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“The J50’s biggest let-down is its image quality, which I can only describe as terrible. It’s a pity, because the lens actually performs very well, with virtually no distortion at either end of the zoom range, and good edge-to-edge sharpness, but it is let down by the lousy sensor. Even at the lowest ISO setting there are problems with image noise, and despite only having a maximum setting of 800 ISO, images at this setting are unusable. The combination of image noise and massive over-compression robs the images of any fine detail. File sizes at the highest quality setting average under 2MB, which is very small for an 8MP camera. Adding to these problems is very poor dynamic range, with shadow and highlight detail lost from high contrast shots. About the only good thing I can say about it is that colour rendition is fairly accurate, at least in good light and low ISO.”

“The Fujifilm FinePix F100fd is capable in a variety of situations, typically getting good color and exposure even under harsh lighting conditions. Its performance is limited indoors, however, with poor low light results and limited flash range. Still, as an outdoor camera, the FinePix F100fd records some amazing resolution for such a small camera. I’d like to see the maximum shutter time in the Auto modes extended beyond the 1/4-second limit (the camera can go as long as 8 seconds in Night mode with Long Exposure mode enabled), but the availability of high ISOs and the Dynamic Range option definitely push the Fujifilm F100fd up a notch for enthusiasts wanting a little more from a consumer digital camera.”

“The Ricoh GX200 builds on the success of an already unique and very capable camera, the GX100, adding a small number of significant new features and a larger number of “nice-to-haves”. By far the most important improvement is the operational speed of RAW mode. The 6 second file write time and lack of continuous shooting offered by the GX100 has thankfully been replaced by near-instantenous write times in single-shot mode and the ability to shoot up to 5 RAW images at 1.18fps in continuous mode. Now you truly can shoot either JPEG or RAW images with the GX200 without much difference between the two modes, perfect for the photographer who wants to extract the best image quality possible and retain full control over post-processing.”

“Bottom line - Sony’s ‘top of the line’ entry-level Alpha 350 or DSLR-A350 is an outstanding camera. In this saturated market, consumers really have a lot of great cameras to choose from, all at competitive pricing. At about US$899 or less as tested, I feel the A350 offers a great value for such a well balanced camera. The Live View performance offered by the A350 is way ahead of its competitors. Another feature that helps make this model more appealing is the fact that you have an effective form of Image Stabilization built right in. This will allow you to save some money when buying lenses, where with other models you’ll have to spend a nice chunk of change to acquire a stabilized lens to achieve the same level of low-light performance.”

“Available in black or silver, the Mju 1030 SW is the first in the ‘Tough’ series with a 10-megapixel image sensor. Waterproof to 10 metres, it is also capable of withstanding a drop of two metres and can tolerate temperatures down to -10 degrees Celsius and pressures of up to 100 kilograms, making it the ‘toughest’ in the range. The new camera’s feature set has also evolved since the original 795 SW model, making it even more attractive to photographers who enjoy water sports, skiing and similar adventurous activities.”

“As with most industries producing consumer goods, digital camera companies will often make the most of their investment in research and development by launching several very similar models, reusing the same basic design and sharing most of their components and features, but differing in a few details to produce a range of distinct products. Sometimes the result can be surprising. For example the Panasonic TZ3 differs from the TZ2 only in the size of the monitor screen and an extra megapixel of resolution, but the result is a significantly better camera. However sometimes the surprise works the other way. Samsung has two very similar cameras in the 8.1-megapixel NV8 and today’s camera, the 10.1-megapixel NV15, but in this case adding more megapixels has not produced the desired effect.”