Olympus VR-340 16MP Digital Camera with 10x Optical Zoom (White) (Old Model)

Olympus VR-340 16MP Digital Camera with 10x Optical Zoom (White) (Old Model)

Product Description

Color: White

Product Description

Full featured with a big 10X optical zoom, the VR-340 packs loads of technology into a small body. Whether it's shooting crystal clear photos or taking high-quality HD Video, you'll never miss a moment






CUSTOMER REVIEW



I've had the Olympus VR-340 for just over a month now, and used it quite heavily, as I was traveling overseas for 4 weeks of that time. Here are my thoughts, as a regular guy who likes to take good pictures, but is far from a camera buff.



Size:

The VR-340 is on the big end of point-and-shoot cameras, at least as far as I could tell. It doesn't look that different until you hold another camera up to it though, at which point you can really see the difference. It seems to me that its thickness is the biggest difference. Still fits in a pocket great though, so don't worry about that. It also fits perfectly into the Lowepro Apex 20 AW -Black, if you're looking for a case.



Zoom:

This is where the camera's extra size really pays off. I used a camera with 5x optical zoom for years, and that still seems to be the general standard. 10x is a HUGE difference. Well worth the extra money, even if you're just getting the camera for vacation. You'll be amazed how often you want to take a picture of something that's too far away for a camera with 5x zoom to pull it off without the picture getting grainy. I also really like the trigger zoom system on this camera (the zoom control is a little trigger surrounding the shutter button, so you just use the same finger as you use to take the picture itself). Once in a while, the trigger gets caught a bit on the edge of my pocket when I pull the camera out, but I don't think it's bad enough to break the trigger. My previous camera was an Olympus and had the same system, and I slid it in and out of my pocket for 4 years with no problems.



Picture Quality:

I'm pretty pleased with the picture quality. 16 megapixels is a ridiculous amount. I honestly can't imagine the average person could tell the difference between 16 and 8 or something on normal pictures. That said, if you can have more, why not? It at least opens up the option of blowing your photos up larger. My only real complaint about this camera is that I've had some problems taking pictures without some blurring. I've tried fooling with the shutter speed, flash, etc., and the problem occurs very rarely. But when it does, it's pretty annoying (hence 4 stars instead of 5). It's not like I'm jerking the camera all over the place when I take the photos either. When the problem occurs, it occurs even if I prop my elbows on a table to keep my hands steady. The only shaking would be from my heartbeat, which is fairly tough to control.... Maybe there's a way to fix the problem with the settings - I just haven't found it yet. With that caveat, I've been very pleased with the picture quality.



Features:

I'm a big fan of the features on the camera, though I really don't use them all. Very easy to adjust the ISO, white balance, flash, etc. if you want to, or just let the camera figure out the scene and make the necessary adjustments for you. I found the camera did a very good job generally of identifying the type of photo being taken and adjusting the settings accordingly. I tried the "Beauty" setting, where you can allegedly fix portrait photos in the camera itself, but didn't really find it very helpful. The "Scenes" are great though - the "Landscape" one enhances blues and greens, "Candlelight" enhances yellows & oranges, "Nighttime Landscape" keeps the shutter open a bit longer to gather more light, etc. Big fan of those. I also really like the continuous/sequential setting. If you hold down the shutter on these settings, you can take a TON of sequential photos. The camera takes another photo every 0.5-1 second, depending on your SD card and how many megapixels you want each picture to be. I rigged it up with a rubberband and a small rubber bumper (like you stick to the inside of cabinets to prevent them from banging when you close them), left it on a stand, and took sequential photos of myself and my girlfriend, too. Pretty easy to do.



Movie Quality:

The VR-340 says it records movies in 720p. That seems about right. It's not as good as a dedicated video camera, so you shouldn't buy this for its video-recording capabilities. That said, the movies it does record are quite good for a point-and-shoot camera. The image is a bit jerky if you move the camera around very much while you record, but it's pretty good if you can hold it still. You can also choose whether to record sound with the video or not. Basically, I think this is an excellent feature on the camera, and it's more than enough for a tourist who wants to record the occasional video on vacation, but takes mostly still photos.



In Sum:

I'm pleased with the VR-340. It does everything I need it to and more. The videos and photos it takes are generally excellent, with the caveats that I struggled on occasion to get the shutter speed fast enough to take a non-blurry photo and the videos get a bit jerky if you move the camera around too much or too quickly. I would definitely buy this camera again. Shop around a bit. I think you'll see that every other camera-maker charges significantly more for a camera with this array of features. I don't pretend to know enough about cameras and photography to critique the finer points of the photo quality or anything, but for a regular person looking for a solid camera you can stick in your pocket, this is great.

Olympus VR-340 16MP Digital Camera with 10x Optical Zoom (White) (Old Model)

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Nikon COOLPIX AW120 16 MP Wi-Fi and Waterproof Digital Camera with GPS and Full HD 1080p Video (Orange) (Discontinued by Manufacturer)

Nikon COOLPIX AW120 16 MP Wi-Fi and Waterproof Digital Camera with GPS and Full HD 1080p Video (Orange) (Discontinued by Manufacturer)

CUSTOMER REVIEW



I'm a prosumer photographer that owns 6 cameras, as of today 7 including this one. This is my third underwater (others are Canon D10 and GoPro Hero 3+ Black edition).



I bought this as a replacement for my bulbous and dated Canon D10. I hate using water housings and would never risk one of my DSLRs in one or shell out for one anyway. I simply like the fact that I can take a waterproof camera in my swimsuit pocket around all day on the beach or on dive boats and never worry about it.



After doing more hours of research online than I care to admit, it came down to the Panasonic Lumix TS-5 and the Nikon AW120. I still had to try out each in a store before choosing, and even then wasn't sure. All of which underlines not that there's a great field of worthy choices to choose from, but each UW camera out there as of this writing has so many weaknesses it's difficult to choose the least bad one.



Here are the differences I found by briefly trying the Lumix and AW120 in-store:

- the AW120 has slightly slimmer dimensions, but noticeably less heavy, which appealed to me

- the Lumix has a far stronger, more evenly-lighting flash (or maybe it was automatically choosing slow-sync, but it doesn't matter, it looked great); I don't plan to take too many land night shots, but I've seen that underwater flash does come out better on Lumix

- the Lumix appears to have more "features", but they're basically useless: e.g. timelapse (but the shortest interval is a pointless 10 seconds, should be a half-second), "manual mode" (can only change either aperture from wide open to fully stopped down, or shutter speed from fast to 4 seconds)

- the Lumix has a terrible live view when you pan (even slowly), the display stutters to catch up; I only ever see this on the cheapest of compacts; very visually annoying as you can't see what you're about to shoot and a dealkiller for me

- the ergonomics of the Nikon are better to me; it feels more natural in my hand and the buttons feel better also

- AW120 lacks the common "Display" button though; that's annoying

- video record is on the back on the AW120, but on the top on the Lumix; my preference is on the back, where I'll never ever confuse it for the shutter release button

- reviews say the Lumix user interface is better but I found the Nikon to be more intuitive



Other reasons I bought the Nikon, even though the Lumix has definitely better dynamic range (from the pics I've seen online):

- the Nikon has f/2.8 max aperture while the Lumix has a slower f/3.3, and good light is hard to come by underwater

- the Nikon is also wider at the wide end, and I've never seen water damage complaints for the Nikons vs lots of complaints for the Lumix (and terrible customer support from Panasonic).

- the Lumix has better video quality, but it can only do 1080p in AVCHD format! Lame, since it's not Mac-friendly; I could deal with the more-painful-than-usual transcoding process of AVCHD but why do I want to transcode (and degrade) in the first place just to view on my computer? Super lame.

- the Lumix has proprietary connectors, not micro-USB like everyone else. So if I lose it among my 30-something connectors, I'm in trouble. Yes, this is what Panasonic thinks is a good idea in 2014.



Yet, you always learn more when you actually take a camera home. Here are my first impressions:



- First thing I notice is the strap. There's no true water strap. The manual describes the strap that comes with it as being for land use only, but it's really ridiculous, the kind that's so big you're probably supposed to wear it around your neck - who wears a compact around their neck?? The Lumix strap is more normal, but it still doesn't have a way to cinch around your wrist. It seems like all the manufacturers want you to buy a separate floaty strap, although I could care less if the camera floats just as long as it's cinched around my wrist. I'll just have to borrow the strap off my D10. For the record, camera manufacturers, here is a REAL water strap (notice the cinch), and they should always be included: [...]

- Second, the battery cannot be charged by removing it, putting in a simple charger, and plugging into the wall. It has to stay in the camera, with the battery door OPEN so the micro-USB can connect to the inside of the camera. This sounds good on an engineer's paper, but in the real world it's a flaw. Why? Because as the battery door lays open over an hour or so to charge, it gathers lint, dust, whatever from the surfaces it touches and the air. Anyone who understands water sealing knows it takes only a tiny hair to break the seal underwater - and sure enough, upon inspection after charging, I had two small fibers right on the rubber seal gasket. Sure I could brush them off with the included tiny brush (which I'm sure I'll lose), but why should I have to? The only upside is that the micro-USB can be used to charge directly from a computer or other device, which I can see being useful in some circumstances. The Lumix can't do that at all, you need a wall outlet.

- Also, I don't like the shutter release on the AW120. It's flush with the camera body, so you can't really squeeze it like you should, you have to press it. That doesn't help sharpness in low-light.



These are smaller items of course; the pictures count most. Will update in a month or so when I've taken lots of underwater pictures.



Side note to manufacturers and everyone - why do all these UW compacts have a ridiculous 16 MP? Please stop this terrible arms race! 16 MP is HURTING image quality by increasing noise, accompanied by detail-destroying noise reduction. Start educating consumers that what's needed now are bigger apertures, bigger sensors and better processors.



UPDATE:



OK after using this camera on a 2 week trip to Thailand, here are my additional thoughts:



- underwater photos came out quite nice, about as I expected

- land photos are so-so, but as I expected for a camera like this

- the photo review time (display time on the LCD after you shoot) is insanely short (about 0.5 seconds); there is no way I can find to extend it, which is annoying

- the photo review "info display" unfortunately is nearly useless; if you care about reviewing the aperture, shutter speed, ISO, flash mode, shot mode, and maybe depth you're out of luck

- underwater videos came out very nice, way better than my old Canon D10 (although I expect that most cameras in this class have about as good video)

- battery life was great; I used it all day without a worry; blows the GoPro away in this regard

- the on-screen barometer/depth meter is nothing short of awesome; when I was scuba diving, I never needed to look at my depth gauge because the camera told me everything; I only wish it would record the depth in the metadata but you can't have it all

- no problems whatsoever with waterproofing or condensation; in fact I definitely took it below the 18m rating on my dives; at about 22m I was freaking out because I could see the LCD slightly bending inward under the pressure, but the camera held up like a champ

- underwater auto white balance was not as accurate as the Lumix (from reviews I've seen); I later realized that the camera does have a custom white balance setting, which I should've set by shooting the palm of my hand underwater

- the Easy Auto mode very intelligently switches to Macro when you're close to a subject above water, but not at all when underwater; had some frustration in constantly forcing the camera into macro mode underwater (but I know of no camera that does it any better)

- the slow-sync flash mode, which usually produces a look I love in night land shots, is not nearly as good as Canons; shame but of course I wouldn't usually use this camera at night on land anyway

Nikon COOLPIX AW120 16 MP Wi-Fi and Waterproof Digital Camera with GPS and Full HD 1080p Video (Orange) (Discontinued by Manufacturer)

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Canon PowerShot ELPH 340 HS 16MP Digital Camera (Black)

Canon PowerShot ELPH 340 HS 16MP Digital Camera (Black)

CUSTOMER REVIEW



I purchased this to use at times I didn't/couldn't lug around my T3i with me; also, it's replacing my SD1400is (2010). So far I am pleased with the quality and abundance of features that are packed into this camera!



Pros:

Nice image quality

Fast focus

Wi-Fi/NFC capabilities

Smooth/great quality HD filming



Cons:

The body is pretty light, I like/am used to heavier frames. I miss the cold aluminum sturdiness of the SD1400is.

It doesn't come with a usb cord - I'm sure by now you may have an extra mini usb cord (top hat) laying around but it would've been nice.

LCD can be a bit grainy at times.



Canon went with the new Digic 4+ processor for the ELPH 340 - think of it as a happy medium between Digic 4 and 5 but optimized. I haven't had any issues with speed or lag. The camera responds promptly every time. As far as battery life, I will report back after a day of shooting images. Either way I still would recommend you purchase a back up battery just in case.



The initial set up was quick and painless. I would love if they added the ability to include copyright info within the camera but this can be done in Photoshop in a click - it would still be nice to have. The Wi-Fi was surprisingly responsive and I ran into no trouble with setting it up with my router, phone or PC. This camera also has NFC for even easier connections.



In my test videos, I was impressed with the image stability the most - this would make a great vlogging companion. The screen has a small amount of grain during playback but remember this is for review. Once imported into my computer the HD video looked great.



*IMPORTANT*

You must try out the Canon CW app in tandem with the camera. This app has remote shutter, the ability to share/browse pictures, remote shut off, and more! Even if you don't plan on using it, give it a try. I used it with the Android app. Though there is a slight delay, but it isn't off putting.



All in all I am happy with my purchase and plan to use this for a long time. I will upload pictures into the customer photo section as soon as I can!



*Update*

I have added a couple images to the customer section. I am having a great time working with this camera.

Canon PowerShot ELPH 340 HS 16MP Digital Camera (Black)

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Samsung GC200 Galaxy Camera 2 - 16.3 Megapixel CMOS, 21x Optical Zoom, Android 4.3, WiFi and 4.8-inch Touchscreen LCD Display - White (Certified Refurbished)

Samsung GC200 Galaxy Camera 2 - 16.3 Megapixel CMOS, 21x Optical Zoom, Android 4.3, WiFi and 4.8-inch Touchscreen LCD Display - White (Certified Refurbished)

CUSTOMER REVIEW



I upgraded to the Galaxy Camera 2 from the original Galaxy Camera. There are a lot of good changes and added features. The camera is much faster than the original. The pictures turn out perfect. Being able to upload to social media, the megapixels and zoom are the main reasons I chose this camera, twice. I am able to take perfect pictures with the 21x zoom while at events (graduations, shows, concerts, etc.). I recommend this camera to those just beginning to take pictures, and to the experienced.

Samsung GC200 Galaxy Camera 2 - 16.3 Megapixel CMOS, 21x Optical Zoom, Android 4.3, WiFi and 4.8-inch Touchscreen LCD Display - White (Certified Refurbished)

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Fujifilm FinePix AX655 - 16 Megapixel Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom, HD 720p Video Recording, 2.7" LCD Display - Black (Certified Refurbished)

Fujifilm FinePix AX655 - 16 Megapixel Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom, HD 720p Video Recording, 2.7" LCD Display - Black (Certified Refurbished)

CUSTOMER REVIEW



Camera seems decent, but lens on this refurbished model had a great big smudge on it spoiling images.



I bought this for an event so had no time to return. I polished the smear off the lens as best I could and the picture is a lot better than it was, but the smear/mark is still visible on the lens to the naked eye.



I guess refurbished cameras are refurbished for a reason!

Fujifilm FinePix AX655 - 16 Megapixel Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom, HD 720p Video Recording, 2.7" LCD Display - Black (Certified Refurbished)

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Fujifilm XF1 12 MP Digital Camera with 3-Inch LCD Screen (Red)

Fujifilm XF1 12 MP Digital Camera with 3-Inch LCD Screen (Red)

CUSTOMER REVIEW



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This review is going to be a short one, only to warn those of you who might be considering this camera of its fatal flaw, from my experiences with these.



During this past summer we bought not one, but four XF1s among the friends and family. I loved the Fuji. The EXR sensor was made famous by its X100 for great signal to noise ratio, low light capability, and saturated colors. It has incredible and accurate JPEG colors that requires little to no adjustment to look amazing. The lens is tack sharp. The zoom lens starts at a very good 25mm wide range with a big f1.8 aperture. Add optical image stabilizer and a low noise sensor, it's a champ at low lights. There is full manual control with RAW. The video looks great at 1080p. The menus and controls are well thought out. Focus is fast and accurate. The build quality was excellent, felt solid in the hand, and it looked great (in my opinion). This was a camera that performed like much larger bodies with larger sensors, at a fraction of the size and cost.



The twist lens is a bit of a nuisance and requires both hands for operation, while not really booting any faster than if it had a power button (it still takes a second or so to turn on after the lens extends). I didn't understand the design decision, other than perhaps by doing so it results in a quieter operation without motor noise, and possibly better reliability as well.



The lens, alas, became the fatal problem, which I'll describe in more detail later. During the summer we shot thousands of pictures, and the camera failed within 6 weeks, right outside the return period. Granted, I shoot a lot more than the average user, but there was no explanation for this. I thought maybe we did something that caused this failure, but in reality we babied the camera without ever abusing it.



However, in time, ALL of the other three cameras developed the same problem. I purchased these in July, and the last one developed this problem at the beginning of November--the one that's probably the least used. This denotes that the problem isn't isolated, but results from a design flaw, that in my four cameras, caused a 100% failure rate.



The problem, which eventually renders the camera inoperable, comes in stages. The process is identical for all four of the XF1 cameras, occurring at zoom range after 35mm. It approximately develops as follows:



- After a good number of shots (it varies a bit on this one, from 1000-5000 frames, probably depending on how often the lens was turned or how it was assembled?), you start noticing some strange blurs around the edges, particularly for telephoto end of the lens. It's easy to put it off as a lens quality issue.

- Then, you'll notice that exposure goes haywire around the telephoto end. It would either grossly overexpose or underexpose, and using compensation or manual override wouldn't do anything. Sometimes it would appear as if the sensor is screwed up, giving garbled images while metering/focusing. Restarting the camera would fix it, until you try to take shots at the tele end again. (at least two other reviewers mentioned this early stage problem)

- Soon after, when you zoom over 35mm, and physically move the camera, you will get "Lens Control Error" which requires a reset. On one of the slower progressing cameras, this developed into a full fledge problem where anything after 35mm will give a shaky image on the viewfinder, like the optics have come loose (or I think something went wrong with the image stabilizer)., and you will easily get "lens control error" with any sudden physical movement. For the other three XF1s, it's more of a abrupt degeneration to the point where the "lens control error" will occur every time you zoom past 35mm, with a noticeable shift in image on the LCD (as if optics suddenly tilted/shifted).

- My friend who kept on using his at 25mm range, thinking he could make do with it as long as it's not zoomed in. However, it eventually worsened that it'll give "lens control error" at 25mm too, rendering the camera completely unusable at shooting photos. (video included)



The 100% failure rate, the speed at which it failed, as well as the identical progressions and symptoms suggest that this is a highly repeatable and non-random issue. There is clearly a design flaw. My family has gone out of the country with two of the cameras, with no warranty service available to them. My friend and I are stuck with ours, and will take up Fuji's warranty service in the coming days. The dilemma for us is whether if we even want this replaced with the same camera, knowing the same design flaw persists; That's unless Fuji had figured this out with a good fix, something I have found no evidence of so far. It seems like a near certain loss that's difficult to recover; and it's a shame since the camera was such a great performer and so portable.



While the price of XF1 has come down due to its end-of-life status, I would still advise against the purchase of this camera. As of right now we're looking to probably get either a flawed replacement, or a "repaired" camera that's only 3 months old. Neither is ideal, and you can avoid my predicament by getting something else, possibly XF1's latest successor, the Fuji XQ1 or other capable pocket cameras. I hope this helps.



___________________________________

11/20/2013 update:

Here is the latest update. I just got off the phone with the Fuji Pro Repairs (1-800-800-3854 Option #1 and then Option #2. That's the only way to reach them since all my emails got a terse reply making me call this number). They weren't particularly helpful, to say the least, and were pretty dismissive about the problems I experienced. They were fighting to talk over me, stressing again and again how they have never heard of this problem, how they never see this online and in their own service bulletin, and how they have worked there for a long time to know better, etc. Frustrated, I asked to speak to the call center manager, who were no better for it--same dismissive attitude, and almost identical "the cameras are great because we've never heard of this problem in the X years I've worked here" rhetoric. (Perusing Amazon reviews, I could see lens control error just a few reviews earlier than mine. He probably thought it's isolated like myself. I did until my other 3 broke).



I personally think there hasn't been as many complaints surfacing on their bulletin (if true) because XF1 is evidently a low volume seller, judging from the sometimes low clearance prices required to move them since summer. There's also plenty of mentions to this problem around the web when you Google "xf1 lens error". That notion was likewise vehemently dismissed by Fuji's reps, again stressing that they have never seen or heard of it, in their bulletins or on the web. They suggested that it could very well be a firmware problem (when it's obviously physical with the optical wobbling and shifting of preview image.) I was treated like this crazy idiot who just didn't know what I was talking about.



I inquired the possibility of replacing my broken XF1 with a different camera, since I was convinced that XF1 is flawed. I got slightly different replies. The first rep said that depending on their tech department's determination, they may replace it with "at least an XF1", which lead to the possibility of something different/better. I asked to speak to the manager because the rep said only the manager could decide. However, the manager said there's "zero possibility" that it would be replaced with anything other than XF1, at best. As you might imagine, both the rep and the manager made it clear that they would be doing me a favor by replacing it with another XF1, which they stubbornly believe is a bulletproof pro camera that only insane people would find otherwise. They said that the only thing I could do is to send it in and have them look at it, then they'll decide whether to repair or replace. I would have to write a letter, explaining the problem in detail, put in any sales receipt or what not, and they'll determine what to do.



Everything I just spoke on the phone--as difficult as it was to explain to deaf ears--would not go on record apparently, until I send in the camera and a letter (maybe that's part of the reason why they have no record of the problem in their service bulletins?). No RMA case was created (they couldn''t). No shipping label would be provided--I'd have to ship with a trackable service at my own cost. They'll just contact me when they receive it, if I put my contact info on the letter. When I suggested that the lack of at least a RMA seems unstructured and unsafe, I got another rant on how they've been doing this for 35 years with no problems.



So this call accomplished little, other than finding an unwillingness by Fuji to acknowledge this as a flawed design, and their complete lack of awareness to this problem. I'm not feeling terribly optimistic with the warranty service now--quite the contrary. Yet seeing how the broken camera is completely useless in my hands anyway, I will ship mine back to them just to see what happens.



The address to send the camera to for repairs:

Fujifilm Camera Repairs

1100 King George Rd.

Edison, NJ 08837



I encourage those who may have the same problem as mine to bring it to Fuji's attention. This certainly shouldn't have been a non-issue. I will report back when I have updates.

___________________________________

12/2/2013

Just got off the phone with Fujifilm service center in Edison, NJ again. The camera has been received by Fujifilm on 11/26/2013 according to Fedex. I have just received an email this afternoon at 3:43pm:



-------Begin email insert------

Thank you for using FUJIFILM Service and Support. Your product was received into our system today, 12/2/2013, at our Edison service center. It is our goal to have your repair completed and shipped to you within 10 business days from today. Due to holidays or parts availability, repair time may increase. You will receive an E-mail with tracking information on the day your repair is shipped.



If your repair is out of warranty, you can Approve or Refuse the estimate online by clicking the following link: http://ift.tt/1yGSB9x or by calling 1800-659-3854 and follow the prompts to the Digital Camera Repair Dept. Please supply the above Repair Reference number.



If a response is not received within 2 weeks, your repair will be shipped back to the address given as a "No Reply to Estimate"



You can always check the status of your repair by also clicking on the link above and supplying your Repair Reference Number.

-------End email insert------



So it looks like it's in the process, and they are apparently going with the repair route. Since it's apparently an automatically generated message, I thought maybe repair can equal to replacement. At any rate, there's a confusing bit about how I need to respond to them in 2 weeks, so I used the website link to check up the repair status, and I got the following:



-------------Begin estimate insert-----------

Order Status

WAITING FOR ESTIMATE APPROVAL

Estimate Charge ($)

140

Shipping Charge ($)

18

Tax ($)

11.66

Total Charges ($)

169.66

---------End estimate insert -----------------



It looks like they are waiting for my approval of $169.66 to have the camera repaired! I called up the number provided in the email (which didn't really lead directly to the repair center. I needed to navigate 3 levels of menus, option 1, 2, 4 I believe for pro repairs), asking about why I was charged this amount when it should have been under warranty.



The service rep looked up the info and said that they found a ding on the front of the lens housing, suggesting impact damage, resulting in the lens error, and the warranty was voided. I tried to explain how the front lens housing has a very thin sheet metal, and can easily be dinged (e.g. putting it in the pocket with other things?), and how I have three others in pristine condition with the same problem, proving its irrelevance. I sent this camera (my friend's) in because it's got the most advanced development of this error, where it shows up without having to zoom.



The representative wasn't belligerent and defensive like last time, but he went on to say that's how the tech reported it and he couldn't do anything about it. He suggested to transfer me to the manager, so I could speak to him. I had him do that, but after a few minutes the same rep returned, saying how the manager was able to lower the bill to $100. I said that's not going to cut it (this really isn't about the money), and I needed to speak to him (even though it really didn't seem like we'll get anywhere), so he transferred me.



After a minute, a brusque and rushed voice came on and said "hello", and I responded a few times; but he apparently had a problem hearing me (not sure why), and he hung up on me. I had to call again, immediately, navigating through the menu and holds, asking again to speak to the manager, Dan Scarola. This time it went straight to his voicemail, saying that he's out for the day. I left a message, again explaining the situation, and left my number, asking for a call back.



So, that's the latest update. Needless to say, I'm more than disappointed. I'll try to reach him tomorrow, and if that doesn't get anywhere (a rather likely event), I'll be forced to cancel the estimate and get the broken camera back--it doesn't make sense to pay $100-$169.66 for a half-measure repair on a 199 camera (it also seems strange that the rather exorbitant estimated cost can be so arbitrarily adjusted). I don't even think it's worth the $7 FedEx shipping I paid for sending it in (not sure why Fuji's charging $18), if they are only going to do a repair without acknowledging the evident and a repeatable engineering flaw. Not only will I end up with repaired/refurbished cameras, they will most likely develop the same errors again.



The inclination to downplay camera problems and voiding warranty really brought down my expectations to nothing, and my initial "wait and see" sentiment became that of an outrage. I have had a great opinion on Fuji's recent cameras, and I recommend them heartily to family and friends (hence the 4 XF1s). Yet this good feeling has gone negative through the recent dealings with Fujifilm. I actually have other new Fujifilm X series cameras, and now not only am I leery about my future support, but that I just don't want to deal with Fujifilm anymore.

Fujifilm XF1 12 MP Digital Camera with 3-Inch LCD Screen (Red)

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Canon EOS 5D Mark III 22.3 MP Full Frame CMOS with 1080p Full-HD Video Mode Digital SLR Camera (Body)

Canon EOS 5D Mark III 22.3 MP Full Frame CMOS with 1080p Full-HD Video Mode Digital SLR Camera (Body)

CUSTOMER REVIEW



I didn't rush to make a review of this camera, as I wanted to really put it through it's paces first. I won't try to list every feature or go over every bullet point (the above description does a fine job), but instead try to go over a few things which make a big difference to me as a 5D Mark II owner. For some background, I bought an original 5D in 2007, a 5DII in 2008 and have been working with these bodies ever since then. I also have experience with all of the Canon 1-series up through the 1DIII and 1DsIII. I currently log about 60,000 photos per year with the 5D Mark IIs as a professional wedding and portrait photographer. I shoot almost exclusively with fast L prime lenses in my work.



So after a week of solid shooting with the camera, here are the areas which are of note relative to previous 5D bodies:



**AUTOFOCUS**

AF is the elephant in the room here so I'll address it first. Good news, we now have a focusing system worth of it's price point. The AF system here is identical to that in the 1Dx and is THE most sophisticated AF system EVER put in any Canon body. It is superior to that in the 1DV and all bodies before it.



I have tested the AF point in servo and one shot mode with my fastest lenses. Speed, accuracy, and consistency have been exceptional and better than anything I have used before. AF gets the job done with zero drama. NO focus jitter, NO frontfocus, NO backfocus, nothing but near-instant, dead accurate focusing with all of my lenses. Even with my Sigma 85/1.4 (which gives my 5DII bodies absolute fits) is 100% accurate with no jitter on the 5DIII. Center AF point and all peripheral AF points are all usable with fast primes. With the 5DII you just use the center AF point and hope for the best (with often mixed results). You could forget using the outer AF points with fast lenses on previous 5D bodies. That has all changed now.



Just to see how far I could push it, I took my most difficult to focus lens (24/1.4 II), put it on the 5DIII, and tried to focus on my black lab in my dimly lit apartment. At a distance of about 2 feet I would able to lock focus on the dog's eye with the far left AF point at F1.4, 1/40, ISO4000. Think about that. I was able to focus on a black eye on a black dog in a dimly lit apartment at F1.4. The 5DII would have hunted all day long trying to do this, even with it's center AF point.



I could sit here and write a book on how happy this performance makes me. For what I do, if this were the only upgrade from the 5D Mark II, it alone would be worth of the $3500 price tag. That said, there is more...



**BUILD QUALITY**

It's hard to put my finger on exactly what changed, but the 5DIII just feels more substantial. It feels like a chopped down 1-series instead of a buffed up 10 series. The contour of the body has changed to fit your hand better. The rubber is also a new compound which is much grippier than before. The 5DIII feels much better to hold and use than the previous 5D bodies.



**SCREEN**

I wasn't expecting a big improvement here, but the screen is drop dead gorgeous. The height is about the same, but it's wider than that in the 5DII and fits the aspect of horizontal images perfectly now. The screen itself has better coatings which allow you to see it easier outside. The contrast, viewing angle, color, and saturation have all improved noticeably. It has a very similar look to a high end smartphone screen. This is a substantial upgrade from the 5DII's screen.



**IMAGE QUALITY**

Image quality is better than the 5DII, but not substantially so. Let me explain.



The 5DIII now natively amplifies the sensor data to ISO 25,600 whereas the 5DII only natively went to ISO 6400. This means that for anything higher than ISO 6400, the 5DIII is better. In RAW you are looking at an improvement of about 1/2 to 3/4 of a stop at high ISO. At lower ISOs, the noise level is about the same.



JPEG quality has improved much more though. The JPEG engine in this camera is staggeringly good and a solid 2 stops better at controlling noise at high ISO than the 5DII. It strikes the best balance of detail and noise control of any camera on the market right now. Note though that default NR in JPEG mode is fairly strong and that you will generally attain a better "look" from your files with the "low" NR setting.



As an aside, the nasty cross-hatch banding present in the deep shadows of 5DII files is now gone with the Mark III. There is still mild vertical banding, but it's similar to the original 5D and only visible when pushed heavily (3 or more stops).



**METERING**

I don't have any hard data on this, but I'm fully convinced the metering of the 5DIII is better than that of the 5DII. I find myself correcting with exposure compensation MUCH less now with the new body than with the mark II. Shooting with the two side the newfound metering accuracy of the mark III is very obvious. I found the 5DII metering very similar to the original 5D. The new 5DIII is much improved here.



**SPEED AND STORAGE**

Camera startup and operation is near-instant. Shutter lag and mirror blackout is now faster than before and leads to a more instant, responsive feel while shooting. This, combined with the vastly improved AF make for a radically different experience from previous 5D bodies.



Dual memory card slots mean you can now either backup your data to a 2nd slot *OR* you can "span" cards. Spanning means that once one card is full it will automatically swtich to the second card. SUCH a nice feature. I can't tell you how many times my card has filled up at the most inopportune moments and shooting stopped. No more.



Shooting speed is either 3fps or 6fps and the buffer is about 18 frames deep in RAW only with a fast CF card. You can shoot almost indefinitely in JPEG mode without hitting the buffer. For RAW I would recommend a 60MB/s CF card to take full advantage of the CF slot speed. The SD slot is slower, but still capable of about 30MB/s write speed.



**COLOR**

The 5D Mark II had a slight magenta color cast. This was easily correctable in post processing and wasn't a huge deal most of the time. I now report that color cast is gone and that the 5DIII's color is much more neutral. Skin tones in general look better due to the more neutral tone.



Additionally I have found auto white balance to be improved over previous 5D models. I've noticed that while post processing I'm having to correct color less with the 5DIII files than the 5DII files. This is very exciting, as it will save me a fair amount of time in post processing. Per usual, all of the cameras struggle under tungsten lighting. However, AWB is able to get color surprisingly close with anything that contains natural lighting.



**MENUS**

I would strongly advise reading the manual because there are a lot of new settings and options which won't be familar to 5DII users. There are also a LOT of different ways to set up your AF system, so a little experimentation is needed. In general, the menu system is more complicated that before, but this also allows a much greater degree of customization of the camera. In that regard, the 5DIII is much closer to a 1-series than before. Take the time to learn it and set it up correctly.



**MISC**

You now have the option to one-click zoom to 100% at your AF point. This means you can instantly check focusing with one button push. This saves a lot of time and frustration while shooting. There is also a "silent" shutter mode which only makes about 1/2 the noise as the standard shutter. You can do one-shot or 3FPS in silent shutter mode. 6FPS continuous is only available with the standard shutter mode.



Another brand new feature that's exciting is the ability to re-map buttons on the camera to perform other functions. The options are very extensive. One in particular I'm excited about is the ability to toggle one-shot with AI-Servo by clicking the DOF preview button (which is now on the right hand side of the camera, in perfect reach of your middle or ring finger). If you are shooting a still subject in one-shot and they start to move, simply push the DOF preview button and you're instantly in AI Servo mode. There is no need to move your hand, or even look away from the viewfinder. When you are done, simply release the button and you're back in one-shot mode.



**CONCLUSION**

Canon finally woke up with the 5D Mark III. The completeness of this refresh is hard to overstate, as there is no part of this camera that was left untouched from the Mark II. The overall experience of using the camera has been transformed to an entirely different level. You will be faster, better, and more efficient with a 5D Mark III relative to its predecessors.



The improvements here will most cater to those who shoot in demanding environments which require high ISO and fast, accurate autofocus. Canon basically fixed most every complaint anyone ever had with the 5DII while maintaining the things which made the 5DII great (resolution, image quality, small body).



The price of this body is probably about $500 too high compared to its primary competition - the $3000 Nikon D800, which is likely to annoy some people. Though individually they cater to different types of photographers and have different strengths over the other, overall these two cameras are comparable products. If you are starting from scratch or have minimal gear investment, the D800 is worth a hard look at. If you are heavily invested in one system or another, you would probably do best just to stick with your current brand. Both are fine cameras and you can't go wrong with either one.

Canon EOS 5D Mark III 22.3 MP Full Frame CMOS with 1080p Full-HD Video Mode Digital SLR Camera (Body)

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Nikon Coolpix L330 Digital Camera (Black) - Factory Refurbished includes Full 1 Year Warranty

Nikon Coolpix L330 Digital Camera (Black) - Factory Refurbished includes Full 1 Year Warranty

Product Description

26X Zoom 35MM. Full HD 720P

Note: This camera is powered by AA batteries readily available almost anywhere.






CUSTOMER REVIEW



If you are looking for a snapshot camera that can pretty much do it all, this Nikon Coolpix L330 is worthy of your consideration. I am a camera nut and own both full-size Nikon SLRs (my present one is the Nikon D5300) as well as small pocket cameras. This L330 is essentially a hybrid between the two -- it is small (and light) enough to be easily carried, and yet has a large and powerful lens that can do many things better than a true pocket camera.



The outstanding characteristic of this camera is the lens. The lens features a much larger objective lens than any pocket camera, which means that it is capturing more light for more detail and sharper shots. For taking still pictures, for example, I notice a clear difference in favor of this camera in comparison to my Canon pocket camera. The 26X optical zoom really makes this camera a "do all" for both landscape shots, portraits, and many other kinds of shooting. Like all cameras of this class, this one is probably not the camera to use for action shots such as flying birds or football games, although it may do in a pinch.



Ergonomically this camera is well thought-out. I was able to pretty much completely figure this camera out without resorting to the manual, which is a good thing as the manual is nearly useless. Most users should simply spend 20 minutes browsing through the camera menus; this will adequately familiarize most users with the camera. (The manual is very rudimentary.) Frankly, you can put most settings on "auto" and do just fine with this camera. The viewfinder shows both shutter speed and F/stop, which is a nice feature for more advanced shooters. The flash is easy to use and is pretty good for a flash of this class. I took night party shots with it and it functioned about as well as any on-board flash that I have used. The overall fit-and-finish of this camera is excellent, as one expects from Nikon. This is an all-plastic camera, which is good as it makes the camera nice and light, while still adequately sturdy for almost all users.



As seems to be the remorseless trend in camera design, this camera does not have an optical viewfinder; it uses the rear LED screen for framing shots. I am against this trend, as this can present problems in bright sunlight. But all camera manufacturers seem determined that for cameras of this class they are eliminating optical viewfinders. A shame, in my futile opinion. I will say that the LED on this camera is nice and bright and does about as good a job as you can expect for this type of screen.



The maximum shutter speed on this camera is 1/500 which is adequate for action shots in bright sunlight; you can forget about indoor sports or other indoor speed shots though; the lens here is simply not fast enough. This camera will not yield satisfactory results for snapshots of indoor basketball games, for example. The continuous shooting speed on this camera is 1/FPS which is really not fast enough for wildlife shots in my opinion, but it is better than nothing.



This camera takes excellent photos wherever there is adequate light. For night shots you will be cranking up the ISO setting (with the resultant graininess) or using the flash. Either approach can yield decent photos although in practice I found night shots to be somewhat tricky. Fortunately you can immediately review a photo and re-take it most times if it turns out unsatisfactorily. Sure beats the film days.



I am very pleased that this camera uses 4 AA batteries. Firstly, AA batteries are ubiquitous; always available on vacations and my family always packs a bunch of them on trips. The 4 AA batteries that power this camera give a LOT of shots -- I am on 500 and still going; many using the flash. I am very pleased that Nikon eschewed using those puny little AAA batteries for this camera. The AA battery bank gives this camera lots of juice; the flash recycles pretty fast, does not drain the camera quickly, and the camera just keeps chugging along. This was a very good design choice by Nikon in my opinion.



This camera takes 720p movies. I have not used mine much for this so my review will not cover this feature.



Overall, this is an excellent camera for its class and will outperform true pocket cameras. It is small enough to be much less a chore to carry than a full-blown SLR such as my trusty D5300, and takes really good photos within its limitations. This is a good choice for family trips, portraits, or industrial/business use. There is a lot of camera here in a small package, and it is very easy to use. Recommended. RJB.

Nikon Coolpix L330 Digital Camera (Black) - Factory Refurbished includes Full 1 Year Warranty

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Nikon Coolpix S2800 20.1 MP Point and Shoot Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom (Black)

Nikon Coolpix S2800 20.1 MP Point and Shoot Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom (Black)

CUSTOMER REVIEW



Bought this camera for a vacation that included a road trip, parties, and a trip to a beautiful national park.



The camera performed amazing in every situation. I took tremendous pictures of wildlife, scenery, closeups, portraits, selfies, and campfire photos. It takes a while to get used to the settings, how to use them, and what situations they work best in. There has to be an easier way to switch between the settings than this camera has. Even though I was used to my old camera listed here: http://ift.tt/1AIMRyy



Once I got to the setting I wanted, the camera performed extremely well. Three of the main reasons I went with this camera and not for another “bulky” camera is because of the size, zoom, and the price. This camera is small enough to easily fit in a man's jeans or athletic shorts pocket. Even so, the zoom on this pocket-size camera is phenomenal. I was able to get a clear picture of wildlife and landscapes that I was spotting with binoculars. The panorama is also great. Even though you seemingly have to take the full panorama even if you just wanted half of it, it is easy to crop the photo right on the camera or on a computer.



I have not used all of the functions or used them extensively but this camera took great photos. So I would definitely recommend it to everyone!

Nikon Coolpix S2800 20.1 MP Point and Shoot Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom (Black)

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Samsung NX2000 20.3MP Digital Camera (Certified Refurbished) - with 20-50mm Lens

Samsung NX2000 20.3MP Digital Camera (Certified Refurbished) - with 20-50mm Lens

CUSTOMER REVIEW



I've got the NX300

(I also posted this under the NX300 link!)



- Excellent image quality thanks to the APS-C sensor.

- 20-50mm lens is very compact and makes is easy to always carry.

- Excellent controls - you can use the touch screen or the buttons for most settings..

- Compact design and good build quality.

- Beautiful AMOLED screen.

- Crazy Fast, & Reliable Autofocus.

- High frame rate for action shooting

- FHD video quality is way better than anything I was able to get from my FHD camcorder.

- Wi-Fi works great connecting with my Samsung G4 phone!

- View Screen is like my phone and not great in bright bright sunlight.

Samsung NX2000 20.3MP Digital Camera (Certified Refurbished) - with 20-50mm Lens

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Samsung NX300 20.3MP Digital Camera (Certified Refurbished) - with 20-50mm Lens

Samsung NX300 20.3MP Digital Camera (Certified Refurbished) - with 20-50mm Lens

CUSTOMER REVIEW



Great Camera.. Killer price refurbished!



- Excellent image quality thanks to the APS-C sensor.

- 20-50mm lens is very compact and makes is easy to always carry.

- Excellent controls - you can use the touch screen or the buttons for most settings..

- Compact design and good build quality.

- Beautiful AMOLED screen.

- Crazy Fast, & Reliable Autofocus.

- High frame rate for action shooting

- FHD video recoredin

- Wi-Fi works great connecting with my Samsung G4 phone!

- View Screen is like my phone and not great in bright bright sunlight.

Samsung NX300 20.3MP Digital Camera (Certified Refurbished) - with 20-50mm Lens

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Samsung NX1000 20.3MP Digital Camera (Certified Refurbished) - with 20-50mm Lens

Samsung NX1000 20.3MP Digital Camera (Certified Refurbished) - with 20-50mm Lens

CUSTOMER REVIEW



I love my NX1000 I didn't get an awesome deal like today's price but I love everything about it. The WiFi is great the remote viewfinder is awesome. Love Love Love!

Samsung NX1000 20.3MP Digital Camera (Certified Refurbished) - with 20-50mm Lens

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Nikon D5300 24.2 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR II AF-S DX NIKKOR Zoom Lens (Black)

Nikon D5300 24.2 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR II AF-S DX NIKKOR Zoom Lens (Black)

CUSTOMER REVIEW



I got this camera as an upgrade to my beloved D5100 so the bar was pretty high and so this review is often D5100 vs. D5300. I'll be frank. The D5300 outclasses the D5100 so substantially that it has utterly obsoleted the D5100. Ignore those who say that the D5300 merely provides an opportunity to pick up a D5200 or D5100 for a bargain price. No. The D5300 is now the ONLY camera in the Nikon D5xxx line. It has changed the game. Don't bother counting pennies, this camera is underpriced at full price. The fact that I am sincerely comparing images from this $800 camera body to my D800E's images truly says it all.



Please allow me to just get into the Pros and Cons:



PROS:



1) PHENOMENAL IMAGE QUALITY! AT LOW ISO THE D5300'S IMAGES ARE ON PAR WITH THE BEST CAMERAS IN THE WORLD AND THAT IS NO EXAGGERATION WHATSOEVER. I can't believe there is still a debate going on about the efficacy of Anti-Aliasing filter removal. I'm sorry, but the difference is so noticeable there is no debate. And moire was a myth even on the D800E, which I do also own. I guarantee you that you will find more moire in a D5100's or D7000's images than you will on the D5300. Color and saturation from the D5300 are exceptionally good versus ANY camera at any price point. Now, I will still take the D800E's images over the D5300's but it is not at all night & day. They are actually surprisingly close at low ISO.



EDIT 2013-12-09: Photographing cats a lot I am catching a little false color on shiny fur. Nothing of concern to me though.



2) Focus point spread (area of image with AF sensor coverage) is MUCH greater than in FX ("full-frame" sensor size) cameras. The D5300's AF point coverage extends left-right top-bottom much farther than FX cameras. I would estimate the D5300 covers probably double the area that FX cameras do and this is an ENORMOUS advantage. I always leave my D800E's focus point glued to Center because the AF coverage is only in the center area anyway so why bother with the other 50 AF points when they just don't cover anything? I actually do use my focus points on my D5300 because they cover the frame pretty well. I'd still like to see even more coverage, but vs. the FX bodies, APS-C cameras have a tremendous advantage.



3) Minimum shutter speed in Auto ISO now has AUTO setting that adjusts based on focal length! This is SO much better than a fixed shutter speed regardless of lens length.



4) Hard to quantify but the HDR images look much nicer than the D5100's and the Extra High setting is intense and beyond the D5100's abilities. I have not been able to verify this but it *appears* as though there is now image alignment for the 2 photos used for the HDR image as my handheld HDR shots nearly never look like 2 images whereas they often did on my D5100 at full or nearly full magnification. HUGE improvement!



5) Great-for-DX and pretty-good-versus-FX ISO performance. I'll put this to bed right now; the D800E smokes the D5300 for high ISO performance. Sorry, this is a different league. However, the D5300 substantially outperforms the D5100 at ISO 1600+. The improvement in the D5300 over the D5100 is readily noticeable.



6) Much more intuitive i Menu. The D5100's i Menu being J-shaped was ridiculous and totally awkward. I never got used to it after thousands of photos. The D5300's standardized 2-lines-across-the-bottom Nikon style is a drastic improvement.



7) GPS! I don't know what Nikon was thinking with that clunky expensive GP-1A. Did anyone ever buy one? The D5300's internal GPS works great and hooks up quickly and I'm big on geotagging so I am super stoked to have this on a REAL camera!



EDIT 2013-12-09: I spent a day in the country (wide open clear sky) with this camera outside of my normal metro town area and despite using A-GPS data, it took somewhere between 30-60 minutes to get GPS lock. Surprised, disappointed. But that was the only time I have had trouble with hookup.



8) Nikon's had truly exceptional built-in flash performance since at least the D90. The D5300 does not disappoint and bests or matches its predecessors at any price point. This could be a result of image processing more than flash performance but whatever it is, using flash is a joy, not something to dread.



9) The red body paint color is super-gorgeous! It's like a candy apple red Corvette color and it is way sexy.



10) The new bigger, higher-pixel screen is REALLY nice. It is not insignificant like many reviewers dismiss it as. I like it a LOT. :)



11) EN-EL14a battery with 19.4% more capacity is a nice treat and helpful when running GPS and/or the silly WiFi. I have not spent a full day shooting hundreds of photos with the D5300 yet but I have shot perhaps 100 shots in a day with GPS on and flash here and there and a lot of reviewing and in-camera editing and not gotten below 2/3 battery level in a day.



EDIT 2013-12-09: GPS was on from about 8:45am to 5:30pm, WiFi was off all day, I shot 362 photos (almost all were 14-bit RAW+Large Basic JPEG so roughly only about 170-190 shutter clicks) and probably 15 of those photos had flash, 2 minutes of video, edited 6 photos and had a couple of review sessions during the day. Battery level fell to 1/3 remaining. Not bad but could be better. If you're a heavy shooter and will use GPS and/or pop-up flash, carry a spare battery.



12) Here's a gem for the old-school film guys like me. ;) Or a little "secret treat" for digital-era photographers with a true creative streak. In Manual exposure mode, the "T," or "Time" setting has returned! Want to take a 5-minute or 5-hour exposure but you left your plug-in intervalometer/timer at home? Lol, as if you even have one... No problem. Turn your shutter speed dial all the way past 30-seconds, past Bulb and click on into good ol' Time at the end of the dial. Press the shutter button to open shutter, let your wristwatch or phone tell you when exposure time is up and then press shutter button again to close the shutter. Seriously?! Yes, seriously. How cool is that?! I miss this so much and guess what? Even my D800E does not have T and the D5100 does not either. According to the Nikon info page for the D5200 (Yes, D5200. Not a typo), T is there but you need the ML-L3 remote to use it.



CONS:



1) EDIT 2013-12-09: I have found that focus points other than THE Center focus point are somewhat frequently inaccurate. Focus points at or near the left and right edges are rarely accurate and almost never dead-on. If you use ONLY the Center focus point, focus accuracy is quite good and consistent. As Center AF point AF-S is almost always how I shoot, this is not a deal-breaker for me but it is certainly a handicap. If you use multi-point AF tracking or regularly venture away from Center AF point, you had better experiment with different AF points at a local camera store before buying one from any store, Amazon included. I am beginning to think my camera may be defective and will likely send it to Nikon for repair or exchange it with Amazon for a new one. Honestly, I expect this to be a performance trade-off that Nikon will not remedy. Though $800 is not cheap, this caliber of image quality for $800 is going to come with trade-offs and I bet being forced to use Center AF point is one of those trade-offs.



2) EDIT 2013-12-09: I had a chance this past weekend to use Live View in some beautifully sunlit countryside. Sorry, even with truly ideal lighting Live View is horribly slow and constantly hunting. Don't use it for anything other than manual focus confirmation with screen zoomed for precise focusing. And focus VERY slowly as screen update time has substantial lag. I'm not really concerned about video, but this camera cannot focus worth a darn for video. It really is that bad, sorry.



3) When reviewing a photo on my D5100 and even the D5200, I could just press the OK button to get into Retouch Menu and then get into RAW processing of that image in another click of OK. Boom, 2 presses of OK and I am RAW processing the image I'm looking at. Well, not anymore. Now I have to press the "i" button to get into Rating/Retouch/Send Menu and then click OK to get to Retouch Menu and then another click of OK to get to RAW processing. Hardly a nightmare but takes an extra button press and, more importantly, is ergonomically awkward and more prone to mistakes.



4) Noisy Multi-Controller. I like having solid clicks, but man, clicking Up, Down, Left or Right on this Multi-Controller is literally enough to wake someone up. My gf grumbles at me for reviewing/RAW processing in bed because of that. It's also not so great in public areas as it intrudes on the conversations of neighboring tables, etc. It's really an irritating higher pitch that grabs attention. I know this complaint sounds whiny, but it truly is an intrusive noise problem.



5) WiFi is rubbish. You can't upload full-resolution images to your smart device via WiFi. And I don't believe (but I could be wrong about this) that you can WiFi upload at all to a PC. I wanted to have instant constant file backup via WiFi. Nope.



6) Slow RAW process Menu navigation. Perhaps it's the sheer file size but things like scrolling Picture Control modes in RAW processing is very slow relative to the D5100.



7) Slow photo review after taking a picture(s). Takes too long for the D5300 to gulp down one or a few RAW+Large Basic JPEG shots (my standard resolution).



8) After assigning HDR function to the BKT button (D5100)/Fn button (D5300), activating HDR now requires holding the Fn button and turning the dial until you get the setting you want before letting the Fn button go. On the D5100 you set your HDR preference one time in the Menu and then activation via BKT button only took a single press. Now it's a process. And my favorite setting (High) takes the most clicks (3 to the left or 3 to the right) to get to. The Auto HDR mode should simply be removed so we just scroll Low, Normal, High, Extra High and should be permanently Menu-set to facilitate 1-press activation a la D5100.



9) To get autofocusing you MUST use an AF-S or AF-I lens. D5300 body has no focus motor for AF or AF-D lenses. Metering requires a CPU lens.



CONCLUSION:



The D5300 is not a camera for sports, when rushed or in demanding conditions and you are gambling when you change away from Center AF point. Many consumer cameras like to claim performance in this fast-action realm, but no. If it's not pro gear it will suck at sports and tracking a subject. Always has been and likely always will be the case. However, for general photography, landscape, portraiture/still life, macro, time-lapse, etc. the D5300 creates stunningly sharp and colorful images able to be painlessly enlarged to enormous proportions. I wouldn't hesitate to print 3-foot x 2-foot (that is 36x the size of a 4-inch x 6-inch) prints. And that would be essentially pixelation-free. 6-foot x 4-foot would still look fantastic.

Nikon D5300 24.2 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR II AF-S DX NIKKOR Zoom Lens (Black)

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Sony Alpha SLT-A37K 16.1 MP Exmor APS HD CMOS Sensor DSLR with Translucent Mirror Technology and 18-55mm Lens (Black)

Sony Alpha SLT-A37K 16.1 MP Exmor APS HD CMOS Sensor DSLR with Translucent Mirror Technology and 18-55mm Lens (Black)

CUSTOMER REVIEW



Five years ago I sold my Sony DCS-F717 which was a great camera for an all in one and decided to get a DSLR. I bought the A100 because of the built in image stabilization and the ability to use Minolta lenses. Five years ago it was easy to find Minolta lenses for very low prices as no one was sure Sony would put such a great effort into making an entire line of DSLR's. I started with a 50 mm f1.7. Then I found a 24-85 mm f3.5/4.5 which has become my favorite lens because it's very sharp, relatively light and offers good range. Then I found the 100 mm f2.8 Macro which is a superb lens and was top rated (same rating as the Leica) by Colorfoto (a German magazine) which ran a test on various macro lenses.



All of these lenses only cost me a few hundred dollars so buying into the Minolta/Sony A-Mount system is a real bargain compared to Canon/Nikon lenses. I also have the Sony 75-300 mm f4.5/5.6 which is a copy of the Minolta lens. Over the course of the last five years I've discovered that the A100 is too large and heavy to drag around for casual shooting and it's low light performance was limited. Also it doesn't shoot video so I used a Sanyo Xacti HD-1010 as my video camera. I had to decide which was more important. Video with poor quality stills on the Sanyo or high quality stills but no video on the Sony.



Recently I started investigating the options. After much research I was all set to buy the new Sony NEX F3. Then I went to look at it and immediately I struggled to read the tiny font and icons. Just about everyone will eventually suffer from Presbyopia which a difficulty to focus on close up objects. This can be easily corrected with reading glasses but I don't want to carry around a set of glasses to take photos. Moreover it means constantly looking up to see distant objects in focus. That's when I decided I still wanted a camera with a viewfinder. But I was still attracted to the size of the Nex which I could use if I bought the optional viewfinder. When shooting videos I loved the accessory microphone input on the Sanyo. Unfortunately the Nex cameras require you to buy one specific Sony microphone. Also NEX cameras use a new E mount lens which means you need an adapter to use A mount lenses. So by the time you buy the viewfinder, the microphone and the mount adapter you've spent twice the price of the camera. Way more than was in my budget. My goal was to sell the A100 and the Sanyo and use the proceeds to buy a new camera.



Enter the Sony A37 with Single lens Translucent technology.



This is really a huge advance over using a camera with a flip up mirror which was invented in 1949. For the first time Sony has also included all of the features of the higher end cameras in their entry level A37. The A37 is a NEX-F3 in an Alpha SLT format.



The size of the A37 is perfect for me. The grip on the A37 has been improved with a deeper groove for your fingers. I tried out the A57. It's much bigger and heavier than the A37. I have to grip really hard to hold it one handed (just like I did with the A100.) The A37 is much lighter and smaller which means that it fits perfectly in a small camera bag together with a couple of spare lenses. The camera and the 18-55 mm lens weighs just a pound and a half.



I mostly use the EVF (which includes diopter correction) but when I need the LCD I have no issues at all with it. Of course, I don't review photos on it. No camera LCD is good enough to reliably do that. The tilt mechanism makes it easy to compose shots that require you to hold the camera above or below you. If you don't use the EVF as your primary composing tool then I would suggest you look at the NEX F3 as it's an otherwise great camera that just lacks the things I want such a built in EVF and support for A mount lenses without an adapter.



For $600 my new A37 does everything I want it to do. Great images and videos are just as good as more expensive cameras. I only shoot mp4 videos so the lack of 1080p AVCHD won't be missed. Standard h264 mp4 video is so much easier to edit than AVCHD.



The A37 has the 3rd generation of the Bionz processor which is also used in all of the current generation of SLT and NEX cameras including the flagship model the A77.

This new processor allows for better low light shot with an ISO range from 100 to 16,000.



In addition the new processor makes possible continuous 15 point phase detection auto focus, 5.5 fps shooting at full resolution and full HD video recording.



Together with a 16mp sensor and a good lens such as the 18-55 you have everything you need to take great photos. Features such as clear image zoom that can digitally extend the range of any lens and a viewfinder with 100% coverage are wonderful.

Anyone can operate this camera which now has two auto settings; intelligent auto and superior auto which makes it possible for even a beginner to take great photos.

Let me know if you have questions and thanks for watching.



I'm not a beginner. I've been a photographer for 4 decades and this is the best camera I've ever owned. The A37 is a major upgrade from my previous camera both in image quality and in handling.



The 3 things to consider are the processor, the image sensor and the lens. I own 3 Minolta lenses and 2 Sony lenses. They are all good to excellent and that includes the 18-55 'kit' lens. With a new 3rd generation Bionz processor, a 16mp sensor and the 18-55 lens you will have everything you need to take excellent photos.



The specs are awesome because this is one awesome camera. Sure Sony has to offer some 'step up' features in other models but they are really nothing essential.

You will also have spent less which you can use to buy accessories such as an extra battery, a fast SDHC card and some great used Minolta lenses.

These reviews are helpful; [...] Rated Essential.

[...]First place.

[...] 'I know it seems like I'm "Mr. Sony is perfect" but honestly there is very little not to like about this camera at its price point. It is so exciting to watch Sony announce cameras that trounce the competition.'

[...] Editors Choice. 'The camera's small size works in its favour as well by making the camera easy to pick up and take with you.'

Sony Alpha SLT-A37K 16.1 MP Exmor APS HD CMOS Sensor DSLR with Translucent Mirror Technology and 18-55mm Lens (Black)

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Canon EOS Rebel SL1 Digital SLR with 18-55mm STM Lens

Canon EOS Rebel SL1 Digital SLR with 18-55mm STM Lens

CUSTOMER REVIEW



Im a casual photographer, who travels a lot and wanted a SLR to take with me. I also want to enhance my photography as a hobby, although I don't plan on ever being professional. I've owned several compact digital prior to this camera.



Size:

Even though I knew what I was ordering, I couldn't get over the size. It's so small for an SLR and so lightweight. I've checked multiple times because I didn't think it was loaded in my bag, it felt empty. No kidding, it's that light weight. But still has all the buttons you need, well placed and easy to operate. It also feels tough and durable, so don't be dissuaded by the light weight or small size. I'm not sure about the concern some voiced about it being "too small" to hold. It's very comfortable. If you are going to shoot for 2 hours straight and/or have shot with a larger camera for 5 years, then maybe this would take some getting used to. But it's very easy to manage, comfortable to hold and feels solid in my hand.



Performance:

I've been experimenting for a couple months now with various settings, different creative shots and I love the camera. Any failures are certainly mine as an amateur. It's easy to shoot, fast enough (I'm not shooting for the NHL) and takes accurate, colorful pictures that are only limited by my creativity. I've shot macro, landscape, architecture, pets and portraits. I love it. It has a deep, feature rich set of custom options, menus and settings. I'm almost addicted to loading my amazing photos into a post photo software (name omitted) and playing with them to see how incredible they can get. That being said, they look incredible (when composed properly) straight from the RAW image. Also remember, this is a canon, so you can use virtually any lens ever created by them.



Video:

The improved AF Focus and STM lens is evident when shooting video. Video is amazingly clear, the AF does a good job keeping up with most subjects (again not shooting NHL or nocturnal animal scenery). The touchscreen, nearly silent lens combo is a huge improvement over prior versions. All but the most demanding professionals will find it does a remarkable job.



Cons:

Not many, seriously.

No built in stereo mic..(minor issue use an external)

No built in wifi (use an eye fi card)



I kept this simple as there are some more technical reviews out there. I thought simple usage from a consumer standpoint would be most helpful. My advice, be very careful hanging your hat on some of the Amazon reviews that are overly technical. Some of the reviewers don't know as much as they pretend and quote erroneous facts, like the fact that this camera uses "contrast phase detect" for it's auto focus. Wrong, older canon's did, not this one. If you really need the technical details read a review by dpmag, dppreview, camera labs etc. They will be spot on accurate and not a pseudo professional opinion. Happy hunting...



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Canon EOS Rebel SL1 Digital SLR with 18-55mm STM Lens

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Nikon D7100 24.1 MP DX-Format CMOS Digital SLR (Body Only)

Nikon D7100 24.1 MP DX-Format CMOS Digital SLR (Body Only)

CUSTOMER REVIEW



While I'm hoping Nikon will release a D400, I couldn't resist trying out the new D7100. As a working pro who uses both FX and DX format cameras, my first impressions of the D7100 are very positive.



My simple summary is that this camera is a bargain and that those already inclined to own the best the DX camera Nikon sells should get one.



Having worked for years with the D300 and the D7000 bodies, my perspective on this one is influenced by what I think is good about those two popular cameras. I hoped that the D7100 would really improve in the areas of autofocus, shadow noise, and overall resolution/acuity. This camera has not disappointed me, and has even a few minor improvements I wasn't expecting.



Of first importance, shooters of the D7000 will appreciate the big improvements in AF (you probably know how sketchy that camera is to focus, especially compared to the 51-point standard set by most older/current pro bodies). It's fast, accurate, and doesn't get fooled into moving if you recompose. On single focus mode, it simply acquires and holds where you want. And the tracking AF is on par with Nikon's pro standard. This is huge for me, since I love the quality of images the D7000 gives but hate the unreliability of its AF. Acquiring focus in low light seems a bit snappier and more accurate than even the D300.



The resolving power of this sensor is unlike any DX camera before it. Because the D7100 doesn't have an anti-aliasing/low-pass filter on its 24 megapixel sensor, I knew it would be able to show a perceptible increase in resolving detail over the older D7000, and again I am glad to report it does - IF you use good glass, stopped down a bit, and process from the RAW files. My test shots captured with the Tokina 11-16 and Nikon 70-200 have blown me away. The acuity when zoomed in is night/day compared to the D7000. However, if you use mediocre glass then the only differences you'll notice are larger files and slightly better dynamic range.



In DX images, shadow noise has generally appeared too stippled even at lower ISO values, rendering a texture that the FX sensors don't have at the same ISO's. The D7100 has definitely improved this. The texture gradient is more uniform and it reminds me of the D600 in this way. Although I haven't done tests above ISO 1600, the shadow textures are more uniform and pleasant (natural?) on skin than the previous DX cameras.



Shooters familiar with Nikon's pro camera ergonomics will appreciate that the D7100 has added the quick magnification/zoom feature to the `OK' button on the rear thumbpad. It's great for snappy, quick inspections at defined zoom ratios to check for focus accuracy. This feature is nonexistent on the D7000 and the D600. I find it very handy and preferable to the +/- buttons.



Speaking of the +/- buttons to the left of the LCD, I have no idea why Nikon reversed their positions on this camera. It's a small thing but still annoying.



I'm still getting used to the new viewfinder display, so the jury is out.



The two-shot HDR feature isn't what it should be since it doesn't align the images. I'd use the bracketing feature on a tripod and be done with it.



I like that there's finally a lock button in the center of the program mode dial to avoid accidental switching, which happens too often on the D7000.



The rear LDC screen is slightly larger and also a bit crisper to my eyes.



The overall fit/finish is solid and secure. I have big hands so I only wish it was the same form factor as the D800 (hey Nikon, give us a D400 already), but at this price I'm not complaining.



I wish Nikon could squeeze out better battery performance from their cameras, frankly, and the D7100 hasn't improved upon what has become normal for the past couple years.



Sorry, but I don't mess with video so I cannot speak to this.



As a still image camera (in the DX format) the D7100 has really set a new standard. Even though I'd buy a D400 if it came out tomorrow, there's nothing stopping me from enjoying the D7100 today as the best you can get. I feel that the price is low for what it is and can create. Highly recommended...

Nikon D7100 24.1 MP DX-Format CMOS Digital SLR (Body Only)

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Canon EOS 70D Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)

Canon EOS 70D Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)

CUSTOMER REVIEW



This is going to be short, since I've not had the chance to do a whole lot of shooting as yet. Consider it a "just out of the box" impression. I already have a Canon 5D Mk III, and a number of L series lenses. I wanted a "backup camera" for video shooting, and I was intrigued by the new auto-focus system offered on the 70D.



So far, I'm extremely pleased with this camera. The 18-35 mm kit lens gives a lot of range, and I tested the camera out with my other lenses. The L series lenses work very well, and auto-focusing is fast, smooth, and doesn't search around much even in very low light. The camera is not as heavy as the 5D Mk III, but feels solid enough, and not all that different in the hands. Even with the 70-300mm f4-5.6L IS USM zoom - my heaviest lens at the moment - the camera feels surprisingly balanced.



The crop sensor obviously changes the effect of the lenses, but having a full sensor and a crop sensor both, it's like having 2 sets of lenses. My 70-300mm zoom now has an effective reach up to 480 mm (on the Canon 70D) due to the crop factor of 1.6. To me, this is kind of a bonus, though not in itself a reason to buy the camera. Smaller sized sensors result in an apparent increase in focal length, and a greater depth of field, but this is a generalization and each lens has its own properties that affect the image as well. Read the reviews of individual lenses when considering how each one reacts to different types of camera bodies.



The main thing to take note of is that while the Canon 70D will accept all the EF and EF-L lenses, it is designed to use the EF-S series lenses as well. In fact, the EF-S series lenses are custom tailored specifically for the Canon 70D and (as far as I know) other APS-C crop sensor cameras made by Canon. These lenses - and the kit lens is one of them - will not work on a full frame camera like the Canon 5D mkIII; the rear element extends back into the camera body in a way that makes it impossible to attach lenses of this series to full frame sensor cameras. Even if they could be attached, I suspect the captured image might suffer from serious vignetting and other problems.



For a thorough understanding of how the APS-C, full frame and other types of sensors interact with various lenses, I highly recommend doing some research on the web. There's a lot of good information out there, and this is a fairly involved subject that I don't even want to attempt to dive into here :)



One thing I couldn't figure out before having the camera in my possession deserves a mention. This is my first experience with a fold-out LCD screen on a DSLR, and I had no idea how the display would deal with flipping around 180 degrees. Would it be upside down? This was the first thing I tried, and the screen auto-flips when it is rotated. Maybe everyone else already knows this - but I didn't! Anyway, the fold-out display is a great feature, and it also folds face-in to protect the display when not in use.



The ability to touch various points on the LCD display while in Live View or shooting video, and shift focus while shooting is - to me at least - worth the price of admission. If Canon eventually updates the 7D and/or the 5D Mk III, this functionality would be most welcome!



Purely as a "gut reaction" - I really like the 70D immensely. And it seems a very good value for the price. This may actually become my preferred "walk-around camera, though time will tell.



EDIT - 10/22/2013: I've spent a lot more time with the camera now, so I can add to my earlier comments.



While I purchased the 70D mainly for shooting video, I recently used it to shoot bracketed exposures for HDR (high dynamic range) panoramas. A friend of mine had a nodal camera head (The "Ninja" head) which allowed for precise rotation of the camera to cover a full 360 degree field-of-view. The Canon 70D allows for up to 7 bracketed exposures via the AEB controls. The plates were shot in the RAW (CR2) format, using the kit lens, and stitched together using PTGui software.



After some initial trial runs, where we ironed out the kinks in the whole process, the results were exceptional. For those who may be wondering "why do you want a 32 bit HDR 360 panorama at 10k-16k resolution?" it is used to create realistic lighting and reflections in a 3D/CG software (i.e. Modo or Maya, for example). The 3D scene can be lit entirely by the 360 panoramic image, producing a very convincing result.



At any rate, the Canon 70D delivered terrific results doing something I didn't even foresee when I bought the camera. I will try and upload some of the tests (where the photographic panorama serves as both background and light-source) if I can figure out how to do so on the Amazon site.



EDIT - 11/9/2013: A note to anyone who intends to shoot green screen (for color keyed composites) or do precise color grading in post production: The video output from the 70D is not YCbCr 4:2:2 compression. This is not apparent to the naked eye when viewing the video footage, but it becomes an issue when attempting to work with the footage in a post environment. The firmware update for the Canon 5D addressed this problem by enabling 4:2:2 color output via the HDMI port to an external recording device (I use the Atomos Ninja 2 for this) but currently uncompressed "clean" HDMI is not enabled on the Canon 70D. I have my fingers crossed this will be dealt with in an update to the firmware.



This is not a huge issue unless you intend to do extensive manipulation of your video footage in post production, but it is something to consider with this camera and DSLRs in general. There are workarounds, of course, but that can entail a fair amount of time & effort, particularly when extracting color key mattes (masks) involving fine edge detail or areas of transparency.



That being said, the footage is nevertheless beautiful. And I suspect this technical point should not be an issue for most people considering buying the Canon 70D. The CR2 (camera raw) files are not at all affected by this, it's a factor limited to the HD video.

Canon EOS 70D Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)

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