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What's New 
May 7
Review posted for 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S750!
The 7.2-megapixel Sony
Cyber-shot DSC-S750 is small, trim, and compact, with a 2.5-inch LCD and a 3x optical zoom lens. The Sony S750's straightforward interface is reminiscent of older Sony Cyber-shots, without the new Home menu we find so confusing on other Sony digital cameras. A small selection of user-adjustable exposure options give the Sony S750 a little more than the usual full-auto mode. The Sony S750 also offers a range of useful preset scene modes, as well as Face Detection technology to help optimize the camera for portraits and other special situations. Though the Sony S750 was handsome and worked well enough, we had more than a little trouble with its image quality. Click here for more on the Sony S750.
May 6
Review posted for 
Canon PowerShot A580!
The Canon PowerShot A580 ranks as one of the less expensive digital cameras on the market. But that was only one target Canon hit with this A-Series digital camera. With 8 megapixels, a 4x optical zoom and a 2.5-inch LCD, the Canon A580 is clearly not a stripped-down digital camera. Canon popped a DIGIC III under the A580's hood to give it enhanced image quality and more than a few cool features. The Canon A580 tracks motion as you compose your shot to determine if it should increase the ISO to avoid blur or lower it to enhance detail. And the Canon A580's face recognition can track any single face through the frame. In the Canon A580's Edit mode, you can even quickly review every face in a group portrait to see who wasn't smiling. The Canon A580 offers a lot for just a little money. Click here to read our review of the Canon PowerShot A580.
May 1
Review posted for 
Sigma DP1!
Promising high image quality in a small package, Sigma built their DP1 with an APS-C-sized sensor, hoping to attract discriminating photographers who want a little more from a digital camera. Two years after its announcement, the Sigma DP1 is finally out, and we've run it through its paces. Though the 14.1-megapixel sensor only outputs 4.6-megapixel images, those images have quite a bit more detail than you'd expect, thanks to the unique Foveon X3 sensor. The Sigma DP1 is a bit of an odd fit for most shooters who aren't used to digital cameras with a fixed-focal-length lens, though. And while the Sigma DP1 is easy to bring along, a few necessary accessories make it bigger than it should be. Click here to get a closer look at the Sigma DP1.
April 25
Accessory Review posted for 
Datacolor Spyder3 Elite!
The newest Spyder fits a large sensor in a smaller package and can recalibrate twice as fast as it can calibrate. The well-balanced monitor does not come out of a box. It takes some adjustment to get it right. Some people flatter themselves that they can do this by eye. And then never do. Others have been reading us for years and believe what we tell them: you need a little gadget to get this reliably right enough to do as frequently as it needs doing. A monitor calibrator. Enter the Spyder3. Smaller than the Spyder2 (with a much more flexible USB cord, incidentally), it seems to have learned a few tricks from the Pantone huey. Like the huey, it comes with a stand (something the Spyder2 didn't have) and it can monitor ambient light (as did the Spyder2). It's also a good deal faster than the Spyder2, requiring 5 instead of 7 minutes for your first calibration and just 2.5 minutes to recalibrate. We never complained about our older Spyders but we never reviewed them either. Each one had some issue that seemed to require duct tape to resolve. But not the Spyder3. Datacolor seems to have gotten it right this time. Read our review for the full story.
April 23
Review posted for 
Pentax Optio Z10!
The Pentax Optio Z10 shoehorns a 7x optical zoom into a pocket digital camera that remains fairly light, despite the thick profile. A sliding door protects the lens from damage; though because it's a folded optic, the Pentax PZ10's lens stays inside the camera regardless of the focal length. A 2.5-inch LCD, an 8-megapixel sensor, and a high ISO of 3,200 round out the Pentax PZ10's basics. Face Detection and Digital Wide angle function pique the interest a little more. Come read our review of the Pentax Optio Z10 digital camera for more.
April 18
Review posted for 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W130!
A thin, compact and feature-laden digital camera, the 8.1-megapixel Sony Cyber-shot W130 handles a range of situations quite well. With unique bonus features like smile detection, creative post-capture filters and an Easy shooting mode for beginners the Sony W130 gives you plenty of ways to both capture and play with your photos. Its 4x zoom lens gives the Cyber-shot
DSC-W130 a little more flexibility than the traditional 3x on most digital cameras, and its 2.5-inch LCD is bright and useful in direct sunlight. A good selection of Scene modes, Face Detection, and Super SteadyShot make the Cyber-shot
DSC-W130 a resourceful companion just about anywhere. Click here to read our review of the Cyber-shot
DSC-W130 for more.
April 17
Review posted for 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W170!
With a big lens and a stack of features, the Sony W170 is a digital camera that's made to please. Its relatively large lens opening stands out, as does the optical viewfinder window, rare on such a small digital camera. The Sony W170's big 5x zoom is image stabilized, and starts at a nice, wide 28mm equivalent setting, essential for real travel photography. What's more, the Sony W170 automatically enters Macro mode when its subject is close, something so obvious it should be on all digital cameras. Dynamic Range Optimization has been brought over from the Alpha digital SLR line to improve the Sony W170's highlight and shadow retention, and Sony's Face Detection is smarter, able to find smiles and differentiate between children and adults. More importantly, its 10.1-megapixel sensor is capable of producing prints that look great at 13x19 inches. Click here to find out more about the Sony Cyber-shot W170!
April 11
Full Review posted for 
Sony A350 SLR!
Only the 14-megapixel sensor, an articulating LCD screen, and Sony's new Live View mode differentiate the Sony A350 from the already reviewed Sony A200 digital SLR camera. All three have an impact on the utility of the Sony A350, but overall image quality is surprisingly similar to the A200. The simplicity of the Sony A350's design belies its inner sophistication, which includes Dynamic Range Optimization, Super SteadyShot, and Eye-start autofocus, all of which work together to make getting good images a little easier. The new Function menu and overall navigation continue the "easy and powerful" theme, making Sony's consumer digital SLR line quite approachable to beginners. Most of what was good about the A200 remains in the Sony A350; you just get a little more resolution and you can autofocus in Live View at a greater speed than you could with most any other digital SLR camera. Click here for our full Sony Alpha A350 review for more on this compelling digital camera.
April 2
Vast & Fast: 
Western Digital MyBook Studio II Hard Drive
Like any other "stuff," image and movie files always seem to expand to fill all available hard drive space. Western Digital may have an answer though: They've updated their popular MyBook line of hard drives with the new MyBook Studio II models. With maximum capacities of 1 and 2 Terabytes (that's a million megabytes) and an option for RAID 1 mirroring for increased reliability, these huge drives could be the just the ticket for space-constrained photographers. We took a look at one of the new drives, found it fast, quiet, cool-running, and able to connect to just about any (Mac or Windows) computer system. Check out our Western Digital MyBook Studio II review for all the details!
April 1
Review posted for 
Nikon Coolpix L15!
With a sleek look and a load of features, you'd expect the Nikon Coolpix L15 to have a high price tag, but this 8-megapixel digital camera retails for under $150. The Nikon L15 has a 230,000-pixel, 2.8-inch LCD screen works well in sunlight, which makes framing images easy indoors and out. And the L15 also has both Face Detection and Vibration Reduction built in, quite rare among digital cameras at this price range. Built with the point-and-shooter in mind, the Nikon L15's interface is very simple, with a full auto and an Easy Auto mode, plus 15 Scene modes for difficult situations. But even at the bargain level, we're more focused on image quality than anything. How did the Nikon L15 fare? Click here to read our review of the Nikon Coolpix L15.
First Shots posted from 
Olympus E-420!
We've posted First Shots for the Olympus E-420 digital SLR camera, an updated version of the company's compact E-410 model. Click here for our Olympus E-420 preview page, and then click on the Samples tab for all the images we've shot so far with the Zuiko Digital ED 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 kit lens. Stay tuned for more Olympus E-420 test images in the coming days!
March 27
Express Review posted for 
Canon PowerShot A470!
Small and inexpensive, the 7.1-megapixel Canon
PowerShot A470 delivers good pictures and is easy to use in just about any situation. Its 3.4x zoom lens gives the PowerShot A470 digital camera a very slight edge over most pocket digital cameras. The Canon A470's 2.5-inch LCD is bright and sharp, and is even usable in direct sunlight. Capitalizing on Canon's Face Detection and Motion Detection technology, the Canon A470 offers a range of scene modes and creative tools to help you get the most out of portraits and scenery. Click here for more on the Canon PowerShot A470.
March 26
Review posted for 
Nikon Coolpix S700!
Replete with special Nikon features, the Coolpix S700 digital camera captures a good quality 12.1-megapixel image. The Nikon S700's small metal body is smooth, with few protrusions, so it goes easily into a pocket, and its 2.7-inch LCD serves as its only viewfinder. Built-in Vibration Reduction dampens camera shake, and a new Distortion Control feature in the Nikon S700 straightens out the curves at wide angle. Of course, like most digital cameras these days, the Coolpix S700 has Face Detection, but it also features D-Lighting for fixing darker images after capture. The Nikon S700's image quality is quite good at low ISOs in good lighting, but that changes quickly at ISO 200 and up. Printed images are still good up to ISO 800 at 5x7, but they start to fall apart at 1,600, a bit of a disappointment for a digital camera that goes to 3,200. Still, despite the usual slightly soft corners in digital cameras this size, the Nikon S700's lens quality is good enough to deliver resolution sufficient for its 12-megapixel sensor, a tall order among pocket digital cameras in general. Click here to read our review of the Nikon Coolpix S700.
March 25
First Shots posted from 
Canon XSi!
We've posted First Shots for the Canon XSi digital SLR camera, a 12-megapixel upgrade to Canon's Rebel XTi. We've only had time to run a set of our Still Life and Multi Target shots with it, so stay tuned for more Canon XSi test images in the near future. Click here for our Canon EOS 450D / Rebel XSi preview page, and then click on the Samples tab for the images shot thus far.
First Shots posted from 
Nikon D60!
We've posted First Shots for the Nikon D60 digital SLR camera, a refreshed version of the company's popular D40x model. Click here for our Nikon D60 preview page, and then click on the Samples tab for all the images we've shot so far. Stay tuned for more Nikon D60 test images in the coming days!
March 21
Express Review posted for 
Nikon Coolpix L14!
How much fun can you have with a $100 digicam? A lot, if it's the Nikon Coolpix L14. With a 2.4-inch LCD screen, a 3x lens, and a smooth, lightweight body, the Coolpix L14 doesn't skimp on the basics. It even has face detection in Portrait mode, and can shoot up to ISO 1,000. The Nikon L14 even has a stop-motion movie mode, which can be great for creative YouTube movies. But does the Nikon Coolpix L14 have the quality for real photos, or is it better as an inexpensive camera for Web snapshots? Click to see our Express Review of the Nikon L14 for more.
March 20
Review posted for 
Fuji FinePix F50fd!
Though we expect a lot of noise from a 12-megapixel point and shoot digital camera, we were impressed enough with the Fujifilm F50fd's printed output to give it a strong rating. Features were also admirable, with the FinePix F50fd's Face Detection 2.0 able to crop portraits out of a group picture as a unique skill, and the Natural Light and Flash mode is a smart hedge against a post-snapshot letdown. The FinePix F50fd's 35-105mm equivalent zoom lens's high quality shows with little distortion and a good focus across the range, and its f/2.8 maximum aperture at wide angle gathers some impressive light for such a small digital camera. Sensor-shift image stabilization helps keep things steady in low light at slower shutter speeds, or when out in daylight using the zoom. Indoors, as with all small point and shoots, you're going to need to get close to your subject for flash shots, but you should also try the natural light mode to see just what the Fujifilm F50fd can do. Out in daylight, expect to be amazed at the detail you can capture with the FinePix F50fd at low ISO. The Fujifilm FinePix F50fd is a good performer, and is great as a pocket travel or everywhere digital camera. Click here to read our Fujifilm F50fd review for more.
March 19
First Shots posted from 
Pentax K200D!
We've posted First Shots for the Pentax K200D, which adopts the ten megapixel CCD image sensor that was previously used in the Pentax K10D, along with the same buffer memory. Click here for our Pentax K200D preview page, and then click on the Samples tab for all the images we've shot so far. Stay tuned for more Pentax K200D test images in the coming days!
March 13
Full Review posted for 
Sony A200 SLR!
Sony's base SLR for 2008 has a lot going for it, even if it doesn't dazzle at first glance. The Sony A200 has a 10.2-megapixel sensor, can capture nearly three frames per second, and the 2.7-inch LCD is wider and does pretty well in sunlight. With a good quality 18-70mm lens, the Sony A200 gives you a little more zoom than do most kit lenses that come with digital SLR cameras. One major modification to the camera's control system made the Sony A200 much easier to use, and slight retooling made the camera smaller and lighter. Image quality is improved via the Sony Alpha A200's Dynamic Range Optimization, and a faster autofocus system really reduces shutter lag, making the Sony A200 a great camera for capturing wiggly kids. The Sony A200 is a tightly built, smart digital SLR camera design, click here to see our full review for more!
March 7
Express Review posted for 
Nikon Coolpix S510!
Making friends with the Nikon Coolpix S510 is easy, thanks to its classic compact design and very well organized menu system. A fun take-anywhere digital camera that requires almost no thought to enjoy, I could hardly put the 8.1-megapixel Nikon S510 down. With a small, metal body and a 2.5-inch LCD, the Nikon S510 handled everything I threw at it: the dim lighting of a Las Vegas ballroom, the theatrical effects of a trade show booth, museum shots, landscapes out a plane window. The Nikon S510 was easy to bring along, easy to use, and served me well. Click here for more on the Nikon Coolpix S510 digital camera.
March 4
Imatest results posted for 
Nikon D300!
We've finally posted the Imatest results for the Nikon D300 digital SLR. Though it's long overdue, we've been so overloaded with work on new tests that Dave Etchells just today managed to crank out this important analysis right before jumping on a plane. We apologize for the delay and thank you for your patience. Click on over to our Nikon D300 review to view the very interesting D300 Imatest results and analysis!
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