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As one of the new Kodak Easyshare Z series cameras, the Z1012 IS is an excellent addition. With the second highest available zoom with optical image stabilization (O.I.S.) on a Kodak model, a 10-megapixel imaging sensor, full auto through full manual shooting modes and HD video mode (1280x720 30fps), this camera is packed full of features. The performance is good, however, it would be nice to see the camera able to capture more than 3 images at a time both in burst and single shot modes. The image quality both indoors and out is excellent with vivid, natural colors. With a MSRP of US$299.95, this camera would be a great choice for anyone looking for a mega-zoom model that doesn’t mind the small burst modes. 

A fully-fledged mid-range DSLR in a compact body, at an entry-level price – this is how one could distill the essence of the Olympus E-520 into one sentence. The new camera inherits the very well designed body, efficient handling and semi-professional feature set of its predecessor, and gains important capabilities such as wireless TTL flash control, Shadow Adjustment Technology and contrast-detect auto-focus in Live View. JPEG shooters will be delighted to learn that the default tone curve applied by the in-camera processing yields much more pleasing out-of-camera results, particularly with respect to the way specular highlights are rendered. 

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For full-frame digital SLR or film users, the 20mm ƒ/2.8 shows off its poorer performance issues, especially for sharpness and light falloff. Whether this performance is poor however, depends on your point of view; if you’re looking for a lens which isolates a centrally-located subject by means of sharpness and light falloff, the lens does it spectacularly. If you need even light distribution and even sharpness, the 20mm prime will disappoint, especially at ƒ/2.8. At other apertures, you have a better chance of getting what you need.

TextureWarehouse is back! After several months under reconstruction, Texturewarehouse.com is back online. Featuring hundreds of free, high-resolution texture images distributed under a creative commons license, the folks at TextureWarehouse have worked hard to get the textures you need for your design needs. Whether you’re designing websites, 3D models, or graphics featuring highly textured elements, you can find what you need at TextureWarehouse. Have something they don’t? Feel free to submit your texture images for the greater use of other designers.

“There’s very little to criticise in the overall specification and performance of the E-420. I like it’s size - it’s ideal for travelling and is reminiscent of my old OM4 in some aspects of its handling. Images are generally good too, with excellent sharpness and detail. Colour is crisp and while exposures are slightly underexposed to my taste, they do maintain good tonality throughout the range. The Four-Thirds system is somewhat contentious amongst the more vocal geeks on the forums, but it has many benefits and is definitely worthy of consideration to anyone coming to a DSLR for the first time. The Olympus E-420 is a pleasure to use and it’s simplicity combined with the more advanced features allows the newbie to learn and grow as well as just enjoying taking good images.”