panasonic SDR-S150

Panasonic SDR-S150

PRICE £600.00

FEATURES

* Three CCDs.
* 10x optical zoom.
* 3.1MP photos.
* 2.8-inch LCD.
* SD/SDHC card slot.
* 50x100x83mm.
* 290g.

This improves on its predecessor in a number of ways. The optical image stabiliser is superb, and it uses SDHC Flash memory cards, an updated version of SD which promises sizes up to 16GB. Well, one day, anyway; for now it comes with a 2GB card, which is good for about 25mins of SuperFine quality video, 50 mins of Fine and 1hour 40 of Long Play.


It sticks with the trusty pistol design, although if you’re someone with tiny hands – Tom Cruise, say, or a lady, its girth can make it tricky to grip. It’s nowhere near as thin as Sanyo’s Xacti.


Mind you, the Xacti is nowhere near as good as this. Three CCDs means fantastic colour quality and this camcorder’s performance is second to none in its class. Outdoor footage taken in good light looks brilliantly colourful, although it’s less fun in low light.


Getting the footage off the cam is easy. The clumsy-but-simple editing software is largely redundant since we’re dealing with MPEG2 – the video file equivalent of Ready Salted. Just change the file extension to .mpg and you can play them in Windows Media Player. After that you can edit, burn, or stick them on YouTube.


Hi-Def camcorders may be widely considered the gold standard, but standard-def camcorders still have an awful lot to offer. For filming people hurting themselves or spectacle-theft, in order to have a laugh on YouTube, you won’t do much better than this.

CamcorderInfo takes a look at a very nice tapeless digital camcorder in their Panasonic SDR-S150 review. The Panasonic S150 was announced back in June, and has just started shipping. It features three 1/6″ CCDs, 10x optical zoom, and the capability to record high-quality video to SD card. A 2GB card is included, but at the highest quality this only gets you 25 minutes of footage. Fortunately this camcorder also supports the new SDHC cards, which will be capable of capacities far greater than 2GB. So how did the SDR-S150 fare when put to the test?

The video quality of the Panasonic SDR-S150 was not unlike its predecessor: very good. The noise levels are low, and colors are not oversaturated, which can be very common in any consumer digital camcorder. The picture was quite sharp.

The optical image stabilization worked quite well, actually beating out most other camcorders, according to CCInfo. On the other hand, low light performance was not very good, and other similar camcorders on the market performed much better.

In conclusion, we love this camcorder, if you can accept the handling issues inherent in an ultra-compact and the almost assured necessity of purchasing an additional SD card. It’s a tough call, but the quality just about makes it worth it.

EVOLT E-500 (Olympus)

25 SHOOTING MODES.
The EVOLT E-500 makes it so simple to capture great pictures with 15 easily selectable scene modes and 10 exposure modes that all you need to do is point it in the right direction.

ALL DIGITAL LENSES.
Each pristine Zuiko digital-specific lens is perfectly matched to the camera's image sensor and features an internal CPU for direct communication with the camera to produce super sharp, bright, colorful pictures from edge-to-edge.

BIG, BRIGHT 2.5" HYPERCRYSTAL LCD.
View and share pictures with outstanding color and contrast - up to a 160-degree viewing angle, from left to right and up and down - on this super high-resolution 2.5" HyperCrystal LCD that makes pictures stand out and menu options and icons simple to see.

DUAL MEDIA SLOTS.
Shoot, store or backup pictures on your preferred choice of an xD-Picture Card, CompactFlash or both with the convenience of two media card slots.

SPEED AND QUALITY WITH TRUEPIC.
Our exclusive TruePic TURBO Image Processor delivers a camera that responds with impressive speed from the moment it's turned on and smooth, colorful images every time.

SPOTLESS PICTURES.
Olympus is the only digital camera manufacturer that has a proven anti-dust system. Our exclusive Supersonic Wave FilterTM vibrates 35,000 times per second to eliminate dust from the image sensor, along with any concern you'll ever have about changing lenses ... anywhere. With the EVOLT E-500 you can be confident that you’ll get spot-free pictures, every time.

ADVANCED 8 MEGAPIXEL CCD.
The full-frame transfer CCD is designed to capture more information from each individual pixel to help you receive brilliant results from edge-to-edge with a full range of color, contrast and detail.

Steve's Digicams
"The Olympus EVOLT E-500 is a full-featured, 8-megapixel digital SLR camera that was designed to be used easily by photographers of any skill level...(and) delivers the versatility and power that are the hallmarks of a performance SLR, but at an affordable $799 USD price." - Steve's Digicams

Much like an Olympus digicam, the EVOLT E-500 has a wide selection of Scene modes for common shooting situations. The Mode dial covers the basic Portrait, Landscape, Macro, Sports, and Night Portrait modes, but the Scene setting opens up even more. Landscape and Portrait, Children, High key, Low key, and Candle modes are among the interesting offerings that are not often seen on digital SLR cameras. Also missing from the E-300 but present on the E-500 are separate Full Auto and Program modes.

In addition to Black and White and Sepia, Olympus has added new filter and tint modes to the Black and White shooting option. Much as you can on the Rebel XT and EOS 20D, you can set modes that emulate color filters used in traditional film-based black and white photography, useful for darkening skies, for example. Filters include Yellow to darken skies, Orange to enhance sunset shots, Red to give dramatic contrast in skies, and Green to improve contrast in skin tones and foliage. Black and white images can also be tinted Blue, Purple, and Green.

Three color settings allow the user to select the type of color output they want, a common strategy among consumer SLR manufacturers. Film and digicam manufacturers have been amping the color on our images for so long that when a digital SLR comes along and gives us true color, we assume something's wrong; the color seems so dull. The human mind remembers colors more vividly than the eye sees them, so film companies like Kodak learned long ago to give our minds what they want. The E-500 does the same. The default setting is Vibrant, but you can set the camera to Natural and Muted if you like. Natural and Muted will be easier to modify later in programs like Photoshop, so experienced computer photo tweakers will want to use these settings, but consumers will probably be more happy with Vibrant mode (we'll see when we test the real deal.

LEICA DIGILUX 3

The new Leica D system gives ambitious amateurs and professional photographers a whole new range of possibilities. The LEICA DIGILUX 3 is the first Digilux camera with an interchangeable lens and therefore forms the basis for the Leica D system, a completely independent digital SLR system. The clear design of the camera housing and the operating concept of the Digilux are in keeping with the best Leica tradition. The shutter speed, focal length, aperture and focus can be set by hand on the camera and the lens - a fast, precise and creative solution in comparison with conventional SLR cameras. The interplay of Leica's legendary performance and the latest technology is almost revolutionary: the newly designed lens LEICA D VARIO-ELMARIT f/2.8-3.5/14-50 ASPH. combined with state-of-the-art optical image stabilization and a 7.5 megapixel LiveMos sensor result in a magnificent standard of imaging. High-quality materials and precision craftsmanship ensure that the LEICA DIGILUX 3 will work reliably for many years, even under the tough conditions of reportage photography. The Leica D system is a valuable companion made to last.

For the first time, Leica has combined outstanding optical imaging performance with state-of-the-art image stabilization in a D lens. Whenever you want to avoid camera shake, just switch on the image stabilizer (O.I.S.). Integrated in the lens, it ensures sharply focused images in all situations - in twilight, for indoor exposures or in the zoom range. The image stabilizer is a reliable help for exposures taken without a tripod, too.

the RealtimePreview, which enables real-time assessment of the entire subject and the exposure in the display. Thanks to the ultra fast and highly precise action of the autofocus and the image processing and storage, all important moments can be captured and assessed on the brilliant high-resolution 2.5" display.

Manufacturer's warranty which has been extended to three years. The extra guarantee is all part of Leica service.

Leica D-Lux3 digital camera - 2.8 inch LCD display :
The 2.8“ camera display supports the picture format in the 16:9 side ratio and for the first time it shows complete pictures in wide format. With a resolution of 207,000 pixels, it creates an exceptionally brilliant display and enables photographers to make a reliable and exact assessment of the picture composition

The high-performance Leica DC Vario-Elmarit 1:2.8-4.9/28-112 ASPH zoom lens on the Leica D-Lux 3 permits a wide range of focal lengths in small picture format, allowing creative scope in picture composition from wide-angle through to the telephoto range. The integral picture stabilizer gives the user protection against camera shake in all photography situations, even under difficult conditions.

Canon's PowerShot G7

Announced just before Photokina 2006 in September 2006, the G7 came as something of a surprise to many who had written off the G series of high end PowerShots when the G6 (launched 2004) wasn't updated last year. The G series has a long and distinguished history at the top of Canon's PowerShot range, offering SLR-like functionality in a solid, compact body and high-end features such as fast lenses and external flash capabilities. The G7 continues the tradition, adding all Canon's latest gizmos (including the new Digic III processor, face detection and image stabilization), though since its announcement there has been heated discussion about some of Canon's decisions - particularly the loss of raw mode and the slower lens. So let's find out if the new model is a worthy successor to the G6, or if Canon really has - as some users feel - squandered the legacy of one of the most acclaimed cameras in the short history of digital photography. We'll start, as ever, by looking at the headline features:
Headline features

* 10.0 Megapixels
* 6x optical zoom lens with optical Image Stabilizer and SR coating
* DIGIC III and iSAPS with Advanced Noise Reduction and Face Detection AF/AE
* 2.5” high-resolution LCD with wide viewing angle and anti-glare coating
* ISO 1600 for flash-free, low light shooting
* Ergonomic design with dedicated ISO and Multi Control dials for fast, easy operation
* 25 shooting modes including full manual control and 2 custom settings
* Extra telephoto reach with Digital Tele-Converter and Safety Zoom
* Hot shoe support for Canon Speedlite flashes and optional lens accessories

Powershot G7 vs G6: What's changed?

Two years is a very long time in the digital camera world, and it comes as no surprise that the G7 is a significantly different beast to the model it replaces both externally (there's no grip, making the body a lot slimmer) and internally. What is slightly surprising is how many of the changes are 'steps down' rather than 'steps up'; some of the key qualities and features that made the G series so different from Canon's other compact camera ranges have been removed or 'downgraded'. Of course there are some areas where the specification has been 'beefed up' over the G6, but not all these changes will be welcome to potential upgraders.

* Higher resolution (10MP vs 7MP)
* Digic III processor
* Longer, but slower zoom lens
* Image stabilization
* Larger, higher resolution screen (fixed: no longer vari-angle)
* Loss of Raw mode
* Face detection mode
* Lighter, smaller (no hand grip), no LCD info/status panel
* Reduced battery life
* Wider ISO range (to ISO 1600 at full resolution)
* New ISO dial on body
* Better macro mode
* Enhanced movie mode
* Additional scene modes