Reviews related to : Digital Cameras
In the space of a few short years digital camera technology has decimated the traditional camera market. From what started as a low quality product, expensive and with reliability problems, digital photography rapidly evolved to reduce cost and improve quality to the point where the best digital cameras can match their 35mm SLR counterparts.
If you've not taken the jump to digital photography yet, or you got there first and now want to upgrade your camera, take a look at hte GadgetSpeak reviews down below:
If you take images while out and about and like to get instant photographs from what you shoot then something like this offering from Fujifilm could well be the answer. I recently reviewed an offering from Polaroid that turns out to be not so instant so this more compact offering from Fujifilm has the word Instax in the title so let’s see.
The Fujifilm Instax mini 40 measures 12x10x6cm when the lens is closed the last figure increases by 2.5cm when the unit is on. It weighs 399 grams. The images it takes are 6x4.5cm. The Polaroid ones are 10.7x8.7, Polaroid films are eight to a pack while the Fujifilm ones have ten images in a pack. I was disappointed with the images that the recent Polaroid unit gave. They were not that sharp and took a long time to be fully developed.
While Polaroid cameras have been around for a very long time new models and colours continue to be launched. Even new film types for a range of different scenarios. I was sent both i-type and 600 film types to test with one of their latest PolaroidNow, but I see other types are also available.
It is 15x11x9.5cm these are maximum figures and it weights a tad under .5 kilo at 492 grams. A large instruction sheet is included and providing the unit has some power in its internal battery they are clear and easy to follow. So to avoid any problem attach the supplied USB to micro USB lead for a few minutes before inserting a pack of film stock. All current Polaroid film types colour or black and white are eight image films.
Every new Pen camera from Olympus is a pleasure to review. For such a small overall unit to give brilliant quality images and video without you having to be a semi-professional user is great. This latest offering camera only was sent with the new 14-42mm lens so I could review it.
The Olympus Pen E-PL10 measures 12.5x6x6cm and weights 471 grams. There is about 3cm of extension with the lens. Let’s start with the top of the camera, pop up flash, flash shoe, nine position wheel, and finally on/off button. On either side of the top are neck strap anchor points. The left side is clear, while the right side has a door covering HDMI and USB sockets. The base has tripod screw and the solid battery bay as well as SD slot. The face has the motorised lens.
This offering was sent to me body only but with a 12-40 lens for my testing. I was surprised first by the way it arrived in a brown box with each part bubble wrapped and second when I mentioned no manual to be told no printed manuals are supplied now with any of our cameras. Even for someone used to using an interchangeable lens unit surely no manual is not the way to go, however you can still download one in PDF from the website.
The Olympus OM-D E M5 III body measures 11.5x8x4.5cm without lens. With the supplied 12-40mm lens attached the last figure increases to between 12.5 and 15.5cm. The weight is 800 grams without neck strap which I assume is included although not sent to me. All the outputs are on the left side behind rubber bungs. The base has tripod screw and solid battery bay, the SD card slot is on the right behind a snap shut door.
This is both a camera and a printer all in one unit, you can take pictures on it and print them on Zinc paper or as it has Wi-Fi to your phone take images on your phone and send them wirelessly to the units printer for immediate printing while still out and about.
This unit can not only print images taken on the Polaroid Pop 2 but also print images already captured on your phone using Wi-Fi. It is 14.5x12x3cm and weighs 441grams a tad under 1 lb. Its display is 8x5cm which allows you to see what you will capture before pressing the shutter. The image is shown at close to 4.5cm square and this is important as the images will be 1:1 and if printed on the Polaroid Pop 2 They will come out at 3 inches square even though the ZINC paper stock is 11x9cm.
It been a while since I have reviewed a camera that can fit in your pocket, of course most recent SmartPhones have better than average cameras but I do not know any that can shoot underwater as this latest offering from Olympus can.
While it was clearly marked sample and it was just the camera no leads and most importantly no manual, I was able to download the manual sometime later and this helped me to fill in some of the things that the camera is capable of that I was unable to figure out without it. I defy most to get anything like the best from this unit without a thorough read of the 168 pages of the manual.
Smile please you are about to be printed could mean Polaroid is out and about.
Over the years life at Polaroid must have seemed like a series of “ups and down” as the company struggled to cope with different marketing conditions. My first experience of Polaroid was with its rather bulky camera that would automatically deliver an instant black and white print of the captured image you have just taken. Applying a quick fixative would help ensure the print did not fade later.
This is a flagship camera for Olympus and is often sold body only. I was sent the unit with a 12-40mm lens. It arrived at a time when I had several events at iconic place, the OXO tower, the Shard and perhaps the most poignant the 100 years from the end of the First World War at the Imperial War Museum which is currently the home of the Ceramic poppies.
The Olympus E-M1 Mark II weighs 1026 grams with the provided substantial neck strap attached. The camera is 13x8.5cm without any flash attached to the shoe. The depth with the provided lens attached is between 15 and 18cm. An A5 book is over 200 pages but sadly this is a ‘basic’ manual so only nine of its pages are in English the rest are in 27 other languages. Let’s start with the 6.4x4.2cm TFT screen on the back it can be rotated through 180 degrees to protect it.
All of us of a certain age remember the original Polaroid cameras, this one looks very much the same, however this has a big plus over the original it has Bluetooth and can link to your SmartPhone. So with this new camera old technology meets new.
In recent years cameras from Polaroid looked very much more ‘normal’ now this looks like a very early offering and it can take both Black & White and Colour images dependant o0n the film that you insert. It is 14x11x9.5cm and weights a fairly substantial 480grams. Power is provided by an internal rechargeable battery that is charged by a supplied micro USB to USB lead.
This is the second of three cameras from FujiFilm; this is an interchangeable lens camera that made a short visit to me courtesy of a Christmas In July event. Even after nearly two weeks of use I am still barely out of using Auto mode although it has accompanied me on a range of visits while out and about in the course of my travels for a range of events.
The FujiFilm X-T2 measures 15x9.5x12.5cm with the supplied 18>55mm lens fitted fully retracted, it weights 861grams. Like the previous offering it is powerful and really a small professional camera. A thorough read of the manual is a must to do more than use it in Auto mode as anyone who knows a little about cameras will realise that this is something that requires - no demands - respect. It is a 24MP offering also capable of 4K video capture.
This is an enthusiasts camera, quality in a small package, but still able to give excellent ‘auto’ images and if you know better then the various special scene and manual mode allow you to get that extra special image to say great.
The Olympus Olympus PEN E-PL9 measures 12x6.5x6cm when off the powered zoom can take the 14-42mm lens out to 9.5cm. It weighs 513grams with the supplied neck strap in situ. People who have fondled it say that’s heavy and my response is that is quality down to the dark blue leather that goes round the front and sides.
While modern SmartPhones can take excellent images and videos one thing that a decent DSLR camera often has is a good optical zoom, here is a kit that can give your SmartPhone the ability to get great zoom for your images.
I have tried this unit with success on three different Smart Phones all with single lenses, I do not think it would work on dual lens units. The complete kit comes in a fitted zip up case the 22x zoom lens which on close inspection is F1.8 250mm marked 4K 22x Telephoto Lens. It has adjustment at the camera end as well as at the lens end it weighs 150 grams without the supplied lens cap.
This camera is much the size of a mobile phone and like a great many mobile phones it runs on Android. While it has internal storage it can also accommodate a micro SD card and indeed initially slightly more puzzling it can also take a SIM card, this is however solely so you can send data that you capture while still out and about to various sites.
The Acer Holo 360 measures 11x5.5x1.3cm and weighs 141grams with the supplied wrist strap attached. The viewable screen is 6x4.5cm which gives the diagonal notional imperial measurement of 3 inches. Bootup is 15 seconds while shutdown is 3 seconds. Going around the outside has on/off on the right side with camera button below this, the base has micro USB port for charging and a 3.5mm headphone socket.
I see a good number of professional photographers at a range of events and while a lot of them have Canon offerings there are also Olympus and Fuji cameras. Here I get to try a recent mirrorless compact system camera that is very much in their professional range which really pushes my knowledge – or do I mean lack of knowledge – in this category of products.
While it is possible to attach a lens and focus on a subject with you taking the ‘easy’ way out and letting the camera make the choices it is designed for use for those whose knowledge knows as much as the camera so they get that ‘yes’ image. The FujiFilm X Pro-2 measures 14x8.5x11.5cm. The last figure with an 18>55mm lens fitted which can increase it to 15cm. It weighs 837grams.
While almost all mobile phones have screens to show the images they are capturing what they do not have is the ability to print them, yes Wi-Fi to the majority of recent printers and All In Ones will do so, most of those are not mobile devices.
So to capture the moment then maybe the Polaroid camera can be what the occasion wants. Here is their latest offering the Instant Square SQ6. The camera is chunky at 13x11.5x6cm and weighs 453grams. The film comes in a sealed pack of ten and full instructions are on the pack and in the manual, follow them or you will expose the film.
This is a small removable lens camera from Olympus that goes under the ‘Pen’ name that Olympus first created several years ago with a single offering that has now grown into a brand all of their own for small easy to use quality cameras.
The Olympus Pen E-PL8 measures 12x6.5x6cm and weighs only 528grams with neck strap and flash unit attached, the latter increases the last figure the height by 2cm. Going around the camera, the left side has only the neck strap anchor point; the right side has its pair as well as mini USB and HDMI sockets behind a flip door. The base has the solid battery behind a door that is also where you insert any SD Card you use, further along the base is a tripod anchor point.
Giving a different viewing aspect to building and other work is the task undertaken by FLIR ONE Pro.
There is no doubt that the photographic ability built into the latest smartphones have improved compared to the models that were on offer over the last couple of years. However I have yet to see an influx of smartphones offering the Alien-like X-ray ability to visualise thermal images of various scenes.
This sadly is one of those occasions where the launch bears no resemblance to the availability of review samples, so while I was ready to go when the launch came my memory of exactly what the camera can do was somewhat dimmed by the time taken for one to arrive which means the time required to review is longer.
This is a camera that can work on land or under water, when used in the latter condition the ability to get a level shot may or may not be important but it does have both horizontal and vertical levels, it is of course fully waterproof and can withstand the odd drop as I remember from the presentation day. If can also function in extremes of temperature. The zoom is quite impressive and is of course periscopic to avoid any possible leak points with the normal lens expansion. The camera is 11.
When the first ‘Polaroid’ type camera came out it was the camera equivalent of sliced bread. The models were big and the quality of the image was not that great but to see the image immediately was what people wanted to have.
Here a Hybrid camera from FujiFilm that can function as a near normal camera but still have the ability to produce that near instant image. The FujiFilm Instax SQ10 measure 12x11x4.5cm and weighs 471grams. It has two modes, the ‘Auto’ mode is what you have with any conventional camera, whatever you click the shutter on gets printed which of course can be expensive as the film strips are not the cheapest.
This is Canon’s entry level range but do not make the mistake of thinking they are basic units. Canon’s technology filters down and things that would only be in a high end unit a few years ago are now on something that can fit into a small pocket.
As always I start in Auto mode and right from the first image you know that you have hold of a more than decent unit. It is 9.5x5.3x2.2cm the last figure when closed this can increase by another 3cm when the unit is fully zoomed. It weighs 126grams.
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