Archive for January, 2010

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The Sony CyberShot DSC-T20

January 30th, 2010

Of all the top-rated digital cameras, Sony’s CyberShot series consistently performs at or above industry standards. The Sony CyberShot DSC-T20 has long been a favorite choice for intermediate digital photographers. It ranks near the top of all digital cameras given as holiday gifts in recent years. Users love its quality photos and many useful features.

The Sony CyberShot DSC-T20 is an 8.1 megapixel digital camera with 3x optical zoom. Pictures are taken in JPEG format. The camera’s ISO equivalencies are 100, 800, 400, 200, 80, 1600, and 3200. It has both programmed and automatic exposure settings for a variety of picture-taking situations and lighting conditions.

A slim and trim little digital camera, the Sony CyberShot DSC-T20 weighs a mere 4.5 ounces. Its physical dimensions are 2.2 in x 3.5 in x 0.9 in (HxWxD), making it an easy camera to slip into a shirt pocket for a day of photography.

The Sony CyberShot DSC-T20 also has a video mode for those who want to capture motion and sound rather than still photos. The camera uses Memory Stick Duo and Memory Stick Pro Duo recording methods. It comes with A/V and USB cables, and is covered by a one year warranty.

So what are Sony CyberShot DSC-T20 owners saying about the camera? They have nothing but praise for the picture quality. Photos are bright and clear, and the camera has a very bright flash. It is a very small camera, though. While some users like the super-slim dimensions, others find themselves worrying that the device will break. This concern could be unwarranted, however; none of the many customer reviews mentioned having to replace the camera due to physical breakage. It’s not recommended that this camera be given to small children, though; not only is it small and light, it’s also a little on the pricey side. Besides, with so many digital cameras made especially for kids, children would probably prefer a sturdier, more colorful camera anyway.

Another caveat for beginners: this camera has a lot of features. Users describe feeling a little lost due to the sheer number of settings, modes, and options. If you’re the adventurous type, jump right in and start experimenting. But if you’re the cautious sort who likes a straightforward camera, you could find a better fit with another brand.

The Sony CyberShot DSC-T20, like many cameras in its price range, is good for beginners and intermediate photographers. When a particular camera series has a large and loyal following, it’s usually for a good reason. Sony’s CyberShot series gives users plenty of cool features at a fair price.

This camera retails for about $300 US, and can be purchased wherever digital cameras are sold.

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The Polaroid i531

January 24th, 2010

Another contender in the low-priced digital camera arena is the small, lightweight, 5 megapixel Polaroid i531. Praised for its image quality and wide LCD, this digital camera is wonderful for beginners. Children might find the thin, lightweight body too frail for their use. But for adults who want a simple camera for daily photography, the Polaroid i531 delivers.

The Polaroid i531 has a 3x optical zoom, 4x digital zoom, and CCD image sensor. It has a maximum aperture of f/2.8 and a minimum aperture of f/5.6. The camera’s focal length ranges from 6.2mm to 18.6mm. Pictures are taken in JPEG format.

Like other cameras in its price range, the Polaroid i531 has a collection of settings, both automatic and programmed. Some settings work best for outdoor action shots, while others make the most of low light situations. The camera is praised for being easy to use with intuitive buttons and settings that are easy to figure out.

Other features include ISO equivalencies of 100, 400, 200, auto, and 50. The camera comes with 16MB of internal flash memory. A good-sized LCD screen (at 2.4 inches) makes image previewing a breeze. Users can also capture motion video with this camera.

For connectivity, the Polaroid i531 comes with a USB cable. It also comes with a wrist strap to keep the camera secure – a necessity, since many users have described the Polaroid i531 as easily breakable.

A real stand-out feature of the Polaroid i531 is the camera’s self-timer. These are fairly rare among the lower priced digital cameras. Users who want to take pictures of themselves can set the timer for 2 seconds or 10 seconds, pose, and enjoy. Digital camera users have long searched for low-priced cameras with timers included. This feature sets the Polaroid i531 apart from its competition.

What do users think about the Polaroid i531? They laud its user-friendly setup and picture quality. However, many do point out that this camera is rather flimsy. With dimensions of 2.4 in x 3.5 in x 0.9 in (HxWxD) and a weight of 4.9 ounces, this is not a camera you want to subject to rough treatment. Some users complain that they have had to replace the camera after only a couple of days because of physical breakage.

To summarize, the Polaroid i531 is an easy to use, low cost digital camera with a generous LCD and good picture quality. It also comes with a self timer for users who want to take photographs of themselves. But the camera is also easy to break, so should be handled with care. This digital camera would be a good choice for beginners, but not necessarily for children due to its fragility.

The Polaroid i531 retails for about $70 US and can be found wherever digital cameras are sold.

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The Polaroid a520m Digital Camera

January 20th, 2010

Designed for the first-time user, the Polaroid a520m Digital Camera has some easy-to-use features. Here are a few examples of what you can do with the Polaroid a520m camera:

* Enjoy point & shoot operation. The resolution is adjustable for print or email.
* Store video clips and pictures to an SD card or the internal memory.
* Shoot pictures or video clips, and play them back on the LCD screen or on a computer.
* Send your friends and family your pictures and video clips over the Internet.
* The camera has PictBridge capability.

The camera offers a splashy break from the sea of traditional black and silver cameras, being offered in a cute theme of colors: pink, light pink, and magenta—sure to appeal to young girls—in support of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

The list of technical specifications and additional features are as follows:

* PC and Mac compatible
* 4x digital zoom
* Standard 16 mega byte integrated flash memory
* Supports MultiMedia Card and SD Card for extra memory
* 5.1 mega pixel resolution
* Built-in flash
* 2.0” bright color TFT active-matrix LCD which offers a preview of images before shooting
* Video recording in AVI format
* Built-in microphone
* Built-in tripod stand (tripod sold separately)
* Still image compression in JPEG, EXIF 2.2 and AVI format
* Settings include flash off, auto, red-eye reduction, and fill-in flash
* Automatic white balance
* Automatic exposure
* Features an electronic 10-second delay for taking pictures of yourself
* Optical sensor type: CCD
* Image sensor type: CMOS
* Minimum focus range: 38.4”
* Image resolutions: 640 x 480, 2592 x 1944, and 2048 x 1536
* Video resolution: 320 x 240 (QVGA)
* Aperture range: f2.8/f8 (w/t)
* Shutter speed: 1/8 – 1/2000 of a second
* Unit dimensions, metric: 60mm high, 94mm wide, and 21mm deep
* Unit dimensions, English: 2.4” high, 3.7” wide, and .8” deep
* Retail package dimensions, metric: 222mm high, 267mm wide, and 69mm deep
* Retail package dimensions, English: 8.74” high, 10.5” wide, and 2.7” deep
* Unit weight, metric: .13 kg
* Unit weight, English: 4.5 oz
* Retail package weight, metric: .49 kg
* Retail package weight, English: 1.1 lb
* Comes with a wrist strap, skin, USB cable, 4 “AAA” batteries, and a software CD which includes drivers and utilities.

People who have purchased this camera describe it as a good camera for first-time users especially young teen-agers: it’s cute, it’s light, it easily fits into a pocket, it’s easy to use, and it seems to be priced with this young demographic in mind, coming in at around $65.00 US.

Many users complain about the photo quality, stating that even in moderately well-lit indoor settings photos are too dark without the flash, but that photos come out too bright with the flash or outside on a bright day—sometimes to the point of washing out people’s faces. However, this problem seems to be more pronounced when the subjects photographed are close to the camera—subjects further away photograph better.

Some users also complain that the LCD display is too dark when used indoors as well. In addition, the LCD goes black for a few seconds after a photo, which some users find frustrating. On a bright note, the LCD is considered large enough to be eye-friendly.

The lack of a view finder is aggravating to users who are used to having this functionality in their digital cameras. Users sometimes find background objects to be out of focus. However, users do find it easy to upload photos from the camera to the computer.

Bottom line: it’s a good camera for younger first-time users who will be more excited about owning a pink camera than being discerning about the quality of pictures they take.

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