Stunning and Easy to use

I bought this camera about a month ago and have used it regularly since, I found it easy to use right out of the box and being a novice, I find that a real plus. The quality of the photos is quite superb, and being a 14.2 mp camera, it allows you to create some great prints given a good photo printer. My previous camera was also a Sony, but this beats it hands down. Once you have read the instruction book, you will find the camera has more than enough settings etc for even an experienced photographer but is also easy for the novice who wants to start by just using the automatic setting. I have now started to be more adventurous and have experimented with some of the more advanced features of the camera, but to do this you will need to read the manual.Overall a good buy and a good price on Amazon.

Does everything!

The Sony DSC-S40 Cyber-shot Digital Camera is perfect, small, easy to use and great for movies too! By far the best digital camera I have used and seen. Highly recommended!

Does what it says on the tin

I used to have a Canon Ixus and was forever forgetting how to use the different functions or to put the battery on charge. If this sounds like you, get the Kodak C310 and bundle it with a printer/dock. Fantastic - it's all in one place, charged up ready to go. Pictures are fast, superb quality cost about 29p each. Camera is a bit naff looking but really easy to use and the screen tells you in simple language what the different modes do. If you like cool, trick techy stuff forget it. If you like inexpensive functional stuff - get one.

Fantastic performance for the money

We bought this camera for our 10 yr old daughter and we've all been highly impressed by the results. There are excellent features for the money (4x optical zoom, use of AA batteries, auto-rotation of portrait images, in-camera panorama stitch, very easy to use, excellent Cannon software, optical viewfinder as well as LCD screen). The camera gives very good results indoors and outdoors on it's point and shoot mode, and there are a number of manual features accessible if you want them. Superb build quality - not the most compact model in the world and it is only 4MP, but in terms of value for money it is truly outstanding.

k20d a great bit of kit

The 14.6 MB and good lens resolution enables this camera to often capture detail that is simply not visible with the naked eye. The sensitivity setting at 3200 iso also has revealed interior detail (Italian church frescos) using only low levels of natural light better than I could actually see! - and the grain can be adjusted.
The large lcd screen and zoom by the rear dial enables quick review of images to check success or otherwise.
I upgraded to this camera from a Milota 6.5 MB digital (no longer produced) which performed well and had features in common. At first I wondered if I had done the right thing. I have now used the K20D for architectural photography and 2 weeks of snapping on holiday and I have no doubts - this camera is robust, intuitive in its menue layouts with button short cuts (you do need to learn these) and full of functionality (this makes it semi-professional - there is a lot you can do).
So far on enlargement of images I have seen no significant halo or interference along edges and colours appear natural.
The software and cable link to a laptop enables the camera to be drive remotely (useful for architectural photography).
A great bit of kit!
Niggles - not many -
It is rather heavy to carry around but I didn't want to be without it,
Sv on the function dial dosn't mean shutter priority but sensitivity (shutter priority is Tv I suppose this is best remembered as exposure time)
Live view nice idea but never use it.
It might be my camera but I have set exposure compensation to +0.5 or otherwise images are rather dark
The linked software for use on laptop dosn't enable zooming in on images to check focus etc.

Fantastic Camera

If you want a great entry level SLR with tilting live view LCD screen and plenty of mega pixels then this is a GREAT camera.

If you wanted to nit pick you could point out that noise at high ISO settings is quite bad compared to the likes of a Nikon D3. But for the price it is definitely 5 stars!

Great super zoom compact

A great fast camera! just adding that raynox do some telephoto and macro lenses. check out http://www.raynox.co.jp/english/digital/z3/index.htm but ull need a 52mm adaptor ring.

oh and the file sizes when using the movie mode are very high. i use a 1Gb card and can only get 15 mins. the video quality is very good but focusing can be slow when 'filming'. but its a great camera and u can use almost all aspects of the camera in either auto or manual. the 'P' function is great and u can customise the flash button to do whatever you want. e.g. changing colour mode, drive mode, focus mode, white balance, sensitivity or even flash mode!

great cam, best in class

Excellent for the asking price

The Canon PowerShot A85 is an excellent camera for the asking price. It's not that small or sleek but it handles brilliantly, takes sturdy, high-capacity and cheap CompactFlash memory, and AA batteries you can buy anywhere (we use 2300mAh NiMH cells, which last ages). My main grumbles would be that the optical viewfinder isn't very accurate (but I'm getting used to using the LCD now), and that the anti-redeye illuminator (just a bright yellow LED) really doesn't cut it. The main reason for choosing it over alternatives was its flexibility: it allows manual control of more or less everything, and has an accessory ring for filters etc. Oh, and it's a Canon, of course!

easy to use

I bought a fuji finepix E500 for my son a couple of years ago, when it was one of the Which Guide's 'best buys'. Then I got myself one when I saw how easy it was to use - so easy even I could use it.

Since then, I've learnt how to use more of then non-automatic features (like taking better zooms, adjusting light and quality and taking black and white photos). The quality of close-ups is brilliant, and it takes wonderful scenery shots too. I haven't been quite so impressed with facial shots, but they're not bad.

The video quality isn't great, but if you happen to be out and see something you want to capture its quite good enough.

If you looking for good pics, but not at professional level, then this is a pretty decent camera.

If you want to see the sort of quality it gives, take a look at my blog"Words that Flow" at http//wordsthatflow.blogspot.com

Samsung GX20

As a photographer I was asked to test out the above camera for a national photo magazine in May 2008, as oposed to another make of camera I use for my profession.

I found the camera really neat and the 50-200mm lens was so very light. I went out to test the camera with a very small camera bag and found the camera handled really well. The results were equally as good as a camera I use - that is much more expensive. It was easy to handle and the learn the functions. It had built in filters which was good the exposures were very precise.

My only doubt of the camera was the processing time within the camera, as it seemed quite slow in some situations even just on the 'jpeg' setting. Night photography took longer than usual - before being able to take another shot.

The camera itself is neat and I would enjoy taking this on a holiday or for events of any type.

magnificent surprise in a very small box

This wee camera produces images that have a beautiful filmic quality. The software it comes with processes RAW files from 3 colour layers, and magically restores bleached out skies and burnt white! The shadows open up and reveal extraordinary depth. As a seasoned pro photographer, I've never seen anything like it. The all-metal camera itself is a joy to hold and behold. Weighty, stark minimalism with very few features, just a wide angle lens and a big sensor. It demands respect and will reward you. I love it!

What a Camera, What A Size!!!

This camera is great!! It does so much yet is so small plus its comfatable to hold and use. It has great settings which are easy to access and use plus its 4 mega pixils. Only one problem which can get a little annouying is when taking a photo on automatic it constantly flashes the blur icon which warns you the picture could turn out blured which is a pain. But this is easily ignored so thats why is got five stars!!

DSC-L1

I've had one of theses for a couple of years now & the results are excellent. Contrast & tones are well produced & the camera is small & very easy to use. Movie mode is sufficiently good to use in conjunction with regular digital video images when making DVD of events such as holidays although they can be a touch jerky. Beware that it is capable of producing images of a different frame speeds which may not be compatible with your camcorder so check speeds before use. Battery life too is good for several days normal work with the advantage that the camera uses a standard type mobile phone battery which gives the opportunity to have one on charge while using the other, which I never found the need to do as it will charge up OK overnight. Only major drawback is the lack of an optical viewfinder as the screen does suffer from loss of definition in bright light conditions if it cannot be shaded.

Where Would I Be Without It!

As a student photographer I was about to set off to university to study the subject further. I bought the Fujifilm S5500 after seeing the great review it got in Practical Photographers magazine (voted best choice).
The first thing I did was to buy a 128mb card for it enabling me to store up to 969 low quality photos and 128 high quality photos. In truth I never need to shoot more than 60 or so photographs on a shoot in order to capture exactly what I want but its great knowing that there's so much more to work with.

The camera itself is smaller than most other DSLR's I've seen but still does the job incredibly well. It handle locations very well and is durable, I've taken it out in all weathers and locations from snow to boiling hot open spaces, and at no time has it ever shown any wear or tear.

The 10X optical zoom works nicely and doesn't produce that much noise in the final image. I've used the zoom at it's maximum a number of times and have been more than happy with the outcome.

I strongly suggest this camera to people who take photography seriously, but not seriously enough to get into debt over. My fellow photographers at university have shelled out a lot of money for their DSLR's and still don't manage to achieve what this camera can.

Durable, reliable, power efficient, easy options.

Sam sings a new tune...

Samsung with Pentax have produced a DSLR which is quite different from the rest. Samsung provides the 14.6MP CMOS sensor and Pentax the body etc. The Samsung offering is not inferior to the Pentax one. The body is packed with features: usable weather proofing, lens focal plane adjust, pixel remapping, image stabiliser (so all lenses benefit), sensor vibrate clean, auto ISO range select, ISO seen as part of exposure and adjustable as such, configurable noise reduction, HDR, interval timer, etc. The firmware has so many functions and parameters to adjust to your taste (all accessible via a very good LCD interface. It uses Adobe's DNG (Digital NeGative) royalty free format for RAW and so that is pretty well universally acceptable.

IT uses SD/SDHC cards which are cheap and plentiful. The write speed is very fast and varies with the speed of your card. Using a Class 6 Transcend 8GB SDHC (£15) card is fast enough for me.

Crucially the sensor is a good one and Samsung's first... Canon must be worried. Many DSLRs have noise issues getting 10MP and 12MP onto an APS-C size sensor let alone 14.6. Samsung has managed it very well whilst keeping excellent detail. Shooting RAW mode the noise is comparable to my Canon 20D up to ISO 1600. The Samsung will go up to ISO 6400 but only use if you have to.

The body is excellent and water resistant - you can really shoot in the rain or dusty environments. In the rain/dust you must have a weatherproof lens for it to be effective. Don't be put off by the plastic on a rigid stainless steel frame. I have a Canon D60 which is made that way and that has done great service for over six years - but is not water resistant. Obviously there's plastic then there's Plastic. The body feels comfortable to hold and is not too heavy.

There's a reasonable array of lenses to suit most people by Samsung, Pentax, Sigma, Tamron and Tokina plus an array of older Pentax lenses that work too. The 18-55 kit lens is not bad and would do well until you could get something better - say a Pentax 16-45 f4 or Tamron 17-50 f2.8.

This is quite a leap for me from Canon. I got sick of Canon's incremental updates and wanted something new, faster and exciting. The Samsung is and with great a IQ too.

Brilliant camera

The camera is brilliant.
Very efficient! The picture quality is excellent, and it is easy to use.
The only thing I would say is I went on holiday to Florida (temperature 95 degrees)and often the camera wouldn't turn on!
The camera has a video on it but it doesn't have sound.
It can fit in your coat pocket or handbag so you can carry it around
easily. Overall, I would recommend this camera.

Good pics but ....

I chose this camera for its low price and ease of use (I am technologically inept)and my first impression was good APART from the fact that I had to buy rechargeable batteries and a charger if I wanted to take more than 5 photos in one go. Then, after only 3 weeks or so, the camera packed in. It simply would not operate. I obtained a replacement and had plenty of fun with it before accidentally breaking the thing in a car door. So, the poor power quality is a downside. Also, zoom facility would have been useful, in retrospect. However, the camera was very easy to hold and use and I got some nice clear photos with it.