Samsung DualView TL225 Review

Samsung DualView TL225 Review

Is it all about the image created, or the unique features of a camera? That's often a question I ask myself when reviewing a new camera. The new Samsung DualView TL225 is by no means short on innovative features, including a dual LCD system that consists of a 3.5 inch touch screen on the back and a 1.5 inch LCD on the front for taking self-portraits, haptic feedback that causes the rear LCD to vibrate when you change settings, and 720p HD video capture.

The concern here is that some of these features are gimmicks instead of tools designed to help a consumer who wants to take great pictures. The Samsung TL225 takes away the mode dials and almost all physical controls except the shutter and power buttons, replacing them with said 3.5 inch touch screen. A full slate of neat features is only useful if they are implemented well.

The TL225 also comes packed with a 12.2 megapixel CCD image sensor, a Schneider-KREUZNACH 4.6x optical zoom lens, face detection, dual image stabilization via digital and optical means, and a Smart Auto shooting mode that analyzes your composition and automatically selects the optimal settings for you. Taking it all in at first glance, the TL225 comes across as a camera that is stylish, sleek, and obviously unique. Let's see if these new features are just a gimmick or if they add up to a unique shooting experience.

BUILD AND DESIGN
When I first took out the DualView TL225 I was instantly impressed by its attractive build and small form factor - then I turned it over to find the expansive touch screen. Though the prospect of shooting with almost no physical buttons seemed daunting, once I turned on the camera and used it for a while those feelings changed.

I'll admit that I was immediately drawn to the slick design and build quality of the camera. Its metal and hard plastic construction, tiny size (no bigger in height, weight and depth than a pack of playing cards), and purple trimming (also available in blue, red and orange) are by no means dull to the eye. It has a retractable lens, the aforementioned small 1.5 inch LCD on the front, which is nearly invisible if you don't activate it, and a small flash and assist lamp. The camera is built very well and feels sturdy in your hands, meriting a thumbs-up.

Ergonomics and Controls
The TL225 is a small camera, no question, measuring 3.93x2.35x0.73 inches and weighing only 5.8 ounces. The slim build makes two-handed shooting feel like a must to avoid accidental contact with the front and rear LCDs.

That's not the case though, shooting with one hand worked as well. I tested it with my big claws to see if placing my thumb on the back and three fingers on the front would disrupt shooting, and it didn't. It looks like Samsung hashed out that very problem before it went to market. But as with most any touch panel, the oil from your fingers leaves traces all over the camera's LCDs.

The buttons (a grand total of four) are all placed on top of the camera. The power button, sunken in slightly to avoid accidental activation, is a bit tricky to press on and off. You really have to push your fingernail down in to start the camera. The other buttons include playback to initiate image review, a small zoom lever, and a shutter button, which is the largest analog button on the TL225. Overall, buttons are placed where you'd expect them to be, though they could be a bit too small for some users. Sacrifices must be made for such a large LCD.

The retractable lens completely shrinks into the camera body. The flash is small and stays out of your fingers' way. There's not much room for your hands and fingers when all is said and done, relegating your hand to the outer rim of the camera since most of the real estate of the TL225 is dedicated to the DualView LCD system.

Menus and Modes
Samsung's TL225 touch screen menu system uses haptic response to confirm your selections. A press of the tab icon along the bottom of the screen pulls up settings for AF, image quality settings, white balance, EV scale, metering, and picture styles. Another mainframe button on the touch screen is the Menu button in the lower right portion of the LCD - by pressing it you can get into the real nuts and bolts of the TL225 - everything from haptic strength to changing the language.

You keep reading the term haptic about this touch screen system. Essentially, this feature gives you a tangible feeling when you select something on the touch screen by vibrating it to confirm your selection. This is similar to some other devices like a joystick controller on a video gaming system that shakes when you are in game play, or a cell phone, and is in the same vein here, except it gives you a tangible vibration to confirm your selection. This is nice, because it makes the touch screen feel more like a real button system. The menu system is intuitive and easy to understand, especially the GUI and menu system. It looks modern and refined, and at 1,152,000 dot resolution, it's the sharpest LCD we've seen on a compact camera to date.

There are five shooting modes for the TL225, including Smart Auto, Automatic, Program, Scene Modes (13 individual scenes) and Dual Image Stabilization that enacts both forms of IS.

Here's a rundown of the shooting and scene modes:

* Smart Auto: The TL225 automatically chooses all of the camera settings (the only thing you can change is resolution).
* Automatic: Similar to Smart Auto, except you can change the AF area, IS, face detection, picture style and a few other things.
* Program: The setting with the most manual control of all shooting modes. You're given control over exposure value, white balance, ISO sensitivity, focus area, face detection, resolution, size, metering, and drive mode. Additionally, you are able to adjust contrast, sharpness and brightness. Various picture styles can be applied in this shooting mode.
* Dual: Enables digital and optical image stabilization, and gives you control over exposure, white balance, AF, face detection, resolution, size and metering.
* Movie: Shoots 1280x720 HD video, allowing you to choose between 15 fps or 30 fps, video quality, WB, exposure, and metering.
* Scene Modes: User chooses from 13 different shooting modes. They include Beauty Shot, Frame Guide, Night, Portrait, Children, Landscape, Close Up, Text, Sunset, Dawn, Backlight, Fireworks, and Beach & Snow.

Display
Depending on which display you're speaking of, the front or the back, they are both pretty cool. The DualView system that the TL225 utilizes is the most unique feature of the entire camera. Let's first talk a little bit about the front, or the self-portrait LCD. It has a resolution of 61,000 dots, and is enacted when you simply press it, giving you a view of exactly what your self-portrait looks like. Other functions of the LCD include a numeric countdown in self-timer mode, and when you are in baby mode, the front of the camera displays a clown animation that will help the infant or toddler to focus.

The rear LCD is big and bright, and takes up the entire back panel. Just like an iPhone, when in playback with the TL225 you can swipe back and forth to move images in succession, also by making an "X" with your finger you can delete an image you don't want. The haptic touch, the easy and intuitive menu system, and the sheer size of the LCD make it far superior to any touch screen device or camera I've used. Not to mention that the front LCD is a unique feature that will intrigue all the self-portrait artists out there.

PERFORMANCE
Samsung's TL225 is a tiny camera that I really enjoyed shooting with on different occasions. It was light enough to lug around constantly, it was easy to put in my pocket, and was discrete when I didn't feel like drawing attention to my shooting of local parks and other places with people present. It has a few quirks that were undesirable, like when using the zoom lever, which only works when you have everything selected from the menu (it won't zoom in and out unless the camera screen is clear), a slow image buffer when it's processing images and saving them to your memory card, and probably one of the biggest pet peeves was that it only records to MicroSD cards, which can be easily lost because of their tiny size.

Speed-wise, the TL225 is a pretty middle-of-the-road performer, with just above bottom performance timings. But lab tests aren't everything - in the field, the TL225 worked quite well for what I needed, which was nothing more than a good picture in a reasonable amount of time.

Shooting Performance
The camera fires up pretty fast and has a shutter lag of 0.04 seconds. That places it toward the bottom of the pile, but it's not something to bat your eyes at. The camera finds focus fast in good light. In the field the TL225 had varied auto focus performance, finding focus easily in lighted scenes, and though it still performed well in darker situations, in extreme low-light scenarios it was unable to find focus at all. AF acquisition during lab tests clocked in at 0.41 seconds, and the same results were found in the field tests.

Continuous shooting performance captured 1.0 fps until the camera hesitated to clear the buffer after 7 frames during the lab testing.

The Dual Image Stabilization system works quite well. I tested it in the field by turning off the IS function and slightly shaking the camera and snapping the shutter, producing a blurry frame as expected. I then enacted the Dual IS and did the same amount of shake and got a much clearer picture.

Battery life of the TL225 is CIPA rated at 180 shots during specific shooting conditions. The field testing I did without flash put me well over 400 shots, but when I tried the same settings as Samsung, I got just above 180 shots, lining up the actual battery life nicely with their specs.

Lens Performance
The focal range of the 4.6x TL225 is a 35mm equivalent of 27-124mm - a moderate wide-angle to small telephoto lens. The maximum aperture range is f/3.5 wide to f/5.9 telephoto - not ahead of the rest of the class, but not lagging behind.

There is some minor distortion at 27mm, which is sort of annoying, but often a problem at the wide-angle side of point-and-shoot cameras. Also if you want to push the camera past the 4.6x optical zoom, you can utilize a 5x digital zoom range that makes the image resolution smaller.

Video Quality
The HD video quality of the TL225 seemed a bit subpar for my taste. It captures 1280x720 (720p) HD video in either 15 fps or 30 fps. The results showed a pretty noisy video quality. I wasn't impressed with it, and I've captured more impressive video with point-and-shoots that capture standard def (640x480). I also found that when zooming in and out with the video capture, the sound turns off completely until you stop zooming.

Image Quality
Images straight out of the camera are in the normal (default) picture style, and are generally accurate, but can be changed with ten different styles including a cool color negative and retro look.

The default images processed are quite good and aren't filled with too many chromatic aberrations. There is also the RGB style that lets you choose on a sliding scale, whether you want to accentuate your frame with Red, Blue, or Green. With the different styles you can choose, there is an option for any sort of color or mood you want to achieve, which is one of the strong suits of the TL225. It really brings out fall colors with the Vivid or Forest settings.

You can control the level of sharpness with the TL225 with a slider bar. It also allows you to control brightness and contrast in-camera so you don't have to do it during post-processing. Overall, the image quality was right up there with the competition, adding plenty of options for in-camera editing.

Auto white balance worked very well in a few different lighting scenarios, but when shot indoors in 3200K incandescent lighting, it shot quite warm in the studio. There are three metering options including the default multi metering, which rendered the most accurate exposure.

The ISO performance of the TL225 is quite similar to most point-and-shoots, offering you a selectable scale from ISO 80 to 3200. At about ISO 200, noise starts to creep in to the equation. One would hope for better performance at this setting, and after 200, noise continues to increase almost to the point of unusable at 3200.

CONCLUSIONS
As camera makers rush to try and come up with the next big thing to move camera volume during these economic hardships, Samsung has engineered a new idea that will either turn on new customers or have them scratching their heads.

My first thoughts about the TL225 were a bit cynical to say the least. I opened up the package and saw that there was no printed out manual (relying on a CD-ROM once again), strike one, and started to inspect the camera body and the rest of the contents. I played with the camera and wondered how the touch screen would fare, then I opened the trap door on the bottom, squinting in search of a memory card slot, until I realized it takes the same kind my Blackberry takes (MicroSD) - another strike.

The DualView proved to be a great idea, and is not gimmicky; it provides people who have to rely on others to take the picture the freedom to shoot themselves without help. This camera is for the independent photographer who prizes self-reliance, for the mother who wants to keep the attention of their infant child staring up at the screen, and for that matter, any person who wants a stylish and small camera that makes and processes decent images.

The cost might be a little bit high with a retail price of $350, and may turn off more than a few consumers. But if you like what you read, I'd suggest you take a shot at the TL225. I enjoyed shooting with it and found very little wrong with it once I got past my cynicism. The Samsung TL225 really is a cool camera. It works exactly as it is marketed, and it's worth trying out.

Pros:

* Unique DualView LCD technology
* Small and stylish form factor
* Haptic touch screen
* Good image quality
* Sharp lens

Cons:

* ISO performance not great
* Uses MicroSD (Really?)
* Video quality subpar
* Slow image buffer

(Source: digitalcamerareview.com)

Fujifilm FinePix F70EXR Review

Fujifilm FinePix F70EXR Review

Fujifilm's FinePix F70EXR is (as of November 2009) the "World's smallest digital camera with a 10x optical zoom." The svelte new F70 (which replaces Fuji's F60fd model) also incorporates the nifty EXR technology introduced earlier this year on the very popular Fujifilm F200EXR. What sets both EXR cameras apart from the competition is the new Super CCD EXR imaging sensor.

The F70's Super CCD EXR imaging sensor incorporates larger pixels and a novel new layout that (according to Fuji) permits the sensor to capture more light over a shorter period of time than standard sensor arrays. The Super CCD EXR sensor works in tandem with Fuji's new Real Photo Processor EXR for faster camera operation, lower noise levels, improved dynamic range, brighter colors, and sharper images.

The icing on the cake may be the F70's new color saturation choices based on well-known Fuji 35mm slide films like Velvia, Provia, and Astia. If all that's not enough, the F70EXR offers control-conscious shutterbugs an aperture priority mode and a full manual exposure mode. Other neat features include dual image stabilization, third generation Face Detection, a Portrait Enhancer mode, and sensitivity settings up to ISO 12800. That's a lot of functionality for a shirt pocket digicam.

BUILD AND DESIGN
Digital cameras, as a class, generate surprisingly good pictures in decent light. After the sun goes down, in dull weather, and indoors, most produce noisy images with flat contrast and dull colors. Fuji offered a series of digicams that did better than the competition in dim/low lighting and indoors. The chunky and un-sexy F30fd and F40fd produced noticeably better than average higher ISO images in natural light, low light, and indoors, but they lacked the svelte profile demanded by consumers.

Like Olympus, Pentax, and Panasonic, Fuji doesn't like being in the second tier behind Canon, Nikon, and Sony so they tried again to put themselves ahead with the F200EXR. The F200EXR featured an improved Real Photo processor and new EXR technology to improve high ISO image quality. The F200EXR created quite a stir, but consumers still wanted smaller cameras, more megapixels, and longer zooms - the F70EXR is a very conventional looking digicam that looks like every other compact digital camera, but it is eminently pocketable and while it's not as compact as some of its credit-card sized competitors, it does provide 10 megapixel resolution and a 10x zoom.

While most shooters don't need the multi-megapixel images generated by the great majority of currently available P&S digicams, some consumers may be troubled by the fact that the F70EXR is not a full-time 10 megapixel camera in its namesake EXR mode. The highest resolution (10 megapixels) is only available in the Resolution Priority mode. The High ISO & Low Noise mode and the D-Range Priority mode only generate 5 megapixel images.

Ergonomics and Controls
The F70EXR is a fairly small camera, but it feels solid and somewhat heavier than expected. The camera fits nicely in the hands and is comfortable to use even over long periods. The attractive gun-metal gray and silver body is shiny/smooth and there's no handgrip - nothing but a tiny decorative chrome ridge along the right edge of the body - so continuous use of the wrist strap is probably a good idea.

The Fuji F70EXR's user interface is uncomplicated and reasonably straightforward. The control layout is fairly typical and quite similar to most other recent point and shoots. Buttons are logically placed and come easily to hand for right-handed shooters, but they are all rather small. The mode dial is almost too diminutive, but all controls are responsive and provide a confidence-inspiring tactile firmness.

All controls with the exception of the on/off button, shutter button, and zoom controller switch are located on the back of the camera. Dedicated controls include the Mode Dial, play button, and "F" function button which provides a shortcut to a selection of settings/functions directly related to the selected shooting mode - for example in EXR mode the "F" button provides direct access to ISO, image size, film simulation options. The compass switch (4-way controller) provides direct access to the exposure compensation function in shooting mode and the delete function (in playback mode), macro settings, the self-timer, and flash options. Below the compass switch are the DISP (display) button and the direct access to the F70's third generation face detection mode which can detect up to ten faces and is (according to Fuji) faster and more accurate even when subjects aren't looking directly at the camera.

Menus and Modes
Fuji has always featured an easy to use menu system and the F70EXR is no exception. Selections/Options are straightforward, logical, and clearly thought out. The Shooting menu is covered in two pages and the Set-up menu is covered in four pages.

The F70 provides the standard selection of shooting modes plus several non-standard options, but many users will probably leave the camera in EXR mode full time.

* Auto Mode: The camera makes all exposure decisions - just point the camera at the subject and press the shutter button.
* Program Mode: Auto exposure with limited user input (metering, white balance sensitivity, etc.)
* Manual Mode: User selects all exposure parameters including aperture and shutter speed.
* Aperture Priority Mode: The F70EXR only provides two aperture options - wide open and stopped down - the actual f-stop is dependent on the focal length setting of the zoom lens. The maximum aperture (at the wide angle position) is f/3.3. Zoom the lens out to the telephoto position and the maximum aperture drops to f/5.6. At the stopped down position the minimum aperture ranges from f/6.4 at the wide angle end of the zoom to f/11.0 at the telephoto end of the zoom range.
* Natural Light w/flash Mode: This setting captures two images with one press of the shutter button - one with fill flash and one with only natural lighting and then saves both.
* Natural Light Mode: Auto exposure biased for natural lighting.
* Pro Focus Mode: The F70 utilizes some very impressive multi-frame technology including the pro-focus mode which replicates the out-of-focus backgrounds loved by portrait shooters. When the shutter button is pushed in pro-focus mode the F70 captures three simultaneous images and overlays them to create an image with a sharply focused subject and an apparently out of focus (de-focused) background.
* Pro-Low Light Mode: Captures and then combines four high ISO images to decrease noise levels.
* Movie Mode: 640x480 VGA video clips with monaural sound.

EXR modes include:

* High Resolution Priority Mode: full resolution at 10 megapixels.
* D-range Mode: (Wide Dynamic Range mode) When the camera is in D-Range Priority mode users can set the Dynamic Range to either 100%, 200%, 400% or 800%, or to the Auto setting. When the camera is in the Program, Aperture Priority, or Manual shooting modes users can set the Dynamic Range to 100%, 200% or 400%, but the upper limit range is linked to the ISO sensitivity selected - for example ISO 100 equals 100%, but ISO 200 allows 100% and 200%, and ISO 400 allows 100%, 200% and 400%.
* High Sensitivity/Low Noise Mode: limits noise at higher (ISO) sensitivity settings.
* EXR Auto Mode: Automatically selects one of those three modes described above and (depending on conditions) and automatically shifts (based on what's in front of the lens) between Portrait, Landscape, Macro, Backlit Portrait, Night, and Night Portrait scene modes to select the optimum scene mode for the lighting and subject.

Display/Viewfinder
Like most recent consumer digital cameras, the Fuji F70EXR doesn't provide an additional (optical or electronic) viewfinder so the 2.7 inch LCD screen is utilized for all framing/composition, captured image review, and menu navigation chores - the LCD is viewable at 160 degrees both vertically and horizontally.

The F70's LCD is fairly sharp (230,000 pixels), bright enough, hue accurate, relatively fluid, and the info display provides all the data the camera's target audience is likely to need. The user-enabled LCD grid-line display is a nice (and useful) touch, but the LCD is very shiny so it tends to fade a bit in bright outdoor lighting. The display gains "up" (automatically increases brightness) in dim lighting.

PERFORMANCE
I'm a bit puzzled as to just who the F70EXR's target audience is. The camera is very compact, easy to use, features a 10x zoom, and at least some of the time generates 10 megapixel images - so clearly it should appeal to casual photographers and snapshooters.

The F70EXR also provides some impressive usability and an astonishing level of personal input into the photographic process for more serious shooters, but it lacks the higher resolution of the competition, doesn't have an optical viewfinder, there's no RAW file option, and the 10x zoom is not as good as a shorter, less complex lens might have been. It seems that Fuji tried to please everyone and ended up creating a very interesting camera that provides a little something nice for everyone, but not quite enough substance for anyone.

Shooting Performance
The F70EXR is pretty quick across the board - it beats the average in shutter lag (press-to-capture, pre-focused) at 0.01 seconds. AF Acquisition (press-to-capture, no pre-focus) is a bit slower than average at 0.42 seconds. In continuous shooting mode the F70EXR is quicker than most of the competition at 2.6 fps.

The F70EXR's TTL Contrast Detection AF system provides both center and multi AF point Auto Focus. AF is fairly quick and dependably accurate - in face detection mode the F70EXR's AF system can track up to 10 faces. The AF system works nicely in decent (outdoor) lighting, but it often has difficulty locking focus in dimmer (indoor) lighting. Focusing is also noticeably slower in poor light.

The F70EXR's Auto White Balance setting did a consistently good job outside, but it struggled to get the hues right indoors. White balance options include - Auto WB, Automatic scene recognition, Fine, Shade, Fluorescent light (Daylight), Fluorescent light (Warm white), Fluorescent light (Cool white), Incandescent light, and Custom.

The F70EXR features a Dual Image Stabilization system that provides both mechanical sensor shift to counter camera movement during exposure and a digital Image Stabilization system that boosts ISO and increases shutter speeds to help counter shooter instability and to compensate for minor subject movement.The camera also provides 47MB of internal memory and also stores images to external SD and SDHC memory media.

The F70EXR draws its power from a proprietary NP-50 3.6V - 1000mAh - Li-Ion rechargeable battery. Fuji claims up to 230 images with a fully charged battery- which is a bit less than most of the competition. It's difficult for me to keep track of exposures because I do a lot of shoot, review, delete, and re-shoot, though Fuji's figures seem to be fairly accurate based on my experiences with the camera.

The F70EXR's built-in multi-mode "Super Intelligent" flash sounds more impressive than it actually is - the super intelligence may be a bit of hyperbole - what "super intelligent" really means is that the flash automatically scales back its output as it gets closer to the subject. The F70EXR's flash provides what is actually a fairly standard set of external lighting options including Auto, Forced On, Forced Off, Slow Synch, and Red-Eye Reduction. Fuji claims the maximum flash range is almost 14 feet at ISO 800. The flash is positioned right in front of and just below the shutter button/zoom controller which results in an occasional stray finger blocking the flash.

Lens Performance
The F70EXR features a Fujinon 10x, f3.3-f5.6/5mm-50mm (27-270mm equivalent) optical zoom lens with super EBC coating to reduce ghosting and flare. Close focusing (macro mode) is 2.0 inches.

When the F70EXR is powered up the zoom extends automatically and when the camera is powered down the zoom is fully retracted into the camera body and a built-in iris style lens cover closes to protect the front element. Zooming is smooth and fairly quiet. The F70EXR's zoom performance is pretty good, but images do display noticeable corner softness and some minor vignetting (dark corners). Barrel distortion (at the wide-angle end of the zoom range) is noticeably higher than average, but pincushion distortion is essentially invisible at the telephoto end of the zoom. Chromatic aberration is slightly above average - purple fringing is visible in high contrast areas and to a somewhat lesser degree in color transition areas - especially where foreground objects (like trees) subjects meet the open sky.

Video Quality
The F70EXR provides a fairly unexciting 30 fps VGA (640X480) or QVGA (320X240) movie mode with monaural sound. This certainly won't compete with a dedicated video camera or the HD video offered by some of the F70EXR's competition, but it will work well enough for generating e-mail video attachments for friends and family. Video duration is limited only by the 2GB maximum file size. Unlike many other digicams, the F70EXR permits aspiring directors to use the 10x zoom while recording.

Image Quality
Image quality is where the F70EXR really shines - this camera offers an unprecedented level of individual tweakability and personal flexibility in terms of color palette, noise management, and dynamic range. Most P&S digicams boost color saturation because amateurs and casual shooters like bold bright hues and harder contrast - veteran shooters call this "consumer color". Unlike most of its competition the F70EXR's default color is actually pretty close to neutral, but with color saturation choices based on well known Fuji 35mm slide films like Velvia, Provia, and Astia the F70EXR eschews the boosted saturation and hard contrast consumer color of its competition and instead allows each individual shooter to custom tailor hue and dynamic range to genuinely reflect their own personal photographic vision.

Outdoors, in good light, image quality is dependably very good. Exposures are consistently accurate although there is a very slight tendency toward overexposure and highlights are sometimes burned out. Set the mode dial to EXR and the whole world changes. Image quality can be tailored to produce high-resolution 10 megapixel images with the vibrant colors and precise detail that look like Provia slides, or high ISO low noise natural light images that look like Astia slide film available light shots, or wide dynamic range landscapes that glow with light and exuberant colors like Velvia slides.

Indoor image quality is noticeably better than average, but as sensitivity automatically rises to overcome lower levels of ambient lighting, noise rises exponentially and color accuracy suffers a bit. Noise levels are quite low, well below average up to ISO 400. Noise becomes more obvious at ISO 800 and 1600 in the images cropped at 100%.

CONCLUSIONS
I really liked the F70EXR and I had lots of fun shooting with it. We are right in the middle of our fall color peak here in the Ohio Valley and I shot the digital equivalent of dozens of rolls of film trying to capture that once-a-year riot of autumn/harvest hues. The F70EXR did a good job and never let me down (although when the battery icon says Low Battery, it isn't kidding) but in the final analysis this camera just misses greatness.

Almost anyone who buys the F70EXR will like it - the price is right, it is amazingly flexible/tweakable, it produces superb images with bright colors, wide dynamic range, low noise levels, and it is easy to use. So what's the problem with the F70EXR? This camera really could have put Fuji on the map. Add more flexibility in selecting image resolution, add a small EVF, and enable RAW file capture and the F70EXR could have been a baby G11 - with more flexibility and more natural colors.

Pros:

* 10x zoom
* Great pictures
* Fuji Slide Simulation Options
* Incredibly flexible
* Nice Price

Cons:

* Certain shooting modes limited to 5 megapixels
* No Optical viewfinder/EVF
* No RAW file mode

(Source: digitalcamerareview.com)

Pentax K-x

Pentax K-x

With its bearing in the upper entry-level market, the new Pentax K-x DSLR borrows its compact build from the K2000 (a.k.a. K-m) while sharing some of the features of their pro K-7. There are some unique functionalities behind the Pentax K-x, like HDR in-camera processing, a fast continuous shutter of 4.7 frames per second, and some great in-camera processing features. We'll discuss all this and more further on down.

The K-x also has some pretty standard features that are quickly becoming mainstays in the DSLR market, like a 12.4 megapixel APS-C sized CMOS image sensor, 11-point auto focus, 1280x720 HD video capture (at 24 fps, which is the standard speed for cinema motion picture capture), live view and an image stabilization system.

Another feature unique to the K-x is that it comes in four different colors, including black (our unit), white, and the harder to find navy and red. It certainly seems to have all the ingredients for a great camera. Its street price of $650 (body with 18-55mm kit lens) will get you some unique processing options, decent continuous shooting speed, HD video, 1/6000th sec. shutter speed max, and expandable ISO up to 12800. We took it through the paces, with the good folks at Digital Camera Review testing it in the lab and me in the field, and we have a comprehensive look at the Pentax K-x for you.

BUILD AND DESIGN
The design of the K-x is almost exactly identical to their entry-level K2000. The two cameras share the same dimensions of (WxHxD) 4.8x3.6x2.7 inches with only a minute difference in weight - the K-x weighs in at 18.2 oz. and the K2000 at 18.5 oz. With the same steel skeleton, rubber exterior, and similar button layout, there isn't much difference between these two siblings physically.

Ergonomics and Controls
The control layout of Pentax's K-x is nearly a spitting image of the K2000, minus a Live View button on the back of the camera. The DSLR body is very similar to all other Pentax creations, who have been known for creating sturdy DSLR bodies that don't feel chintzy, even with an affordable price tag on them. Often, cameras will suffer poor build quality when price is low, but not in the case of the K-x. It's a solid camera with a nice metallic/silver trim wrapping around the front of the camera and an excellent feel in the hand. The K-x doesn't have the ruggedized and weather-conscious build that the K-7 and K20D have, but it is created equally in terms of look and feel.

The K-x, as mentioned above, has the same exact layout at the K2000, minus the Live View button on the back, with an e-dial that lets you change shutter, aperture, EV and ISO when shooting. In image playback, the same control initiates image zoom. The shutter and power switch reside on the top panel, and other buttons include the Mode Dial, Exposure Compensation to change the exposure steps (or in Manual it sets the aperture), a customizable green button, a four way controller that helps you navigate the menu system, and an Info button that takes you to all the advanced features of the K-x without having to navigate menus to find things like metering and HDR.

The K-x also has an AF/AE-L button that either locks exposure or autofocus, an Up button that deletes during playback or pops up the flash, and a focus mode lever to choose between AF or manual focusing. The K-x has a 2.7 inch LCD with a 230,000 dot resolution.. The K-x isn't much different from most other Pentax DSLRs, making it a small camera that is easily portable and feels substantially well crafted.

Menus and Modes
The Pentax menu systems haven't changed much at all, retaining a common looking layout that is layered with sub-menus. This is great if you are a Pentaxian - you'll find shooting with the K-x basically the same as all of their DSLRs, but from an outsiders' view, it may look a bit dated. However, there is a new user interface that I was completely pleased with.

As I mentioned just above, with the Info button you can quickly access important camera functions without having to rely on the sub-menu system, making it dramatically faster to get the settings you want without having to fuss with it. I've seen this in a few DSLRs over the years, including the Olympus E-3 that had a similar button that gave you access without menu diving. This is a welcome feature for a working photographer that wants pro access to their most used functions, but for the beginner to intermediate shooters out there, it gives you more control and easy usability when you're learning how to best optimize your camera use.

The Mode Dial offers your typical manual shooting options, including Pentax's proprietary Sv mode, as well as different Scene modes and Picture modes. Here's a run down of what you get on the K-x, starting with a total of seven different picture modes:

* Auto Picture: Automatically chooses the right capture mode for any given scene.
* Portrait: For portraits, automatically enhances for a bright skin tone.
* Landscape: Extends depth of field, and produces more saturated hues.
* Macro: Take pictures of small objects like flowers from close distances.
* Moving Object: Changes the drive mode from single shot to continuous shooting so you can capture all the action.
* Nice Scene Portrait: Take a low-light shot while the camera chooses the best settings.
* Flash Off: Forces the flash off.

There are ten different scene modes:

* Night Scene: Takes low-light shots while you're using a tripod for stability.
* Surf & Snow: Chooses the correct exposure for low-contrast images.
* Food: Saturates the images more to make food pop out.
* Sunset: For taking picturesque sunset images.
* Stage Lighting: For taking indoor images in a theater or concert.
* Kids: Set to continuous shooting for moving kids.
* Pet: Drive mode is also set to continuous to get a moving pet.
* Candlelight: For low-lit candle shots.
* Museum: Shoot in museums where flash is not allowed.
* Night Snap: Shooting without a tripod, but in a dark scene.

Movie recording mode captures wide-screen 16:9 aspect ratio 1280x720 HD video at 24 fps. Rounding out the mode dial are five more exposure modes.

* Manual: Allows you to choose shutter speed, aperture value, and many other parameters.
* Aperture Priority: Control aperture, while the camera chooses the best shutter speed.
* Shutter Priority: Choose shutter speed, while the camera choose the best aperture speed.
* Sensitivity Priority: Sets the shutter speed and aperture automatically, while you choose ISO sensitivity.
* Program: Sets both aperture and shutter speed, similar to automatic.

Display/Viewfinder
Where the K-x differs from the K2000 is that it employs Live View, allowing the user to bypass the viewfinder and compose shots on the LCD. The K-x has a 2.7 inch 230,000 dot wide-angle view LCD that is pretty much a basic size and resolution as far as DSLRs go. It also has a mirror-box pentamirror viewfinder with a 96% area of coverage, which is pretty nice for this class of camera. The viewfinder has a diopter adjuster for people who need to make adjustments for their vision.

Although the K-x has Live View functionality, there are a couple of things that make it somewhat difficult to work with. First, it is extremely hard to get the camera to focus on objects quickly when using Live View, especially in low light, and the second is that it drains the battery almost completely when in use. As Pentax's Live View comes with a price, it also helps photographers to compose shots are strange angles, and with patience, you can get the shot, but I have certainly seen better renditions of Live View with Olympus, Nikon and Canon branded DSLRs.

The comparatively low resolution of the LCD can be somewhat misleading in the field, making you think you've captured a great shot when you are in image playback, but when you zoom in with the e-dial, or put it on your computer, there is somewhat of a disparity between playback and what is actually captured. This was especially true with video capture, which I will discuss later on. With all things considered, it's an okay LCD monitor, and the viewfinder is accurate.

PERFORMANCE
Pentax has built a nice little camera with the K-x, though it does have a few flaws. It is poised to take over the place of the K2000, following the path they pursued with their point and shoots by including HD video capture in every camera. Some advanced functions position the K-x not quite at the entry-level, while at the same time it offers different scene modes and automatic settings, making the K-x on paper seem to be the best of both worlds. For the most part, the K-x is the best of both worlds, but some of what it lacks includes poor power performance, trouble focusing during live view capture, and a somewhat sluggish image buffer.

Shooting Performance
The K-x performed very solidly in our lab tests. We measured shutter lag (press-to-capture, pre-focused) at 0.03 seconds, which is just below the Olympus E-620. AF acquisition (using the viewfinder) came in at 0.25 seconds, while the K-x's continuous shooting reigns supreme at the top of the pile, at a fast 4.4 fps (slightly slower than the advertised 4.7 fps though).

There are three auto focus modes on board the K-x, including AF.S (Single mode) where focus is achieved via a halfway press of the shutter, AF.C (Continuous mode) where the subject is kept in focus after you press the shutter a half click and continues to keep the selected subject in focus, and AF.A (Auto) which switches between the two modes to give you the proper AF mode depending on the scenario. I mostly used AF.A, which worked great for single captures. However, when I used the continuous shooting drive, the AF.C was a requirement.

The AF uses a phase-detection system like most DSLRs, and offers four different options, including Auto 5 AF points, 11 AF points, Select, and Spot. All work well in the field, but the biggest issue we found with the focusing system was in Live View. It worked very hard to find its focus on objects, even in good lighting. Overall, the AF system works well, but does struggle a little bit in low light.

Continuous shooting is top notch. With a 4.4 fps rating, the K-x is completely capable of grabbing a split second frame in the middle of fast-moving action. Other exceptional areas of performance include the Shake Reduction feature, which reduces blur in images. When shooting, I tested out the SR with it on and then off, and it makes a dramatic difference.

Flash performance is spot on, giving a nice fill with its automatic modes and slow sync. The K-x is even equipped with a wireless flash mode that can set off optical slave flashes.

The biggest deficiency I found in the K-x is the powering system behind it. It uses four AA batteries instead of a rechargeable lithium-ion battery. We have mixed feelings about the AA system - it's convenient in that you can pick up batteries anywhere, but a DSLR takes a lot of juice to function. Even if you opt for rechargeable AAs, a power-hungry DSLR can run them down pretty quickly.

I advocate that AAs are better suited for point and shoots, but for a DSLR with advanced features, it is bound to be a power hog. In the case of the K-x, it's true. I went through four sets of batteries during the span of writing my review. The functions that chip away most at the power are use of live view, video capture, flash, and advanced camera processing like HDR and the different digital filters.

Lens Performance
Our K-x review unit arrived body-only, but I was provided with what the kit lens is for the camera - the smc Pentax DAL 18-55mm variable aperture lens. It's a pretty typical piece of kit glass, though it doesn't offer much reach for playing with depth of field. Although you can get a pretty shallow depth of field in Av mode, the lens does a reliable job of giving you what you need.

The camera's low-light performance is exceptional, so the glass if more forgivable when you can just bump up the ISO and still get a great low-light shot. This is great when you want an affordable lens like this one, and still want to get good dark shots.

Another great part of the camera body is that you can correct for aberrations that sometimes the lens can cause, and in this case, its inherently going to have some issues like barrel distortion and pin cushioning. Options include in-body distortion correction that works quite well, and also Chromatic Aberration control that helps get rid of purple fringing around the edges of high contrast. All in all, the K-x offers some nice alternatives in-camera to fixing problems in post-processing.

Video Quality
There seems to be a problem with Pentax's rendition of HD video. Earlier this year I reviewed their ultrazoom X70 and the HD video was not good at all. We found all sorts of artifacts and grain in the capture. Video recording in the K-x improves on that, presumably thanks to a bigger image sensor. The video captures detail, but still struggles with the grain issue throughout the frame. The quality is pretty decent, but the noise levels make the video subpar compared to video capture from its competitors.

Image Quality
Image quality at default settings is very faithful to what the eye sees. There is also a cool manual tool for changing the image processing called Custom Image, which allows you to use sliders to change the saturation, hue, high/low key adjustment, contrast and sharpness of your image. Among these preset options with sliders are Bright, Natural, Portrait, Landscape, Vibrant, Muted, and Monochrome.

Other in-camera tools include Cross Processing and High Dynamic Range capture mode. The latter is available in HDR1 and HDR2, offering different levels of processing that create the effect of a wider dynamic range in your final image. What the HDR tool does is take three images simultaneously (one over, one under, and one correct exposure) and processes them together in-camera.

Auto White Balance in the studio shot slightly warm, but in the field worked well under a variety of lighting conditions. Even on a blown out gray day, the AWB gave me the right exposure every time. Although the AWB works great in the field, you still have your pick of WB Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Fluorescent Light Daylight Color, Tungsten Light, Flash, CTE, and Manual.

This brings us to the ISO performance charts, and this is where the Pentax K-x really sings. The ISO range is 200-6400, with expanded options up to 12800. As you can see in the lab samples, ISO 200 all the way to 1600 produce a great image, which is excellent for a 12.4 megapixel image. As I have said before, 12 megapixels is an optimal resolution for an APS-sized image sensor. I'm glad Pentax stepped away from pushing higher resolutions and concentrated on image quality instead.

CONCLUSIONS
The Pentax K-x is a worthy competitor for the major manufacturers out there, and is probably in line for the third best with the other smaller camera companies. Since the days of the K10D and the K100D, Pentax has made affordable DSLRs with great form factors, exceptional build quality and superb image quality. The K-x does not stray from that formula. The K-x is a great younger brother to their top-of-the-line K-7, though not without a few flaws.

The LCD isn't great, focusing in live view is frustrating, battery power is drained quickly, HD video is somewhat noisy, and it can be slow to process images. But what it lacks in these areas it makes up for in price, image quality, construction, the perfect resolution, unique in-camera processing options, exceptional ISO performance and continuous shooting speed.

The Pentax K-x offers a great value for its price. It gives you total control of image processing, manual shooting, a few post-processing shortcuts, and easy-to-use automatic and scene modes that makes it an entry-level to intermediate camera. Yes it has some quirks, it can be slow at times, and it drains battery juice at the drop of a hat, but we can't deny that the K-x is top notch otherwise.

Pros:

* Excellent image quality
* Great ISO/Low-light performance
* Unique in-camera processing
* Competitively priced
* Solidly built

Cons:

* Eats batteries for breakfast
* HD video has some noise
* AF in Live View mode slow and uncontrollable

(Source: digitalcamerareview.com)