Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5V 10.2 MP CMOS 10x Wide-Angle Zoom Digital Camera with Optical Steady Shot I

I'm usually a digital SLR user, but I've been waiting for a camera like this to come out so I have something to put in my pocket. The features that really made me decide to buy this camera were:

1. AVCHD 1080i FULL QUALITY video. Check the bitrate -it's the same as the camcorders. Better than the flip or handheld 'HD' bitrates

2. Wide Picture Stitching. I am astounded by the quality of these pictures. Dumbfounded. Check out the ones I've posted.

3. GPS Tagging. Yepbeen waiting for this since iPhoto introduced the feature into its software.

4. Low-light performance. For a point-and-shoot, you're not going to beat this. Sure, it's no DSLR, but it's pretty great for the price.

5. Pricea zillion features and a totally reasonable price!!!

Mac Compatibility:

I tried out the camera with iMovie, and it worked seamlessly!!! I imported 2 minutes of low-light video footage AVCHD in about 30 seconds from an SDHC Class-6 card. Also used the camera with iPhoto and Aperture, and everything worked great.

Update: I've had time to play around with the different settings -you can see some of my results in the customer uploaded images. The panoramas today came out great! I am still awed by this feature (amazon's tiny photos don't do it justice). Shooting inside in the MOMA was excellent. Outside, I tried the HDR mode, with limited success (still need to experiment, but see what I got). The handheld twilight mode does what it is supposed to, impressively.

*****Pros: Clear, Crisp pictures & movies. Sound is accurate. HD is excellent. Auto mode allows an average user to take excellent pictures in all but very difficult conditions. Software converts AVCHD to data, standard and WMV formats.

*****Cons: Have to remove battery from camera to recharge it. Camera has no AC adapter.

**Summary: Highlights:

* Sonys smallest and thinnest AVCHD capable digital camera (1080i)

* 10x (25mm equivalent) professional-quality optical zoom G-Lens (same lens as professional DSLR)

* 10.2 megapixel back-illuminated ?Exmor R? CMOS image sensor combined with BIONZ image processor

* ISO: Auto/125/200/400/800/1600/3200, Panorama, Anti-Motion & moviesHD (1920 x 1080 pixels),

* High Speed Shooting ? 10 frames per second at 10 megapixel full resolution

* 3-inch (230K pixels) Clear Photo LCD display with a special anti-reflective coating

* Backlight Correction HDR and GPS + Compass and Optical Steady Shot with Active Mode technologies

*****Comparison Prior to purchase:

Review Data: I reviewed over 50 web sites, spoke to camera stores and had the specifications reviewed by photographic professionals.

*WEB Site Reviews: The web sites I reviewed gave mixed reviews but in general this camera came out one of the best point and shoot cameras. In fact many of the complaints I read were by people comparing the camera with high end SLR?s or DSLR?s clearly not an unbiased or practical test, in my opinion a device should be compared with products in the same class to be fair.

*Store and Professional Reviews:I spoke to most of the major and many other camera stores that carried various brands that were familiar with this camera all of them stated they did not have a point and shoot better than this camera. Some stated the camera was as good as some SLR?s and some pointed out the lens and the CMOS image sensor was the same as that found on high end DSLRs.

My Test Results:

*****Indoor Camera mode: Camera tested in the Auto mode, photographed people and pets ? Tested under natural light, incandescent and fluorescent lights all shots were clear and sharp. Camera Tested in a darkened room in Auto mode flash worked picture quality was excellent. Extreme test Camera tested in an almost completely dark room with light seeping through a window blind, picture blurry -camera had trouble adjusting due to streaks of light coming through blind. Repeated test without sunlight comming through blind in the dark camera worked excellent but I had to use "Easy" mode instead of Auto. It pays to try the cameras different modes.

*****Outdoor Camera Mode Camera tested in Auto mode; photographed people and pets pictures were clear and sharp. The camera compensated for my movements, people moving and animal movement even when using zoom at its maximum without a tripod. Photographed a man made waterfall you could actually see the water streaming down the rock. Photographed several high trees all came out straight, even a palm tree. Tested camera at sunset and at night to get the best results you need to learn the cameras mode.

*****Movie Mode: (Inside and Outside)

Photographed people and animals playing inside and outside, a man made waterfall, a television program. Camera adjusted to my movements and gave clear and crisp movies. Sounds were accurate and clear.

*****Viewing:

The camera has a 3 inch LCD display; I had no problem seeing what I photographed even in sunlight.

*****Software:

The camera includes software that allows you to save your pictures as data, WMV, HD and standard mode. All modes worked well.

Conclusion: As far as I am concerned this camera is better than any point and shoot on the market. I agree with a lot of the professionals that stated it was almost as good as a SLR or DSLR when used by the average user. Even in the Auto mode it excelled in many difficult situations both as a fixed camera and movie camera. Due to the camera size you have to be careful not to block the microphone on the top of the camera. If you are a professional photographer this camera is probably not for you though I did talk to one professional photographer that stated they used this camera as a backup at a wedding and the pictures came out as good as their high end cameras in many situations.

*****Cost: I managed to find the camera on sale at for $293.99 when buying 2 accessories @ 15% off.

*****Below are some of the camera specifications to see them all you can go to .

* Optical Zoom : 10x

* Total Zoom : Approximately 20x with Precision Digital Zoom Macro Mode : iAuto(W:Approx.5cm(0.16')

* Drive Mode : Normal / Hi-Speed Burst (High/Mid/Low) / Bracketing

* Shutter Speeds : iAuto(2" 1/1,600) / Program Auto(1" 1/1,600) /Manual(30"-1/1600)

* Aperture : iAuto(F3.5/F8.0(W)) / Program Auto(F3.5/F8.0(W)) / Manual(F3.5/F8.0(W)) (2 Steps with ND Filter)

* ISO : Auto / 125 / 200 / 400 / 800 / 1600 / 3200

* Focal Length (35mm equivalent) : 4.25-42.5mm

* AF Modes : 9 points AF / Center Weighted AF / Spot AF

* Burst Mode : Approx 10 fps at 10.2MP (Maximum 10 shots)

* HD Output : HDMI / Component (1080i)

* Flash Modes : Auto / On / Slow Syncro / Off

* White Balance Mode: Auto / Daylight / Cloudy / Fluorescent / Incandescent / Flash.

* Image Stabilization : Optical

* Imaging Sensor : 1/2.4" (7.59mm) "Exmor R" CMOS Sensor

* Processor : BIONZ?

* LCD Type : 3.0"1 Clear Photo LCD (230K pixels)

* Lens Type : Sony G-Lens (same as DSLR's)

* Scene Mode(s) : High Sensitivity / Twilight / Twilight Portrait / Soft Snap / Landscape / Beach / Snow / Fireworks / Advanced Sports / Gourmet / Pet

Buy Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5V 10.2 MP CMOS 10x Wide-Angle Zoom Digital Camera with Optical Steady Shot I Now

I'm comparing this camera to my most recent camera: Canon SD1000 and Sony TX1. I'm just a casual photographer. The most surprising thing about this camera is the weight. If you've owned some high end Sony or Canon PowerShot cameras then holding this camera doesn't "feel" normal, it's way too light for it's size...but that's a good thing....sort of. They achieve this weight reduction by using plastic for many of the body parts (the SD1000 and TX1 are mostly, if not all metal). The back is definitely plastic, I'm not quite sure about the front. The mode dial (although very welcome) feels cheap.

That's about it for the bad news. The good news is the GPS locks FAST out of the box and the picture quality is very good, on par with 10-12 mega-pixel cameras. The Sony "extra" features such as panorama and 1080 HD video work as advertised and add value to the Sony versus the only current competitor (with GPS and a mega-zoom) the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7 which has not been released yet. You can compare images between the two cameras on the Imaging Resource site as well as some others.

I'm was going to purchase both this camera and the Panasonic to see which one I liked better, however I'm going to be keeping the Sony. I'm very happy with the ease of use, picture quality and the Sony extra features (such as panorama).

For a case, I'm using the Case Logic TBC302. It fits the camera perfectly with barely enough room in the front pocket to hold a spare battery. The Case Logic TBC303 is much larger but not too useful, for example you can't put the battery charger with the camera. It could hold some credit cards or papers, though.

Update: Software

I usually never install the included software because it's so bloated or just not very good to use. However, the Sony PMB (which is on a CDROM or on the internal camera memory when plugged into your computer) is VERY good. Good in that it's not bloated and it just works. You can do everything you expect such as organize and edit your photos or even update/assign GPS data. Also you can download updated GPS data (which helps the camera lock to GPS faster). I would dare say the software is nicer than Picasa or iPhoto due to the speed and built in GPS features. Some other things you can do but I have not tried yet: you can burn a video DVD (either a normal DVD or a AVCHD DVD with 1080i quality, but you need a PS3 or compatible player to watch those).

Update: GPS

I'm happy to report the GPS function works very well. I took a drive while snapping pictures as a test and then examined the recorded locations. The location was being actively updated because it was able to differentiate my position between shots taken seconds apart going about 40 MPH. Very pleased.

Update: Picture Quality

On closer inspection, the picture quality is a bit soft..I wish I could have the camera automatically adjust the sharpening inside the camera (make it more sharp) but this is not a big deal as the PMB software has easy edit controls. You can also manually unsharp after you take the photograph. The low light performance is remarkable, especially the low-light modes that actively combine multiple images (hand-held twilight and back-light HDR modes do this). As long as you're steady and you're not shooting a moving subject you can get some pretty remarkable, low-noise images at night.

Other final comment: when you turn the camera off, there is a slight delay (fraction of a second) before the lens retracts. Not really an issue but just something I'm not used to with my previous cameras and something I just noticed as I'm usually taking quick impromptu photos, on..photo...off. The interface, although totally functional, is not as "refined" as on my Sony TX1 (with touch screen), the LCD resolution is noticeably lower but, again, totally functional.

The mode dial is still bugging me, I feel it's the first thing on this camera that will go...But only time will tell.

Read Best Reviews of Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5V 10.2 MP CMOS 10x Wide-Angle Zoom Digital Camera with Optical Steady Shot I Here

I have been looking for a new P&S for a while and compared the Sony hx5v v. Canon sx210is v. Panasonic zs3 (as a prelude to the zs7). The most important consideration was image quality followed closely by convenience, a well defined menu system, lens quality, fit and finish and pocketability. The Sony and Panny both had a gps function which was not important to me.

The panny zs3 had poor low light performance and no manual controls. Several bona fide review sites stated that the IQ for the zs7 was inferior to the zs3 so I quickly made a decision that the zs7 was not in contention.

For a comparison between the Sony and Canon I spent lunchtime on a couple of days walking around town taking only photos with the Sony on the trip out...and with the Canon on the walk back to my office. With the same drill in the evening to compare low light performance. I accumulated several hundred photos. When taking the photos I would use whatever mode or camera setting was appropriate at the time. Specifically, I did not set the cameras on Auto and just shoot in that mode. I also took a fair amount of video. A couple of days later I loaded all photos and video onto my computer and began viewing and this is where the Sony fell down. The images were very soft. At a small size they looked fine in fact they looked very good. However, with any magnification, the in-camera noise removal processing was evident and very heavy handed. Other review sites stated this, but I had to see it for myself, and even at ISO 125 (the lowest Sony allows) the images were soft. At pixel peeping levels it was very bad. Details were lost and it all looked like plastic. And if the details aren't there, no amount of work in PS or LR will bring them back to life. The evidence of noise at magnification was low, but I'd rather have native noise and remove it with Neat Image than be stuck with an over processed image. Also, there is no manual mode at all...all auto function. There is no iris for f-stop control, so to limit light Sony has chosen to use a neutral density filter and you get only 2 f-stops. Therefore, you get one depth of field for all images. That is almost anti-camera to me.

Sony claims their CMOS sensor is superior to a CCD sensor. That is apparent in the ability to shoot full resolution images for 10 fps bursts, as well as the hand held twilight and anti blur modes. But, to my eye, I don't see any low light benefit of the CMOS over the CCD and image quality did not compare well, though I don't think that had much to do with the sensor as much as Sony's noise algorithm.

The white balance is inconsistent indoors. You can get a custom WB by shooting a white object, but the native AWB will leave you disappointed. Outdoors the colors are warm no problem there. And it is easy to use anti blur mode to get a quick snapshot anytime and have a good result.

I did not give the video an adequate review since the stills were so disappointing. However, the microphones are situated in the exact wrong location. It is difficult to keep from covering one or both of them as you are filming. It is a very poor design. The flash is weak and poorly located it is easy to block with your fingers. The light from the flash falls visibly off-centered in the image.

The Sony has some great technology. The 10 fps burst is great, the hand held twilight and anti blur are clever and practical. The menu system is well designed and intuitive. It is a good point and shoot camera for someone that wants only that without the need for printing beyond 4x6 or only for casual viewing on the computer.

The Sony was returned and the Canon sx210is won out. Far better image quality, it has a manual mode with up to 15 second exposure, very good HD video at 720p and good sound, superior low light performance, better flash power as well as being able to adjust the eV +/for flash photography, better color gamut, the 14x optical on the Canon is nice some vignetting at 14x, but that is fixable in post process. I do wish the Canon had a faster burst mode.

Want Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5V 10.2 MP CMOS 10x Wide-Angle Zoom Digital Camera with Optical Steady Shot I Discount?

I've had the HX5V since I replaced my Canon SD800IS in March, '10 and have been very pleased with what it has to offer. It captures great images but with a caveat. It is not, strictly, a point and shoot. It has features such as the hand-held twilight, anti motion blur and iPanorama that take some knowledge and practice to make the most of. Most of the complaints I have read here relate to a misunderstanding of the camera features and not a failure in design. I'll address some of the the issues and how I have avoided or dealt with them.

Colors: Most compact digital cameras come with auto-ISO and auto white-balance as the defaults. I always over-ride the auto-ISO with the lowest ISO setting and adjust manually from there if needed. Auto WB is left on, but virtually no current camera will decipher the odd mix of light that compact fluorescent lighting puts out. That's why there is a custom WB setting. When custom white-balance is used properly, colors are rendered nicely. In daylight, I have had no problems and under incandescent outdoor lighting it seems to render colors quite well.

Distortion: Most P&S cameras don't start out at 24mm equivalent on the wide end (one of the reasons that I bought the camera). If you are not used to composing using a wider-angle lens, your shots can produce some perspective distortion. Buildings and interiors need to be shot carefully at wide angles to minimize the "leaning walls" effect caused by the exaggerated perspective of wide angle lenses that is often mistaken for lens distortion. The lens itself is remarkably free of distortion at both the wide and long end of the zoom range. BTW, people shot up close with a wide-angle lens will NOT like how they look!

Lack of detail: The HX5V is not a DSLR. Its 10MP files will never support the detail that you can get with a large APS-C sensor. If you are obsessed with detail and like to view your pictures in minute detail at 100% zoom with your nose 12 inches away from your monitor, this is not the camera for you. That said, it will fit in your pocket and produce sharp, detailed images suitable for 8x10 prints or even larger...if used properly. Auto-ISO will automatically boost ISO in low-light conditions. As stated before, this camera is a compact, not a DSLR. Though it does better at ISO 800 than most, it still has a tiny sensor that is susceptible to noise and the accompanying loss of detail from noise reduction processing at higher ISO. In low light, I have used the hand-held twilight function with excellent results. This mode isn't magic and if the camera moves too much during the multiple exposures, it won't do the job. If you choose your subject well and keep the camera steady, the images in this mode can be very impressive. Digital zoom can cause problems at the long end. Since this feature simply takes a smaller center section of the image and blows it up, resolution suffers. I'm happy with the 10x optical zoom and turning off the "digital zoom" option prevents its use and accidental image degradation.

iPanorama doesn't work: Nonsense. It is actually one of the best in-camera panorama solutions out there. Like everything else, there is no free lunch. You have to practice moving the camera steadily and smoothly across the scene and keep in mind that since it is using the video mode to capture the 100 or so image slices, you are limited to a 1080 pixel tall image (unless you trick it and use the vertical mode sideways to get a 1920 tall panorama).

In general, the HX5V will function as a point and shoot camera but to get the most out of its remarkable feature set, you need to take the time to learn the functions and how to best take advantage of what they have to offer. It is not a camera for everyone but it can be a great 24x7, take-anywhere tool with some class-leading features if use it well.

I have posted some images on my share site with examples of low-light, indoor, outdoor, panorama and extremes of the zoom range.

You can find them at: Well I guess you'll have to take my word for it. Whenever I post the link, Amazon moderators strip it out. Since there are no ads at the site I can't imagine they are fearing revenue loss to my humble competition. Look up the images gallery at Digital Photography Review for examples(a wholly owned subsidiary of Amazon). I'd post the link...but it might be removed by a moderator that doesn't know that they own DPReview

You can run a full-screen slide show of the images there as well.

If you want a great compact camera with a load of useful features and are willing to do some of the homework necessary to get the most out of it, the HX5V is an excellent choice. Get one and enjoy it!

Happy shooting!

Dave

3 pack Foscam FI8910W White Wireless/Wired Pan & Tilt IP/Network Camera with 9dbi Antennas

I'm an IT professional, and these were a little confusing to get working at first. You'll need to create an account at a site like dyndns.org to be able to access these from away from home (assuming you don't have static IPs). You create a hostname like amazonuser.homeip.net and tell each camera to point to that and to a specific port number. Each cam can point to the same hostname but must use a different port. Four cams would use, for example, port 80, 81, 82, and 83. I look at the cams with a free android app called tinyCam Monitor. With that, I can see all 4 cam views simultaneously on my cell phone screen. You double-click on a view to see that one full screen, and you can control the cam movement with touch or physical controls on your phone. I've been using 3G, and the video feed/controls sometimes crap out a little bit (black screen or unresponsive controls), but 4G works a lot better from what I've seen. These things have great night vision too. I'd buy more if I had a bigger house.

Ok, so me and my wife have been pondering for a while on buying an IP camera after having a bad experience with som DVR like Lorex. We tried some Dlink Cameras and they worked, but the image was never clear and it was a hassle to get them working with a mac, iphone or ipad, so had to keep around an old Windows based system for those to work.

After reading tons of reviews, and researching what products support our systems, we settled on trying a Foscam pan a tilt camera. We continued to buy the set of 3 cameras with high gain antenas because we have a big house. Well our experience could have not been better, i mean these cameras are GREAT!. They have an excelent video quality to them, the pan and tilt works great and they support 802.11n plus our prefered systems of choice. The only problem at their setup was finding the correct IP since the supplied software for settup is not made by FOSCAM, rather its a shareware (at least for OSX), and i had to log into my router to find the IP, no biggie but not everyone has the knowledge on how to do this task.

I was also able to settup these CAMS to work with my current NAS, a QNAP 219+ wich has a DVR and surveillance station built in tif paired with the correct cameras, well supper happy FOSCAM are 100% upported so now i have an awesome DVR to boot!

Pros: GREAT VIDEO QUALITY , support for Iphone, OSX (MAC), IPAD, any type of browser, and QNAP NAS is a HUGE PLUS!

High gain antenna is also great but to be honest the supplied normal antenna is great as well!

Easy configuration software

Cons: Supplied software, i have seen a few reset themselves but in 2 minutes they are up and running.

Not much on how to setup the cams

IOS software is not made by FOSCAM there are some freeware, but a $5 purchase in App store works awesome!

Not sure on audio..

FInal Word: Awesome cam, great deal on amazon, would buy them again, in fact thinking on buying another set soon.

Buy 3 pack Foscam FI8910W White Wireless/Wired Pan & Tilt IP/Network Camera with 9dbi Antennas Now

I originally gave this a 4 star review but have to downgrade to 1 star. After only a few months 2 of the 6 cameras stopped working. On one the infrared no longer works, on the other the camera won't power on. Nobody returned our phone calls, but we did get one email response (after sending about 5 emails) telling us that we need to flash a light in front of one camera and replace the power cord on the other. Did flashing a light work? No. Did they send us a replacement power cord? No. Did they respond to repeated emails from me telling them that these solutions were not helpful? No.

Read Best Reviews of 3 pack Foscam FI8910W White Wireless/Wired Pan & Tilt IP/Network Camera with 9dbi Antennas Here

I had a problem following the direction and called the service number. I had spoken to Harry Foster who was very helpful and very patient and was able to set up all 3 cameras pretty fast and to my outmost satisfaction. I was extremply happy with the service I got from Harry. Highly recommand him. He deserve a raise!!!!!! Please clone him!

Want 3 pack Foscam FI8910W White Wireless/Wired Pan & Tilt IP/Network Camera with 9dbi Antennas Discount?

I can't say enough good things about these cameras. It was easy to set them up for my wireless network using the built in web server. I had all three cameras setup in under and hour. Installation with their brackets to the ceiling took only about another 45 minutes. Installation time all around was very reasonable.

The picture quality is acceptable, but it is only a .3 MP camera, so it's not spectacular. Fortunately, It's enough for my to check on my home and my pets. The IR night vision is also very useful and works great. I'm using the cameras with TinyCam Monitor Pro (for Android), which has made monitoring extremely easy and flexible on my phone. There are a number of apps out there, but TinyCam seems to be one of the better options for now. I'm able to use port forwarding too, so I can monitor the cameras on the local wifi network or when I'm away from home.

The 9 db antennae seem to be working well, although I don't know if I needed them or not. It doesn't cost much more for the 9 db antennae, so it's worth the extra cost.

My only complaint is that the base of the camera rotates too easily when attached to the mount. Lock washers from your local hardware store fix this problem (should be

Sony DPF-D810 8-Inch SVGA LCD (4:3) Digital Photo Frame -Black

The main reason I decided to buy a digital photo frame is because printing out photos from my Sony DSC-H5 on an Epson PictureMate to share with the family got pretty tiresome. Sure, the prints looked good, but printing them took a long time, they cost about 35 cents apiece and some of the older relatives couldn't see them very well. I figured a digital photo frame would improve the whole process. My requirements were simple: the frame must have very high resolution, be small and lightweight (for packing in a carry-on suitcase), and accept images via a Memory Stick and also via a standard USB interface (which many, I found, do not).

The Sony DPF-D810 meets all of my requirements with flying colors. The 800-by-600-pixel 8-inch-diagonal display is clear, crisp, bright and saturated. Photos display instantly, either singly, until you manually advance them, or in a slideshow with your choice of 10 time intervals from three seconds to 24 hours and with your choice of six transition effects. You can show the full image or crop it to fit the screen. If the aspect ratio of the picture is wider than 4:3, thin black bars appear at the top and bottom of the screen--the image itself is undistorted. You can display image information such as the time and date taken, camera type, shutter speed and aperture, EV compensation and more. The unit will show photos directly from an SD memory card, Memory Stick Duo or USB flash drive, or you can copy them to the internal memory, which holds about 150 high-resolution images. A mini-USB connector lets you transfer photos directly from your computer. You can choose from 14 different full-screen clock and calendar displays, or integrate a clock and/or calendar with six of the 10 different slideshow display options. Thus you can place this frame on a desk or mantel and run it all the time as a useful item of room decor. You can even choose whether or not to display the bright "Sony" logo on the lower part of the frame. All in all, this is a very impressive device that should satisfy the most demanding user. Plus, it is small (roughly 9 inches by 7 inches by 1 inch) and lightweight (less than 1-1/2 pounds, including the AC transformer and the remote control).

Speaking of which, the remote control is a great bonus. When I first set up the DPF-D810, I found it difficult to see the on-screen menus while manipulating tiny buttons with minuscule labels on the back of the unit. Then I used the remote. What a difference! You can access all of the frame's well-designed and logically arranged setup and functional menus with ease. Not all frames in this price category offer remotes. I didn't care about it when I selected this frame, but now I wouldn't be without it.

Even though I wanted a digital photo frame for just one simple purpose, I was pleased to find that this one far exceeded my expectations and offered much more than I needed for a reasonable price. If you're considering taking the next logical evolutionary step in digital photography by displaying your pictures on a photo frame rather than printing them, I highly recommend you consider the Sony DPF-D810.

I'm the one in the family...and extended family...that does the shopping for electronics/digital products. You know me, many of you have that guy in your own families or group of friends.

When I decided to buy digital frames for my parents and my wife for this Christmas, I did a lot of research and looked at a lot of digital frames. I read a lot of reviews as well and compared many of the features available. Here's what I liked about the Sony DPF-D810 8-inch SVGA Frame:

Simply to use, yet has advanced features that you don't get in this price range

Sturdy, well thought-out design (even the remote is sturdy...many have flimsy remotes that are useless)

4:3 format...standard photo size, so it doesn't undesirably crop your precious photos

Allows the use of all standard memory cards to include USB thumb drives -great for anyone that might be technically challenged

It's not a knock-off brand and was obviously well tested..I didn't have to wonder how long it would reliably work

It's not the biggest frame on the market...it's not the most expensive (by far)

It is a great buy for $79!

Buy Sony DPF-D810 8-Inch SVGA LCD (4:3) Digital Photo Frame -Black Now

I just loaded this frame up with pictures of the kids for grandma, and can say that this frame is a much better choice for the price than other brands.

I really wanted to offer a contrast to the only review (so far) for this product, since I had a far different experience.

There are many menu options to customize the viewing experience, including a setting to change the delay between pictures from 3 seconds to 24 hours. There are also nine different types of slideshows, plus a random mix of those types available.

Also in the menu options is a Shuffle option to randomize the order of your pictures.

I chose to resize the photos to match the display resolution of the frame (800X480). This dropped the size from 2+ mb per picture to around 50 kb per picture, and they are virtually indistinguishable from a regular viewing distance. At the moment, there are 500+ pictures in the internal memory, with more than half of the room left.

The picture quality is great especially compared to other brands in this price range.

Read Best Reviews of Sony DPF-D810 8-Inch SVGA LCD (4:3) Digital Photo Frame -Black Here

Bought this due to Sony's quality in imaging space and 10-in diagonal screen. After loading photos, am amazed at how great the pictures look and how nice the photo frame is. Had not bought a digital photo frame previously due to cost and small screen size, am glad I waited until now.

Anyway, great product with excellent viewing from all angles and lots of configurable options (interval settings, random, clock, etc.). Did not find any of the limitations or issues that earlier reviewer noted, thankfully went ahead and bought it.

Here is my summary:

high quality screen

good viewing angles

very nice frame for use in living room etc.

easy to configure

good price

One suggestion if you use Picasa or any other photo editing program. You can crop your photos using the "5:3 Widescreen Photo Frame" crop option and they will fit perfectly in the 800x480 frame when you do a File->Export (option Resize to 800). Or if you prefer, you can let the Sony resize/crop for you.

Anyway, great product and in my personal opinion, definitely worth recommending to others.

Want Sony DPF-D810 8-Inch SVGA LCD (4:3) Digital Photo Frame -Black Discount?

I bought a couple of digital frames from another company for my parents and in-laws a few years ago, but they just didn't use them much. There were two principal reasons why: no auto on-off mechanism and no shuffle function. This frame takes care of both issues nicely. The shuffle function is truly random, so you're constantly seeing new pictures. The auto on-off feature is quite sophisticated. It allows you to choose a different on and off schedule for each day of the week. Plus you can have it turn on and off multiple times in each day. So, I have my frame turning on at 6am everyday. On Monday through Friday it turns off at 9am when I leave for work and then back on at 3pm when my kids get home. On Saturdays and Sundays it stays on the whole day. Then every night it turns off at 10pm. It's great having it on the whole time we're home, but then not wasting electricity at night or when we're away from home.

I've been very impressed by the frame in addition to these features. It's very easy to set up and picture quality is great. The remote makes navigating the menus to adjust settings or skipping pictures easy and convenient.

I wanted to also mention a couple of limitations that I would have like to have known when I was buying my frame. They don't change my rating of the frame, but are just useful to know ahead of time.

A few reviewers mentioned that the screen was smaller than they would have liked, based on where they were going to use it. The same happened to me. My frame is in the living room in a place where you can see it from a pretty good distance. Although the picture quality is good enough to see from far away, the size of the screen means that your pictures just aren't that big. As a result, I find myself invariably walking up to the frame to get a better look at whatever picture's showing. So before you decide, it might be good for you to know the actual dimensions of the screen and frame, since the 8" diagonal measurement is hard to decipher and the frame measurement listed on Amazon is wrong. The screen is 4.75" x 6.5" and the frame is 9.2" x 7".

The one other caveat I discovered is that the frame can handle only 5000 pictures at a time. I bought a 8GB SD card and just filled it up with as many digital pictures I could fit. Well as it turned out, that came out to more than 5600 pictures. Now, every time I turn the frame on, it reminds me that the max is 4999 and that it won't be showing me some of my pictures. It's not a big deal since 4999 is plenty to see, but it's good to know. I had considered buying a larger SD card to have even more photos loaded on the frame, but now I realize that it wouldn't be able to show them, so why bother.

All in all, this is an excellent frame that I'm glad I bought. It has a couple of limitations based on the way I'm using it, but that doesn't detract from its quality and utility for others.

Fujifilm FinePix A303 3MP Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom

Pros: This camera is compact, easy to use, has very good photo quality, inexpensive, Easy menu navigation, 3X zoom lens in relatively compact body, separate self-timer mode.

Cons: The movie (video) mode has no sound, Some add ons are a must and cost more, No rechargeable battery included, fairly long shot-to-shot delay, noisy images.

Summary: Just bought the A303, and I don't think I could be any happier. I have been snapping and printing shots for the past few days and it has been very easy, even for a technological nivice such as myself. The camera is small, good looking, and lightweight (7oz!). I Paid $300 before accessories, resonable for 3 megapixels. The camera basically comes with everything one would need, but for those who take a lot of shots, a larger memory card (16mb included with camera) would be necessary. I looked at many other brands. Canons were a little bit overpriced, Sonys looked good, but the accessories end up costing more than the camera. If your first time digital enthusiast like me, go for the A303, you won't be sorry!

I have recently purchased this camera and my wife and I have been testing it extensively to determine its quality.

We have both been pleased with the outdoor and indoor results. In either case, the pictures comes out very sharp and identical to what we would have seen with our own eyes.

The camera is very easy and intuitive to use. This in combination with its small size makes it convenient.

The main problem with this camera is that it is very power hungry...especially when downloading the pictures onto a computer via the provided USB cable. I would highly recommend purchasing the AC power adapter when downloading the pictures or using it for video teleconferencing.

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This is my third digital camera. My first was an Olympus, second an Fuji 2800. Listen very carefully. Each of the above digital cameras have (some) things I like better than the new Fuji A303. For example the Olympus has a far better optical zoom, but I go through batteries like food through a duck (it's awful), my Fuji 2800 has a SLR feel to it, very nice camera, but the if you choose not to use the LCD viewer, you viewing through a lens simulation, but it's really a LCD, a feature that is really a non feature. The movie feature actually has sound (a plus). My new Fuji (tired of waiting?) is powerful 3.24 m/p, nice 3X optical zoom. Here is the best part of this camera, IT'S SMALL, and easy to use. This is particularly important to women who have the smaller designer purses, this will actually fit. It's the size of a cigarette package. For most of us this Fuji has more features you will ever use. For me I set it on A (automatic)setting. You will love the use of the setting wheel, this saves you time, for example if you need a close-up, macro just turn the wheel one click, no menus to scroll down (I love it). Regarding the media card, this is smaller, looks like th older smartmedia, just smaller. Since I have three Digital cameras, I purchased a duel card reader, it reads the larger smart media, and the (new) very compact XD card. I just figured the small card is just more practical for the smaller cameras. The camera is also very handsome. The color LCD on the back is 1.5" and is very nice, If you like to look through a view finder (I do), you look through a lens viewer. A compact camera, 3.24 M/Pixel, and all the features. Save yourself time & money buy the A303, and thank me later, really.

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Buying a digital camera these days seems to be about as easy as using a spoon to empty Lake Superior. It's a daunting task to say the least, simply because there are so many different manufacturers out there and each makes several cameras. Worse, there are some companies that shouldn't be making digital cameras because the products are so lousy (Polaroid springs to mind). I myself looked at several cameras under five-hundred dollars and above two-hundred dollars as a starting point. I also had criteria including things like I didn't care whether it could capture video. All I wanted was a camera that took pictures and could then transfer those images to my PC. Once I started this process, narrowing down what camera I wanted became a little easier.

There aren't many digital cameras out there that can take pictures as well as a half decent 35mm SLR, at least not yet. Some make a very good attempt at it, but, and this is an important but, you're buying the convenience of not having to spend money developing rolls and rolls of film. Another criteria I looked at was storage mediumCompact Flash cards, Sony's proprietary memory sticks or the new XD cards. After examining the different media types, I found I didn't care which one my future camera took. How many of these things are you gonna need, anyway? Between the 16 mb card that came with the camera and the 64 mb card I bought with it, I can store about 250-300 high quality images. That's a lot of pictures and considering you can review and the delete the ones you don't like, freeing up extra space. So unless you're taking a 3-month tour of Europe, it is unlikely that you will run out of memory to store pictures.

Initially I had settled on the Sony DSCP7 3.2 mega-pixel camera, but at the last minute jumped ship and purchased the FijiFilm FinePix A303another smaller 3.2 mega pixel camera and haven't really regretted doing so. It's a wonderful little (about 3 x 2 x 1 inches) silver box that takes good quality images. It has everything I wanted6x total zoom, USB port for connecting to my PC, built in flash, built in timer, and red eye reduction. And like anything, it also had to be easy to use, because taking pictures shouldn't be work, but a part of the fun. The A303 can also take video without sound, but that doesn't matter to me since I also own a video camera and if I'm camping on traveling around, I carry both in the same bag.

Having owned it for a little over a month, I have found only two irritating functions. First, it eats batteries like there's no tomorrow. In day light, with the view screen turned off and no flash, you might be able to fill a 64 mb card before the batteries die, but if you use the flash and/or screen, forget ityou'll be changing batteries before you know it. The second thing it does and this is the killer because I lost pictures because of it, is if you scroll through images using the review function and don't go all the way to the end, you will overwrite images in memory when you start taking new pictures. I found this out the hard when on a canoe trip when I discovered that several pictures of a white tailed deer drinking from the river side were overwritten by later photos of friends around the camp fire. The first failing is forgivablealkaline and rechargeable batteries are cheap, but replacing pictures like those are not. It's going to cost the camera a star. Some reviewers have also complained about its plastic constructionokay, so it's made of plasticwhat isn't these days?

That aside, though, I am very happy with the A303it does exactly what I want: takes good pictures quickly and easily that I can send to my family and friends. It's economical considering I don't have to pay to develop pictures or even wait to have them developed. It's small and easy to carry and now that I know about the overwriting foible, it won't happen again because I'll know better. For what it costs and for what you get, it's a great value, fun and easy to use. I don't regret buying and the pictures I've taken have made some people very happy.

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I have had several digital cameras, and none gave me better service than the Fuji FinePix. Normally, I do film photography and if I want digital pictures, I scan in the negative. When I went to straight digital photography, I found out that I needed certain features as "must-haves." The Fuji did pretty well on most counts.

Photos: Resolution

· 2048 x 1536 on the fine setting

· 1600 x 1200 -on the normal setting (fine for most work)

· 1280 x 960 or 640 x 480 Lower resolution email setting for smaller files (nice!)

Features

· JPEG format.

· Up to 60 seconds of 320 x 240 or up to 240 sec's of 160 x 120 motion video

· 3X optical zoom

Pros:

· Great resolution for the price. Fuji delivers sharper pictures than many entry-level competitors.

· Choice of settings including that email setting, great if you are taking a bunch of pictures and want to email them without a lot of massaging

· Exposure compensation for backlight available (+1.5 to -.2.1 EV exposure value)

· White balance choice to change exposure from automatic, good if no manual settings are available, as they are not here.

· Controls are EASY to use. I love that directional button for playback and settings.

· XD Picture card-new standard for digital-supposed to reduce battery consumption and faster read/write, as well as large capacity.

Cons

· Relies on AA batteries, leaving you to have to shell out for a NiMH rechargeable instead, recommended so you don't leave a nasty pile of eco-unfriendly batteries behind you as you go on a photo shoot. And recharging IS more convenient, believe me.

· You may be concerned about moving to a new digital format (the XD) or have a stash of standard Smart Memory cards. It's annoying to move to a new standard, though XD offers some advantages.

Conclusion: You can't go wrong here for an entry-level digital camera. This delivers plenty of performance for the buck and most people will be more than pleased. Just get a rechargeable battery.

Specs:

· 3.24 Megapixel CCD for images up to 2048 x 1536 pixels.

· 3x (38-114mm equivalent) F2.8 optical zoom lens

· Seamless 3.2x digital zoom in 640x480 mode

· 1.5-inch TFT color LCD, approx. 60,000 pixels

· Program AE, Manual mode offers exposure compensation

· Shooting modes: Still, Movie, Macro

· Motion video w/out audio up to 60 secs @ 320x240

· White balance selectable in Manual mode

· Shutter speeds: Automatic 1/2 seconds to 1/2000 second

· 64-zone TTL Metering

· ISO sensitivity 100 equivalent

· Built in flash with Auto, Red-eye reduction, Forced on, forced off and slow-synchro

· 9-frame and 13x zoom playback function with scrolling

· xD Picture Card storage, 16MB supplied

· USB connectivity

· Powered by two standard AA type batteries

· Small (4.3 x 2.8 x 1.5 in.) and lightweight (8.8 oz)

PTC 20ft PREMIUM GOLD Series WHITE HDMI 1.3 CERTIFIED 24AWG CL2 rated cable for Blu-Ray, Cable and

After 15', you may notice the selection for HDMI cables thins out a bit, especially if you don't want to break the bank. I got this cable to connect my computer to my television, and it works great. The only thing to note about it would have to be how hefty it isthis thing is very heavy duty. The cable is thick; about what your typical grounded type extension cord is like in terms of both circumference and flexibility! Don't let this deter you though, just be aware that this is not super flexible or discreet (depending on how you are going to use it), but it works great and seems quite sturdy.

I wanted a long HDMI cable so that I could run the cable from my laptop to our HD TV. In the stores, the only length available was 6 feet and I needed more. I found this cable on Amazon and ordered it. It has worked fabulous. I can run Netflix from my laptop to the TV and I can show family members things I'm viewing online. It's great. I'm really pleased with this purchase.

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This is a good, high-quality cable. I don't have a bunch of experience with HDMI cables, but this one seemed extremely nice. It's thicker than my co-axial cable and seems to transmit the image and sound very well.

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Very reasonable price. Worked just fine, now I get the best out of my Blu-Ray player and 1080P Flatscreen.

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Bought it to connect my BenQ projector from the ceiling mount and it works perfectly. I don't have any connections problems with signal and the movie plays completely without any interruptions. The cable is not as flexible but it looks of a very good quality.

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Olympus Tough TG-830 iHS Shock & Waterproof Digital Camera (Black) with 32GB Card + Case + Batt

The camera came very fast and was packed very well so that there was no damage. This camera is awesome and can do so many things!! Even the fast action gets extremely good pictures.

I was looking for a smaller camera that took great pictures. I wanted to be able to take action shots that wouldn't be blurred. Most "sports" features are supposed to allow for that, but I would still have blurry pictures. With this camera, I don't get blurred pictures. The "magic" features are a lot of fun to play with. I have been able to take excellent pictures with this camera...as good as my Canon Rebel. The GPS and compass are fun features as well.

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HDE® Mini DisplayPort to HDMI Female Adapter Cable for Apple Macbook

I was skeptical of the price, but it works! It provides a great picture from my Mac to my TV and the audio comes through the TV. Highly recommended.

when you connect this adapter to HDMI cable, you do not watch the images on your Tv set automatically. You have to set up your MacBook Pro. search for instruction in apple.com.

I found this and it worked with my MacBoom Pro with Mountain Lion.

Hdmi Video Set up

System Preferences > Displays. There are 3 tabs in the window; Displays, Arrangement and Color. Be sure you are on the Displays tab. Bottom left of the window tick "Show displays in menu bar" and then bottom right click "Detect Displays".

Now click on the tab named Arrangement. Bottom left of the window tick "Mirror Displays".

You should now only see 2 tabs, Display and Color. Be sure you are on the Displays tab. Select the desired resolution for your TV (probably 1080i). leave all other settings at their default values.

Sound

System Preferences > Sound. There are 3 tabs in the window; Sound Effects, Output and Input. Be sure you are on the Sound Effects tab. Middle of the window select your TV where it says "Play sound effects through:".

Select the middle tab named Output.

Select your TV from the drop-down list next to HDMI, below where it says "Select a device for sound output".

Using either Finder or Launchpad go to Applications > Utilities > Audio MIDI Setup.

On the left-hand side of the window you should now see HDMI. In the middle of the window, on the Output tab, where it says "Source:" select your TV from the drop-down list.

This last action was required in my case, it may also be required in yours. If you CANNOT see a speaker icon next to HDMI in the list on the left, do the following:

Bottom left of the window select the wheel icon with the down-pointing triangle. Make sure that sound output is selected and that you can now see a speaker icon next to HDMI in the list of devices.

If you still cannot hear sound, log out of your account and then log back in.

You will now have sound coming out of your TV from your computer

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I bought this adapter thinking it would be the only thing I need to watch stuff like hbo go from my laptop on my big screen. IF it worked then I would I have been right. The problem is, IT DOESN'T WORK. I felt like I was back in my preteen days, and those old enough to know what I'm talking about know how I feel, where I had to stand just right with just the right amount of pressure on the cord and connect to make sure that the cable and the adapter were working together to get a picture. After about two hours of trying everything in the book to get it to work I have finally given up!.

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I am highly disappointed that this did not work for my Macbook, not a Macbook Pro, but an ordinary Macbook. The audio did not work at all, but everything else was just about perfect, except for the audio. I really don't understand why apple would make a device that does one thing but not the other.

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Not much to say other than it fits into my Surface Pro Mini DisplayPort adapter as expected and works great. Would prefer black but at this price and the fact it is an adapter its just fine.

Olympus Stylus TG-2 iHS Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom and 3-Inch LCD (Red)

PROS

Fast lens. Probably the single most defining feature of this camera as compared to other waterproof options available today.

Takes pictures immediately when you press down the shutter. Very responsive.

Built very well. Bigger than some other waterproof cameras, but feels much more sturdy. I like the trade-off.

Looks nice. Red color is dark, perhaps crimson. Nicely done.

Compartments lock, just like the TG-1, so as to ensure no unwanted openings.

Picture quality is excellent for a point and shoot. Lower light photos are okay. I shoot most low light with a DSLR, and this doesn't really compare, but it is better than the average point and shoot camera.

Flash is quick.

Menu/screens are nicely done. Easy to navigate. That can't be said for all waterproof point and shoot cameras. Olympus has done this well. Viewing screen is pretty clear, too. I like it.

Ability to take it anywhere. This alone has merit. But there's not much use in taking a "lifeproof" camera places if it can't keep up to some minimum standards for photos. The 2.0 lens really helps allow light in for low light situations, and it is exceptional for snapping photos right when you want. Not two or three seconds after you press the shutter.

CONS

Video noise. I bought the TG-1 two separate times. The first time I thought there might be an issue with the unit I had. The video was noisy and had a ticking/jack hammer type sound. Not sure what it was. I returned it and gave the TG-1 another chance. Second time--same thing. Major bummer. Hoping the TG2 would be better, I bought it the first day it became available. The TG2 has improved upon the video noise issues, but hasn't eliminated them. It's like there's a small buzzing sound in the background while you record video all the time, and then there are select moments when there's more noise, probably due to the camera trying to autofocus. I'm not sure exactly how to describe it other than saying that there are electronic vibration noises when the camera tries to focus. Sounds kind of like a little mini star wars laser war. .

Zoom in/out during video. Just avoid it. The sound is overwhelmingly unwelcome and annoying. Some cameras have incorporated silent zoom (or what I would refer to as mostly silent zoom) while recording video. Not this one. Would have been nice.

Other observations

Size. It's really about the same dimensions as the TG-1. Was hoping it would be smaller. Actual dimensions might indicated 0.1 inch smaller in the depth dimension, but I can't notice it.

Sensor. Not sure there's much of a difference between this sensor and the one from the TG-1. It's supposedly a newer sensor, but I am not able to discern a difference in the photos. Both seem to do fairly well. I wouldn't worry much about it, but don't expect much of a difference. There may be some change in the lab or scientific measurements, but real life it appears to be the same.

Better than the TG-1, at least from the standpoint of reduced noise during video recording. But the main issue which made me return the TG-1 is not improved upon enough for me to keep the TG2. I'll admit I'm very picky. It may not bother you, but it's noticeable enough for me to return it, find something cheaper (this is close to $400 really ought to reflect more refinement with the video), and wait for the TG3 or a comparable competitive camera. Would be nice if Nikon or Canon or Panasonic would come out with an bright/fast lens waterproof camera.

The only real downside / achilles heel I see to this camera is the video issues. If I were just looking to keep it for stills, it would be a home run.

I have used a (highly reviewed) 10MP f2.8 Canon SD790 from 2009 for the past few years, and have sought an upgrade due to common issues with such small point-and-shoot cameras (1) effects (vignetting, blurring) from lens aberrations that were especially noticeable in landscape photography (2) fragile construction. There have also been many circumstances when I have not been able to use the camera due to moisture or excessive dust during outdoor activities.

(Note: Before discovering the TG series, I was convinced to buy either the Panasonic LX7 or Sony RX100 for sake of their extremely high image quality.)

Photo Performance: small but noticeable upgrade

At first glance, the SD790 photos seemed to be better with bolder colors and better definition. But on closer inspection, the difference is only due to a lower average exposure on the SD790, and higher processor contrast. Carefully analyzing small leaves and tree trunks, the TG-2 does show much more detail. On 0% zoom, test photos do show some pixel distortion in the 4 corners of the shot, but zooming in a tiny bit (about 10%) is enough to remove the distortions from your shot. Low light photos give great colors, and the f2.0 lens is way better than most cameras, but the noise level will never be DSLR quality; head to the Sony RX100 or bigger if that is your priority.

I have not used the super macro yet, but professional reviews claim it is very good.

Add-on Lenses: extra expensive plus

The two extra lenses are probably not quite worth the $110 each, considering that you also need a $20 adapter (I recommend 1 each). They are both small, high quality glass. I have had very satisfying results with the teleconverter, which should be most useful for shots taken from a fixed location (sports, performance, cruise) but is of course not as useful as a normal zoom lens. Because of the heavy lens vignette, the camera must use it's maximum optical zoom (4x) to use the teleconverter. Thus any further zooming uses digital zoom only. Minimum zoom shots are 100% equivalent quality to the best non-teleconverter shots, but at higher zoom. From that point, further digital zoom still looks nice, but naturally collects noise. If you want a variety of shot composition options, you will have to quickly take the teleconverter off, and switch the camera mode back to normal. This is easy and quick, but not seamless, about 5 seconds.

The fisheye lens has a mild fisheye effect, and confers a wider-angle as well. No intelligent thoughts on this one yet.

Extra Features: this wins it

If you're going to pay the extra cash for this camera, pay it for the extra features. You can pull this out in ANY situation, at ANY time (rain, snow, boats, dust, rocks, children) without fear of destruction. Seeing how much my SD790 has aged (lost screws, creaking case) and with stories of zoom failure in extended dust exposure, the value of a sealed case (and sealed zoom) is more than underwater novelty. There have been many awesome experiences in the past few years that I was not able to capture because of moisture, dust, etc. Despite that security, my only fear is that the lens glass will be scratched even though it is recessed. The GPS tagging is also a blast to help you relive your adventures in the future.

Big picture:

If you're looking for a small point and shoot that takes the best possible photos, don't buy this (get something cheaper and smaller).

If you're also considering mirrorless or larger cameras for the variable lenses and sensor quality, don't buy this (get something cheaper and larger).

This IS a camera for the adventurer/outdoorsman/chronic klutz that is also a discerning photography enthusiast. Without the lenses, this is a camera that you can use in absolutely ANY context without fear of destruction. You will get shots and videos that you could never consider with any other camera. Adding the expensive lenses into the package puts the camera into a strange limbo category that is well above any expensive point-and-shoot camera, but below any cheap mirrorless camera.

Personally, for my interests in extended outdoor adventures, quality + low-light photography, and creative composition (teleconverter + fisheye), this is an excellent camera. But I have definitely paid a high premium for that flexibility.

P.S. The two main reasons to purchase this new model instead of the TG-1 is (1) aperture priority mode to take advantage of the f2.0 lens (2) improved super macro mode.

P.P.S Comparisons with the soon-to-be-available Pentax WG-3 are appropriate with caveats (1) its larger 16MP sensor does not necessarily correlate with better shots; wait for the reviews (2)the WG-3 looks like a toy; I would not bring it to a wedding, etc. (3) the battery life is not as good (4) I see very little information about the new addon lenses.

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UPDATE #1: Lens Adapters + Filters

I have added a rainbowimaging lens adapter with UV protector filter to protect the lens in pocket/etc, and there is no vignetting on the edges of the shot. However, the rainbowimaging adapters have a slightly less secure detent than the OEM products, so I recommend OEM adapters for the lenses.

Buy Olympus Stylus TG-2 iHS Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom and 3-Inch LCD (Red) Now

Besides the waterproofing/toughness (I like to kayak) what attracts me to the TG-2 are the fast 2.0 lens speed, the aperture priority mode, the OLED screen, the primarily positive reviews of the TG-1 and most importantly the ability to add the TCON-T01 telephoto converter lens birds are difficult to photograph with only a 100mm (35mm equivalent) lens so I was eager to see how it all came together.

(If you're getting an accessory lens I recommend taking the extra effort to track down Olympus' CLA-T01 adapter instead of buying a third party product as the OEM item includes a lens cover. I have no affiliation with Olympus.)

So far the results are exceeding my expectations, particularly the telephoto which allows optical zooming to roughly 170mm (as I understand it the digital zoom gets you around 340mm): even at maximum zoom the image quality to my eyes is good which I presume is largely a function of the fast lens speed. Please see the three customer images I uploaded for examples of what the telephoto lens can do.

The camera feels solid in your hands and the buttons seem like they aren't going to wear out anytime soon. I also like the mode dial which allows you to avoid manipulating some menu screens IMO one of the banes of digital cameras.

The microscopic macro mode gave me new perspective on my right thumbnail which had recently been broken and accordingly trimmed short see customer image taken with only natural light which reduced depth of field.

I tested the video: the microphone recorded clearly the birds chirping nearby and the muted noise from the interstate quite some distance away. Keeping in mind how comparatively quiet it was I could hear the zoom, most noticeably when zooming out and approaching the widest angle position. I reckon if you were recording any kind of noisy environment it would be difficult to hear.

I haven't quite bought in to all the gizmos (`magic art filters' etc.) but they're there. The GPS is nifty but I'm concerned it will reduce battery life appreciably although I really don't know how big a deal it is... you can turn it off.

It's early on but I think this camera/lens is going to suit my wants very well.

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The Olympus Stylus TG-2 is a waterproof/shockproof action-oriented point-and-shoot camera that packs a ton of features and also manages to take very decent photos. It is an evolutionary improvement over the excellent Olympus Stylus TG-1 which more or less redefined the tough camera genre by combining unsurpassed survivability, long battery life, and good image quality. I used to have a Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3 and had access to a Fujifilm FinePix XP50, and those cameras were simply outclassed by the TG-1. With the new Stylus TG-2, Olympus is essentially competing against itself.

Physically, the TG-2 is very similar to the TG-1: they share the same chassis/battery/accessories but the physical controls have been slightly updated. While it looks like a metal block, the TG-2 is reasonably light and unobtrusive to carry, even in jacket or cargo pockets during all-day excursions. I have big hands, and in my opinion, the overall layout is pretty good. The camera is usable even while wearing thin gloves because the buttons are distinct with good tactile feedback. My only complaint is the placement of the microphone, which is on the top left and prone to getting accidentally covered by stray fingers.

The TG-2 carries over the same f/2.0 wide-zoom lens and backside illuminated CMOS sensor but offers many subtle improvements across the board including a deeper underwater rating, 120fps/240fps slow-motion video modes, slightly faster autofocus, aperture priority mode, and somewhat different magic/scene modes. Technical details aside, the TG-2 is a solid take-anywhere photography tool...whether or not you will like it really just boils down to what you expect and what you want to do.

As with all other multi-function, jack-of-all-trades devices, the Olympus Stylus TG-2 has a broad range of talents though it makes several compromises along the way. For starters, while the TG-2 is capable of producing fantastic images, this is somewhat with respect to other shockproof/waterproof/crushproof/dustproof/freezeproof cameras. The TG-2's images are well exposed and have great color, but strictly speaking, they are on the soft-side and sometimes exhibit purple fringing and reduced detail. While the TG-2 is easily outperformed by similarly priced traditional cameras, the caveat is that the TG-2 goes where those cameras can't.

Another area where the TG-2 makes some compromises is the autofocus system. Compared to the TG-1, the TG-2 feels faster in most scenarios and when it works, it is one of the fastest focusing cameras I've had the pleasuring of using. Unfortunately, this new focusing mechanism is noticeably nosier (it makes rapid ticking noises in operation) and while this isn't an issue for photography, the ticking can be heard in videos shot in quiet environments. Also, for such a fast autofocus, there are some situations where it won't lock on, even if set to single-point focus mode. The alternative is to slowly sweep the entire focal range, and that is what many cameras do, but the TG-2 eschews this.

Personally, I am pleased with the Olympus Stylus TG-2 though I believe there is plenty of room for future improvements. Hopefully Olympus can make the autofocus more reliable and add more creative control. I initially bought a tough camera to take pictures in places and situations where I wouldn't dare, and that freedom has grown on me ever since. I also own an Olympus OM-D E-M5 and use it as my "serious" camera, and I discovered that unless the situation calls for it (eg. clinical image quality, very low-light situations, specialty work, etc.) I find myself reaching for TG-2 quite often. There's a saying that the best camera in the world is the one that's with you, and with its go-anywhere qualities, long battery life, and good-enough picture quality, chances are that camera is going to be the TG-2.

Notes:

1) The camera DOES NOT come with a dedicated battery charger. The battery is charged in-camera with one of the waterproof doors open.

2) While the TG-2 can be charged using USB, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND using either the stock charger or getting an external battery charger. Quality control for USB chargers is all over the place and all it takes is a bad one to fry your camera!

3) This camera is complex enough to warrant a printed manual but Olympus only offers it in electronic format.

4) The TG-2 offers Aperture Priority! The lack of manual controls was my biggest gripe with the TG-1 so I'm glad Olympus did something about it, even if is still quite limited. You're only offered 3 choices at any focal length: wide-open, stepped down, and really stepped down. At 25mm, you get your choice of f/2, f/2.8, and f/8. At 100mm, you're at f/4.9, f/6.3, and f/18. While I could see a depth-of-field change between wide-open and stepped down, I couldn't tell the difference between stepped down and stepped down all the way. For example, depth-of-field changes between f/2.0 and f/2.8, but from f/2.8 to f/8 it looks the same despite needing a slower shutter speed to get the correct exposure. Perhaps they're using ND filters to simulate it?

5) Microscopic Macro Mode is awesome! (Up to 14x magnification at 1cm)

6) The built-in GPS serves primarily to geo-tag photos and is reasonably accurate. It takes a few minutes to lock-on and you won't get information like speed, bearing, etc. The landmark database works internationally! The TG-2 also includes a built-in digital compass and manometer (which is functionally similar to a barometer).

7) GPS Log files are recorded in NEMA format. If you press the info button, the camera will jump to the GPS/compass information screen from the off-state. A-GPS is available, though you need to download a tool from Olympus's site and update the camera every couple of weeks.

8) Underwater, the camera performs well in automatic mode, though the screen's view angles become quite narrow due to reflections. You pretty much need to be behind the screen while shooting underwater. The waterproof doors on the Olympus are more robust than those on my old DMC-TS3.

9) Battery Life is Awesome. You can use it all day and not really worry about the battery dying. If you want to leave the GPS tracking on or have all day/all night excursions, a second battery is still necessary.

10) The TG-2's menu is very similar to recent Olympus cameras and it's good because the menus are clear and well organized. My only gripe is the excess visual fluff such as full-color graphics, sliding animations, etc. While these are impressive the first time you see it, they don't really add value and only slow the camera down.

11) FLASHLIGHT MODE! From the off-state, press and hold INFO for a few seconds to toggle it on/off.

Want Olympus Stylus TG-2 iHS Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom and 3-Inch LCD (Red) Discount?

I bought this camera prior prior to any reviews, but based on the success of the TG-1 and the cool macro feature, I decided to give it a shot. At $380, this camera is expensive! Adding in the telephoto lens (TCON-T01) and the required adapter ring, I'm $500 in. That's the same as a basic DSLR! Now, I have owned several cameras, including point and shoots, superzooms, waterproof ruggeds, and DSLRs. Of all those, this is now my favorite camera. Does it take the best pictures and videos? No, my Canon T2i does. Does it have the best zoom? No, my Panasonic ZS3 does. Is it the most compact rugged camera? No, my Olympus Stylus S720 SW is.

So why is this my new favorite? It takes very good pictures, there's no shutter lag, it focuses quickly, it has a built in LED light, the flash works amazingling well indoors, it has an attachable telephoto lens, it has reasonable depth of field, it has GPS, it has tons of fun filters, it has an incredible super macro mode, and it's waterproof! This means I can take this camera on vacation with no worries, or shoot soccer games in the rain and snow. My daughter can use it without fear of breakage, and its small enough to fit in my pocket. Yes, my DSLR takes better pictures and video, but I'm not about to take it to Costa Rica and subject it to rain, mud, and potential theft. And, my DSLR weighs about 3 pounds with the zoom lens.

There are some negatives. In full auto mode, the white balance doesn't always adjust properly indoors, and pictures are a little dark. So I use program mode and adjust the white balance, exposure compensation, ISO, etc and get great results. The video is fine visually, but there are some irritating noises (read about this in other reviews). So what! I can use this where I can't use my DSLR. If I'm going to a piano recital or play, I will use my DSLR with an external microphone to capture the best sound. But if I'm sledding with my daughter, I don't care about a little noise. Besides, most edited videos (which I tend not to bother with) have music dubbed over the original audio. Finally, I don't love how the telephoto mounts to the camera. The mounting ring is made of plastic, and I'm concerned that it will wear out with frequent removal and mounting of the lens. Time will tell. One note about the telephoto lens: the camera has to be told that it's got an external lens attached. To make this quicker, I set up one of the two Custom modes for the telephoto lens. This allows me to switch back and forth between using the telephoto lens or not, and all I have to do is turn the mode dial a click to switch modes. Pretty easy, but still a bit of work.

I'm rating the camera 4 stars because of the noisy video and inconsistent white balance. Maybe they will fix these issues with a firmware update, but until then, I will be happily shooting pictures with my favorite new toy.

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Olympus Evolt E520 10MP Digital SLR Camera with Image Stabilization (Body Only)

I am coming from an Olympus C-8080 and a Panasonic DMC-FZ18. Both of these are decent cameras, but not quite SLR quality. Also, the Panasonic is the worst macro camera I have owned. Since I was looking for more options with macro/closeup photography, I wanted a DSLR. My old SLR was an OM2n (back in the prehistoric camera days). I considered getting the E-510 or Nikon D60. Both are decent cameras, but after seeing pictures, decided to stick with Olympus and wait for the 520. I am glad I did!

I normally have a problem with a bit of camera shake and don't use a tripod. I just shot 400 pics and not one bit of camera shake! I was surprised to find out that I didn't even have Image stablization enabled. It is very easy to hold this camera steady. The lens and the viewfinder are crystal clear. I stongly suggest that you get the fastest CF card you can to record your pictures, and at least 4GB. I should tell you though, that I am shooting in both raw and fine jpeg format. This typically takes longer to write. The xd cards are too slow when shooting raw and fine jpeg. Another thing to make yourself aware of: Liveview does not seem perfected in any camera yet. It may take some time, but it is a bit bothersome, because there is a wait between recording photos when using Liveview. If you don't mind using the viewfinder,or waiting about 2 seconds between pictures, it's not a problem. Also, my battery compartment door seems to stick a bit. May need broken in, or it's just tight.

On the plus side: I have only had this camera 36 hours and already feel totally comfortable with it. I have heard people say that it's not user-friendly. I disagree with that statement IF: you have previously owned and used Olympus cameras. This camera isn't that foreign when coming from Olympus. Yes, it takes getting used to the buttons a bit, and my thumb does accidentally hit a button, but heck, I haven't even had the camera a couple of days. I also suggest that you buy the telephoto lens. Unless you shoot all wide-angle pictures, you will not be satisfied with this lens package. Regarding the Olympus lenses ... Primo, very good quality for a zoom/package deal. Much better quality than I expected. I like my pictures to be as crisp as possible, with the lowest noise (who doesn't?), so I have experimented with shutting noise reduction off and using software to reduce noise. The results were good in my test results. The scene modes of the camera are good. I haven't used them all yet (I had to put the camera down and get some sleep sometime in the past 36 hours), but am impressed with face detection on, macro, night modes. The flash is fairly strong. I have never had a built in flash, which doesn't give some type of red eye or blue eyes in dogs, this has not happened yet with the 520. Impressive, but I would suggest if doing closeup, that you diffuse the flash, or stand back a bit and zoom on the subject. REVISION: If you use the Macro nature mode, it seems to adjust the flash a bit. Also, if you like to experiment, play withe the "Vivid mode" a bit. I'm usually not a fan of modes, but in bright sunlight, my colors came out exactly as they should be.

If you are considering buying a more expensive camera and are NOT doing professional studio work, I would say; don't waste your money. Get this camera, because you will be impressed. If you are doing studio work, I would still tell you to get this camera, but get a better lens. After all, it's not always about the camera, but it is always about the lens. Anyone who has ever bought a no-name, camera-store "pushed on you" lens, knows what I am talking about.

When my next lens arrives, I will post more information under the "40-150mm Olympus zoom lens". Highly recommend this camera!

REVISION: Today, I received the adapter to let me use my old OM-2N lenses. I bought a generic one through ebay and it works just fine. I attached my old Tamron 90mm SP macro lens and began shooting. First, be aware that everything has to be done manually. This may not be practical if you need speed when focusing, unless you have mastered, manual focusing. I find that I shake the camera more with the heavier, manual lens, but with practice, I think that can be overcome. In other words, if you own the old OM lenses and don't have the money to get a new lens, buy the adapter and be prepared to make some adjustments.

If you have a flash/lighting system and a tripod, those adjustments will be lessened. I don't think I would do this for the life of the camera, but I would use the old OM lens (especially if you have a high quality one), until I could afford a new digital lens. I also have the 40-150mm digital lens (the one they give in the package deals), and am very impressed with the quality. I have posted some pictures, so you can get an idea of what this camera can do. If you scroll over the pictures, you will see the pictures I shot with the old OM-2N lens. I didn't make any revisions, so that you can get an idea of how the pictures come out of the camera (no photoshop).

Though I have E510. I actually tried and tested the E520 as well and picked E510 for the 2 kit lens deal and the extra features E520 has over E510 which I rarely care about. I thought to add my E510 review under this to give the readers a better idea about how the Olympus E510/E520 wins over the Canons XSi and Nikon D80 we tested. Hope this helps.

Myself and a Canon lover Friend and a Nikon lover Cousin were hunting for DSLRs. We had Film SLRs and few Point & Shoot Digis. We don't want to spend $1500+ for the DSLR and was waiting for the price to come down. When it reached $1000 mark, we started hunting for it and tried out few DSLR models in-stores by carrying our own flash memories and took few sample shots at the same lighting, focal length, ISO, f-Stop and Shutter and narrowed down to most people(s) three choices Olympus E510, Canon XSi and Nikon D80. I went with E-510 right on the spot after looking at the images on the digital PC monitor in just 4 week end hunting. The other two contemplated a while and my friend went with Canon XSi and my cousin chose D80 as he wanted to use his old Nikon lenses and gears.

On a fine evening we got our stuffs ordered online. As soon we returned from work, we were excited to experiment our choices.

Right out of the box results: (No tweaking)

E-510 Great Outdoor results with very good natural color processing well exposed. Indoor shots were good natural color tones with a bit dull and underexposed.

XSi Great Outdoor and Indoor results with very little pink tinted color processing with a good exposure.

D80 Great Outdoor results with little blue tinted color processing. Indoor results with very little blue tinted color processing with a good exposure.

You can see the pink and blue tint obvious on the skin tone and on the white base subjects. We actually compared the images captured by these three with what we saw with bare eyes. We all observed this very little tone changes when tried out at stores and agreed upon the myth that "Every brand has it's own way and nothing is perfect". But still it's too early to decide which one is best.

We tried it every evening as soon we come back and with little tweaking as suggested by the reviewers and professionals. In just 3 days I made everyone to think that I WON. Still those guys wanted to give a try because some times the results from Canon XSi and Nikon D80 will have the same color as E510 in long shots and when occasionally (say like one in 100 shots) E510 underexposes the skin tones will look greyish. We almost go as a group for all the functions/festivals and fill with flashes everywhere :)

After 3 months of coutinuous use at the same places, here is our findings:

Speed: XSi is better than E510 and D80. but thats for just 6-7 frequent shots. after that, the XSi will pop up with "BUSY" icon. It is famous and you can see the complaints in Amazon reviews. The other to will be steady through out the the session. no BUSY nothing.

Color Tone: E510 is more natural across the lighting conditions. Indoor shots need to have exposure compensation set to either +0.3 or +0.7

Indoor Photos: E510 is a bit dull and underexposed right out of the box but after a little tweaking it just blows the other two out of the window with very natural color tones and bright images. It actually chooses the right ISO required where as the Canon XSi always chooses ISO 400 when using flash I don't know why it is set like that.

Dynamic Range: Though the pro reviewers say, D80 is more dynamic we haven't came across a situation to prove it. Under most common outdoors shooting, we all three got almost identical resluts and we liked the E510 processing much better than the other two.

ISO:

upto ISO 400, E510 is noise free. It get's a slight noise pushing in at ISO 800 and at ISO 1600 noise is obvious. Canon XSi is noise free till ISO 1600. Nikon D80 is noise free till ISO 800 and at ISO 1600 it introduces a little noise. It is worth to be noted that we haven't seen a situation that we need to use more than ISO 400 under normal indoor/outdoor common user needs. We actually forced the camera to use ISO 800 and ISO 1600 just to see the results where the camera picked ISO 400 by it's own when you leave it to the camera choise in ISO. This is actually a dark night shot on the river bank pointing the camera at the lighted buildings on the other side of the river and the situation is really dark.

Auto Focus: E-510 locks on for sharp focus almost 99% of the time but hunts for focus at low light with too much flash strobes for 4-5 seconds drving you nuts. XSi is zippy but occasionally the focus is not properly locked. When you view on the camera display it looks fine but when blow up in the monitor, it's unfocused. Nikon D80 had the most mis focus. You can see these misfocus issues at both Amazon reviews and DPreview.

Image Stabilization: E510 wins hands down. I took tack sharp pictures using 70-300 lens zoomed all the way at 300mm with shutter going down till 1/30. XSi's lens based stabilization is not that effective when we used it with 50-200mm lens zoomed to 200mm. It was effective till 1/40. Nikon we haven't tried it as we don't have IS lens. Not to mention the hefty price my friend paid for the Canon 50-200 IS lens while I paid just $240 for the 70-300 lens as I had an effective IS built into my E510 body.

Fit and Feel: E510 wins again with more robust build quality. Nikon D80 is also built good but a bit bigger. XSi looks kind of plasticky and has an uncomfortable grip. E510 just lays in your hand so comfortable and is a joy to use.

Value for Money:

I paid $760 for the 2 kit lens. Bought the 70-300 for $240 . FL-36 flash costed me $150, totaled to $1150.

XSi costed my friend $869 with 18-55mm (Now it is around $500-$600), 70-300mm IS lens for $510. With no flash his kit is now $1379. Flash is another $200

Nikon D80 costed my cousin $910 with 18-135mm with no IS !!! He can't simply use his camera hand held as I am using it with my long zoom 300mm or as my friend using his XSi with his 200mm or in low light.

Now...you decide which one gives you more dollar for dollar...XSi with 70-300mm auto focus is faster than the E510 with 70-300 mm at the very long end of the zoom. XSi with 300mm zoomed couldn't get sharp results all the time, less than 250mm is ideal for hand held. E510 has effective IS and works all the way till 300mm handheld but had focus hunt when used in a slight shadow area.

Follow this link "" to tune up your E510 and enjoy the long journey of Digital photography. Good luck.

Verdict:

We also asked the rest of the people at home and our friends to see the pictures and pick which one looks better without telling them which one came from what camera. The end result is 80% of the images picked by the them who don't even know which camera produced it, picked E510's pictures.

We all three agreed that E510 is the best all around DSLR in it's category and we just pay the hyped price for the Canon and Nikon just for the label which produces image quality that is equal to inferior than the low priced, light weight E510. Look no further, go for this little gem and you will be more pleased than the Canon and Nikon users.

Buy Olympus Evolt E520 10MP Digital SLR Camera with Image Stabilization (Body Only) Now

I have done quite a lot of analysis before buying this camera, have used Nikon D40, D40x, D80, D200, Canon D350, D400, D450; but finally it was the Olympus E520 I fell in love with. I recently bought this camera in Hong Kong, when it wasn't even released anywhere in the rest of the world yet. :D

Why did I like it? The ease of use, I have used a prosumer camera for a couple of years now, and was waiting for a camera with similar ease of use, and Olympus heard my prayers.

Technology wise, its one of the best FourThirds system in the market, this has enabled smaller lenses. The Live View is amazing (though I prefer using the optical viewfinder, my wife loves the Live view), it has Face detection and multi-point focus, all I can say is that it is the best as yet (the Canon D450 liveView is really bad), the kit lens is very good too, awesome wide angle. The assisted manual focus is extremely useful; the auto focus is super fast. There are multiple RAW file formats to choose from. The Sensor based Image stabilization works like a charm, better than the optical image stabilization. The playback features are the best, anybody would want to see the photos they clicked a bit closer, it is such a pain to zoom the preview on the Canons and the Nikons, in this even my 7 year old niece can do it. With respect to image quality, you might have seen them on the internet, its comparable to any of the professional cameras.

One small drawback i have noticed is the built in flash, its not as powerful as the Nikon, though we can increase the flash power, but the default setting is not as powerful as the Nikon.

You can checkout my photostream on Flickr:

Read Best Reviews of Olympus Evolt E520 10MP Digital SLR Camera with Image Stabilization (Body Only) Here

I evaluated the Canon 40D and new EOS XSI before stumbling onto this little beauty. I can argue that it takes just as good pictures as the 40D at least in my hands. It's smaller than the Canons and for the price, an incredible deal.

Now, not to put down Canon... I actually broke my Canon brand loyalty for this camera, but overall, Olympus did a great job in packing features and ease of use into this camera and once its in your hands, you'll see it.

The back has lots of buttons but once you spend 15 min figuring out how to navigate the camera and its buttons, you'll like the ready access to many functions.

In terms of image quality, it's breathtaking for those looking to step up from advanced point and shoot cameras. It's not a pro camera for sure but I'm no pro and for what I do, it more than gets the job done. I use it for baby photos, nature macro, nature landscape and cityscape photography and it does great for the variety of environments I shoot in. One thing I find really impressive is the flash. Flash on most DSLR's tend to wash out or harshen images. This camera's flash is just enough but not too much so long as you compose your shots correctly. (Like not having your subject 1 meter from the lens!)

Overall I'm glad I looked at this and Olympus won themselves a convert!

EDIT 8/8/08. After using the camera for a few days, I noticed that when I turned the camera off, a rattle would emanate from the inside of the camera. Distraught, I removed the lens and still the rattle continued. Upset that my new beauty was defective, I boxed it back up and prepared to return it... but before I did, I called Olympus support to see if they had any insight since I could find NOTHING on the internet about the rattling. Well, as it turned out, it was the image stabilizer in the camera body that was creating the rattle! The tech said it was a natural function of the IS "resetting" itself. (Remember, this camera has in-body IS, not lens IS) When I turned off the IS, no more rattle. Whew, good thing I called Olympus support was great and saved a return. Only con is that they should document this in the manual, its a little unnerving at first but you get used to it. Don't worry, the rattle is slight nothing that will jar the camera from your hands or damage any internal parts. It was that I just never felt something like this emanating from a camera before. Verdict after 1000 shots, still love it!

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Yes, the E-520 is my first dSLR. It took me months to make the leap, during which I did A LOT of research, posted questions in forums, went everywhere my mouse would take me. Here were my reasons for choosing this camera:

1. Weight. I have back and shoulder problems, and lugging around a huge camera and heavy lenses was never an option.

2. Mirror-cleaning system. One of the issues that held me back for so long, as I'd been reading about the problems and annoyances caused by dust in mirrors (electronic devices are dust magnets!). But Olympus came up with a solution for this, and everybody said it was the best cleaning system in the market. I chose to believe it.

3. Camera resources. If you're willing to learn them, you'll become a better photographer, and that was my plan. I no longer wanted to let the camera do all the thinking. Although the E-520 still allows that (auto mode), I wanted more control and a better idea of why I was getting the results I was getting. Thus, I can set everything by hand if I want to. Or not, if I'm having a lazy day!

4. In-body image stabilization. Like any point & shoot, the E-520 body is stabilized, which helps reduce camera shake, especially when using those bigger lenses.

5. Lenses. As they say, Olympus has great "glass". Even the most humble and inexpensive Olympus lenses have a lot of quality. They will surely outlast any camera body, which is how it should be: the biggest investment are always the lenses. Furthermore, the peculiar sensor size adopted by the company (four thirds) makes for twice the reach with no gain in bulk. Thus, for instance, a 70-300 mm Olympus lens is, in fact, a 140-600 mm lens -a huge zoom in a compact package, which is perfect for me since I do a lot of bird photography. And this takes me straight back to the weight and bulk in item #1.

I've had the E-520, plus the "kit"14-42 mm, the 70-300 mm and the 50 f/2 lenses for almost two months and I couldn't be happier. In terms of image quality, the differences between this camera and the superzoom cameras I owned previously (Panasonic FZ18, Canon S3 IS) are not only visible, they are incredible. I haven't had any problems with purple fringing, excessive noise, distortion, nothing.

It is easy and intuitive to navigate the camera menus and controls to do things the way I want. Oh, and dust? I haven't yet given it a thought: the Olympus cleaning system really works. Truth is, for me it is simply a joy to use this camera. Photography is fun now -not frustration at seeing something and then having the images be a total letdown.

A bit of advice for newbies like myself: join forums, ask for advice, read the manuals and the literature out there (like Brian Peterson), take a lot of pictures then look them through to understand what you did right or wrong. It really helps the learning curve.