I normally don't write magazine reviews, but I cannot remain a
bystander. I have subscribed to the Forbes for a year and did not renew
my subscription. There is a reason for this.
About the Magazine
Forbes
magazine is a financial publication that aims to provide information
and help one with financial matters. There are is wide variety of topics
covered: retirement planning, stock and mutual fund picking, general
financial advice and more.
What I Enjoyed
The magazine has relatively comprehensive coverage and publishes articles from "experts" with varying viewpoints.
Some
of the "experts" actually provided good advice (e.g. Gary Shilling),
but they were vastly outnumbered by "experts" who probably don't
understand basic math.
What Is Not So Good
The
coverage is not objective and the "experts" provide generally horrible
advice. The viewpoint of the publication is most likely formed by Steve
Forbes. Its general viewpoint is that of a perma-bull, which is helpful
only until it isn't. The general mantra is "buy-buy-buy". You know, it
is like real estate industry tells everybody that "now is the good time
to buy real estate", always. The same applies to this magazine. Various
experts tell you "now is the good time to buy stocks". Always.
Here
is an example: one of the constant contributors (Lisa W. Hess)
recommended buying Freddy Mac and Fannie Mae repeatedly, over a course
of months as their stocks were going down from $29 and $35 respectively
to $4 and $5 to about a dollar. Every time she acknowledged that she was
"too early" making a "buy" call, but now is certainly the time. Reading
her articles made me cringe. I feel very bad for her clients (she is
some kind of investment advisor) and the readers who actually followed
her advice and bought the stocks that are both now close to 60 cents.
Various
other "experts" recommended buying a bunch of other stocks as the
economy was going down more and more. They all claimed that there was
going to be a rebound very soon and then those stocks would skyrocket.
The stocks they recommended were only going further down. So how is this
supposed to work - are they going to recommend you buy this or that
stock, then reiterate their "buy" recommendation throughout the stock's
fall, until the stocks actually starts going up a little and then they
will feel vindicated? Let's recall that even a broken clock shows
correct time twice a day.
Then, there is a section where about three stocks are quickly analyzed and recommended to either be bought or sold short.
In
general, people who need advice about what stocks to buy or short,
especially from a magazine (without looking at a stock's balance sheet,
earnings, debt, etc.) have no business buying and selling stocks, lest
they like to gamble with their money. This is not investing, this is
what's called speculation. I read a research where performance of the
list of professionally-picked stocks was compared to a random selection
of stocks. The randomly-selected stocks did better overall. And those
professional stock pickers were better than those clowns at Forbes, at
least they had good track records.
Buying individual stocks works under two conditions:
1.
You know how to do fundamental research and actually do it (provided
the company provides objective information, which is something Steve
Forbes apparently dislikes - see below).
2. You get lucky or you buy almost anything is a strong bull market or short almost anything in a strong bear market.
Otherwise, good mutual funds are a better approach.
Steve
Forbes himself wrote many an article about how mark-to-market rules
ought to be suspended. You know, they don't reflect true value, et
cetera. Sure, let's follow the example of Japan and pretend for decades
that underwater mortgages are worth close to their original value. God
forbid investors who consider buying bank stocks discover that those
banks are actually insolvent.
Pros: Good articles on topics that don't provide advice on picking stocks or general economy.
Cons: Repeated horrible "advice" from "experts" that don't understand basic math, agenda-driven content.
Bottom Line
Forbes
magazine is a good source of information on a few topics. Some articles
provide a balanced point of view. But the "advice" that "experts"
provide on its pages can be financial suicide. Consider yourself warned.
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Sony MDR-EX85 (EX85LP) a.k.a. MDR-EX082 Consumer Headphones - Good Bass and Warm Sound
I tried and returned the Sony MDR-EX85 in black color (MDR-EX85LP/BLK).
Not only does it look (and sound) similar to the Sony MDR-EX082 (and probably is the same headphones) I
already have, it costs too much for the way it sounds. Let me elaborate.
I already have a lot of headphones at home, some of which I use frequently and some infrequently or not at all. Some examples of the headphones I have include Sennheiser HD201, Sennheiser HD202, Koss KSC75, Koss SparkPlug, Philips HS500, Creative EP-640, and others. The headphones I use most frequently are the Sennheiser HD202, Koss KSC75, Microsoft Zune Premium, and Creative EP-640.
I used the Sennheiser HD 202 most of the time, when I could. It had the best detail level of the above headphones, decent bass, is comfortable and provides good insulation. But it is bulky since it is not an in-ear model.
More About Sony MDR-EX85LP Headphone
The Sony MDR-EX85LP headphones are somewhat similar to the Creative and the Zune Premium headphones. They provide semi-compact, moderately noise-insulating design. Unlike the fully in-ear phones like the above models, it does not fully sit in the ear - the driver and its housing are outside and the ear bud is inside the ear canal, which results in somewhat less noise insulation but an ability to use larger drivers of 13.5 mm, providing better bass. The claimed frequency response is 5-24,000 Hz.
The silicone rubber ear buds provide a moderately secure fit and good sound insulation (in addition to the ear buds installed on the headphone, extra sets of different sizes are included). The noise insulation is almost as good as that of the canalphones, which is good when you actually need to be able to hear some ambient noise (e.g. for safety reasons).
The headphones' driver housings are part plastic and part metal. As most Sony products, this model looks stylish. They also appear solidly built with good fit and finish.
Some specs: frequency response of 5-24,000 Hz, impedance of 16 Ohms at 1 kHz, sensitivity of 105 dB/mW, 1.2 m cord with a 3.5-mm compact plug for use with portable gear, approx. weight of 6g without the cord. The headphones come with silicone replacement ear buds and a decent carrying case.
Performance
Upon getting them, I plugged the headphones into my iPod connected to the AC jack with a power adaptor, and played random music nonstop for 45 hours. The jack is compact, which lets me connect it to my iPod while it is charging, something that is difficult to do with the Koss KSC75's large plastic molding around the plug. I did not use my Sony NWZ-S639FR 16 GB Digital Media Player because I need to find extra uses for my iPod now that the Sony MP3 player is my primary listening device.
Once I put them on, the silicone ear buds fit well, insulating my from the outside noise rather good. The lack of ports in headphones further contributes to sound insulation and better-defined bass. And the bass is something these headphones have in abundance. In fact there is a bit too much of it, but I will provide more information about it later.
The EX85LP features relatively high sensitivity and decent insulation, which in turn allows you to use lower volume on your portable gear and still get loud enough sound. I have tried a variety of music, including classical (Aram Khachaturian's Violin Concerto in D Minor, some Sibelius and Wagner), Euro-dance, pop, rock, electronic music and even rap (albeit the latter is something I don't generally listen to).
In addition, I listened to audio books and movie soundtracks. I used my iPod for a short while, but mostly the Sony NWZ-S639FR 16 GB Digital Media Player, for it provides better sound and a graphical equalizer to boot. I also employed a portable CD player and a laptop as well as my Panasonic SA-XR57 receiver's headphone out (fed from CD as well as DVD-Audio). For comparison purposes, I alternated between these and the over-the-ear Koss KSC75, Zune Premium headphones as well as the in-ear Creative EP-640 headphones.
These headphones have plenty of bass, more than the Creative EP-640 and Creative EP-630 and even more than Zune Premium. The abundance of bass (and lower midrange) creates a pleasant, warm sound. Although it is a bit too much for my taste, since I prefer a bit less lower midrange and upper bass.
I think that the Zune Premium headphones have just the perfect amount of bass, but the EX85 have a bit too much and the Creative EP-640 and EP-630 are slightly lacking. In contrast, the Sennheiser HD202 needs a very slight EQ bass boost and then produces well-controlled bass, but this is comparing apples to oranges. I like apples, but sometimes you need oranges too.
The overall sound was moderately transparent and detailed with clear instrument separation and definition. Even classical music sounded good. But the upper frequencies and even some regions in the midrange were a bit veiled. Overall, the sound was a bit dark. There was a moderate de-emphasis of upper midrange and treble, which is curable with equalization but only if you have it at your disposal (my iPod doesn't have it, by the Sony player does).
The Cord
The headphones come with a cord that separates to left and right ear buds with the right part being much longer for the "behind and around the neck" arrangement. I dislike it.
Pros: Plenty of bass and lower midrange, warm sound, good contruction, detail level.
Cons: Sound too dark for my taste, overpowering bass if no equalizer is available.
Something new: I recently got the Ultimate Ears 300 and they are clearly better of any in-the-ear headphones I have used so far. Stay tuned for the review.
Bottom Line
The Sony MDR-EX85LP are good headphones with plenty of bass and warm, pleasant sound. With moderate level of sound insulation, stylish appearance and an "around the neck" cord, it is a good choice overall, especially if you are going to use it with sources that have an equalizer. I returned them because they are no better than other headphones I already have.
I already have a lot of headphones at home, some of which I use frequently and some infrequently or not at all. Some examples of the headphones I have include Sennheiser HD201, Sennheiser HD202, Koss KSC75, Koss SparkPlug, Philips HS500, Creative EP-640, and others. The headphones I use most frequently are the Sennheiser HD202, Koss KSC75, Microsoft Zune Premium, and Creative EP-640.
I used the Sennheiser HD 202 most of the time, when I could. It had the best detail level of the above headphones, decent bass, is comfortable and provides good insulation. But it is bulky since it is not an in-ear model.
More About Sony MDR-EX85LP Headphone
The Sony MDR-EX85LP headphones are somewhat similar to the Creative and the Zune Premium headphones. They provide semi-compact, moderately noise-insulating design. Unlike the fully in-ear phones like the above models, it does not fully sit in the ear - the driver and its housing are outside and the ear bud is inside the ear canal, which results in somewhat less noise insulation but an ability to use larger drivers of 13.5 mm, providing better bass. The claimed frequency response is 5-24,000 Hz.
The silicone rubber ear buds provide a moderately secure fit and good sound insulation (in addition to the ear buds installed on the headphone, extra sets of different sizes are included). The noise insulation is almost as good as that of the canalphones, which is good when you actually need to be able to hear some ambient noise (e.g. for safety reasons).
The headphones' driver housings are part plastic and part metal. As most Sony products, this model looks stylish. They also appear solidly built with good fit and finish.
Some specs: frequency response of 5-24,000 Hz, impedance of 16 Ohms at 1 kHz, sensitivity of 105 dB/mW, 1.2 m cord with a 3.5-mm compact plug for use with portable gear, approx. weight of 6g without the cord. The headphones come with silicone replacement ear buds and a decent carrying case.
Performance
Upon getting them, I plugged the headphones into my iPod connected to the AC jack with a power adaptor, and played random music nonstop for 45 hours. The jack is compact, which lets me connect it to my iPod while it is charging, something that is difficult to do with the Koss KSC75's large plastic molding around the plug. I did not use my Sony NWZ-S639FR 16 GB Digital Media Player because I need to find extra uses for my iPod now that the Sony MP3 player is my primary listening device.
Once I put them on, the silicone ear buds fit well, insulating my from the outside noise rather good. The lack of ports in headphones further contributes to sound insulation and better-defined bass. And the bass is something these headphones have in abundance. In fact there is a bit too much of it, but I will provide more information about it later.
The EX85LP features relatively high sensitivity and decent insulation, which in turn allows you to use lower volume on your portable gear and still get loud enough sound. I have tried a variety of music, including classical (Aram Khachaturian's Violin Concerto in D Minor, some Sibelius and Wagner), Euro-dance, pop, rock, electronic music and even rap (albeit the latter is something I don't generally listen to).
In addition, I listened to audio books and movie soundtracks. I used my iPod for a short while, but mostly the Sony NWZ-S639FR 16 GB Digital Media Player, for it provides better sound and a graphical equalizer to boot. I also employed a portable CD player and a laptop as well as my Panasonic SA-XR57 receiver's headphone out (fed from CD as well as DVD-Audio). For comparison purposes, I alternated between these and the over-the-ear Koss KSC75, Zune Premium headphones as well as the in-ear Creative EP-640 headphones.
These headphones have plenty of bass, more than the Creative EP-640 and Creative EP-630 and even more than Zune Premium. The abundance of bass (and lower midrange) creates a pleasant, warm sound. Although it is a bit too much for my taste, since I prefer a bit less lower midrange and upper bass.
I think that the Zune Premium headphones have just the perfect amount of bass, but the EX85 have a bit too much and the Creative EP-640 and EP-630 are slightly lacking. In contrast, the Sennheiser HD202 needs a very slight EQ bass boost and then produces well-controlled bass, but this is comparing apples to oranges. I like apples, but sometimes you need oranges too.
The overall sound was moderately transparent and detailed with clear instrument separation and definition. Even classical music sounded good. But the upper frequencies and even some regions in the midrange were a bit veiled. Overall, the sound was a bit dark. There was a moderate de-emphasis of upper midrange and treble, which is curable with equalization but only if you have it at your disposal (my iPod doesn't have it, by the Sony player does).
The Cord
The headphones come with a cord that separates to left and right ear buds with the right part being much longer for the "behind and around the neck" arrangement. I dislike it.
Pros: Plenty of bass and lower midrange, warm sound, good contruction, detail level.
Cons: Sound too dark for my taste, overpowering bass if no equalizer is available.
Something new: I recently got the Ultimate Ears 300 and they are clearly better of any in-the-ear headphones I have used so far. Stay tuned for the review.
Bottom Line
The Sony MDR-EX85LP are good headphones with plenty of bass and warm, pleasant sound. With moderate level of sound insulation, stylish appearance and an "around the neck" cord, it is a good choice overall, especially if you are going to use it with sources that have an equalizer. I returned them because they are no better than other headphones I already have.
The Original Apple iPod Shuffle 1 GB MP3 Player - Cool but has some Issues
This was originally written in 2005.
After playing with a 512-Megabyte Apple iPod Shuffle, I decided to get a 1-Gb version. One concern I had with 512-Mb version was the fact that you cannot copy music from the iPod back to your (or another) computer. I suspected the 1-GB version would have the same issue.
What is iPod Shuffle?
The iPod Shuffle is a miniature MP3 player that has no screen of any kind and stores songs in the MP3, AAC, protected AAC (from iTunes store or compressed with iTunes) or WAV format in the internal flash memory.
The Shuffle is compact, stylish and easy to use. Unfortunately, ergonomics was sacrificed in at least one major area in favor of style. Both the 512-Mb and a 1-GB version of the iPod Shuffle look the same.
You can see pictures of the iPod Shuffle's front and back panels that I took at
http://www.review-shop.com/iPod_Shuffle_1Gb/iPod_Shuffle_1Gb_1.html
What's in the Box?
The box contains the iPod Shuffle, the small headphones (earbuds) and a lanyard (all in white color). It also contains the CD with software (iTunes), the black pads that you can put over the earbuds, the small card with instructions on iPod Shuffle’s operation and the manual.
Manuals
Both the 512-Mb and 1-GB version of the Shuffle operate in the same manner and I didn’t have to read the manual for the 1-GB version after seeing one for the Shuffle 512K. In fact, I found the small card with instructions sufficient to operate the iPod Shuffle with no need to read the actual manual. The larger manual describes installation of the software, the battery charging and more.
The card describes how you can switch the Shuffle off, on and into the “Shuffle” mode, how to change volume, play, pause, skip, check battery status as well as how to engage and disengage the, important, Hold mode.
iPod Shuffle Controls
The iPod Shuffle has compact rectangular shape and is made of smooth white plastic. It is compact and lightweight without feeling cheap. The front panel houses a circular control cluster with Play/Pause button in the middle, + and - volume control buttons up and down of it, Skip Back and Skip Forward on left and right.
There is a LED above the controls that shines through the plastic in orange or green color. The blinking green light means the player is in the pause mode. The orange light when you press a button means the player is in the Hold mode and the buttons cannot be operated until it is unlocked.
The player is locked or unlocked by pressing and holding the Play/Pause button for three seconds.
The Skip Forward and Skip Back buttons skip to the next or previous song (I will complain about some of this functionality later). When held, they fast forward or backward within the song. Again, I will express my complaints below.
The top panel of the player has a standard 3.5mm headphone jack. The bottom part is a USB jack cap. It can be removed to revel the USB jack.
The rear panel houses the main mode (slider-type) switch with Off, On and Shuffle modes. It is stylish, but could have been more functional. Details will follow.
Below it, there is a battery check button with a small LED in it. When pushed, it makes the LED light up indicating the battery status (green light means good, orange means low charge, red means very low charge, no light means... you guessed it – no charge at all).
Software Installation
The disc with software has a label that states that you HAVE TO INSTALL THE SOFTWARE BEFORE CONNECTING THE IPOD!!!. I now realize what it means. The software prevents you from copying the files (music) from the iPod to your computer.
I have connected the Shuffle to my Windows 2000 computer that already had iTuens installed from my previous experimentation with the 512-K Shuffle and copied some music on it. I then connected this Shuffle to another computer with Windows XP and no Apple software installed. The iPod registered as a removable drive and I could copy music from it. It stores music in hidden folders, but you can copy it quite easily, provided no Apple software was installed.
The software is compatible with Mac OS X v10.2.8 or later or Windows 2000 SP4 or XP SP2.
The CD with software auto-starts when inserted into the CD-ROM (or in my case, DVD-ROM) drive. After the software installation (the iTunes software), which only takes a couple of minutes, you can connect the iPod and start loading tunes.
In my case (Windows 2000), the reboot was required after the software installation and I had to register with Apple and enter the iPod’s serial number (found on the iPod itself as well as on the outer carton box).
Connectivity
The iPod has a removable USB cap. With it attached, it has rectangular shape. Without it, it has a shorter rectangular shape with a USB plug at the bottom end (similar to the USB storage devices, a.k.a. USB drives).
You plug the iPod directly into your computer’s USB port. It the access to the USB port is obstructed, you can get a cable from Apple (and from other vendors/manufacturers).
Battery and Charging
The iPod Shuffle has an internal battery that recharges while the iPod is connected to the powered USB port. When I connected to my computer, the light on the back panel started blinking, indicating that the iPod is charging.
You can also get an Apple power adaptor if you want to charge the Shuffle without a computer. You can also get a cheaper USB charger designed for other devices (PDAs) from other manufacturers.
The full charging supposedly takes four hours. It seemed that the Shuffle comes charged since it was only charging for several minutes before the battery got full, according to the battery LED.
You can (according to Apple) have up to 12 hours of continuous playback time on one charge. The battery, indeed, lasts more than 10 hours.
Accessories
The Shuffle has a bunch of accessories designed for it. The carrying cases are available, but were not yet available at the Apple store we went to. The USB chargers, docking stations and USB extenders are all quite overpriced (armbands, chargers and cases are about $30 each), so you might want to check out "aftermarket" accessories.
Music Transfer
You can select an option in the iTunes software that makes the iTunes automatically start once the iPod is connected. The iTunes software looks cute and easy to use. The iPod appears as one of the folders in the left pane of iTunes and you can drag and drop the songs you want from the Library folder that represents your music library.
As soon as you drag the songs, the iPod icon/folder turns red and the status bar appear in the top portion indicating that the songs are being copied to iPod (including the progress indicator). The message is also telling you that you cannot disconnect the iPod at this stage (for obvious reasons).
The light on the iPod is blinking while data is written. That is another indication that you should not disconnect the iPod at this stage. Once the data is written, the light stops blinking and you can see a message in iTunes that says you can disconnect the iPod.
I have discovered that unfortunately, you cannot drag the MP3 files directly from Windows Explorer into the iPod folder. You have to drag them into your music library in iTunes first and only then you can drag them into iPod folder.
Worse, if you delete songs from your music library while the iPod is connected, they are getting deleted from the iPod as well.
And what if you have iTunes installed on two computers (e.g. at home and at work) and you copy some songs to your iPod on one computer and then connect it to another one, where these songs are not in the Library? I am glad you asked. You will be asked if you want to either connect to the music library on the current computer (deleting songs that are absent in it from your iPod) or not connect to iTunes. In the former case the songs will magically disappear from the iPod! In the latter, you cannot see iPod in iTunes and do anything with it. Lame!
You can also have iTunes "Autofill" the Shuffle every time it is connected with either random songs or with songs based on your selected playlists.
The iPod supports USB 2.0 (as well as USB 1.1) and files are copied relatively fast. The iPod 1GB version can fit a little less than 1 GB of music, since in addition to actual files, there are hidden folders created and small files with information about each song. Depending on song length and the bit rate, you can fit anywhere from 240 songs (Apple claim, probably at 128 kbps bit rate) to 120 songs (if you want better sound quality and use, say 256 kbps VBR). You can select the default compression method and bitrate in iTunes’ settings (say for CD ripping).
The Shuffle supports Variable Bit Rate (VBR) for better sound quality at the same bit rate as CBR (Constant Bit Rate). It also supports AAC, protected AAC and WAV.
Sound Quality
The sound quality is very important to me. The iPod Shuffle did not disappoint me. It is difficult to expect much from the compact device that is so cheap, comes with small earbuds and is used with MP3. But even with the supplied earbuds, the music sounded good. The earbuds definitely lacked bass and sounded bright overall with slight metallic treble, but the imaging was good, the clarity was very good as well.
I could not discern any difference between the sound quality of the 512-Kb and 1-GB Shuffle either using the supplied headphones or using my large headphones. With large headphones connected, the bass appeared along with warmer, more natural sound. The MP3 decoding quality was good and approached CD quality at higher bit rates, although at 128 kbps there was slight lack of treble. But that was expected because of the low bit rate and no player would be able to do much better.
The supplied earbuds look stylish and match the iPod in color (white), but putting the supplied black felt pads on them was a pain. Overall, I am pleased with the Shuffle’s sound, especially paired with better headphones than the ones supplied.
The Shuffle has no equalizer, but it is not a problem for since the MP3s I have are usually of good quality (ripped from CDs or downloaded from a paid web site). The supplied headphones are decent enough to require no equalization.
Skip Protection
The iPod Shuffle needs no skip protection as it has no mechanical parts and will not skip.
No LCD
The Shuffle has no display of any kind, but I found this to be of no concern. The songs can be played sequentially or in random order (Shuffle), based on the main switch position. The main switch on the back panel has flat upper surface, which makes sliding it difficult even with completely dry hands. Seems like ergonomics was sacrificed in favor of style...
The blinking lights work well and the small capacity of the shuffle makes lack of LCD almost moot point.
Control Annoyances
In addition to the stylish, but less than functional main switch, there slight annoyances with the main controls. The skip forward or backward involves a pause that lasts at least a second. The fast forwarding or reversing within a song (by holding the appropriate button) is very choppy with silences in between music. Nothing major, but there is room for improvement.
Summary
In general, I like the iPod Shuffle 1GB. It is stylish, compact, inexpensive, does not skip, provides good sound quality and battery life, needs no charger, has useful hold functionality, comes with good software and is easy to use. Some things can be improved though.
Among the things I dislike are the following.The iTunes software deletes the songs from the Shuffle if it is connected when you delete the same songs from the iTunes library or if you connect it to another computer with iTunes, the main mode switch is flat, the skip to next or previous song is slow and cue/review is choppy.
The Shuffle 1 GB has decent capacity, especially comparing to 512-Mb version, but it still cannot hold your entire music library and there is no screen, but it corresponds to the Shuffle's purpose: compact, inexpensive music player on the go that is easy to use.
With right expectations, I can recommend the iPod Shuffle 1 GB. You will not be able to store your entire music library on it or find a song you want quickly, but for random or semi-random playback, it is a good choice.
What is iPod Shuffle?
The iPod Shuffle is a miniature MP3 player that has no screen of any kind and stores songs in the MP3, AAC, protected AAC (from iTunes store or compressed with iTunes) or WAV format in the internal flash memory.
The Shuffle is compact, stylish and easy to use. Unfortunately, ergonomics was sacrificed in at least one major area in favor of style. Both the 512-Mb and a 1-GB version of the iPod Shuffle look the same.
You can see pictures of the iPod Shuffle's front and back panels that I took at
http://www.review-shop.com/iPod_Shuffle_1Gb/iPod_Shuffle_1Gb_1.html
What's in the Box?
The box contains the iPod Shuffle, the small headphones (earbuds) and a lanyard (all in white color). It also contains the CD with software (iTunes), the black pads that you can put over the earbuds, the small card with instructions on iPod Shuffle’s operation and the manual.
Manuals
Both the 512-Mb and 1-GB version of the Shuffle operate in the same manner and I didn’t have to read the manual for the 1-GB version after seeing one for the Shuffle 512K. In fact, I found the small card with instructions sufficient to operate the iPod Shuffle with no need to read the actual manual. The larger manual describes installation of the software, the battery charging and more.
The card describes how you can switch the Shuffle off, on and into the “Shuffle” mode, how to change volume, play, pause, skip, check battery status as well as how to engage and disengage the, important, Hold mode.
iPod Shuffle Controls
The iPod Shuffle has compact rectangular shape and is made of smooth white plastic. It is compact and lightweight without feeling cheap. The front panel houses a circular control cluster with Play/Pause button in the middle, + and - volume control buttons up and down of it, Skip Back and Skip Forward on left and right.
There is a LED above the controls that shines through the plastic in orange or green color. The blinking green light means the player is in the pause mode. The orange light when you press a button means the player is in the Hold mode and the buttons cannot be operated until it is unlocked.
The player is locked or unlocked by pressing and holding the Play/Pause button for three seconds.
The Skip Forward and Skip Back buttons skip to the next or previous song (I will complain about some of this functionality later). When held, they fast forward or backward within the song. Again, I will express my complaints below.
The top panel of the player has a standard 3.5mm headphone jack. The bottom part is a USB jack cap. It can be removed to revel the USB jack.
The rear panel houses the main mode (slider-type) switch with Off, On and Shuffle modes. It is stylish, but could have been more functional. Details will follow.
Below it, there is a battery check button with a small LED in it. When pushed, it makes the LED light up indicating the battery status (green light means good, orange means low charge, red means very low charge, no light means... you guessed it – no charge at all).
Software Installation
The disc with software has a label that states that you HAVE TO INSTALL THE SOFTWARE BEFORE CONNECTING THE IPOD!!!. I now realize what it means. The software prevents you from copying the files (music) from the iPod to your computer.
I have connected the Shuffle to my Windows 2000 computer that already had iTuens installed from my previous experimentation with the 512-K Shuffle and copied some music on it. I then connected this Shuffle to another computer with Windows XP and no Apple software installed. The iPod registered as a removable drive and I could copy music from it. It stores music in hidden folders, but you can copy it quite easily, provided no Apple software was installed.
The software is compatible with Mac OS X v10.2.8 or later or Windows 2000 SP4 or XP SP2.
The CD with software auto-starts when inserted into the CD-ROM (or in my case, DVD-ROM) drive. After the software installation (the iTunes software), which only takes a couple of minutes, you can connect the iPod and start loading tunes.
In my case (Windows 2000), the reboot was required after the software installation and I had to register with Apple and enter the iPod’s serial number (found on the iPod itself as well as on the outer carton box).
Connectivity
The iPod has a removable USB cap. With it attached, it has rectangular shape. Without it, it has a shorter rectangular shape with a USB plug at the bottom end (similar to the USB storage devices, a.k.a. USB drives).
You plug the iPod directly into your computer’s USB port. It the access to the USB port is obstructed, you can get a cable from Apple (and from other vendors/manufacturers).
Battery and Charging
The iPod Shuffle has an internal battery that recharges while the iPod is connected to the powered USB port. When I connected to my computer, the light on the back panel started blinking, indicating that the iPod is charging.
You can also get an Apple power adaptor if you want to charge the Shuffle without a computer. You can also get a cheaper USB charger designed for other devices (PDAs) from other manufacturers.
The full charging supposedly takes four hours. It seemed that the Shuffle comes charged since it was only charging for several minutes before the battery got full, according to the battery LED.
You can (according to Apple) have up to 12 hours of continuous playback time on one charge. The battery, indeed, lasts more than 10 hours.
Accessories
The Shuffle has a bunch of accessories designed for it. The carrying cases are available, but were not yet available at the Apple store we went to. The USB chargers, docking stations and USB extenders are all quite overpriced (armbands, chargers and cases are about $30 each), so you might want to check out "aftermarket" accessories.
Music Transfer
You can select an option in the iTunes software that makes the iTunes automatically start once the iPod is connected. The iTunes software looks cute and easy to use. The iPod appears as one of the folders in the left pane of iTunes and you can drag and drop the songs you want from the Library folder that represents your music library.
As soon as you drag the songs, the iPod icon/folder turns red and the status bar appear in the top portion indicating that the songs are being copied to iPod (including the progress indicator). The message is also telling you that you cannot disconnect the iPod at this stage (for obvious reasons).
The light on the iPod is blinking while data is written. That is another indication that you should not disconnect the iPod at this stage. Once the data is written, the light stops blinking and you can see a message in iTunes that says you can disconnect the iPod.
I have discovered that unfortunately, you cannot drag the MP3 files directly from Windows Explorer into the iPod folder. You have to drag them into your music library in iTunes first and only then you can drag them into iPod folder.
Worse, if you delete songs from your music library while the iPod is connected, they are getting deleted from the iPod as well.
And what if you have iTunes installed on two computers (e.g. at home and at work) and you copy some songs to your iPod on one computer and then connect it to another one, where these songs are not in the Library? I am glad you asked. You will be asked if you want to either connect to the music library on the current computer (deleting songs that are absent in it from your iPod) or not connect to iTunes. In the former case the songs will magically disappear from the iPod! In the latter, you cannot see iPod in iTunes and do anything with it. Lame!
You can also have iTunes "Autofill" the Shuffle every time it is connected with either random songs or with songs based on your selected playlists.
The iPod supports USB 2.0 (as well as USB 1.1) and files are copied relatively fast. The iPod 1GB version can fit a little less than 1 GB of music, since in addition to actual files, there are hidden folders created and small files with information about each song. Depending on song length and the bit rate, you can fit anywhere from 240 songs (Apple claim, probably at 128 kbps bit rate) to 120 songs (if you want better sound quality and use, say 256 kbps VBR). You can select the default compression method and bitrate in iTunes’ settings (say for CD ripping).
The Shuffle supports Variable Bit Rate (VBR) for better sound quality at the same bit rate as CBR (Constant Bit Rate). It also supports AAC, protected AAC and WAV.
Sound Quality
The sound quality is very important to me. The iPod Shuffle did not disappoint me. It is difficult to expect much from the compact device that is so cheap, comes with small earbuds and is used with MP3. But even with the supplied earbuds, the music sounded good. The earbuds definitely lacked bass and sounded bright overall with slight metallic treble, but the imaging was good, the clarity was very good as well.
I could not discern any difference between the sound quality of the 512-Kb and 1-GB Shuffle either using the supplied headphones or using my large headphones. With large headphones connected, the bass appeared along with warmer, more natural sound. The MP3 decoding quality was good and approached CD quality at higher bit rates, although at 128 kbps there was slight lack of treble. But that was expected because of the low bit rate and no player would be able to do much better.
The supplied earbuds look stylish and match the iPod in color (white), but putting the supplied black felt pads on them was a pain. Overall, I am pleased with the Shuffle’s sound, especially paired with better headphones than the ones supplied.
The Shuffle has no equalizer, but it is not a problem for since the MP3s I have are usually of good quality (ripped from CDs or downloaded from a paid web site). The supplied headphones are decent enough to require no equalization.
Skip Protection
The iPod Shuffle needs no skip protection as it has no mechanical parts and will not skip.
No LCD
The Shuffle has no display of any kind, but I found this to be of no concern. The songs can be played sequentially or in random order (Shuffle), based on the main switch position. The main switch on the back panel has flat upper surface, which makes sliding it difficult even with completely dry hands. Seems like ergonomics was sacrificed in favor of style...
The blinking lights work well and the small capacity of the shuffle makes lack of LCD almost moot point.
Control Annoyances
In addition to the stylish, but less than functional main switch, there slight annoyances with the main controls. The skip forward or backward involves a pause that lasts at least a second. The fast forwarding or reversing within a song (by holding the appropriate button) is very choppy with silences in between music. Nothing major, but there is room for improvement.
Pros:Cool design, easy to use, good sound, inexpensive, no skipping, capacity
Cons:Flat main switch, software deletes songs unexpectedly, cannot copy songs to computer
Summary
In general, I like the iPod Shuffle 1GB. It is stylish, compact, inexpensive, does not skip, provides good sound quality and battery life, needs no charger, has useful hold functionality, comes with good software and is easy to use. Some things can be improved though.
Among the things I dislike are the following.The iTunes software deletes the songs from the Shuffle if it is connected when you delete the same songs from the iTunes library or if you connect it to another computer with iTunes, the main mode switch is flat, the skip to next or previous song is slow and cue/review is choppy.
The Shuffle 1 GB has decent capacity, especially comparing to 512-Mb version, but it still cannot hold your entire music library and there is no screen, but it corresponds to the Shuffle's purpose: compact, inexpensive music player on the go that is easy to use.
With right expectations, I can recommend the iPod Shuffle 1 GB. You will not be able to store your entire music library on it or find a song you want quickly, but for random or semi-random playback, it is a good choice.
Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-T1 Digital Camera - Is It Perfect? Not Quite...
This review was originally written in 2004.
The Sony DSC-T1 looks hi-tech and cool. And it is hi-tech, indeed. Featuring very compact dimensions, a 5-Megapixel resolution, a big 2.5-inch high-resolution (211,000-pixel) LCD and a compact 3x zoom by Carl Zeiss, it is a marvel of modern technology. But is it perfect? Not quite...
Style
The camera is compact and stylish. The camera has a lid that protects the lens and the flash, and slides downward to reveal them and simultaneously turn the camera on. The rear panel houses the camera’s large 2.5-inch LCD, the charge/flash ready indicator, zooming rocker and control buttons. The menu control buttons serve dual purpose. The switch on the side of the camera switches it between modes, including the mode in which you can shoot VGA-resolution video.
The camera is compact and is lightweight, which doesn’t help to decrease the camera shake when shooting handheld. Do you want to use a tripod to get rid of the camera shake? Sorry, you can’t – there is no tripod mount.
LCD
The camera’s large LCD is visible even in bright sunlight. It doesn’t swivel, however, which limits the shooting angles somewhat. The camera doesn’t have a viewfinder. The AF-assist light helps you see (and helps the camera focus) in the low-light situations.
The LCD is very fluid and I can't say I missed the optical viewfinder much.
ISO
The camera supports sensitivity settings of ISO 100-400. You can set it to Auto, 100, 200 or 400.
Flash
The camera has a speedlight (flash) that is compact and, as a consequence, weak. The recommended flash range is only up to 60 inches or 1.5 meters (ISO set to Auto). In other words, the flash is weak. Also, it is located quite close to the lens, which causes red-eye problems.
The flash can be set to Auto, Forced, No Flash or Slow Synchro.
Lens
The camera uses a Vario-Tessar lens by Carl Zeiss. The amazing compactness is achieved by rotating the light path inside the camera 90 degrees using a prism and then having a 3x optical zoom inside the camera itself.
The lens has maximum aperture of f/3.5-4.4, which is quite impressive. The focal length is 38-114 mm in 35mm equivalent terms. The 3x optical zoom can be combined with digital zoom for up to 12x total magnification (while decreasing resolution down to VGA).
Picture Quality
The low-light situations are really not the T1’s forte. Since the camera has a small flash, which is relatively weak, and there is no tripod mount, some low-light pictures might turn out blurry due to the camera shake. However, the noise level produced by this camera at ISO 400 is very low and thus you can counteract, if only somewhat, the flash weakness and the lack of tripod mount by having sensitivity set to ISO 400.
The noise at ISO 200 and 400 is almost as low as noise at ISO 100, which is a rarity and a pleasant surprise. The pictures the T1 takes are sharp, have great contrast and colors. The 5-megapixel resolution lets you enlarge them well beyond your regular 6x4 size without any loss of detail. The 8x10 prints at 240 dpi can be produced with no loss of detail.
There is a slight vignetting (corners of the picture darker then center) and the corners are slightly softer than the center, which is usual for small lenses.
Resolution
The top resolution is 2592x1944 (5 Megapixels), but you also have an ability to take pictures at 2592x1728, 2048x1536 (3 Megapixels), 1280x960 (1 Megapixel) and 640x480 (VGA).
Formats
The camera saves pictures in compressed JPEG format. There is no uncompressed RAW mode and only two picture quality modes for JPEG are available – Fine and Standard. There is no Super Fine mode.
Adjustments
If you want manual control, you will be disappointed. The camera has not shutter priority or aperture priority mode, let alone full manual mode. The camera has Auto and Program Auto Exposure modes. The shutter speed ranges from 1 second to 1/1,000 and the aperture is automatically set to f3.5, f5.6 or f8.
The Auto mode adjusts focus and exposure automatically, letting you use the camera as a Point-and-Shoot. The Program mode lets you adjust focus but the exposure is automatically adjusted. There are also several modes that automatically adjust exposure and focus based on the mode selected, e.g. Landscape Mode.
You get an option to use camera’s exposure compensation +2 EV to -2 EV in 1/3 EV steps. The camera also features exposure bracketing (three pictures are taken in rapid succession with different exposures to let you select the better looking one). The bracket steps are 1 EV, 0.7 EV or 0.3 EV.
The camera has auto white balance and manual WB (Incandescent, Fluorescent, Daylight, Cloudy, Flash). You can also adjust the auto-focusing method (5-area multi-point AF, center AF and spot AF). You can also choose between Single AF, Monitoring AF and Continuous AF.
The focus distance presets are also available. You can set focus to 0.5m, 1m, 3m, 7m, infinity. Fortunately, the depth of field of digital cameras (including T1) is larger than that of 35mm film cameras and thus the focusing is easier.
Ease of Use
The camera is very easy to use, at least the main features of it. The Menu button calls different menus based on the mode you are in. The only annoyance I had was the fact that the camera refused to show any menus in the shooting mode with the lid closed over the lens (the camera was powered by the "Power" button on top of the camera). But once the lid was open, the menu appeared.
Deleting unwanted pictures is very easy as well - in the review mode, just push a button, which has a trash can icon beside it and select "yes" on the screen.
The sliding mode switch (video/still pictures/review) slides easily and has a precise feel. Another thing you might want to know is: to view the last taken picture, you dont' have to switch the mode, just push the "left arrow" button.
More Features
The camera has a close-up mode, instant review, live histogram, audio recording, movie mode (640x480 30fps MPEG), exposure compensation and bracketing.
Connectivity
The camera comes with a cradle that has a USB 2.0 port for fast transfer of images to your computer. The cradle also features an A/V out. The universal power adaptor can plug either into the cradle or into the camera directly – a very convenient feature.
Battery
The battery uses Sony’s InfoLithium system that keeps you informed about the remaining battery life. The battery is housed in the same compartment as the MemoryStick card, which is slightly inconvenient. The battery lets you record up to 170 pictures with an LCD on or playback up to 2600 images.
Media
The camera uses small MemoryStick Duo. The supplied card is 32 Mb and you definitely should buy a card of larger capacity, unless you plan to take pictures of small resolution.
Bottom Line
I can recommend the Sony DSC-T1 as a compact point-and-shoot camera for good light conditions. If you want manual control over the aperture or shutter speed or need a good low-light performer, look elsewhere.
The Sony DSC-T1 looks hi-tech and cool. And it is hi-tech, indeed. Featuring very compact dimensions, a 5-Megapixel resolution, a big 2.5-inch high-resolution (211,000-pixel) LCD and a compact 3x zoom by Carl Zeiss, it is a marvel of modern technology. But is it perfect? Not quite...
Style
The camera is compact and stylish. The camera has a lid that protects the lens and the flash, and slides downward to reveal them and simultaneously turn the camera on. The rear panel houses the camera’s large 2.5-inch LCD, the charge/flash ready indicator, zooming rocker and control buttons. The menu control buttons serve dual purpose. The switch on the side of the camera switches it between modes, including the mode in which you can shoot VGA-resolution video.
The camera is compact and is lightweight, which doesn’t help to decrease the camera shake when shooting handheld. Do you want to use a tripod to get rid of the camera shake? Sorry, you can’t – there is no tripod mount.
LCD
The camera’s large LCD is visible even in bright sunlight. It doesn’t swivel, however, which limits the shooting angles somewhat. The camera doesn’t have a viewfinder. The AF-assist light helps you see (and helps the camera focus) in the low-light situations.
The LCD is very fluid and I can't say I missed the optical viewfinder much.
ISO
The camera supports sensitivity settings of ISO 100-400. You can set it to Auto, 100, 200 or 400.
Flash
The camera has a speedlight (flash) that is compact and, as a consequence, weak. The recommended flash range is only up to 60 inches or 1.5 meters (ISO set to Auto). In other words, the flash is weak. Also, it is located quite close to the lens, which causes red-eye problems.
The flash can be set to Auto, Forced, No Flash or Slow Synchro.
Lens
The camera uses a Vario-Tessar lens by Carl Zeiss. The amazing compactness is achieved by rotating the light path inside the camera 90 degrees using a prism and then having a 3x optical zoom inside the camera itself.
The lens has maximum aperture of f/3.5-4.4, which is quite impressive. The focal length is 38-114 mm in 35mm equivalent terms. The 3x optical zoom can be combined with digital zoom for up to 12x total magnification (while decreasing resolution down to VGA).
Picture Quality
The low-light situations are really not the T1’s forte. Since the camera has a small flash, which is relatively weak, and there is no tripod mount, some low-light pictures might turn out blurry due to the camera shake. However, the noise level produced by this camera at ISO 400 is very low and thus you can counteract, if only somewhat, the flash weakness and the lack of tripod mount by having sensitivity set to ISO 400.
The noise at ISO 200 and 400 is almost as low as noise at ISO 100, which is a rarity and a pleasant surprise. The pictures the T1 takes are sharp, have great contrast and colors. The 5-megapixel resolution lets you enlarge them well beyond your regular 6x4 size without any loss of detail. The 8x10 prints at 240 dpi can be produced with no loss of detail.
There is a slight vignetting (corners of the picture darker then center) and the corners are slightly softer than the center, which is usual for small lenses.
Resolution
The top resolution is 2592x1944 (5 Megapixels), but you also have an ability to take pictures at 2592x1728, 2048x1536 (3 Megapixels), 1280x960 (1 Megapixel) and 640x480 (VGA).
Formats
The camera saves pictures in compressed JPEG format. There is no uncompressed RAW mode and only two picture quality modes for JPEG are available – Fine and Standard. There is no Super Fine mode.
Adjustments
If you want manual control, you will be disappointed. The camera has not shutter priority or aperture priority mode, let alone full manual mode. The camera has Auto and Program Auto Exposure modes. The shutter speed ranges from 1 second to 1/1,000 and the aperture is automatically set to f3.5, f5.6 or f8.
The Auto mode adjusts focus and exposure automatically, letting you use the camera as a Point-and-Shoot. The Program mode lets you adjust focus but the exposure is automatically adjusted. There are also several modes that automatically adjust exposure and focus based on the mode selected, e.g. Landscape Mode.
You get an option to use camera’s exposure compensation +2 EV to -2 EV in 1/3 EV steps. The camera also features exposure bracketing (three pictures are taken in rapid succession with different exposures to let you select the better looking one). The bracket steps are 1 EV, 0.7 EV or 0.3 EV.
The camera has auto white balance and manual WB (Incandescent, Fluorescent, Daylight, Cloudy, Flash). You can also adjust the auto-focusing method (5-area multi-point AF, center AF and spot AF). You can also choose between Single AF, Monitoring AF and Continuous AF.
The focus distance presets are also available. You can set focus to 0.5m, 1m, 3m, 7m, infinity. Fortunately, the depth of field of digital cameras (including T1) is larger than that of 35mm film cameras and thus the focusing is easier.
Ease of Use
The camera is very easy to use, at least the main features of it. The Menu button calls different menus based on the mode you are in. The only annoyance I had was the fact that the camera refused to show any menus in the shooting mode with the lid closed over the lens (the camera was powered by the "Power" button on top of the camera). But once the lid was open, the menu appeared.
Deleting unwanted pictures is very easy as well - in the review mode, just push a button, which has a trash can icon beside it and select "yes" on the screen.
The sliding mode switch (video/still pictures/review) slides easily and has a precise feel. Another thing you might want to know is: to view the last taken picture, you dont' have to switch the mode, just push the "left arrow" button.
More Features
The camera has a close-up mode, instant review, live histogram, audio recording, movie mode (640x480 30fps MPEG), exposure compensation and bracketing.
Connectivity
The camera comes with a cradle that has a USB 2.0 port for fast transfer of images to your computer. The cradle also features an A/V out. The universal power adaptor can plug either into the cradle or into the camera directly – a very convenient feature.
Battery
The battery uses Sony’s InfoLithium system that keeps you informed about the remaining battery life. The battery is housed in the same compartment as the MemoryStick card, which is slightly inconvenient. The battery lets you record up to 170 pictures with an LCD on or playback up to 2600 images.
Media
The camera uses small MemoryStick Duo. The supplied card is 32 Mb and you definitely should buy a card of larger capacity, unless you plan to take pictures of small resolution.
Pros:Excellent picture quality in good light, resolution, large LCD, size
Cons:Weak flash, no tripod mount, no RAW mode, red-eye, price, lack of manual control
Bottom Line
I can recommend the Sony DSC-T1 as a compact point-and-shoot camera for good light conditions. If you want manual control over the aperture or shutter speed or need a good low-light performer, look elsewhere.
Campanile Hotel Glasgow - Good Hotel in a Sketchy Neighborhood
This was originally written in 2005.
On a recent trip to UK, we stayed at Campanile Hotel Glasgow.
Location
The Campanile Hotel is located close to the center of the city, but it is south-west of it, close to river Clyde. The location is good and bad. The fact that it is walking distance to the center is a good thing. However, the actual neighborhood where this hotel is located is sketchy and looks slightly desolate.
Our window had a view on the parking lot, river Clyde, a large crane and a small round casino.
Be advised that in the afternoon the traffic can slow down to a crawl if you come from either M8 motorway or from Dumbarton direction (A-road, don't remember the number). We were coming from Inveraray through Dumbarton and our Renault Modus was barely moving at 2.30pm. It took more than an hour to get to the hotel from the suburbs.
I estimate (without exaggeration) that pedestrians were moving about twice as fast as our car. And I thought LA traffic was bad!
Rooms
The parking lot is free for hotel customers; others have to pay 20 British pounds (about $38). The hotel itself is modern, features two large elevators, electronic locks on the doors and reasonably sized rooms and bathrooms.
The rooms are modern and have decent sound insulation. Our double room had a little sofa-like seating device, a table and a TV set. The electric teakettle and tea/coffee/creamer/sugar tray was also present, just like in any other hotel or B&B in Scotland.
The door opens by using a card with perforation (the lock is electronic). In the room, they employ a strange electrical system where you have to insert your card into a slot on the wall in your room in order to use the lights or AC jacks. Remove the card and the light turns off within seconds. I found out that you can insert any card, even a piece of cardboard and be able to have electricity without worries of forgetting your door access card in the room.
Breakfast
The breakfast was a pleasant surprise. The hotel had a real continental menu with excellent French baguette, good coffee, good selection of juices, pastries, croissants, cheese, fruit, etc. I believe you can also order a cooked English breakfast (bacon and eggs, pork sausage, beans, tomato), perhaps even a Scottish one with haggis, I can't recall. The breakfast is optional and is pricey at 6 pounds ($11).
Hotel Features
The hotel has a bar/lounge. Other amenities include satellite TV (it is pricey and I haven't used it) - regular TV channels are still available for free. The rooms have air conditioning and telephones.
The hotel staff was friendly and pretty efficient. On the way out, they give you an access code for you to be able to open the gate to drive out of the parking lot. The code they gave me didn't work on one of two gates, but worked on another one.
The check-out time is noon and check-in is 2pm. The noon checkout time is generous - elsewhere in Scotland we had to check out earlier - between 10 and 11am.
On the way out, after 9 am we didn't encounter any heavy traffic on the way to motorway M8 to Edinburgh, even despite rain.
Pros: Reasonably priced, close to center of Glasgow, modern rooms, elevators, breakfast
Cons: Location not ideal, breakfast was not included in price.
Bottom Line
Overall, I recommend this hotel if you have to go to Glasgow and don't want to spend much on hotel accommodations. And consider their breakfast. Although not inexpensive, it is quite good.
On a recent trip to UK, we stayed at Campanile Hotel Glasgow.
Location
The Campanile Hotel is located close to the center of the city, but it is south-west of it, close to river Clyde. The location is good and bad. The fact that it is walking distance to the center is a good thing. However, the actual neighborhood where this hotel is located is sketchy and looks slightly desolate.
Our window had a view on the parking lot, river Clyde, a large crane and a small round casino.
Be advised that in the afternoon the traffic can slow down to a crawl if you come from either M8 motorway or from Dumbarton direction (A-road, don't remember the number). We were coming from Inveraray through Dumbarton and our Renault Modus was barely moving at 2.30pm. It took more than an hour to get to the hotel from the suburbs.
I estimate (without exaggeration) that pedestrians were moving about twice as fast as our car. And I thought LA traffic was bad!
Rooms
The parking lot is free for hotel customers; others have to pay 20 British pounds (about $38). The hotel itself is modern, features two large elevators, electronic locks on the doors and reasonably sized rooms and bathrooms.
The rooms are modern and have decent sound insulation. Our double room had a little sofa-like seating device, a table and a TV set. The electric teakettle and tea/coffee/creamer/sugar tray was also present, just like in any other hotel or B&B in Scotland.
The door opens by using a card with perforation (the lock is electronic). In the room, they employ a strange electrical system where you have to insert your card into a slot on the wall in your room in order to use the lights or AC jacks. Remove the card and the light turns off within seconds. I found out that you can insert any card, even a piece of cardboard and be able to have electricity without worries of forgetting your door access card in the room.
Breakfast
The breakfast was a pleasant surprise. The hotel had a real continental menu with excellent French baguette, good coffee, good selection of juices, pastries, croissants, cheese, fruit, etc. I believe you can also order a cooked English breakfast (bacon and eggs, pork sausage, beans, tomato), perhaps even a Scottish one with haggis, I can't recall. The breakfast is optional and is pricey at 6 pounds ($11).
Hotel Features
The hotel has a bar/lounge. Other amenities include satellite TV (it is pricey and I haven't used it) - regular TV channels are still available for free. The rooms have air conditioning and telephones.
The hotel staff was friendly and pretty efficient. On the way out, they give you an access code for you to be able to open the gate to drive out of the parking lot. The code they gave me didn't work on one of two gates, but worked on another one.
The check-out time is noon and check-in is 2pm. The noon checkout time is generous - elsewhere in Scotland we had to check out earlier - between 10 and 11am.
On the way out, after 9 am we didn't encounter any heavy traffic on the way to motorway M8 to Edinburgh, even despite rain.
Pros: Reasonably priced, close to center of Glasgow, modern rooms, elevators, breakfast
Cons: Location not ideal, breakfast was not included in price.
Bottom Line
Overall, I recommend this hotel if you have to go to Glasgow and don't want to spend much on hotel accommodations. And consider their breakfast. Although not inexpensive, it is quite good.
Canon PowerShot A510 Digital Camera - Compact and Cheap, But Flexible
This review was originally written in 2005.
A replacement for the prior year's Canon A75, the 3.2-Megapixel Canon PowerShot A510 is currently available at rather low prices. I got mine for $161 after coupons including taxes and shipping at Dell. I also got the 4-Megapixel A520 to see the difference for only $20 more. Your mileage may vary.
Pictures
The pictures of the Canon PowerShot A510 are available at the address below.
http://www.review-shop.com/Canon_A510/Canon_A510_Pictures1.html
Two Reviews
I will provide two reviews below. The first one (short version) will be targeted to people who don't want to read through multiple pages of text to figure out if the camera has what they want and if it performs well. It is targeted to a casual user rather than somebody who cares about the small details.
The second version will contain the description of the more advanced aspects for those who are interested in them. By separating this information, I hope to avoid boring casual shooters to death with information about things they might not need. I will also provide a comparison between Canon A510 and Canon A520.
What is Canon PowerShot A510?
The Canon PowerShot A510 is a 3.2-Megapixel compact digital camera with a 4x optical zoom, 1.8-inch LCD screen, zooming optical viewfinder, acclaimed Canon DiG!C Image Processor, 9-area AiAF auto focus, 1-point auto focus and manual focus, 13 shooting modes including Full Auto, Program, Scene Modes, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority and Manual Mode.
The camera stores pictures on SD (Secure Digital) or MultiMedia memory cards (16 MB MMC supplied) and features USB connection to PC and Mac computers. It also supports direct printing (without computer) with PictBridge compatible printers. It is an update on the last year's Canon A75.
Features
The PowerShot A510 is an update to the popular 3.2-Megapixel Canon PowerShot A75. It upgrades the A75's 3x optical zoom to newly designed sharp 4x optical zoom (35-140 mm in 35mm equivalent with maximum apertures f/2.6-f/5.5), which is also slightly faster (A75 had f/2.8 at wide angle). The minimum aperture is f/8.0 at both wide angle and telephoto.
The camera uses 2 AA-type batteries instead of four batteries that the previous cameras (e.g. A75) used. Canon claims similar amount of shots can be taken on 2 AA batteries that the previous camera provided with 4 AA batteries. Impressive stuff.
The camera has a low-light focus assist illuminator that helps it focus in low light. The orientation sensor detects if the camera is held horizontally or vertically and saves the pictures appropriately. When opened in image-editing software (say Photoshop), the images will be rotated to proper orientation automatically.
The camera features selectable Evaluative, Center-Weighted and Spot metering modes. The camera has a built-in flash that zooms with the camera's lens. The A510 has a shutter speed range of 15-1/2,000 sec and selectable ISO of 50-400 as well as Auto ISO.
The camera also has a Macro mode where it can focus as close as 2 inches (5 cm) at wide angle or 11.8 inches (30 cm) at telephoto. The available movie mode records movies with sound (the camera has a microphone and a speaker) at 640x480 for up to 30 seconds, 320x240 or 320x240 for up to 3 minutes.
Short Review
The camera has a nice-looking and durable metal/polycarbonate body that is compact and convenient to hold. The camera has a retractable lens that extends and has a lens cover that opens when the camera is powered on. When the camera is powered off, the lens retracts and the lens cover closes. The body is not as compact or sturdy as metal bodies of Canon Digital Elph line, but it is much cheaper and features better optics.
The camera has an on/off button on the top deck as well as a zoom rocker, large shutter release button and a large rotating mode dial. The mode dial can be set to Auto mode, Program mode, multiple scene modes as well as, more advanced, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority or Manual mode. There is also a mode for recording short video clips.
The bottom of the camera has a threaded tripod mount and a battery compartment lid as well as, slightly flimsy when opened, memory card door. The rear houses a 1.8-inch LCD monitor, an optical zooming viewfinder, a review/shoot switch and control buttons. The side has a cover, underneath which you can find a USB jack, A/V jack and a DC power input jack.
The camera takes about 2 seconds to power on and can capture images at about two-second intervals (I used Kingston Elite Pro SD memory card and images were recorded in Large Superfine mode). The focusing takes about a second and the shutter lag, when pre-focused, is almost unnoticeable. The zooming from wide angle to telephoto (or back) takes less than two seconds and is responsive, but has less steps than I would like.
The camera can take more than 300 pictures on one charge of high-capacity NiMH batteries (I recommend at least 2000 mAh). I was able to take 160 photos using my old 1600 mAh Panasonic batteries and the low battery warning has not appeared yet (the camera has no real battery status indicator since it is difficult to figure out what battery you are using and how long it will last, unlike using proprietary batteries with some other cameras).
The A510 can be used by any member of the family and by photographers of all levels of expertise from novices to advanced ones.
The camera can be used in full auto mode (by rotating the mode dial to Auto position), where it is extremely easy to use. In this mode the camera sets all parameters automatically and you only have to point and shoot.
You press the shutter release button halfway to make camera focus and the camera shows you (on the LCD screen) where it focused by displaying one or more green rectangles. Then you take the picture by pressing the shutter release button all the way.
You can go one step further and select an appropriate scene mode (e.g. Portrait, Landscape, Snow, Beach, Fireworks, Kids & Pets, etc.) to let camera know what effect you want. For example, in the Portrait mode the camera will try to keep the subject sharp while keeping the background blurry, but will try to keep both foreground and background sharp in the Landscape mode.
And if or when you are ready to take control, you can use the Aperture Priority mode (to control how much of your picture will be in focus) or Shutter Priority mode (to freeze fast motion or, on contrary, create motion blur) or even full Manual mode to control both the Aperture and Shutter Speed.
In most modes you can use Exposure Compensation to make pictures the camera takes brighter or darker.
The flash has an effective red-eye reduction mode and is sufficient at up to 10-12 feet away. It has a recycle time of about 7-10 seconds (depending on the subject distance and battery charge). It zooms (or rather varies the coverage) with the lens - an impressive feature, but some shots with subject too close to the camera were overexposed by the flash being too strong.
Unfortunately, while the flash is "charging", the LCD screen goes dark, which means for close to 10 seconds you cannot frame, focus, zoom or pretty much do anything.
The camera produces excellent results with well-exposed, sharp, contrasty and richly-colored photos. The skin colors are true to life and pleasing. Unlike some other cameras (including Canon SD Digital Elph series) that have noticeably softer edges of the frame, the photos taken with the A510 are sharp at the edges of the frame as well as at the center.
Usually, the smaller the camera and the higher the optical zoom it can provide, the softer the image becomes, especially at the corners of the frame as it is difficult to produce compact optics with high zoom levels. Surprisingly, the lens on the A510 is very good, despite its compact dimensions and the 4x optical zoom. The lens has impressive 4x optical zoom range and produces sharp results at all zoom levels.
The image noise is absent at ISO 50 and cannot be found even in the shadows. It appears (slightly) at the ISO 100 in the shadows, gets more pronounced at ISO 200 and gets rather strong at ISO 400. Still, if you are printing 6x4 or 5x7 pictures, the noise should not be visible up to (and including) ISO 200 and barely visible at ISO 400. And with 3.2-megapixel shots it produces, you can print your photos at up to 8x10 inches with good detail (ISO 50-200). If you need to print in larger size or need excellent detail level, you need a camera with higher resolution. Example: Canon PowerShot A520 with 4-Megapixel resolution.
Recommendation: I highly recommend Canon A510 if you need an inexpensive yet capable compact camera that produces excellent photos with print sizes of up 8x10 inches, has 4x zoom and uses AA batteries. Weather you want point-and-shoot simplicity or full manual control, the A510 will be a good choice. It can be used by any member of the family, by novices and advanced users alike.
Full Review
More on Image Quality
The A510 produces contrasty photos that have a pleasing "Canon" color with slight oversaturation and a slight warm cast - the kind of color consumers like. The dynamic range of the photos seems to be limited (as in other consumer-level digicams), but seems to be slightly wider than average for consimer-level digital cameras. In harsh lighting conditions, the highlights can be blown out, but the shadow detail is rather good. Overall, the dynamic range is very good, comparing to other compact camera of similar price.
The complete absence of noise at ISO 50 was a pleasant surprise as was very minimal amount of noise in the shadows at ISO 100. But the noise at ISO 400 makes the ISO 400 all but unusable at any size over 6x4 inches.
There is virtually no chromatic aberration (purple fringing) in the areas of high contrast. The lens of the Canon PowerShot A510 exhibits slight barrel distortion at wide angle (straight lines bow out at the edges of the frame) that is virtually unnoticeable and can only be detected if you take pictures of buildings and really pay attention.
Color Effects
You can adjust color saturation by selecting Vivid or Neutral color in addition to the standard setting. In Vivid mode, the saturation is increased and I find that it provides too much saturation. I don't use this mode.
In the Neutral mode, the saturation is decreased. I find it useful mainly in the low light conditions to reduce noise and make images more true-to-life.
Also available Black and White, Sepia and Low Sharpening effects. The former two are nothing to write home about - just regular modes that are quite useful if you want to give your photos an old look. The Low Sharpening effect reduces in-camera sharpening and lets you sharpen your photos later, in software (e.g. Photoshop). This gives you more control over sharpening.
Image Quality Settings
The camera lets you select between Fine, Normal and Economy compression levels (regardless of resolution). At the highest resolution of 2048x1536 pixels, the Fine JPEG can be of about 1.5- Megabyte size, the Normal JPEG - about 1 MB and Economy JPEG is less than 1 MB.
You can detect occasional JPEG artifacts in the Economy mode, some fine detail is lost. I would only use Fine mode for high-resolution pictures intended for printing or post processing. But for web/email or conserving space on the memory card, other modes are viable options.
White Balance
The camera's automatic white balance is usually quite accurate with the exception of the incandescent lighting, where you are better off either selecting Incandescent white balance setting or using the available manual white balance.
Focusing
You can let camera focus using its AiAF 9-area focusing system and the camera will show you green rectangles over the areas where it focused so that you can confirm the focus areas. You can also switch to the 1-point focusing or use the manual focus.
The arrow down button switches the camera to Macro mode when pushed once, and to the manual mode when pushed again. The camera shows you a scale in your chosen units (cm or inches) and magnifies the central portion of the screen to let you confirm the focus. Cumbersome but it works, aside from the fact that the camera makes weird sounds while focusing (scraping/scratching sounds).
Macro
The PowerShot A510 can take good macro pictures. It can capture (with no flash) a minimum area of about 2x1.5-inch and features a sharp image with only slight blurring in corners of the frame. A very good macro performance, considering the size and price of the camera.
You need light to illuminate the shooting area and/or a tripod, however: the flash when engaged at such a close distance can overexpose the image and leave a pronounced shadow in the lower right corner.
Build Quality and Ergonomics
The camera has a solid feel and good build quality. The rotating mode dial and the sliding review/shoot switch require too much effort for my taste, but that gives this camera an impression of very solid build. The memory card door is slightly flimsy, however.
The camera is convenient to hold and its compact size lets you put it in a jacket pocket or a purse easily. The major controls are within easy reach and the tactile response is good.
Tripod Mount
The camera has a plastic tripod mount that is offset. It is useful if you want to take macro pictures or pictures with long exposures (e.g. nighttime). The camera has a timer, which you should use to avoid blurry images when the camera is on the tripod. The A510 has noise reduction that is activated with exposures longer than 1.3 seconds and takes a picture with the shutter closed and then subtracts it from the original picture, thereby eliminating hot pixels.
Menu System
I have not read the manual, yet was able to use the camera in all modes. I am not a big fan of Canon menus and the A510 is no exception. Not only I find the menus less easy to use than Panasonic's (e.g. my Panasonic DMC-FZ5), the menu takes about 1 second to appear after you call upon it. Not a huge delay but still annoying, especially considering how responsive the rest of the camera operation is. The menus are self-explanatory, but they are arranged in a manner that slows you down.
LCD and Viewfinder
The A510 has a 1.8-inch non-articulated (fixed) LCD screen and an optical zooming viewfinder. The LCD coverage as about 100% - you can see exactly what will be recorded. The viewfinder, however, cover only about 80% of what will be recorded. There is a strange click-like sound when you switch the LCD on and off. The LCD has good visibility and decent resolution.
Computer Connectivity
The camera uses USB connection to transfer pictures to a computer. You can also remove the SD memory card and use a memory card reader (if you have one), but I use the camera with the USB cable supplied. The file transfer is rather slow at about 500 KB/s. The fast USB 2.0 Hi-Speed card reader will provide much better transfer speeds. But with relatively small files the camera produces, the speed is not a big issue.
I do not use the software that was provided with the camera since I have Adobe Photoshop CS2.
Histogram
The camera can display a histogram in the review mode to show you if you have overexposed the highlights or underexposed the shadows. I useful feature when you don’t trust the LCD.
Manual Mode
You can adjust both the aperture and shutter speed in the Manual mode, but you can adjust them one at a time, unlike my Panasonic FZ5, where you can adjust them simultaneously without having to jump from one to another. The camera shows you the under/overexposure as evaluated by the camera once the shutter button is half-pressed (e.g. -1EV means 1EV of underexposure).
You can also adjust the flash output (albeit only in three steps) in the manual mode.
How Does It Compare to Canon PowerShot A520?
So far the only difference I noticed is the resolution (Canon A520 has 4-Megapixel resolution) and the speed of writing images to the memory card (the A520 writes images slightly slower due to the smaller file size). If you need to print big enlargements and if 4-Megapixel resolution is required, the A520 is a good choice for only $25-35 more than the A510.
Specifications
For people who like specifications in easy to read format:
- 4x optical 35-140mm f/2.6-5.5 zoom, 3.6x digital zoom
- Focusing range: NORMAL: 1.5 ft./45cm-Infinity, MACRO: 2 in.-1.5 ft./5-45cm (WIDE), 11.8 in.-1.5 ft./30-45cm(TELE)
- 3.2 Megapixel CCD imager for up to 2048x1536 pixel images
- Still image resolution: 2048x1536 (Large), 1600x1200 (Medium 1), 1024x768 (Medium 2), 640x480 (Small)
- Movie resolution: 640x480, 320x240 or 160x120
- Aperture: f/2.6-8.0 (W), f/5.5-8.0 (T)
- Shutter Speed: 15-1/2000 sec; can be set in 1/3-stop increments in Manual and Shutter-priority (Tv) Modes.
- Selectable ISO settings from 50 to 400
- 1.8" color LCD with up to 10x playback zoom (115,000 pixels)
- Real-image 4x optical zoom viewfinder
- Focusing: 9-point AiAF/1-point AF (Fixed to center)Manual Focus, AF Lock, AF-assist Beam ON/Off, MF magnified display function available
- Program AE, Shutter-speed priority, Aperture priority and Manual modes
- Pre-programmed creative scene modes for beginners
- Movie mode w/sound, 640x480 for up to 30secs, 320x240 and 160x120 up to 3 minutes
- 1.9fps Continuous burst capture of Large/Fine images
- Evaluative metering on focus point, Center-weighted or Spot options
- Stitch Assist mode for perfect panoramas
- Exposure compensation: /-2EV in 1/3-step increments
- White Balance: Auto, 5 presets or Custom
- Orientation sensor that automatically detects vertical or horizontal shooting
- Low-light focus assist illuminator
- Light-guide zoom flash, angle changes with focal length
- Optional High-Power Flash HF-DC1
- Voice memo (up to 60 sec.) can be attached to images
- Built-in microphone and speaker
- Powered by two standard AA-type batteries
- Direct print and PictBridge Compatible
- USB connectivity for PC and Mac
- Secure Digital memory cards, 16MB supplied
- Includes a USB cable, an A/V cable, wrist strap, 16MB MultiMedia Card (that's right, the provided card is not an SD card, but a slower MMC), two AA Alkaline batteries, Canon Digital Camera Solution Disc, featuring the latest versions of Canon software and ArcSoft PhotoStudio
Pros:Excellent optics for low price and compact size, uses 2 AA batteries, features, 4x zoom
Bottom Line
I can highly recommend the Canon PowerShot A510 if you need an inexpensive yet capable compact camera that produces excellent photos with print sizes of up 8x10 inches, has 4x optical zoom and uses AA batteries. Weather you want point-and-shoot simplicity or full manual control, the A510 delivers. It can be used by any member of the family from novices to advanced shooters.
A replacement for the prior year's Canon A75, the 3.2-Megapixel Canon PowerShot A510 is currently available at rather low prices. I got mine for $161 after coupons including taxes and shipping at Dell. I also got the 4-Megapixel A520 to see the difference for only $20 more. Your mileage may vary.
Pictures
The pictures of the Canon PowerShot A510 are available at the address below.
http://www.review-shop.com/Canon_A510/Canon_A510_Pictures1.html
Two Reviews
I will provide two reviews below. The first one (short version) will be targeted to people who don't want to read through multiple pages of text to figure out if the camera has what they want and if it performs well. It is targeted to a casual user rather than somebody who cares about the small details.
The second version will contain the description of the more advanced aspects for those who are interested in them. By separating this information, I hope to avoid boring casual shooters to death with information about things they might not need. I will also provide a comparison between Canon A510 and Canon A520.
What is Canon PowerShot A510?
The Canon PowerShot A510 is a 3.2-Megapixel compact digital camera with a 4x optical zoom, 1.8-inch LCD screen, zooming optical viewfinder, acclaimed Canon DiG!C Image Processor, 9-area AiAF auto focus, 1-point auto focus and manual focus, 13 shooting modes including Full Auto, Program, Scene Modes, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority and Manual Mode.
The camera stores pictures on SD (Secure Digital) or MultiMedia memory cards (16 MB MMC supplied) and features USB connection to PC and Mac computers. It also supports direct printing (without computer) with PictBridge compatible printers. It is an update on the last year's Canon A75.
Features
The PowerShot A510 is an update to the popular 3.2-Megapixel Canon PowerShot A75. It upgrades the A75's 3x optical zoom to newly designed sharp 4x optical zoom (35-140 mm in 35mm equivalent with maximum apertures f/2.6-f/5.5), which is also slightly faster (A75 had f/2.8 at wide angle). The minimum aperture is f/8.0 at both wide angle and telephoto.
The camera uses 2 AA-type batteries instead of four batteries that the previous cameras (e.g. A75) used. Canon claims similar amount of shots can be taken on 2 AA batteries that the previous camera provided with 4 AA batteries. Impressive stuff.
The camera has a low-light focus assist illuminator that helps it focus in low light. The orientation sensor detects if the camera is held horizontally or vertically and saves the pictures appropriately. When opened in image-editing software (say Photoshop), the images will be rotated to proper orientation automatically.
The camera features selectable Evaluative, Center-Weighted and Spot metering modes. The camera has a built-in flash that zooms with the camera's lens. The A510 has a shutter speed range of 15-1/2,000 sec and selectable ISO of 50-400 as well as Auto ISO.
The camera also has a Macro mode where it can focus as close as 2 inches (5 cm) at wide angle or 11.8 inches (30 cm) at telephoto. The available movie mode records movies with sound (the camera has a microphone and a speaker) at 640x480 for up to 30 seconds, 320x240 or 320x240 for up to 3 minutes.
Short Review
The camera has a nice-looking and durable metal/polycarbonate body that is compact and convenient to hold. The camera has a retractable lens that extends and has a lens cover that opens when the camera is powered on. When the camera is powered off, the lens retracts and the lens cover closes. The body is not as compact or sturdy as metal bodies of Canon Digital Elph line, but it is much cheaper and features better optics.
The camera has an on/off button on the top deck as well as a zoom rocker, large shutter release button and a large rotating mode dial. The mode dial can be set to Auto mode, Program mode, multiple scene modes as well as, more advanced, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority or Manual mode. There is also a mode for recording short video clips.
The bottom of the camera has a threaded tripod mount and a battery compartment lid as well as, slightly flimsy when opened, memory card door. The rear houses a 1.8-inch LCD monitor, an optical zooming viewfinder, a review/shoot switch and control buttons. The side has a cover, underneath which you can find a USB jack, A/V jack and a DC power input jack.
The camera takes about 2 seconds to power on and can capture images at about two-second intervals (I used Kingston Elite Pro SD memory card and images were recorded in Large Superfine mode). The focusing takes about a second and the shutter lag, when pre-focused, is almost unnoticeable. The zooming from wide angle to telephoto (or back) takes less than two seconds and is responsive, but has less steps than I would like.
The camera can take more than 300 pictures on one charge of high-capacity NiMH batteries (I recommend at least 2000 mAh). I was able to take 160 photos using my old 1600 mAh Panasonic batteries and the low battery warning has not appeared yet (the camera has no real battery status indicator since it is difficult to figure out what battery you are using and how long it will last, unlike using proprietary batteries with some other cameras).
The A510 can be used by any member of the family and by photographers of all levels of expertise from novices to advanced ones.
The camera can be used in full auto mode (by rotating the mode dial to Auto position), where it is extremely easy to use. In this mode the camera sets all parameters automatically and you only have to point and shoot.
You press the shutter release button halfway to make camera focus and the camera shows you (on the LCD screen) where it focused by displaying one or more green rectangles. Then you take the picture by pressing the shutter release button all the way.
You can go one step further and select an appropriate scene mode (e.g. Portrait, Landscape, Snow, Beach, Fireworks, Kids & Pets, etc.) to let camera know what effect you want. For example, in the Portrait mode the camera will try to keep the subject sharp while keeping the background blurry, but will try to keep both foreground and background sharp in the Landscape mode.
And if or when you are ready to take control, you can use the Aperture Priority mode (to control how much of your picture will be in focus) or Shutter Priority mode (to freeze fast motion or, on contrary, create motion blur) or even full Manual mode to control both the Aperture and Shutter Speed.
In most modes you can use Exposure Compensation to make pictures the camera takes brighter or darker.
The flash has an effective red-eye reduction mode and is sufficient at up to 10-12 feet away. It has a recycle time of about 7-10 seconds (depending on the subject distance and battery charge). It zooms (or rather varies the coverage) with the lens - an impressive feature, but some shots with subject too close to the camera were overexposed by the flash being too strong.
Unfortunately, while the flash is "charging", the LCD screen goes dark, which means for close to 10 seconds you cannot frame, focus, zoom or pretty much do anything.
The camera produces excellent results with well-exposed, sharp, contrasty and richly-colored photos. The skin colors are true to life and pleasing. Unlike some other cameras (including Canon SD Digital Elph series) that have noticeably softer edges of the frame, the photos taken with the A510 are sharp at the edges of the frame as well as at the center.
Usually, the smaller the camera and the higher the optical zoom it can provide, the softer the image becomes, especially at the corners of the frame as it is difficult to produce compact optics with high zoom levels. Surprisingly, the lens on the A510 is very good, despite its compact dimensions and the 4x optical zoom. The lens has impressive 4x optical zoom range and produces sharp results at all zoom levels.
The image noise is absent at ISO 50 and cannot be found even in the shadows. It appears (slightly) at the ISO 100 in the shadows, gets more pronounced at ISO 200 and gets rather strong at ISO 400. Still, if you are printing 6x4 or 5x7 pictures, the noise should not be visible up to (and including) ISO 200 and barely visible at ISO 400. And with 3.2-megapixel shots it produces, you can print your photos at up to 8x10 inches with good detail (ISO 50-200). If you need to print in larger size or need excellent detail level, you need a camera with higher resolution. Example: Canon PowerShot A520 with 4-Megapixel resolution.
Recommendation: I highly recommend Canon A510 if you need an inexpensive yet capable compact camera that produces excellent photos with print sizes of up 8x10 inches, has 4x zoom and uses AA batteries. Weather you want point-and-shoot simplicity or full manual control, the A510 will be a good choice. It can be used by any member of the family, by novices and advanced users alike.
Full Review
More on Image Quality
The A510 produces contrasty photos that have a pleasing "Canon" color with slight oversaturation and a slight warm cast - the kind of color consumers like. The dynamic range of the photos seems to be limited (as in other consumer-level digicams), but seems to be slightly wider than average for consimer-level digital cameras. In harsh lighting conditions, the highlights can be blown out, but the shadow detail is rather good. Overall, the dynamic range is very good, comparing to other compact camera of similar price.
The complete absence of noise at ISO 50 was a pleasant surprise as was very minimal amount of noise in the shadows at ISO 100. But the noise at ISO 400 makes the ISO 400 all but unusable at any size over 6x4 inches.
There is virtually no chromatic aberration (purple fringing) in the areas of high contrast. The lens of the Canon PowerShot A510 exhibits slight barrel distortion at wide angle (straight lines bow out at the edges of the frame) that is virtually unnoticeable and can only be detected if you take pictures of buildings and really pay attention.
Color Effects
You can adjust color saturation by selecting Vivid or Neutral color in addition to the standard setting. In Vivid mode, the saturation is increased and I find that it provides too much saturation. I don't use this mode.
In the Neutral mode, the saturation is decreased. I find it useful mainly in the low light conditions to reduce noise and make images more true-to-life.
Also available Black and White, Sepia and Low Sharpening effects. The former two are nothing to write home about - just regular modes that are quite useful if you want to give your photos an old look. The Low Sharpening effect reduces in-camera sharpening and lets you sharpen your photos later, in software (e.g. Photoshop). This gives you more control over sharpening.
Image Quality Settings
The camera lets you select between Fine, Normal and Economy compression levels (regardless of resolution). At the highest resolution of 2048x1536 pixels, the Fine JPEG can be of about 1.5- Megabyte size, the Normal JPEG - about 1 MB and Economy JPEG is less than 1 MB.
You can detect occasional JPEG artifacts in the Economy mode, some fine detail is lost. I would only use Fine mode for high-resolution pictures intended for printing or post processing. But for web/email or conserving space on the memory card, other modes are viable options.
White Balance
The camera's automatic white balance is usually quite accurate with the exception of the incandescent lighting, where you are better off either selecting Incandescent white balance setting or using the available manual white balance.
Focusing
You can let camera focus using its AiAF 9-area focusing system and the camera will show you green rectangles over the areas where it focused so that you can confirm the focus areas. You can also switch to the 1-point focusing or use the manual focus.
The arrow down button switches the camera to Macro mode when pushed once, and to the manual mode when pushed again. The camera shows you a scale in your chosen units (cm or inches) and magnifies the central portion of the screen to let you confirm the focus. Cumbersome but it works, aside from the fact that the camera makes weird sounds while focusing (scraping/scratching sounds).
Macro
The PowerShot A510 can take good macro pictures. It can capture (with no flash) a minimum area of about 2x1.5-inch and features a sharp image with only slight blurring in corners of the frame. A very good macro performance, considering the size and price of the camera.
You need light to illuminate the shooting area and/or a tripod, however: the flash when engaged at such a close distance can overexpose the image and leave a pronounced shadow in the lower right corner.
Build Quality and Ergonomics
The camera has a solid feel and good build quality. The rotating mode dial and the sliding review/shoot switch require too much effort for my taste, but that gives this camera an impression of very solid build. The memory card door is slightly flimsy, however.
The camera is convenient to hold and its compact size lets you put it in a jacket pocket or a purse easily. The major controls are within easy reach and the tactile response is good.
Tripod Mount
The camera has a plastic tripod mount that is offset. It is useful if you want to take macro pictures or pictures with long exposures (e.g. nighttime). The camera has a timer, which you should use to avoid blurry images when the camera is on the tripod. The A510 has noise reduction that is activated with exposures longer than 1.3 seconds and takes a picture with the shutter closed and then subtracts it from the original picture, thereby eliminating hot pixels.
Menu System
I have not read the manual, yet was able to use the camera in all modes. I am not a big fan of Canon menus and the A510 is no exception. Not only I find the menus less easy to use than Panasonic's (e.g. my Panasonic DMC-FZ5), the menu takes about 1 second to appear after you call upon it. Not a huge delay but still annoying, especially considering how responsive the rest of the camera operation is. The menus are self-explanatory, but they are arranged in a manner that slows you down.
LCD and Viewfinder
The A510 has a 1.8-inch non-articulated (fixed) LCD screen and an optical zooming viewfinder. The LCD coverage as about 100% - you can see exactly what will be recorded. The viewfinder, however, cover only about 80% of what will be recorded. There is a strange click-like sound when you switch the LCD on and off. The LCD has good visibility and decent resolution.
Computer Connectivity
The camera uses USB connection to transfer pictures to a computer. You can also remove the SD memory card and use a memory card reader (if you have one), but I use the camera with the USB cable supplied. The file transfer is rather slow at about 500 KB/s. The fast USB 2.0 Hi-Speed card reader will provide much better transfer speeds. But with relatively small files the camera produces, the speed is not a big issue.
I do not use the software that was provided with the camera since I have Adobe Photoshop CS2.
Histogram
The camera can display a histogram in the review mode to show you if you have overexposed the highlights or underexposed the shadows. I useful feature when you don’t trust the LCD.
Manual Mode
You can adjust both the aperture and shutter speed in the Manual mode, but you can adjust them one at a time, unlike my Panasonic FZ5, where you can adjust them simultaneously without having to jump from one to another. The camera shows you the under/overexposure as evaluated by the camera once the shutter button is half-pressed (e.g. -1EV means 1EV of underexposure).
You can also adjust the flash output (albeit only in three steps) in the manual mode.
How Does It Compare to Canon PowerShot A520?
So far the only difference I noticed is the resolution (Canon A520 has 4-Megapixel resolution) and the speed of writing images to the memory card (the A520 writes images slightly slower due to the smaller file size). If you need to print big enlargements and if 4-Megapixel resolution is required, the A520 is a good choice for only $25-35 more than the A510.
Specifications
For people who like specifications in easy to read format:
- 4x optical 35-140mm f/2.6-5.5 zoom, 3.6x digital zoom
- Focusing range: NORMAL: 1.5 ft./45cm-Infinity, MACRO: 2 in.-1.5 ft./5-45cm (WIDE), 11.8 in.-1.5 ft./30-45cm(TELE)
- 3.2 Megapixel CCD imager for up to 2048x1536 pixel images
- Still image resolution: 2048x1536 (Large), 1600x1200 (Medium 1), 1024x768 (Medium 2), 640x480 (Small)
- Movie resolution: 640x480, 320x240 or 160x120
- Aperture: f/2.6-8.0 (W), f/5.5-8.0 (T)
- Shutter Speed: 15-1/2000 sec; can be set in 1/3-stop increments in Manual and Shutter-priority (Tv) Modes.
- Selectable ISO settings from 50 to 400
- 1.8" color LCD with up to 10x playback zoom (115,000 pixels)
- Real-image 4x optical zoom viewfinder
- Focusing: 9-point AiAF/1-point AF (Fixed to center)Manual Focus, AF Lock, AF-assist Beam ON/Off, MF magnified display function available
- Program AE, Shutter-speed priority, Aperture priority and Manual modes
- Pre-programmed creative scene modes for beginners
- Movie mode w/sound, 640x480 for up to 30secs, 320x240 and 160x120 up to 3 minutes
- 1.9fps Continuous burst capture of Large/Fine images
- Evaluative metering on focus point, Center-weighted or Spot options
- Stitch Assist mode for perfect panoramas
- Exposure compensation: /-2EV in 1/3-step increments
- White Balance: Auto, 5 presets or Custom
- Orientation sensor that automatically detects vertical or horizontal shooting
- Low-light focus assist illuminator
- Light-guide zoom flash, angle changes with focal length
- Optional High-Power Flash HF-DC1
- Voice memo (up to 60 sec.) can be attached to images
- Built-in microphone and speaker
- Powered by two standard AA-type batteries
- Direct print and PictBridge Compatible
- USB connectivity for PC and Mac
- Secure Digital memory cards, 16MB supplied
- Includes a USB cable, an A/V cable, wrist strap, 16MB MultiMedia Card (that's right, the provided card is not an SD card, but a slower MMC), two AA Alkaline batteries, Canon Digital Camera Solution Disc, featuring the latest versions of Canon software and ArcSoft PhotoStudio
Pros:Excellent optics for low price and compact size, uses 2 AA batteries, features, 4x zoom
Cons:Flash creates shadow in corner in Macro mode and overexposes unless you use ISO50/f8
Bottom Line
I can highly recommend the Canon PowerShot A510 if you need an inexpensive yet capable compact camera that produces excellent photos with print sizes of up 8x10 inches, has 4x optical zoom and uses AA batteries. Weather you want point-and-shoot simplicity or full manual control, the A510 delivers. It can be used by any member of the family from novices to advanced shooters.
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Apple iPod nano Black (2 GB, MA099LL/A) MP3 Player - Compact and Excellent
Note: this was originally written in 2005.
After playing with a 512-Megabyte Apple iPod Shuffle, and a 1-Gb iPod Shuffle, I got myself a higher-capacity MP3 player: 2-Gb Philips HDD077. Unfortunately, the Philips had a couple of problems. It was slow in operation, slow in music transfer and could not play loud enough for good aftermarket headphones.
I started hearing rumors about Apple iPod Shuffle 2 GB and 4 GB being secretly developed. Supposedly, they were going to be released in Auguse/September and have a small screen. The product finally arrived, but it is named iPod Nano. It is compact, stylish, has a color screen and capacities of 2 or 4 GB. It is available in black or wite color. Unlike the iPod Mini, it is not hard-drive based but uses flash memory just like the iPod shuffle. The result is good battery life, compact size, faster operation and better expected reliability and durability.
I bought the iPod Nano about two weeks ago and can now report about my experience with it. This review is about Apple iPod Nano 2 GB in black color.
What is iPod Nano?
The iPod Nano is a miniature MP3 player that is compact, thin, has a color screen, a click wheel and stores songs in the MP3, AAC, protected AAC (from iTunes store or compressed with iTunes) or WAV format in the internal flash memory. There are 2-Gygabyte and 4-Gygabyte versions of it and both came in black or white color.
The Nano is compact, stylish and easy to use.
What's in the Box?
The box contains the iPod Nano, the small headphones (earbuds), a USB cable and a bracket for connecting your ipod to optional accessories. It also contains the CD with software (iTunes), the black pads that you can put over the earbuds and the manual.
Keep in mind that even with black iPod Nano you get white headphones. Unfortunately, this is not the only problem with the supplied headphones.
Manuals
The manual is rather short, yet very descriptive. I started using the iPod without reading the manual first and was able to figure out how to use it. Mostly. The bottom line here is if you have used an iPod or another MP3 player, there will not be much to learn. And if you did not, you will learn in no time.
iPod Nano Controls
The iPod Nano has compact rectangular shape and is made of smooth black or white plastic (mine is black). The back panel is stylish metal. The player is very compact and lightweight without feeling cheap. The front panel houses bright color LCD screen in the upper part and a circular control cluster with Play/Pause button at the bottom, Skip Back and Skip Forward buttons left and right of it, Menu on top and the unnamed Center button in the middle.
The player is locked or unlocked by sliding the small HOLD switch on the top panel. The bottom panel houses the USB port and the standard 3.5mm headphone jack. The player is so slim that the headphone jack takes up almost the entire width of the bottom panel. I find the fact that the headphone jack is at the bottom slightly inconvenient, but I am sure it would have been impossible to place it on the top panel like in Shuffle, since the LCD screen takes up all the internal space there.
The Skip Forward and Skip Back buttons skip to the next or previous song. When held, they fast forward or backward within the song.
The MENU button lets you go to the previous menu level. The PLAY/PAUSE button lets you start or resume playback, pause it or turn the player off if depressed for several seconds.
The payer also features so-called click wheel. You can place your finger on any area within the outer control circle and move it clockwise or counter-clockwise to scroll through the menu items, change the volume while the song is playing or jump to any point within the song. A very cool feature!
Software Installation
The CD with software auto-starts when inserted into the CD-ROM (or in my case, DVD-ROM) drive. After the software installation (the iTunes software), which only takes a couple of minutes, you can connect the iPod and start loading tunes.
The system requirements are as follows: Mac or PC with a USB 2.0 port, Mac OS X v10.3.4 or later, Windows 2000 SP4 or Windows XP SP2.
In my case (Windows 2000 SP4), the reboot was required after the software installation and I had to register with Apple and enter the iPod's serial number (found on the iPod itself as well as on the outer carton box). Overall, the software installation was uneventful, but after that I was offered to download an updated version of thereof from the Apple web site. Which I did.
Connectivity
The iPod Nano has an wide exposed connection port. The supplied USB cable plugs into the port with some effort and you have to squeeze the ends of it to take it out.
Battery and Charging
The iPod Nano has an internal battery that recharges while the iPod is connected to the powered USB port. When I connected to my computer, the LCD screen illuminated and the icon that indicates charging appeared. My Nano came charged about 80%. I still followed Apple's recommendation and fully charged it.
You can (according to Apple) have up to 14 hours of continuous playback time on one charge. I went hiking last weekend and had the Nano on for 5 hours non-stop and the battery indicator still showed more than half of the battery life remaining.
Music Transfer
You can select an option in the iTunes software that makes the iTunes automatically start once the iPod is connected. The iTunes software looks cute and is easy to use. The iPod appears as one of the folders in the left pane of iTunes and you can drag and drop the songs you want from the Library folder that represents your music library. And unlike the earlier iTunes and the iPod Shuffle, you can drag MP3 files directly from your hard drive or any other drive onto your iPod in iTunes without placing them first into your music library.
As soon as you drag and drop the songs, the data processing and transfer to iPod starts. The message is also telling you that you cannot disconnect the iPod at this stage (for obvious reasons).
The LCD display on the iPod also tells you not to disconnect the Nano.
The iPod Nano supports USB 2.0 Hi-Speed and files are copied very fast. I copied almost 2 GB of music and discovered that the Nano has the transfer speed of about 5 Megabytes per second. This means that it takes about 12-15 seconds to transfer an average album of music.
The iPod 2GB version can fit a little less than 2 GB of music, since in addition to actual files, there are several folders created and files with information about each song are written. Depending on song length and the bit rate, you can fit anywhere from 500 songs (at 128 kbps bit rate) to 250 songs (if you want better sound quality and use, say 256 kbps VBR). You can select the default compression method and bit-rate in iTunes settings (for CD ripping).
The Nano supports Variable Bit Rate (VBR) for better sound quality at the same bit rate as CBR (Constant Bit Rate). It also supports AAC, Audible format 2-4, Apple lossless, protected AAC, AIFF and WAV.
Sound Quality
The sound quality is very important to me. The iPod Nano did not disappoint. It is difficult to expect much from the compact device that comes with small earbuds and is used with MP3. But even with the supplied earbuds, the music sounded good. The earbuds definitely lacked bass and sounded bright overall with slight metallic treble, but the imaging was good, the clarity was very good as well.
Of course, the single most significant improvement to the sound of any MP3 player is replacing the stock headphones. You do not even have to spend a lot to get better sound. I replaced the stock Apple headphones with the Koss KSC75, which is a larger headphone that is attached to your ear with a clip that curves around it. I also tried the iPod with large enclosed Sennheiser HD202. Neither of these headphones costs more than $20, but both improve the sound dramatically. With both, the bass appeared along with warmer, more natural sound. The MP3 decoding quality was good and approached CD quality at higher bit rates, although at 128 kbps there was slight lack of treble. But that was expected because of the low bit rate and no player would be able to do much better.
The supplied earbuds look stylish (even though they do not match my Nano's color), but putting the supplied black felt pads on them was a pain. They are also quite big for earbuds. Overall, I am pleased with the Nano’s sound, especially paired with better headphones than the ones supplied. The imaging was great, the noise non-existent and the frequency response seems to be excellent. Furthermore, unlike my previous Philips player, the Nano can play very loud, even with aftermarket headphones, which is not always the case with other players. My Philips was lacking in volume department when the headphones other than stock were used.
The Nano has an equalizer with multiple effective presets, but I do not use it since the MP3s I have are usually of good quality (ripped from CDs or downloaded from a paid web site). The supplied headphones are decent enough to require no equalization and the aftermarket once are even better.
Skip Protection
The iPod Nano needs no skip protection as it has no mechanical parts and will not skip.
LCD
The Nano has a bright colorful 1.5-inch LCD display. The screen has a bright backlight and features nice color scheme. It is visible in sunlight and fits a lot of information.
The Coolness of the Click Wheel
The click wheel functionality is really cool. Although there is no actual wheel of any kind, you place your finger on the outer circle of controls and move it clockwise or counterclockwise to scroll through the menu items. adjust the volume or move to any point within the song.
The tactile response of the controls is excellent, including the click wheel. And the Nano makes a short chirping sound when you push some buttons, which is a great confirmation as well.
Durability
I have not concerns with durability, aside from the fact that the front panel seem to scratch easily and those small scratches are visible on the black iPod Nano's body much better than on the white one. It is a concern to me, but as long as the rest of the player works, I am fine with that.
As of 03/2009, after 3.5 years of use, this iPod Nano still works as new.
Summary
I like the iPod Nano a lot and will keep it. It is stylish, compact, does not skip, provides excellent volume, sound quality and battery life, needs no charger, has useful hold functionality, comes with good software and is easy to use. The things I did not like in iPod Shuffle were improved as well.
The Nano 2 GB has decent capacity, but it still cannot hold your entire music library but its compact size and low weight make up for it. It is also easy and pleasant to use.
I highly recommend the iPod Nano 2 GB. It is an excellent choice in the 2 GB portable music player category.
After playing with a 512-Megabyte Apple iPod Shuffle, and a 1-Gb iPod Shuffle, I got myself a higher-capacity MP3 player: 2-Gb Philips HDD077. Unfortunately, the Philips had a couple of problems. It was slow in operation, slow in music transfer and could not play loud enough for good aftermarket headphones.
I started hearing rumors about Apple iPod Shuffle 2 GB and 4 GB being secretly developed. Supposedly, they were going to be released in Auguse/September and have a small screen. The product finally arrived, but it is named iPod Nano. It is compact, stylish, has a color screen and capacities of 2 or 4 GB. It is available in black or wite color. Unlike the iPod Mini, it is not hard-drive based but uses flash memory just like the iPod shuffle. The result is good battery life, compact size, faster operation and better expected reliability and durability.
I bought the iPod Nano about two weeks ago and can now report about my experience with it. This review is about Apple iPod Nano 2 GB in black color.
What is iPod Nano?
The iPod Nano is a miniature MP3 player that is compact, thin, has a color screen, a click wheel and stores songs in the MP3, AAC, protected AAC (from iTunes store or compressed with iTunes) or WAV format in the internal flash memory. There are 2-Gygabyte and 4-Gygabyte versions of it and both came in black or white color.
The Nano is compact, stylish and easy to use.
What's in the Box?
The box contains the iPod Nano, the small headphones (earbuds), a USB cable and a bracket for connecting your ipod to optional accessories. It also contains the CD with software (iTunes), the black pads that you can put over the earbuds and the manual.
Keep in mind that even with black iPod Nano you get white headphones. Unfortunately, this is not the only problem with the supplied headphones.
Manuals
The manual is rather short, yet very descriptive. I started using the iPod without reading the manual first and was able to figure out how to use it. Mostly. The bottom line here is if you have used an iPod or another MP3 player, there will not be much to learn. And if you did not, you will learn in no time.
iPod Nano Controls
The iPod Nano has compact rectangular shape and is made of smooth black or white plastic (mine is black). The back panel is stylish metal. The player is very compact and lightweight without feeling cheap. The front panel houses bright color LCD screen in the upper part and a circular control cluster with Play/Pause button at the bottom, Skip Back and Skip Forward buttons left and right of it, Menu on top and the unnamed Center button in the middle.
The player is locked or unlocked by sliding the small HOLD switch on the top panel. The bottom panel houses the USB port and the standard 3.5mm headphone jack. The player is so slim that the headphone jack takes up almost the entire width of the bottom panel. I find the fact that the headphone jack is at the bottom slightly inconvenient, but I am sure it would have been impossible to place it on the top panel like in Shuffle, since the LCD screen takes up all the internal space there.
The Skip Forward and Skip Back buttons skip to the next or previous song. When held, they fast forward or backward within the song.
The MENU button lets you go to the previous menu level. The PLAY/PAUSE button lets you start or resume playback, pause it or turn the player off if depressed for several seconds.
The payer also features so-called click wheel. You can place your finger on any area within the outer control circle and move it clockwise or counter-clockwise to scroll through the menu items, change the volume while the song is playing or jump to any point within the song. A very cool feature!
Software Installation
The CD with software auto-starts when inserted into the CD-ROM (or in my case, DVD-ROM) drive. After the software installation (the iTunes software), which only takes a couple of minutes, you can connect the iPod and start loading tunes.
The system requirements are as follows: Mac or PC with a USB 2.0 port, Mac OS X v10.3.4 or later, Windows 2000 SP4 or Windows XP SP2.
In my case (Windows 2000 SP4), the reboot was required after the software installation and I had to register with Apple and enter the iPod's serial number (found on the iPod itself as well as on the outer carton box). Overall, the software installation was uneventful, but after that I was offered to download an updated version of thereof from the Apple web site. Which I did.
Connectivity
The iPod Nano has an wide exposed connection port. The supplied USB cable plugs into the port with some effort and you have to squeeze the ends of it to take it out.
Battery and Charging
The iPod Nano has an internal battery that recharges while the iPod is connected to the powered USB port. When I connected to my computer, the LCD screen illuminated and the icon that indicates charging appeared. My Nano came charged about 80%. I still followed Apple's recommendation and fully charged it.
You can (according to Apple) have up to 14 hours of continuous playback time on one charge. I went hiking last weekend and had the Nano on for 5 hours non-stop and the battery indicator still showed more than half of the battery life remaining.
Music Transfer
You can select an option in the iTunes software that makes the iTunes automatically start once the iPod is connected. The iTunes software looks cute and is easy to use. The iPod appears as one of the folders in the left pane of iTunes and you can drag and drop the songs you want from the Library folder that represents your music library. And unlike the earlier iTunes and the iPod Shuffle, you can drag MP3 files directly from your hard drive or any other drive onto your iPod in iTunes without placing them first into your music library.
As soon as you drag and drop the songs, the data processing and transfer to iPod starts. The message is also telling you that you cannot disconnect the iPod at this stage (for obvious reasons).
The LCD display on the iPod also tells you not to disconnect the Nano.
The iPod Nano supports USB 2.0 Hi-Speed and files are copied very fast. I copied almost 2 GB of music and discovered that the Nano has the transfer speed of about 5 Megabytes per second. This means that it takes about 12-15 seconds to transfer an average album of music.
The iPod 2GB version can fit a little less than 2 GB of music, since in addition to actual files, there are several folders created and files with information about each song are written. Depending on song length and the bit rate, you can fit anywhere from 500 songs (at 128 kbps bit rate) to 250 songs (if you want better sound quality and use, say 256 kbps VBR). You can select the default compression method and bit-rate in iTunes settings (for CD ripping).
The Nano supports Variable Bit Rate (VBR) for better sound quality at the same bit rate as CBR (Constant Bit Rate). It also supports AAC, Audible format 2-4, Apple lossless, protected AAC, AIFF and WAV.
Sound Quality
The sound quality is very important to me. The iPod Nano did not disappoint. It is difficult to expect much from the compact device that comes with small earbuds and is used with MP3. But even with the supplied earbuds, the music sounded good. The earbuds definitely lacked bass and sounded bright overall with slight metallic treble, but the imaging was good, the clarity was very good as well.
Of course, the single most significant improvement to the sound of any MP3 player is replacing the stock headphones. You do not even have to spend a lot to get better sound. I replaced the stock Apple headphones with the Koss KSC75, which is a larger headphone that is attached to your ear with a clip that curves around it. I also tried the iPod with large enclosed Sennheiser HD202. Neither of these headphones costs more than $20, but both improve the sound dramatically. With both, the bass appeared along with warmer, more natural sound. The MP3 decoding quality was good and approached CD quality at higher bit rates, although at 128 kbps there was slight lack of treble. But that was expected because of the low bit rate and no player would be able to do much better.
The supplied earbuds look stylish (even though they do not match my Nano's color), but putting the supplied black felt pads on them was a pain. They are also quite big for earbuds. Overall, I am pleased with the Nano’s sound, especially paired with better headphones than the ones supplied. The imaging was great, the noise non-existent and the frequency response seems to be excellent. Furthermore, unlike my previous Philips player, the Nano can play very loud, even with aftermarket headphones, which is not always the case with other players. My Philips was lacking in volume department when the headphones other than stock were used.
The Nano has an equalizer with multiple effective presets, but I do not use it since the MP3s I have are usually of good quality (ripped from CDs or downloaded from a paid web site). The supplied headphones are decent enough to require no equalization and the aftermarket once are even better.
Skip Protection
The iPod Nano needs no skip protection as it has no mechanical parts and will not skip.
LCD
The Nano has a bright colorful 1.5-inch LCD display. The screen has a bright backlight and features nice color scheme. It is visible in sunlight and fits a lot of information.
The Coolness of the Click Wheel
The click wheel functionality is really cool. Although there is no actual wheel of any kind, you place your finger on the outer circle of controls and move it clockwise or counterclockwise to scroll through the menu items. adjust the volume or move to any point within the song.
The tactile response of the controls is excellent, including the click wheel. And the Nano makes a short chirping sound when you push some buttons, which is a great confirmation as well.
Durability
I have not concerns with durability, aside from the fact that the front panel seem to scratch easily and those small scratches are visible on the black iPod Nano's body much better than on the white one. It is a concern to me, but as long as the rest of the player works, I am fine with that.
As of 03/2009, after 3.5 years of use, this iPod Nano still works as new.
Pros:Compact, stylish, no moving parts, excellent sound and volume, fast transfer, battery life
Cons:Price is a bit high, 2 GB capacity might not be enough for some, scratches
Summary
I like the iPod Nano a lot and will keep it. It is stylish, compact, does not skip, provides excellent volume, sound quality and battery life, needs no charger, has useful hold functionality, comes with good software and is easy to use. The things I did not like in iPod Shuffle were improved as well.
The Nano 2 GB has decent capacity, but it still cannot hold your entire music library but its compact size and low weight make up for it. It is also easy and pleasant to use.
I highly recommend the iPod Nano 2 GB. It is an excellent choice in the 2 GB portable music player category.
Kodak EasyShare V530 5-Megapixel Digital Camera - Fast and Easy to Use
Note: the below was originally written in 2005.
I was able to get the Kodak EasyShare V530 for $220 online. The V530 is a 5-Megapixel digital camera, which is pretty similar to the 5-Megapixel Kodak EasyShare V550 I had earlier, aside from the smaller LCD screen and less flashy design. The V530 is available in Black, Silver, Red and Pink colors.
What Is Kodak EasyShare V530?
The Kodak EasyShare V530 a compact 5-Megapixel digital camera with 3x SCHNEIDER-KREUZNACH C-VARIOGON optical zoom (36-108 mm equivalent), 2-inch LCD screen with 230,000 pixels, powered by a compact rechargeable battery.
The camera stores pictures and videos (MPEG-4, up to 640x480 resolution) on Secure Digital (SD) memory cards or its built-in memory (16MB) and features a USB connection to PC and Mac computers. It is also compatible with Kodak EasyShare camera and printer docks. The cables, software, rechargeable battery and docking station are included.
The camera comes with a cool-looking Kodak EasyShare Photo Frame 2 dock, which can be used to transfer images to your computer as well as to recharge the camera battery pack. The camera lacks a viewfinder (it only has a 2-inch high-resolution LCD screen).
Getting Started
The camera I got is black in color. The camera and its accessories are well-made from high-quality materials. The V530 is pretty compact. The back side of the camera has a large 2-inch LCD screen, zoom control, control buttons and menu controls with a blue translucent OK button in the middle.
The V530 looks nice and stylish. It is miniature yet feels sturdy. It has a retractable lens that extends and has a lens cover that opens when the camera is powered on. When the camera is powered off, the lens retracts and the lens lid closes. The on/off button is on the top deck as well as a shutter release button and some other buttons.
They include a flash mode button, which lets you adjust the flash setting quickly.
The bottom of the camera has a threaded tripod mount as well as a battery compartment lid. The lid is sturdy. The bottom also has the connector for the camera dock.
The side has a DC power input. The other side has a slot for an SD card. I inserted the supplied rechargeable battery pack into the camera (it was charged), inserted my Kingston Elite Pro SD memory card and was ready to shoot.
Usage
The V530 is easy to use. Its menu system is rather easy to use, but is arranged in a slightly unconventional manner. I have not read the manual, but was able to use the camera and all its features immediately.
The camera can be used by any member of the family and by photographers of all levels of expertise from novices to advanced ones (albeit with not much control over the shutter speed or aperture). The camera comes pre-set to Auto mode, in which you have no need to adjust settings. You do not have to do anything other than point and shoot - the camera takes care of the rest.
Just as with any other compact digital camera you press the shutter release button halfway to make camera focus and the camera beeps to indicate it focused. Then you take the picture by pressing the shutter release button all the way. As easy as it gets.
If you want more control, you can select Portrait or one of the Scene modes. The camera also uses the menu down arrow button to switch to Macro or Landscape mode. The flash mode selection is available at a push of a button on the top deck. More on flash performance later.
Tripod Mount
The camera has a metal tripod mount. It is useful if you want to take macro pictures or pictures with long exposures (e.g. nighttime). The camera has a timer, which you should use to avoid blurry images when the camera is on the tripod.
LCD
The camera has a large 2-inch LCD screen. There is no viewfinder. The LCD coverage as about 100% - you can see exactly what will be recorded. The screen is fluid, has high resolution and works well in dark conditions.
Computer Connectivity
You can use the dock supplied with the camera and its USB connector to transfer pictures to your computer. You can also remove the SD memory card and use a memory card reader (if you have one). I used my memory card reader for data transfer.
Docking Station
The camera comes with a stylish and functional docking station. It lets you charge the camera's battery and provides easy USB connectivity to your computer. The docking station is well built and has a button that lets you do a slide show on your camera while the camera is attached.
Color Settings
The V530 has several color saturation settings that let you make the colors more or less saturated. I found that the default setting worked well.
Performance
The V530 takes about 3 seconds to power itself on and extend its lens in shooting mode. The camera can capture images at about 2.5 per second in burst mode (using the Kingston Elite Pro SD memory card). In single-frame mode, the camera could snap pictures as fast as I could push the shutter release button - about 1-1.5 seconds per picture, which is very fast. The focusing takes less than a second, at both wide angle and telephoto (focusing at telephoto is a little slower than at wide angle, but still under a second).
The zooming from wide angle to telephoto (or back) feels a bit slow and takes about three seconds. I find the 3x optical zoom of this camera sufficient for most situations.
The shutter lag, when pre-focused, is almost nonexistent. The camera has a flash recycle time of about 4 seconds, but unlike most of the other cameras, it will allow you to take a picture even if the flash was not fully charged. The result is faster shooting, but you may end up with some underexposed photos.
Battery Life
I have not tested the battery life, but took more than 50 pictures and the low battery warning has not appeared yet. I estimate that you should be able to take about 150-200 photos on one charge.
Flash
The flash has good power and uniform coverage. The recycle time is in 4-5 second range, which is pretty good.
Image Quality
The V530 features excellent photo quality. The automatic white balance system works well. The photos are well-exposed, sharp, contrasty and richly-colored. The lens of the camera exhibits slight blurring in corners, which is not a big issue. This will be mostly unnoticeable in printed pictures since corners normally don't make it to the print due to the aspect ratio difference and other factors.
There is some chromatic aberration (purple fringing) in the areas of high contrast, especially at wide angle, but it is not very noticeable and not uncommon.
Image Noise
The V530 is no different that most of compact digital cameras. The noise is low at lower ISO (80-100) and increases as the sensitivity goes up. The photos at ISO 400 are suitable up for prints of up to 7x5 and look sharp at 4x6. The camera lets you use ISO 800 at 1.8-Megapixel resolution only, which is only good for web or email photos. At ISO 80-100, you can print your photos at up to 11x14 inches with good detail level and sharpness and even print 13x19-inch wall-mountable (softer-looking) prints.
How Does It Compare To Kodak EasyShare V550?
The 5-Megapixel Kodak EasyShare V550 has a larger screen (2.5-inch), an optical zooming viewfinder, comes with 32MB of onboard memory and has fancier-looking laser-cut buttons on its top panel. Its burst mode is 3 fps.
Bottom Line
The Kodak EasyShare V530 is a very good choice if you want a compact digital camera with high resolution and fast operation. It is well-built, easy to use, comes with useful accessories and has excellent performance. Make sure you get an SD memory card, unless you already have one. The built-in memory is only enough for testing the camera.
I was able to get the Kodak EasyShare V530 for $220 online. The V530 is a 5-Megapixel digital camera, which is pretty similar to the 5-Megapixel Kodak EasyShare V550 I had earlier, aside from the smaller LCD screen and less flashy design. The V530 is available in Black, Silver, Red and Pink colors.
What Is Kodak EasyShare V530?
The Kodak EasyShare V530 a compact 5-Megapixel digital camera with 3x SCHNEIDER-KREUZNACH C-VARIOGON optical zoom (36-108 mm equivalent), 2-inch LCD screen with 230,000 pixels, powered by a compact rechargeable battery.
The camera stores pictures and videos (MPEG-4, up to 640x480 resolution) on Secure Digital (SD) memory cards or its built-in memory (16MB) and features a USB connection to PC and Mac computers. It is also compatible with Kodak EasyShare camera and printer docks. The cables, software, rechargeable battery and docking station are included.
The camera comes with a cool-looking Kodak EasyShare Photo Frame 2 dock, which can be used to transfer images to your computer as well as to recharge the camera battery pack. The camera lacks a viewfinder (it only has a 2-inch high-resolution LCD screen).
Getting Started
The camera I got is black in color. The camera and its accessories are well-made from high-quality materials. The V530 is pretty compact. The back side of the camera has a large 2-inch LCD screen, zoom control, control buttons and menu controls with a blue translucent OK button in the middle.
The V530 looks nice and stylish. It is miniature yet feels sturdy. It has a retractable lens that extends and has a lens cover that opens when the camera is powered on. When the camera is powered off, the lens retracts and the lens lid closes. The on/off button is on the top deck as well as a shutter release button and some other buttons.
They include a flash mode button, which lets you adjust the flash setting quickly.
The bottom of the camera has a threaded tripod mount as well as a battery compartment lid. The lid is sturdy. The bottom also has the connector for the camera dock.
The side has a DC power input. The other side has a slot for an SD card. I inserted the supplied rechargeable battery pack into the camera (it was charged), inserted my Kingston Elite Pro SD memory card and was ready to shoot.
Usage
The V530 is easy to use. Its menu system is rather easy to use, but is arranged in a slightly unconventional manner. I have not read the manual, but was able to use the camera and all its features immediately.
The camera can be used by any member of the family and by photographers of all levels of expertise from novices to advanced ones (albeit with not much control over the shutter speed or aperture). The camera comes pre-set to Auto mode, in which you have no need to adjust settings. You do not have to do anything other than point and shoot - the camera takes care of the rest.
Just as with any other compact digital camera you press the shutter release button halfway to make camera focus and the camera beeps to indicate it focused. Then you take the picture by pressing the shutter release button all the way. As easy as it gets.
If you want more control, you can select Portrait or one of the Scene modes. The camera also uses the menu down arrow button to switch to Macro or Landscape mode. The flash mode selection is available at a push of a button on the top deck. More on flash performance later.
Tripod Mount
The camera has a metal tripod mount. It is useful if you want to take macro pictures or pictures with long exposures (e.g. nighttime). The camera has a timer, which you should use to avoid blurry images when the camera is on the tripod.
LCD
The camera has a large 2-inch LCD screen. There is no viewfinder. The LCD coverage as about 100% - you can see exactly what will be recorded. The screen is fluid, has high resolution and works well in dark conditions.
Computer Connectivity
You can use the dock supplied with the camera and its USB connector to transfer pictures to your computer. You can also remove the SD memory card and use a memory card reader (if you have one). I used my memory card reader for data transfer.
Docking Station
The camera comes with a stylish and functional docking station. It lets you charge the camera's battery and provides easy USB connectivity to your computer. The docking station is well built and has a button that lets you do a slide show on your camera while the camera is attached.
Color Settings
The V530 has several color saturation settings that let you make the colors more or less saturated. I found that the default setting worked well.
Performance
The V530 takes about 3 seconds to power itself on and extend its lens in shooting mode. The camera can capture images at about 2.5 per second in burst mode (using the Kingston Elite Pro SD memory card). In single-frame mode, the camera could snap pictures as fast as I could push the shutter release button - about 1-1.5 seconds per picture, which is very fast. The focusing takes less than a second, at both wide angle and telephoto (focusing at telephoto is a little slower than at wide angle, but still under a second).
The zooming from wide angle to telephoto (or back) feels a bit slow and takes about three seconds. I find the 3x optical zoom of this camera sufficient for most situations.
The shutter lag, when pre-focused, is almost nonexistent. The camera has a flash recycle time of about 4 seconds, but unlike most of the other cameras, it will allow you to take a picture even if the flash was not fully charged. The result is faster shooting, but you may end up with some underexposed photos.
Battery Life
I have not tested the battery life, but took more than 50 pictures and the low battery warning has not appeared yet. I estimate that you should be able to take about 150-200 photos on one charge.
Flash
The flash has good power and uniform coverage. The recycle time is in 4-5 second range, which is pretty good.
Image Quality
The V530 features excellent photo quality. The automatic white balance system works well. The photos are well-exposed, sharp, contrasty and richly-colored. The lens of the camera exhibits slight blurring in corners, which is not a big issue. This will be mostly unnoticeable in printed pictures since corners normally don't make it to the print due to the aspect ratio difference and other factors.
There is some chromatic aberration (purple fringing) in the areas of high contrast, especially at wide angle, but it is not very noticeable and not uncommon.
Image Noise
The V530 is no different that most of compact digital cameras. The noise is low at lower ISO (80-100) and increases as the sensitivity goes up. The photos at ISO 400 are suitable up for prints of up to 7x5 and look sharp at 4x6. The camera lets you use ISO 800 at 1.8-Megapixel resolution only, which is only good for web or email photos. At ISO 80-100, you can print your photos at up to 11x14 inches with good detail level and sharpness and even print 13x19-inch wall-mountable (softer-looking) prints.
How Does It Compare To Kodak EasyShare V550?
The 5-Megapixel Kodak EasyShare V550 has a larger screen (2.5-inch), an optical zooming viewfinder, comes with 32MB of onboard memory and has fancier-looking laser-cut buttons on its top panel. Its burst mode is 3 fps.
Pros:Build quality, features, supplied accessories, performance, photo quality, resolution
Cons:Some chromatic aberration, no viewfinder
Bottom Line
The Kodak EasyShare V530 is a very good choice if you want a compact digital camera with high resolution and fast operation. It is well-built, easy to use, comes with useful accessories and has excellent performance. Make sure you get an SD memory card, unless you already have one. The built-in memory is only enough for testing the camera.
Panasonic Lumix® DMC-LZ5 Digital 6-Megapixel Camera wtih 6x Stabilized Optical Zoom
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ5 is a 6-Megapixel update to the 5-Megapixel
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ3. It has a larger 2.5-inch LCD screen, movie mode
with sound and the same powerful 6x optical stabilized zoom.
What is Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ5
Available black and silver color (LZ5K and LZ5S respectively), the LZ5 is a compact 6-megapixel digital camera with a 6x optical (37-222 mm equivalent focal length) f/2.8-4.5 zoom lens, optical image stabilization, 2.5-inch LCD screen. The camera is powered by 2 AA batteries (disposable Alkaline or rechargeable NiMH, disposable Panasonic Oxyride included).
The camera records images on Secure Digital cards (SD cards) and has 14 MB of built-in memory to get you started. It can record video at 640x480 or 320x240 resolution at 30 or 10 fps, with movie length limited by capacity of the memory card only.
The camera features extended sensitivity mode (ISO 800-1600), excellent LCD visibility in sunlight or darkness, autofocus-assist light and fast focusing. The LCD also has a special mode that increases its effective angle of view.
Getting Started
The camera arrived in a compact box that also contains manuals, accessories and a CD with software. You can use the supplied Panasonic Oxyride batteries that have higher voltage than NiMH or Alkaline batteries and should last, according to Panasonic, up to 235 photos. The battery polarity is well-marked, but even so I managed to insert the batteries incorrectly once. The camera did not power on, so I opened the battery compartment lid and replaced the batteries. The camera worked after that, of course.
Once my NiMH batteries were inserted, I discovered that the camera thinks that there is not much charge left in them. Turns out you need to go to the setup menu and select the proper battery type for the battery status indicator to work properly. The camera comes preset to use the supplied Oxyride batteries, which have a voltage of 1.7-Volt. Since Alkaline batteries are 1.5 V and NiMH are only 1.2 V, the camera might give you an incorrect reading of the estimated remaining battery life. Once I switched it to Alakaline/NiMH mode, the battery status indicator started showing the correct information.
I also inserted my own SD card to avoid using the built-in memory of the camera (there is only 14 MB of it anyway). The camera has three separate lids for the memory card, batteries and jacks (A/V/USB, DC power).
Power
The camera uses two AA-sized batteries. You can use disposable ones (Alkaline, Panasonic Oxyride) or rechargeable NiMH. You can select in the menu what kind of batteries you are using (rechargeable or Oxyride) and the camera will show you battery status information based on your selection.
The camera comes with two disposable 1.7V Panasonic Oxyride batteries. The Oxyride batteries provide (according to Panasonic) enough energy for about 235 shots. I used my old 1600 mAh NiMH rechargeable Panasonic batteries and took more than 90 pictures with no sign of batteries being even partially discharged. You should be able to take more than 300 pictures on one set of high-capacity (2100 mAh) rechargeable NiMH batteries. I suggest that you get at least one set of two NiMH AA batteries and a charger.
Usage
The camera is quite small for its impressive 6x optical zoom and features (e.g. optical image stabilization). But it is not as compact as the cameras of Canon Digital Elph line (e.g. SD450, SD550, etc.) There is no comparison though as Canon Elph cameras have much lower-powered optical zoom, no image stabilization and use proprietary batteries that do not last as long. The LZ5 feels solid in your hand and is convenient to hold. It is not too light and not too heavy at the same time. It is also compact enough to be placed in the knee pocket of the pants or shorts, a purse or bag.
The LZ5 has a convenient hand grip and its zoom control as well the shutter release button are located within easy reach. Other controls are conveniently located as well. The camera features a rotating mode dial, which has the right feel to it. It is not too flimsy and not too stiff.
The camera has menus that are easy to use and colorful. I like Panasonic menus more than Canon or Sony menus, let alone Fuji menus.
Speed
The camera is fast in operation. After you slide the switch on the top deck to power it on, the lens extends and the lens lid opens automatically within about two seconds and you are ready to shoot. If you turn the camera on in the review mode, it powers on even faster as it does not need to extend the lens. When you turn the camera off, it retracts the lens and closes the lid in under two seconds.
When shooting, the shutter lag is virtually nonexistent when pre-focused (the camera takes the picture as soon as you press the shutter release button). The focusing time is very good (under a second at either wide angle or telephoto), even in the dimly-lit environments. The focus-assist light helps here, but the camera is fast even without it. You can select among several focusing modes, out of which I generally prefer the High-speed focusing modes.
In single-frame mode, the camera can takes photos at about 1.5-second intervals with no flash and 3-4 seconds with flash. There are several burst modes with the top mode letting you shoot at 3 fps for 6 frames. The continuous high-speed mode lets you shoot at 1.5 fps (frames per second) until the memory card is full.
LCD Screen
The LZ5 features a 2.5-inch LCD screen, but no viewfinder. It is difficult to make a compact optical viewfinder for a camera that has 6x optical zoom. That is why many cameras that have high-powered optical zooms use electronic viewfinders (EVF) or have no viewfinders at all. An EVF would add to the price and size of the LZ5, so it doesn't have one.
The LCD is fluid in bright light, slightly less so in dim light. It gains-up (increases brightness in dim light).
The 2.5-inch LCD screen is large, has good resolution and accurate 100% coverage. The LZ5 has good antireflective qualities and wide viewing angle as well. The way you use the wider viewing angle is quite unorthodox. You have to push and hold the "Display" button for one second, which makes the picture too bright when looking at it directly. But this makes it much better visible when viewed at an angle. You push the same button for one second to disengage this mode. The same Display button lets you show/hide a live histogram, or lines that split the screen in nine parts and help you compose the shot better.
Storage
The LZ5 has 14 MB of built-in memory to get you started and you can add to this amount by inserting a Secure Digital memory card (you have to buy them separately). The SD cards that camera uses are compact, sturdy and rather inexpensive.
I used my memory cards with it: SanDisk 512MB SECURE DIGITAL CARD and Kingston Elite Pro 512 MB 65x Secure Digital (SD) Card (SD/512-S).
The camera can take pictures at several resolutions up to 6-Megapixel photos. I usually set the camera to Fine mode to avoid artifacts in large prints. The mode dial has a dedicated Economy mode, which I never use.
Computer Connectivity
I have not used the USB connection in order to download the pictures from this camera, but used my memory card reader. But if you want to use the USB connection, the driver installation will not be required under Windows 2000 or later.
Features
The most important and semi-unique feature of the LZ5 are two modes of optical image stabilization (Mode 1 stabilizes the image when you pre-focus, Mode 2 does so only when the shutter is released, giving you better battery life and sharper pictures). The camera came pre-set to Mode 1, which I changed to Mode 2.
The camera has no real manual control, which is not a problem for me since it offers exposure compensation and bracketing and uses (as many other digital cameras) a two-step aperture. The camera selects between f/2.8 or f/5.6 at wide angle, between f/4.5 or f/9.0 at telephoto. It works pretty well.
You can select the full auto/easy mode, in which you only have to point and shoot. You can also select a scene mode from several provided (portrait, landscape, etc.) Or you can select a program mode and use exposure compensation and exposure bracketing. The camera shows you the aperture and shutter speed selected.
You can select the resolution (full 6 Megapixel and lower), ISO sensitivity (Auto, 80, 100, 200, 400, high sensitivity 800-1600), white balance, compression (Fine or Normal), color mode (standard, natural or vivid) and effects (B&W, Sepia, etc.)
The built-in flash has red-eye reduction mode and also can be disabled. The red-eye reduction proved effective (it uses a pre-flash). The camera has an orientation sensor and automatically rotates pictures taken with the camera in vertical position.
It also can show you a live histogram. The camera has a USB and A/V outs. Unlike 5-Megapixel LZ3, the LZ5 has sound recording during shooting video.
Zoom and OIS
The powerful 6x optical zoom, combined with optical image stabilization make this camera a lot of fun to use. You can zoom in to magnify subjects pretty far away and yet avoid blur when shooting handheld (optical image stabilization). Only OIS makes the 6x zoom (and higher) truly usable, at least without need to carry a tripod.
Image Quality
I usually take photos that contain all primary colors at different focal lengths, apertures and compression ratios. Some photos are taken outdoors, some indoors with and without flash.
Oftentimes, I take a bunch of photos from my balcony. Those photos features all colors: blue sky, green foliage, red curbs, yellow fire hydrant and cars of different colors.
Taking photos at different focal lengths and apertures reveals the camera's optical quality: corner sharpness, chromatic aberrations, overall sharpness.
Taking photos at different ISO settings shows how well a given camera can keep noise levels low in dim light. I mostly evaluate the image quality using my computer monitor, but I also print some photos at different sizes using either my printer or online services like Shutterfly, Snapfish and Sam's Club's online photo center.
I have used the LZ5 over several days in different lighting conditions and different modes. Overall, my experience was positive, but with some reservations. The camera produces sharp and richly-saturated photos. You can adjust the sharpness and saturation by selecting among the Standard, Natural or Vivid picture modes. I usually use Natural mode in Panasonic cameras and then adjust everything in Photoshop, but for printing with no adjustments, Standard mode works better.
Packaging the 6x optics into a compact body is not easy. Unlike most other Panasonic cameras, the LZ5 does not bear the Leica name on its lens. Is it because the optics is inferior to something we come to expect from Leica?
At wide angle, I could see small amounts of chromatic aberration (purple fringing), mostly in the corners. There is also some vignetting (corners are darker than the rest of the image) at wide angle. And the corners are slightly softer than the rest of the photo.
At telephoto, the corners are a bit softer than at wide angle. Aside from that, the image is sharp and the colors are pleasing and well-saturated. Will the corner issues be a concern to you? Probably not: the effects are not visible when printed at 6x4 or 5x7 since the amount of vignetting/softening is small and the corners of the frame are cut off due to a different aspect ratio of the print and the CCD. Overall, the camera produces solid picture quality that is not earth-shattering.
Noise
The image noise is virtually absent at ISO 80, appears in shadows at ISO 100, grows at ISO 200 and becomes worse at ISO 400. Still, ISO 400 prints look OK at 7x5 and 6x4-inch size. And ISO 80 pictures should enlarge well up to 13x19. The ISO 800-1600 noise is high. I see no reason to use it, since the image stabilization lets you shoot handheld at low ISO without introducing blur.
Bottom Line
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ5 is a very versatile 6-Megapixel camera with 6x optically stabilized zoom and a large 2.5-inch LCD. It is inexpensive, has long battery life, features fast operation and powerful zoom in such a compact body. It also uses 2 AA batteries - a rather economical solution (just get two NiMH rechargeable batteries and a charger).Overall, it is a great camera. And for its performance and features, it is rather cheap. I highly recommend it - it is an excellent choice for the money.
What is Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ5
Available black and silver color (LZ5K and LZ5S respectively), the LZ5 is a compact 6-megapixel digital camera with a 6x optical (37-222 mm equivalent focal length) f/2.8-4.5 zoom lens, optical image stabilization, 2.5-inch LCD screen. The camera is powered by 2 AA batteries (disposable Alkaline or rechargeable NiMH, disposable Panasonic Oxyride included).
The camera records images on Secure Digital cards (SD cards) and has 14 MB of built-in memory to get you started. It can record video at 640x480 or 320x240 resolution at 30 or 10 fps, with movie length limited by capacity of the memory card only.
The camera features extended sensitivity mode (ISO 800-1600), excellent LCD visibility in sunlight or darkness, autofocus-assist light and fast focusing. The LCD also has a special mode that increases its effective angle of view.
Getting Started
The camera arrived in a compact box that also contains manuals, accessories and a CD with software. You can use the supplied Panasonic Oxyride batteries that have higher voltage than NiMH or Alkaline batteries and should last, according to Panasonic, up to 235 photos. The battery polarity is well-marked, but even so I managed to insert the batteries incorrectly once. The camera did not power on, so I opened the battery compartment lid and replaced the batteries. The camera worked after that, of course.
Once my NiMH batteries were inserted, I discovered that the camera thinks that there is not much charge left in them. Turns out you need to go to the setup menu and select the proper battery type for the battery status indicator to work properly. The camera comes preset to use the supplied Oxyride batteries, which have a voltage of 1.7-Volt. Since Alkaline batteries are 1.5 V and NiMH are only 1.2 V, the camera might give you an incorrect reading of the estimated remaining battery life. Once I switched it to Alakaline/NiMH mode, the battery status indicator started showing the correct information.
I also inserted my own SD card to avoid using the built-in memory of the camera (there is only 14 MB of it anyway). The camera has three separate lids for the memory card, batteries and jacks (A/V/USB, DC power).
Power
The camera uses two AA-sized batteries. You can use disposable ones (Alkaline, Panasonic Oxyride) or rechargeable NiMH. You can select in the menu what kind of batteries you are using (rechargeable or Oxyride) and the camera will show you battery status information based on your selection.
The camera comes with two disposable 1.7V Panasonic Oxyride batteries. The Oxyride batteries provide (according to Panasonic) enough energy for about 235 shots. I used my old 1600 mAh NiMH rechargeable Panasonic batteries and took more than 90 pictures with no sign of batteries being even partially discharged. You should be able to take more than 300 pictures on one set of high-capacity (2100 mAh) rechargeable NiMH batteries. I suggest that you get at least one set of two NiMH AA batteries and a charger.
Usage
The camera is quite small for its impressive 6x optical zoom and features (e.g. optical image stabilization). But it is not as compact as the cameras of Canon Digital Elph line (e.g. SD450, SD550, etc.) There is no comparison though as Canon Elph cameras have much lower-powered optical zoom, no image stabilization and use proprietary batteries that do not last as long. The LZ5 feels solid in your hand and is convenient to hold. It is not too light and not too heavy at the same time. It is also compact enough to be placed in the knee pocket of the pants or shorts, a purse or bag.
The LZ5 has a convenient hand grip and its zoom control as well the shutter release button are located within easy reach. Other controls are conveniently located as well. The camera features a rotating mode dial, which has the right feel to it. It is not too flimsy and not too stiff.
The camera has menus that are easy to use and colorful. I like Panasonic menus more than Canon or Sony menus, let alone Fuji menus.
Speed
The camera is fast in operation. After you slide the switch on the top deck to power it on, the lens extends and the lens lid opens automatically within about two seconds and you are ready to shoot. If you turn the camera on in the review mode, it powers on even faster as it does not need to extend the lens. When you turn the camera off, it retracts the lens and closes the lid in under two seconds.
When shooting, the shutter lag is virtually nonexistent when pre-focused (the camera takes the picture as soon as you press the shutter release button). The focusing time is very good (under a second at either wide angle or telephoto), even in the dimly-lit environments. The focus-assist light helps here, but the camera is fast even without it. You can select among several focusing modes, out of which I generally prefer the High-speed focusing modes.
In single-frame mode, the camera can takes photos at about 1.5-second intervals with no flash and 3-4 seconds with flash. There are several burst modes with the top mode letting you shoot at 3 fps for 6 frames. The continuous high-speed mode lets you shoot at 1.5 fps (frames per second) until the memory card is full.
LCD Screen
The LZ5 features a 2.5-inch LCD screen, but no viewfinder. It is difficult to make a compact optical viewfinder for a camera that has 6x optical zoom. That is why many cameras that have high-powered optical zooms use electronic viewfinders (EVF) or have no viewfinders at all. An EVF would add to the price and size of the LZ5, so it doesn't have one.
The LCD is fluid in bright light, slightly less so in dim light. It gains-up (increases brightness in dim light).
The 2.5-inch LCD screen is large, has good resolution and accurate 100% coverage. The LZ5 has good antireflective qualities and wide viewing angle as well. The way you use the wider viewing angle is quite unorthodox. You have to push and hold the "Display" button for one second, which makes the picture too bright when looking at it directly. But this makes it much better visible when viewed at an angle. You push the same button for one second to disengage this mode. The same Display button lets you show/hide a live histogram, or lines that split the screen in nine parts and help you compose the shot better.
Storage
The LZ5 has 14 MB of built-in memory to get you started and you can add to this amount by inserting a Secure Digital memory card (you have to buy them separately). The SD cards that camera uses are compact, sturdy and rather inexpensive.
I used my memory cards with it: SanDisk 512MB SECURE DIGITAL CARD and Kingston Elite Pro 512 MB 65x Secure Digital (SD) Card (SD/512-S).
The camera can take pictures at several resolutions up to 6-Megapixel photos. I usually set the camera to Fine mode to avoid artifacts in large prints. The mode dial has a dedicated Economy mode, which I never use.
Computer Connectivity
I have not used the USB connection in order to download the pictures from this camera, but used my memory card reader. But if you want to use the USB connection, the driver installation will not be required under Windows 2000 or later.
Features
The most important and semi-unique feature of the LZ5 are two modes of optical image stabilization (Mode 1 stabilizes the image when you pre-focus, Mode 2 does so only when the shutter is released, giving you better battery life and sharper pictures). The camera came pre-set to Mode 1, which I changed to Mode 2.
The camera has no real manual control, which is not a problem for me since it offers exposure compensation and bracketing and uses (as many other digital cameras) a two-step aperture. The camera selects between f/2.8 or f/5.6 at wide angle, between f/4.5 or f/9.0 at telephoto. It works pretty well.
You can select the full auto/easy mode, in which you only have to point and shoot. You can also select a scene mode from several provided (portrait, landscape, etc.) Or you can select a program mode and use exposure compensation and exposure bracketing. The camera shows you the aperture and shutter speed selected.
You can select the resolution (full 6 Megapixel and lower), ISO sensitivity (Auto, 80, 100, 200, 400, high sensitivity 800-1600), white balance, compression (Fine or Normal), color mode (standard, natural or vivid) and effects (B&W, Sepia, etc.)
The built-in flash has red-eye reduction mode and also can be disabled. The red-eye reduction proved effective (it uses a pre-flash). The camera has an orientation sensor and automatically rotates pictures taken with the camera in vertical position.
It also can show you a live histogram. The camera has a USB and A/V outs. Unlike 5-Megapixel LZ3, the LZ5 has sound recording during shooting video.
Zoom and OIS
The powerful 6x optical zoom, combined with optical image stabilization make this camera a lot of fun to use. You can zoom in to magnify subjects pretty far away and yet avoid blur when shooting handheld (optical image stabilization). Only OIS makes the 6x zoom (and higher) truly usable, at least without need to carry a tripod.
Image Quality
I usually take photos that contain all primary colors at different focal lengths, apertures and compression ratios. Some photos are taken outdoors, some indoors with and without flash.
Oftentimes, I take a bunch of photos from my balcony. Those photos features all colors: blue sky, green foliage, red curbs, yellow fire hydrant and cars of different colors.
Taking photos at different focal lengths and apertures reveals the camera's optical quality: corner sharpness, chromatic aberrations, overall sharpness.
Taking photos at different ISO settings shows how well a given camera can keep noise levels low in dim light. I mostly evaluate the image quality using my computer monitor, but I also print some photos at different sizes using either my printer or online services like Shutterfly, Snapfish and Sam's Club's online photo center.
I have used the LZ5 over several days in different lighting conditions and different modes. Overall, my experience was positive, but with some reservations. The camera produces sharp and richly-saturated photos. You can adjust the sharpness and saturation by selecting among the Standard, Natural or Vivid picture modes. I usually use Natural mode in Panasonic cameras and then adjust everything in Photoshop, but for printing with no adjustments, Standard mode works better.
Packaging the 6x optics into a compact body is not easy. Unlike most other Panasonic cameras, the LZ5 does not bear the Leica name on its lens. Is it because the optics is inferior to something we come to expect from Leica?
At wide angle, I could see small amounts of chromatic aberration (purple fringing), mostly in the corners. There is also some vignetting (corners are darker than the rest of the image) at wide angle. And the corners are slightly softer than the rest of the photo.
At telephoto, the corners are a bit softer than at wide angle. Aside from that, the image is sharp and the colors are pleasing and well-saturated. Will the corner issues be a concern to you? Probably not: the effects are not visible when printed at 6x4 or 5x7 since the amount of vignetting/softening is small and the corners of the frame are cut off due to a different aspect ratio of the print and the CCD. Overall, the camera produces solid picture quality that is not earth-shattering.
Noise
The image noise is virtually absent at ISO 80, appears in shadows at ISO 100, grows at ISO 200 and becomes worse at ISO 400. Still, ISO 400 prints look OK at 7x5 and 6x4-inch size. And ISO 80 pictures should enlarge well up to 13x19. The ISO 800-1600 noise is high. I see no reason to use it, since the image stabilization lets you shoot handheld at low ISO without introducing blur.
Pros:6x optical stabilized zoom, uses 2 AA batteries, 2.5" LCD, features, performance, price
Cons:Slight vignetting and softening in corners of the frameBottom Line
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ5 is a very versatile 6-Megapixel camera with 6x optically stabilized zoom and a large 2.5-inch LCD. It is inexpensive, has long battery life, features fast operation and powerful zoom in such a compact body. It also uses 2 AA batteries - a rather economical solution (just get two NiMH rechargeable batteries and a charger).Overall, it is a great camera. And for its performance and features, it is rather cheap. I highly recommend it - it is an excellent choice for the money.
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