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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