Showing posts with label Camera Review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Camera Review. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-W650 16.1 MP Digital Still Camera

The Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-W650 is a slim and compact digital camera that offers quality, simplicity and convenience.  With up to 5 times zooming capability and impressive picture clarity, this digital gadget comes with many useful features and at an affordable price.

Main Features

Super HAD CCD Image Sensor –The pictures are of high resolution and clarity due to the 16.1 Megapixel Image Sensor which records finer image data. Its capabilities are maximized in combination with the Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens and a speedy BIONZ Image Processor.

Still Image Modes – Offering ease of use, the camera comes with an intelligent Auto mode and 8 preset image modes. The Auto mode, along with intelligent Scene Recognition, selects the right exposure and scene settings without having to manually change to the preset modes. The advanced scene mode takes 2 pictures with different exposure settings for you to decide the best shot. The picture effects are creative additions which elevate the mood and give a personal touch to your photos.
Smart Recognition Features – A host of smart features are included, aimed at capturing people the best way. This includes Face Detection to set optimal exposure to faces, Smile Shutter to capture a beautiful smiling moment, Anti-blink to ensure no squinted eyes in frame and Soft Skin mode to smooth out the imperfections detected in facial skin. Apart from these, there is a self-portrait timer, which combines face detection to click a picture two seconds after a face comes into view.
Sweep Panorama Mode – When it comes to capturing breathtaking natural scenes, the Sweep Panorama mode helps you reach up to 360 degrees. A simple act of pressing down the shutter button and sweeping the camera around is all that is needed. This takes continuous shots and joins them together to produce a single panoramic shot.

Movie Mode – The DSC-W650 shoots high definition video up to a resolution of 1280 x 720, at 30 frames per second. Each recording is limited to 29 minutes. This video quality is ideal for editing in a personal computer and sharing online.
Dynamic Range Optimizer – This is a refined technology which helps to optimize the lighting for different parts of a picture to render a more natural and realistic image. Using this feature gives good results when it involves capturing backlit portraits or scenes with bright and shadowy areas.
Optical SteadyShot Image Stabilization – The blurs often caused in shaky hand-held shots can now be managed and eliminated with the help of Sony’s unique image stabilization technique.
Natural Flash – For retaining natural colors when flash is used, this mode captures a shot for reference without flash to correct the colors in the image that is taken with flash. This renders more real-worldly look to the objects in the pictures.

Negative Aspects

In the Cyber-Shot DSC-W650 model, apart from the AUTO and predefined modes, there is little control over advanced settings such as aperture, ISO and shutter speed. This results in low image quality, especially while taking pictures indoor or in dark surroundings. Also the scene settings are limited and not great for low-light photography. The 5x zoom is not very far-fetching and the clarity reduces when digital zoom comes in beyond the optical zoom.

In a nutshell

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W650 is quite a package and it clicks excellent pictures in daylight and outdoor environment. With high resolution levels, the details are finely captured when the subject is close by. For an advanced user, this product has only limited capabilities. For a casual user, this is a quality compact camera that is delightfully easy to use and fits well within the budget.

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Sony HDRPJ260V High Definition Handycam Camcorder

Being one of the latest 2012 models, the Sony HDRPJ260V is a compact camcorder with many useful features. Equipped with a 16GB internal flash memory, this video camera is readily usable and can record up to 3 hours of video in HDLP quality. There is an additional capability to shoot stills with resolution up to 8.9 Megapixels.

Main Features of Sony HDRPJ260V

Full HD Video Recording – Offering the highest resolution of 1920 x 1080 with 60i recording, the Sony HDRPJ260V lets the user to shoot videos in full high definition. With a highly sensitive Back-illuminated Exmor CMOS sensor, low-light situations can be captured with reduced noise and grains. Combined with the Optical SteadyShot Image stabilization and three-way shake cancellation features, the result is an amazingly clear and smooth footage.

Advanced Audio Capabilities – The HDRPJ260V Camcorder comes with improved audio input (5.1 channel surround mic) and output (Clear Phase stereo speakers with digital amplification). The capabilities can be expanded with the help of external mic and headphone inputs. With advanced acoustic processor and improved noise reduction techniques, the voices are clearly recorded after cancelling out wind noise and other distortions.
Sony G Wide Angle Lens – Manufactured using superior Sony technology, this fine lens captures all colors and details close to reality. Optical zoom is capable of reaching 30 times farther and extended zoom increases it up to 55x. High clarity is maintained even at greater zoom levels.
Built-in Projector – This attractive feature brings alive the video recordings anywhere and is a great way of sharing memories with friends. It displays the videos in high contrast and projects well on screens or any clear surface up to 100 inches wide diagonally.

Intelligent Auto Mode – The compact Sony Handycam offers up to 120 combination of scene modes, which include tripod, walk, landscape, portrait, baby, back light, low light, spot light and many more, to cater to a wide variety of situations. This offers lot of choice to the user without having to bother about appropriate lighting and exposure.
Face Detection, Smile Detection and Tracking Focus – With these features, it is easy to locate a moving subject, a baby for instance, and maintain the focus on it while recording a video. A simple touch on the LCD is required to choose the object of focus, and the camcorder does the rest. The focus is maintained even when the subject goes in and out of the frame. The Smile Detection automatically clicks a picture during a video, whenever it sees a smiling face.
Highlight Playback – This function is a better alternative to tedious video editing. With this mode, it is easy to compile only the key shots into a complete movie with background music and transition effects. This task can be done within the camcorder itself without having to connect to a computer.

File Transfer Options – A built-in USB cable, which sits conveniently in the hand strap, enables PC connection for easy access of files and software without needing a separate cable. This cable also serves to recharge the camcorder. There is also a facility to connect directly to an external hard drive for file transfer without using a computer. This establishes a two way connection, which allows video files on HDD to be played back in the camera.
Built-in GPS Receiver – This feature is highly useful while travelling, which automatically tags your video with locations and allows viewing them on the built-in map display. With this function, the internal clock is also adjusted automatically to the changing time zones.

Negative Aspects

While many other features of HDRPJ20V are commendable, the absence of viewfinder may be bothersome, especially while trying to get a video in strong light. To take advantage of some of the features, especially HDTV playback and External HDD connection, compatible cables should be bought separately. Another limitation is that the video format is not compatible with Apple devices and needs to be converted using external software.

In a nutshell

The Sony HDRPJ260V works great as a personal handycam. The shooting modes are simple to use and ideal to record all your adventures with great detail. The enviable functions and Sony quality make this camcorder a valuable product.


Saturday, August 18, 2012

Nikon COOLPIX L810 16.1 MP Digital Camera Review

Nikon’s COOLPIX L810 Digital Camera is a step ahead of other point-and-shoot cameras, offering a simplified experience with versatile features. Designed to produce ultra clear images, this camera is able to reach far and wide with its zoom capabilities. It can be powered on the go with two simple AA batteries. The camera’s tough and rigid body looks stylish and gives good grip. This and many more features are included in this model to give photographic pleasure to the user.

Main Features of Nikon’s COOLPIX L810

Optical System – Equipped with a refined NIKKOR ED glass lens and VR Image Stabilization, the superior optical technology of L810 results in blur-free clearer and sharper images. The lens offers 26x optical zoom which helps to get incredibly closer to a distant object and capture it in full detail.

Easy Video Recording –The camera records quality videos in high definition at 720p resolution. The sound captured along is of stereo quality which enhances the output. The optical zoom works for videos as well. A dedicated movie button ensures quicker shooting without having to change any other settings. With the built-in HDMI port, it is easier to connect to HDTVs for playback.
LCD Display – The 3.0 inch LCD screen offers a highly clear view of any scene with 921k dots. With such richness and an antiglare coating, the capture and playback of photos and videos is easy and delightful to the eyes.

Auto and Scene Modes – To make things simple for a beginner, the L810 offers an Easy Auto mode that takes care of all the image settings such as brightness, exposure, ISO, shutter speed etc. For better shots of human subjects, a variety of predefined modes are available including close-up, portrait, landscape, night portrait and night landscape. Moreover, the smile timer, red eye fix, blink-warning and skin softening features allows capturing a face the perfect way.
Creative Options – A color can do anything to a picture. To experiment with this idea, the COOLPIX camera provides a creative set of options. The standard, cyanotype, vintage black and white, nostalgic sepia and vivid modes give different feel to a scene.  These options can be applied to both stills and movies.
3D Still Image Photography – This feature elevates the quality of photos to a new level by rendering a picture in 3D. By connecting to a 3D HDTV via the HDMI port, these still images can be brought to life.

Negative Aspects of Nikon’s COOLPIX L810

While it is easy to use, the COOLPIX L810 is not a simple point-and-shoot camera and it is necessary to refer to the manual and get used to its features before starting off. The camera should be allowed to focus initially, failing which the pictures will be blurry. This makes this equipment useless to capture spontaneous shots.
In a nutshell
The Nikon COOLPIX L810 is larger than a typical compact, but is not bulky like a DSLR. It is easy to carry in a travel bag and produces professional quality pictures at high resolution and reaches longer distance than a conventional camera. With a little practice, it is possible to get the most out of this small camera. With all the alluring features, it comes at a nominal price, which gives a good reason to buy this gear.