canon T1i Review

Another review of the new Canon T1i DSLR has been posted on the web, this time from Steve’s Digicams. An update to the popular XSi, this new model has almost the same image sensor as the 50D. Click the image for more views of this camera and a quote from Amazon.

“...we are very pleased with Canon's Latest Digital Rebel. The T1i offers some very powerful features that have been handed down from its big brothers, the Canon EOS 50D and EOS 5D Mark II. This camera possesses a high degree of appeal with loads of exposure options, and class leading ISO capabilities, performance, and image quality. With a sticker price of US $799.99 for the body only or US $899.99 with the Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS zoom lens, we feel the Canon Rebel T1i / EOS 500D offers a very competitive price for a camera that delivers so much.”

Read the full review here.

T1i Features:

• -New 15.1-megapixel CMOS sensor with DIGIC 4 Image Processor
• -Includes Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens
• -Full HD video capture at 1920 x 1080 resolution; HDMI output
• -3.0-inch Clear View LCD; Live View Function for stills (Quick, Live and Face Detection AF modes) and video
• -Capture images and video to SD/SDHC memory cards (not included)

Accessories:

  • Tiffen 58mm UV Protection Filter

  • Transcend 8 GB SDHC Class 6 Flash Memory Card TS8GSDHC6

  • Transcend 16 GB SDHC Class 6 Flash Memory Card with Card Reader TS16GSDHC6-S5W

  • Transcend 16 GB SDHC Class 6 Flash Memory Card TS16GSDHC6

  • Canon LP-E5 Battery Pack for Canon Digital Rebel XS & XSi Digital SLR Camera