Digital Camera Product Reviews Blog

The price gap between the upper-entry-level Olympus E-520 and more expensive E-3 has always suggested there is room for a mid-range DSLR to sit between them. Olympus has announced the E-30, a new 12.3 megapixel Four Thirds Standard DSLR camera that is positioned between the pro E-3 and consumer E-520 models to compete with the Nikon D90, the Canon EOS 40D, and the Canon EOS 50D. It has more AF points than the 50D but less megapixels and lower color depth, a better viewfinder than the D90 but weaker ISO settings and a smaller (albeit rotating) screen. The Olympus E-30 will be available from mid-January 2009 and retail for $1300 body only. If you are interested in Olympus E-30, and feel confused between Canon50D,Nikon D90, here is a specs to help you to choose.

The new Nikon D90 DSLR camera has just been announced for a few weeks. It definitely will be one of the hottest selling SLR cameras this Holiday season. The new Nikon D90 is among the first D-SLRs to be able to capture high-def video, being able to capture video with any lens or any setting defined in the camera which in itself is a breakthrough change in the Digital SLR.  It offers a movie function, allowing you to shoot movies in three different motion JPEG formats: 320 x 216 pixels, 640 x 424 pixels and 1,280 x 720 pixels. Now you can capture life’s moving moments with added drama by using many of Nikon’s NIKKOR lenses, including the AF DX Fisheye 10.5mm f/2.8G ED and the Micro-NIKKOR lenses. The shallow depth of field can give your movies a more creative and emotional impact. An additional benefit is the D90 image sensor, which is much larger than a typical camcorder for higher image quality and exceptional high ISO performance during low-light shooting.

Good points:
Big Live View viewfinder and detailed screen
First DSLR with movie mode
4.5fps shooting & 11-point AF
Great handling and ergonomics
Fair Priced

The Bad:
Resolution not a big step from D80.
Remote & RAW software costs extra.
Video Recording needs lots of storage space and is limited in length to protect the CCD chip.
No Autofocus during video recording.
It is a SLR camera, therefore it does not fit in your pant pocket.

For Whom:
There’s no doubt the D90 should be short-listed by anyone shopping in its price-bracket, and should its features match your requirements, you’ll be very happy with it. Existing D80 owners should however think very carefully about whether it really offers them an upgrade, or whether stretching to the D300 – or indeed waiting – is a better bet. The Nikon D90 is a great gift for anybody who wants to seriously start taking high quality photos with SLR technology.

The days only buying digital cameras from the retailers are gone. Now many people choose to buy them from the Web. There are many kinds of disposable cameras on the internet. There are also many sources for disposable cameras online, such as eBay, DigitalRev. So knowing where and how to find a cheap place to buy a digital camera is very important. 
 
The best place to start in your search for cheap digital SLR camera is the internet. There you can find a wide variety of cheap digital SLR cameras and many other good deals. Most of them are discountable. Just remember that a discount disposable camera may or may not have a flash, and may not have the limited perks and options that are usually offered with disposable cameras such as processing with a CD. Typically they have 27 exposures each. Apparently some companies use generic (often reused) disposable cameras — these are not as good as new unused ones. When looking , worrying too much about the exclusive features of each of the brands should not concern you too much as most of the digital SLR cameras have similar features.

For beginners in photography, it is highly recommended that you read a lot of books and take a lot of pictures before you begin your search on the internet. This will give you a good knowledge of some important things such as the lens, focus, and face detection, whether to use digital zoom or optical zoom, find out the ISO sensitivity you need for different shots along with the lighting, stabilization features, and the mega pixels you need for a particular project.

Many digital SLR cameras are as cheap as ordinary cameras. But most of these models do not come with all the key aspects like dust control and image stabilization, do not, however, disregard these cameras for those reasons as they do also produce high quality images. These are especially good for beginners.

So, when you want to buy a cheap digital camera, don’t just go for the first thing you see that is a well known name brand. First look at the specific details like the ISO sensitivity, mega pixels, zoom functions and more to make sure that you are getting the quality you want, and also be open to some relatively unknown name brands because if you find the correct specifications, you may get a cheaper camera that is still of great quality. Also look at lots of digital camera reviews and price comparisons from various online and offline sources. Then do different online shop to find the best for you.

Dust spots on your D-SLR’s sensor appear as tiny black specks on the image. When photographers change lenses, dust can enter the camera and lodge on the filter or protective glass that covers the sensor. These dust spots can show up as dark blotches in subsequent shots. A camera with Dust Control Systems will prevent dust from settling on your camera’s sensor which is exposed to the elements every time you take the lens off. This technology is only found in interchangeable-lens DSLR cameras, such as Canon 450D, Canon 50D and so on, where it is a virtual necessity.

Olympus was the first camera manufacturer to install dust-reduction technology in its DSLR cameras, with a special Supersonic Wave Filter (SSWF) system that vibrates the filter in front of the sensor to dislodge dust. The dust collects in a tray below the sensor, which is cleaned when the camera is serviced. Other manufacturers have followed with similar systems - but they may only be included in one or two models.

Some manufacturers combine the vibrating filter with anti-static materials in the camera’s mirror box, while Canon adds a Dust Delete detection/removal system via software. Only Canon’s system deals effectively with dust that becomes ‘welded on’ when a camera with dust on its sensor is moved between low and high humidity.

Listed below are a part of the latest digital SLR cameras that include dust control systems.

Taking professional quality wedding images is a big challenge to new photographers. Any digital SLR body combined with a decent lens (see below) is a good start. Most professional wedding photographers, however, use a set of three zoom lenses: a wide-angle zoom, a wide-to-tele zoom, and an image-stabilized telephoto zoom. Most professional wedding photographers recommend that for small sensor, Canon 40D or 50D, Nikon D90 or D300 are good ones；for Full frame cameras, they suggest Canon 5D, 5D Mark II, Nikon D700 or D3. If you are serious about photography, try to buy a DSLR. That way you will be able to purchase separate, high quality, lenses. A resolution of at least 6 megapixel is important. The flash unit is as important, if not more important than the camera. I have a really old Canon Point & Shoot digital camera - but it has an external flash shoe. With it, I can take indoor bounce-flash photos that have incredible lighting; no one would guess they come from an old digital camera. When buying a digital camera, make sure you get a quality external flash that allows you to rotate the flash head vertically and horizontally.

Camera with Image stabilization option and ability to handle high ISO is essential. Camera should be responsive and auto focus must be fast and accurate. Lenses with a large maximum aperture of f/2.8 or larger are extremely valuable for weddings. The wide-angle zoom lens makes it possible to photograph in confined spaces, such as the bride’s dressing room or a packed dance floor. The wide-to-tele lens is wide enough to take a group photograph, but still long enough to take a three-quarter portrait of a couple without the unflattering effects of wide-angle perspective distortion.

Flashes and Accessories

1. 2-3 500-800 w/s monolight heads
2. 2-3 “speedlight” on-camera TTL flashes
3. light stands for each flash
4. umbrellas/softboxes for each flash
5. flash triggering device (radio slaves, optical triggers, or PC cords)
6. hand held flash meter

Wedding photos are a challenge to take, simply because of the flurry of activities that go on and the wide variety of lighting conditions that may occur.  But do remember that while wedding photos are challenging to take, they can be very rewarding. Especially when you see the couple smiling and reminiscing about how wonderful their wedding day was.

This is always the rub when choosing between Canon & Nikon.  It is difficult to make  a very tough decision on which DSLR camera to take, an old Nikon D80 or the newly released Canon EOS 40D. After some further researching, I finally decided to go for the Canon 40D.

Nikon D80 or Canon EOS 40D，the truth is these two are not at the same level comparison… Canon 40D is at the better level and I should really be comparing to Nikon D200 or even D300. Although Canon 40D is a little expensive, but it really has some features that Nikon D80 doesn’t (There will be other differences but these are just a few):

1. 6.5 and 3 fps continuous shooting (D80 has 3fps only).

2.  14 bit files (D80 has 12 bit)

3.  Live view and live view simulation (more useable than the D300; D80 doesn’t have this at all) - great for macro and landscapes

4. Low noise and good definition at all ISO - considerably better than D80. The Canon EOS 40D stands up well against the Nikon D80 in terms of noise when both are using their default image settings and best-quality JPEG modes.

5.  Custom settings, c1,c2 and c3 (not on the D80) - very useful to set up and switch between different types of shooting

6.  Free software - DPP and EOS Utility being the most useful - also zoom browser, very handy (you would have to buy the Nikon software separately if you wanted it).

VS

Another thing that is nice about Canon is that your non-DX lenses (like the 10-22mm and 17-55mm) can be used on a crop camera like the 40D and later on a full frame camera like the 5D. The 5D has its limitations but at roughly $2000 it is much more affordable for many photographers than the $5000 full frame D3 from Nikon.

The 40D is a relatively recent camera but that is not true with the D80. I would expect Nikon to produce a replacement for the D80 sometime this year that is closer in performance and features to the 40D, and maybe even better.

Sony A350 and Nikon D60 released the same month. The prices of these two cameras are nearly the same, and Nikon D60 a little cheaper. To compare with them, I list the specifications of both cameras in the following form. So if you don’t know which one to go with, wish it will help.