Reviews by richmond

richmond says "Clunky but amazing image quality" about Sigma SD14 Digital Camera

richmond — Thu, 21 May 2009 18:46:44 GMT

<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Geneva;">The Sigma Sd14 is a digital single-lens-reflex with interchangeable lenses. On first impression the Sigma SD14 is a big clunky camera; wider and taller than the Canon XTi, and XSi, and much much bigger than the Panasonic G1. However, it doesn’t feel extremely heavy which makes me think that it’s mostly plastic. It does give the overall feeling that it was designed for people with big hands, but in practice, while a fist-full, the controls fell nicely under my fingers—a comfortable grip that balances well. The 2.5 inch LCD screen, 150,000 pixels, is coarse and barely adequate for seeing the histogram and exposure info. The stop-down preview button is excellent, as is the QS (quick-set) button which makes it easy and fast to alter ISO, Format, and White Balance. The viewfinder is very clear and bright, and I really like Sigma’s choice of placement for the Drive and Mode Dials at top. I was surprised at how well-dampened...

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richmond says "Amazing image quality" about Sigma DP1 Digital Camera

richmond — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 01:31:25 GMT

The Sigma DP1 is a highly specialized tool for the artist/photographer and sports a very sharp 28mm (35mm equiv.) wide angle. It has no zoom (other than digital zoom). It is a great accessory camera that gives you the luxury of having a 28mm available without having to change lenses on your SLR.

Much has been written about the quality of its images and it is well-deserved. The images are amazingly beautiful. The colors seem “cleaner,” less muted. Interestingly though, Sigma has skimped on everything except image quality, like not having a built-in lens cover, image-stabilization, a viewfinder, or making the included pouch big enough to fit the accessory viewfinder, or a spring loaded battery cover, or a strong flash. Or generating a jpeg simultaneously along with RAW files. (Jpeg's are standard, but when set to RAW there is no jpeg generated, which means you can view it on the camera's LCD but not on the computer, unless you create a jpeg by processing it through their...

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richmond says "The smallest digital SLR for Pro results!" about Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1K Digital Camera with 14-45mm lens

richmond — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 19:41:59 GMT

The Panasonic DMC-G1 is light in weight and very responsive with a bright, highly detailed electronic viewfinder, and a flawless 3 inch tilt-able LCD monitor. The 14-45mm kit lens is very sharp, rendering excellently detailed images.

The G1 is a well-designed camera capable of producing amazing images effortlessly. However, if you thought that because the Panasonic G1 has no mirror box/prism mechanism it would be a noiseless vibration-free camera, you will be disappointed. The lens itself focuses silently but the G1 body is just as noisy and generates more vibration than the Canon EOS XTi(400D), although for all intents and purposes the vibration has no bearing on the sharpness of your photos, thanks to the MEGA O.I.S (optical image stabilizer).

A comparison of photos taken within seconds of each other (using the Panasonic G1, the compact Panasonic TZ-5, and the Canon XTi with 24-105mm f4L IS attached) and printed as 11x17 inch images showed surprising results: the sharp optics...

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richmond says "TZ5 with Leica lens is a winner!" about Panasonic - DMC-TZ5 Digital Camera

richmond — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 15:36:06 GMT

The Panasonic TZ5 is a small, fast, digital point-and-shoot with an amazing Leica 10x optical zoom, and a very clear 3 inch high-resolution (470,000 pixel) LCD screen.

The 10x Leica optical zoom (28mm-280mm equiv.) ranging from wide-angle to telephoto is a delight to use, showing no color fringing (truly surprising) that I could see, and amazing detail. The camera is replete with features such as image stabilization (two modes), metering modes, auto-focus modes, three aspects ratios (4:3, 3:2, and 16:9), and HD video.

Following action with people, animals or kids when zoomed-in is NOT easy since there is no viewfinder, but it is a great camera for landscapes, architecture, group shots, close-ups and family videos. The 28mm wide angle is very sharp. Zooming is smooth and speedy. Color rendition is beautiful.

AUTO program prioritizes shutter speed over lens opening (aperture) often setting it to the maximum, and SCENE modes change ISO (increasing noise) frequently to achieve its priority....

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