Film Reviews

If you have both 35mm and medium format transparencies and or negatives to bring into the digital age, I heartily recommend the Nikon Super Coolscan 8000ED. Firewire equipped, it is designed to work easily with the current line of graphics capable computers. Its bundled software has worked well for me (using a MAC with OSX and Firewire) and features three special capabilities. (1) Digital ICE3 will gently remove scratches and dust saving you hours of retouching (it doesn't work well with Kodachrome and black and white silver based emulsions). (2) ROC will restore colors to faded slides. It really works! (3) GEM gives you the ability to affect grain appearance. For the highest resolution imaging (4000DPI) the process takes some time. You also need to make sure that you have a fairly up to date computer. Some serious computing is going on here and with file sizes in the hundreds of Megabytes, you can't run this with your TRS-80. I run the Nikon Scan 3 software separately from PhotoShop 7 so that I can run one while working with the other. Otherwise while it's scanning, it will lock up your PS from use. It comes with a myriad of trays which work generally quite well but it cannot handle stack loaders. This is strictly a one strip at a time scanner. After all, these are some serious file sizes. While expensive, the 8000ED is approaching the quality of a drum scanner without the mess and the expense. For most work this is truly going to deliver.

Printing digital camera images (Olympus E-10) on an Epson 1270 with this paper produces stunning images! Very saturated, smooth and glossy look. Even nicer than Epson's Premium Glossy Photo Paper, though not quite as thick.

Here, the company lives up to it's name. After using their Digital Camera For 2 years I have had no problem with this card at all. Works as described and lasts!!!

This only works with Lyra players, but it comes with the player. Overall it is excelent.

This is a flexible lead composite bag that does what it says - protects 400 and 800 ISO film from x-ray damage. It is roomy enough for about 10 rolls (IN their protective case it comes in). No need to put your camera in the bag if it has no film in it. In fact, many companies recommend you FINISH your last roll of film BEFORE getting on the plane. Therefore, shoot the last few pics and place the film in here.

This is a must have if you want to be extra careful that you wont lose those great holiday photos.

I had a few miscellaneous comments to make. I've had my EOS Rebel 2000 for only two weeks and already am extremely satisfied with it. The first roll of film came back and the photos are nice and sharp. The only thing I could have done differently in the photos was to use some exposure compensation--I was on vacation and was shooting wildlife at a beach on an overcast day, and even then, the sand was reflective enough so that the some of the subjects were a little dark and looked somewhat silhouetted. Happily, this little camera gives you manual control over shutter speed and aperture, as well as many other nice features, such as depth of field preview (which even the ELAN II lacks), and a respectable 1/2000th of a second top shutter speed. If you've been mostly a point and shoot camera owner until now, your fastest shutter speed will only have been about 1/500th of a second, unless you own one of the Contax point and shoots such as the T2, which go up to 1/700th of a second, but cost about 5 times as much as even the more expensive and capable point-and-shoot cameras, not to mention the Rollei, which is even more.

I'm getting used to the controls, which are a little different from my Rollei QZ35W. The jog wheel feature, for adjusting ASA settings and so forth, I find an interesting feature which I'm more used to seeing on Palm PDA clones such as the Sony CLIE, but I find I like it here, too.

In addition to the lens that came with it, I found a Tokina ATX 25-70 mm constant F2.8 Pro Series lens used at a great price, and decided to buy it for the little EOS Rebel. The camera fits comfortably in my hand, if I have one complaint, it's that the grip on the right side is a little small for me with the much bigger Tokina lens mounted, but it's okay.

To give another plug here for this great little camera, a friend at local camera shop says he knows a pro photographer at a large newspaper who uses nothing but EOS Rebel 2000 bodies, and he just puts his $3000 pro lenses on it. He says they're capable enough to do anything he wants, but cheap enough so he doesn't worry about hurting them. He carries 3 of them at a time with him, and if one has a problem, they're cheap enough so he just throws away the malfunctioning one and grabs a new one out of his bag.

One final thing I wanted to say is the manual is really well written, very clear and concise. They seem to really want you to learn and make use of the camera's features to make you a better, more technically aware, photographer. So be sure to read the manual.

I've found this to be an exellent little camera at a very reasonable price given all the features Canon has packed into it. Canon has produced an outstanding value and a very capable camera in this little package. I can recommend this camera without reservation, especially if you're considering moving up from the point-and-shoot category to a camera with more advanced features.

I bought my wife one of these to replace her aging Pentax K1000. She is very happy with the features and the light weight, as well as its ease of operation...you can run it as a point-and-shoot camera, fully manual, or any of a number of modes in between. The only negative to this camera is the standard 28-80 lens, but if you are a casual photographer you won't mind its mediocure optical performance. Remember, this is a relatively inexpensive camera and it has a lot of features for the money. If you want to spend more on the lens, get the excellent Canon 28-105 lens, or for more flexability get one of the third party 28-300 lenses (which aren't great optically but again are a great value).

I own a Canon Elan IIe, which is a better camera in some ways but I would certainly recommend the Rebel 2000 to anyone wanting a superior point and shoot, a photography student, or a traveller needing light weight and do-it all capability, or even as a second body for someone with another Canon camera (I'm thinking about this myself).

This is the best camera for it's price (range). It has 85% of all the features that are found on most high end expensive 35mm SLR cameras. It's autofocus system is the same as ELAN 7 but minus the eye control. The only Problem I have with it is that it is small. I have small hands and yet I have problem gripping it with my right hand. The solution is to buy the BP-200 battery pack as it extends the grip are further and allow you to take vertical pictures using the vertical shutter button on the battery pack.

If you buy the EOS rebel 2000 body with the BP-200 battery pack and the EF 28-135mm Image Stabilizer USM Zoom lens then you are all set to take the best pictures you can in it's price range.

Oh yes, add the 420EX flash and you should be all set.

Why do I say it's the best 35mm SLR camera to buy when you can a Point and Shoot camera? Because in Picture/Full-Auto Mode it is just like a point and shoot camera, it even refuses to take a picture unless the "subject" is in sharp focus.

Hint: buy good lenses to take good quality pictures.

I was looking for a digital camera and wanted to use one that allowed me to get to the taking of pictures. Later I will move on to a more complicated one. Anyway I disagree with all of you who did not like the software. I use software all the time and this is the first photo software that did what I want. I agree with all the good things said before in other reviews. If anything is wrong it is the drain on regular batteries so I bought the rechargeable ones. The fact I could use the camera as a pc cam was an unexpected plus. I think the main use of the camera is for doing e-mail, short videos and taking photos of people or things you want to display on the net. I would never expect to shoot a long shot to a stage as one person did. When you consider the size and all the features Fuji has packed into it, what a buy! Most of all I like that it slips into my pocket.

WOW, I bought this camera on holiday in New York, in Febuary, I was slightly worried about it not working in the Uk but when I found out it was USB connection I knew it would work at home, I was very excited to buy it!
I got 75photo's on the 16mb card and that is high resolution!
The only slight dissapointment is the video mode, how it cannot last longer that 20secs, HOWEVER u can video more than 1 clip, so you could have 5 video's all of 10secs long, depending on the memory you have. The AA batteries ..., get the rechearchable ones. the software is ok, very easy to install.
BEST CAMERA I HAVE EVER USED ZOON IS EXCELENT, PANNING IS AMAZING
BUY IT YOU WON'T MISS OUT !

The A201 is very Good camera and I bought it with my own money( I am eight years old). It has satisfied me very well with its price. I am impressed with the quality and I would recomend it to anyone shopping for an entry-level good-quality bash-around camera. I have sent many e-mails using the easy-to-use FinePix Software that comes in the box with the USB (universal serial bus) connector. The software comes with automatic procedures such as saving in the "My Pictures" Folder that comes with every computer. The software comes with the Update and delteable folder called "100_fugi". The only dis is that the camera for some reason makes the target father than the Human eyebut other than that the camera is very good and toped my expectations. At first I thought of buying the Canon Powershot but the store manager at [a local store] gave me a better deal, the A201.

After a year of using it, it shuddenly stops retracting the lens, 'focus error'. I still don't know if it can be repaired (I took it to service yesterday), or how much will it cost...

My advise is this: the camera is great, good pictures, easy of use. Think of it as a funny one-year toy.

I was so happy with this camera that I even would consider buying Fujifilm again! At the same time, I feel very dissapointed because I never think that the camera would last so few time!

I've had this camera for less than a week, and I'm very satisfied with my purchase. The 16 MB card probably won't be enough, so I also purchased a 64 MB card. I take photos at 1280x960 (the middle resoultion option) at the lower of two compressions, and image quality is excellent. At this size, the 64 MB card holds 100 pictures. The optical zoom is very good. I've used the 20 second movie clip feature a few times. In low light situations, the image quality of the clips are kind of poor, but I didn't buy the camera for this feature, so I'm not really concerned. The fact that you have to open the lense cover *and* turn on the camera to use it is a little tedious, but I grew accustomed to it after a few uses. The Macro function allows you to take close up pictures of smaller objects and delivers excellent detail. There are several flash options, including No Flash, Red Eye Reduction, Auto, and Timer. I'm very satisfied with this camera and recommend it.

I purchased the FinePix 2600 and received it about 1 week ago. I read a ton of different reviews of similar cameras in this price range and can say without a doubt that I made the right choice. The picture quality is fantastic.

This camera comes packed with everything you need to start taking great pictures right out of the box. It comes with the 16MB Smart Media card, which holds about 30 pictures at normal resolution or about 15 at the highest setting. Plenty for starting out, but would recommend getting a 64/128 MB card for big trips sometime down the road. It also comes with the rechargable batteries and charger and those work well also. I would also recommend getting a 2nd set of the batteries for longer outings also.

This is a great point and shoot camera, with a few manual features for the more advanced user. For me, the default settings work just fine.

This camera is very easy to use and to unload the pictures to your PC. I think this camera has something for everyone, from novice to more advanced users.

I don't think I've ever written a review of a product before, but I had to repay the favor of those whose reviews helped my decision. Thanks!

I bought this camera about 2 weeks ago. It's a pretty good one. Picture quality for outdoors are excellent, even it only has 2MP. But indoor pictures are not very clear. Anyway, what do you expect for a $100 DC?. I am very satisfied with it.

I've been thinking and thinking and thinking of buying a digital camera for a long time, but kept putting it off. Everytime I saw something that looked promising, it seems there was a purchase killer somewhere-too expensive, no LCD display, too few pixels, whatever-and I kept passing.

Then my sister told me she was getting a grant from her school to take her kids on several field trips and had $100 to spend on disposable film cameras. Then the light bulb came on over my head. Why not get a digital camera, said I? So I rounded up the usual web sites for research, came upon the FujiFilm A205, and was impressed by the specs. Where, oh where, thought I, can I find some reliable real world reviews? Amazon, of course. After reading the reviews I bought the camera and a 64Mb memory card and I'm delighted with the results.

You need not hesitate any longer if you've been considering getting a digital camera. This camera is a real bargain. Picture quality exceeds my expectations, and I've even taken a few experimental pics at night and with a little more refinement of technique, I'll even be getting better night shots.

I'm a total newbie to digital photography. I do maintain web pages for my students (college writing) and figured a good "starter" camera would be a good investment. I came across this one through an Amazon deal.

It was priced well within my budget, under $100.00, and was a nice little complete package. (Even with batteries!) Instructions were clear, and it's basically usable right out of the box. It comes with PC software that makes it easy to transfer your pics to your PC. And, a nice surprise, they even included the USB cable!

Well, it's so simple to use you think you're doing something wrong. I've had it for a couple weeks and tried both indoor and outdoor shooting. The zoom is very easy to use, and it's very simple to immediately check out your shots. It's got all the features of a moderately priced, film camera (red eye, auto focus/flash, etc.) Only personal glitch for me...there is a momentary delay between pushing the button and the actual shot, which I learned the hard way by taking shots of my daughter riding her horse. I had a couple of my daughter actually riding OUT of the frame. Still...more my mistake than the cameras. Still, this is easy to adjust to, and other pictures came out fine.

I'm no pro with photography, but this is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for anyone wanting to cut their teeth on taking digipics. I still need to find a camera case for it, but that's easy to do. Somehow, I'm sure Amazon will manage to add accessories to my page... :-)

Try it out!

I bought this camera a year or two ago. I still love it. The batteries last a long time with flash, and longer without. With a 128mb XD card, I can take about 100 pics in the highest res, and best compression. I have printed pics out as 8x10s, and they look great, and would probably still look great printed larger. It does ALMOST everything I want to do. The only limitations I have found are when taking pics in subdued lighting, the image in the finder is too dark, and hard to compose the photo; the image looks great when actually taken though. Another thing is that when taking action (e.g. sports) shots indoors, without a flash, the pics tend to be motion-blurred. Another minor annoyance is that it seems to have a minor draw on the batteries when not in use, so that if you have put the camera down for a couple months, and then pull it out, the batteries are likely to be dead, or close to dead. Overall, it is a great camera if you can live within these minor limitations.

I bought this camera approximately 18 months ago and have been totally and completely satisified with its performance and picture quality. This is my first digital camera. When I was looking to dive into the digital world, I wanted a camera that would give me all of the features my SLR camera had (zoom, picture quality, etc.). I absolutely cannot say enough good things about my Fuji. It takes great pictures with little or no effort on my part. The battery life is long; consumption is at a minimum. I am able to take close to 100 pictures before I need to change batteries. I keep two sets of rechargables. One in the camera and one fully charged in the bag. So all I have to do is switch them out when necessary. I immediately bought additional XD cards. With the 128mb card, at normal resolution, you can store just over 200 pictures. I love to take pictures... My idea is take 10 pics and you'll probably get at least one really good one. My husband used to cringe at the sound of each picture, thinking about costly film developing. Now, he doesn't care. I take 10 pics, and delete nine. Only print out the one that is good. :-) The long and short of it is, I love this camera. It is a good purchase and well worth the money if you are looking to transition over from film to digital without giving up any features.

I bought this camera brand new at the store last week and was facinated by its sleek body design. I liked the fact that it is slightly bulkier than other digital cameras. The salesman told me that although it has 3.2 mp, you are able to print at 6 megapixels. After printing some pictures, I found out that if you enlarge the pictures to "poster" size the quality doesn't degrade. Luckily I have a photo printer. Like you, I read through all the reviews before finally deciding on a product. I don't know why there are people out there that give this camera a negative review. Of course there are pros and cons to any electronics product you buy so to help you out I have included some that I have experienced myself.

Pros:

- Extremely user-friendly!
- Both the LCD display and the viewfinder are in color.
- The zoom feature is decent.
- It has a pop-up flash and the brightness can be adjusted.
- As far as digital cameras go, this one does not consume batteries as bad as other ones.
- You can add date-stamp to your printed pictures
- Set at 0.3 Megapixels you can take up to 100 pictures with just your 16 MB memory card. (Can only handle 18 pics at its megapixel maximum-- But really.. who wants to print poster-size pictures of their vacations unless you happen to be a paparazzi?

Cons:

- The video is grainy, and needs to be utilized in well lit areas in order to be viewed better.
- The software it comes with is not all gravy but it is somewhat helpful. That's it.

If I weighed the good against the bad of this camera, then i would say that I made a wise decision in choosing this model.