DXG Launches the DXG-567V HD Camcorder With Easy Upload to YouTube and Other Web Video Sites

DXG Launches the DXG-567V HD Camcorder With Easy Upload to YouTube and Other Web Video Sites

Priced at Only $179, the DXG-567V HD Is the "Everyman" HD Camcorder With All the Bells and Whistles at an Affordable Price

CITY OF INDUSTRY, CA--(Marketwire - June 26, 2008) - DXG USA (www.dxgusa.com), one of the fastest growing digital camera manufacturers in the U.S., today unveiled the new DXG-567V high-definition (HD) camcorder with direct uploading capabilities for sites such as YouTube™. The DXG-567V is not much bigger than an average mobile phone, is available now at retailers nationwide in 4 eye-popping colors including black, red, pink and sky blue, and is priced at just $179 (MSRP.)

The DXG-567V HD camcorder is perfect for anyone looking for a fun, pocket-sized, easy and reasonably priced way to capture high-quality video and quickly upload and post it online. The DXG-567V also ships with all of the required cables including S-video for connecting the camcorder directly to a TV as well as composite video and rechargeable AA batteries, making it the ultimate multi-function video camera for the entire family.

"Rapid Blog Manager" Software Offers Fast Video Upload

The DXG-567V camcorder comes with Rapid Blog Manager software, which allows users to upload and share videos on the Internet. Simply connect the DXG-567V's retractable USB connector to a computer to automatically launch its menu and instantly upload videos from the camera to YouTube, a blog or other Web video site.

Experience HD at an Affordable Price

With the DXG-567V, it's never been easier to capture and share high-definition video, up to 1280 x 720 at 30 frames-per-second (FPS). The camcorder's buttons are all within reach, eliminating complex menus and making it easier to record spontaneous moments in high-definition video. When back at home, consumers can easily connect the DXG-567V to any plasma or HDTV with the included cables to experience the videos they've shot in HD.

Out of the box, the DXG-567V includes the ArcSoft TotalMedia™ Extreme software (a $99 retail value,) to create, edit and watch videos. The software features two unique applications that enhance the movie-watching experience with features and options right and a separate program that allows consumers to make amazing customized movies.

About DXG USA

DXG USA, The Digital Camera Company, is one of the fastest growing digital camera manufacturers in the U.S., providing intuitively designed digital cameras and camcorders for the youth and mainstream markets. Compact, fashionable and affordably priced, DXG digital cameras are setting trends for quality and utility. DXG USA is a fully owned subsidiary of DXG Technology Corp., one of the world's leading manufacturers and designers (OEM/ODM) of digital cameras and camcorders. DXG Technology has won numerous design and innovation awards and employs more than 4,000 people worldwide. Complete information on DXG USA can be found at www.dxgusa.com.

The names of companies mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners.

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Casio EX-Z9

Casio EX-Z9

A few months ago, Casio introduced the EX-Z9, and I had a chance to try it out. The camera has 8.1 megapixels of image resolution, and has a 3x optical zoom.

I was amazed that it worked so easily from out of the box. I was ready to take pictures as soon as it was done charging on the included charging station. Easy is definitely the rule as the EX-Z9 was clearly designed with the consumer in mind.

One of the best features is the YouTube Capture mode, which allows videos to be recorded and then uploaded onto the famous video clip site in just three simple steps.

The 2.6 inch wide LCD allowed me to go through operations, and there was an alarming 23 Best Shot Modes, with categories such as Fireworks and Pets. In other words, the company figured out what people are photographing, and designed a camera around it.

Other features include the Anti Shake DSP to reduce photo blur, as well as the Easy Mode that can simplify the camera settings to three easy menus (image size, flash, and self timer). The Face Detection technology also makes it easier to take pictures than ever.

See what I meant earlier about the EX-Z9 being easy? Maybe they should have named it the EZ-X9. By the way, it was also easy to upload photos to the computer. All you need to do is plug it in and the computer recognized them like a thumb-drive.

If easy is what you want, than easy is as the EX-Z9 does. The Casio EX-Z9 is available now for $159.99, and comes in pink, black, silver, and orange.

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Vivitar ViviCam 5399 digital camera review

Vivitar ViviCam 5399 digital camera review

Budget digital camera
By: Chris Hall
Manufacturer: Vivitar
Price as Reviewed: £ 44.99
Latest Price: £ compare price

16 June 2008 - Vivitar offer a range of budget cameras, under the company’s tagline of "we make it easy". But do they make it easy, or is this budget model not worth the bother? We get snapping to find out.

There is a sense of fun about the Vivicam 5399, from the brightly coloured box to the lurid pink of the camera itself. Coming with a waterproof case in the box, this camera is very much aimed at those off on holiday, who want a digital camera, without breaking the bank.

The Vivicam 5399 contains a 5-megapixel CMOS in a fixed lens arrangement. Although the lens protrudes from the body of a camera a bit, there is no optical zoom, only digital, which helps keep the price down.

The body of the camera is plastic, and build quality is certainly an issue here. Overall quality is poor, for example, the switch to engage the macro mode has a slack, indistinct, feel to it. Around the screen the plastic is so thin, you can see the light from the LCD shining through the body. On the back are two LEDs, one for "Busy" and one for "Macro". Both are extremely bright and the "Busy" LED appears the really be an indicator that the camera is turned on, so it is always staring you in the face.

Moving aside from build quality, the back of the camera is dominated by the 2.4in TFT LCD display, which is reasonable, but not great, and at this price you can’t really complain. Controls on the back include the zoom buttons, playback button, Menu, delete and a four button roundel with a central OK button, for navigating the menus and enabling various shortcuts.

The top plate features the power on/off and the shutter release, whilst the aforementioned slider to engage (literally) the macro mode lives on the left, about a USB out. The Vivicam will take an SD card through a slot in the underside, up to 2GB. There is a modicum of internal memory, 32MB, enough for 17 shots or so. Power is supplied by two AAA batteries.

So how does it perform? It is not too dissimilar to a camera phone, in fact. Shutter lag is long and there is a distinct buffering delay as the image is dumped to the card or the memory. The shutter lag means you miss the moment completely, in all but static or posed shots. See the test shots, the taxi managed to drive into frame and the horse looked away before the image was captured, so for fast action, this is a definite no go.

You’ll also find that if you make a basic change, like enabling the flash, you’ll have a long lag whilst the camera thinks about it before you can start snapping pictures. This suggests there is very little by the way of processing power within the camera.

We found that the camera had a tendency to over expose, with highlights blowing out completely, including, in some cases, lighter skin tones. There is no way to change the exposure and there are no scene modes to try and find a different setting to compensate for this. By contrast, in darker conditions, you can’t get a clear picture. The on-board flash is also far too powerful (or the camera just can’t manage it); we failed to take a flash image that was useable, which is going to be a problem especially in portrait shots.

Barrell distortion was also noticable, although this is perhaps less of an issue for the type of pictures you'll be taking with this type of camera.

Overall, getting a decent image from the camera is something of a challenge, but we did get some passable pictures, so casual holiday scenery snaps are fine, especially if you are going to put them onto the internet, in which case you may as well turn down the resolution and get more images on the card.

The macro mode is interesting as it shifts focus from middle to close distance, as this is a fixed focus camera, so if you need to go closer to something, you then have to use the zoom as the image will be out of focus. This also ties into the underwater dimension to the camera, so focusing won’t be an issue, but once in the case you can’t switch between standard and macro modes, so you’ll need to decide what you want to snap before you get in the water.

The underwater case does let you access a number of features, although the labelling is rather indistinct, so if you were wearing a mask, you’d probably be guessing. The literature states that the case will stand a depth of 15 metres, so should see you fine for all snorkelling adventures. We didn’t get a chance to test the case underwater, however.

When it comes to buying a digital camera, you have a whole host of options, and Vivitar tend to be the cheapest available, certainly with a waterproof case. However, for not much more and with online discounts, you are not far from Kodak and Fujifilm cameras, which will certainly give you better results, more options and improved quality overall.

However, if you fancy a cheap and cheerful point and hope camera for taking shots on the beach, then the ViviCam 5399 won’t break the bank. Alternatively, spend a little more on your "dry" camera and by a disposable waterproof camera.

Ultimately, if you are looking for archival images to remember your holiday, the image quality is too poor except in ideal conditions to recommend this camera: you may as well stick with your phone camera.

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Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX35

Panasonic FX35 Overview

by Mike Pasini

Review Date: 06/13/08

The super-slim Panasonic FX35 features an ultra-wide 25-100mm zoom lens, a 10.1-megapixel CCD sensor, and Panasonic's Intelligent Auto mode.

The Panasonic FX35's lens is the big story, as it's a very wide-angle Leica DC Vario-Elmarit-branded f/2.8 to f/5.6, 4x optical zoom lens. Images are framed and reviewed on a 2.5-inch LCD display with 230,000 pixel resolution, and stored on SD/SDHC/MMC cards or the camera's own 50MB built-in memory. Power comes from a proprietary Lithium-ion battery pack, rated for some 290 shots on a charge (CIPA standard testing with 50 percent flash usage at room temperature).

Panasonic's Advanced Intelligent Auto mode actually guesses what kind of scene you're looking at and selects the appropriate exposure mode to match. The Panasonic FX35 features the Venus Engine IV, designed to deliver higher-quality digital photos than its predecessor, with an advanced signal processing system that produces a quick response time.

A slide show feature on the Panasonic FX35 includes a selection of music, from mellow to more "urban" sounds. The Panasonic FX35's intelligent LCD can detect the lighting condition and raise or lower the brightness level in 11 steps. The FX35's High Angle mode brightens the screen to help when composing images with the camera held high to shoot over crowds.

The Panasonic FX35 can shoot 720p High Definition movies and 1,920 x 1,080 pixel High Definition-ready photos that perfectly fit a wide-screen (16:9) HDTV.

The Panasonic Lumix FX35 is available in silver, black and blue variants, with an MSRP of $350, though you'll find it a lot cheaper if you check the shopping links above right or below.

Panasonic FX35 User Report
by Mike Pasini

Whenever I get my hands on a Panasonic digital camera I tell myself, "This is as close as you'll ever get to a Leica." Not only do Panasonic digital cameras bear a striking and not coincidental resemblance to Leica digicams, but Panasonic uses Leica glass.

There's something else Leica-like about the Panasonic cameras. Build quality. The minute you get one in your hands, you realize this isn't a cheap plastic camera you're going to ruin before the week is out.

So right from the start, the Panasonic FX35 broadcasts two distinguishing traits. But there's a lot more to it.

That zoom lens, for example, doesn't start out at a measly 35mm. No, the Panasonic FX35 starts you out at 25mm, a true wide-angle. And with its 4x optical zoom, you get to 100mm without bothering to slip into digital zoom.

Then there are those Scene modes to contend with. On most digital cameras you have to memorize them or scroll through them, perhaps never finding the one you want. On the Panasonic FX35, Scene modes can be automatic. The camera can figure it out for you.

Look and Feel. Substantial, let's call it. You lift the Panasonic FX35 from the table and you know immediately it is well built. There are no cheap compartment doors on the Panasonic FX35, no rubber flaps that never get out of the way, no plastic where metal is required.

Like the tripod socket, which is metal, the door to the connectors on the Panasonic FX35 is also metal -- with three hinges. And the metal door is stamped with labels for each connector. When it's open, it stays open. When it snaps shut, it stays shut. Nothing to click, no fingernail to split.

The Panasonic FX35's Power switch is another example of this intelligent design motif. I prefer the lens cover slides of ultracompacts because you don't have to look for the Power button, no question. I very much dislike Power buttons that have to be pressed in to cycle the power. They are usually too small and very hard to activate, or tell when they have been activated. And you have to look for them.

But the Panasonic FX35 has a switch just short of the middle of the top panel. The button that protrudes is easily felt with your shooting finger, so you really don't have to look for it. And all you do is move it right to turn the camera on or left to turn it off. No mystery.

There's another switch on the side of the Panasonic FX35's back panel of camera to select between Shooting and Playback modes. Up is for recording, down is for viewing. And that matters on the Panasonic FX35, because the lens extrudes. If you want to keep the lens protected when viewing images, slip this switch down before powering the camera on. It's very easy to figure out, hardly any effort to learn, and works every time.

Another bright design choice is the Zoom lever, which is a ring around the large Shutter button. I prefer the ring to the toggle switch used for zooming on many cameras. Your finger is right there on the Shutter button to begin with, so moving the toggle left for wide angle and right for telephoto is intuitive.

The Panasonic FX35's Mode dial is different, too. You can't see the whole dial. A small window cut out of the top panel shows you at most three settings. A white dot reinforces the obvious setting. It's surprising how many cameras make this confusing with some piece of trim conflicting with some raised indicator. The Panasonic FX35 is simple. And the dial only spins to real settings.

There aren't many other buttons on the Panasonic FX35. The navigator is a set of five discreet buttons, not my favorite arrangement, but certainly functional. The usual functions populate the arrow keys: EV, Flash, Macro, and Self-Timer, with the middle Menu/Set button to confirm choices. There's also Display and Quick Menu buttons below the navigator. Simple.

The rounded edges of the Panasonic FX35's body seem like PBS's resident carpenter Norm Abrams took a router to them. Closed up, it's smooth enough to slip into any pocket and go anywhere with you.

The Panasonic FX35's LCD is a 2.5-inch polycrystalline TFT display with a generous 230K pixels (that's high resolution) that displays 101 percent at wide angle and 100 percent at telephoto of the captured scene. That's called accurate, in plain English. The shiny surface is easy to clean (just a rub against your cotton T-shirt gets rid of fingerprints) and, amazingly, you can see it in direct sunlight.


The Panasonic FX35's 4x optical Leica zoom lens has four aspherical lenses and six aspherical surfaces including an Extra High refractive index aspherical lens. The DC Vario-Elmarit lens starts at 25mm and cranks out to 100mm. And, yes, that 25mm matters, even when compared to a 28mm, but especially compared to the more common 35mm+. You can get the whole room from the corner with the Panasonic FX35.

The FX-35 enjoys Panasonic's optical stabilization system to reduce the effects of camera shake in low light situations. A built-in gyrosensor detects when the camera is moving and instantly calculates the compensation needed to stabilize the lens. A linear motor shifts the lens just that much, all in tenths of a second.

You can set optical stabilization in either of two modes. Mode 1 sets stabilization on continuously, which is helpful in composing shots where the subject is hard to track. Mode 2 activates stabilization when you press the Shutter button, which can be slightly more effective.

Interface. While the Panasonic FX35's LCD menu itself was serviceable, it was still a disappointment. The graphic design elements are amateurish. Menu items are displayed in uppercase, for example (no doubt to crowd one more line of them on the screen) with grammar-school level icons on both sides (to indicate function on the left and the selected setting on the right).

Using the Panasonic FX35's menu system is funky, too. I was constantly pressing the Menu/Set button to explore an item rather than the Right arrow.

Submenus slide in from the right side of the screen so you never lose your bearings, a point in the system's favor.

But even the organization of items struck me as peculiar. Why is the Clock setting in the Shooting menu when it is also in of the Setup menu? How often do you fiddle with that? And why could I never get to the Format option efficiently, even after I knew (approximately) where it was?

While the same graphics are at work on the Quick Menu system, it does give you one-button access to a set of options tailored to the shooting mode you're in. Movie mode, for example, offers image stabilization, autofocus mode, white balance settings, picture mode, and LCD mode (with a helpful High Angle option that really cranks up the brightness of the LCD so you can see it when you hold the camera overhead). Intelligent Auto offers stabilizer, burst shooting, picture size, and LCD mode. Normal Auto offers stabilizer, burst shooting, white balance, ISO, intelligent exposure, picture size, and LCD mode.

The options are arrayed along the top of the screen and expand downward as you scroll across them.

That, at least, is a good idea in an otherwise poor menu system.

Modes. Modes on the all-automatic Panasonic FX35 are a bit different than they are on other cameras. There is no Manual mode, where you can set aperture and shutter speed independently. But there are two Auto modes: Normal and Intelligent.

In Lake Wobegon, of course, everyone uses Intelligent Auto (iA on your Mode dial). But Normal Auto lets you customize more settings yourself. It's as close as you're going to get to a Manual mode. As noted above, the Quick Menu provides access to settings for the stabilizer, burst shooting, white balance, ISO, intelligent exposure, picture size, and LCD mode. Color mode and audio recording are also available from the regular LCD menu system.

That is the mode I use when I test a camera because I can push it around to see what it can do. Panasonic calls it "taking pictures with your favorite settings" but they aren't etched-in-stone favorites. Instead, they're flexible, changing from situation to situation and moment to moment.

But Intelligent Auto is an intriguing feature worth more study, so I took a peek.



What's so intelligent about it?

Well, it's really a bundle of five technologies, all active at once (so you don't have to be). Those five are:

Intelligent Exposure. According to Panasonic, this feature compensates for backlit subjects or very dark ones. Backlight compensation, however, can force the flash to fire, too.
Intelligent Scene Selector. The camera will try to determine whether it is looking at a portrait, scenery, macro, night portrait, or night scenery. A blue icon is supposed to indicate the decision, displaying for a couple of seconds before it turns red (but I never saw the blue icon myself). If the Panasonic FX35 can't figure it out, it reverts to standard settings.
Optical Image Stabilization. The gyrosensor-based lens-shift image stabilization is activated so if you move the camera during exposure, the lens tries to compensate.
Intelligent ISO Control measures subject movement in the scene and sets ISO accordingly to prevent subject blur. Normally, you want to shoot with the lowest ISO possible to achieve the highest quality image. But if the subject is moving (like Junior jumping on his bed), grain is the least of your problems. To eliminate blur, the camera sets ISO higher to be able to use a faster shutter speed.
Face Detection. Both focus and exposure are set to capture any of up to 15 faces in the scene.
The intelligent thing about this is that on most digicams, you have to enable all these things. On the Panasonic FX35, you turn them all on by selecting iA.

Still, it isn't foolproof photography. It's more assisted living. But when you need help, there's nothing quite like it.

There is a healthy set of Scene modes, too. You can't really expect a camera to know if you're shooting from a helicopter, or if the subject is a party and not fireworks. That takes some actual human intelligence.

Scene modes include Portrait, Soft Skin, Scenery, Sports, Night Portrait, Night Scenery, Self-Portrait, Food, Party, Candle Light, Fireworks, Starry Sky, Beach, Aerial Photo, Snow, High Sensitivity, Baby 1&2, Underwater, Sunset, Pet, and Hi-Speed Burst.

There's yet another still recording mode that Panasonic calls Clipboard mode. When you're in Clipboard mode, the camera takes either two megapixel or one megapixel images, storing them to its built-in memory. You can get about 94 two-megapixel images and 140 one megapixel images total in the approximately 50MB available. You can also record up to five seconds of audio to go with the shots. To see them, just switch to Playback mode with the Mode dial set to Clipboard.

Panasonic suggests using Clipboard mode for taking visual notes, shots of train schedules, maps, etc. that you might otherwise be writing down in a notebook.

And then there's Movie mode. To its credit, Panasonic gives you an HD option for movies. After all, they sell HDTVs, too (some of them with SD card readers). You won't get 1080 resolution, but you do get 720 and that's really plenty good enough; at least it's the right shape.

But our first attempt to shoot HD movies with the Panasonic FX35 resulted in an error message. The movie was canceled due to the speed of the card, the camera told me.

That made sense, though. I had an Eye-Fi card in the Panasonic FX35 (a special WiFi-enabled SD card), which is admittedly too slow for video capture, at least HD capture (it worked with 640 x 480 captures). A faster card did the trick for HD.

Set the Panasonic FX35 to 16:9 (which is also available in still modes) to take HD movies. That fills the screen nicely. There are two resolutions available: 848 x 480 (indicated by L in the Quick Menu) and 1280 x 720 (indicated by H). You want H, which will give you 720 vertical pixels. If you select a 4:3 aspect ratio, you can record at 640 x 480 or 320 x 240 (not too shabby for Web display).

You can record at 30 frames per second or 15 fps (perfect for those Best Man toasts) at 720 HD, too (Low res HD gets you 30 or 10 fps). You can also record at either 30 or 10 fps in 4:3 mode.

You do get sound (and can't avoid getting it either). But you don't get zoom. And that's a killer. Much as I like having 720 resolution, I need zoom. I even had zoom on my Super8 Bolex, for crying out loud.

Playback. Speaking of playback, the Panasonic FX35 has some tricks up its sleeve for stills.

In addition to a Calendar display mode, which shows a monthly calendar populated with images taken on that date, you can display images in a slide show with music.

Slide Show offers five effects with music to match: Natural, Slow, Swing, Urban and Off. Off just cycles through the images automatically (which the Normal slide show option doesn't bother to do, forcing you to manually go through them). Natural plays some piano and pans (the music sequence is very short, though, and noticeably repeats). Slow has some hammering industrial music (perfect for the workplace) and more pans and some fancy transitions. Swing brings in the woodwinds and some zoomed images as well as pans and fancy transitions. Urban is as noisy as any city and just as discombobulated.

On the whole, the effect to spice up the old slide show was a disaster. None of these modes is particularly well done. Sony does this much better, and any camera with muvee built in (the Nikons, for example) does better still. If building slideshows on your camera is your cup of Red Bull.

Image Quality. But my cup is image quality. So how did the Panasonic FX35 do on our image quality tests in the lab?

In some respects, the Panasonic FX35 did very well.

The Leica lens, for example, delivered very low distortion at both wide angle and telephoto focal lengths. That's particularly impressive at wide angle because the Panasonic FX35 has a wider angle than most digicam zooms.

Chromatic aberration was also low at both wide angle and telephoto focal lengths. We almost never see that either. And detail was strong to around 1,500-1,600 lines of resolution. Very impressive, especially when you consider that extinction of detail didn't occur until about 2,000 lines.

On the other hand, the Panasonic FX35 disappointed in a number of tests.

The Panasonic FX35 showed strong blurring in the corners of the image at both wide angle and telephoto focal lengths. And "strong blurring" is putting it kindly. You can see this in the images, which is generally not the case.

While color was good overall, the Panasonic FX35 is one of those digicams that likes to oversaturate slightly, pumping up the red and blue tones, while undersaturating bright yellows. Skin tones were a little pink, particularly with Caucasian skin tones.

But most disappointing was the sensor noise, which seemed to be evident even at ISO 100. It's rare to see a camera that exhibits noise at ISO 200, but the Panasonic FX35 is one of them. Usually when you see so much grain at lower ISOs you can expect to see good color capture at higher ISOs, but not with the FX35. Color starts to fall apart at ISO 800.

Flash and low-light performance were two more disappointments. Even at ISO 400, the flash failed to adequately illuminate the test target at 9.8-feet and at full telephoto focal length -- and that's the manufacturer's specification. We needed a +1.3 EV correction to get enough light on our subject. And in low light even our brightest scene was a dim capture at ISO 100.

Our still life test shot seemed among the better examples I've examined. The WhiBal at the top center is fairly sharp, as is the white proportional scale. That may be because the highlights really did not bloom on the FX35, obscuring that detail. You can see them under control in the Samuel Smith label and the white napkin under the brown coffee cup.

But you can see that noise in the shadows even in this ISO 100 shot.

Performance. If image quality was somewhat disappointing, performance was not.

Startup time with the extruding lens was not brisk but average at 2.9 seconds. Shutdown at 1.3 seconds was, however, above average.

While combined autofocus lag was a bit below average (and pretty much the same for both wide angle and telephoto focusing), prefocus lag was exceptional at 0.008 second. Cycle time was quicker than average, too.

Flash cycle time was about average at just six seconds for a full charge, but a full charge wasn't quite enough to light up any scene. This is the one test that is most misleading. High power flashes take longer to recycle but weak ones recycle quickly.

Download speed was briskly above average so connecting the Panasonic FX35 by cable won't be an issue, although we prefer to simply load the card into a PCMCIA adapter or use the Eye-Fi card to wirelessly transmit the images to our box.

LCD size was average (but its resolution was above average) and optical zoom, while unusual for a compact digicam, was not impressive enough to escape the average category. You can get a similarly sized camera with as much as 10x zoom.

Despite its solid feel, the Panasonic FX35 scored among the lighter compact digicams we've tested. Which is good news because a little heft goes a long way in keeping a small camera stable.

Shooting. I was disappointed at how dark some of our images were at EV 0.0. Look at those roses, shot in the shade (see the Gallery tab for these images). Every one of them is much too dark, especially the white JFK rose. On the one hand, this prevents blowing out highlights, but on the other, it prevents highlights altogether.

For anyone curious about iA mode's effectiveness, our NuLOOQ closeup was shot in iA mode which did register it as a Macro shot. And the landscape I shot just after it did register as "Scenery," so iA is no dummy.

While there's almost no color in the Shirley Temple doll shot, it pretty accurately represents the actual conditions. There is a bit more color in realty, no question, but it's close. Unfortunately, a close examination shows how much noise there is at ISO 1,600, something the thumbnail obscures.

Even my ISO 800 doll fares poorly, showing little detail and lots of noise in better light.

One thing I did like, however, was the wide angle lens, particularly coupled with the 16:9 aspect ratio. My shots of the road on Twin Peaks at both 4:3 and 16:9 demonstrate the dramatic difference that wide angle makes with the right aspect ratio.

And the logs laid out as a barrier along one crest are another illustration of the drama that the Panasonic FX35's lens can deliver.

Appraisal. What at first glance seemed like a very nicely designed compact digicam turned out to be a disappointment. Not only were the Panasonic FX35's menus unsightly and awkward to use (with as many as five screens to page through) but functions were hard to find and some simply didn't operate as expected (like digital zoom). The higher-end features sound impressive, but if you can't get the basic functions right, you don't make friends. Weak image quality made the above disappointments difficult to ignore, as well. So while I had a good time with the Panasonic FX35, I think there are better choices on the market.


Panasonic FX35 Basic Features
10.10 megapixel sensor
4x zoom with 25-100mm 35mm equivalent
2.5-inch LCD
ISO sensitivity from 100 to 6,400
Shutter: 60-1/2,000 sec.
Max Aperture: f/2.8
SDHC/SD memory card support
Custom lithium-ion battery
50MB built-in memory


Panasonic FX35 Special Features
Intelligent Exposure to compensate for backlighting and other tricky situations
Optical image stabilization using gyrosensor
Intelligent ISO that increases ISO for moving subjects to avoid blur
Intelligent Scene Selector to set the camera for Scenery, Portrait, Macro, Night Portrait or Night Scenery mode
Face Detection focus and exposure for up to 15 faces
Quick AF
HD video capture
Slide show with music


In the Box
The Panasonic FX35 ships with the following items in the box:

Battery Charger
Battery Pack
Battery Carrying Case
AV cable
USB Cable
Strap
CD-ROM with PhotofunStudio viewer, ArcSoft MediaImpression, ArcSoft Panorama Maker, QuickTime, Adobe Reader, USB Driver


Recommended Accessories
Large capacity SD/MMC memory card. These days, 2-4GB is a good tradeoff between cost and capacity.
Small camera case for outdoor and in-bag protection

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Ixus 80 IS 8 Megapixel Digital Camera with your choice of colour, SRP £219!*

Ixus 80 IS 8 Megapixel Digital Camera with your choice of colour, SRP £219!*

Cartridge Monkey are offering you a chance to win a Superb 8 Megapixel Ixus 80 Camera!.Be in with a Chance to WIN a Superb 8 Megapixel Ixus 80 Camera!!

Camera specification:

-8.0 Megapixels
-3x Optical zoom with Optical IS
-2.5" PureColour LCD II screen
-Face detection technology
-Motion detection technology
-Aluminium body
-Red eye correction
-18 shooting modes
-Creative Movie options

Available in four colours – Classic Silver, Candy Pink, Caramel and Chocolate – the Digital IXUS 80 IS is a must-have camera. The colours and curves are enhanced by pure aluminium bodywork.
Advanced Ultra-High Refractive Index Aspherical (UA) lens technology from Canon fits a 3x optical zoom lens into the compact form of the Digital IXUS 80 IS. An optical Image Stabilizer (IS), helps you capture blur-free images in low-light and when shooting with the zoom.
There’s no need to worry about blur with Motion Detection Technology. This clever feature detects camera shake and subject movement, and then adjusts ISO to combat blur while maximising image quality.

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Samsung introduces i8 digital camera to KSA market

Samsung introduces i8 digital camera to KSA market

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. a market leader in consumer electronics, announced its newest camera in the Saudi market, the i8, a multimedia digital camera supporting various functions other than shooting, such as watching movies through the PMP, MP3 music playback, travel information and text viewer.

'Over the years, Samsung has built and reaffirmed its reputation for pairing groundbreaking technological advancements with innovative and cutting-edge designs,' said Inamullah Butt, Marketing Manager Samsung Saudi Arabia. 'In order to keep with this tradition, the i8 design inspiration was a smooth round pebble; that each customer would like to feel it in his hand'.

A Samsung i8 is as ultra small as a business card, but it provides excellent camera capabilities.

8 Mega pixels with a high definition image sensor is fitted, and the optical 3x zoom inner lens method enables one to get shooting ready without any sound when turning on the power.

The i8 is equipped with a 2.7in (6.86cm) high definition LCD, and shows images which have been shot. SVGA size video recording is possible, and the optical zoom can be used while recording.

The i8 has also optimized camera shake correction using an enforced image processing technology.

Shaking is minimized in shooting situations where there is a poor light source, through the support of the ISO 1600, which is high speed sensitivity shooting.

The DIS (Digital Image Stabilization) function, Samsung's unique technology, that can display natural colors in a dark environment without using the flash, is also a main feature of the i8.

The i8 displays a variety of other functions such as the Photo Style Selector function that enables one to shoot various selected styles of pictures as they are in preview mode, a Colour Filter function that turns unwanted areas into a black and white tone and a Smart Tools function that can achieve various fun pictures in an environment without a PC and satisfies the creative nature of photography.

The Samsung i8 is available in 4 different colours suitable for the younger generation namely white, black, blue and pink.

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The new FinePix Z200fd digital camera from FujiFilm

The new FinePix Z200fd digital camera from FujiFilm

On the surface, the new FinePix Z200fd digital camera from FujiFilm looks like any other point and shoot on the market, but it comes equipped with a special feature for all the couples in the audience.

Apparently, it has something that FujiFilm calls “ai suru taimaa”, which roughly translates to self-timer for lovers.

The self-timer on this camera has three stages. It will recognize where there are two faces in the frame and then the stage of the timer is indicated by the number of hearts on the display. A single heart is when it just sees to faces next to one another. The second heart appears when the two heads are a little closer together. The third and final heart appears when the two people are in a deep lip-lock in physical contact with one another.

Aside from the lover’s self-timer, the FujiFilm FinePix Z200fd has a 10-megapixel sensor, 5x optical zoom, 2.7-inch LCD screen, SD/SDHC/xD memory card slot, and ISO 6400. It’ll launch in Japan on June 7th for $390. Look for it in pink, silver, black/red, and solid black.

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Fujifilm 7.2 MP FinePix Z10fd Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom & Face Detection, Pink NEW

Fujifilm 7.2 MP FinePix Z10fd Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom & Face Detection, Pink NEW

Take better photos with this sleek model. It's packed with advanced yet easy-to-use features, such as face detection technology, red-eye removal and movie mode with sound at 30 frames per second. Blog mode enables you to copy images for quick and easy uploads to the web or email. Plus, this camera offers an ISO sensitivity of 1600, which helps you take bright and blur-free photos, even in dim lighting.

Key Features & Benefits:

8 megapixel resolution

Delivers detailed pictures that can be enlarged up to 11" x 14"

3x optical zoom lens and 4.8x digital zoom

Brings subjects closer for better close-ups

2.5-inch color LCD screen

Lets you compose and review your shots

Image stabilization and face detection

Uses electronic stabilization technology, and automatically sets focus and exposure for the faces of up to 10 people per frame

Auto focus and macro focus

Enable you to be more imaginative with a focus range from 3.1 inches to infinity

18 shooting modes and 6 white balance settings

Provide creative options for taking eye-catching photos with accurate color

Two movie modes

Capture videos at 30 frames per second in VGA or QVGA resolution with sound

54 MB internal memory and xD/SD memory card slot

Stores images in the camera itself or on optional xD Picture cards, SD media or higher-capacity SDHC memory cards

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Sony 8.1 MP Cyber-Shot DSC-T20 Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom, Image Stabilization, Face Detection, and HD Output in Pink NEW

Sony 8.1 MP Cyber-Shot DSC-T20 Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom, Image Stabilization, Face Detection, and HD Output in Pink NEW

Add a touch of technology to your lifestyle when you accessorize with the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T20/P Digital Still Camera. Boasting a 8.1 megapixel resolution for greater detail in big prints and tight comps, the DSC-T20/P delivers superb clarity to group photos and snapshots. The innovative Carl Zeiss 3X optical zoom lens design brings the action close while the Face Detection feature optimizes natural tones in faces. With HD (high definition) output, photos can look even more spectacular when you share them with friends and family on HDTV screens.

Key Features & Benefits:

8.1 megapixel resolution

Permits beautiful oversize prints as well as extensive cropping (selecting, then enlarging only part of your photo) while maintaining excellent quality

HD output

Share your memories with family and friends in spectacular high-definition clarity on compatible HDTV screens

Stamina power

Take up to 380 shots — ideal for extended shooting

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Pretty Pink Camera + Good Causea

Pretty Pink Camera + Good Causea

Polaroid I533P Exclusive Breast Cancer Awareness Digital Camera

Not only is this camera a great value at only $119, it’s also Pink! Pink! Pink!

Basic specs:

Point & Shoot Digital Camera for Simple Operation
5.1 MP
2.5” LCD Screen Size
3x Optical Zoom
4x Digital Zoom for Minor Cropping
Adorable Pink Color
Affordable Price

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Kodak EasyShare M863

Kodak EasyShare M863

This small camera packs a big screen and useful dial mode, but inconsistent image quality holds it backby Daniel Grotta and Sally Wiener Grotta on June 2, 2008

Kodak loads on the extras with its $149 EasyShare M863 and does so in a very compact package. And the camera’s compatibility with Kodak’s HDTV dock and printer make it a tempting option for one-stop shoppers. Unfortunately, the image quality isn’t quite up to snuff.

M863 Design
Definitely on the small and light side, the 3.6 × 2.2 × 0.8-inch M863 is available in a bevy of colors, including silver, pink, black, red, copper, and blue. It sports a large and legible high-resolution 2.7-inch LCD monitor. Buttons are haphazardly placed around the camera, unfortunately. Because the Flash button is next to the Power button, and the Delete button is positioned right under the Zoom lever, it’s possible to hit the wrong control by accident.

Kodak’s menu structure is deceptively simple. It’s easy to navigate, but some of the options, such as Sharpness, Maintain Settings, Multi-Pattern, and Multi-Zone, are more appropriate for advanced users than the entry-level market for which this camera is intended. We like that the memory card door is on the side, though.

Modes and Extras
Like the Canon PowerShot A580, the Kodak camera comes equipped with a rotary dial, but it has fewer positions than the A580 for setting the most frequently used modes. However, the SCN position brings up 18 additional modes, which is more than the Canon camera offers. Landing on each mode or pressing the OK button briefly displays a helpful explanation of what each mode does, and sometimes, how to use it. There are even two Panorama modes, one that lets you shoot from left to right, the other, from right to left.

The best thing about the M863 is that Kodak created a system rather than simply an individual camera. Like other models in the series, the M863 plugs into Kodak’s $80 G610 snapshot printer and interfaces with its $100 HDTV Dock for displaying stills and videos on your widescreen TV.

Fast Shooter, Mixed Photo Quality
The M863 operates relatively fast. It powers up within 2 seconds, has a shutter lag of less than half a second, and can shoot a full-resolution image every 2.5 to 3 seconds. And it’s always ready to shoot, even in Playback mode; just press the shutter halfway, and it instantly switches to Capture mode.

Image quality was somewhat uneven, and all images were slightly soft. Our flash pictures, even macro shots, were all perfectly exposed, but indoor pictures without flash were slightly underexposed and had a bluish tint. In our daylight photos, colors were muted, and highlights tended to blow out. On the plus side, face recognition worked well in both Auto and Portrait modes.

Mediocre Video
The M863’s largest video resolution is 640 x 480 pixels but at a jerky 15 fps. We wish the camera offered a widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio. It’s possible to zoom while filming video, something most other digital still cameras can’t do, but for the most part the results aren’t worth the effort.

Kodak EasyShare M863 Verdict
The Kodak EasyShare M863 is a decent choice for users who want an ultra-slim camera at an entry-level price and appreciate its ability to interface easily with a compatible printer and HDTV adpater. But those interested in better picture quality should look elsewhere. We recommend the Casio Exilim EX-Z9.

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Samsung i8 Compact Digital Camera

Samsung i8 Compact Digital Camera

By Sutlej Soin & Seow Tein Hee

Some people are under the impression that low price equals low quality. While that statement may ring true for some products, the Samsung i8 begs to differ, encased in an attractive rectangular design with smooth rounded corners that fits comfortably into the palm of your hand in a variety of colors including pink and blue.

Portraying the Fun

As the direct successor to the Samsung i7, the i8, being a relatively new introduction to Samsung’s lineup of compact digital cameras, looks worlds apart from the former. Slimmer and without any protruding features, the i8 sets the tone for a fun-loving compact camera, which is precisely what this camera is all about.

The i8 comes with a standard 3x optical zoom, which ought to suffice in most conditions today, and is accompanied by a 2.7-inch LCD screen, which takes up most of the real estate at the rear. The absence of a function dial is remedied with the clustered and small control buttons. Navigating the controls is easy enough, with the main menu clearly organized into different sections, using just the navigation pad to scroll through the lists.

Beyond the Call of (Camera) Duty
Though the i8 may not be as feature-heavy as the Samsung NV Series' Schneider-Kreuznach lenses, it manages to throw a bit of weight around with its Samsung-made lens and several fancy features tucked nicely under its belt such as built-in MP3 player, movie viewer, voice recorder, text viewer and a world tour guide that provides key information on tourists’ hot spots in over 29 countries. This should prove to be a time killer and helpful in your travel plans on foreign soil. Other features on the i8 include face detection as well as photo enhancers which fix red-eye, contrast adjustment, scene modes like backlight, landscape and more.

For landscape or portrait shots, the 8.2-megapixel sensor delivered good amounts of detail and color saturation on its images. In terms of resolution, the i8 does expectedly well with a resolution reading of 12 on both the horizontal and vertical axis on our ISO Resolution Chart.

Besides being able to shoot MPEG-4 videos at 800 x 592 resolution, the i8 is also touted as portable media player, allowing you to watch MPEG, AVI, MOV, WMV and ASF files right on the LCD, with MP3 playback to boot. The only setback users might face is the need to encode videos using the bundled Samsung software and in turn copying them over to the i8. The built-in 190MB of internal memory might be enough for occasional snapshots, but our recommendation is to stick with the removable SD media for your multimedia files.

Concluding Thoughts

At a very affordable and attractive price of S$389, the Samsung i8 is a fun camera that has enough shooting power and special features to make it a useful tool for camera amateurs and buyers on a budget alike. In short, the i8 manages to produce relatively impressive digital snapshots, marrying both quality and affordability under one device for the consumer's photography and multimedia needs and wants.

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