Digital Cameras Reviews

Posts Tagged ‘Bright Sunlight’

Sony Cyber shot DSC W290 12 1 MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom and Super Steady Shot Image Stabilization Black

Sony Cyber-shot(R) DSC-W290 is a compact and stylish digital camera. Featuring Intelligent Auto mode, the W290 with a 28mm wide-angle lens, automatically detects 8 scene conditions and selects the appropriate camera settings. Face Detection captures faces more naturally and helps prevent blur. The large, bright 3″ TFT LCD display makes it easy to compose shots, check results, and read menus in sharp natural color, even in bright sunlight. Also, now record high definition videos in 720p HD and enjoy your memories on your HDTV. Face Detection captures faces with natural skin tones Smile Shutter mode automatically captures a smile DRO Standard and Plus optimizes exposure and contrast Anti-blink Function and Red-eye Reduction Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens with 5x optical zoom (35mm Equivalent 28-140mm) 12.1 megapixel Super HAD(TM) CCD image sensor BIONZ Imaging Processor High Sensitivity ISO 3200 for low light shooting 14 Convenient Photo Modes Easy Shooting Mode simplifies the menu 16 – 9 High Resolution Shooting Mode Easy image management helps find your pictures PHOTOMUSIC feature combines HD slideshow with music HDTV Compatibility for sharing picture in hi-definition PhotoTV HD Mode with compatible BRAVIA HDTVs In-Camera Retouching Tools Creative Painting Tools on touch-screen panel Wide-Zoom Display resizes images to 16 – 9 Bundled PMB Software to manage images on compatible PC Movie Mode(s) – 1280 x 720(Fine) (Approx.30fps, Progressive) / 1280 x 720(Standard) (Approx.30fps, Progressive) / 640(Fine) (VX Fine, 640 x 480, Approx.30fps) Recording Media – 11MB internal Flash Memory, optional Memory Stick(R) Duo Media, optional Memory Stick(R) PRO Duo Media Dimensions (Approx.) – 3 7/8 x 2 3/8 x 29/32 (97.6mm x 57.4mm x 22.6mm) Weight (Approx.) – Approx. 6.1oz. (174g) – With battery and Memory Stick(R) media

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars Great But No Viewfinder
Image display is fine, but I prefer a viewfinder to compose my shots. Sony has decided to eliminate the veiw finder, perhaps because amateurs like to hold the camera in front of them and check the display to see what they will get from the shot. Am I getting old school?

2 Stars easy to get a messy image in-doors
For out-doors picture, with good light conditions, the pictures are great and sharp. Amazing video capture.

But I was really disappointed when taking pictures in-doors. In its Intelligent Auto Ajust Mode, the camera usually picks a high iso configuration when there’s not a bright light inside a room (and I mean really bright), resulting in a bad quality picture. Looks like you’re using a 0,5 Megapixel camera.

Too bad I didn’t know much about the ISO settings before buying this camera. High ISO yields bad quality pictures, because the idea is to obtain a brighter picture in low light conditions. I wish I had bought a lower ISO camera.

5 Stars Great camera
I can’t believe this Sony camera is so easy to use, takes great picture and it costs much less than in the military base. I would recommend to anyone.

1 Star No zoom while recording kills it
I don’t care how great the quality or photos are, not being able to zoom while recording is a big problem. I’m very disappointed Sony decided to take this route because I have Sony digital cameras from 2004 that allowed you to zoom while recording so I do not understand why they took this huge step backward. I’ve sold my camera for this reason and told people to stay away. All the Kodaks that have been doing HD video since 2007 have been able to use full zoom while recording.

5 Stars Excellent feature packed smart camera
The DSC-W290 is a amazing little camera. Its feature packed and easy to use.To be honest, I needed a camera just to point and shoot and take excellent pictures whether day or night. The DSC-W290 fits the bill perfectly with its Intelligent mode which identifies all different shooting modes and environments automatically, day or night and adjusts appropriately. The LCD screen at the back is large and clear. The picture quality is amazing with crisp pictures and life-like rich colors. Even more amazing is the high-def video in 780i, total treat to watch on the big screen. The shoot-when-smiling mode actually works great too.

Another little thing – On the second day I bought the camera, I dropped it while it was still turned on. It fell hard, lens first on a rock and went bouncing. The impact bent the cylinder holding the lens. Once retracted it was stuck for good with the motor whirring trying to extend out the lens anytime I turned it on. It also suffered some dings and scratches. Even though it was my fault and the warranty was void as it was an accident, Sony service center repaired it for free and shipped it back within a week. I have to commend Sony on the quality and timeliness of the service provided. The camera worked like new and I couldn’t be happier with this product and Sony’s service.

Cons – The battery life is just around an hour or probably less when you are in video mode quite a bit. But you should be able to get a replacement battery for about $15. There is no zoom while in video mode.

A good add-on would be a 8Gb Sandisk memory card and a replacement battery to extend your shooting experience.

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Flip MinoHD Camcorder 60 Minutes Black

Here it is! A 720p HD camcorder that fits in your pocket. The Flip MinoHD has 4GB built-in memory to record and store up to 60 minutes of high quality video. A 1.5″ TFT lets you preview and view videos on camera. A USB connector lets you transfer and share videos. Advanced playback, pause, fast forward/rewind features Records high-quality H.264 videos that work with iTunes, iMovie, and iPhoto Child Safe mode to prevent accidental deletions of clips Fast lens – great low or bright light results, 2x digital zoom 1.5 color high-brightness (transflective) display for easy recording and super-clear viewing in bright sunlight Silent mode for recording in sensitive situations TV connector cable included to watch videos on television Tripod mount fits any standard tripod Video – 16 – 9 widescreen, HD 720p (1280 x 720) at 30 frames per second progressive scan Built-in FlipShare software for email, edit, and more Includes Flip Video MinoHD Camcorder w/ built-in rechargeable lithium ion battery; Protective carrying pouch; Wrist strap; TV cable; Quickstart Guide Internal Memory – 4GB (60 minutes) Screen Resolution – 528 x 132 pixels / Video Resolution – 1280 x 720 progressive Video Bitrate – 8.8Mbps (average – auto adaptive algorithm) Video Format – H.264 video compression, AAC audio compression, saves as MP4 file Lens Type – Fixed Focus (1.5m to infinity) Aperture – f/2.4 (fast lens for great results in low-light environments) Zoom – Smooth multi-step 2x digital 8 Touch-Sensitive Capacitive Buttons (Power, Play, Delete, Record and 4 way navigation) Unit Dimensions – 3.94 x 1.97 x 0.63 (H x W x D) PC Connection – Built-in flip-out USB arm (up to 2.0 USB speed) TV Out – NTSC (cable included) Battery Life – Rechargeable lithium ion battery, charges using built-in USB arm Operating System compatibility – Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Mac OSX

User Ratings and Reviews

2 Stars Software is a disaster
I received my Mino HD on October 3 and returned it to Amazon on October 5. I own an earlier Flip Video camcorder and I have been very satisfied with it. I bought the HD Mino to take on our upcoming trip to Europe and to stay with the miniature theme, I wanted to use it with my compact Acer Aspire Notebook. However, the newest software will not allow snapshots to be saved on this computer running Windows XP SP3 because the screen will not resize to allow the “Save” button at the bottom to be visible in order to click on it. The resize arrows just do not work. Tech support’s answer was simply “Your system does not meet the minimum requirements…” and their solution was a very complicated process to transfer all of my videos back from my computer to the camcorder and attempt to load an earlier software version. It was so convoluted that I just gave up and returned the camera. Further, the clarity of the video images are sharp but man are they jerky. It was like watching the old silver screen movies before the “Talkies”. I had high hopes for this camera but I was extremely disappointed.

1 Star great concept, but nearly impossible for mac users to download
Even though iMovie uses this camera as a sample of what you can connect, mac users should be very, very wary of buying this product. There is no way to end-run around the built in Flip software, which may prohibit you from importing it to iMovie. Tried numerous time with support from both Flip and Apple (Flip was nice, Apple was “flippant” (sorry for the pun, but imagine that). Great camera for kids to take some vids and use the crappy software included, you can only use six of their songs for background music. Not all your iTunes can be used, out of 1200+ songs I was able to use one obscure Bach organ work as a background. In short, this is a great concept, but really is just a step above a disposable camera.

3 Stars Fun while it lasts, camera proves unreliable in the end
I really like my Mino HD. Sure it has it’s faults. The microphone is subpar, the lens should be more wide-angle, etc., but for what it is, the Mino HD is a great little camera. However, I’m afraid Flip let this one out without enough testing. I’ve had random glitches and problems with it since day one. I constantly get a solid black screen for the first 15 seconds of recording, which is annoying because you have to guess what you’re shooting. Now the camera has taken to freezing up every time I turn it on. I get a black screen with distorted red and blue lines running through it. The camera remains on and unresponsive until you reset it. Sometimes when I turn it on, I get a strange firmware info screen, then it freezes.

Fine, if you want this camera. It’s got nice picture quality, and what it does, it does well. But know this … the time will come, probably days from opening the box, when it will not work correctly. Sure, it’s an inexpensive camera, but even for $200, I expect to get something that works more than 30 percent of the time. My Flip Mino HD does not. It is a very poorly-constructed, camera with glitchy firmware, that gives a lot of people random problems. Do a google search and you’ll find similar complaints. I can generally get my camera to work, but it’s not without some effort: resetting, turning it off and on again, waiting, resetting again, etc.

5 Stars Love it!
Have been using the new mino-hd for a few weeks and so far I love it. For me, portability is everything and this camera fits in a cell phone case. The quality is also pretty surprising. The one thing I miss is the ability to connect it directly to an hdmi capable TV. The non-mino hd camera I had before this one did that, and it was very handy.

5 Stars Great camcorder
it was cheap, but preforms at its max. no regrets dropping $200 here! the only thing i didnt like was that they gave you a composite video cable. WTF!

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Flip Ultra Camcorder 2nd Generation 120 Minutes Black

With the new Flip Ultra Camcorder, it’s easier than ever to shoot and share video. Simply power on and press record – you’ll be capturing memories in seconds. And with 120 Minutes of record time, you’ll never miss another minute again. When its time to share your video, flip out the USB arm and connect to any PC or Mac to launch the built-in FlipShare editing and video-sharing software. Advanced playback, pause, fast forward/rewind features Records high-quality H.264 videos that work with iTunes, iMovie, and iPhoto Child Safe mode to prevent accidental deletions of clips Fast lens – great low or bright light results, 2x digital zoom 1.5 color high-brightness (transflective) display for easy recording and super-clear viewing in bright sunlight Silent mode for recording in sensitive situations TV connector cable included to watch videos on television Tripod mount fits any standard tripod Video – 16 – 9 widescreen, HD 720p (1280 x 720) at 30 frames per second progressive scan Built-in FlipShare software for email, edit, and more Includes Flip Video MinoHD Camcorder w/ built-in rechargeable lithium ion battery; Protective carrying pouch; Wrist strap; TV cable; Quickstart Guide Internal Memory – 4GB (60 minutes) Screen Resolution – 528 x 132 pixels / Video Resolution – 1280 x 720 progressive Video Bitrate – 8.8Mbps (average – auto adaptive algorithm) Video Format – H.264 video compression, AAC audio compression, saves as MP4 file Lens Type – Fixed Focus (1.5m to infinity) Aperture – f/2.4 (fast lens for great results in low-light environments) Zoom – Smooth multi-step 2x digital 8 Touch-Sensitive Capacitive Buttons (Power, Play, Delete, Record and 4 way navigation) Unit Dimensions – 3.94 x 1.97 x 0.63 (H x W x D) PC Connection – Built-in flip-out USB arm (up to 2.0 USB speed) TV Out – NTSC (cable included) Battery Life – Rechargeable lithium io

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Simple, yet WOW!
Just received mine an hour ago. Have taken 7 videos, played back on computer and watched on TV. This is a fabulous product, one that makes it easy for ANYONE to take great videos Don’t expect to have any problems. Pics are very sharp even on full screen. Can’t think of a single complaint. You’ve got to try one of these. Almost forgot..this also makes a great voice recorder for taking notes.

5 Stars Very Good Experience
This video camera performs as advertised and it serves well for average type use (not professional). Excellent deal for the money.

5 Stars Great buy
I just received my camera and I love it. Just had a baby and wanted something extremely easy to use and portable, so we would actually use it!! I have a very nice larger camcorder but its too cumbersome to carry around and my wife has no clue how to use it. This is perfect and we can easily upload the videos to [...] to share them with family. The upload feature is directly on the software that automatically loads when you insert the USB into the PC. Great value, and I look forward to taking it with me when I go scuba diving (with the underwater case).

4 Stars Love the Flip
I was afraid of modern technology, so I originally bought a video camera that uses mini tapes. Well, it’s hard to share that footage. I bought the Flip as a way to video tape my kids & share with my family around the country. The only thing I don’t like that happened yesterday was it turns off on it’s own after a while. My mom, whom is technologically challenged, was going to tape my kids & me as we came down a huge slide at a carnival. I turned it on for her, but she said it powered off by the time we got to the tops of the slide.

5 Stars Easy to use point-and-shoot-video
This is the third video camera I’ve purchased since my daughter was born…a really long time ago. I’ve progressed through technology from 8mm tapes (the first) to direct-to-dvd recording (the second)and now to the Flip Ultra.

This camcorder has some major positives.

First: Simple out-of-the-box setup. After you insert the included AA batteries and turn on the machine, the Flip prompts you to choose your interface language and set the date and time. All of these are completed with an intuitive (and familiar to most digital camera users) 4-way controller button. Less than a minute. It took me longer to attach the cord for the wrist strap.

Second: Ease of use. Four buttons: power, record, forward and delete plus the four-way ring controller (for zooming and scrolling through stored video). I complain frequently about inadequate documentation for users. This hardly needs any due to its simple, intuitive interface.

Third: Ease of offloading/sharing. You can use Flip’s own site (I haven’t tried yet, but it looks easy enough). It’s bundled software will also send from the camera (via your Internet-connected computer) direct to Youtube and myspace.It will also create a folder (and convert from the default .mp4 format to .wmv) on your PC to store your video before transfer to other video-capable sharing locations online. Connects to a computer via a concealed USB port, which is the only other user interface on the Flip.

Finally: Flip’s sharing software (embedded in the camera) is relatively easy to use. Anybody who used a record-to-dvd camera in the past will remember nested sets of folders for audio and video that could easily confuse the less technically inclined user.

Shortcomings: Nothing worth griping about at this price point. Video resolution is 640×480 at 30 fps. This is not going to mistaken for high end video. In good lighting the quality is perfectly acceptable; dimmer light adds obvious graininess. The USB port flips up from a recessed stored position on the camera’s side. I connected it without problems to a desktop, laptop and netbook, but I recommend making sure you have USB extension cable, because of the location of USB slots on computers is variable.

For a little more than a hundred dollars, this is a very portable, extremely easy to use camcorder. Perfect as long as you manage your expectations on video quality.

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Sony Cyber shot DSC W290 12 MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom and Super Steady Shot Image Stabilization Dark Blue

Sony Cyber-shot(R) DSC-W290 is a compact and stylish digital camera. Featuring Intelligent Auto mode, the W290 with a 28mm wide-angle lens, automatically detects 8 scene conditions and selects the appropriate camera settings. Face Detection captures faces more naturally and helps prevent blur. The large, bright 3″ TFT LCD display makes it easy to compose shots, check results, and read menus in sharp natural color, even in bright sunlight. Also, now record high definition videos in 720p HD and enjoy your memories on your HDTV. Face Detection captures faces with natural skin tones Smile Shutter mode automatically captures a smile DRO Standard and Plus optimizes exposure and contrast Anti-blink Function and Red-eye Reduction Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens with 5x optical zoom (35mm Equivalent 28-140mm) 12.1 megapixel Super HAD(TM) CCD image sensor BIONZ Imaging Processor High Sensitivity ISO 3200 for low light shooting 14 Convenient Photo Modes Easy Shooting Mode simplifies the menu 16 – 9 High Resolution Shooting Mode Easy image management helps find your pictures PHOTOMUSIC feature combines HD slideshow with music HDTV Compatibility for sharing picture in hi-definition PhotoTV HD Mode with compatible BRAVIA HDTVs In-Camera Retouching Tools Creative Painting Tools on touch-screen panel Wide-Zoom Display resizes images to 16 – 9 Bundled PMB Software to manage images on compatible PC Movie Mode(s) – 1280 x 720(Fine) (Approx.30fps, Progressive) / 1280 x 720(Standard) (Approx.30fps, Progressive) / 640(Fine) (VX Fine, 640 x 480, Approx.30fps) Recording Media – 11MB internal Flash Memory, optional Memory Stick(R) Duo Media, optional Memory Stick(R) PRO Duo Media Dimensions (Approx.) – 3 7/8 x 2 3/8 x 29/32 (97.6mm x 57.4mm x 22.6mm) Weight (Approx.) – Approx. 6.1oz. (174g) – With battery and Memory Stick(R) media

The Sony Cyber shot DSC W290 Digital Camera has 12.1 megapixel Super HAD CCD image sensors.  It features a 5x optical zoom, 28mm wide-angle Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens and an Optical SteadyShot image stabilizer.  It has the capability of 720p high-definition movie capture; BIONZ image processor.  The Sony Cyber shot DSC W290 has 3.0-inch (230K pixels) Clear Photo LCD, a face detection feature and a Smile Shutter technology.  The Smile Shutter technology is such a cool feature because it automatically detects a person’s smile and the camera will just capture the image if it detects a smile.  Also, this camera has 11MB built-in memory which is pretty much a satisfactory storage size for most users.

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars Sony Digital Camera
I bought this to replace my Sony Cybershot P-8. I have over 9,000 images recorded on it. Two thousand of these were after a piece of lumber fell on it and broke the LCD panel. The P-8 had an optical viewfinder and the camera was still functional. The only drawback about the W-290 is that it has no optical viewfinder. If the LCD panel breaks the camera will be non functional. I did not notice this until I had received it in the mail.

The smile shutter works, which amazed me. I don’t know how it does it but it does. The blink detector also works as lauded. I also like the bracketing feature.

The easy mode should offer more features. It is very limited and offers no customization. With the P-8 I almost never needed to change modes. With the W-290 I find myself using all of the modes in a particular setting. One feature that I might need is only available in “Intelligent” other features are only available in “Program” mode.

I like the feel of the camera but I liked the shape and feel of the P-8 better.

5 Stars SonyBlueItAway
I Love it!! This is a great camera, easy to use and takes clear quality pictures. It also has great features and is very very user-friendly. I bought it to take lots of pics of my new grandson! Sony has done it again!! THANKS!!

4 Stars A great gift!
I bought the camera and I sent it to my daughter as a gift. My intention was to give her something that I could have back: too many great cool pictures of my 6 months grandbaby-girl! And it worked!!! She just loved the gift and told me how amazing is to use the camera and to get shots of the baby’s smile! Now I can see all the “faces” baby is making for grandmma!

I do recomend this product especially if you live faraway from your family!

2 Stars Got it four days ago…shipping it back on Monday.
At first I posted great reviews for this camera. I had taken some out door shots and video…viewing them at reduced size everything looked fantastic. Then I started taking indoor shots and editing my full-size images. Wow, what a huge let down. This camera isn’t good value for the money. It’s $200+ of disappointment.

I took some indoor shots…wow…unbelievably awful. Unless you’re taking indoor photos in a room lit with insanely bright light, then expect to get tons of noise in your photos. I could hardly salvage any photos that could be printed above 5×7 because the noise is so bad. Tried to take photos during a special occasion dinner in a restaurant (restaurant was somewhat dimly lit as most are) and ALL BUT THREE of my photos were blurry and filled with noise (and I took 25 photos!!). I’m leaving for vacation in two weeks and have returned this camera for a Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3. Yeah, it’s $90 more, but I think that’s more than worth it to correct the Sony’s horrible indoor picture quality–plus the DMC-ZS3 adds a TON of extra features (and 12x zoom). EVERY image taken with the DSC-W290 is grainy. Will it be fine for 4×6 and 5×7 images? Sure. If you want anything bigger than that, or expect to crop and zoom out of full-size images, then forget it. This camera takes the softest photos I’ve seen in its class. It’s just a major disappointment on every level.

Spend another $75-$100 and get a camera with great image quality. Sony has tried to pack this one with all of the latest features and forget one important thing…it’s a camera–it’s supposed to take good photos. It doesn’t.

5 Stars Just a question
I just have a question, if somebody could help me.

I’m planning to buy this camera, but I would like to know the duration of the warranty for this item.

Thanks

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