Reviews


The Vivitar Mini digital camera offers features that are usually only found on more expensive cameras. The 7.0 megapixel resolution and video capabilities give the Vivitar mini digital camera quite a spread of features.

For me, the main thing that makes this camera unique is the “handgun” style of taking pictures. It is actually quite comfortable in general use and the buttons are all within reach of your thumb, which naturally falls over the button positions.

Before I go on, here are some of the main features:

  • 7.0 megapixels
  • 3840 x 2880 max picture resolution
  • 720 x 480 max video resolution
  • 3.0 inch screen

Besides the “handgun” style of the camera, another feature that stand out is the standby feature. When the camera is on and the viewer is open (it folds in the rest of the time) then it’s ready to take pictures or videos. When the camera is one, but the viewer is folded in, it enters a standby mode. The standby mode uses a lot less power, mostly because the viewer screen is off. It takes only a moment to open the viewer and camera is ready to take pictures again. For extended non-use, just turn the camera off with the power button.

The maximum resolution is enough for 8 x 10 prints from the camera store, and more than enough for the Internet. The movie feature can take movies that are slightly wider than usual at 3:2. This is wider than 4:3, but not as wide as 16:9 or 16:10, so its a little strange, but the normal options are also available. One downside with the video is the use of MPEG-4. In fact, this should be an upside because of quality, but with much lower adoption compared to AVI, there is a good chance you will need to download updated video software to playback the videos.

For the price I love Vivitar digital camera, the design is good and the placement of buttons is comfortable.

The Powershot Canon digital camera offers a few extra features over a standard consumer digital camera, offering a few extras without adding a lot to the price.

Canon digital cameras are well know and the Powershot range gets a lot of good press. Canon digital cameras tend to place the Powershot strictly in the consumer range, offering the standard features expected. The Powershot A590 Canon digital camera gives a little extra with more zoom, higher resolution and more solid look and shaping.

Here are the main features of this Canon digital camera.

  • 8.0 megapixels
  • 4x optical zoom
  • 4x digital zoom
  • 16x zoom (total)
  • 2.5″ LCD screen
  • Flash
  • 3264 x 2448 maximum picture resolution
  • 640 x 480 maximum movie resolution
  • ISO 80/100/200/400/800/1600

The extra zoom will come in handy for taking long shots on the Canon digital camera. Most Canon digital cameras tend to have up to 3x optical zoom and the 4x zoom will give that little bit extra closeup.

8.0 megapixels gives plenty of resolution, especially for pictures that are going to be printed. At maximum resolution you can safely print up to 8.2″ x 10.9″.

The wide range of automatic settings allow very easy point-and-shoot pictures with this Canon digital camera. To get the best shots however, take some time to get used to the manual settings.

Overall this is a good camera offering higher specs without giving up the usual consumer digital camera goodness.

A red digital camera at a decent price, offering 7.1 megapixels and 4x digital zoom, the Canon digital camera serves as a good day-to-day camera for taking family photos and scenery.

There are four colors to choose from, just the colors are different, but I’ll have a look at the red digital camera. Here’s a quick breakdown of the major features of the Powershot red digital camera.

  • 7.1 Megapixels maximum
  • 3072 x 2304 maximum picture resolution
  • 640 x 480 movie resolution
  • 3.4x optical zoom
  • Autofocus
  • 2.5 inch LCD display
  • 80/100/200/400/800/1600 ISO equivalents

Simplicity is the keyword here, but combined with some decent extra settings. Picture quality is more than enough to make good quality prints if they are needed. The pictures might need to be shrunk for use on the web though. The picture settings can be changed however, so you can take lower quality than the maximum.

Taking low-res movies is a plus. The maximum video resolution for this red digital camera is 640 x 480. This is actually 4x the quality of video you find on YouTube, which usually only shows 320 x 240. It is easy to put the videos onto a DVD and send them along to your friends, or just upload them. The quality is not the same as a digital video camera, but does the trick for most things.

The wide range of ISO settings is a nice extra. With more ISO settings with higher values the camera can be forced to take pictures quicker, shortening the exposure time. This also helps to avoid blurred images for those with unsteady hands (like myself). I have always used a 400 ISO setting unless I am using a tripod. Bear in mind that the ISO figures might not be completely accurate, but give a good indication.

The zoom is decent, there is a flash, and it takes MMD and SD memory.

Underwater digital cameras are quite rare. An underwater digital camera case is the easiest way to use your current camera underwater. The camera itself is unaltered, so it’s still convenient to use for day-to-day photos.

This underwater digital camera case is for the Canon SD1100 digital camera. Cases are made specifically for certain cameras, so there is not much chance of sharing between different brands, although similar models might just work, or at least allow a certain amount of functionality.

The downside of the underwater digital camera case is that it is quite expensive, you can get a digital camera for less. However the case allows you to use the camera where you never could before. For those who are keen on snorkeling, diving, vacations by the beach, or any activities where the camera might get wet, then this underwater digital camera case is ideal.

Most of the time, waterproof digital cameras are quite hard to find. To make a waterproof digital camera costs more and not that many people need the feature. For those who absolutely need a waterproof digital camera, the usual solution is to get waterproof housing to protect the camera underwater.

The Olympus Tough 1030SW is a camera that is an underwater digital camera as standard. The camera itself looks pretty much like a standard digital camera, with the usual LCD screen on the back and set of buttons. I’m most impressed at how elegant a camera intended for underwater use can look.

Here are some of the standard features of the Olympus camera

  • 10.1 megapixels
  • 3648 x 2736 maximum picture resolution
  • 640 x 480 movie mode
  • xD picture card support
  • 3.6x optical zoom
  • 5x digital zoom
  • Focus: 50cm to infinity
  • 2.7 inch LCD monitor

Firstly 10.1 pixels is plenty for most pictures, not enough for professionals, but you might yourself using less than this for pictures of holidays, trips away and family photos. The picture resolution goes pretty high.

An added bonus is the video mode, that can shoot 640 x 480 movies. This saves having a second camera for taking movies and expands the capabilities to movie making. The picture quality of the movies is not that great, but good enough for anything that is uploaded for viewing on the internet, and can even be tolerated when played back over a TV.

There is a long list of shooting modes, which should satisfy most people’s tastes and you can just flip through the modes till you find the one that suites the environment or just looks the way you’d like the picture to look.

The batteries are custom and need the included recharger to charge. Not a bad thing, just make sure you take the charger along for longer journeys or an extra for a long day of snorkeling.

At a touch under four hundred dollars, the price is not bad. The feature set is above the average, and being a waterproof digital camera just tops it off.

Just functional is probably the best description of the Argus disposable digital camera. It’s cheap, very cheap and is probably the closest qualifier for a disposable digital camera.

Digital cameras have dropped a lot in price, with the higher range features seeping down through the range. The Argus manages to hit an even cheaper cheap at only $15. Now digital cameras have not got a reputation for being disposable, as they are just a little too expensive, and don’t offer the same level of cheapness as regular disposable cameras.

The Argus disposable digital camera offers a very plain set of features.

  • 640 x 480 maximum resolution
  • JPEG pictures
  • No zoom
  • Focus from 1.5m to inifinity
  • Auto-focus
  • Takes AAA batteries

The resolution is low and probably only enough to print small pics, but the intention is for the pictures to never leave the digital realm. For uploading to websites and stuff, it does the trick.

The best part about the Argus disposable digital camera is how simple it is. As there are so few options to use, there is only a shutter button, you use a traditional viewfinder to line everything up before taking the picture.

There is a USB port on the side of the camera to get the pictures off, and there is no memory stick or any memory expansion, everything must fit on the 2MB that is built-in.

This does perfect as a disposable digital camera and you loose very little if it gets lost or broken and at $15 there is absolutely no reason not to just try it out. It makes a great camera for kids too.

The Nikon Coolpix digital camera is priced just right for the consumer camera range, and although it’s not the cheapest nor the most expensive, the Nikon digital camera does offer a range of features to make it appealing to most people, and it boasts a set of features to customize how pictures are taken.

The Nikon Coolpix digital camera range has been around for a while now, and the L18 is in the bottom portion of the range. It does offer a good set of features though.

A brief list of the features of the Coolpix Nikon digital camera

  • 8.0 megapixel
  • 3264 x 2448 maximum pictures resolution
  • 640 x 480 maximum movie resolution
  • SD/SDHC memory card slot
  • JPEG picture format
  • AVI movie format
  • 3x optical zoom
  • 3.0 inch viewscreen

Firstly, there is the 8.0 megapixel picture quality. This is enough for any family pictures and even then is probably more than necessary, considering that most pictures will be downsized and then uploaded to the Internet. The Nikon digital camera does support lower resolutions and if you plan to take a lot of pictures then choose a resolution that is more reasonable. Even for my family photos I use 2.0 megapixels (1600 x 1200), even though my camera supports more.

The 3.0 inch viewscreen gives a nice large view of the picture before taking it. The Nikon digital camera’s screen also gives a clearer idea of what the final picture will look like because it applies the pictures settings to the displayed picture while viewing.

The ability to take low resolution movies is a definite plus. 640 x 480 might not seen like a lot compared with HD TV and other such high resolution technologies, but it is probably enough. It took two years before I tried movies on my old camera. It could only take 320 x 240, but was still enough for home movies because the subject is very focused and in a controlled environment.

It is worth noting that this Nikon digital camera takes AA batteries. Proprietary batteries often last well and are designed for the camera they are used in but are expensive to replace and require that you take a spare and charger for longer trips. The AA batteries on the Nikon Coolpix digital camera allow you to choose any AA sized rechargeable battery you like, you can use regular AA batteries if your rechargeables run out and they are easily replaceable.

For the price, getting a good camera, decent video recorder all in one make the Nikon Coolpix digital camera a good pick.

The Canon Rebel digital camera combines high performance professional features into a package that is easy enough to be a point and shoot digital camera.

Although there is usually not much in terms of picture quality between consumer digital cameras, more professional cameras like the Canon Rebel digital camera offer extra features and more control needed to customize photos beyond the usual point and shoot.

Here are some of the main features of the Canon Rebel digital camera:

  • 12.2 megapixel
  • 4272 x 2848 maximum resolution
  • SD/SDHC storage
  • JPEG or RAW pictures modes
  • Manual, one-shot AF, Al Focus AF and Al Servo AF focus modes
  • 3.0 inch viewscreen

The slightly higher specced features on the Canon Rebel digital camera include a 12.2 Megapixel CMOS sensor for pictures with more than twice the resolution of run of the mill point and shoot digital cameras.

The Canon Rebel digital camera offers manual focus as well as three auto-focus modes to choose from. This variety allows custom settings for when you want to take the best picture possible or adjust the settings as well as the convenience of auto-focus when you just need to take some family shots.

The Canon Rebel digital camera’s set of automatic features can compensate for poor lighting and enhance pictures to make them look better. There are also standard settings for different light conditions.

Although this is not a cheap digital camera, the Canon Rebel digital camera does offer pretty much all the features necessary for a professional digital camera. Overall a good balance between getting professional features and tried and tested point and shoot.