My friends at B&H Photo loaned me another great camera to review, the Sony DSC-HX5V.   As I have said in my previous reviews, I am not going to spend time going through every menu and button on the camera.  There are plenty of sites you can go to for the technical details of each of these items.  My intent is to give my overall impressions of the camera and features I found useful.
















What’s in the Box:

1. Sony DSC-HX5V Camera
   1. Features a Professional Quality G Lens, 10X Optical Zoom (25mm to 250mm equivalent)
2. Battery and Wall Charger
3. Hand Strap
4. Multi Purpose USB/AV Cable Combo
5. Female USB Dongle for Connecting Standard USB to Camera
6. Instruction Manual (does not explain all functionality – see CD ROM) and GPS Use Quick Start Guide (Yes this camera has GPS)
7. Sony Cyber shot Digital Camera CD ROM
   1. Picture Motion Browser
   2. Cyber Shot Manual

Initial impressions:

I found this to be a very nice compact digital camera.  The number of keepers (in focus and properly exposed) I got out of this surprised me.  I have owned a couple of other compacts and I can say they did not perform this well.  The auto focus worked fairly quickly and includes face, blink and smile detection. This camera also has a panorama mode that automatically makes wide angle panoramas for you.  It does have Sony’s G Series Lens, which Sony markets as a professional grade lens.  All I can say is that I got some really sharp and clear photos out of it.  It’s got a 3 inch LCD, 10fps at the full quality setting, HD video (1080i) and the 10X zoom all in one small package.

Let’s take a deeper look into the modes available to you.  The first is the Easy Mode, which is a full auto mode that does not display very much information on the LCD.  I only tried this to see what it was all about, but did not use it again.  The second is the Intelligent Auto Adjustment Mode.  This mode will automatically switch between nine of the scene selection modes depending on how it interprets the scene (i.e.: macro, twilight, landscape etc.).  It also controls when the flash is needed, if it has not turned off manually.  This mode is really handy when you just want to point and shoot with no thought involved. 

This camera also has manual controls for when you want to be a little more creative.  Control over shutter speed is from 4 seconds to 1/1600 of a second, and a choice of aperture of f3.5 and f8 at 25mm or f5.5 and f13 at full zoom.  The LCD will change to show the effects of these aperture and shutter changes.  I found this very handy for shooting indoors without a flash, but had problems seeing the changes outdoors in bright light.  In this shot my cat was sleeping in the bathroom sink (go figure), anyway, I did not want the flash to wake him up or overwhelm the scene since I was pretty close.  So I used the manual mode set the f-stop to f3.5 and the speed to 1/125 of a second and fired away.

The next mode is panorama; I have never had this feature in a camera before, so I really enjoyed the simple press the shutter; pan to the right ease of it.  Be sure to test out your panning speed, as my panoramas fell short of the width available when viewed back home. (I should have been panning more quickly to get more of the scene in)

Next is the movie mode, which like the name says lets you shoot movies in HD 1080i at 60 fps.  Not 1080p but better than a lot of its competitors.  You can also shoot a movie in any of the other modes by pressing the movie button on the back (right side).  There is also the standard scene mode with selections from portrait to fireworks.

A Backlight Correction HDR (High Definition Range) which will give you more detail in shadow areas of the photo.  The camera does this by combining two images of different exposure and blending them together to give you the most dynamic range.  Next is a mode called handheld Twilight, this helps you shoot in low light situations by utilizing the anti motion feature of the camera.  I did a handheld shot of my keyboard as I wrote this and as you can see, it came out reasonably well (what it does show me is that my keyboard needs a good cleaning). Along the same lines is the mode called Anti Motion Blur this also lets you shoot in low light without using the flash.  The major difference that I can see between these two modes is that the Anti Motion Blur used ISO 3200 (more noise), while the Handheld Twilight used ISO 2000 for the same shot.  Some more testing would be needed to figure out which of these modes would be the best in different situations.

Backlight Correction HDR

Anti Motion Blur

A couple of items of note:  This camera has a compass and GPS built into it.  The GPS information is all recorded in the EXIF Info, showing latitude, longitude, altitude and time.  This is great for placing the exact location of a photo on a map (some programs can do this for you automatically) or for marking the location for use in geo caching.  I’m not sure what I would need a compass for, but hey why not.  It always points north with a red arrow.  A caveat when using the built-in flash; if you are not careful in your finger placement your middle finger can obscure the flash as it is on the upper right near the built-in grip.

100% Crop of the above photo

Conclusion:

Again, this is a really nice compact digital camera.  It captured the images I asked of it with sharp accurate exposure and has modes that allow me to do most anything I would need.  While the manual controls are fairly limited; I recommend this compact camera to anyone as a small easy to carry alternative to a DSLR.  Perfect for those times you don’t want to lug around a larger camera.

Again special thanks goes out to my friends at B&H Photo for loaning me this camera to review.  I am not going to spend time going through every menu and button on the camera.  There are plenty of sites you can go to for the technical details of each of these items.  My intent is to give my overall impressions of the camera and features I found useful.

What’s in the Box:

1. Casio Exilim Pro EX-F1 Camera
   1. Features a 12X Optical Zoom (36mm to 432mm equivalent)
2. Battery and Wall Charger
3. Neck Strap
4. Len Hood
5. USB and AV Cables
6. Remote Shutter Release Cable (really nice addition you don’t get with others)
7. Instruction Manuals and Quick Start Guide
8. Casio Digital Camera CD ROM
   1. Arc Soft Total Media Extreme (basic movie editing and burning software)
   2. YouTube Uploader for Casio
9. Reference Manual on CD ROM

 


Initial impressions:

After using the Casio Exilim Pro EX-F1 for the past couple of weeks; I found this to be a very cool camera.  The features found on this camera are very unique and fun to play with.  Besides being a very capable single shot camera, the Casio also has some great features which are fun to work with. For example the high speed mode which shoots up to 60 frames per second (fps) in single shot mode or 7 fps in flash mode.  The camera also has a high speed video mode which lets you capture video at 300, 600 or 1,200 fps; as well as, a class leading HD video mode.



 

Let’s look at some of the awesome modes available to you with the Casio EX-F1 that helps you get the shot you want.  One mode is called Prerecorded, this mode can store from one second up to sixty seconds of images when you half press the shutter release button.  In other words, it will continuously update  a buffer of images from the last one to sixty seconds.  When you full press the shutter it records these buffered images, plus any new ones up until the shutter is released to a maximum of 60.   I used this to get a shot of orange juice being poured into a glass from above.  Just think how you could use this to capture the exact moment of a child’s soccer goal or a basketball swooshing through the basket.

Another mode that I love is the High-speed Continuous Shutter; this one will take up to 60 frames in a second.  There are two choices available, 60 fps max or until the memory is full.  Also available is a high speed flash mode that will allow up to 60 frames per second using the LED or you can use the onboard flash to capture up to 7 frames per second, with a maximum of 20 frames in one shutter press.  I used this mode to shoot some stop action photos of water drops.  I got way more keepers in just three shutter releases than in hundreds of shots with my standard camera using the exact same setup. 

Another reason I chose to review the Casio Pro EX-F1 is that it has manual modes available.  The camera has Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority and even Manual which will allow the shutter to remain open up to a maximum of 60 seconds.  All the manual modes worked just as you would expect and did quite well.  The shutter speed and aperture are controlled via the menu and the rocker controls on the back.

Movie modes

This camera has some great options when it comes to movie modes.  There is the HD mode which does 1024 by 1080, using the 1080i format.   A standard mode which shoots 640 by 480, and a High Speed mode which can shoot at 300, 600 or 1,200 frames per second.  I used the high speed mode to get some great footage of my cat leaping and twisting in the air while trying to get a toy.  I also used it to shoot a small waterfall and watch it in slow motion later on my computer.  The 300 fps mode is the most useable, as both the 600 and 1200 fps modes narrow the field of view considerably and require much more light to look good.  It’s just really cool to see things that are normally too fast for the human eye to pick up, slowed down to that degree.  This mode could be used to capture sports action and slow it down for later playback and evaluation.  P.S. the movie mode records in the .MOV file format (QuickTime).

See a short clip of my cat flying through the air here - WARNING Very Large File

Or on YouTube here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yILqQCQHr8s








Also worth noting is that there are separate buttons that activate the shutter release and the video modes.  The shutter release is where you would expect it, up front by the right index finger.  While the video start/stop button is on the back, where the right thumb would rest (right below it is a selector to choose high speed, HD or standard video).  I found this very handy in that I did not need to use a menu to select each mode.  I used this to shoot a local parade this weekend and found it seamless to shoot a still followed by a high speed or HD video on the fly.











The camera has an available zoom range of 32 to 432, which is really nice.  The ISO range goes from 100 to 1,600; but shows quite a bit of noise at the higher levels, so keep it as low as possible for the best outcome.















The camera also has the ability to switch between using the electronic viewfinder and the 2.8 inch LCD display; however, I found the viewfinder a little dark so I spent most of the time using the LCD to compose all my photos and movies.














Conclusion:

This is a really unique camera in its class. The high speed modes alone make this camera worth the extra cost.  I just keep thinking of new cool things to take both high speed still images and movies of.  The regular photos come out just fine; about what you would expect of an advanced compact camera with a smaller sensor.  The autofocus worked very well and I got sharp images most of the time.  Just take a look at the examples on my site to see the results.  I know when I am in the market to replace my point and shoot camera the Casio EX-F1 will definitely be high on my list of replacements.

Canon Powershot G11 - Video Review

Lens Baby Creative Effects System – Video Review

Canon Rebel T1i – Video Review






Nikon D5000 Video Review

Casio Exilim EX-F1 Digital Camera Review

Joby Gorilapod – Point & Shoot Mini Tripod

Canon 5D Mark II – Video Review

Nikon D300s – Video Review

Olympus EP-1 Pen Digital Camera – Video Review







Continue to Page 2 of Video Clips>>>>>>>>>>>

To begin with, special thanks go out to my friends at B&H Photo Video for loaning me this camera to review.

I am not going to spend time going through every menu and button on the camera.  There are plenty of sites you can go to get the technical details of each of these items.  My intent is to give my overall impressions of the camera and features I found useful.


 

What’s in the Box:

1. Nikon D3000 10.2 Megapixel Camera Body with Body Cap
2. The Kit sent to me included an AF-S Nikkor 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6 VR Lens
3. Battery and Wall Charger
4. Neck Strap
5. USB cable
6. Instruction Manuals and Quick Start Guide
7. Nikon Software Suite CD ROM
8. Reference Manual on CD ROM

Initial impressions:

Spring Cherry Blossoms - ISO 100 f5.6 - Nice Bokeh

After using Nikon D3000 for a week or so, I can say this is one nice camera.  The size of the D3000 reminds me very much of my older Canon Rebel XT and a side by side comparison shows them to be very close in body dimensions and weight.  It is light and easy to carry around for extended periods.  I have heard others comment negatively on the small size of the DSLR’s in this category, but I have never found them uncomfortable or less secure to hold than some of the larger camera bodies.  The grip and button layout is very natural and it did not take me very long to get comfortable with the controls.








One aspect of this camera that is really nice is the 11 point auto focus system.  I found it focused fast and most important accurately.  This is the same focusing mechanism found on the much more expensive Nikon D90, and more advanced than what is available on the other cameras in the D3000’s segment.  






As for the buttons available, there are not many.  Most of the commands are found in the menu system.  There are buttons for exposure compensation, auto exposure/focus lock and a user programmable function button on the left side just above the lens release button.  It can be set to control ISO, Timer, Image Quality, White Balance, Active D-lighting or to Set Framing Grid (allowing you to choose the one you use most).  Another control layout feature I really like is the adjustment wheel that is accessible using the right thumb; it just feels natural and intuitive to me.












The Active D-lighting option is used to increase the dynamic range (usable information in the darker and lighter areas).  I tried this and found that while it does show more details in the shadows, it comes with a price.  Which is slower file write times and a little more noise in the shadows. 

Active D-Lighting Option - Off Left - On Right

The 3 inch LCD screen is large and easy to read.  I had no problems reading it in bright conditions.  One item on the screen that I thought might be useful to the photographer just starting out is the graphical representation of the lens aperture.  It shows the opening and closing of the aperture blades as each different aperture is selected.  Now, you may ask why this is useful.  Well let’s say you are just starting out in photography and can’t remember which F-stop gives you more or less light. This graphic shows you exactly what to expect.  Go from F5.6 to F6.3 and you see the aperture close down.

Washington State Capitol - ISO 400

Also, with beginners in mind, the Nikon D3000 has a new mode called “Guide”.  This is in addition to having the normal modes of Program, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, Manual, Full Auto and Scene Modes.  By the way, scene mode is where you can choose action, portrait, landscape, etc. and the camera automatically selects settings for that type of photo.  I tried the new guide mode and think that it might be helpful for beginning photographers or those just switching to a DSLR from a compact camera.  When you choose Easy Operation in Guide Mode it asks you simple questions about the shooting situation you are in and explains which scene mode it is going to use and why. When you choose Advanced Operation it uses aperture and shutter priority modes and explains why you would use them.  You will soon outgrow this mode, but it is nice to have when you have trouble remembering which mode to use in a certain situation.








The Nikon D3000 has an ISO range of 100 to 1600 plus Hi 1 which is 3200.  I tried out different ISO’s and found that it is acceptable up to about ISO 800.  ISO 1600 could be used in a pinch if you really needed it and the image really degrades when you hit 3200. 


I used a 4GB SDHC card and found it hold the following quantities:

Fine/Large JPEG – 524

Fine/Medium JPEG – 922

Normal/Large JPEG – 1000

RAW NEF files – 228

Ianto Playing - Indoor Use of On Camera Flash - ISO 100

Some Other Nice Discoveries:

The menu has a Recent Settings option which allows you to quickly get to camera settings you have used in the past.  It holds the last 15 menu selections you have used.  Great if you want to get to an item you use frequently that is buried deeper in the menu structure.


There is also a framing grid option that is kind of nice.  It super imposes a black grid, using the rule of thirds in the viewfinder.  This grid flashes red when you half press the shutter release button and can be used to help you properly frame your subject.


The Nikon D3000 also has in camera retouching that allows you to make some adjustments to your photos right in the camera.  Such as Red Eye Correction, Cropping, Filter Effects, Color Balancing, D-Lighting (which opens up shadow areas) and other fun stuff. 

Didn't Want Spike to Feel Left Out - Program Mode w/ Flash

The kit lens that came with the D3000 package I tested is the AF-S Nikkor 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6 VR.  This is a pretty good lens to get you started out in photography.  I found that it was sharp and clear in the short time I spent with this camera.  The VR (Vibration Reduction) that is on this lens really helps when hand holding the camera in low light situations.  In case all the numbers and letters in the lens name do not make sense to you let’s talk a little about what they mean.  The 18-55mm refers to the lens focal length meaning it zooms from 18mm to 55mm.  The 1:3.5-5.6 refers to the available apertures for this lens.  This means the lens opens up to a maximum of f3.5 at 18mm and progresses to f5.6 at 55mm.  At the intermediate apertures, say at 35mm it opens up to f5.0.


Conclusion:

Statue - ISO 100 Harsh Light

I thoroughly enjoyed using the Nikon D3000 and would definitely recommend it.  The high points are; it’s a light and compact camera to carry, has an 11 point autofocus system that works very well, the ISO performance is good and the modes available will serve beginner and seasoned photographers alike.  I also found the camera body of the D3000 very sturdy feeling, and well built.  One really nice thing about cameras in the D3000 segment is the ability to set the mode into Auto and hand it to someone who is not familiar with DSLR’s and have them snap away.  While this camera does not have video and live-view like some of its competitors, it does take very good photos and allows the photographer many creative options.

Nikon D3000 10.2MP DSLR (Read Review Here!!!!)

The equipment for review provided by B&H Photo Video

No Tripod, No Flash, No Problem
Nikon, Canon, and Sony Take Back the Night

Not all that long ago, shooting under low-lighting conditions without benefit of a flash or tripod meant pushing your film 1,2, or 3 stops beyond its native ISO rating. When shooting black & white this usually meant rating Tri-X at 800, 1200, or 1600 instead of its usual 400 speed rating, which in practice meant underexposing the film and developing it longer to ‘make up’ for the loss of exposure time. Pushing film usually did the trick at the cost of additional contrast and graininess. If you were really desperate you could also shoot Kodak 2475 Recording Film, which had a native ISO of 3200, but the grain was so bad you could see it on the contact sheets with your naked eye. And because the film curled up tighter than a Slinky it was a challenge to just keep it flat in the enlarger’s negative carrier.

When shooting color things weren’t much rosier. Color slide films were available in 400, 800, and 1600, but the grain, color, and contrast levels left much to be desired. Color negative film was equally on par, but instead of grain, you had to deal with multi-colored mush. (Think Froot Loops soaking in a bowl of milk for a few hours and you’ll get the picture).

But in the last year or 2 things radically changed in the digital world as camera manufacturers introduced extended range ISO ratings. And while the highest optimized ratings for the new DSLRs topped out at 6400, ‘Hi’ settings of 12,800 started appearing……..

Read Full Article Here

Eye of the Camera: The B&H 2009 Lens Buyer’s Guide

When you peer through the viewfinder or compose on the LCD screen, you’re watching your world through the lens.  Lenses are essentially an extension of your naked eye.  They can sharpen, skew, compact, and expand your field of view.  It is this power that makes optics the most indispensible component of any given imaging system.

Whether you’re just starting out or you’re a seasoned pro, it’s important to consider your photographic goals, and match these with the proper optics.  From the major brands to third party offerings, here’s a rundown of some of the finest glass available……

Read the Full Article Here

GPS Geotagging – Around the World in One Day

What is geotagging? I traveled around the world in one day to find out for myself. When we buy a brand new camera, the first thing we usually set is the day, month, year, and time.. This data, embedded into each photo we take, effectively answers the question “when did this happen?” Geotagging additionally answers the question “where did this happen” Armed with a GPS device and a camera…

Read the Full Article and see Video Here

Transport, Support, and On-camera Flash: The Accessories You Need for DSLR Photography

You’ve taken the leap into digital SLR photography—welcome! There’s an exciting world of possibility and discovery ahead of you. Whether you’re an enthusiast or budding professional, here’s a list of must-have accessories to get you started…   Selecting the right camera bag can be just as important as the camera itself. There are a lot of options…  Every photographer should own a camera support system of some type. For many, the obvious choice is a tripod. Tripods provide strength and stability while simultaneously forcing a deeper consideration of composition. Quality tripod systems are typically…..   The majority of DSLRs on the market come with integrated pop-up flashes. These are great in a pinch—providing fill light under a harsh high noon sun and creating the main light needed to remedy dark indoor conditions. They have some drawbacks, however. Deployed in a fixed position…

Read the Full Article Here

After the Sun

Capturing the Glow and Magic of Dusk

There are several elements that make dusk shooting so special, and so very different from daytime shooting. First, sunset and dusk are devoid of the glare, harsh shadows and washed-out skies that that commonly plague photographs taken during the midday hours of summer. Secondly, daylight photography is about reflective light, and as such, what we see around us is….

Read the Full Article Here

Like I mentioned in the Camera Types page, I really don’t want to get involved in what make, type of camera or equipment you purchase.  I will however give you links to companies from which I have had very good service.

Following are links to companies I trust and recommend (in Alphabetical Order )

 


I have been doing business with Amazon for a very long time and never had any problems with items sold and shipped by them or any of thier resellers.

Of all my camera and photographic equipment purchases I would say most of them have been from B&H. They have really good prices and their customer service has been great.

 

I have bought many things from J&R over the years and have nothing but good things to say about them.

I have recently added forums to LearnBasicPhotography.com.  Please come in a join our new community.

Learn Basic Photography Forums

 

In the examples and demo below I will show you how to setup for and take cool photos of water drops hitting a bowl of water.

Setup

I took these shots in the kitchen sink to keep the amount of clean-up to a minimum. Plain old tap water was used, but you can use just about any liquid that splashes when it hits a stationary object. I have tried food coloring in water but did not personally care for the results.

I have heard of using, but have not tried it personally, milk as it is opaque and may give you better contrast.  Try different liquids and see what results you get. Please do not use anything that will stain or is caustic. Or you will have a big mess to clean up or worse, end up injuring yourself.

I have found using a clear, shallow dish with some color behind it gives a very pleasing and interesting background to the water splashes.

In this demo I used plain old aluminum foil placed under my dish. In the past I have used colorful magazine pages, foil wrapping paper in different colors and colored water in the dish. Use your imagination and see what you can come up with.

Items that I used in this demo:

     1.  Camera with remote shutter release

     2. Built-in flash or accessory flash

     3. Tripod 

     4. Aluminum Foil or any colorful background material

     5. A clear, shallow dish or pan

     6. A water bottle with a squirt (pull up) top or a measuring cup (I will explain which I used later)

                                                      7. An object to use as a preliminary focusing target 

                                                      8. Something to raise the dish up to the top third of the sink

Let’s get started!

Here’s what I did, first I placed a large bowl in the sink. I spread a sheet of aluminum foil over the top and placed my clear, shallow dish on top of this and filled about half way with water.

Next I filled a sports bottle that has a squirt top, with water. I will use this to create and control my drops. I had initially tried a measuring cup, but found that I did not have the control I needed to get the drops precisely where I wanted them.

Now for the camera setup, I placed my camera on a tripod and set it up next to the sink. I set my camera at about a 20 degree angle above my target. You can experiment with the angle until you get something you like. I choose this angle because I get a good side view of the drop without seeing too much of the edge of the dish.

It is important that you have some way to remotely release your camera’s shutter. I use a shutter release cord that is physically connected to my camera, but you can also get wireless remotes. Before you buy a wireless remote I suggest you check out where you can trigger the shutter from, as some remotes require you to point the remote at the front of the camera.

Next I placed a fork in the dish of water where I was going to aim my drops (any slender object would have worked, but I was in the kitchen and this was handy). I put my lens in manual focus mode and focused on the fork.  This is important, because you will be taking multiple exposures at a very rapid pace and will not be able to use the camera’s automatic focus feature.  I also disabled the lense’s image stabilization as I had it on a tripod and did not need it.  

In this demo I was using an accessory flash unit, but a built-in flash will work just as well. All the examples with the non-silver background were taken with my Canon Rebel XT with built-in flash.

I set my camera to manual mode, set the shutter speed to 1/200^th of a second (this is the flashes maximum). I wanted the depth of field to be fairly deep, so I initially set my aperture to F16, but this would not work with the shutter speed to get a proper exposure. I ended up adjusting my ISO to 500 and settled on F13 for the aperture, but it seemed to work well.

I also made sure my flash had fresh batteries as I was going to really push it, to fire as quickly as possible.

Some other control settings I used were to set my camera’s drive mode into Continuous, thus allowing me to hold the shutter release down and take rapid shots. I also set my quality to Fine, JPEG (I usually use RAW for the flexibility it gives me in post process) so that I could take a lot of shots without the cameras memory buffer filling too fast.

Now on to the shooting, I made sure everything was turned on, I had the shutter release cord in one hand and the water bottle in the other. I started the water drops first, aiming at the spot I had determined with the fork focus target until I got into a rhythm then fired away.

I watched the flash and if it stopped to recycle I would stop the water. Another technique I used to increase the number of “keeper” shots was to aim the water drops slightly in front of and behind my target. I just keep walking the water drops back and forth from back to slightly in front.

All in all, I took about 300 shots and got about 20 shots I would consider good ones. You will get a lot of empty shots and out of focus ones as well, but keep with it and you will get some really cool shots.

Remember to experiment and have fun!

Leave me a comment below if you have any questions.

Dave

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