Digital Camera News and Reviews

Updates from the camera world



Month: January, 2009

Pentax K2000 – K-m review / test by dpreview.com – Budget DSLR camera

30 January, 2009 (19:54) | DSLR, Pentax, Review | By: Camera News

Pentax K2000 / K-m
Pentax K2000 / K-m DSLR

Dpreview has reviewed the budget DSLR from Pentax, the Pentax K2000 or known as Pentax K-m in Europe. This DSLR is marketed at photographers moving from compact cameras to DSLRs.

Some key features for the Pentax K2000 – K-m:
-10.2 megapixel sensor
-5 point auto focus system
-2.7″ LCD screen
-ISO sensitivity 100-3200
-Dust reduction

Dpreview ends up giving the Pentax camera a “Recommended (with reservations)” because the default JPEG engine does not produce the best pictures and because this camera is for amateur DSLR photographers the default pictures should be better. The camera is however pretty good if you are able to change the default settings.
Read the full review of the Pentax K2000 – K-m camera here.

Buy the Pentax K2000 from BH Photo and get free shipping.

Olympus E-520 DSLR camera review / test by Imaging Resource – Receives Dave’s Picks

29 January, 2009 (14:41) | DSLR, Olympus, Review | By: Camera News

Olympus E-520 DSLR camera
Olympus E-520 DSLR

Imaging Resource has reviewed the 10 megapixel DSLR camera from Olympus, the Olympus E-520. As an owner of the older Olympus E-500 it is pretty interesting to see how this new camera from Olympus is performing.
Some key features for the Olympus E-520 DSLR camera:
-10.0 million effective pixel sensor
-3.5 frames-per-second
-Live View mode
-Built-in image stabilizer for all lenses
-2.7″ LCD screen
-Face Detection and Shadow Adjustment Technology

Imaging Resource ends up giving the Olympus E-520 a very good review and even give the camera their “Dave’s Picks” reward. This is due to the fact that camera is able to produce very good pictures, have built-in image stabilization and many more features. The only downsides are a bit small viewfinder and a bit noisy at higher ISO levels.
If you are a Four Thirds photographers this camera seems like an excellent choice.
Read the full review of the Olympus E-520 camera here.

Buy the Olympus E-520 from BH Photo and get free shipping.

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II lens review / test by dpreview.com – Cheap prime lens

28 January, 2009 (18:57) | Canon, Lens, Review | By: Camera News

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

Dpreview.com has reviewed the cheapest lens in the Canon EOS line up, the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II lens, but does not mean that the lens is necessarily bad.

Dpreview ends up giving the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II lens a “Highly Recommended (just)” rating due to the fact that it produces excellent images when you stop it down and no lateral chromatic aberration.
The only downsides are that lens have a very poor build quality, the bokeh could be prettier and some vignetting.
This lens seems like an excellent choice for new photographers wanting to experiment with bigger apertures.
Read the full review of the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II lens here.

Buy the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II from BH Photo.

DxOMark releases Raw data analyzes of Panasonic Lumix G1, Olympus E-420 and E-510

28 January, 2009 (00:00) | DSLR, Olympus, Panasonic | By: Camera News

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 DSLR camera
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1

DxOMark has released their test data of Raw files from the first micro Four Thirds camera, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1. They have also released test data of the performance on Raw files from the entry level DSLR camera from Olympus, the E-420 and E-510.

All the test data can be read on the DxOMark website.

Press release:
DxOMark Releases Analyses of Panasonic Lumix G1, Olympus E-420 and E-510

dxomark.com publishes Raw performance data on the first-ever Micro Four Thirds camera, along with data on two Four Thirds system cameras

PARIS, France — Jan. 27 — DxO Labs has announced the publication of detailed Raw-based image quality data and DxOMark Sensor rankings on its popular http://www.dxomark.com Web site for two additional Four Thirds format cameras, the Olympus E-420 and E-510, as well as for the first commercially-released Micro Four Thirds format camera, the Panasonic Lumix G1.

With the addition of the data on the new Olympus cameras, the Four Thirds category is now well represented on dxomark.com, with a total of five models (including previously-released data on the Olympus E-3 and E-520 and the Panasonic Lumix DMC L10).

The Panasonic Lumix G1 is the first commercially-available camera using the new Micro Four Thirds technology unveiled this past August. Other models using this format are expected to become available this year.

As the name suggests, Micro Four Thirds camera bodies are smaller than conventional Four Thirds cameras because the lens mount is smaller and the traditional mirror and pentaprism have been replaced by an electronic viewfinder. Despite the difference in overall size, however, both conventional Four Thirds cameras and Micro Four Thirds cameras have the same image sensor size and specifications. This means that photographers can easily compare both kinds of cameras’ Raw-based performance on the DxOMark Sensor scale, regardless of other differences (optics, ease of handling, etc.).


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