Digital-Camera Reviews

Let me start by saying I use to teach photography at college and an a critic as far as picture quality goes. A college of mind bought this camera and I was so impressed with the size and features I figured what the heck I'll give it a shot because my Cannon G1 is just to big to carry with me all the time.

One of the most important feature to me was size, I wanted something I could carry around. This covered it, it is small, wow is it small and light. It's slender body fits into my pocket and I forget it is there. As a result I shoot more pics. The other nice feature is the quick worm up time of about a sec. Cameras I have had in the past I missed shots because they were booting up. This camera has a exceptional exposure control in low light, it is hard to take a bad picture.

Now for the down side. The picture quality is OK. I find it a bit smooth and not crisp enough for my taste, but nothing photoshop can't fix. I miss a volume control on the shutter it is either on or off and there are no shortcuts to the menu items to quickly toggle features or delete frames. The view window on the back is fixed and a bit small and dark sometimes, mostly in low light. Also when shooting movies the mic is on the top of the camera rather than the front so if you are in a busy room it pics up everything else as loud as the people you trying to shoot.

Over all for the size it is awesome. I would call it a excellent party, snapshot type camera. If I lost it I would go out and buy another one without hesitastion.

After researching digital cameras for a couple weeks, I decided on the Dimage X. At first look, I wondered if i was sent a camera or a deck of cards....it's that small. The battery charges up in 1.5 hours and by then you've read the book and are ready to put it to use. It has great features and is simple to use...not to mention you can put it in your pocket and not feel like you're carrying Hugh Heffners wallet!
It has all the modes of other cameras, a good battery life, and once again, the size is super small. If you have big hands, you may have problems, but you'll get used to holding it. Everything comes in the box, a charger and all the cables needed. Get a bigger Memory Card, even though the 8MB card holds 67 pictures in 640x480/standard mode (only 1 in 1600x1200/super fine mode).
This is a perfect camera for trips, family photos and general use. Good pictures and not hard to use...

I just bought the Dimage X 2 weeks ago and I can't put it down! I love it! When I set out to buy a digital camera for my trip to Europe, I wanted something very small that printed like Walgreens minus the pesky dust. I found it. I don't even have a photo quality printer, but it looks like I do.
All my friends have seen it and they're in awe. I'm even reluctant to let people hold it because I'm afraid they might drop it, so I make them wear the wrist strap at all times. I teach a photography course, so I know a lot about SLR cameras and photography in general. I know a good print when I see one. And the Dimage X is anything but "soft" as some of the other reviewers have said.
But I'm just getting in to the digital revolution. Compared to my big, bulky SLR, the Dimage is a needle. I'm even finding it hard to go back. The little 35 second movie mode is an added bonus. Plus you can record voice clips to your pictures. It also takes either SD memory cards or MultiMedia Cards (MMC). The SD cards are also used in other devices as well, so you can alternate back and forth. I upgraded to a 128 SD card so I have enough space. The battery has a long life. The software is easy to use and the pictures transfer quickly. The menu is easy to navigate and I've found that it takes amazing, true to life pictures without even having to alter anything on the computer.
I reccommend that you buy the carrying case because you will be very protective of the little X. I've had no trouble whatsoever with this camera. It's definitely the life of the party! Get one today. You won't be disappointed!

I recently puchased the Kodak Easyshare 3.1 megapixel camera and I'm very happy with in general as my first digital camera. The camera is very simple to use and easy to understand. All the controls are easily accessed and provide a good descripion of what each function does. The picture quality is good for the price. It does produce redeye, but with the redeye reducing feature and the easy to use photo editing software provided with the camera you should have no problems making great pictures. For the price I would say this is an excellent camera, it's very user friendly.

I LOVE THIS CAMERA, AND FOR THE PRICE $200.00, YOU SIMPLY CAN'T GO WRONG. I recently switched to digital camera after using the 35mm camera for a LONG time. My first digital camera I ordered online from Walmart was the HP-733 for the same price. The HP-733 was a crappy made camera. The pictures was always too dark when taken indoor, even with all the lights turned ON. Another bad thing about the HP-733 was it thru batteries almost every 10 picture takes...I couldn't believe it! It drains the battery so fast. I hated and returned the camera to Walmart. Then I thought ALL digital cameras are the same until I researched and purchased the KODAK CX-6330...and WOW!! What a difference!! The CX-6330 has changed my perception about digital camera. Like this camera for these reasons: [1] picture qualities was beautiful and bright even warm light. [2] battery seems to last at least 3 times longer than the HP-733. [3] The Kodak Easy-share software...they NOT kidding when they called it EASY SHARE. It's really fun to use their software. I was able to email directly from the camera or from the computer after loading the pictures. I can run the slide-shows continuously. The pictues editing/enhancement features allow easy editing your pictures before save. Overall, I am very satisfied with this camera. I have shot over 120 pictures so far and maybe replaced the batteries about the 4th times - which is not bad. I hightly recommend this camera at 3.2MP, unless you are planning to buy a camera in a 5MP which cost a heck of a lot more.

It was my first camera it takes movies of me and my friends and takes pictures for those funny moments i say its great

The Nikon Coolpix 800 is hard to beat. It's easy to use, produces great quality photos and the price is second to none.

I have tried other digital cameras -- Kodak, Olympus, Sony, and more expensive Nikons -- and this one is by far the most impressive. I use the camera for newspaper and magazine work, and am quite happy. So is my editor.

To save batteries, I turn the LDC monitor off, except for a brief viewing. And, I purchased a PCMCI adapter, which enables me to read the photos very quickly. This makes downloading the photos much more simple and less time consuming.

There are a few minor problems with the camera. The biggest is that the zoom is disappointing compared to other mega pixel cameras -- even with the optional teleconverter lens. Here's why: The converter blocks the viewfinder, forcing the photographer to use the LCD monitor, which means batteries don't last as long.

Still, I'm pleased with the purchase.

this is the first serious digital camera i got, and i've been pretty hapy with it. great macro, decent zoom, and fair response time. the other complaints you hear, including how it chews batteries and the like, are generally true. still, given a pocket full of batteries, i'd take this with me when i go places.

my biggest complaint is the size, it doesn't travel super well (i like to keep my hands free, i'm forgetful and often misplace things). i like to stick my camera in my pocket, and it just doesn't fit.

still, its plusses make it a decent camera. i'd check out some of the newer coolpix cameras if you were buying new and had the budget for it, they're a great line.

I've had my Coolpix 800 for about a month now, and I can still say that I'm one proud Papa. Yeah, they eat batteries like candy, but so do most cameras with any kahonna's. Buy rechargable! The biggest drawback to this camera is the serial port issue. There's a way around that, though. Buy a SanDisk (they manufacture Nikon memory cards) drive and USB...uploadin' quicker than spit. Well, now that we've bought a CompactFlash drive, some Nickle Metal-Hydride rechargable batteries, an AC adapter, and another 48mb of memory(or you'll be reminded of that time when you ran out of film), we've just added about $250 to an already pricey camera. Not to fear folks. If your reading this review, that means you have internet access. Shop around for the best price. On-line prices will, without a doubt, beat the human factor. Try, Buy .com for the camera and Spotshop.com for the other goodies. I saved a couple hundred easily. Oh and lastly, I wouldn't have a digital camera without at least 2 megapixels, built in flash, optical and LCD viewfinder, and CompactFlash(most common). There's lots of other goodies with this one, and that's why I think this is the most camera for it's price range.

I'm no techie and like things simple, straightforward and easy to use. This camera fits the bill. I limit digital photography to web usage, sending pics via email, looking at pics on my computer or TV via DVD player, posting pics on eBay and hobby websites, etc. and this camera is perfect for those purposes. The use of floppy discs is particularly nice and so is the outstanding macro/close-up capability. If you plan to blow up pics fairly large and print them, a higher resolution camera may be preferable, but for 95% of my needs this camera is perfect and so much easier to use than my wife's fancy, expensive, high resolution camera with more of bells and whistles.

This is the digital camera par-excellence for any beginner. It is also the perfect camera for an experienced user whose needs are web-based. The Mavicas use floppies that are not only dirt cheap, but reuseable. The standard 1.44 floppy will hold about 24 (in default resolution) pics that can go from the camera to your PC without cables or cradles in just seconds. These images are more than adequate for emails or for posting to a website, though they will barely make for good 4" x 6" photos (the available higher res setting will allow for adequate 5" x 7" prints). The camera is sturdy (albeit a bit heavy), the optics & zoom are very good, the flash is better than average, and the battery life is acceptable. If you're considering a digital for non-professional work, this is a fine choice.

I originally reviewed this camera March '01 and just found my review on a web search. I gave it a "5" and still do - easy to use and great price. The floppies save you from crawling around hooking stuff behind the computer - always a nightmare in MY office! For online selling the pics are great, closeups are the only letdown and if you are very careful you can do "ok" but not great. Still a big bang for the buck and it's been A+++ for function, not a problem ever and I'm a heavy user. A solid buy, you could do much worse!

I got my first one when Vista Imaging (viCAM) was selling them. Now 3Com is using the viCAM technology. It is the BEST webcam on the market. I own two of them and the Lens Pack. It is the only camera, that I know about, that lets you run as many as 8 at the same time! I run two of them on my website. It works with all software (WebCAM32, iVista, ChillCam, ISpy, NetMeeting etc). I ran one of the first webcams on the Internet and have used many cameras over the years. The 3COM is the best camera, it is a USB camera by the way. It works excellent in low light. The Lens Pack (cost extra) is also something that I use (the wide angle is used most often). The first viCAM cost me a lot and now look at the great price from Amazon. You will not be sorry you picked the 3COM.

If you need a camera that takes higher quality, and higher resolution photos in all kinds of light, you will need this camera. The 3Com HomeConnect has remarkable low-light capability. I use it as a "weather cam." It is pointed out the window of my office in Edinburgh, Indiana where it adapts well to everything from bright sunlight to ambient street lighting at night. Unlike most Webcams, this one features a resolution as high as 640x480. I also like the long, detachable USB cord. Another plus is the easy setup utility. Basically, all you do is put the CD in the drive and it tells you onscreen what to do next. It's so simple! Just don't plug the camera into the USB port before the program instructs you to do so. It's not the least expensive camera on the market, but the extra price gets you a much better camera than the average Webcam.

This thing rocks. You can put it in a pitch black room turn it on sit in front of it and light a candle anywhere in the room (given the room is not really huge) and it will auto adjust and look perfect in a few moments

I'm now on my second eyemodule2; I returned the first one a few months ago, exasperated.

The good part is that the eyemodule2 is a lot of fun. It's great to take candid shots of people who have no idea you're taking pictures, and they get a kick out of seeing themselves on your Visor's screen. It's also quite handy to carry around in a way that a regular camera wouldn't be.

But here are things to keep in mind. First, it uses the memory on your Visor, so if like me you have it stuffed with docs, AvantGo, maps, etc., you'll have to do some deleting or invest in a memory module. Second, keep in mind that this is a fun toy, but not a high-quality digital camera. It's easy to e-mail pictures to people, but if you're going on a memorable trip, take along a real camera and use it more.

And most importantly, note that if you change the Visor batteries with the eyemodule in its slot, your Visor will do a HARD RESET and you will lose everything, including any pictures you had accumulated and hadn't backed up yet. Hence I would STRONGLY recommend that you invest in a backup module as well if you plan to buy the eyemodule2. I lost some 50 pictures learning this the hard way. (Since you'll have to clear some Visor memory for pictures anyway, the 8MB + Backup module might be the way to go if you can spring for it.)

My irritation with losing so many pictures the first time caused me to take it back, but since then I decided it was still too much fun to pass up. But not without backup! I can't find anywhere that Handspring or Blocks Products mention this matter of the battery, so I'm warning you here. If you're going to take pictures, always do a backup before replacing your batteries.

And have fun!

The Eyemodule 1 I just replacedhas provided images that are really useful and fun to take, spur of the moment. It captures the essence, if not the detail of the subject that can be edited into sketchbook images and saved to an address file an email or an illustrated newsletter. It is also great as a visual memo pad or recorder, capturing images on the fly for reviewing later. Stealth factor makes it fun, too.So now I have gotten an Eyemodule 2 and will let you know how it differs.

My Visor Deluxe goes everywhere with me and contains my life in an organized fashion. While checking out add-ons I ran across the EyeModule 2 digital camera. It looked too good to be true. After reading other Amazon comments on this product, I was sold. In less than 20 minutes I owned one. I have to admit I love electronic gadgets, especially cameras. It is so small and weighs nearly nothing. And like one reviewer said, it comes in a slick little tin. The software was easy to load and it's really easy to use--just like the Visor Deluxe. The batteries in my Visor were half used up and I did get the message that I needed to change to new batteries in order to "capture" pictures. You can even make 5 second mini-movies, which I haven't tried out yet, but I'm sure it will be awesome. I'm going to South Africa and Zimbabwe in September and will use it as an adjunct to my SLR camera. And around town, there will be lots of chances to use it I know. I highly recommend this for all 'electronic junkies'and anyone else who wants to be able to take a photograph to document things, send e-mail photos. The only negative thing about the EyeModules is that like other reviewers said, you need to have lots of light and a steady hand.

I'm now on my second eyemodule2; I returned the first one a few months ago, exasperated.

The good part is that the eyemodule2 is a lot of fun. It's great to take candid shots of people who have no idea you're taking pictures, and they get a kick out of seeing themselves on your Visor's screen. It's also quite handy to carry around in a way that a regular camera wouldn't be.

But here are things to keep in mind. First, it uses the memory on your Visor, so if like me you have it stuffed with docs, AvantGo, maps, etc., you'll have to do some deleting or invest in a memory module. Second, keep in mind that this is a fun toy, but not a high-quality digital camera. It's easy to e-mail pictures to people, but if you're going on a memorable trip, take along a real camera and use it more.

And most importantly, note that if you change the Visor batteries with the eyemodule in its slot, your Visor will do a HARD RESET and you will lose everything, including any pictures you had accumulated and hadn't backed up yet. Hence I would STRONGLY recommend that you invest in a backup module as well if you plan to buy the eyemodule2. I lost some 50 pictures learning this the hard way. (Since you'll have to clear some Visor memory for pictures anyway, the 8MB + Backup module might be the way to go if you can spring for it.)

My irritation with losing so many pictures the first time caused me to take it back, but since then I decided it was still too much fun to pass up. But not without backup! I can't find anywhere that Handspring or Blocks Products mention this matter of the battery, so I'm warning you here. If you're going to take pictures, always do a backup before replacing your batteries.

And have fun!

The Eyemodule 1 I just replacedhas provided images that are really useful and fun to take, spur of the moment. It captures the essence, if not the detail of the subject that can be edited into sketchbook images and saved to an address file an email or an illustrated newsletter. It is also great as a visual memo pad or recorder, capturing images on the fly for reviewing later. Stealth factor makes it fun, too.So now I have gotten an Eyemodule 2 and will let you know how it differs.

My Visor Deluxe goes everywhere with me and contains my life in an organized fashion. While checking out add-ons I ran across the EyeModule 2 digital camera. It looked too good to be true. After reading other Amazon comments on this product, I was sold. In less than 20 minutes I owned one. I have to admit I love electronic gadgets, especially cameras. It is so small and weighs nearly nothing. And like one reviewer said, it comes in a slick little tin. The software was easy to load and it's really easy to use--just like the Visor Deluxe. The batteries in my Visor were half used up and I did get the message that I needed to change to new batteries in order to "capture" pictures. You can even make 5 second mini-movies, which I haven't tried out yet, but I'm sure it will be awesome. I'm going to South Africa and Zimbabwe in September and will use it as an adjunct to my SLR camera. And around town, there will be lots of chances to use it I know. I highly recommend this for all 'electronic junkies'and anyone else who wants to be able to take a photograph to document things, send e-mail photos. The only negative thing about the EyeModules is that like other reviewers said, you need to have lots of light and a steady hand.

I purchased this camera after I accidently killed my Nikon 775. I have to admit to a bit of disappointment. There wasn't much progress made in the camera form factor. It is a relatively large camera. I assumed that there is some sort of trade-off...that this larger camera took better quality pictures than other, smaller, 3.2mpix devices.

I've had a terrible time trying to get decent shots. With the 775 I consistently got very nice snapshots. I've owned this camera for about 8 weeks and I'm still struggling to get decent photos. Night shots are almost impossible. Maybe my memory card is too slow, but it takes forever to get setup for the next picture. Tonight I saw an Elk while driving home from skiing. I pulled over and was able to snap pictures from about ten feet away. It was getting dark. The 2 pictures that I was able to snap turned out awful and I'm not happy about it.

The redeye feature doesn't work and the delay is too long. I set the camera for party mode, and used it at a christmas party, and nearly half of the shots were blurry and unusable.

I've turned down the image size, and I'm going to try getting faster memory, in order to try and get the camera more responsive.

I sprung for rechargeable Ni-MH batteries and I'm pretty satisfied with their life, but it took about two weeks before they would really keep a charge.

I got this very quickly from Amazon.com, even with saver shipping. It's my first digital camera, and so far, I'm impressed. I've used plenty of Nikon 35mm and SLR cameras, but I needed a portable, high quality, yet affordable, digital camera. This is it. It is the smallest 3+ megapixel digital camera I've seen, even smaller than its big brother the Coolpix 4300. I would have bought the 4300 but then this camera came out and is pretty close in quality and quite a bit cheaper than the 4300. As for quality, this camera impresses me greatly...especially because of its small, yet very comfortable size. Sure, there are smaller cameras, but they fall out of your hands, whereas this one does not (I always use the wrist strap anyway). The scene modes are a bit of overkill, but the full auto mode works well, and I have yet to really get into the "manual" mode, but it seems to be quite useful for taking several pictures at the same time/selecting the best shot (using the camera's automatic best shot selector feature). Overall, the camera is great. The tried and true 3x optical zoom nikkor lense, combined with an excellent CCD and extremely small, yet grippable body make this the perfect camera for someone who wants portability, quality, and a great price too.

Great camera, great pictures, eats up batteries.. buts its worth the money!

I don't own this camera, but have been researching it online. It seems there is disagreement among reviewers here regarding the alleged chromatic aberration (purple fringing) issue.

The most thorough and objective online review site I know of for digital cameras is Digital Photography Review (www.dpreview.com). As an aid to other consumers concerned about this issue, I offer the following quote from their review of this camera:

"It's a huge pity but the DSC-F828 has a fringing problem. We'll call it 'purple fringing' but it's clearly a combination of chromatic aberrations caused by the interaction of the lens and the microlenses on the sensor and enhanced by a certain amount of blooming which carries the color out further than the original artifact.

While worse at full wide angle and maximum aperture (28 mm equiv., F2.0) it is visible throughout the zoom range and at smaller apertures. It's clearly possible to take images which will never suffer from this effect, it does require either a strong backlight or sunlight reflection to become apparent. The issue really is that in a normal shooting situation you would have no real idea if the image had suffered until you return to your computer and view the image at full size.

It's also possible to reduce the visiblity of these artifacts with careful post-processing, using specific CA reduction tools or simple color replacement filters. However there is no getting away from the fact that these artifacts should not be there."

I've viewed about a dozen sample photos that illustrate this aberration, and I agree with the above assessment. Also, I was not at all impressed with the DSC-F828's noise level in low-light situations given this camera's price point. There is a lot of potential in this model (8MP, Carl Zeiss lens, etc.), but at the end of the day, image quality is what matters most in a camera. Sony has consistently upgraded this camera about every 12 months for the last four years (F505 - Aug '99; F505V - Apr '00; F707 - Aug '01; F717 - Sep '02; F828 - Aug '03). I'm going to hold off until the next iteration which should be due out around August 2004. Hopefully, Sony will address these issues.

I love Sony cameras. Started with the P50(2MP - the camera that you can "be at peace" to lend to friends!), then S75(3MP - absolutely superb macro shots!), 77A(4MP - "cheap" compact & sharp camera for my work - construction site), V1(5MP - compact semi-pro backup with tele attachment to compliment the 828 for my photo outings), T1(5MP - the talk of town! & the truly take anywhere!) & finally this baby! I had it since February & yes I know the good & the bad of this stuff. I guess all of you are FULLY aware of the good side of this camera but as for the "bad" news, here are my suggestions:

1. Digital Noise -
(i) Go to www.nextimage.com & download this Noise Reduction Software for free. Yes, freeeee!!! I'm using it for ALL my images now! - Even Photoshop or JASC Pro 8 doesn't have it!

2. Purple Fringing -

(i) I have placed an order for 828's Circular Polariser. I believe it will help out, as recommended by some of the guys here. Thks!
(ii) Dial up Aperture Priority & keep your aperture range between f4-f8 & you will see results!

Frankly speaking, for 1000 bucks you can't get a PACKAGE like this!

I will be getting the Nikon D2X with all the cool lenses later (to fulfill the super high-end photo-requirements), but as for the ALL IN ONE semi-pro job, this is the real-deal!

I was apprehensive about this camera due to the talk of purple and other 'problems'. I've been using this camera now (july) since May and I've not had any weirdness or problems.
I was close to buying the Rebel-- but I went with the sony---
1. I now use this camera for video & stills-- No juggling two camera-- which is impossible anyway being a mom with 2 kids! result is that I'm taking way more video and more pictures than previously
2. great quality. i do blow up pictures and I needed the 8mp-- I do use the 5mp setting mostly
3. the macro is just awesome. i've taken some great close up pictures with this camera
4. I love the way I can combine media and flip between compact flash and sony stick.

soo-- no problems here =)

I purchased the camera last year and for a number of months it worked great. Now it only takes pictures inside. Anything outside is so over exposed it looks monochrome. Half the time the shutter doesn't click so I have to press it two or three times more until it finally works. When I first purchased the camera I would have given it 4 or 5 stars but now I'm in the market for something more reliable. After reading a number of other reviews where people had the same type of problems I'm convinced this camera is quickly self distructing.

I recently purchased this camera and with the savings from Amazon.com it is a great buy!! The cameras menu is easy to navigate through and with an added 32MB Smart Media card from Viking (just insert it on the side of the camera) the storage capacity even in the HQ picture setting is over 100 images!
With good light indoors it takes great pictures. I haven't used it outside yet, but I'm sure it will be just fine. The software that comes with it is easy to download, and with Windows 98, the drivers are very easy to install too. Just plug in to the USB Port on your PC and the software walks you right through the process of downloading the images.
Again, a great buy on a nice digital camera for the money!!

I originally had an Olympus D-360, the previous model in this line, but it was stolen out of my car (if I ever find the person who did that... grrrr). This camera is quite an improvement over it's predecessor. Smaller, easier to operate, the menu system is 100% improved, and the batteries last A LOT longer. My only gripe is the removal of the small status screen on the top of the camera, it's handy when you don't want to use the LCD screen to save the batteries. Oh well, not a big deal. I do hope to move up to a 2 or 3 mp camera before too long, but this camera takes excellent pictures for it's price/mp range. A good first (or second, grrr) digital camera.

And just a note to the reviewer who had "Mixed Feelings About This One": If the store you bought this from advertised it incorrectly, you can hardly blame Olympus, while it would be nice if a memory card came with the camera, it says nothing about that on the box. And, as for the 2x or 4x digital zoom, if you set the picture quality to the lowest setting, it will digitally zoom up to 4x. As it says in the manual (though not very clearly, took me a while to figure it out too). Of course, digital zooms are junk, they degrade picture quality, but it is there.