What's New - July 2009

 

 

July 30

Express Review posted for Panasonic FS15!
Nearly identical to the FS25, the Panasonic FS15 is slightly smaller, and just as handsome and functional. The Panasonic FS15's improved Intelligent Auto mode, 5x Leica lens ranging from 29-145mm equivalent, and built-in optical image stabilization make it a no-brainer at the low cost. Like its brother, the Panasonic FS15's optical quality is good, and the camera processes out most of the distortion for sharper pictures center-to-corner. Click here to read our review of the Panasonic FS15, a good casual shooter for a low price.

Express Review posted for Panasonic FS25!
The Panasonic FS25 is a simple, handsome digital camera with an improved Intelligent Auto mode, a 5x Leica lens ranging from 29-145mm equivalent, and built-in optical image stabilization. It differs from the very similar FS15 only in its slightly taller stature and larger, 3-inch LCD. You can let the Panasonic FS25 do the thinking for you by activating Intelligent Auto mode, or navigate a healthy selection of exposure variables and preset Scene modes on your own. The Panasonic FS25's image quality is good, with good color performance as well. Click here for our review of the Panasonic FS25, fine Panasonic quality at a good price. Read our Panasonic FS25 express review for all the details!

 

July 23

Nikon D3X brought to final review status!
We've actually had full sample images and test results for the Nikon D3X up for over a month now, but hadn't finalized the review with our usual detailed pro/con list, a final conclusion, etc. That's done now, and our earlier conclusion stands: The Nikon D3X delivers the highest image quality of any camera we've tested to date. Its combination of resolution, color fidelity, and noise performance put it at the head of the class, and carefully-processed RAW files provide even more detail than its JPEGs. If you're looking for the ultimate DSLR, the Nikon D3X is as good as it gets, at least as this is written in July, 2009. Read our Nikon D3X full review for all the details!

Express Review posted for Canon PowerShot SD960 IS!
Short, simple, and compact, the Canon SD960 is a digital camera with very few controls and a smart autoexposure system that can handle just about anything. The Canon SD960 IS automatically detects faces, motion, and distance, and can assess conditions well enough to assign a preset Scene mode or employ Image Stabilization. The PowerShot SD960's 2.8-inch widescreen LCD makes capturing HD (720p) movies easy. Combine that with a 12-megapixel CCD and 28-112mm equivalent, 4x optical zoom lens, and you have a very practical and fun digital camera that slips into a pocket with ease. Click here to read our Express Review of the Canon PowerShot SD960.

 

July 22

Initial Test updated for Olympus E-P1!
As promised, we've just posted Imatest Results, as well as our usual Noise Reduction and High ISO RAW comparison pages. The Olympus E-P1 has a 12.3-megapixel sensor that is capable of both still and HD video capture. Many of the features in the E-P1 can also be found in Olympus's digital SLRs, including face detection, Art Filters, the SuperSonic Wave Filter for dust reduction, sensor-shift image stabilization, multiple exposures, and magnified focus assist. But the Olympus E-P1 introduces a lot of features new to the company as well, including HD video, digital leveling, 324-area matrix metering, onboard music, and in-camera music/still/video integration. Two new lenses were introduced with the Olympus E-P1: the 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6, and the 17mm f/2.8, as well as a small optical viewfinder matched to the 17mm lens. A small external flash was also introduced. See our Olympus E-P1 Initial Test for all the details, and stay tuned for our full review.

 

July 20

Fun in the Sun with Digital!
Just in time for those lazy mid/late-summer days at the beach or pool, we've published a comprehensive roundup of all the waterproof/tough cameras currently on the market. While we put them all through our standard test protocol, in this roundup, we focused most of our attention on how they actually worked at the beach, pool, etc. If you need a camera that'll keep working despite repeated dunking, and/or stand up to amazing abuse (in the case of some of the "tough" models) check out our Fun in the Sun Roundup.

Also check Dave's Good Photos or No Photos? article about image-quality tradeoffs, and his article on Care, Feeding, and Exposure Tips for Underwater/Tough Cameras for some handy tips for getting the most out of these cameras.

 

July 17

Express Review posted for Olympus Stylus TOUGH 8000!
As part of our our roundup of tough/waterproof cameras, we've completed a review Olympus Stylus 8000, which leads that company's lineup in that category. Olympus pioneered the "tough" concept in digital cameras, so it's no surprise that the Olympus 8000 leads all others in the field, in at least one of its specifications against each competitor Waterproof to 33 feet, shockproof to 6.6 feet, crushproof to 220 lbs, and freezeproof to 14 degrees F, the Olympus 8000 is the go-to camera for the ultimate in ruggedness. In our tests, it also did better than most when it came to image quality, and senior editor Shawn found it plenty responsive when shooting with it in the field as well. If built-like-a-block-of-metal toughness is what you need, the Olympus Tough 8000 is "tough" to beat. Read our Olympus 8000 review for all the details.

Express Review posted for Olympus Stylus TOUGH 6000!
As part of our roundup of tough/waterproof cameras, we've completed an Express Review of the Olympus 6000. This is the middle model in Olympus' 3-camera waterproof lineup, but it doesn't rise to the level of the dominant Olympus 8000. Our particular sample apparently had a problem with a tilted sensor chip, but our biggest complaint was the 6000's very slow shutter response and shot to shot cycle time. That said, though, it's by far the least expensive camera model offering anything near its toughness rating. If you'll mainly be photographing landscapes and static shots, but need a really tough camera, the Olympus 6000 could do the job for you. Read our Olympus 6000 review for all the details.

Express Review posted for Olympus Stylus 550WP!
As part of our roundup of tough/waterproof cameras, we've also posted an Express Review of the Olympus 550WP. This model represents the bottom end of Olympus' waterproof line, offering a waterproof rating to 10 feet, but lacking the toughness ratings of its more expensive siblings, the Stylus Tough 6000 and 8000. Selling for only $150 on the Internet, the Olympus 550WP gets you into the waterproof realm at a rock-bottom price, with fewer trade-offs in optical and image quality than you might expect. The Olympus 550WP vexed us, though, with its sluggish performance: It was one of the slowest digicams in the tough/waterproof roundup. Read our Olympus 550WP review for the details, though: If you're on an extreme budget, the 550WP will bring back decent-looking photos from places you'd never dare bring your dry-land digicam or SLR.

Express Review posted for Fuji Z33WP!
Finally, the last newly-reviewed model in our roundup of tough/waterproof cameras is the Fuji Z33WP. The Fuji Z33WP is roughly tied with the Olympus 550WP as the least-expensive waterproof model on the market, but each have their own strengths and weaknesses. We felt that the Fuji Z33WP won on the basis of style points and responsiveness, but its image quality wasn't up to that of the Olympus 550WP. For the more style-conscious, people with kids, or those who'd find the 550WP's sluggish shutter response intolerable, though, the Fuji Z33WP could be a smart choice. Read our Fuji Z33WP review for all the details.

 

July 8

Review posted for Canon PowerShot SX200 IS!
Canon's most refined entry into the pocket long-zoom digital camera category, the PowerShot SX200, features a gorgeous 12x zoom ranging from 28-336mm, but slips into a jacket pocket with ease. A big 3-inch LCD leaves no room for an optical viewfinder on the Canon SX200 but at this zoom range it would be woefully inaccurate anyway. Just packed with popular Canon features, the Canon SX200 also sports optical image stabilization, an HD movie mode, and face detection that can track your subjects around the screen even when they turn away from the camera. The usual stack of automatic modes graces the Canon SX200, but you'll be pleased to find Shutter and Aperture priority settings, as well as full Manual exposure modes. The Canon SX200 IS a good take-anywhere digital camera, great for the novice and enthusiast alike and is worth a closer look. Click here for our review of the Canon SX200 IS.

 

July 6

First Test Shots posted for Pentax K-7!
We've just received our production-level Pentax K-7 digital SLR, and have posted the first set of K-7 test shots right away for you to see. The feature-packed Pentax K7 offers quite a few improvements over its predecessor, the K20D. Burst speed has improved to over five frames per second, and the Pentax K-7 includes both a new 77-segment metering system, and an upgraded sensor shift mechanism. The dust reduction system is now a piezo-ceramic type, and the top shutter speed has been increased to 1/8000 second. There are improvements to both the Pentax K7's viewfinder magnification and accuracy, as well as to its LCD display size and resolution. That's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to enhancements, though. See our Pentax K-7 Hands-on Preview for more details, and the K7 samples page for the test shots taken so far, including links to select RAW files. Stay tuned for more test shots over the coming days!

Updates:
07/07/09: Still Life test shots added.

 

July 4

Full Review update posted for Nikon D5000!
We've just updated our Nikon D5000 review to full review status, by adding functional description pages as well as Imatest results. Including the same excellent 12.3-megapixel sensor as the D300 and D90, the Nikon D5000 has nothing to apologize for in the image quality department, yet has even more to recommend it. The HD Movie mode stands out as a key feature, offering the ability to use many unique lenses, like wide angle and long telephoto optics, in movie recording for interesting effects. The Nikon D5000's kit lens has optical Vibration Reduction for more stable videos and stills, and a new articulating LCD screen tilts and rotates, allowing you to shoot from overhead, down low, or even around corners. The Nikon D5000's shutter mechanism is rated at 100,000 shots, as well, a first for a consumer digital SLR, so it's durable enough for the most avid photographer. The exposure system can be as simple or complex as you like, with a wide array of options, and Nikon didn't skimp on the editing features, either, offering quite a few post-processing tools to overlay images, add soft-focus, fix perspective problems, and even add a fisheye effect to your images. The Nikon D5000 is a whole lot of digital SLR, and a whole lot of fun. Click here to read the full review of the Nikon D5000!

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