Digital-Camera Reviews

I use the 70-300 with a Digital Rebel, giving a maxium equivalent focal length of a 480mm lens on a 35mm film camera body. I thought about buying one of Canon's 70-200L series, but they are huge, white, and heavy. I am not a professional photographer and decided I didn't want to look like a geek trying to masquerade as one. Besides, I like to take my camera with me, like tucked under my ski jacket, so there is an upper limit to practicality.
So far, photos have mainly been of kids playing baseball. I've shot roughly 1000 pictures in the few weeks I've had it. From the outfield fence, I've been able to take some great pictures of the batters. At maximum focal length, tracking movement of players takes some skill, which I am still trying to master. From the baselines, I have to zoom out to keep the action in the frame. I haven't had a need yet to use the IS since I use a fast shutter speed for sports.
Picture quality is very good. Photos are crisp across the field. I assume the magazines will test this lens eventually under lab conditions, but I can't see any imperfections with real world photos.
My only complaint is with the zoom control. The lens has a lock to hold it in the shortest focal length because the lens will move by itself when pointed up or down. The rotating ring for the zoom control is a little too hard to rotate when the camera is level, and especially when going against gravity. It is fine for still subjects, but it is a challenge for quick focal length changes with sports. Gearing for a more rotation with less force would have made this lens ideal.

I gave this 4 stars because I dont think the Coach case is worth the extra $100. You can get this camera for $399 and to pay $499 for this combo with the Coach case seems unreasonable to me. I got this as a gift and trust me, I would have preferred the hundred bucks cash :-)

PLS. SEND INFORMATION ON CANON POWERSHOT S200, COMPACTFLASH CARD FC-8M. THE FC-8M CONTAINS 12 TO 14 PICTURES. I NEED A BIGGER SIZE
CARD. WHUCH ONE IS BETTER, AND FOR WHAT PRICE. SHIP TO THE STATE OF ISRAEL.
THANK YOU.
Israel Shur.

Unlike what the Editorial Review states, this item does not work with Exilim EX-Z3/Z4/Z4U digital cameras unless you want to squeeze your camera in!

While the manufacturer description does not list EX-Z items as compatible, I based my decision to buy this item with the new EX-Z4 on the Editorial Review ... I was wrong!

On the other hand, this item is very elegant and well designed for other Exilim models from S1 to S3 including M1 & M2.

What's Included:
Concord Eye-Q 2040 Digital Camera
Mini USB Cable
TV Cable
Wrist Strap
Carrying Pouch
2x AA Kodak Alkaline Batteries
ArcSoft PhotoImpression and ArcSoft VideoImpression (Picture Editing Software)
User's Manual and Multilingual Quick Start Guide
CD-ROM including Multilingual User Manual in PDF format

Intro: I was looking for a low-priced camera with a color LCD, decent megapixels and a reasonable price, and I found one.

Hookups: The computer reads the camera as a USB mass-storage device, not a digital camera. This makes it possible that you don't have to load any drivers if you have Windows XP or ME. You will have to load the camera drivers for previous versions of Windows. You just drag and drop the pictures with practically no waiting, even for videos. You can also hook this camera straight-up to your TV via the camera's "Video Out" and the supplied video cable to view your pictures and videos.

Memory: Camera includes 7 MB integrated memory. Also accepts Secure Digital cards to store pictures and movies on from 8 to 512 MB.

Display: The smoothness of the 1.6" color TFT LCD really surprised me, 27 fps to be exact. I expected it to be choppy, not the case. Very smooth video feed. The only way it can be choppy is if you move the camera very fast. You can view your pictures and videos as thumbnails on the display if you want. The display tells you, when it's on, is: the camera mode, flash and white balance settings, battery level, image quality and resolution, self-timer (if on), memory card (if inserted), and frame counter (how many pictures you have taken and how many you have left).

Interface: You can switch between taking pictures and reviewing taken pictures on-the-fly via a switch on the back. You have to go through the menu to delete pictures and videos though, no delete button.

Settings: "White Balance" and "Exposure Value" can be adjusted to your liking. The brightness of the display can also be changed. Auto-shutoff time can be off, 15, 30, 60, or 90 seconds. You can also change the picture resolution and quality as stated in the next section. Flash can be set to "On", "Off", or "Auto". White Balnce can be set to "Auto", "Sunny", "Flourescent", and "Tungsten".

Picture Capacity: The manual says you can take only 7 pictures at the highest quality, but the camera can handle 9. You can go all the way up to 205 pictures at the lowest quality using the included 7 MB integrated memory.

Picture Quality: Pictures are taken in the JPEG format. Picture quality is determined by the combination of picture resolution and quality. The resolutions available are 1600x1200 (2.0 MP), 1280x960 (1.2 MP), and 640x480. The picture quality can be "Fine", "Normal", or "Economy". At the "Fine" quality and at 1600x1200 (the highest possible quality), you can manage 9 pictures. At the same resolution and "Normal" quality, you can get 21 pictures at almost the same quality. I couldn't tell the difference. I can easily compare the highest picture quality of this camera to a one-time-use camera. Pictures can be better quality if you hold the camera still for about a second when you snap a picture. Action shots are nearly impossible due to the slow shutter speed. The color balance is pretty good. The sky sometimes looks aqua if you don't have it on the right "White Balance". If you have it on "Sunny", that should take care of that problem.

Flash: The flash really surprised me and others. In a completely dark room, I can take great pictures. I showed some pictures to my parents and they were very impressed when I told them the room was completely dark. You just have to make sure you are a few feet away from the subject to get a good picture or it'll be whited out.

Videos: Videos are taken in the AVI format. This camera cannot act as a webcam, you take pictures and movies with it. This model can take 34 second videos at highest quality with the included 7 MB integrated memory. The videos are quite smooth, better than I expected, 15 fps to be exact.

No Macro Mode: There is no macro mode with this camera, making all close-ups a little blurry. The focal range on this camera claims to be 1.2 meters to infinity. So to get good shots, you have to be that far away.

Zoom: Wasn't a big deal to me, but the included 4x digital zoom is a nice touch.

Out In The Field Before I found out what macro mode was, I tried helping my dad get pictures of his old radios he wanted to sell on ebay. He took those pictures from about a foot away. They were too blurry to make out the details on the radio. For example, you couldn't tell what the numbers were on the tuner and the grill was a blurred together.

I took this camera on its first trip. I took a picture a funny sign in Hondo, the first picture I took on the trip. That picture was very clear. The final destination was the Frio River. Don't worry, if you're not from Texas, you won't know where it is. The couple pictures from about 8-10 feet away were great. The picture of a small waterfall was amazingly crisp and clear. The ones after that were landscape pictures and I could tell they were a little blurry. The plastic over the lens got messed up a little from getting wet and me wiping it off. That might have been a factor. The landscape pictures were decent enough that anyone not looking too close wouldn't tell that they were blurry. Mainly, the leaves in the trees and bushes were blurry. The rocks and the river were clearer. I took a couple more pictures downstream of some tall trees and their reflections on the river. Those pictures were dark due to the height of the trees. They were blocking the light from getting to river. The second one of those trees were a bit brighter and I could really tell the details of the reflections.

Overall: I am glad I purchased this camera. If you want an awesome low-end camera, this one is for you.

What's Included:
Concord Eye-Q 2040 Digital Camera
Mini USB Cable
TV Cable
Wrist Strap
Carrying Pouch
2x AA Kodak Alkaline Batteries
ArcSoft PhotoImpression and ArcSoft VideoImpression (Picture Editing Software)
User's Manual and Multilingual Quick Start Guide
CD-ROM including Multilingual User Manual in PDF format

Intro: I was looking for a low-priced camera with a color LCD, decent megapixels and a reasonable price, and I found one.

Hookups: The computer reads the camera as a USB mass-storage device, not a digital camera. This makes it possible that you don't have to load any drivers if you have Windows XP or ME. You will have to load the camera drivers for previous versions of Windows. You just drag and drop the pictures with practically no waiting, even for videos. You can also hook this camera straight-up to your TV via the camera's "Video Out" and the supplied video cable to view your pictures and videos.

Memory: Camera includes 7 MB integrated memory. Also accepts Secure Digital cards to store pictures and movies on from 8 to 512 MB.

Display: The smoothness of the 1.6" color TFT LCD really surprised me, 27 fps to be exact. I expected it to be choppy, not the case. Very smooth video feed. The only way it can be choppy is if you move the camera very fast. You can view your pictures and videos as thumbnails on the display if you want. The display tells you, when it's on, is: the camera mode, flash and white balance settings, battery level, image quality and resolution, self-timer (if on), memory card (if inserted), and frame counter (how many pictures you have taken and how many you have left).

Interface: You can switch between taking pictures and reviewing taken pictures on-the-fly via a switch on the back. You have to go through the menu to delete pictures and videos though, no delete button.

Settings: "White Balance" and "Exposure Value" can be adjusted to your liking. The brightness of the display can also be changed. Auto-shutoff time can be off, 15, 30, 60, or 90 seconds. You can also change the picture resolution and quality as stated in the next section. Flash can be set to "On", "Off", or "Auto". White Balnce can be set to "Auto", "Sunny", "Flourescent", and "Tungsten".

Picture Capacity: The manual says you can take only 7 pictures at the highest quality, but the camera can handle 9. You can go all the way up to 205 pictures at the lowest quality using the included 7 MB integrated memory.

Picture Quality: Pictures are taken in the JPEG format. Picture quality is determined by the combination of picture resolution and quality. The resolutions available are 1600x1200 (2.0 MP), 1280x960 (1.2 MP), and 640x480. The picture quality can be "Fine", "Normal", or "Economy". At the "Fine" quality and at 1600x1200 (the highest possible quality), you can manage 9 pictures. At the same resolution and "Normal" quality, you can get 21 pictures at almost the same quality. I couldn't tell the difference. I can easily compare the highest picture quality of this camera to a one-time-use camera. Pictures can be better quality if you hold the camera still for about a second when you snap a picture. Action shots are nearly impossible due to the slow shutter speed.

Flash: The flash really surprised me and others. In a completely dark room, I can take great pictures. I showed some pictures to my parents and they were very impressed when I told them the room was completely dark. You just have to make sure you are a few feet away from the subject to get a good picture or it'll be whited out.

Videos: Videos are taken in the AVI format. This camera cannot act as a webcam, you take pictures and movies with it. This model can take 34 second videos at highest quality with the included 7 MB integrated memory. The videos are quite smooth, better than I expected, 15 fps to be exact.

No Macro Mode: There is no macro mode with this camera, making all close-ups a little blurry. The focal range on this camera claims to be 1.2 meters to infinity. So, to get good shots you have to be that far away.

Zoom: Wasn't a big deal to me, but the included 4x digital zoom is a nice touch.

After using the camera for a few days, I knew I made the right decision selling my HP 720 to buy this one. But I do miss my HP 720's ergonomic fit to my large hands. The Contax TVS digital 5.0Mp camera, being expensive, well rounded, compact size and smooth finish, could easily slip out of my hands. So I always use the wrist strap that came with it. Moreover, HP's download software is easier to use. Twice I had to go back to my Contax manual to figure out how to download my pictures. Other than that, it's not a big deal to accomplish.
What I like the most about this camera is the viewer capture accuracy. What I see in the viewer or LCD, is pretty close to what I snapped and downloaded. My HP 720 was off center somewhat and got much worse as I used the digital zoom. The Contax TVS digital doesn't have this problem. At this point in time I can only compare two digital cameras I bought, and to be able to write this review. I hope it is informative and useful.
What I don't like most about this camera is that the shutter release button is very hard to distinguish from the rest of the top side of the camera. Again, I'm a guy with large hands, with some wear and tear on the finger tips. At times I could not find the shutter button as I was looking thru the viewer. So I may have to add a drop of glue or black finger nail polish to provide a "bump" on the shutter release button so I know I'm on the trigger. I did this once before on another camera and it worked out well.
Overall, the Contax TVs is a great high-end quality camera, and somewhat pricey. I have the Contax T2 "film version" and I just wanted to have the digital version. Is the camera worth the price? Maybe. It's not a slam and dunk decision and it depends on what you are looking for in a camera: quality, materials, name, fashion look, etc.

I've had my cool icam cic-175 for a year now. I take it with me everywhere. One drawback is there's no flash, but it's a very cool little camera for the money. Makes a great gift.

Lots of versitility with this cam. Very good quality shots up close or far away! Only thing missing is a good lcd screen, but since those really eat up the batteries, this cam is the next-best-thing!

This is a great web cam for infrequent users who want decent picture clarity. It's also good as a starter cam for playing around. The 6' USB cable allows a bit of mobility for the cam-I needed to move it a couple feet to my side because at first I looked like a pale ghost...moving the cam brought out my fair complexion. I also needed to film in a brightly lit room at high noon-night time pics show spots. Adjusting settings in the program for hue and (color) saturation helped take away any unwanted redish colors. Brightness and contrast can also be adjusted in the settings while focus is either automatic or manual based on your preferences.

For the techies: it needs DirectX 8.0 to function. It upgraded my system from DirectX 6.1 to 8.0. Unfortunately (for me) my
2 1/2 year old system needs DirectX 6.1 in order for some games to function.

Downs are that the clarity isn't good at night and it might mess up your ability to play games on older computers.

Ups are that it's a nice cheap web cam that takes decent pics during the day.