Samsung Debuts Swivel-Lens Camcorder, Wi-Fi Camera

(Digital Camera Review)
Samsung's HMX-E10 camcorder does HD video and sports a 270-degree swiveling lens, while the ST80 camera offers WI-Fi and a 14.2 megapixel resolution.
South Korean electronics giant Samsung has taken the wraps off two new consumer photography products: its HMX-E10 high-definition camcorder and ST80 digital camera. The HMX-E10 features a 270-degree swivel lens that enables users to capture video from almost any angle; meanwhile, the ST80 digital camera offers a 14.2 megapixel resolution and integrated Wi-Fi for easy photo sharing.
First up, the HMX-E10 camcorder captures full HD 1,920 by 1,080 video at 30 frames per second, and can also be used as an eight megapixel still camera. The back of the unit features a 2.7-inch LCD touchscreen display, and the camera features both HDMI output and USB connectivity so users can connect it to any computer without using a USB cable—users can also charge up the camcorder via USB. The HMX-E10 stores video to microSD cards, but perhaps what’s most interesting about it is a 270-degree swivel lens that lets users take video from almost any angle. The unit also comes with Samsung’s intelli-studio video editing and sharing program, and—when connected to the Internet—offers a one-touch upload feature that lets users share video on Web sites and YouTube. Samsung says the HMX-E10 should be available in September with a suggested retail price of $199.99; it’ll be available in white and black versions

Next up, Samsung is expanding its line of Wi-Fi equipped digital cameras with the 14.2-megapixel ST80. The ST80 features a 3× optical zoom, a 3-inch WQVGA touchscreen display, and the ability to record 720p HD video at 30 frames per second. The camera’s integrated Wi-Fi and Samsung AllShare (DLNA) technology simplify uploading and sharing photos; the camera also feature a number of smart features, including innovating cropping and scene recognition, and comes with an account for mobile hotspot operator Boingo so users can upload their photos from 120,000 Wi-Fi hotspots around the world. Samsung expects to put the ST80 on sale in September for a suggested price of $249.99

(Digital Camera Review)

Nikon D5000 Review : Nikon D5000 Conclusion Part 5

Conclusion :

Digital SLRs keep getting better and better. The truth is, there hasn’t been a bad digital SLR for a few years now. Because they’re so good, I’m becoming more and more of an advocate of less expensive bodies. Most photographers don’t need a full frame sensor or a pro-level build. Features like frame rate and moisture-sealing are over-hyped in my opinion. The Nikon D5000 is exactly the kind of digital SLR most photographers should be buying. It offers great performance, excellent image quality, solid features and a couple bonuses – HD video and the tilt-swivel LCD. The D5000 is more camera than most people will ever need. And if you’re reading this and thinking, “But Photo-John, how am I going to spend all of my $2000 camera budget?” — no problem. Spend it on lenses. A professional zoom lens or two will do more for most photographers than a better body could. When you find your camera is getting in the way, then upgrade. The D5000 is an incredible camera – especially when you consider the $730 price tag. Buy a better lens, like the Nikon AF-S 18-200mm. the AF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 VR or if you really wanna go big, the AF-S 70-200 f/2.8 VR lens. and you’ll be shooting the kids’ soccer games like a pro

Who Should Buy The Nikon D5000

The Nikon D5000 is an excellent choice for:

Beginning photographers and families who want a reasonably priced digital SLR that can do it all.
Outdoor photographers who want a light, compact camera body with great image quality and performance.
Nikon 35mm or DSLR owners looking to upgrade – the D5000 offers 90% of the performance of the D90 for hundreds less.

Nikon pros looking for an inexpensive backup body. The D5000’s image quality and performance will surprise you.
The Nikon D5000 is not the best choice for:
Pro sports photographers or others who need the most speed and best auto focus performance.
Photographers who really abuse their gear.

Contents of the Nikon D5000 Kit Box

- Nikon D5000 Body
- Rechargeable Li-ion Battery
- Quick Charger
- Eyepiece Cap
- Rubber Eyecup
- USB Cable
- Audio Video Cable
- Camera Strap
- Body Cap
- Accessory Shoe Cover
- Software Suite CD-ROM

- End -

Nikon D5000 Review : Nikon D5000 Image Quality Part 4

Nikon D5000 Image Quality

The Nikon D5000 uses the same 12.3-megapixel sensor as the highly-rated Nikon D90. And like the D90, the D5000 excels at low light photography. I happily shot with it up to ISO 1600 and even ISO 3200 looked pretty good. I also was impressed with the way the D5000 renders subtle details – especially in highlights.

I shot all kinds of stuff with the D5000 and I was pretty damn pleased with all of it. The low noise levels mean you can really push your files in post-processing to recover shadow detail – and that means you can comfortably shoot a little dark to hold highlights. The more I used the camera the more comfortable I felt shooting at ISO 800 or 1600. Popular Photography magazine noted that the D90 has slightly better resolution than the D5000 even though they use the same sensor, indicating different in-camera processing. That’s not to say the D5000 has poor image quality, though. It just has slightly less resolving power and more noise at high ISO settings. So the D90 and D700 may be better. Ask me if I care. No – no I don’t. The D5000 is awesome at ISO 1600 and totally usable at ISO 3200. Check out the night shots I made at ISO 3200 with the AF-S 35mm f/1.8G lens. I’ll let those pictures (below left and middle) tell the rest of the story.
Next>> Nikon D5000 Conulusion>>>

Nikon D5000 Review : Nikon D5000 Experience Part 3

Nikon D5000 Camera Experience:

The two things I like the most about the D5000 are its small size and the wonderful high ISO image quality. It makes a great outdoor camera because it’s easy to pack and can deliver great photos in all kinds of conditions. The low noise also means you can pump up the ISO for sharp action photos without worrying about them getting all chunky-looking.
Live View isn’t appropriate for sports or action photography because you can’t frame or follow a moving subject well with an LCD. But for macro photos, product photography and tripod landscapes, it’s the best. Nikon’s new Vari-angle LCD means you don’t have to crouch down or contort yourself to see the LCD when you’re using Live View – just set your camera up on a tripod and adjust the LCD so you can comfortably see it. The Vari-angle LCD does have some quirks – you can’t use it for self-portraits on a tripod because when you flip it down and around to face you, the tripod is in the way. But it’s still great for standard Live View or video shooting. And it’s far better than an LCD that doesn’t move at all.

Overall, I really like the D5000’s physical design. It feels solid in my hands, I was never worried about dropping it, and changing settings with the Information Display screen is easy and efficient. However, nothing is perfect and I had some trouble with the placement of some controls. Intuitively, the exposure compensation button seems well-placed, right behind the shutter release. However, moving my index finger back to press it made the camera feel a little less secure in my hand and the position was a little cramped. Sometimes I even had to take the camera away from my eye to double check where the button was. This might seem nitpicky, but being a mostly manual exposure guy, I use the exposure compensation button for almost every photo. I use a lot of cameras and my favorite position for the exposure compensation button is in the back of the camera where I can press it with my right thumb.

The D5000’s AF points are selected with the 4-way multi-selector to the right of the LCD. The OK button returns the auto focus to the center point – the one I use the most. Unfortunately, the multi-selector is right where the palm of my hand presses against the back of the camera. Too many times I accidentally changed the focus point with the palm of my hand and my subject ended up out of focus. Unpredictable behavior is one of the last things you want with a camera. I learned to check the focus point regularly and press the OK button to make sure the center AF point is selected. But there’s no doubt photos have and will be missed because of the position of the multi-selector.

Standard AF behavior allows you to pre-focus in single shot auto focus mode and then recompose. As long as you keep the shutter release button depressed halfway, the focus will stay locked on your subject. So far, so good – this is exactly how the D5000 behaves. However, when I shot a sequence of photos with the D5000, the auto focus unlocked after the first shot and refocused on the background. I’ve never experienced this AF behavior before and it totally confused me. All I knew was I had a sequence of photos where all but the first frame were totally out of focus. After some trial and error I discovered that I had to hold the AE-L / AF-L button down to keep the focus locked if I wanted to shoot a sequence. That’s not quite what the manual describes and it’s also not what I’ve learned to expect from other cameras. So, heads up if you’re shooting a sequence and you’ve pre-focused in the AF-S single shot focus mode. The D5000 might not do what you expect it to do.

By no means are these control issues deal killers. But I was uncomfortable enough that they needed to be mentioned. Overall, I was very happy when I shot with the D5000. I quickly learned to be confident in the image quality regardless of conditions and the more I used it, the more I liked it. The small size makes the D5000 a great camera when space is limited and the image quality makes it even better.


Since there’s no auto focus once you start recording a video clip, it’s very important to have a focus strategy before you start. You can try to focus manually, but I wouldn’t recommend it. I use the Live View auto focus to pre-focus on something I think will work for my whole clip. Since focus isn’t as critical with video as it is with still photography I don’t think it’s that big of a deal if I’m a little off. If you really need to refocus, stop recording and set up another shot.
I recommend using image-stabilized lenses for video. Handholding the camera without image stabilization makes for shaky videos – you don’t want your viewers to get seasick. Luckily the 18-55mm Nikkor kit lens that comes with the camera is equipped with Nikon’s VR (Vibration Reduction) image stabilization. Two other lenses I used didn’t have image stabilization and the difference was obvious.
next page >> Nikon D5000 Image Quality>>>

Nikon D5000 Review : Nikon D5000 features Part 2

Nikon D5000 Features :

Feature-wise, the D5000 is basic but solid. The most important features, in my opinion, are the excellent 12.3-megapixel sensor, the D-Movie video mode, the updated auto focus system, and the tilt-swivel LCD display. The sensor alone is a good reason to buy the D5000. Spec-wise, the D5000’s movie mode is the same as the D90. It captures 720p-resolution video at 24 frames per second and there’s no auto focus available once you start recording. You can either focus manually or get your focusing done with the Live View auto focus before you start recording.

The 2.7-inch, 230k, Vari-angle LCD is the most attention-getting feature on the D5000. Tilt-swivel LCDs are great if you use Live View in the studio, for macro photos or any kind of photography you do on a tripod. And of course, tilting, swiveling LCDs have been standard on camcorders for years. The D5000’s LCD flips down 180 degrees and can rotate all the way around so you can see it while looking into the camera – perfect for self-portraits or shooting video of yourself – unless you use a tripod, in which case the tripod will be in the way.

For shooting, the D5000 has a nice mix of consumer-friendly auto modes and manual options. For beginners there’s a pure auto mode plus 19 scene modes for everything from the obvious (Sports, Landscape, Portrait) to more esoteric shooting modes like Autumn Colors, Blossom, Candlelight, and High Key. For more experienced photographers there’s full manual (M), Program (P), Aperture Priority (A) and Shutter Priority (S).
People who shoot action will be pleased with the 4 frames per second capture rate and the improved auto focus system. The D5000’s eleven AF points offer a lot more coverage than D60’s three. You can choose from continuous AF, single-shot AF, or Auto-servo AF, which analyzes a scene and chooses single or continuous AF for you. The D5000 offers four auto focus point strategies – single point, Dynamic area, Auto-area, and 3D-tracking. The 3D-tracking mode uses Nikon’s famed 3D metering sensor to detect and track a subject across all 11 AF points. Unfortunately, it’s only available in the D5000’s scene modes – so if you’re a manual exposure photographer, it’s not gonna do you much good.

The D5000 has numerous in-camera processing options, including Picture Control, Active D-Lighting and an extensive Retouch menu. If there’s ever a feature or setting you don’t understand on the camera, just press the “?” button to display an explanation on the LCD (see Setup help screen sample, below). Along the same lines, when you change a setting, the LCD displays a thumbnail photo representing the setting you’re changing. For instance, if you select ISO 800 there’s a thumbnail of a night scene. If you select AF-S from the focus options, you see a thumbnail of a landscape (see below, right).

The D5000 is available body only (US $729) or in a kit with the Nikkor AF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 VR lens (US $849.95). This is a great kit lens and I highly recommend it to first-time Nikon DSLR buyers. It will get you started shooting and it’s got great optics – much better than the previous, non-VR version, which I found pretty disappointing when I used it a couple of years ago

Nikon D5000 Design

The Nikon D5000 is compact and light without feeling insubstantial or plasticky. Rounded corners and a comfortable grip help give it a nice solid feel in spite of its small size and minimal weight. There is a pop-up flash, of course – all but the most professional cameras have pop-up flashes now. I easily carried it with the kit lens mounted, in a small hydration backpack. It was almost like not carrying a camera at all.

The Nikon D5000’s key design feature is the new Vari-angle tilt-swivel LCD, which I described in the Features section. The D5000 uses Nikon’s Information Display screen (see below) to display and access features and settings (see below). Higher end cameras have more dedicated buttons for ISO, white balance, etc. But the Information Display screen makes it easy to change settings without dedicated buttons. Just press the “i” button to the left of the LCD, navigate to the setting you want and press OK to access the function and make your change. In spite of the minimal external controls, Nikon included an easy to reach dedicated Live View button. With some earlier implementations of Live View it could be a bit of a puzzle turning it on. Not so with the Nikon D5000.

next page >> Nikon D5000 Camera Experience >>>