
Showing posts with label baby audio monitor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label baby audio monitor. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Jet Black VG Laurel DSLR Camera Carrying Bag with Removable Shoulder Strap for Leica V-Lux 4 Digita

Wednesday, August 6, 2014
Fujifilm FinePix AX300 14 MP Digital Camera with Fujinon 5x Wide Angle Optical Zoom Lens (Black)

This is a great point & shoot, take it and go cameraI bought this to replace my circa 2003 Fuji A310. I got this to use for documenting project sites for my job. I used it for one project so far and it did a decent job. I've been taking pictures in 3 megapixel mode, as this is really all the resolution I need. The photos look good for the most part. Only a few blurry shots out of about 100 total.
Pros:
I prefer the AA batteries over a rechargeable battery. I'm often out in the middle of nowhere taking photos for work. So, if I run out of batteries, I can always stop in any convenience store and get more AAs.
The battery life is excellent compared to my old A310. The A310 would shut down when the batteries were only half used up. I put the 'spent' batteries from the A310 in the AX300 and got over 100 flash photos out of them.
I like the automatic switching from automatic mode to macro mode. I do a lot of alternating between wide shots and macro shots, and the automatic switching is easier than switching manually.
Cons:
I may just need to shut one of the settings off, but on a few shots the face recognition software kicked in when there were no faces in the shot. This messed the photo up.
The camera has locked up on me once. Opening and closing the battery compartment re-set it, but this will be annoying if it happens frequently. The range finder also seemed to stop working once, but worked again after re-setting.
Update: I haven't had any issues with the camera locking up since the initial use. I have also bought a second camera of the same model (one for home, one for work) and have had no issues with it.
Doesn't include any memory, so make sure you purchase a SD card for it. They used to at least give you a minimum sized memory card when you bought a new camera, but not anymore I guess.
It doesn't have a viewfinder, which is handy on days with very bright sunlight.
When you connect this to a computer via the USB cable it doesn't show up as a disk drive. You have to use the camera wizard to get the photos off of it. This may be a software issue and I'll see if I can find a work around.This is a decently priced point-and-shoot camera that takes good pictures with decent lighting (where you can get above 1/60th shutter speed on auto). The 14MP is a bit of an overkill for most users, but it is certainly nice to have that resolution. As others have stated, it does feel a bit "cheap" because of the plastic casing, but functionality-wise, it works well. The only con about the about the camera so far is it doesn't perform too well in low lighting situations compared to other cameras for both photos and video. Images come out a bit more muddy than other cameras in low light which is a bit noticeable when you compare it side by side with a picture from another camera. The image stabilizer doesn't really add much to those photos either so don't expect anything amazing with that functionality. The 720p video is decent and good for use if you want to take a last minute video of something. If you're going to be recording video for an extended amount of time, be sure to grab a larger SD card as with a 4 GB card you can get around 10 minutes of video. The interface is about 95% digital menus so expect to refer to the manual for specific functions, but it's not difficult to navigate for simple shoot modes.
Overall, I found this camera OK. It won't knock your socks off or anything (that's why I only gave it 4 stars), but it certainly works well and will get the job done.I recently bought a Fuji AX300 digital camera here. The camera has a 5X optical zoom which is decent for a small camera. This is my 2nd one of these small Fuji cameras and overall, it's a pretty decent digital camera when it comes to a basic point & shoot type.
It's easy to use once you figure it out, has a decent 5X optical zoom, macro zoom that works pretty good and fairly good picture quality. Videos on this camera is not as good as the voices gets "choppy" and garbled, even at lower volume levels. So, I would not use this for a video uses, unless you're outside at a sporting event where sound is not too critical, then it's fine for that. Video quality is good however.
Picture quality is fine in sunny weather, tho the pictures can get all sun-washed and in darker low-light weather, the pictures are poor quality. If you take indoor pics with the flash, the pictures will turn out okay. Outdoor pics under partly cloudy conditions produces good photos with this camera. There are some manual settings on this camera also.
Not too much I hate about this camera, except for the garbled voices I periodically get on the video mode, but that's no biggie for me. It uses 2 AA batteries and battery life with this camera is not as good as other cameras I have had, but luckily it uses easy to find AA batteries.
So to sum it up in a few words....yes, I would recommend the Fuji Finepix AX-300 digital camera for general photography, scenic photography and family indoor or outdoor photos.at first i was worried at how light camera felt out of the box almost like toy as another reviewer mentioned. However the pictures that this camera takes is great, straight forward, I am particularly happy with the fact that it has an option to take black and white pictures which I personally like for those vintage type shots i like to take. My only disappointment is that the camera does not contain a rechargeable battery other than that I am contented with my purchase.
Friday, May 16, 2014
Nikon D7100 Digital SLR Camera Body with 18-200mm Lens + 64GB Card + Battery & Charger + Case +

Friday, March 14, 2014
Cam Caddie Starter Kit

Buy Cam Caddie Starter Kit Now
Product is made from plastic as other have mentioned. It is not designed to do much else other than what is illustrated in the promotional videos located at the manufacturers website, so watch those first before you buy. Best for low angle hand held shots and that's about it.Read Best Reviews of Cam Caddie Starter Kit Here
This is a well made caddie. Works well for stability and low angle shots. Putting this on a scale system should prove very useful.My only complaint is the shipping packaging. The caddie is shipped on flat cardboard with a small built in box for the accessories. This box is very poorly made, and allows the wing accessory to tear through the box and fall out. My first shipment had no wing, so I called Amazon, who sent a replacement. That package also lacked the wing, which had torn through the box. In both cases, it was clear that the wing had fallen out before it packaged for shipment to me. Amazon suspended shipment to investigate the problem, and refunded me the cost of the wing. I bought the wing separately.
I recommend this system, especially if you need to mount a recorder, lights or a monitor on your rig, and you don't want to spend a fortune.
Finally, the rig is a bit flexible, which bugged me at first. But it actually seems to help smooth out the shake, which in turn makes shake correction work better in post.This product is great, the only thing is that when I try to attach my LED light the wholes are big enough to insert the LED light. Its durable and I use this almost every week. Its a bit pricey but it is a good product
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Optoma EH1020, 1080P, 3000 lumen, High Definition, DLP Portable Projector

I returned mine after 8 hours of irritating use... much better video projectors out there for about the same price.I was somewhat hesitant to purchase after reading some reviews about not being able to obtain 1080P resolution with video media. Found this not to be the cse if you use the HDMI input. So far I have used the Optoma EH1020 for office presentations, off site business meeting, home big screen and at reunions. This product continues to outshine the rest. Great size and optics. The inherent 15 degree angle projection design precludes having to place objects under the front of the projector to raise the image. Controls are user friendly (wish they had left the brightness level on low from the factory)and the laser pointer built into the remote is very handy. A decent internal audio system (mono) is also a plus.Optoma EH1020, 1080P, 3000 lumen, High Definition, DLP Portable Projector
Buy Optoma EH1020, 1080P, 3000 lumen, High Definition, DLP Portable Projector Now
I purchased this for a moderately size conference for both power point type presentations, and DVD presentations, and we also have cable TV analog and digital hooked up to it via HDMI. We also have ambient light in the room, so I was a bit concerned about the brightness. What I can say is:I am really pleased with the brightness of the projector. I can see any image with the lights on and shades open and it is still about on halfway brightness setting.
HDMI input is a must... the quality you get is uncompromising for video and digital inputs.
You have to use VGA connections for a PC, and not SVGA, because the quality different is great. VGA on this is crystal clear.... SVGA...you get a big decrease in quality, but it is not the projector's fault. SVGA by definition produces lower quality.
Very please with this project and recommended it for both data and video applications.
Read Best Reviews of Optoma EH1020, 1080P, 3000 lumen, High Definition, DLP Portable Projector Here
Wonderful projector, 1080p, 3000 lumen, nice colors. For presentations it is great. Besides the image quality it is fairly small and easy to use. Even for movies, but obviously not better than a home theater projector.Want Optoma EH1020, 1080P, 3000 lumen, High Definition, DLP Portable Projector Discount?
My only regret is that I didn't wait to get a 3d projector, but for 2d, this produces a very bright, crisp image that easily fills a 200 ft screen. Some subtle colors and gradients come across as a bit harsh and not very smooth, so this isn't movie-theater quality, but it's darn near close enough for home projection. I use this to project from a home built PC with full Blu-Ray capacity, and have never used it with any other media devices.Thursday, November 28, 2013
Pentax Optio A30 10MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom with Shake Reduction System

Then, after about a week the camera starting getting these bright purple streaks through the pictures, from the glare of light. Even with a flash the photos were so bad you couldn't even make out what you were shooting. This is my 4th Pentax digital camera and the first bad one. What's worse is that, I sent it to Pentax for repair and a month later got back the same bad camera, but without my battery. They were real nice about offering to send me my battery, but that doesn't help me since the camera isn't worth using.
Where ever there is the slightest natural light coming through a window, the camera picks up a purple glare, that is in the photograph. It's also in the movies. When I sent it in for repair I sent print outs of the pictures so they could see how bad it was. I had to call and beg to get my camera back, they promised it would only take 15 days. But they received it a week before they even logged the camera in for repair, then put it in a line (ups tracking information shows when it was signed for on the dock). When I called two weeks later they pulled it from a place in line, and finally started to work on it.
They sent it to me 2nd day, but without the battery. I used the battery from my A10, only to find that the purple glare is still there. It's not as bad as it was, but still awful. Not just a little... a lot. Previously I owned the z550, the z750 and the A10, All those were wonderful, hence my willingness to purchase the new A30 and comfort in giving away the A10 right away.
Now they want me to return the camera to repair so that they can try to repair it again. It's already been nearly 3 months since I purchased this camera, 3 months less warranty on a lemon of a camera. I asked to have a new camera sent to me and I'd return this one, but they wouldn't do that; so I called corporate offices.
What a difference in attitude! They said they'd send me out a new camera 2nd day and issue a call tag so I can return this entire camera kit. They were so nice. So, if you have a problem and repair can't or won't take care of it for you, so right to the top... it's worth the trouble.
The new camera is great, what I hoped for when I first purchased it. Since having this awful problem, I have noticed a slight purple cast on some of my other photos with other cameras, that I never noticed before... it's so slight. Not anything like I had with this A30, where the whole photo was purple and you couldn't even see what you were trying to shoot. The replacement camera is fine and takes beautiful photos. I'm concerned as to why it did get so awful and afraid it will come back, but so far it's been wonderful. I carry it with me all the time. The movies it takes are the best I've ever taken with a still camera. They are actually very good. I hardly use my Mini DV movie camera anymore. All in all, I really like this camera and there is no other camera with the same features for close to this price. If it stays as good as it is now, I'll be extremely happy.
BTW, Amazon was great. When I couldn't get ahold of Pentax and it had been slightly over the 30 day return date, Amazon still was willing to take the camera back and give me a refund. But I couldn't find another camera that was this small and light that uses the new SDHC cards. So thanks Amazon, for the wonderful service!After my 1.5 yr old HP M415 bit the dust, I was in the market for a new camera. I finally decided on the Pentax A30 and I love this camera. I've had it for 5 days and we've been playing with it and taken over 300 pictures. The color is great, resolution is really nice. I've taken landscape and "sport" shots. The sport function allowed the camera to focus on a tree taking the picture out the side car window at 55 mph. I've taken macro and supermacro shots of the pets, flowers, sidewalk, brick... I tried out the 'text' feature with a recipe in a magazine in the Dr's office... all in all, I could spend a whole lot of time playing and taking pictures. This is a really great camera for the $$ Oh, and the 'anti-shake' function is really nice for my shakey hands.
Buy Pentax Optio A30 10MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom with Shake Reduction System Now
I was impressed by the Optio A30's color accuracy, ease of use, extensive manual options, and small size. The pictures are free of the aggressive noise reduction I've seen in many compact 10MP cameras. However, the Optio A30 has some downsides, some of which I have not yet seen mentioned in reviews, but are evident in the sample pictures I have taken myself and in pictures in posted reviews.The battery life leaves much to be desired. Reducing the LCD brightness to its lowest level seems have given me a couple dozen more shots, but I have yet to get more than 200 per charge. The quality of the optics also left me a little disappointed. While the Optio A30 has a wonderful shake reduction feature, this camera suffers from problems with the compact optics which plague many other compact cameras. At the wide end there is significant vignetting (dark areas in the corners). Also at the wide end, pictures are very blurry near the outer 15% of the photo (much more severe than I can remember seeing in other compact cameras). This is particularly noticable in landscape photos. The blurriness does not occur at full telephoto. I've seen these defects in both my own photos as well as those in reviews, so be aware that your camera will likely have these problems. How much it will bother you is anyone's guess.
The Optio A30 is a decent choice for anyone looking for a compact 10MP camera. The camera has some great features, but some unfortunate setbacks keep me from recommending this camera to anyone who is serious about photography.Going on a day trip, sunday drive, vacation just around the block HEY got your camera? YOU CAN ALWAYS be ready with this little Pentax! I don't leave home without it! Loads of features BUT sometimes depending on lighting conditions has a hard time focusing.... Im sure many small compact camera do. BUT 10MP max res and all the other goodies make up for it ANOTHER DISAPPOINTING NOTEDIVIX format for video is not supported on MAC I get video playback with NO SOUND. Terrible when video is kids or vacation! If camera was waterproof it would be even better! Build quality is very good! Not too small to hold. Black shell feels solid and professional.
Want Pentax Optio A30 10MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom with Shake Reduction System Discount?
Bought this camera with the movie in mind. I knew it would take very good pictures and 10 megapixel come in handy when you have to crop, zoom etc.Best part for me was the fact that it records movie in the DivX format. I can record a 90 minute movie on the 2GB SD card (about 15 bucks!!) then, quickly and easily trasferred the movie to my laptop. Burned a DVD on my lap top, and I was blown away by the quality of the movie that this camera takes.
DivX format play in lot of DVD players. However, if you have an older DVD player, it might not work.
Obviously it does not have all the bells and whistles of the video camera, but boy it takes great movies, with sound and all.
Bottom line, I am retiring my video camera.
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Nikon COOLPIX P310 16.1 MP CMOS Digital Camera with 4.2x Zoom NIKKOR Glass Lens and Full HD 1080p V

I don't own and never used the Nikon p300, so I can't tell if the p310 worth the extra 70$ but am going to mention the added features to the p310 and you decide for yourself :
16.1 megapixels instead of 12.2. Some might say it will produce more noise, but in my case I didn't face any issues with the 16 megapixels, no noticeable noise at all. And with some added features such as noise control of 3 different levels (which is also not available in the P300), then I don't think you should be concerned at all trust me.
fn button (This is customizable, allowing you to assign a frequently used camera setting to it rather than having to dig through the camera menus.) I use it to give me access to ISO settings.
Vibration Reduction V2 (which is an enhanced version of the one available on p300) so far I didn't get any blurry pictures even when am driving a car.
one more mode has been added to the dial on top (which is `U' mode, you can for example go to manual settings and adjust the shooting mode, aperture, shutter speed, etc and save them to the user mode for next use) It allows you to save only one preset, but you can always reset of course.
Manual focus (yes the p310 has manual focus, p300 doesn't) You can also use the manual focus during video recording.
ISO range (instead of 160 to 3200 in the p300, now it's 100 to 6400)
3D mode (this feature has been added to the "scenes mode" it allow you take 2 pictures from two different angels and then the camera will produce a 3D photo that is viewable on 3D TVs.
That's all I guess
The camera is really nice and takes sharp and crisp pictures, as you know most of the cameras take good photos in day light. However, the real challenge is when shooting in low light and when it comes to low light this camera is SICK!! I took some pictures in extremely dark places and the camera never let me down. I took some photos at night with ISO 1000+ and still no noticeable noise!
A small hint: never use `auto mode' when shooting at night, use either "landscape mode" if you want to shoot buildings, etc or "night portrait" scene if you want to shoot people at night with background (requires flash) or Aperture priority and of course there's always a manual mode.
To my experience so far, the best mode for night shots is "Night Landscape". When you choose it you'll be provided with two options:
1Handheld: In this scenario the camera will take 5 consecutive shots very quickly in just 1 second, actually you will hear the sound of the lens taking five shots. The output is nice but a little darker with no noticeable noise.
2Tripod: This is the second option and when you choose it the camera will first set the vibration reduction to off, and then it will increase the shutter speed to around 2 or 3 seconds I guess, depending on the situation. The output is tremendous. So when using a tripod with this mode YOU WILL NEVER miss a shot at night believe me.
Cons: I gave this camera 5 star because the Cons are not a deal breaker for me. So here we go:
1At first, it might be hard for you to hold the camera, turn it on, etc because the buttons are so close to each other. However, one day is enough for you to adapt.
2Zooming while recording video is EXTREMELY slow. I usually don't zoom while recording so it's not a big deal for me but it might be for others.
3Still no RAW like its predecessor.(probably all of you already know that)
4Charging cable like others mentioned is not a standard USB cable.
Hint: you can go to ebay and buy a wall charger with two extra batteries for 14 bucks.
Generally, for under 400$ this camera is a winner in its class, if you're willing to spend over 400$ you can look for the Canon S100 or Olympus XZ-1. (I've checked them both) The Olympus has some focusing issues + video quality is terrible, the S100 has a common lens error + the flash will pop up automatically and it's located exactly where you put your left finger, so I ended up buying the P310)
In conclusion, I've dealt with many P&S cameras and all I can say is that this Camera is meant for..well, like the title says "Photography in the Dark"I'm a professional photographer and I started getting tired of bringing my DSRL on vacations and out and about so I really wanted an Advanced point & shoot to take over the role of my DSLR on occasions where I just wanted to slip something in my pocket. I originally bought the Fujifilm F505 EXR because it was cheap on Amazon, $149. It had full Manual controls, Aperture and Shutter priority, everything you would expect. The only problem was the pictures were terrible. Smudging of fine detail, no sharpness, focal points were inconsistent, useless ISO, the pictures were just unusable and un-savable even in Aperture 3 or Photoshop.
So, fast forward, I sold it and looked for a replacement. After about a month of research I ended up having to choose between the Canon S100 and the Nikon Coolpix P310. I went back and forth and read reviews on how the S100 set the benchmark for all advanced point and shoot cameras and how great it was. It is about $140 more than the P310, which I was willing to spend IF, IF the pictures were far superior to the P310.
So I went to a camera store and tried out both of them. As far as how each of them are to use, well I shoot Nikon and after using the Canon and the Nikon I know why I shoot with Nikon. The P310 is simply the most thought out Point and Shoot I've ever used. Nothing is buried in menu's, everything is one touch or a dial. The LCD was much nicer, and sharper. The P310 has a "User Mode" found on Nikon's DSLR's where you can preset your own settings and quickly switch to it. One touch video recording button. It powers on instantly, the auto focus was much faster and more accurate than the S100. Over all it just felt better and I was able to change settings much faster than the Canon. Just like Nikon's DSLR's you can adjust sharpness and other things in it's familiar menu system.
So, on to the quality of the pictures. I went on Flickr and spent hours going back and forth between people's photo's who shot with the S100 and the P310. I found over all that the S100 photo's were about 10% better than the P310. But again, these were people that may or may not have known how to fully use their camera ect...
So, I ordered the P310 because I thought for the price and it's functionality it was the best deal and the quality of photo's it produced from what I saw online was better than I expected and read from reviews and was far superior to my old Fujifilm I got rid of.
Just got the camera an hour ago and tried it out. Did some indoor shots to try out the f/1.8 and higher ISOs, did some outdoor shots to see how well it exposed photo's and handled chromatic aberrations and how well it contained detail and sharpness, and I tried out some macro shots. My first impressions. Wow. Remember I'm a photographer so I'm used to working with photo's from a DSRL all day and I see all my photo's on a 27'' iMac so photo's are blown up huge and detail, sharpness, smudging noise are all much more present than most people with 17 and 19 inch monitors.
First off, sharpness. on a scale of 1-10 most of these are a 10, some darker ons are a 9 which can be bumped to a 10 in Aperture or Lightroom.
Exposure, I havent really seen anything yet that was way over or way under exposed. Clouds looked great and even a few things that looked over exposed were savable in Aperture.
Noise. Virtually no noticeable noise up to ISO 400, minimal noise at ISO 800, that was as high as I went as the camera lets in a ton of light as it is.
Detail smudging, the image processing contained detail extremely well especially in grass, leaves on tress, textures.
I wish I had bought this camera first. The photo's are brilliant for a point and shoot and quality wise are on par with my first DSLR ever the D3000. These photo's are far superior to what a regular point and shoot camera will produce. The low light lens will basically let you shoot in any kind of light and you will probably never have to use the flash. The Macro mode blew me away. You can literally get with in a few millimeters of a bug or flower and get an amazingly sharp photo with a great blurred background which is impressive seeing as the image sensor in the camera is so small.
Bottom line, if you're on the fence about getting this camera and it's at your price point, you won't find a sexier, easier to use camera that produces this kind of quality photos. If you've ever shot with a Nikon you'll feel right at home with the menus and new function button.
I can finally leave me DSLR at home now!
Update: this camera is blowing me away with the picture quality. Don't waste your money on the S100. This camera will be relevant for years and years to come.
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Update: My review on the new P330. In a nut shell, don't buy it, get the P310:
I wrote a review Praising Nikon's P310, And I suggest to anyone looking for an advanced point and shoot to save their money and buy that model. Everything from fit/finish to functionality to image quality the P310 excels over the P330, and that is sad considering what Nikon did with the P330. The P330 has GPS, larger image sensor all kinds of bells and whistles but the bottom line is I sent it back and I'm keeping my P310.
The Nikon P330 compared to the P310.
The P330 feels cheap. The on/off switch takes at least 2-3 times to turn the camera on, it's as if you have to push it harder than you could possibly image for it to recognize you've turned it on. The new thumb dial has a different texture compared to the P310. Your thumb slides off more easily when rotating it especially around 11:00. In the menu system either clicking the dial up or down or rotating it to scroll through menus requires 2 clicks or two clicks of the dial to move only 1 position. This makes it feel as though it isn't recognizing what you're doing or makes it feel laggy, the P310 is not like this. The new shutter dial is flimsy and cheap and feels like it's going to break off when you're adjusting shutter speed.
The P330 Image quality. In the perfect settings the P330 did appear to have slightly better images than the P310, but that was circumstances you won't be using it in. Using the same ISO, Shutter Speed and Aperture the P310 at ISO 100, f/5.0 and 1/500sec produced bright clear noise free shots outdoors. The P330 with the same settings produced a back image. I had to turn the shutter speed all the way down to 1/60sec in order to get the same exposure. What does this mean? Well at 1/60sec moving objects like cars or people become more blurrier. From all the shots I did I concluded the P330 needs to have 3x a lower shutter speed than the P310. I've never gotten a blurry shot with the P310 in light or dark situations. When testing the P330 over and over and over I had blurry shots. Also the auto focus on the P330 on live view is jittery and moving subjects such as people or cars can't be distinguished sharply because it jerks around like the auto focus has a problem, the P310 was not like this.
Overall I rate this camera 1 Star and I would give it zero If I could. At $379 it's a terrible waste of money. The P310 is far superior in image quality, functionality and reliability in every single way. If you want Nikon and you want an advanced point and shoot, get the P310, you won't be sorry. I'm just happy I didn't sell mine.I would give the camera 4.5 stars if I could. After owning it for a few weeks, the camera does a great job, especially (as others have noted) in low-light situations. The video is also very sharp for such a small camera. My only complaint is that some of the periphery pieces of the camera seem quite flimsy especially the battery door (I think this was also a complaint in prior P300 models). I haven't had any problems yet, but seems like there could be down the road as the door hinge particularly seems very thin.
The picture speed is excellent, and the auto mode does a good job adapting to a variety of shot scenarios for those who prefer to just use auto. It is nicely lightweight, and the giant screen is sharp and easy to see, even for older people borrowing the camera. The menus are also straightforward to navigate. My mother has a touch-screen model coolpix and actually hates the touchscreen (it rarely recognizes her touch since she has cold hands) so she preferred the P310 setup where you use buttons to scroll through the menus.
The battery charge setup is a bit odd since you charge via USB on a proprietary camera cord (so the batter charges within the camera), but if this bothers you, you can buy a wall charger in the fairly inexpensive accessory package.
On the whole, so far it has been a great camera! You can't have it all in a point and shoot, and I'm willing to trade the excellent photo/video performance for rather cheap-looking battery/memory card doors.Edit 5/2013:
P330 is now released and now you can find P310 at less than half price ($160-180) of P330. This makes P310 king for price/performance compared to other cameras in the price range.
Also, I'll add, I've dropped this camera about 4 times now onto a hard surface so it's got some dings and battle scars... but it keeps on working fine! (this is when I'm glad I don't have a $650 Sony RX100) One of the tabs that keeps the battery door closed chipped off so while it closes, it's easier for the door to spring open. I don't recommend you drop your camera ;-)
Edit 10/2012:
While I love the camera, it really struggles to auto-focus if you zoom during video. Focusing is VERY slow. Reducing to 4-stars... Does anyone have a solution for this? I keep the camera in "P" mode 95% of the time (P works for me).
Here are my priorities when it comes to point & shoots:
1. Price
2. Great low-light ability
3. Pocketability
4. Decent 1080p video
5. Extensive controls (like buttons, dials)
6. Zoom
At the time of this review (9/2012), I've had the camera for about 2.5 months and have taken around 800 shots thus far. [Update 12/2012] I've taken probably nearly 3000 photos and this thing continues to perform well.
1. I got it for mid-200s. That's a great price and the reason why I didn't get the popular Canon S100 as much as I like Canon, which I've had for many models in the past. Also, the S100 was plagued with a faulty-lens mechanism which would render the camera useless with it stuck in error mode permanently. If spending $360-400 for S100, I didn't want to put up with the chance of receiving a bad unit. If I didn't care about price, I would've gotten Sony's new flagship P&S, RX100 but $650, are you kidding me??? [Update 11/2012]: Canon has since released the S110, which is selling for about $400 now.
2. Aside from price, the utmost importance for me for a camera is how well it does in low-light. Sensor technology has come a long way, and mated with optical image stabilization, we're now in the era where we can take natural-looking flash-less photos indoors or outdoors with ambient lighting. P310 can do that. It's really excellent. I can take hand-held photos in the dark that come out brigther than real life. For years and years, taking indoor photos meant automatic use of flash but that is not the case anymore. Now using flash is the exception. Don't expect large-sensor miracles but for its tiny sensor, it suffices for me. I'm really surprised by how well it does in low-light. Where I've seen great results is outdoors taking photos of streets lit by street lamps and light from store signs or lights leaking from store interiors.
The night flash mode works pretty well and this is when you take photos in low-light settings WITH people as subjects (meaning, your subject is Jane and she's what you're focusing on but you'd also like the background to come in nicely) there are 2 modes for this actually. One is the familiar "night" mode (aka slow sync mode) and the icon has a person with a star next to it. The other is the flash icon at the very bottom with 3 small triangles next to the flash symbol this is rear curtain sync flash fires twice while the shutter is open I haven't done a sit-down analysis between the regular slow sync and rear curtain synch but rear curtain sync seems to work very well in evening settings. With these modes, I usually tell people, "don't move until I move" b/c people will usually move right after the flash goes off and create blur due to the slow shutter.
3. P310 is also truly pocketable, as in, you can literally slip it into your jeans pocket. I had the highly rated Panasonic LX5. The problem is that I never took it anywhere b/c it wasn't pocketable. I'm a dude and I don't carry a purse. I need my P&S to slip into my pocket. As the cliche goes, the best camera is the camera you have on you, right?
4. Video. It's a P&S with a small sensor and built in mic. Don't expect cinema-grade miracles. It's good enough. There's optical zoom during video, though I noticed focus is extremely slow, so slow that you wouldn't want to zoom. The stereo mic holes are well placed between the flash and mode dial. I've had a Samsung camera before with horrible mic placement and I'd always end up covering it with my hand during video (result: muffled sound). P310 does not have this problem. Also, the audio attenuation in very loud settings is a bit too much, so much so that it's too muffled and hard to hear what's going on around you. If in normal-volume settings this is not a problem. The audio is also not muted or cut off in the very beginning of the video this matters b/c in very loud settings (i.e. concerts, clubs) you first hear a "pop", then the camera realizes it's too loud and attenuates. But the pop is still there and while you can edit it out later, it's annoying esp if you have many videos you just want to upload. I think these types of cameras should just chop off the first few milliseconds of the video to avoid this problem.
5. As a photo-enthusiast and a DSLR owner, naturally, I like dials and buttons. I really like that these higher-end P&S now all come with PASM and other controls not available prior to say Canon S90 or so. This is great. However in real life use, my P310 stays in program (P) mode most of the time. What I need most are quick access to EV, ISO, and macro mode. EV is pressing right direction on the back dial. You can switch to macro mode by pressing down on the dial. I do this often b/c I tend to take close-up photos of food. If you power off though, the camera does not reset out of macro-mode... you may like this or not. And I've assigned the ISO control to the function (Fn) button on front of the camera. This Fn button is great and it's something missing on P300. It could be placed in a different place for easier access but at least it's there and it's really great. Many claim that P300 with the lesser 12 megapixel count produces better images compared to the 16MP P310 (Nikon did it for marketing purposes, sigh...) but for me, the addition of the Fn button makes all the difference and I'm willing to take the image quality of P310 over P300. Without the Fn button, I'd be forced to dig into the menu just to change ISO. As an aside, the quirk about ISO menu itself though is that it requires 2 button presses before you can change ISO. Press Fn once to enter ISO menu, then with rear dial, you must press right to get into the mode where you can switch ISO. That's really the only complaint. I think the thumbwheel on the top-right of the camera is placed excellently. In manual mode, you're changing shutter with the top thumb-wheel and aperture with the rear dial. I personally like it more than the dial around the lens like S100/S110/RX100 since you don't need two-handed operation with the top thumb-wheel. Plus, the loud clicking dial around the lens on S100/S110 makes it unsuitable to use during video.
6. Zoom this is a P&S, the more zoom it has the better. Photo-purists sometimes knock zoom saying "my zoom is my legs". Yeah yeah. You're in a packed stadium, how do you walk up closer? You're on a train and see the landscape outside. How do you walk up closer? You have a P&S, you need zoom. The longer the better. Actually 4.2x is admirable considering the largest aperture is f1.8 (but then that's also b/c the sensor is small). Will we ever see camera defy optics and get a 30x pocketable camera with a very bright lens? Ha Ha. Canon S100 is slimmer and boasts 5x zoom but then that also comes with a rather dismal f5.9 on the long end. Nikon is f4.9. Can't have it all I guess.
Other things colors are pleasant, not washed out like some other cameras I've had. Metering is accurate most of time. Focus is quick and accurate. Startup time is not spectacular but good enough (disable the startup screen). Many recent cameras have this and I like face detection. When taking pics, a box will appear on the faces when it detects them. This way, you'd be sure that your subject will be in focus. No more accidental mis-focused pics!
There is a much-desired HDR mode, however in my use, I've found it too difficult to use. It's unfortunately buried in the menu (and I've assigned the Fn button already to ISO). The Mode dial does have a "U" (User) setting for custom settings; I tried to see if I could keep that setting on full-time HDR but couldnt' find a way to do so. The HDR images come out with this unnatural color hue and overly bright, and the time it take to combine the multiple shots with different exposures into one seems to take for ever. It's fine if you're just taking one shot but for repeated shots, the waiting time is too impractical.
Also note, the product dimension of 6 x 8 x 8 inches listed in product details is way off. Maybe this is the box size. The actual camera measures 4(w) x 2.5(h) x 1.5(depth, incl the lens protrusion, 0.8 without lens protrusion) inches. Yes, it is slightly but all-around bigger than S100/S110.
Battery life is fine for an evening out. If you're taking a big excursion, it will not last the entire day and video will drain battery fast. It's advised you pick up a couple of extra batteries. You can pick up cheap, aftermarket batteries on Amazon and eb@y. While at it, you may want to pick up a cheap third party charger.
Annoyances:
The camera will not auto-rotate pics. So if you snap in portrait mode, it will not be rotated automatically while reviewing within the camera nor once you download it to your computer and you must rotate manually. That's pretty annoying... why Nikon why???
The camera comes with a proprietary port for charging and you must charge the battery while in the camera. Ugh! That's one more cable to carry. Why can't they all use micro USB!!! If forcing in-camera charging, the port needs to be micro-usb. Otherwise, Nikon needs to provide an external charger (though you can pick up cheap aftermarket ones for less than $4 on eb@y)
There are scene modes galore. The mode dial even has a setting, "SCENE". Once you select scene, you can then change the scenes like Portrait, Landscape, Sports, Night portrait, Party/indoor, Beach, Snow, Sunset, etc... (there are tons). Selecting the mode is a bit quirky. You select "SCENE" on the mode dial and then you press the "MENU" button that's tucked to the lower left of the rear thumb dial, and then you scroll through the different scenes. It's cumbersome and should be more of the quick, one-two touch.
Panorama mode offers 180 and 360 degrees only. It should be such that you can stop the panorama at any time during the sweep. Also, the Panorama mode is nested deep down the afformentioned SCENE mode. It would have been nice if Nikon included this mode directly on the mode dial like Sony does. It does align the photos and stitch unlike the S100 (which completely renders the mode useless), so that's big plus.
If you've read it this far, thank you. Finally, I'd like to point out 4 things in general.
1. In my experience, many people do not know that you need to depress the shutter button halfway to pre-focus. Often, mis-focus is due to the person taking the photo pressing the shutter without the half-press first... This forces a 2-step action into one and often this gets introduced to your resulting pics as camera shake or mis-focused subjects. So first, let's always half-press to pre-focus.
2. Most people take photos with arms out, camera held out far in front of them. This is fine for bright settings where the shutter speed is fast. But in dark settings, the lack of bracing the camera often translates into camera shake which produces blurred images. To avoid camera-shake, hold camera with both hands, try bringing both of your elbows as close to your body as possible and remain still until the shutter goes off. If you pre-focus first, then press the shutter while bracing the camera against yourself, you'll find that you can take much better, focused, shake-free photos.
3. Knowing when using flash is useless One time on an airplane descending towards Vegas, I noticed someone snapping away from the window, the evening strip with all the neon razzle dazzle. It really is pretty at night. But that tiny flash won't do anything to light up objects that are miles away (not to mention the reflection of flash against window). Just treat flash as little particles of light coming off of your camera and lighting up a distant object. Will my little flash light up the big building that's 500 ft away? No? Then don't use it. You'll get much better ambient shots anyway. What if you wanted to take a person in front of a buidling that's in the distance? Then use the night flash mode mentioned earlier and the flash will light up the person and the slow shutter will continue to collect light to make the building very ambient looking. Note, if you use slow shutter, you will need to be absolutely still (or use tripod). If I'm taking a pic of someone using slow shutter, I always say "don't move until I move" b/c typically people move as soon as they see the flash fire. Again, keep in mind, the flash fires first and lights up the person, but the shutter is still open after that, continuing to collect light, so the background objects look ambient and nicely lit and not pitch dark.
4. Don't zoom in low-light (if handholding) When you zoom, it makes the aperture smaller, meaning less light can get into your camera over a given time. This means it takes more time for your camera to collect the amount of light needed to produce a nicely exposed shot. And to do that, the shutter stays open longer, which can then translate into blurry photos due to camera shake.
I recommend this camera, especially to those looking for sub-$300 P&S.I bought this camera for the fast F1.8 lens, however, I quickly discovered the AF system can't support it. The AF system does not perform in low light situations... Constant 'red boxes', indicating the camera can't obtain a focus. It defeats the whole purpose of a fast lens! On the other side, when you do get a good shot, the picture quality is top quality.... Clean, sharp and with excellent color and light balance. If you're not concerned with low light photography, this is a winner of a camera! Does anyone know of a compact point and shoot or a compact DLSR that meets my needs???
UPDATE The AF system does not function well in low light when the camera is in 'Auto' mode. The AF system functions well when using 'Night' or 'Dusk / Dawn' modes...
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