Pentax Q

Posted by vitya on April 18th, 2012

 

The template for a successful mirrorless camera is tried and tested: a large body, an APS-C sensor, and a few lens anti accessories to help bridge the gap between compacts and DSLRs.

The Pentax Q is different — its tiny compared to rivals such as Sony’s NEX-C3, at only 98mm wide and 31mm deep, and its sensor has also been subjected to a shrink-ray. Where the APS-C sensors found in other mirrorless cameras measure 24mm wide and 17mm tall, the Q’s is around 6 x 4mm. It still contains 12 million tightly spaced pixel sites, though.

That means image quality, while good, can’t compete with other mirrorless cameras for quality, dynamic range or high ISO performance. The sensor’s small size also means there are limits to how shallow your depth of field can be. Even with the aperture open at its widest, the Q just can’t recreate the same effects as a good SLD or DLSR.

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Nikon Coolpix P300

Posted by vitya on April 11th, 2012

 

Nikon’s little black pocket camera is a bit of an oddity. It’s much cheaper than its competitors here, and Nikon seems to have ignored the ultra-serious professionals in favor of point-and-shoot fans.

So while you still get full manual controls, there’s no option to take uncompressed RAW snaps, which reduces the scope for post-shot tweaking in Photoshop or the like. With the Nikon, it’s JPEG or bust.

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Nikon Coolpix S1200PJ

Posted by vitya on April 10th, 2012

 

Barely larger than a pack of cards, Nikon’s 14.1 meg/720p camera has an integral, 640×480 projector so you can instantly beam photos on nearby surfaces – you can also hook up an iDevice and project its contents. Brightness is a so-so 20 lumens, and projection size is from five to 60 inches.

Snaps can look a little flat and drab because the S1200PJ tends to err towards naturalistic rather than warm in terms of color, but they’re clear and sharp, and projecting does add a degree of visual dynamism. There’s a 5x optical zoom, too. A quality device, in short.

 

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Canon Powershot S100 Camera

Posted by vitya on April 8th, 2012

 

This 12.1-mag upgrade of the S95 adds two million extra pixels to the 1.7-inch CMOS sensor and GPS for retagging. Thankfully, the handy lens control ring, which allows you to adjust focus and ISO with a twist of your wrist, remains.

The 5x optical zoom and bright f/2.0 aperture let in plenty of light for sharp and colorful photos. Full HD video is further bolstered by stereo sound, wind noise reduction and the ability to use the zoom while shooting. The battery lasts for a stunted 200 shots, but they’re 200 great shots from a point arid shoot that really wants to be a DSLR.

 

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Panasonic Lumix GX1

Posted by vitya on March 8th, 2012

 

A compact, lightweight all-rounder, this Micro Four Thirds Lumix has tank-like sturdiness and hefty dollops of user-friendliness, whether you’re a shutter nutter or wet behind the ears. There are tons of controls – both physical and via touchscreen – or you can let the camera do the work by tapping the Intelligent Auto’ button.

Action is one thing the GX1 nails, thanks to its lightning-quick burst mode which can capture 20 shots in a single second (albeit at a reduced resolution) and an autofocus so speedy it feels as If It’s locked on before you push the button. The mode dial and other controls make changing shooting settings a swift process, after a little practice, and we love the electronic ‘spirit level’ that helps you take dead straight shots. Image and video quality is good, with very little grain at ISO settings below 3200. It’s not quite up to the Sony NEX-5N’s beautifully noise-free standards in low light, but that’s its only flaw.

 

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Fujifilm X-Pro1

Posted by vitya on February 16th, 2012

 

When Stuffs resident camera-llcker Simon Osborne-Walker reviewed the beautiful Fuji X100 in our June 2011 issue, he had but one bugbear – he would have preferred a longer lens. With the X-Pro1, his dreams have come true, and a whole lot more besides. At launch, this compact lens swapper has three prime lenses in varying lengths, but it’s the sensor that’s most exciting, claiming the picture quality of a full-frame in an almost-pocketable form factor, Add the X100s hybrid viewfinder and you have one tasty snapper.

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Canon PowerShot SZ230 HS

Posted by vitya on February 5th, 2012

 

The Canon SX230 HS marries sleekness and functionality into one beautiful body. It’s pleasing to hold, with a large and wide LCD screen. Modes can be easily changed using the mode dial on the back panel, and the SX230 HS includes advanced PASM modes for the manual users, as well as a preponderance of auto modes.

The power button can be difficult to locate though, jammed in between the shutter release and mode dial. The flash also has an annoying habit of flipping open every time you power on. And the d-pad is unmarked – you have to catch the brief on-screen reminder of what each directional tap activates when you power on the camera – but otherwise, design and handling is top-notch on this camera.

 

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Samsung WB210

Posted by vitya on January 29th, 2012

 

Samsung took the safe route when it came to designing the WB210 – the camera’s design and build is rather uninspiring in a day and age where camera manufacturers are jostling to be the slimmest and sleekest head-turner in town. That is not to say the WB210 looks bad – in fact, its flashy chrome finish does a good job protecting the camera from scratches, while a plastic back keeps weight in check at a reasonable 174g.

Coming with a touchscreen, the WB210′s controls are mostly accessible by tapping on the 3.5-inch screen. However, certain physical buttons still remain with the play, power, and shutter buttons, and zoom lever lining within reach on top. We say this because most manufacturers of touchscreen-enabled cameras tend to go overboard on their touch capabilities, wiping out all but one or two physical buttons, which results in iffy and often confusing navigation. The WB210 has another trick up its sleeve in the form of a dedicated shortcut button that opens up the new Smart Access interface. Here is where most of the action takes place, as well as where you can easily configure settings, edit photos or enter various shooting modes (some examples include Smart Filter, Beauty Shot). You do these by swiping the screen from left to right, quite like how you would on most smartphones. The screen is quick to respond, and navigation feels smooth.

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Sony Alpha A65

Posted by vitya on January 25th, 2012

 

Think of the Sony Alpha A65 as a steel bar wrapped in wool. Outside, it may not have the magnesium alloy body that its higher performance sibling, the A77 does, but inside it still packs a punch.

Launched at the same time as the A77, the A65 is a simpler camera sitting closer to the entry-level range while possessing fewer bells and whistles, coming without the A77′s top LCD or a rear control dial. But inside, the A65 carries the same new 24MP APS-C sensor and the same 2359k dot OLED viewfinder. And it shoots up to 10 frames per second, 2 less than the A77′s 12 frames per second, but 1 frame more than Canon’s high-end 7D. It also shoots both progressive and interlaced video (60p/60i, 50p/50i), and there’s even a 3.5mm audio jack for external microphones. There’s even GPS hardware built-in for geo-tagging your photos.

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Samsung NX200

Posted by vitya on January 24th, 2012

 

The NX200 represents Samsung’s shot at the prosumer who wants a compact but versatile camera. In that case, there are more misses than hits when you consider the target user; for one the odd placement of the control dial behind the shutter release makes it a chore to switch between the two buttons. The Mode dial is frustratingly stiff, and there is very little of its thin surface to grip with your fingers. The top plate edges are sharp, ending without bevels and your fingers have to swipe those sharp edges whenever you toggle the small Power switch. When held, the camera feels light and insubstantial.

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