Pentax K-r 12.4 MP Digital SLR Camera with 3-Inch LCD (Black Body) Review

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(More customer reviews)Over the past four years, I've owned an *ist DL, a K100D and a K2000. The new Pentax K-r feels like a huge improvement over its already excellent predecessors.
NEW FEATURES:
The most obvious improvements are the great new features. The K-r now has a dedicated focus assist lamp. In short, it's unintrusive compared to a strobing popup flash and it works great. I can't believe it took Pentax this long to give us this feature.
The K-r also supports both a proprietary lithium ion battery and AA batteries. You'll have to find a special adapter to use AA batteries though. Unfortunately, Pentax didn't bundle the adapter with the body.
K-x users will also be familiar with the in-camera HDR feature. The K-r includes several HDR settings including auto, standard, strong 1, strong 2, and strong 3. HDR mode is easily accessed by pressing the Info button.
Movie mode is available once again, but it's still not particularly robust. You can shoot in 720p at 25fps, which is an odd frame rate. AF isn't available while you're shooting, but I've found that manual focusing is easy enough with the right lens. I didn't have any problems with my FA 35mm.
Auto white-balancing is greatly improved over the K100D and the K2000 also. You can now shoot in tungsten light without having to manually set the WB. No more horribly yellow photos indoors followed by extremely blue photos outdoors when you forget to white balance again!
Finally, my favorite new feature is the selectable 11-point AF. When it's enabled, you can press the OK button to bring up the point selection interface and use the arrow keys to select your focus point. When you're done, press and hold the OK button to close the menu so you can use the arrow keys for other shortcuts again.
INTERFACE:
With each new release, Pentax's interface has improved and the K-r is no exception. For people coming from the older *ist DL and K100D bodies, you'll immediately notice that the four arrow buttons now have double purposes. Instead of pressing FN + right to get to the ISO menu, you just need to press the right arrow button. Users of the K2000 will find the interface very familiar, but still improved. The Info button now brings up the grid of commonly used settings such as HDR modes, JPG/RAW, metering settings, AF mode, etc. Each setting is represented with an icon or text label and moving the cursor over the setting allows you to quickly cycle through the different modes using the dial. It's similar to pressing the OK button the K2000, but now with more options and fewer button presses.
When you preview your last JPG photo, you also get the option to save it as raw. This only works with the last photo taken, probably because the camera only stores the raw data for one photo at a time. This is a great feature for those who prefer to shoot in JPG and still occasionally use raw.
BUILD QUALITY:
The build quality of the K-r is as solid as every previous Pentax dSLR body that I've owned. The battery compartment latch is slightly improved over the K2000 and the K100D. It's a little hard to describe the new latch, but it's easy to use and much harder to accidentally open.
PERFORMANCE:
I loved the low light performance of my K100D and I enjoyed the newer interface and faster AF of my K2000. The K-r again gets the best of both worlds with very clean photos at ISO 1600 and even faster and more decisive autofocus. It's also now capable of shooting at 6fps in continuous mode.
OVERALL:
The Pentax K-r has really exceeded my expectations. The improved performance combined with the new features makes the K-r a joy to use. It's an excellent entry-level dSLR that it will satisfy even more seasoned photographers who want a compact spare body.

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Brains, meet beauty. The Pentax K-r has it all. On the brain side, it's a powerful DSLR with advanced features like 12.4 Megapixels, HD video, a 2.7-inch LCD display and custom modes and functions.On the beauty side, taking photos has never looked this good. There's basic black of course. But the K-r also comes in classy white and PENTAX red, with even more body colors to come. The PENTAX K-r competes with higher-end DSLRs and looks great doing it. Now, that\'s brilliantly colorful.

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Sony Alpha SLTA33 DSLR with Translucent Mirror Technology and 3D Sweep Panorama (Camera Body only) (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought the a33 after owning an a300 for a couple years and it's a nice upgrade. The build quality is about the same as the a300, which is a little plasticky but mostly solid feeling with good balance. Physically it's smaller/lighter than the a300 but still is easy to handle for those with medium-sized hands (if you have giant sausage fingers you may have issues). The buttons are better arranged and the screen is larger/sharper with better tilting/rotation.
The main reason for my upgrading was for the video recording and I am very satisfied with this. Since the a300 doesn't have video recording I can't compare it to another DSLR, but compared to my point-n-shoot HD camera this is awesome. Being able to control the depth of field on videos is great and the auto focus is very fast, but sometimes hunts a little. You definitely hear the focus motor turning on the video if you're recording a quiet scene but it's not terrible. If you're outside with ambient noises (cars, wind, random noises) you barely hear it. The mic jack is a regular audio jack so you can use any third party mic and this should eliminate the focus noise and would be worth looking into. You can also use manual focus and then there is no noise from zooming/focusing.
Photos are somewhat better than the a300. There is less noise at high ISO settings and AUTO ISO now will go up to 1600, compared to only 400 on the a300; this should help a good bit in low light conditions. It focuses faster and more accurate than the a300 and the a33 will shoot much faster in continuous shooting mode as well. The panoramic setting is great as well and works reliably and quickly, just push the shutter button once and rotate the camera quickly towards the direction indicated on the screen in one smooth motion (like recording a video) and the camera does the rest; there is no aligning ghost images one at a time like I've seen on other panoramic enabled cameras.
Other than noted above the a33 is pretty much the same as the a300 in most respects. I've used it with some Minolta glass and it's worked well so there are no issues I know of in regards to compatibility. It's like the a300 but faster, sharper, easier to use, has video, is lighter and a little smaller. The only real negative I have noticed compared to the a300 is the battery doesn't last as long (but not too bad), so a 2nd battery pack is somewhat mandatory if you'd like to go out and shoot for a full day.
All in all it's a great camera and I'm happy with it. However if you don't really need video or high-speed continuous shooting the older/traditional alpha DSLR cameras would be a good alternative for a little less money.

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Capture your perfect moments with the world\'s first Translucent Mirror Technology DSLR enabling simultaneous focusing and capture. Continuous shooting is 7 frames per second, complete with continuous auto focus. Auto focus is also visibly faster in Live View and HD Movie modes.

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Sony Alpha SLTA33L DSLR with Translucent Mirror Technology and 3D Sweep Panorama (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)I've been using the a33 for about a week now, rigorously testing all aspects of the camera as well as pushing the new tech (SLT) to its limits in both video and high-speed shooting. I consider myself a prosumer, currently using Canon 7D. In fact, I've been using canon for the past 10 years. With the recent hype about large sensor video functionality found on almost all new releases, I found myself craving for a more functional AF in DSLRs. Because I'm no pro videographer, manual focusing (follow focusing) is terribly difficult for me, especially for high speed, erratic subjects like my kids running around the backyard. And contrast AF found on most DSLRs is a joke. Then came the SLT technology. A fixed mirror that feeds AF data constantly to dedicated AF sensor full-time, even when shooting video. For the price comparable with other entry-level DSLR's, it sounded like a worthy investment. And being able to shoot 7fps (10fps for a55) with that constant phase-detection AF on a body that sells for 650 - certainly a head-turner if you've been following the DSLR trends the past couple of years.
Well, Sony was able to deliver most of its promises. And I was pleasantly surprised by its PDAF video capability. However, as with all things in life, all that glitters is not gold. There are certainly limitations with this camera, especially noticeable/annoying if you're a prosumer level user. I will not go into details about the specs. Those can be found by just googling "sony a33". And I will not go into in-depth review either. Probably the best source for that is dpreview.com or imaging-resource.com. I will only list the limitations I found using this camera from a user who's been using Canon line (currently the 7D). Don't get me wrong. Overall the camera does deliver in most everything it promises to do (and thus, 4 star rating). All the positives have been pointed out over and over again on various reviews you read online, so I just don't feel the need to repeat them again. I just wanted to point out the major issues that I experienced first-hand. These might be of significance to those who are thinking about getting this camera based on its new technology (like me).
1) First and foremost, battery life is a joke. I guess because the camera is on a live view mode full time, it is inevitable to use up more power than traditional dslr, but sony should've took this into consideration. On paper, a33 is rated to take about 340 images using the LCD (about 270 with EVF), but with a little bit of video and looking through the menus to setup different functions, the battery gets drained VERY VERY QUICKLY. how bad? On a fully charged battery, I've turned on the camera, set the time/date/location info, entered my shooting preference, then took the first shot and about 40 sec video. It was at 83%. Not kidding. After about 2 hours of intense use, it was pretty much depleted. That's how fast the power goes. But YMMV since battery life depends on a lot of different factors. I never really had to think about whether my particular way of shooting would use up more power than necessary because all of the DSLR's I've used to date, I never once had to worry about draining the power quickly. But now its just one more thing I need to keep in mind. Another thing to keep in mind is that this battery takes about 4 to 4.5 hrs to fully recharge, much longer than most others.
2) No dedicated RAW/JPEG conversion. If you're moving up from compact and only use JPEG, this is a non-issue. But if you are half serious about your IQ and PP, then you'll most likely want to use RAW. The reason why a dedicated button to switch RAW/JPEG is so important, IMO, is because all of the fancy new modes - Auto HDR, Panorama, Handheld Twilight mode, high ISO capture - can only be accessed in JPEGs only. Either Sony should include these potentially useful functions in RAW, or at the very least should include a dedicated button to swtich format quickly and efficiently. For me to access sweep panorama, for example, would require me a minimum of 12 button presses. Another thing to keep in mind is that the menu always defaults to the first part of the shooting menu every time. It does not stay at the menu you last used as with Canon cameras. So if the section that you use is hidden inside the middle part of the menu, you are out of luck. Every time you enter into the menu system, you'll have to start from the top (beginning) then move into the section/option you want to change.
- Steadyshot (in-body image stabilization). Coming from Canon where IS is on the lens (and therefore, the effect can be viewed through OVF), I was skeptical of Pentax, Sony, Olympus and other camera makers that place IS function on the imaging sensor itself. Whether one is superior than the other is a whole different topic of discussion. Knowing that a33/a55 is EVF/LCD, I automatically assumed that steadyshot effect can be seen through EVF/LCD with every lens I put on. THIS IS NOT TRUE. For whatever reason, neither EVF or the LCD displays the anti-shake effect. It only tells you that Steadyshot is on through a mere 5-bar indicator on the side of the EVF. Because both EVF/LCD receives data directly from the sensor, I thought WYSWIG - the exposure, dynamic range, color, and steadyshot.
- Lack of manual control during video. If you want to take advantage of the phase detection AF during video, everything else must also be controlled by the camera. There's no way for you to set the speed, ISO, and most importantly, the aperture. That last part is critical since your HD video will look no different than any compact that also takes HD video if you can't control the aperture (depth of field). Why Sony wouldn't allow these manual settings to be controlled by user is beyond me. I doubt these will have significant impact in AF, unless the aperture is so small that no enough light falls on the AF sensor, in which case, Sony should at least give the users an option to pick either (the AF) or (aperture). Anyway, this is a big let down from my point of view.
- Buffer clearing time between shoots. I am honestly puzzled by this one. Sony has provided the public with this awesome, state of the art technology (translucent) implemented into imaging world that could potentially be as significant as when SLR's first turned digital. Yet, the image processing engine is remarkably slow. What's the point of capturing 7 fps images when you have to wait 40 seconds afterwards until the camera becomes fully functional (normal) again? I don't understand why Sony didn't bother to upgrade the processor/imaging algorithms when they proudly put 7 fps constant AF shooting as one of the main headliner. I've heard a55 is even slower with its 10 fps shooting. When shooting RAW at maximum 6 fps (for both a55 and a33), things are even slower and your buffer fills up after about 10 shots or so. And yes, I was using one of the fastest SDHC cards available - the transcend class 10 16gb card. So unless you have a lot of patience and don't mind your camera freezing for 40+ seconds after rigorous action-catching shots, you'll have some serious problem and may potentially miss many opportunities.
- Limited overall customization. I didn't expect this camera to provide the kind of customization that I got from Canon 7D. After all, there is a price difference of about a grand. Nonetheless, many entry DSLR's these days that a33/a55 supposedly should be competing, offers many more practical customization options for users of varying demands. A33/a55 is so limited in customization that you start to wonder whether you're holding a aps-c sensored interchangeable lens camera. The menu and setup options are very very basic (if that). I think Canon powershot G11 provides more customization than a33. For example, under video, one of the most intriguing features that people would buy this camera for, you basically have two formats. Either HD or VGA. No control over frame rate or any other combination. If using AVCHD format, your only option is 1920x1080i. If using MPEG, your options are 1440x1080 or standard VGA (I think 640x480). That's it. Those are your ONLY options. All other areas pretty much lack control and customization similar to video format. Talk about letting your camera to take control of YOUR shooting...
- Lack of options and limited display data. Here's an example - not being able to set ISO in 1/3 increment is one thing. Not DISPLAYING the ISO just because you're in auto ISO mode is just lame. I understand the range is between 100 and 1600, but when in auto ISO, the display just says "AUTO ISO". there's no way what ISO the camera is choosing until after you've taken the shot and reviewing the image (data).
Again, despite these limitations (more like frustrations), the camera does deliver in it's core technology. All the positives cited by online reviews are true. If you are graduating from compacts, this camera, by all means, would make an excellent DSLR alternative. However, those of you who are more experienced DSLR shooters drawn into a33/a55 because of its new technology, my advice is to wait a little longer until Sony comes up with a SLT model that is geared more towards the enthusiast/prosumer market. I heard rumors that early part of 2011 Sony will implement its translucent technology in the alpha 7 series (a77?) that would potentially address many of the concerns I've pointed out. Just wanted to give everyone a head's-up.


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Capture your perfect moments with the world’s first Translucent Mirror Technology DSLR enabling simultaneous focusing and capture. Continuous shooting is 7 frames per second, complete with continuous auto focus. Auto focus is also visibly faster in Live View and HD Movie modes.What's in the Box :SAL - 1855 SAM lens, lens cap(Battery Charger (BC-VW1)Rechargeable battery (NP-FW50)Shoulder strapBody CapUSB cableCD-ROM

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Pentax K-r 12.4 MP Digital SLR Camera with 3.0-Inch LCD and 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)I have been using the KR now for almost a week so these are my initial impressions. The best way to describe this camera is a KR with several new improvements, though more evolutionary than revolutionary.
My favorite new features are the improved LCD (higher resolution), visible AF point, faster live view focusing, faster shooting at 6 FPS and faster focusing in all environments, especially in low light though with the new AF assist lamp. I cannot emphasize the AF capability in low light. The KR focuses fast, even in almost total darkness.
Another new feature is the capability to use AA batteries as well as Lithium ion. It comes with a Lithium ion battery and charger to start.
The image stabilization is still in body as Pentax has been doing for years. This allows the use of many Pentax lens and still have stabilization.
The high ISO capability with the KR is great as it is with the KX. I had a T2i and find the high ISO capability better with the KR. Plus the white balance requires less adjustment with the Pentax. It seems like I was always modifying the white balance settings with the T2i. This came as a shock to me knowing some of the white balance issues I have seen with Pentax cameras in the past.
One of the coolest new features that I really like is the capability to convert the last JPG picture taken to RAW. So let's say you take a picture and you cannot take it again (one time opportunity!) and the JPG was not up to par...You can save it as RAW and then convert in camera or in software later. This is only possible for the last JPG taken however.
The video will work in a pinch but is not the strength of this camera. It is 720P and 25 FPS with no auto focus. The T2i is better in this arena but I honestly never used it much. Despite DSLR improvements in this area (especially with the T2i), I still prefer using a camcorder.
However, the KR is a photographic tool and has lots of options once you start wanting to experiment a little more. Get it with the 55-300 lens (great lens!) if you can swing it. It is a great deal with the 2 lens kit and truly a savings versus buying it later.
Pentax is often overlooked in the DSLR arena. The KX has been a great seller for Pentax. If you have one, I would not necessarily upgrade to the KR, though some of the new features are nice. If you are looking for your first DSLR or possibly switching from another brand, I highly recommend the KR.

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Brains, meet beauty. The Pentax K-r has it all. On the brain side, it's a powerful DSLR with advanced features like 12.4 Megapixels, HD video, a 2.7-inch LCD display and custom modes and functions.On the beauty side, taking photos has never looked this good. There's basic black of course. But the K-r also comes in classy white and PENTAX red, with even more body colors to come. The PENTAX K-r competes with higher-end DSLRs and looks great doing it. Now, that\'s brilliantly colorful.

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Pentax K-5 16.3 MP Digital SLR with 18-55mm Lens and 3-Inch LCD (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is quite simple the best camera I've ever owned. It takes great photos and is very well built. I wasn't going to upgrade yet. I'm the type to wait until a new electronics product has been out for a while and dropped in price, but the reports I've seen about this camera triggered my choice to take a chance.
The first thing I noticed is how petite the K-5 looks, though looks are deceiving. This baby is dense and weighs much more than you'd expect from the size. I'm sure that the magnesium body and extensive weather seals have a lot to do with that. This is one solid piece of kit. The camera has plenty of external controls, about what you'd expect from a body in this price range. I've shot with my sealed K20D in the Pacific Northwest rain a lot with no problems. My two shoots with the K-5 in the wet show it to be as least as good. Though Pentax has dropped the multiple exposure button. You can program the custom program button to duplicate that feature. As far a programming, the K-5 has the extensive customizability I came to love with my K20D. The feature list is extensive and way too long to go over in a short review.
And the photos! This camera has a huge dynamic range, over 14 stops! Even at ISO 800 it has the same exposure range of my K20D at 100 ISO. The tonality you can get from a print is beautiful. Another nice feature is the ability to choose 14 bit as opposed to 12 bit RAW files. It's a small thing but brings the camera in line with Nikon's offerings. I can't comment on the many shooting modes and effects available. They only apply to JPEG images. I don't understand why anyone would buy a camera this costly and capable and throw away so much potential image quality by shooting JPEG. That's not to say that the JPEGs from the K-5 aren't perfectly fine. They are. It's just that RAW files from this camera hold so much more information than a JPEG can. And that information translates into a very real difference in what you can print if you take the time and care to. My experience seems to mirror the incredible sensor abilities that DXO Labs has published for the K-5.
One other huge advance is the focus speed. This is the fastest and most accurately focusing camera Pentax has ever built, easily in line with Canon and Nikon's offerings in the price range. One small disappointment is that the fast focus and 7 fps capture rate makes the camera suitable for sports and wildlife photography, but the camera has a somewhat limited buffer. The 40 frames of JPEG is reasonable but the 15 image RAW buffer is a bit cramped. But then Pentax doesn't make the long lenses for that kind of photography anyway. Though Sigma does make some with Pentax mounts. With the few ballgame or bird photos I take, I haven't found the buffer limit to be a problem.
Looking at my histograms shows that the K-5 has a tendency to underexpose about a third of a stop. That's really no problem as I've pulled usable photos out of totally black portions of the initial image, great reason to shoot RAW. Another is the great low ISO capability of the K-5. the quality of my 6400 ISO photos is slightly better than what I get with the K20D at 1600 ISO, easily 2 1/2-3 stops improvement depending on situation. And the camera focuses much faster in low light, too.
If I were a video shooter I might find a problem with the lack of autofocus in video mode. The newest Canon and Nikon cameras have that ability, though the autofocus is slow on both during video capture. That's the nature of phase detection focusing that true DSLRs use in Live View or Video. The couple of videos I've shot look great. It's enough for me. And the camera does allow for an external microphone.
P.S.
It was commented that this review is to impersonal and that I use terms that people don't understand. To make this more clear:
14 stops of DR means in the real world is that my photos look better than any I've ever taken. Color gradations are smoother and more subtle. It means that I'm able to pull usable details out of parts of the image that I would have given up on before because they were too dark. It means that I can take single shots in situations where before I would have used HDR or exposure blending to pull in detail in both bright and dark areas of a scene. It means that I can the same tonal range at ISO 800 that I get with a K20D at ISO 100. It means that this is a terrific camera. I guess I'm a bit excited that a Pentax camera finally gets great press. I'm a bit tired of having equipment that I very much like ignored by most photographers.

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Go ahead and feed your photography obsession with the PENTAX K-5.For you, capturing that great shot isn't a casual interest. It's a part of your life. One spectacular image after another.This camera is the perfect piece of equipment to help you get your photo fix. With the compact, rugged K-5, the world is truly your studio.

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Sony A560 14.2 Megapixels DSLR Camera with DT 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 Lens (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)Pros:
- fast speed shooting - combines 7 shots in 1 in SCN - Hand Held Twilight ("stable night shot") mode - impressive. I have Sony HX1 which has 6 image burst with processing in 1 (it's a little faster than a560 though). And I never will buy another camera without this feature because with that you will avoid blurry pictures especially in night time. And you do not have to carry around a tripod.
- fast focusing, continuous AF - tracking of any object with release button is half pressed, when you point camera at object. Standard AF. The focusing is really fast in any time (day or night). Well at least with coming SAL 1855 Sony 18-55 mm lens. The same thing I liked about Pentax - fast focusing but it does not have a 7 in 1 burst and Sony Images much better than Pentax. I tried Canon Ti1-3, Nikon 3100 and none of them have the same fast focusing;
- auto HDR mode takes 3 pictures and combine them in one with best contrast and color;
- pretty true distinguished colors. I liked that very much. In this area A560 bits HX1;
- high ISO (12800) and low noise (3200-6400) allows you to take a picture in twilight or practically in a night time with ambient light (using auto HDR in P mode or Hand Held Twilight) with pretty decent quality, better than Pentax K-x for example;
- battery life is ok, and counts mostly not by number of taken pictures but by time when camera is on;
- video HD 1440x1080 in MP4 is pretty clear, with stable shot on and steady hands you may shoot decent video (I did). It's about 10 minutes with steady shot on, and about 24 minutes with steady shot off. If to compare with Sony-A580, the last one allows you to take only 14 minutes of video with steady shot off;
- view finder and live view mode is practical in sunny day. Live view screen is clear and does not slow down AF;
- there is a shoe for external flash or microphone;
- 3.5 microphone input;
- duel SD and MS (memory Stick Pro Due) in built card reader (you have to switch between them manually though);
- tilted live view screen (90 degrees: up and down);
- 3D sweep panorama mode;
- AF Check LV (it's metering distance to an object, then you press and hold button under lens and when an another object will be in a focus range of the first one you can just "draw" your camera and take pictures within milliseconds). Lets just say you wait for some person and he will pass next to the area where you set a focus and then, as I said, you just "draw", point and "shoot". It can be done along with any mode. It reminds me old good SLR.
- Exposure compensation during a video shooting works best in P and S modes (worse in M and A modes). You can add or reduce brightness while taking a video;
- Many function buttons on the camera body for easy access;
- 14 Mp allows you to crop a picture without loosing a considerable picture quality (low grain and very clear picture especially with sufficient light);
- with stable shot off you can take continuous clip (about 24 min per clip) without camera sensor overheating and as a result of auto shut down;
- built in filters: Green and Magenta. You can change intensity (from 1 to 9 scale) in this color range;
- the camera has a power savings setting. So if you would forget to turn it of it will "fall asleep" saving by that your battery.
Cons:
- built in filters: Green and Magenta only in AWB (auto white balance mode). For Blue color correction you can use only the color temperature by decreasing one.
- 7 shots in 1 feature is available only in SCN "stable night shot" mode, and it does not freeze the object movement completely as it could be achieved with Sony Cyber Shot HX1, which has a day and twilight stable shot; A560 - has only twilight stable shot;
- Portrait mode does not have too much control. You can lock exposure (AEL), set timer or use "Focus check LV", you can not change ISO, select burst mode, you can not use exposure correction or D-range (DRO or HDR). You can not set center focus if AF in use. Because of all that outdoor picture in portrait mode are subject to light conditions. If it's too sunny - picture will be overexposed, if you do not use manual focus you may end up with blurry object. I tried that.
- When you take a picture in direct sun light or use a flash it seems that the color spectra shifted to red zone. A person face can become more yellow and red. My suggestion - use a UV filter.
- Shooting object against the sun with flash is tricky. I found for my self hard to find right mode and brightness balance. I could finally find setting in P mode to take a person picture against the sun but it's for certain light condition. Once cloud covered the sun (a bit) the background went overexposed. I suggest use external more powerful flash because the built in flash was set at maximum power and this was not much in help. I used to take a pictures with the same light conditions (against the sun) with Sony HX1 in auto mode and the whole picture was well balanced with all details.
- auto focusing available only for still images, not available in movie mode (in opposite to Sony A55, but last one is not last in the video mode longer then 4 minutes, even with steady shot off);
- movie button design placed it near the view finder, what does not make the turning off smoothly;
- there is neither auto focusing nor an electric buttons zoom control, what brings some shakes when you zooming manually in video mode. Besides, when you use zoom in video mode you can see flickering of whole screen (not badly but noticeable) because of exposition changing;
- steady shot does not help much in movie mode. If to compare with video in Sony HX1 the Sony A560, the first one makes more smooth video. Video A560 without a steady shot on is like you filming in earthquake environment (manually focusing on every object) even if you do not touch zoom. HX1 takes great videos with smooth zooming (but not very good audio).
- audio in movie mode is the same as in HX1 - not very good (there are no basses at all, the sound is like in an empty jar). But I'd say a560 audio recording is worse then HX1, because of constant ambient noise. However A560 allows you to connect an external microphone, what could resolve the audio quality problem. I tried to use a regular microphone from headset with 3.5 jack. It worked on A560, the ambient noise went down, however, I didn't hear a stereo sound in a playback (It could be not a stereo microphone). So I'm getting an Audio-Technica PRO24CM directional Stereo Microphone (100 - 17KHz) for this camera;
- after 8 minutes of continuous shooting the temperature sensor control indicator pops up on the screen. In 10 (in total) minutes the camera shuts off by itself. When you turn off "stable shot", camera takes video for 23 min and 35 seconds (what is video limit for one continuous clip), then video turns off but camera stays on. Shooting without tripod in both ways (stable shot off/on) won't give you stable (not shaking) movie clip if you won't be able to hold it very steady. I suggest to get a lens with optical stabilizer;
- with AVCHD (1920 x 1080) setup, the movie clip is recorded in bizarre AVCHD format with file extensions *.MTS, what can't be read by Nero player or Windows player or any one. But it can be read by supplied on CD PMB software. I imported file in Prism Video converter then was able to preview it. After that you may convert it. But what the point advertise AVCHD - 1920 x 1080 if you can play it only from your camera connected directly to your TV without possibility of editing or PMB from Sony, which is pretty limited in editing? By the way, you gonna use a HDMI mini connector (Type C) if you want to connect camera to your TV;
- to achieve 10x ore bigger zoom you gonna need an additional lens, and it looks like bazooka (for me it's cons because I got used to 20x zoom on my HX1 without additional spending's). However I found on Amazon a "Sigma 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC Lens for Minolta and Sony Digital SLR Cameras" which has a 11x zoom + optical stabilizer (which can be useful when you want to solve camera overheating problem (in video) by turning internal stabilizer off). This lens more compact and light weigh. I got it today. It fits for A560, does not slow down AF, has more smooth and more quiet zoom and focus controls. Optical stabilizer + Sony inside one give more smooth video recording suitable for home video, and I'm satisfied with that.
- in P mode flash is not always pop up automatically. You gotta press flash pop up button;
- auto HDR does not always works great, but it's subjective opinion. The higher EV the less shadows and picture becomes not very sharp. I tried to take a picture with an auto HDR mode in cloudy condition in contrast between tree shadows and a sky. When you point mostly at the sky then you can see distinguished clouds but trees are completely in the dark. And otherwise: when you point mostly at the trees then sky becomes just a white background. You may need to try different settings for best results. As for me I ordered from Amazon "Sigma 62mm Multi-Coated UV Filter", because I bought Sigma 62mm (thread diameter) lens. With hope it will solve brightness balance problem;
- the view finder is not available in the movie mode (live view only). So, with manual auto focusing it's nearly impossible in sunny day to focus at object with 100% accuracy (you gotta watch for focus indicator to catch this steady light what is hard for moving objects). However if object father then about 6 meters you may set focus to infinity, what will solve focusing problem;
- remaining time for video is not shown on display (only # of remaining shots) unless you start video, then you can see how many minutes your video have left. It's pretty awkward to start shooting...Read more›

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Don't let life pass you buy. Get the fast action that other cameras miss thanks to Sony's Quick AF Live View. Take in the landscape with 3D Sweep Panorama mode.1 See into the dark with Handheld Twilight and Multi-Frame NR modes. And preserve your memories with amazing Full HD 1080i movies.

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Pentax K-r 12.4 MP Digital SLR Camera with 3.0-Inch LCD and 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 and 55-300mm f/4-5.8 Lenses (Black) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Amazon was selling the K-r kit with 18-55 and 55-300 lenses for a really good price around Thanksgiving 2010. I had been wanting to upgrade from my k200d for sometime and jumped at the opportunity. 3 weeks with the camera have given me a good perspective on the pros/cons of this upgrade.
My primary motivation for upgrading was the rave reviews about low-light/high-iso performance of the K-r (and K-x). I chose the K-r over the K-x because the high fps and focus point in viewfinder features were well worth the minor difference in price. Here are the pros (+) and cons (-):
+ high ISO performance is excellent. I am shooting ISO1600 indoors all the time. Processed images have no noise at this setting. The performance is comparable (or better) than the k200d at ISO400
+ auto-focus is really fast as promised
+ burst shooting is really fast.
+ camera button controls are much better than k200d (direct iso/flash etc. buttons)
+ it's a much lighter camera (but that's a negative as well)
+ automatic white balance without flash is way better than the k200d (the latter had very warm overtones in tungsten for example - the K-r produces perfectly natural white balance for common indoor and outdoor lighting situations)
+ the supplied 55-300 kit lens is excellent. compared to my current 70-300 Tamron lens - it's much sharper on the long end.
+ live view is cool and allows shooting holding the camera at all sorts of angles. the screen is bright enough to be visible from just about any angle.
- focusing is fast but not as accurate. in particular my camera was front focusing and i found this to be a commonly reported problem on the web. i almost considered returning my camera before reading about the focus fine adjustment option. setting the camera for the maximum front-focus adjustment got rid of the problem for the most part (although it still doesn't seem perfect). not all lenses suffer equally badly - unfortunately my favorite lens (Tamron 28-75 f2.8) does.
- auto white balance with flash feels weird (it seems that it over-compensates for flash)
(updated: i found that (for my home shots) changing the white balance to 'warm white flourescent' in the raw editor (silkypix) largely fixed the issue).
- the supplied software is absolutely terrible. i process RAW images on the PC and the old software was simple but usable. The new one is a labyrinth of features - except the ones u really need (like not resetting the adjustment settings on every new image). Morever it crashes (i cannot even start it on one of my pcs)
- the new 18-55 lens feels cheap to the one that was supplied with previous models (plastic mount and no hood). i am planning to dispose off the new one and hang on to the old one.
- no weather sealing and body doesn't feel as substantial. the k200d used to sell at the same price point but had a magnesium alloy body and was weather sealed. the K-r is neither. The body is not as substantial to hold - in particular the battery compartment is smaller and the hand grip around the compartment doesn't feel as secure as before.
- doesn't take AA batteries by default. this is really lame - i will have to spend extra money to buy a special adapter. rechargable AA batteries are much better than proprietary ones.
- movie mode is pretty much useless because of lack of auto-focus. almost all DSLRs are like this - so it's not a ding against K-r - just dont buy it for taking videos. (Updated: i have found the video to be very jittery even slow moving everyday scenes. it's not clear why that is the case since 24fps is supposedly good enough)
- (Updated) one additional annoyance is that choosing the fully automatic 'A' mode does not reset all the customized settings - specifically the focus point and AF mode. This means i can't simply set the camera to 'A' mode and hand it off to a P&S photographer (since i always leave the camera at center point focus). That's really painful.
there are a lot of new image processing features in the K-r (HDR, shadow lighting, filters etc.) - but these can all be done in software and are not so valuable for me (may be for other users).
if i was shooting daylight/outdoors in good light - the K-r is actually a downgrade from the k200d. however - the gain in low light conditions are exemplary and outweigh the negatives (of which there are many). So it's a keeper for me. Considering that i would give a five star to the k200d - this is at least a four star.
For people looking to buy Pentax for the first time - one word of caution. Pentax seems to be falling further and further behind in the choice of lenses available on their platform. For example the Tamron 18-270 lens is still not available and the 18-250 lens has been taken off the market. There's no cheap 50mm prime lens available (the cheapest one is now $350). It's a rather sorry state of affairs and if i was not already invested in some Pentax mount lenses i would have definitely taken a much closer look at the Nikon D5000 that seems really close to the K-r in price/capabilities. At the same time - the supplied kit lenses are very good and if you don't plan to buy a lot of lenses - the Pentax is an excellent value (always more functionality and nicer build per $ than Canon/Nikon).

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Brains, meet beauty. The Pentax K-r has it all. On the brain side, it's a powerful DSLR with advanced features like 12.4 Megapixels, HD video, a 2.7-inch LCD display and custom modes and functions.On the beauty side, taking photos has never looked this good. There's basic black of course. But the K-r also comes in classy white and PENTAX red, with even more body colors to come. The PENTAX K-r competes with higher-end DSLRs and looks great doing it. Now, that’s brilliantly colorful.

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Sony A390 Digital SLR Camera (Black) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This is an excellent camera with many cool features! I compared this with the Nikon D3000 and the Canon Rebel XS, and ended up with this one due to the extra megapixels (14.1 vs. 10.1) and features. The image stabilization is actually in the camera, not in the lenses as with the other 2 cameras mentioned (and then only in the more expensive lenses). Very easy to use. Nice to have the "guide book" with you at all times built into the camera. The tilting live screen is also very handy when taking photos over a crowd or down low and not wanting to get down on your knees to take it. Just remember to purchase a higher speed memory card with the camera. Excellent photo quality - definitely worth the money!

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The Sony α390 DSLR camera brings you the freedom of Live View, which lets you compose and shoot photos using a tiltable 2.7" (diag.) LCD screen. SteadyShot INSIDE in-camera image stabilization reduces blur in every shot, while 14.2 megapixel resolution preserves those special moments in spectacular clarity and detail.

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Sony Alpha NEX NEX5A/S Digital Camera with Interchangeable Lens (Silver) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)OK - I just love new gadgets and technology. I had been using a D90 for nearly 2 years but upgraded to a D700 and use it for all of my heavy lifting photo shoots. (what a great camera). However, I wasn't using my D90 except on the rare occasion that I wanted to use two bodies on a shoot and used the D90 for my 70-300 lens for telephoto shots, giving me up to 450mm. OK, I digress.
I sold my D90 and bought the Sony NEX-5 (silver because I couldn't wait for the black one). I just bought the 16mm lens and will wait until later this fall when I hear they are coming out with a 18-300 E-type.
This is a really cool camera. I basically keep it in my pocket almost all the time. It is pretty bulky in my pocket ever with the smaller 16mm lens (and protective lens & cap). I know I have read some bad reviews about the menu system but it really only took me about 20 minutes to get used to it.
The focus ring kind of reminded me of my Blackberry when I had one.
It was a little slow to get used to not having a view finder but there is a great feature that you can use to help fine tune your focus (it only works with E type lends and not the A with adapter. You basically can get it to auto focus and then lightly touch the focus ring and it ZOOMS in to help you FINE TUNE the focus. If I knew how to upload some sample pics I would but trust me, the picture quality is great. There are just too many other features for me to comment on but I highly recommend this camera form not just a step up for an amature but a pro wold use it just like I try to do. I get a lot of great shots just because I have this camera buldging out of my pocket.

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The performance of a DSLR, in about half the size and weight.5 The NEX-5 is the interchangeable lens camera that goes wherever you do. Enjoy Full HD 1080/60i movies,2 astounding low-light pictures, continuous shooting up to 7 fps, incredible panorama shots, and Live View on a tilting 3.0-inch6 LCD.

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Sony Alpha SLTA55V DSLR with Translucent Mirror Technology and 3D Sweep Panorama (Camera Body only) (Black) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I like this camera! For $750 I can't find another camera with these specs. It is well made and is now my do everything, go everywhere, second camera to my big gear.
Pros: Clean high ISO
6 fps with full functionality, 10 fps with limits
FAST autofocus, especially in video mode!
LCD screen swivels into the body for protection, great for hikes
In body stabilization, great for the vast selection of old "Minolta" lenses
Menus are very helpful and easy to navigate
Button layout is very efficient
Small body great for travel
Mirror does not move lessening camera shake during shooting
In camera GPS
$750!
Cons: None that match this price range, this camera beats everything else in my opinion
Yes, this is a small body, semi-limited function camera designed to be a step-up camera or second body to pros. Many of the complaints are pros who are trying to use this little speedgun inside a studio with a full flash set-up. That is not the function of this camera, buy a Canon 5d mkII, Nikon D700, or Sony a900 if that is what you are looking for. For $750 I can't find anything similar in functionality. I bought this camera with a full complement of lenses for under the price of the new Nikon D7000.

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Capture your perfect moments with the world\'s first Translucent Mirror Technology DSLR enabling simultaneous focusing and capture. Continuous shooting is an amazing 10 frames per second, complete with continuous auto focus. Auto focus is also visibly faster in Live View and HD Movie modes.

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Olympus PEN E-PL2 12.3 MP CMOS Micro Four Thirds Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera with 14-42mm Lens (Black) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I asked Olympus if I could review this camera. I had written reviews for them before. To preface the review I will mention that I own several of the Olympus EP2 cameras and the EPL1 camera. While the EPL series cameras don't come with the accessory finder, VF-2, I consider it the reason to buy this camera and this family of cameras. More on that in a second. I gave this camera five stars but you should be clear that all ratings are contextual. It's not a better camera than a Nikon D3 or a Canon 1dsmk3 but it is a wonderful and very capable camera for $600 (with a lens). I consider it an $800 camera because I want to be able to use the 1.4 megapixel finder.
Reasons not to buy one: 1. You shoot sports and need super fast autofocus and a very fast frame rate. 2. You rarely see daylight and want a camera that shoots noise free from 3200 ISO up. Nope, this one is not your camera.
Reasons to buy one: 1. The files right out of the camera (as jpegs) are very nice. Rich and accurate color and nice balance of sharpness and contrast. 2. It's a very stealthy package that flies under the radar, masquerading as a point and shoot but fully capable of great results. No one will guess that you're a serious photographer. 3. With adapters there is a very wide range of lenses from other manufacturers that work well with the camera. If you want to try a Nikon or Leica lens for some street shooting this would be the camera to try it with.
The big question I got over and over again in response to my review on my blog was whether this camera has better image quality that the EPL1. No. I find them identical. But the newer screen and newer controls are better.
The HD video is limited to 7 minutes per take but the quality (720) is very good and the camera has full manual controls for every facet. You'll need to buy an Olympus adapter if you want to use external microphones.
Why do I like these cameras? Because they are quick to operate and very, very lightweight. I like to spend hours and hours walking thru city streets shooting and the cameras are light enough to make this an enjoyable thing. Not a job-like task.
Now, on to the finder. I'm old fashioned. I just don't like composing a scene at arm's length. it's a very compromised technique. Olympus makes a great electronic viewfinder that works with all the Pen cameras and also the new xz-1 compact camera. It's a 1.4 megapixel finder. It's very detailed and makes the camera a wonderful tool. I wouldn't consider buying any of the Pens unless I budgeted for the finder as well.
Bottom line? Great camera for the money. Just make sure you are buying it for the right reasons.

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E-PL2 BLK 14-42mm BLK - product specs to follow on CD

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