Nikon D90 Digital SLR

One of the key attraction of this month had to be the Nikon D90, which is also the costliest camera we’ve tested so far. Nikon has brought in the D90 to replace the trusted D80. The D80 was one of the best upper entry level to mid range cameras from Nikon. The D90 then has a lot to prove before it can earn its place.

Going through the D90′s key features, it certainly looks impressive. The D90 utilises a 12.3 Megapixel CMOS sensor going up from the D80′s 10.2 Megapixel CCD sensor. The sensor size remains unchanged. Most entry level cameras are supplied with an 18mm to 55mm lens which can be quite limiting to the kinds of photos you can take. We received the camera with a Nikkor DX 18 to 105mm VR zoom lens. This makes a good all purpose kit for wide angle and telescopic shooting.

Nikon D90 Front View

Nikon D90 Front View

The shape and size of D90 is somewhat larger then the D60 and also the D80 itself. The body is made with plastic, but feels extremely sturdy and the buttons are great as expected on any Nikon DSLR.

The D90 now comes with a 3 inch screen that is incredibly vibrant and crisp. The other thing that makes the camera interesting inclusion of Live View that allows you to use the LCD screen to focus. This is a feature rarely found on DSLRs.

The D90 is undoubtedly one of the easiest cameras to operate, if you have that a basic knowledge of using a decent point-and-shoot camera. All the functions of the camera such as ISO, White Balance, Exposure Metering and Focusing Modes can be accessed by holding down the respective buttons and rotating the jog dial. Shutter speed and aperture size have dedicated dials.

Its very difficult to criticize the D90 on quality as well. The 12.3 MP CMOS sensor does its job well. Photos turn out crisp across the entire aperture range. The lens isn’t made for marco photography, so, you will have difficulty with up-close shots. Mind you, great close ups can be shot by moving back and zooming into the target. Good depth of field can be achieved easily too. The flash is powerful and good enough for indoor photography every now and then.

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Popularity: 32% [?]

Canon Digital IXUS 80 IS

The Canon Digital IXUS 80 IS is a camera very similar to the slightly superior IXUS 85 IS. It brings along a decently built design for people on the move. There aren’t too many settings and controls to play around with on this camera. It is made for users who want a camera that’s really compact to carry around – like a mobile phone of short.

One of the first issues is the battery door: as is the case with the IXUS 85 IS, the battery door here too feels weak and flimsy. Most of the interface design as well as the frame design is identical. The big change is in the Megapixel rating – the 80 IS is a 8 MP camera.

Canon Digital IXUS 80 IS

Canon Digital IXUS 80 IS

All the other Canon cameras in this price bracket run on AA batteries, but the IXUS 80 IS has a Lithium-ion battery. This, coupled with its compact design makes it a lot lighter than the rest. However, the shrunken size means its no longer chunky enough to hold in your hand as easily as the Powershot Series cameras.

Its overall performance isn’t bad at all. In just plain image and video quality tests, it lags behinds all the canon cameras, but not the others. Macro shots aren’t as easy to take as with the SX100 IS or the A720 IS. In video quality, once again, colors are a little too prominent, but the exposure meter helps changes the intensity of light instantly, and there’s not a lot of lag in lightning correction while moving from bright areas to dimmer ones. Overall, it’s a very good camera if you aren’t particular about pristine quality and manual controls.

Popularity: 17% [?]

Kodak Easyshare v1073 : Average Camera With HD Capabilies

With touchscreen devices getting cheaper and making their way into every possible gadget, cameras aren’t being left out. Now, it’s Kodak’s turn. The EasyShare V1073 is an 11MP camera with a 3x optical zoom. It is thin enough to fit into a shirt pocket easily, but that also make it a little difficult to hold with a single hand. The touchscreen also makes it difficult to use the camera with just one hand. The power and shoot buttons are positioned close to each other. The 3-inch screen doesn’t have great quality-it is pretty difficult to use outdoors even with the brightness turned up high.

The quality of photos isn’t too different from its predecessors. The colours in the photos are pretty natural but the sharpness will likely be a little too much for most people,s liking. There is image stabilization, but images still end up a little blurry in well-lit scenarios. There is vary little control given to the user, so there is not a lot you can experiment with. One of the key features is the HD 720p video recording resolution. A typical 25 second clip is 43 MB in size. The quality of the video clips is pretty impressive. The touch screen makes a few other features easily accessible. For example, you can actually type in a tag for every single photo that you shoot using an on-screen keyboard. The high definition video recording is a feature that will interest many.
The price of $300 is a fairly attractive price for a camera with these unique features.

Popularity: 9% [?]