Digital SLR Blog

SLR-Gear reviews the Pentax 15mm f/4 ED AL Limited SMC DA lens and after analyzing it recommend it. The lens produced extremely sharp images and chromatic aberration was negligible. However according to the reviewer, the wide-angle lens produced soft images at times and the macro performance was disappointing

Dev Hardware has reviewed the Nikon D700 and the publication found the DSLR extremely appealing. Apart from a comprehensive feature set and advance features like D-Lighting system, the camera also excelled when it came to image quality. The well thought out interface and controls won’t be daunting to an amateur photographer and the magnesium alloy body ensures that the camera remains protected from wear and tear.

DevHardware has reviewed the Canon EOS 50D that features a 15-megapixel CMOS sensor and an advance DIGIC 4 processor. The DSLR won brownie points for its image quality, its huge array of features, its intuitive interface and its build quality.

Says the reviewer:
“Technicalities and specifics aside, there's something very reassuring about having a reliable, dependable camera that will capture all of life's memories and moments without any hesitation or difficulty. If for no other reason, photographers -- both professional and otherwise -- will find the Canon EOS 50D's$1,200 price tag well worth it.”

The Canon SX1, which can be termed as a prosumer camera, has been reviewed by the publication Steve’s Digicams. The 10-megapixel shooter comes highly recommended as image quality was outstanding and the new 1080p HD movie mode stellar.  The camera also scored brownies points for its feature set and the 28 - 560mm (equivalent) 20x optical zoom lens didn’t disappoint either.

Excerpt from conclusion:
“With a street price of US$599 or less, we feel the Canon PowerShot SX1 IS offers an outstanding value for the amount of control, quality and features you are receiving.”

Camera Labs reviewed the Nikon COOLPIX P90 recently and liked the shooter for its build quality, its impressive 24x range with 26mm wide angle and on board manual controls. However the COOLPIX P90 wasn’t without its faults as the camera suffered from occasional image smearing and has a disappointing movie mode.

Excerpt from conclusion:
“In the face of such tough rivals, it’s hard to recommend the COOLPIX P90 over them. Don't get us wrong - it's a fairly decent camera with a number of unique capabilities which are reflected in our scores below, but in our view there are simply better super-zooms available right now.”

Curious about the newly announced Canon EOS Rebel T1i DSLR camera? Then check out DCI’s first impressions review of the same. The camera was found to be well designed and impressed DCI with its video performance. The 3-inch LCD was found to be sharp too and the feature set makes the T1i  ideal for both point-and-shoot and advanced users.

Shutterbug recently reviewed the Olympus E-30 and their analyses focuses heavily on the camera’s “Art Filters” and Multiple Exposure function. The E-30 was found to have an impressive feature set and the compact body easy to handle. The large LCD preview screen works great and image quality in both Raw and JPEG modes turned out to be impressive.
 

Steve Morgenstern from DCI was able to test out the newly announced Olympus E-620 and head over here to check our first impressions review. The Olympus E-620 not only works for point and shoot users but also for serious amateurs. The body may be smaller than other DSLR however the camera doe offer full manual exposure controls and extensive customization.

"Working with a pre-production sample of a camera, particularly when it's a good two months from ship date, is no way to draw buy-don't buy conclusions, but we are genuinely intrigued by the unusual Olympus E-620."

Cameras.co.uk recently reviewed the Panasonic DMC LX3 and the wide-angle beauty impressed the reviewer. The LX3 has a comprehensive feature set and the camera also produced impressive set of photos. Images were detailed and the camera also offers HD video recording.

Expert from conclusion:
“The Panasonic DMC LX3 gives you that bit of extra all round quality. It compares well with other cameras in its niche. Panasonic have included some nice touches in the design. If you are looking for a camera with an ultra wide angle lens then this is a very good choice.”

The cutting-edge Nikon D3X was recently reviewed by Photo Review and as expected did extremely well in their tests. The DSLR’s viewfinder showed the full field of view and was quite accurate and image noise was hardly noticeable. Image performance didn’t disappoint either, as skin ones were beautifully rendered and contrast was “natural-looking”.

To read DCI’s in-depth review of the Canon EOS 5D Mark II DSLR, head over to our main website. The 5D mark II that boasts of a  21.1-megapixel resolution scored well on all fronts and did exceptionally well our color and dynamic range testing. Highly sophisticated thanks to its level of customization, the DSLR’s full-frame sensor offers the utmost flexibility.

Cnet recently reviewed the Canon EOS 5D Mark II DSLR and gave it thumbs up for its excellent performance, photo quality and decent video capture. However the camera isn’t without its fault and lacks a built-in flash and a wireless controller and also has archaic AF system.

Conclusion:

“A great follow-up to the 5D and top-flight full-frame camera, the Canon EOS 5D Mark II delivers the fluid shooting experience and fine photos you expect from a professional mode

Dpreview has reviewed the Sigma 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM lens and have mixed feelings about it.  While  the 'do-it-all' travel lens does come recommended however at times the lens was a sub-par performer especially when it came to optical stabilization.T he F6.3 maximum aperture at 200mm also compromises autofocus performance according to the reviewer.

Says the reviewer:
“Overall, then, this isn't a lens for pixel-peepers who above all else demand critical corner-to-corner sharpness in every shot. But for more normal users looking for a versatile, all-in-one travel lens within a budget”.

DigitalCameraReview.com reviewed the Pentax K2000 DSLR recently and their analysis can be read on their website. The entry level DSLR was found to be snappy and the in-camera processing options are a great addition according to the reviewer. The user interface was also considered intuitive however the continuous shooting performance mode and the lack of manual DOF preview disappointed the reviewer.

DCI’s Tim Barribeau took the Kodak Easyshare Z980, which was spotted at CES, for a test drive.  The build quality of the camera wasn’t impressive and the omission of manual white balance surprising. However the camera did win brownie points for its 24x zoom, its 12-megapixel resolution and for supporting RAW.

At the CES Steve Morgenstern from DCI got a chance to test out the Olympus SP-590UZ digicam and to read his first impressions review head over to our main site. The zoom range was found to be a winner and the camera also offered a good wide-angle coverage. However at $450, the camera was found to be pricy.

Lets Go Digital has posted sample shots taken from the Olympus E-30 digital SLR camera which can be accessed here. The DSLR’S sample photos were taken with a full production camera and the website used lenses like the new ZUIKO Digital 14-54 mm f/2.8-3.5 II and the ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 35-100 mm f/2.0.

If you are in the market for a new camera bag then we suggest you take a look at the Slappa Ballistix Aura Pro-Tour Backpack which has also been reviewed by DigitalCameraReview.com. The backpack comes highly recommended for amateur users as they can also make use of the ample space for storing accessories. The bag is well-padded and rugged however lacks a retention strap for full-size professional tripod.

Cameras.co.uk reviewed the Fuji Finepix S8100 FD, which is a mid-range super zoom digital camera. The digicam works because of its cheap price tag and overall performance was found to be quite decent. The S8100 has a decent feature set but image noise was quite noticeable at higher ISOs.

Excerpt from conclusion:
“The Fuji Finepix S8100 is a bit cheaper than many of its competitors. Taking this into account when looking at the quality of the photos it produces means it offers decent value for money. There is not a great deal to choose between a lot of these super zoom cameras and I am sure this camera will sell well.”

Serif PhotoPlus X2, which is an entry-level photo editor, was reviewed by Photography Blog who deem it as good (and cheaper ) alternative to Photoshop. Calling the application a “bargain”, the software is a “valid competitor to the Adobe products” as the reviewer found it easy to use. However many filters were found to be slow but master tools like QuickFix and Instant Artist worked great.

The Olympus E-30 DSLR was recently reviewed by the website biofos and you can access the full review here. When compared to the Olympus E-3, the E-30 performed better and image noise wasn’t an issue till o ISO 800. According to the reviewer, the E-30 has greater photosite density than the E-3  and the images were even acceptable at ISO 3200 and N/F at maximum.

Imaging-Resource has posted the initial test results for the Canon EOS 5D Mark II which can be accessed here. Image quality was great as the colors were accurate despite some  minor oversaturation of strong reds and blues.  In daylight, the camera had a tendency to produce a warm cast and high contrast under harsh lighting however overall there are no complaints.

Excerpt from review:
“Unless you need high speed capture, and a 30fps HD movie is out of the question, the Canon 5D Mark II appears to offer the best of both of its competitors, with high resolution capture and what we expect to be very good high ISO performance.”

The Sony A300, which is an entry-level DSLR, was reviewed by the folks over at Photography Blog. The camera impresses with its advanced feature set and its great image performance. Using the Live View feature was easy, the build quality was solid and the Manual Exposure Shift feature was a complete winner. All and all the camera comes recommended.

SLRgear reviewed the PC-E NIKKOR 24mm ƒ/3.5D ED lens which comes equipped with a bayonet-mounted bowl-shaped lens hood and retails for around $2,000.The Tilt-shift lens was found to produce extremely sharp images at default settings however some corner softness was noticed when the lens as used without shifting or tilting.  he reviewer was also impressed by the exceptional build quality but cautions that the lens is only perfect for those who need images with a unique perspective.

Imaging-Resource has posted test shots taken from the high-end Nikon D3X  DSLR. The website was pretty impressed by the image quality even though they noticed that there was a slight but consistent variation in the Nikon D3X's NEF file sizes at high ISOs that tracked the high-ISO noise reduction setting. To check out the images head over here.

Imaging-Resource has reviewed the Nikon Coolpix P80 which Nikon claims to be the "world's most compact super telephoto camera,” . The reviewer feels that the imaging perforamce doesn’t justify the $400 price tag. While imaging quality especially exposure and color are good however most images suffer from noise. The 18x optical zoom lens suffers from chromatic aberration and even barrel distortion at wide-angle as notable!

Excerpt from conclusion:
“So while performance is good in terms of speed and usability is decent, the Nikon P80 doesn't quite produce the image quality we like to see.”

Curious about the imaging performance of the newly announced Olympus E-30 DSLR? Then head over to the Imaging-Resource website and check out  the image samples posted from the cameras. For the uninitiated, the E-30 is a 12.3 megapixel Four Thirds Standard DSLR camera that comes equipped with the TruePic III+ image processor, has shutter speeds of up to 1/8000th sec and also offers Live View framing.

The Pentax K-m DSLR, which is also known as the Pentax K2000 has been reviewed by the folks over at Photography Blog. The DSLR scored brownie points for its great image quality and extremely intuitive interface. The camera ‘s rear LCD screen , its dedicated Help buttons and logically positioned controls further enhance the photography experience.

Conclusion:
“With an aggressive launch price of £399 / $699 with 18-55mm kit lens (and flash in the US), the K-m continues the recent Pentax tradition of producing well-thought out DSLRs that offer great image quality. The new Pentax K-m may not feature any great surprises, but it does offer an easy path into the often-confusing world of SLR photography.”

The Tamron AF 18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II VC LD Aspherical lens was reviewed by Dpreview. According to the reviewer, the lens works for its remarkable 15x focal length range, its impressive image quality, its vibration correction system and its design. However autofocus was found to be slow and the macro power wasn’t up to power.

Excerpt from conclusion:
“We were overall quite impressed by the Tamron 18-270mm. where it's good, it's actually very good indeed, and even where it's weak it's not too far behind the competition.”

Test shots taken from the Canon EOS 5D Mark II  DSLR has been posted by Imaging-Resource. Head over to the website and then click  on the Canon EOS 5D Mark II Samples tab  to access the shots. One can also download the images in .CR2 raw format.