Olympus Evolt E620 12.3MP Live MOS Digital SLR Camera with Image Stabilization and 2.7 inch Swivel LCD (Body Only) Review

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(More customer reviews)I've had the E-620 for a few weeks now and am quite pleased. Other options I considered were the Nikon D5000, Canon T1i & XSi, Panasonic G1, Sony A300 & A350, and Pentax K200D & K20D. Some comments with comparison notes:
1) SIZE & WEIGHT -- There's no point in having a camera that is so bulky that it doesn't get much use. Only the Panasonic G1 is smaller than the E-620 but not by much. There is a more dramatic difference in the size of the lenses, with Olympus being much smaller than all but Panasonic. Makes for a very compact outfit. For anyone used to the size of film SLRs, the E-620 is very similar. My wife also found it the most comfortable for her to hold.
2) BUILD QUALITY & HANDLING -- Very impressed with Olympus here. Solid, dense and with lots of sensibly placed buttons for direct access to settings. The other cameras had a less solid, plasticy feel, and their larger grips still weren't large enough for a comfortable pistol grip with my average size hands. The Sonys, in particular, had awkward button placement. The E-620 has a different style of grip where you hold the camera in the same way as old film SLRs, and is more appropriate to such a small camera. I carry the camera comfortably in my *left* hand, grasping the body and lens barrel with my fingers on the zoom ring; this frees my right hand from having to support the camera while working controls, and leaves my good hand open (I'm a righty).
3) LENSES -- The kit zooms from Olympus are reputed to be of higher quality than the others, as well as being more compact. So far I have been very impressed. I didn't want to buy a camera only to feel the kit lenses needed replacing; I'd rather spend on lenses that offer new capabilities, like fast primes or dedicated macro lenses. For anyone interesting in using legacy manual focus lenses, inexpensive adapters are available to attach virtually any MF SLR lens to Olympus bodies; used lenses can be quite inexpensive on eBay. Panasonic is limited by a very small range of lenses. For a two lens kit, the E-620 was the cheapest option.
4) IMAGE QUALITY -- I wanted to spend my time taking pictures, not fiddling with them in post-processing; Olympus has the best out-of-camera JPGs of the bunch (Canon and Pentax, in particular, fall short here). Although the smaller Olympus sensors are reputed to be a bit noisier, what noise there is is primarily luminance noise, giving images a film-like grain, rather than the colored blotches of chroma noise. I've found noise very well controlled through ISO1000, even with noise reduction set to LOW. For printing up through 8x10 and monitor display, I don't think noise is a concern up through ISO1600 (certainly with noise reduction set to standard). One caveat: be sure to keep gradation set at NORMAL (the default), not AUTO, unless you really need it; using AUTO gradation will noticeably increase noise.
5) IN BODY STABILIZATION -- I prefer in body stabilization to lens-based stabilization for two reasons: in body works with all lenses, and lenses can be more compact. You only carry one body but you are likely to carry multiple lenses, so it pays to keep them small.
6) LIVE VIEW & LCD -- Olympus has the best live view implementation (maybe tied with Sony) with quite quick autofocus. This is very important if you want anyone, e.g. my wife or random bystanders, who's used to compact cameras to use your SLR for snapshots or the like. The tilt & swivel LCD is very handy and seemed more natural than Nikon or Sony's implementations.Overall, I found the E-620 to be the best value for a two lens kit.Here are a few notes on the other cameras I considered:
Nikon D5000 -- Good build & handling, but a bit bulky. Live view isn't great. Much more expensive for a two lens kit than the Olympus.
Canon T1i -- Not impressed by the build quality, felt plasticy. Not comfortable for me to hold. Out of camera JPGs not so good. Inferior kit lenses. Much more expensive for a two lens kit than the Olympus.
Canon XSi -- Not impressed by the build quality, felt plasticy. Not comfortable for me to hold. Out of camera JPGs not so good. Bulkier than the Olympus. Inferior kit lenses.
Panasonic G1 -- Limited lens selection; will take legacy MF lenses but doesn't offer image stabilization with them since it isn't in the body. Plasticy. Not much smaller than the Olympus. More expensive than Olympus for a two lens kit.
Sony A300 & A350 -- Hated the button placement--ruled them out on that alone. Live view is very good though.
Pentax K200D & K20D -- Poor out of camera JPGs. Great handling and build quality. Short on features. Kit lenses aren't great. No live view / live view useless.

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Olympus E-620 Digital SLR Camera 262160 Digital SLR Cameras

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Sony Cybershot DSC-W220 12.1MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom with Super Steady Shot Image Stabilization (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought the Cybershot DSC-W220 for my mom's birthday. She is by no means an enthusiast. It's purpose is going to be primarily for family photos. We had a HP camera before and decided it was time to upgrade. She has sight problems and had trouble seeing pictures on the tiny Hp screen, but this 2.7" LCD screen on the W220 helps her a lot.
The controls are easy enough that anyone in my family can use it, from a preteen to a grandfather. Most of the time, you can just leave it on the Auto setting and the camera will adjust settings automatically. There are separate buttons for Playback/Review, Menu, and Home next to the LCD screen. The On/Off button on the top of the camera is a bit hard to press (sometimes you have to use your nail), but it's understandable because otherwise it'd be easy to accidentally turn the camera on/off. There is a light that comes on from the front so the subjects know when the picture is about to be taken. The Smile Detection automatically takes up to 6 photos, and has a smile meter showing scale of smile(s). Scene Detection detects scenes such as snow, beach, etc automatically and adjusts settings accordingly.
I was debating on whether to get this, the W230, or the Nikon Coolpix. The Nikon seems great but in-store testing demonstrated the quality of the pictures-they were too soft. The touchscreen feature was nice, but not nice enough for a sacrifice in quality. I was short on time, so I grabbed the W220 from BestBuy because the W230 was almost $100 more. After doing some research, and talking to a Sony rep, the only noticeable difference between the W220 and the W230 is the larger screen (2.7" vs 3.0", respectively). I wish now I had more time so that I could've gotten the W230 from the Sony website-it's only $20 more!
There are a TON of features in this camera such as Smile Detection, Facial Recognition, and technology to reduce blur caused by shaky hands. This is by far the most bang for the buck for me.
Pros:
Sharp, clear pictures
The HD Video it records in 1080 is excellent
4x optical zoom
scene recognition pics the adjustments for the scene
smile detection automatically takes up to 6 shots when subject(s) are smiling
countless others
Cons:
The only two things I could find so far were that the Smile Detection feature doesn't work with small smiles, and in some cases, one of the subjects had to smile very wide to activate it.
Also, the camera uses the Memory Stick system (like most of Sony's products), not SD Cards like most other cameras, so if you're thinking about purchasing this, be sure to get the Memory Stick (they're cheap on amazon, but expensive on Sony's website. Don't even think about ebay-some are cheap chinese knockoffs that quit working within a few months and all your data is erased-I bought one for my PSP and this is what happened!)
I've only owned for a day, so I'll update this in a few weeks. Oh, and be sure to read the manual for some great tips or charging, photo quality, etc. Most manuals are a drag to read but this has got to be one of the few manuals that is well written. If there are questions anyone has before purchasing, don't hesitate to leave a comment and I'll get back ASAP.

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It's never been easier to capture happy faces thanks to Smile Shutter technology. Simply choose the Smiley Face icon and the camera does the rest. You can even select subject priority and indicate the degree of Smile Detection Sensitivity. Face Detection technology detects up to eight individual faces and controls flash, focus, exposure and white balance to deliver accurate, natural skin tones with reduced red-eye. Combining Optical Steady Shot image stabilization and High ISO sensitivity (up to 3200) which helps compensate for shaky hands, Double Anti-blur Solution minimizes blur and allows flash free shooting to preserve the mood. Eliminate the guesswork of choosing the right camera setting. Intelligent Scene Recognition automatically detects five different types of scenes including Backlight, Backlight Portrait, Twilight, Twilight Portrait and Twilight using a tripod, and selects the most appropriate camera setting to help ensure optimal results. Enjoy your photos on the big screen. Simply connect this Cyber-shot camera directly to your Sony BRAVIA or other compatible HDTV to view your pictures in glorious high definition. Component cable (VMC-MHC2) not included.

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Fujifilm Finepix S200EXR 12MP Super CCD Digital Camera with 14.3x Optical Triple Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.7 inch LCD Review

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(More customer reviews)My first Fuji bridge camera was the excellent S7000 a couple of years ago. I bought it used, refurbished, and I was amazed what a fantastic imaging chip it had with 12MP, wonderful dynamic range, brilliant fuji film emulation JPEG, and ease of use. Some of my favorite shots were done using the S7000. One of my shots using that camera has gotten well over 8000 views in Flickr.
I also have the S2 and S3 Fuji SLRs using the Nikon 16-85mm lens for which I have nothing but wonderful things to say about the imaging chip (basically the same as the S7000) and the very sharp Nikkor lens. This is a great line of imaging chips Fuji has developed and continues with the EXR version and the JPEG software in-camera that brings out the best this remarkable imaging chip can do.
But the Fuji S2 and S3 are quite large and heavy, especially with a Nikkor zoom lens attached. So I was glad to see that a successor to the Fuji S100 was available at a reasonable price and with additional features.
This might become your preferred walk-about gear. You can do quite a lot with its features. The 435mm zoom is real. The 30mm wide-angle is about all you need for most situations. The sharpness varies according to how steady you hold the camera. Yes, there is vibration reduction, but at such an extreme zoom it never hurts to brace yourself against something on these long telephoto shots for optimum results.
This review is based solely on using the EXR setting. I wanted to see what it would do on its most touted super automatic mode. It pairs three ways of using the imaging chip's two types of pixels along with six scene modes. The choices it makes are not always what I would choose. Too often it would select too low an ISO speed or shutter speed on a telephoto shot but it generally got good results. The color was excellent but not as exaggerated as I prefer in the Velvia film emulation mode. But certainly no complaints.
When in EXR mode it selected ISO 800 or higher, graininess or noise was visible on high magnification in Picassa 3, the editing software from Google. But this is only something you would see if you blew up a photo to print at 20" by 30" or greater. It is not noticeable on my 22" monitor at full size. And certainly not on a snapshot or even 8" x 10" print. You would have to spend at least two to three thousand dollars more for an SLR and top lens to get better image quality. It is not the same quality I get with my S2 or S3 and a top nikkor lens.
But fortunately, the camera does not cost nearly as much or weigh as much! The results from my use so far in my limited use are encouraging, to say the least. This is a great bridge camera. The F2.8 lens is fast at wide angle settings. On automatic modes it will even jump to ISO 6400 if needed to get the shot. I don't think there are many amateur photographers who would regret buying this.
The battery, right out of the box, had some charge. You can load it in the well designed battery compartment (when you flick the yellow tab it falls right into your palm) and take a few test shots to get some familiarity with the features. But charge it for a couple of hours and you will get over three hundred shots. It is a good idea to buy the AC power input unit for doing your upload to your computer lest the battery give out during the process. Also, the external power unit is good for studio type work where you are shooting many hundreds of shots daily. You can find aftermarket batteries and power bricks for this on Amazon at very good prices.
The feel, the ergonomics, of the S200EXR are excellent. On manual, you use the control dial to change the shutter speed, but hold the +/- button on top while using the control dial to change the aperture. On photo review mode, use the up and down on the main dial to magnify the reviewed image. It has no front control wheel as some cameras of this type do.
I'd recommend keeping it on continual autofocus. It hunts a bit on single autofocus. In general, I was pleased with the focus I got. There are three modes you can choose so experiment to find what suits your needs.
The latches for the memory card, battery, and I/O connections are sturdy and fit perfectly, avoiding accessory compartment rage a few cameras engender. The lens takes a 67mm filter. I noticed no vignetting on wide angle, but a thin filter is always a good idea. Just get lens protection, not UV or warming or anything like that. The editing software in your computer is what does those things now. If you want motion blur, get an 8X neutral density filter. Another good one to have is the polarizing filter which brings out the sky, cuts through reflections, and reduces the shine on skin in portraits.

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12 MegaPixel 1/1.6" Super CCD EXR selectable sensor Fujinon 14.3x Optical Zoom (30.5 - 436mm equiv.) Wide Angle F2.8 / Telephoto F5.3.2.7" LCD w/ 230k pixel resolution & EVF. Multi-Frame Triple Image Stabilization. OIS bined with high ISO sensitivity for rotational movement?MF for axial motion ? New! Multi-Frame Technology for depth of field control ? Pro Focus mode delivers softer portrait images ? Pro Low Light mode synthesizes multiple exposures ? EXR AUTO automatic scene recognition mode ? New! Super i-Flash Intelligent Flash System ? Face Detection 3.0 w/ Automatic Red Eye Correction ? Full Resolution ISO3200 ? Max. ISO12800 at 3MP resolution ? Film Simulation modes (Veliva Provia Astia B/W Sepia) ? Wide Dynamic Range 100% to max 800% ? New! EXR RAW file converting ? New! External Strobe Control (tbd) ? Li-ion Rechargeable Battery

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