The Mid-sized Digital Camera

First of all, consider buying a mid-sized fixed-lens camera like the Olympus SP-560UZ 8MP or the Canon Powershot G9. The former is built like a half-size SLR; the latter like an overgrown pocket camera. Both can be used as point-and-shoots, while delivering photo quality far superior to most smaller pocket cameras. While you will most certainly get better results with a DSLR (e.g. the Nikon D40 ), once you connect a good (but bulky) lens to it, you’re lugging around al of weight. The problem with most small and cheap pocket cameras? Picture quality stinks and they’re usually not smart enough to give you good results under poor lighting conditions. The mid-sized cameras above are very high quality and have both have long image-stabilized zooms.

Basic Rules

Shoot with the sun at your back. This illuminates the subject. Otherwise, you get a silouette!

Shoot at the edges of the day. Early morning and late afternoon provide the most dramatic lighting and colors.

Know how to use the flash modes on your camera correctly. There’s nothing worse than missing your shot because you were in red-eye mode when you didn’t need to be!

Minimize distraction in your photos, especially when it comes to background.

Make your photos interesting by zooming in for detail or shooting at an odd angle (like the panorama beach scene of the happy family above). Otherwise your photos will just look like typical postcards.

Shooting a sunrise or sunset? Bracket your exposures. Set your +/-EV or Av a couple steps to the “-“ side. This will keep the bright sun from washing out your photo.

Trying to photograph someone against that sunset? Shoot with fill flash to light the foreground subject while keeping the sunset properly exposed.

Creativity

One of the best things about going away, anywhere, is that the new locale can spark creativity. Simply being in a new place makes things look more interesting than what you’re used to!

Shooting Scenery

Landscapes are generally shot horizontally, while most other images pack a bigger punch when shot vertically.

Shooting People

Practice not chopping off their heads (unless your intent is to protect their privacy!).

If shooting groups of people, make sure your camera has a wide enough angle lens to get everything in.

Although it’s tempting to photograph the native people, be respectful of their privacy.

Shooting Yourself

Want a shot of your family in front of that landmark? Don’t be so quick to hand your camera to a stranger. You might consider using the self-timer (or invest in an IR remote) so you can set up the camera up a few yards away, then get yourself back in the picture.

Speaking of Safety…

When getting off a subway train, keep the camera out of sight. A friend of mine had her camera strap cut and camera stolen just as she got off the train! Door closed, away went the camera. In fact, I had my first digital camera stolen at an outdoor rock concert. Had it hanging from my shoulder; next thing I knew, there it wasn’t!

8 MP SLR-like Fixed-lens Digital Camera

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So you’re looking for a camera more sophisticated than a pocket-sized point-and-shoot, but don’t want to deal with the big bucks and big size of an SLR? This camera may be for you. The Panasonic DMC-FZ30 falls into the category of mid-sized, fixed-lens digital cameras—a bit more camera than a pocket point-and-shoot, yet smaller than an SLR. Price-wise, the FZ30 falls between the two: around $500 for the FZ30S (silver body) and $900 for the FZ30K (black body).

Mid-sized Digital Cameras: Are They Worth the Money?
Before we get into the technicalities, let me just say a few things about this genre of camera. It’s very easy to be awestruck by the bells, whistles, and super-long zooms typical of these cameras. But at the end of the day, you’ve bought yourself either a huge glorified point-and-shoot, or a pseudo-SLR without the associated image quality and the flexibility if interchangeable lenses.

They’re tempting, let me tell you! I believe these cameras exist for two reasons:

1. It’s physically impossible to put a X12 zoom on a little pocket point-and-shoot.
2. It’s extremely expensive to get a DSLR with a X12 zoom.

Life is all about compromise, isn’t it?

Light Sensitivity and Image Quality
The other major technical difference between the mid-sized digitals and the other two types is the size of the image sensor. Mid-sized Digital Cameras have image sensors similar in size to point-and-shoots. Image sensors in DSLRs are much bigger, thereby producing greater light sensitivity and better image quality. This means, that with a DSLR, you can take pictures in dim light and overall, the resolution of all your images will be better.

Mid-sized digitals share a major drawback with digital point-and-shoots
Due to their small sized image sensor, these cameras seldom have light sensitivity greater than 400 ISO (a DSLR will be 1600 or more). Also because of the small image sensor, picture quality of these cameras is about the same as that of a point-and-shoot (inferior to that of a DSLR).

Comparing large image sensor pixel count to small image sensor pixel count
But wait—these days you can get digital point-and-shoot cameras as well as mid-sized digital cameras with 10 Megapixel resolution. Surely the images acquired by these cameras must be better than those shot with a lowly 7 Megapixel DSLR? Ah, the ad campaigns would certainly have you believing this, now wouldn’t they? Unfortunately this is comparing apples to oranges. It is simply incorrect to compare large image sensor pixel count to small image sensor pixel count! Partly because the actual pixels are bigger in an SLR-sized image sensor, they can hold more information and are more light-sensitive. So for instance, you would get better image quality with the 7.5 MP Panasonic DMC-L1K DSLR than you would with Panasonic’s 10.2 MP Panasonic DMC-LX2S point-and-shoot.

When considering the Panasonic DMC-FZ30 for purchase:
Aside from all that esoteric squitter above, there are a few more things to consider when contemplating this particular camera for purchase. They’re not necessarily good or bad, but they are worth noting:

• Being a crossover camera (between a point-and-shoot and an SLR), the FZ-30 shares some advantages of both. For instance, you get movie mode and a live view LCD display like a pocket camera, yet superior lens quality and manual focus like an SLR.

• The camera is relatively light, yet large and bulky.

• There are many preset auto exposure modes–like portrait, snow, and sports–typical of any automatic camera. However, the FZ-30 has some quirky modes, e.g. food, panning, starry sky, fireworks, and baby. Virtually useless, since if you really don’t understand how a camera works, and the best you can do to photograph fireworks is to flick to “Fireworks” mode, you’re sure to be disappointed.

• There is no power zoom; you have to rotate the lens barrel to change focal length.

• The X12 lens is equivalent to that of a 35 mm film lens having a 35 – 420mm zoom. This is an enormous focal range and is one of the FZ-30’s most tempting attributes. It’s a relatively fast lens (f2.8) and is made by Leica, one of the best lens makers in the known galaxy. However, we forget the old rule of thumb about hand-holding a camera. With a 50mm lens, we can effectively hand-hold at shutter speeds above 1/50 second (the inverse of the lens focal length). If we try to hand-hold it at a shutter speed of 1/30 second, it’s likely the camera will move during exposure and we blur the image.

With the zoom of the FZ-30 fully extended to 420mm, we can only effectively hand-hold the camera during exposures at shutter speeds above 1/420 second (the camera has a shutter speed of 1/400 second). Image stabilization helps somewhat, by allowing you to shoot at one or two shutter speeds slower, perhaps at 1/250 second). So unless you have the camera mounted to a tripod, you need to be aware of your shutter speed. Luckily, even in Auto mode, The FZ-30 displays aperture (f-stop) and shutter speed on the LCD display.

I’ve used the FZ-30K several times over the past couple years; here are the highs and lows in my opinion:

The Good

• The fast (f2.8) X12 Leica zoom lens is one of the highest quality lenses I’ve ever seen on a fixed-lens camera.

• The ability to manually focus the lens (through the LCD display) is very easy and highly useful. Quite unusual to be able to do this with anything less than a DSLR.

• The lens’ macro mode is simply a joy to use. It can focus down to an inch!

• Controls and menus are relatively easy to operate and navigate. For instance, if you’re in Manual mode, front and rear thumb wheels control aperture and shutter speed, with both displayed on the LCD. This is way easier than on any DSLR I’ve used (such control being next to impossible on most point-and-shoots).

• Monochrome (black and white) image capture is available.

• Camera has a hot shoe for a larger flash unit

• Flip down, rotating viewing screen

• “Mode I” stabilizer works, “Mode 2” makes no perceptible difference.

• Did you know that one of the advantages of having an exposure “Burst” mode is that it gives the camera’s auto-focus system a couple chances to get it right? Burst means a few rapid succession exposures are acquired during the time you hold the shutter release button down. Some cameras adjust their focus point for each exposure. So you can look at three nearly identical images, and pick the one that looks the sharpest!

The Bad

• Time lag exists between when you push the shutter release and the image is captured, but this is true of all non-SLR digital cameras.

• Time lag at power-up, same reason as above.

• Light sensitivity is only 400 ISO max.

• Unwieldy, due to its bulk. Difficult to single-handedly operate the FZ30’s controls.

• Relatively small 2 inch image display – many digital cameras today boast a larger 2.5 inch display.

You know, the Panasonic DMC-FZ30 is not an SLR. It pretends to be one, but don’t be fooled. Like a digital point-and-shoot, this camera is essentially a video camera with still image capture. That’s why there’s a time lag between when you push the shutter release and the image is captured. If this camera had greater light sensitivity (1600 ISO) and an SLR-sized image sensor, it would be a terrific camera. But there are always compromises—you’d pay an arm and a leg for a DSLR with this kind of a lens!

One of the first entry-level digital SLRs available, the D70 was Nikon’s answer to Canon’s Digital Rebel (EOS 300D), the first under-$1000 consumer-grade SLR on the market. The D70 is currently a discontinued model, but the upgraded version, the D70S is still available. The D70 seies body is based on Nikon’s early professional grade DSLRs, all of which have bodies much larger than most other brand DSLRs on the market. So if you want a no-frills, high quality DSLR (and you have big hands), the D70S may be for you!

Why would I call the Nikon D70S a “no frills camera?”
I mean, for a thousand dollars, you expect some frills, right? Let me explain:

• Neither this camera nor the lenses normally sold with it have image stabilization. Not a big issue, unless you plan to use longer zooms. Most cameras and/or lenses today have image stabilization built in.

• This is not a whiz-bang, feature-loaded, digital point-and-shoot with movie mode. The D70S has none of that. Therefore, this review is more focused on other things which may be of interest to the advanced amateur photographer. Since the D70S shares most of its features and specs with other consumer-grade SLRs on the market (which you can get from Nikon’s website), these days I tend to think of such things as commodities. What concerns me most is what stands out about the camera and what differentiates the D70S from other DSLRs on the market. The D70S is a high quality, basic consumer-grade digital SLR with state-of-the art technology, circa 2005.

• The upgrades from the D70 are: slightly larger LCD viewing screen (2 inch), different menu layout, and more precise auto-focusing.

Cameras such as the D70S are often sold in kits.
The body comes with a cheap lens, battery and charger, Compact Flash memory card, and a carrying strap. Additionally, you may want to invest in a protective clear filter for the lens and a carrying case. The consumer-grade Nikon DSLRs kits typically include the Nikon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II AF-S DX Nikkor zoom lens (35mm film format equivalent is 27 to 82 mm). This lens can be purchased separately for about $115 (which should give you an idea of its quality).

Although the lens is extremely light and compact, you might want a better one (say, with higher quality optics or longer zoom range). A better choice would be the Nikon 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G ED IF AF-S DX Nikkor zoom lens (35mm film format equivalent is 27 to 105 mm). This somewhat faster lens (f4.5 as opposed to f5.6) is of course more expensive, at around $300.

The D70S and Image Stabilization
As of this writing, Nikon does not make a DSLR with Vibration Reduction (Nikon’s term for image stabilization) built into the camera body. Neither of the above mentioned lenses have image stabilization, which is probably okay for their limited focal length. If you wanted something longer, say 80 – 200mm, you’d most likely want an image stabilized lens. Nikon sells such products, an example being the Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 G ED-IF AF-S VR DX Zoom-Nikkor lens. A wide array of after-market (non-Nikon) lenses are available for the D70S.

When considering the Nikon D70S for purchase, here are a few things to think about:
• The fact that it’s only got 6 MP resolution should not deter you from this model. In this day and age, image quality has much more to do with optics and the image sensor/processor combination than it does with the number of megapixels. Unless you’re shooting RAW, a 6 MP JPEG image, for instance, is not going to look a lot different from a 10 MP image (all things equal).

• Because the body of Nikon’s D70S is so large, you can’t just let it hang by your side, whipping it up to your eye to catch that fast shot. Also, the controls are not positioned to allow quick single-handed use. Even though I have relatively large hands (XL glove size), I find it impossible to flick the camera on with my thumb, then adjust some of the settings with one hand. Most people would need both hands to handle this whopper.

• The body has no Image Stabilization (or Vibration Reduction, as Nikon calls it). If you want this, you must buy a lens with this feature. For what it’s worth, having this feature in the lens is supposedly more effective than having it in the body anyway. Image Stabilization is a complex issue, and it in no way guarantees a clear crisp photo! Click here to read more on this topic.

• No sensor dust-off feature. With interchangeable lenses, you risk getting dust inside the camera body. Dust on the image sensor shows up as spots on your image. Some cameras vibrate the sensor to shake dust off. While the D70S does not have this, it does allow you to lock the mirror up so you can remove the lens and blow any dust off the (highly fragile!) image sensor. For more info on this, please click here.

• This camera can use any Nikon auto-focus lens made, of which there are hundreds of varieties. No need to buy a new “digital” lens to go with this camera. A 10-year-old high quality lens designed for a Nikon film 35mm SLR will work just fine (doesn’t have to be a Nikon-brand lens). Which means that like any SLR (digital or film), you can buy the camera body separate from the lenses.

In my opinion, these are good and bad points of the Nikon D70:

The Good
• About the best thing I can say for the D70S is that it’s a good choice if you’ve got a lot of Nikon auto-focus lenses from your 35mm film shooting days.

• I’ve never been a big Nikon fan (I think the optical quality of their lenses is overrated), though I do appreciate the high quality of construction of their products.

The Bad
• Body’s too big–for me, anyway. Hold this camera before you buy it to see how comfortable it is in your hands.

• The D70S doesn’t do any type of monochrome image capture (B&W nor Sepia) in camera. You have to convert the color images to monochrome after capture with photo editing software. Though I prefer to capture in BW, he said sheepishly, this is theoretically a bad thing. Why?

• Shooting in color gives you more flexibility after capture– you can choose to use the shot in color, or you can convert it to monochrome. If you shoot in BW, you can’t go back later and add color!

• Most high-end photo editing software allows for more sophisticated conversion to BW than simply desaturating to greyscale. Hue saturation layers allow you to control how the different colors are converted to BW, similar to the effects produced using red, orange and yellow filters with B&W film.

An interesting trick to turn color to monochrome in the camera: shoot through a sepia filter! This works because a DSLR won’t auto-color compensate for the presence of the filter like most digital point-and-shoot cameras will.

• Relatively small (2 inch) image display – most DSLRs today boast a larger 2.5 inch display.

• As with everything I say in my reviews, this is purely subjective, but I much prefer the viewing screen and status panel (which displays such things as shutter speed and f-stop) to both be on the back of the camera. In some cameras (e.g. Nikon’s D40), it’s all together on the back viewing screen. The problem I have with the status panel on top of the D70 body is this: if I’m composing an image looking through the viewfinder, it’s much easier to check such things as shutter speed and f-stop if they’re on the display in front of me. With the D70S, I have to reposition myself so I can see the top display, then recompose. Annoys me!

In Conclusion…

(which may be two of the most beautiful words in the English language…) though Nikon made some improvements to the D70 with its D70S, Nikon’s newer (and smaller-bodied) models now give you more and better technology for your money.

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The E-510 is one of several entry-level digital SLRs on the market, clocking in at under $1000 with the typical inexpensive short zoom. Olympus film SLRs have always been quirky, and their DSLRs seem to follow suit. A good analogy is driving a Subaru after years of driving other Japanese cars—the controls are oddly marked and not positioned in the standard locations.

There are several things I like about the Olympus E-510:

• The autofocus Olympus kit lens (14 – 42 mm, f3.5 – 5.6) that comes with the camera has no “manual/auto” focus switch. It just auto focuses when the camera tells it to, or you can grab the barrel ring any time and focus it by hand. Nice design.
• The camera is of moderate size, comparable to a Canon Rebel, though a bit heavier. The E-510 also looks more like other DSLRs on the market, as opposed to being a bit odd-shaped and boxy like its predecessors.
• In-body Image Stabilizer seems to work well (at least at the IS 1 setting; the IS 2 setting didn’t appear to do much)
• The camera does Black and White! Olympus calls it “monotone,” but it’s BW. (I’d never buy a Nikon consumer grade DSLR simply because they don’t allow me to shoot in BW!)
• Twin memory card slots. Until you use digital cameras over a period of time, you might not appreciate this feature. For me, it’s a great advantage to not have to swap cards when one fills up! Swapping cards can be rather annoying—ever drop an xD card in high grass?

While not a bad camera, the Olympus E-510 is a bit too quirky for my tastes.

A beginner may have more difficulty using this DSLR camera than any of the others on the market. On the surface, it would seem to attract the novice digital photographer, as it has a live video display, just like digital point-and-shoot cameras. You can turn this off and use it like any DSLR, which means you look through the viewfinder to compose your image—you don’t watch it on a video display. On the surface, this sounds cool. But oh, the devil’s in the details!

Live View may be good for viewing, but terrible for actual image capture.

When you put the camera into Live View mode, it acts like a digital point-and-shoot (DPS) camera. It’s a novelty, sure, but you know that time lag you get with a DPS between when you push the shutter release and the image is captured? Well, triple that time lag for the E-510! In Live View, the reflex mirror flips up to allow your subject’s image to hit the image sensor. If you want to actually make an exposure, this is what happens: You hit the shutter release, the screen freezes, the reflex mirror flips down, the E-510 focuses, the mirror flips back up, image is captured, and the live view reactivates. All of this takes time that, believe me, you don’t want wasted–you can very easily miss the moment and miss your shot.

One of the E-510’s major selling points is also its major drawback.

Live View is a cool idea for a DSLR, but until someone finds a better way to do it, Olympus’ version makes a $1000 camera act like a cheap inferior point-and-shoot. But before we go on, let’s look at some of the camera’s other good points:

The Good

• 10 MP should give you all the resolution your little heart desires!
• Dust Reduction System to keep the image sensor free of dust, and therefore, your images free of spots. I imagine this is good, though I can’t attest to how well it might work.
• Dual memory card slots, one for Compact Flash, the other for xD.
• ISO 100 – 1600, so theoretically it’s got great light sensitivity.

The Bad

• “Live Mode,” as mentioned above, is considerably problematic. That said, the E-510 can’t take movies either.
• Confusing menus cause you to hunt for settings through drilldowns which make little intuitive sense.
• Does not use infrared to auto focus in dim light. Rather, the E-510 strobes a few short flash bursts at the subject in order to illuminate the subject. It then focuses and allows you to capture the image. Time consuming and annoying yes, but it would eliminate red-eye.

What’s a Holga?

A Holga is a cheap Chinese plastic medium format film camera. Essentially, a toy! Yes, I did say FILM camera! Why review this decidedly lo-tech dinosaur? Well, simply put, the Holga lets you express your creativity in ways that digital does not allow. Shoot a roll of color slide film and then have your photo processing people cross-process it as if it were negative film (For Kodak and similar films, that would be C-41 instead of the proper E-6). Check out my Holga shots here and see what you think!

Why would I want a Holga?
Three reasons: they’re cheap, fun, and outta control!

1. $25 new for the basic model, $40 with flash.

2. Their inherent poor design and limited operator control adds so much mystery to the picture-taking process that it nearly turns the user into an instant artist! To some people, this is fun.

3. Good film can give you much better color saturation and resolution than you can get with most under-$300 digital cameras! You can buy medium format (120mm) film at most camera stores and have it processed there as well.

Tell me more about the Holga

Holgas were first marketed in 1982 as a way for photography students and photo enthusiasts to enjoy inexpensive access into the expensive world of medium format photography. While you can improve the quality of your results with a film camera by using better film, you can further improve the quality of your results by using a larger format. With digital, you don’t have the first option. All you can do if you want better picture quality is go up in format size, from point-and-shoot, to DSLR, to medium format. Bearing in mind that the typical prices of these digital options are $150, $1000, and $25,000 respectively, good film in a cheap camera becomes a very attractive way to get extremely hi-res images!

So I’ll get $25,000 results with a $25 Holga?
Of course not. But check out the images in this book to get an idea of just what the Holga can do!

Why bother with film, when we have digital?

Holga cameras are simply quirky and fun, harkening back to the days of film when we couldn’t instantly see our result. Film lends an element of tentativeness, or mystery and waiting, to see if “the picture came out.” Holgas are so popular in fact that a company calledn Lensbabies markets $100+ lens attachments to make your digital camera produce distorted Holga-style images!

When considering a Holga camera, there are a few things to think about:
I’ve arrived at these points after having used two different Holgas (one with flash, the other without) for a few years now. In my opinion, these are the camera’s high and low points:

The Good

• Photos on a sunny beach look amazing.
• No batteries! This is a fully manual camera except for the flash, which needs a few AA batts.
• Simple controls—one shutter speed (about 1/100 second), flash activation, 2 aperture settings (in theory), B N switch (Bulb, which keeps shutter open as long as you hold the lever down; and Normal, which trips the spring-loaded shutter)
• For best results, shoot slow film (ISO 100) in bright sun, fast film (ISO 400) in the shade and indoors with flash.

The Bad

• The ridiculous carrying strap attached to the slider mechanism that holds the back on the camera. Try carrying it by the strap and (though it’s very light) the weight of the camera pulls the slider up, the camera drops to the ground and your film falls out! Talk about light leaks…But I guess that’s why they give you a roll of black vinyl electrical tape with the camera—to tape it shut. To avoid a sticky mess (like mine), a friend puts a heavy rubber band around her Holga, which keeps the back from popping off. Ingenious!
• The Sun/Shade switch, which presumably changes the aperture, does nothing. This is not my usual exaggeration—you can look inside the camera with the back removed—it does nothing!
• Most flash photos look less than stellar.
• If you forget to manually wind the film to the next frame, you can easily make a double exposure (for me, this is bad, for someone else, it may be good!)

Conclusion
Want a fully automated camera? Buy a digital point-and-shoot. Want a quirky cumbersome dinosaur of a camera that produces fun, amusing, and even thrilling distorted images? Then the Holga is for you!

Read more about the camera’s history here. If you’re digitally-bred and don’t know beans about film cameras, here’s a link to the operating instructions that come with the Holga 120.

The low cost competitor enters the DSLR market! The obvious question: “Are we still to consider it so?” Not really, as it costs the same as its competitors in the consumer-grade DSLR market. Pentax has never had much snob appeal or cachet. However, the lenses have always been great and the (film SLR) bodies workhorses. So let’s see how the digital version measures up!

I’m biased here, as my film cameras of choice over the past 25 years has been Pentax. Therefore, I’ve a soft spot in my heart for the brand–it has served me well. Unfortunately, when I chose to go digital a few years ago, Pentax had no DSLR available. Now they’ve got two: the K100D and the K10D (10MP). Either can be purchased in a kit with a cheap lens, battery and charger, memory card, and a carrying strap. The 18-55 mm Pentax (f3.5-5.6) kit lens is really not a bad lens. The K100D kit lists for $599.

It is worth noting that currently, the technological leaps and bounds are coming with DSLRs, not so much with digital point-and-shoots. The latter technology seems to have plateaued 2 years ago, making the digital point-and-shoot camera basically just a commodity, if not simply a fashion accessory! The reason? Image quality of small size image sensors cannot be improved upon (as of this writing). Point-and-shoots have image sensors about the size of an old 110 film frame, while DSLR sensors approach the size of the larger 35mm film frame. This explains why DSLRs have better image quality than digital point-and-shoots. Back in the film days, if you wanted a better quality image, one of the things you did was upgrade to the next larger format. 35mm was better than 110, right? So while the latest crop of digital point-and-shoots boasts 7MP and higher, all we really get are more bells and whistles. All things equal, to improve image quality, you need to increase the size of the image sensor, not jam more tiny pixels into the same small box!

When considering the Pentax K100D for purchase there are a few things to think about:

1. The K100D uses ALL Pentax lenses ever made! Yes, even the manual focus and screw-on lenses. This is a first in the DSLR market. While all other DSLRs on the market can use 35mm film lenses made for that camera, the lenses must be the autofocus variety. Like all manufacturers, Pentax also sells a new line of “digital” lenses.
2. The body has Shake Reduction built in. This means that in theory, the lenses will cost you less since they don’t need image stabilization built in. Pentax’ Shake Reduction, by the way, seems to work much better Canon’s in-the-lens Image Stabilization. It actually detects camera movement and allows the image sensor to move in a compensating direction. According to Pentax, you can capture sharp hand-held images at shutter speeds that are 2 - 3.5 stops slower than what you would have to use without shake reduction.
3. AA Batteries. On the surface, it would seem like an advantage that this camera uses (4) AA size batteries as opposed to an expensive proprietary battery pack.
   Some caveats here:If you think you can just grab four alkaline AAs at the drug store, you probably won’t get more that 20 shots off. Digital cameras draw so much power that they need batteries with much more capacity than regular alkalines. Li, or Lithium Ion batteries are the current standard.The good news is that you can buy a set of 4 aftermarket AA Li rechargeables and a charger for about $25.Want to conserve battery power? Don’t use flash, shake reduction, or auto focus.

In my opinion, these are the K100D’s high and low points:

The Good

1. Light Sensitivity–the K100D has an ISO range of 200 to 3200. In an extremely dimly lit room, it seemed to have little trouble focusing and capturing an image.
2. Thumbwheel digital zoom is very nice when viewing stored images.
3. No time lag between the time you click the shutter and the image is captured. This is generally true of all DSLRs, but I bring it up because Pentax digital point-and-shoot cameras have been notoriously slow.
4. B-Setting, or “Bulb” meaning the shutter stays open as long as you keep the shutter release depressed. Great for tripod-mounted time-lapse photography or even shooting fireworks.
5. Body is small and light, comparable to the Nikon D40 and Canon digital Rebels. (Though of course this might be bad if you have big hands!)

The Bad

1. Data and funtion LCD display is on top rather than back. Just kind of annoying not to have this data right in front of you.
2. No sensor dust-off feature. With interchangeable lenses, you risk getting dust inside the camera body. Dust on the image sensor shows up as spots on your image. Some cameras vibrate the sensor to shake dust off. While the K100D does not have this, it does allow you to lock the mirror up so you can remove the lens and blow any dust off the (highly fragile!) image sensor.
3. Monochrome mode - Ok, while this isn’t really bad, it’s kind of annoying to me. Like Nikon DSLRs, the K100D does not allow you to capture images directly in black and white. But it does allow you to convert the image in camera, on playback, to black and white, sepia, etc.

Overall: If capturing images in black and white is not important to you, the Pentax K100D is about the best DSLR available in its price range. (This is just my opinion, of course, but as Walter Cronkite said, everyone’s entitled to my opinion!)

What is Consumer Reports good for?

Two things: listing the features of the product and giving you some indication of its reliability, based on CU readers’ who’ve purchased the product. But realize that bias exists. For instance, CU members adore Japanese cars. I bought a Nissan Maxima based on CU recommendation. Was it reliable? Sure. Was it devoid of soul? You bet! Worse decision I ever made. (I’m much happier with my Saab turbo converible, which CU gives an average or worse than average rating).

Digital cameras are much different from HDTVs and Laptop computers. The latter two items are basically commodities at this point–we buy them and we pretty much know how they work out of the box. Quality? Do you like the image on the TV? Does the laptop run all your Microsoft software? That’s about all there is to consider. But digital cameras are much different. How is “quality” quantified here?

Even though digital photography is really just in its infant stage, and the technology is rather complicated, there are some hard and fast truths. To its credit, CU has finally come out and said that digital zooms are inferior to optical zooms. However, they don’t go so far as to also tell you that without image stabilization, optical zooms greater than X3 are virtually useless.

Facts Avoided by Consumer Reports

1. There are many types of image stabilization, and some work better than others. Also, this feature only allows you to hand-hold a shot one or two shutter speeds slower than you normally could. It does NOT guarantee clear shots under all conditions!

2. There is no such thing as a fully automatic camera. Yes, any camera will take fine shots outdoors on a bright sunny day. The wheels fall off when you attempt to use a camera in low-light conditions, e.g. indoors at a birthday party. Believe it or not, most cameras cannot take a decent photo under these conditions–they require input (adjustments) from the user.

3. Pixel-counting is a great way to jack up the price, but realize that for snapshots, 3MP is fine. You’d be hard pressed to see a difference between a 3MP snapshot and a 7MP one. The reason? The overall size of the image sensor in a pocket camera remains fixed. Yes you can jam twice as many pixels into the same space, but your overall picture quality may not double. Forget this stuff about needing 5MP if you want to enlarge prints over 8 x 10 inch, and so on. That’s bullfeathers. To get better image quality, resolution, and light sensitivity, you need to get a camera with an overall larger image sensor, e.g. a DSLR.

4. Pocket digital cameras do not work well in low-light conditions.Therefore, you might need to use a flash. DSLRs are better in low light, because their image sensor’s pixels are bigger.

5. So what determines image quality? Certainly not brand. If you were a big Nikon fan in the film days, you’ll be quite disappointed in that brand’s digital pocket cameras. I know I am. MP count affects image quality up to a point, but it is also greatly affected by the image processing system and the lens (in the days of film, it was film and lens affecting image quality, right?). Most pocket cameras have bad lenses. Panasonic (Lumix) uses Leica lenses, one of the best on the planet (which is not mentioned by CU).

6. Pocket camera technology has just about plateaued. You’re paying for more bells and whistles. Want better image quality? Buy a DSLR. If you are temped to pay more than $300 for a pocket digital camera, you might as well just take that extra money, put it in a bag and leave it on a bus.

7. Manual controls on pocket cameras are virtually useless. For instance on many cameras you need to drill down through several menus to find the manual focus control (which of course is just about impossible to use).

How should you buy a digital camera?

Certainly not a bad idea to check CU first. Get an idea of what products are available in your price range. Then, go to a camera retailer and try some! Since most people want a camera to take pictures of indoor gatherings, turn the camera on and shoot the other customers! Did the flash come on when it was supposed to? Can you turn it off? Did the focusing system quickly lock on to your subject, or did it just hunt? Was the picture captured quickly when you pressed the shutter button? Activate the anti-shake button and take a picture while shaking the camera. Did it make a difference? These are the conditions under which most cameras fail to perform–any camera will work fine outdoors in the bright sun! For more guidance on choosing a digital camera, see my article Buying a Digital Point and Shoot Camera.

The obvious question: “Is this upgraded Rebel XTi worth $200 more than its predecessor, the XT?” The benefits are not substantial, but from where I’m sitting, they make it worth the price. My brother is a freelance newspaper photographer and aside from a few quirks, it works for him.

Like it’s younger brother, the Rebel XT (EOS 350D), this camera can be purchased in a kit with a cheap lens, battery and charger, Compact Flash memory card, and a carrying strap. It would be a shame to spend this kind of money on a body and use the Canon 18-55mm (f3.5-5.6) kit lens. I’d buy one with higher quality optics and image stabilization, though these cost a lot more. Bear in mind, however, that you can use any Canon auto focus lens on this camera, including all those made over tte past twenty years for thier film SLRs!).

When considering this camera for purchase there are a few things to think about:

• 10 MP image resolution is not a whole heck of a lot better than 8 MP (offered by the XT).Image quality has much more to do with optics and image sensor/processor than it does with the number of megapixels. Unless you’re shooting RAW, a 5 MP JPEG image is not going to look a lot different from a 10 MP image (all things equal).
• The body has no Vibration Reduction or Image Stabilization. If you want this, you must buy a lens with this feature. For what it’s worth, having this feature in the lens is supposedly more effective than having it in the body. I find that some lenses are better than others in this regard. Try them before you buy!
• The problem with lenses that have built in Image Stabilization: Such lenses have moving parts and motors. While anti-static coatings can help, such lenses are prone to acquire dust on the inner glass elements. This is expensive to remedy, not to mention a major nuisance as it creates spots on your image.
• The ‘EOS Integrated Cleaning System feature.’ If you expect to change lenses much, this feature may be beneficial. Dust can find its way onto the sensor when you take off the lens. Spots then appear on your image. The older model XT required you to remove the lens, lock up the mirror, and blow the dust off the sensor. The newer XTi vibrates the sensor to shake off the dust! (Um, so then where does it go…?). It also employs a Dust Delete Data feature which can detect such dust and remove its effects with software.
• Error 99. This seems to be a generic error code that plagues many models of Canon DSLRs. The indicator pops up when something is awry; however, it doesn’t tell you specifically what’s wrong (sort of like the notorious “check engine” light on your car!). My Rebel XT does this and it’s a great nuisance because the camera won’t function–you have to power down then back on. The XTi under test has not exhibited the Error 99 problem, but you can find enough postings on the internet to make you question its reliability. Canon apparently takes no responsibility for the problem which appears to exist with both old and new models.

My brother’s been using the XTi with two AF Sigma lenses for photojournalistic work. I’ve discussed its performance with him at length over the past six months and have played with it a bit myself. In my opinion, these are its high and low points:

The Good

• The XTi has a 2.5 inch LCD display (much larger than the XT’s 1.8 inch). This larger, brighter screen is used to display shooting parameters in addition to menu navigation and image playback. It’s much more convenient and easier to see than the XT’s small LCD with its even smaller, dimly lit auxiliary LCD above it (which displays shooting parameters).
• Sensor Image sensor cleaning system
• Has a very versatile monochrome mode
• Color rendition is better than XT. This may be a result of Canon replacing the “Parameter” menu of the XT with something called “Picture Style.” Here, you can make such color choices as Standard, Neutral, and Faithful.

The Bad

• Other than the Error 99 problem (its too early to tell how common or widespread this is), I really like this camera. It’s a better choice than the XT (350D) if you’re looking for a good consumer grade Canon DSLR.

One of several entry-level digital SLRs available, the Rebel XT was the first under-$1000 consumer-grade SLR on the market. It was also the first small body DSLR, which made it more comfortable in my hand than the (competitive) Nikon D70. Current price for the XT body with the Canon 18-55mm lens is about $500.

Such cameras are often sold in kits. The body comes with a cheap lens, battery and charger, Compact Flash memory card, and a carrying strap. Additionally, you may want to invest in a protective clear filter for the lens and a carrying case for the whole shebang. The XT kit typically includes the Canon 18-55mm (f3.5-5.6) lens which can be purchased separately for about $100 (this should give you an idea of its quality). Although the lens is extremely light and compact, you might want a better one (say, with higher quality optics and image stabilization). You could spring for the Canon 17-85mm EF-S IS USM Lens, but this can easily cost $400! Many after-market (i.e., non-Canon) lenses are also available for the XT.

When considering this camera for purchase there are a few things to think about:

• The fact that it’s only got 8 MP resolution should not deter you from this model. Image quality has much more to do with optics and image sensor/processor than it does with the number of megapixels. Unless you’re shooting RAW, a 5 MP JPEG image is not going to look a lot different from a 10 MP image (all things equal).
• The body has no Vibration Reduction or Image Stabilization. If you want this, you must buy a lens with this feature. For what it’s worth, having this feature in the lens is supposedly more effective than having it in the body. I find that some lenses are better than others.
• Body color – This is weird, but the body is available in silver or black. Price can vary as much as $70 based on color! When the XT first became available, retailers charged $50 more for a black body (because it looked more “professional?”). Now I see them advertised as being $20 higher for silver. Go figure.

I’ve owned the XT for 2 years and it has been my workhorse camera.
In my opinion, these are its high and low points:

The Good

• Auto mode flash gives nice even illumination. Digital flash is so often very harsh.
• Handy function buttons on outside of body avoids menu drilldowns
• Battery life good (450 - 600 shots), though it’s less if using flash and image stabilization. (Calumet batteries cheaper)
• Has really sharp monochrome (Black and White) mode, along with tinting and electronic filtration. The latter is REALLY nice as you avoid the nuisance of having to screw on different color lens filters to change BW contrast!
• Very good infrared sensitivity. Use with a Hoya R72 filter (blocks most visible light and allows most IR over 720nm to pass) for pictorial effects, though digital IR will never be as colorful as Ektachrome IR film.

The Bad

• Color rendition is not as good as with Nikons (but Nikons don’t do BW!)
• The Rebel XT has an inherent software problem which Canon apparently is taking no responsibility for. Occasionally, when you turn its power switch on, the display indicates “Err 99” and the camera won’t function. You have to switch it off and back on for it to work. Canon’s response is a body-lens mismatch or dirty electrical contacts. That’s a lot of hooey, as far as I’m concerned. I’ve cleaned the contacts and used various lenses, but I still get “Err 99” about 20% of the time. I spoke with a Canon rep at the PDN Photoplus Conference in October 2007 about the problem and he said to “format the memory cards in a computer instead of erasing them in the camera.” This has lessened the problem, but it still exists.
• Relatively small (1.8”) image display – most DSLRs today boast a larger 2.5 inch display.
• No sensor dust-off feature. With interchangeable lenses, you risk getting dust inside the camera body. Dust on the image sensor shows up as spots on your image. Some cameras vibrate the sensor to shake dust off. While the XT does not have this, it does allow you to lock the mirror up so you can remove the lens and blow any dust off the (highly fragile!) image sensor.

Since most people want to take photos at the beach and the indoor birthday party, it’s relatively easy to pick a decent general-purpose Digital Point-and-Shoot (I will refer to these as DPS cameras). Most DPS cameras perform well outdoors in the sunshine. As with any camera, the wheels fall off when you attempt to shoot in subdued light. Cameras need light in order to acquire an image. Therefore, you either have to artificially illuminate the subject (with a flash) or shoot without a flash with ambient light. So how do you test a camera under such lighting conditions before you buy it?

The trickiest things for a DPS camera to do are:

1. Power up quickly
2. Auto focus in dim light
3. Capture the image the instant you push the shutter release button
4. Shoot in dim light with a flash, but quickly and without washing out the subject
5. Shoot in dim light without a flash

Luckily for you, the standard retail store readily offers poor lighting conditions! Assuming their cameras are all powered up, take some pictures of the people and displays around you. Assume the camera should do everything automatically and start snapping. See what results you get. In my experience, these are the things by which most DPS cameras differ. Therefore, it’s my way of testing a camera’s ability to capture an image under the conditions most people would use it. So grab that camera and see:

1. Does it power up quickly? Most don’t, which can easily cause you to lose the opportunity to get the picture you want. Pretend you have to quickly snap a picture of the person in the next aisle. Some cameras are quicker than others. Find the quickest.
2. DPS cameras are notoriously bad at being able to focus in dim light. Find a camera that will focus quickly on a subject without hunting excessively.
3. You want to capture the image the instant you push the shutter release button. Many cameras have a delay between when you hit the button and the image is acquired. See if you can live with this delay.
4. If we choose to use flash, we simply want the camera to produce a well-lit image of the subject without being washed-out (too bright). Test this. I want a camera that allows me to activate the flash quickly in case I want to use it and deactivate it when I don’t. How long does it take the flash circuitry to charge up? Will an 8 second delay cause you to miss the moment?
5. Shooting without a flash under ambient light, you might want your camera to automatically set its ISO (light sensitivity) at the highest setting possible. This allows you to snap a picture without a flash. Good at sporting events and the ballet. However, that brings up two important issues: image quality and zooms.

   Image Quality - Under low light conditions, the image sensor of a DPS camera produces grainy, noisy images (kind of like shooting fast ISO 800 film in a film camera). This has relatively little to do with the number of megapixels (MP). No need to be a pixel counter! Anything over 5 MP in a DPS camera is just fine. The main determinants of image quality in a DPS camera are its lens and image sensor.

   Zooms - Anything over a X3 zoom requires image stabilization, a tripod, or both. Don’t be tempted by the X12 zoom—it may be virtually useless when holding the camera by hand!

While consumer magazines are a good place to start when shopping for a digital camera, they are no substitute for your own testing of the camera. These can give you an idea of price and features, but seeing how the camera performs under low light conditions is really what you’re interested in. Go to a store, find some cameras you like, see how long they take to turn on, focus, and charge the flash. Test a camera under the conditions which you intend to use it. If it balks, it’s not the one for you!