Friday, October 12, 2012

Picture This and That: Zooming the Bridges October 2012 Edition

Before the mirrorless rage started, the big new thing was big zoom bridge cameras.  Although the excitement has faded, the superzooms still out there, and a number of them are pretty good.  They'll never match interchangeable lens cameras for image quality, but they're more than adequate for anyone taking snapshots, and they offer buyers a highly flexible camera for a relatively low price.

I've looked at the latest reviews, along with a lot of older comparisons, and found that the Canon Powershot SX_0 IS series and the Pansonic DMC-FZ series have been battling for the top of the heap since the mid-2000s.  The DMC-FZ100 was a bit of dud, though, so watch out for that one if you're looking into the used market.  I would also be wary of the SX50 if you're going to be shooting indoors often.  The 50x (1200 / 24 = 50) zoom might seem like it would be great to have, but the price is a pretty slow (small maximum aperture) lens.  I think Canon should have introduced a new series for such an extreme zoom, and then done a more conservative iteration of the SX40.  The DMC-FZ200 takes the opposite approach - it has a much less aggressive telephoto specification, but maintains a relatively fast f/2.8 aperture through the entire zoom range.  Both Sony and Nikon offer a model with built-in GPS, but in the Nikon the price is a rather low battery life. The other brands' products are entirely meh.  I really don't understand Fujifilm's strategy, which seems to be spray out a ton of mediocre models plus an occasional very expensive oddball (which is still expensive when discounted by $200 from list).  And why anyone would buy a Leica-branded Panasonic camera baffles me, too, though apparently buyers at least get better software and warranties from Leica than from Panasonic.

In the chart below, I've included the previous five years of cameras to show how the category has advanced in terms of zoom and megapixels.  I've also included the current (as of mid-October 2012) street price for cameras released in the past two years.  The cameras are arranged more-or-less in series, except for Fujifilm and Kodak models, which aren't worth looking at anyway.



Brand \ Year200720082009201020112012
CanonSX500 IS
16.0MP #
24-720mm
$300
S5 IS
8.0MP
36-432mm
SX1 / SX10 IS
10.0MP
28-560mm
SX20 IS
12.1MP
28-560mm
SX30 IS
14.1MP
24-840mm
SX40 HS
12.1MP
24-840mm
$315
SX50 HS
12.1MP
24-1200mm
$480
CasioEX-FH20
9.1MP
26-520mm
EX-FH25
10.1MP
26-520mm
Pro EX-F1
6.0MP
36-432mm
***
FujifilmSL240
14.0MP
24-576mm
n/a US?
S5700
Zoom
7.1MP
38-380mm
S2000HD
10.0MP
28-414mm
S1500
10.0MP
33-396mm
S1600
12.2MP
28-420mm
SL300
14.0MP
24-720mm
$190
S1000fd
10.0MP
33-396mm
S1800
12.2MP
28-504mm
S2950
14.0MP
28-504mm
$170

S2500HD
12.2MP
28-504mm
S3200
14.0MP
24-576mm
$190
S4200
14.0MP
24-576mm
$160
S8000fd
8.0MP
27-486mm
S8100fd
10.0MP
27-486mm
S2800HD
14.0MP
28-504mm
S4000
14.0MP
24-720mm
$160
S4500
14.0MP
24-720mm
$170
IS-1
9.1MP
28-300mm

S200EXR
12.0MP
31-436mm
HS10
10.3MP
24-720mm
HS20EXR
16.0MP
24-720mm
$500
HS30EXR
14.0MP
24-720mm
$320
S100fs
11.1MP
28-400mm
X-S1
12.0MP
24-624mm
$600
Kodak *Z712 IS
7.1MP
36-423mm
Z812 IS
8.1MP
36-432mm
Z980
12.0MP
26-624mm
Z981
14.0MP
26-676mm
Z990
12.0MP
28-840mm
$200
Z1012 IS
10.0MP
33-396mm
Z5010
14.0MP
25-525mm
$140
Z5120
16.0MP
26-676mm
$180
Z1015 IS
10.0MP
28-420mm
LeicaV-Lux 2
(Pansonic
DMC-FZ100)
V-Lux 3
(Pansonic
DMC-FZ150)
$629
V-Lux 4
(Pansonic
DMC-FZ200)
n/a
NikonL100
10.1MP #
28-420mm
L110
12.2MP #
28-420mm
L120
14.1MP #
25-525mm
$210
L810
16.0MP #
23-585mm
$200
P80
10.1MP
27-486mm
P90
12.1MP
26-624mm
P100
10.3MP
26-678mm
P500
12.0MP
23-810mm
$320
P510
16.0MP **
24-1000mm
$400
OlympusSP-550UZ
7.1MP
28-504mm
SP-565UZ
10.0MP
26-520mm
SP-590UZ
12.0MP
26-676mm
SP-600UZ
12.0MP #
28-420mm
SP-610UZ
14.0MP #
28-616mm
$190
SP-620UZ
16.0MP #
25-525mm
$200
SP-560UZ
8.0MP
27-486mm
SP-570UZ
10.0MP
26-520mm
SP-800UZ
14.0MP #
28-840mm
SP-810UZ
14.0MP #
24-864mm
$250
SP-820UZ
14.0MP #
22-896mm
$330
PanasonicDMC-LZ20
16.1MP #
25-525mm
$250
DMC-FZ18
8.0MP
28-504mm
DMC-FZ28
10.1MP
27-486mm
DMC-FZ35
12.1MP
27-486mm
DMC-FZ40
14.1MP
25-600mm
DMC-FZ47
12.1MP
25-600mm
$260
DMC-FZ60
16.1MP
25-600mm
$349
DMC-FZ100
14.1MP
25-600mm
DMC-FZ150
12.1MP
25-600mm
$480
DMC-FZ200
12.1MP
25-600mm
$550
PentaxX70
12.0MP
26-624mm
X90
12.0MP
26-676mm
X-5
16.0MP
22-580mm
$280
SamsungHZ25W
12.5MP
26-624mm
HZ50W
13.8MP
26-676mm
WB100
16.2MP
22-580mm
$230
SonyDSC-H3
8.1MP
38-380mm
DSC-H7
8.0MP
31-465mm
DSC-H10
8.1MP
38-380mm
DSC-H9
8.0MP
31-465mm
DSC-H50
9.1MP
31-465mm
DSC-HX1
9.1MP
28-560mm
DSC-HX100V
16.2MP **
27-810mm
$370
DSC-HX200V
18.2MP **
27-810mm
$480

# - no electronic viewfinder (EVF).
* - Kodak is kaput, so don't expect support if you buy one.
** - built-in GPS.
*** - due to its unique high-speed video features, the Casio Pro EX-F1 still sells for over $1000 used.

Note: no consideration has been taken, given, or otherwise discussed wrt. this review.  However, camera manufacturers should feel free to shower me with products at their earliest convenience.

Monday, October 8, 2012

E-Reading is Fundamental: October 2012 Edition

I'm about to take a plunge into the e-book pool, and here's my research into e-Ink-based e-readers.  I have decided to go with an e-Ink device for now, because they are easier to read than LCD-based tablets such as the iPad, Kindle Fire, and Nook HD, as well as being cheaper.  They are, of course, more limited.  Tablets are general purpose computers, and are quite flexible, though without adding accessories they are not nearly as useful as even a low-end laptop.  OTOH, e-readers are appliances, and do one thing well, though all of the readers I looked at have some amount of secondary functionality.

Right now the Kobo Glo seems to be the best all-around device.  It is top-lit (as opposed to back-lit, as with an LCD-based device), it is tied for the highest resolution in the 6-inch class of readers (the standard size), and it is part of the most open "ecosystem."  It has a decent web browser and decent PDF support.  (Like most people, I loath PDFs, but they are unavoidable at this point.)  However, the Kobo isn't available in the US yet, though it should be shortly.  The Kindle Paperwhite probably has a better screen, but it is completely tied to Amazon's store, and there is a shipping delay of almost a month right now due to demand.  The Nook Simple Touch Glow is available today (and in stores for pre-purchase evaluation), but it has a lower resolution screen which, according to reports on the internet, seems to be quite susceptible to damage from things being dropped on it.  It also has the worst PDF support and no web browser.

The first chart after the break contains mainstream models from each of the three best vendors - Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Kobo.  The 6" readers are all about the same size and weight, though the side bezels on the Nook models are slightly wider, which would be good for anyone who plans to hold it with one hand.  The second chart contains some other models Amazon and Kobo, plus two models from Icarus that seem nice, though they are not really available in the US.  The latter may be of interest to someone wants their extra features. I have not included Sony, which used to be a major player, because it seems to be on its way out of the market, having reduced the number of models it offers to one.

Update 2012/10/12: Some early customer reports on the Paperwhite indicate that the screen isn't so great after all.  I think they may be over-reacting to Amazon's (false) promises of perfection, as the unevenness is at the extreme bottom.  But people who are looking for the absolute best screen should probably wait until more reports on the KPW come in, and until customers actually receive the Kobo Glo.

Note: no consideration has been taken, given, or otherwise discussed wrt. this review.  However, e-reader makers should feel free to shower me with products at their earliest convenience.