Digital Cameras & Digital Photography

Gian Bryan asked:


The new, multifunctional Motorola V1050 is a very attractive and fashionable 3G black clamshell phone incorporating a large display with 262,144 TFT colours and a resolution of 240 x 320 pixels, plus with the integrated digicam with 8x digital zoom, it gives a very alluring visual interface, which is ideal for snapshots and videoclips.

In addition to all these features, users can enjoy the phone’s integrated MP3 player supported by the TransFlash memory card of 32 MB of storage space for songs.There is ‘Picture caller identification’ feature in it which makes it possible to see the callers photo, thus giving the V1050 a very personal touch. One more feature, that gives the Motorola V1050 a very unique and personal feel is its Voice recognition feature.

The messaging feature is one another tool in the phone that is great and is noticeable. It allows users to send and receive instant messages, text messages (SMS), multimedia message service (MMS) & email. Thus, it allows the users to remain in contact while he is in move without loosing contact with his friends and peers.With the 1.3 Megapixel Digital Camera and supported by 8 x Digital Zoom, LED Light, Video Clip and Video Recording features, users can freeze the moments that he would like to keep. The phone is endowed with Video Call and Video Conferencing facilities.

The phone supports 3G technology and it is USB compatible thus making information transferable very easily between different gadgets. It also supports platforms like GPRS, 2U/4D, WAP and Enhanced WAP 2.0. Moreover, the phone is a Tri Band phone, supporting three bands of the frequencies 900, 1800 and 1900 in GSM network. It also adheres to the UMTS and WCDMA 2100. The phone gives 2 Hours Talk Time and 145 Hours at the Standby mode. It has the dimension of 94 by 49 by 27 mm, and it weighs 136 gram. And of its weight and dimensions it gives a different feel to the users. For more information of Motorola Mobile Phones Please visit our site.

PXR5 asked:


The Ricoh R8 is a 10 megapixel digital camera. It has a 7.1x wide angle lens. The design is different to all the more standard digital cameras out there, with a stylish, retro look.

Why Buy the Ricoh R8?

The R8 is a step up from the more simple point and shoot cameras. This is true when it comes to build quality and picture quality. Among its features are image stabilisation, a 2.7 inch LCD screen (I found easy to see even in sunny conditions) and a face recognition setting for portraits. It also has an option to produce square photos.

Image Quality Ricoh R8 test shots

Outdoor 1 (Medium Zoom)

This is a shot with a lot of contrast. There are the bright areas of the boats and the wooden slats underneath the roof of the building. In addition there are plenty of shady areas under the trees. The R8 manages to bring out an impressive level of detail, especially in the lighter areas where it outperforms many cameras. This helps to make the detail on the boats stand out.

Outdoor 2 (No Zoom)

In this photo sharpness stands up well and the scene also shows vivid colours. Many digital cameras tend to lose sharpness when the lens is fully zoomed out, but this camera copes with the scene better than most cameras manage.

Outdoor 3 (Maximum Zoom)

As in the first test shot the light colours on the boats are handled well. There is a very small amount of purple fringing, but in my opinion the R8 handles this very well when you take into account the longer than standard zoom lens. Focusing is again above average.

Outdoor 4 (Building)

The R8 does very well in this test. The brickwork on the building is sharply focused. Even in the shady areas the camera does a good job. When it comes to focusing the R8 is up there with the best compact digital cameras.

Outdoor Portrait

Looking at this photo I can see that the colours are very strong. That is fair enough if you like strong colours, but they are a bit too powerful for my own taste. Otherwise the level of detail the R8 manages to pick out is impressive.

Indoor Portrait with Flash

The sharpness of this photo is very good indeed and the R8 picks out the eyes very well. The skin tones are overdone. They give areas of the cheeks and nose a vivid pink that does not exist. This can also be seen in the lips.

Indoor Portrait without Flash

When I looked at the indoor shot with flash I felt the skin tone problem may have been down to the light produced by the flash. Even with the flash turned off the skin tones are harsh. Otherwise the photo is o.k., but could do with a touch of extra brightness.

Colours

The colours produced by the R8 have a different feel to them than those produced by most other digital cameras I have tested. They are certainly vivid and have plenty of brightness too. In some cases the strength of colour is too much for me.

Macro

This is another example of a sharply focused shot with plenty of definition. The R8 is well above average when it comes to close up shots.

ISO 400 and ISO 1600

At ISO 400 you should still be able to take a decent shot in brighter conditions, but darker areas will attract noise. Picture quality has broken down even more than usual at ISO 1600.

Overall

I found focusing and definition to be some way above average. The R8 also handled contrasting scenes well. Colours are very strong and I would prefer to see these toned down in a number of my test shots.

Shutter Lag

Shutter lag times were 0.34 seconds for a single photo and 8.98 seconds for five photos. With flash on times increased to 0.51 seconds for a single shot and 14.4 seconds for five shots. All of these times are standard times.

It took 2.36 seconds to turn the R8 on and take a picture. This is in line with the majority of digital cameras I have tested recently.

You can compare this camera to other models by taking a look at the Shutter Lag Comparison Table.

Style: Ricoh have given the R8 a bit of an old fashioned look. This helps it to stand out from the crowd. It is available in black, silver and in a two tone version.

Dimensions: 102 x 58.3 x 26.1mm

Weight: 168g

Batteries: Ricoh estimates you should be able to get around 270 pictures before the lithium ion battery needs to be recharged. Both a battery and charger are supplied with the R8.

Memory cards: 24mb of storage have been built into the R8. This is enough for around 7 photos. The camera is also compatible with SD and SDHC cards.



Ease of use rating: Good. There are one or two extra features to get used to when compared to a more basic point and shoot model. If you are planning to use the R8 as a fully automatic camera then you should be up and running in no time.

Points I like:

LCD screen clarity - novel design - sharpness

Where it could improve:

Skin tones in some portrait shots

Alternatives

There are not that many digital cameras that strike me as a clear alternative to the R8. Other 10 megapixel cameras with a wide angle lens include: Samsung NV24HD.

Verdict:

I like the Ricoh R8. It is certainly worth considering alongside some of the more widely recognised brands such as Canon, Sony and Panasonic. Aside from some issues with colour the R8 takes a decent photo in most situations.

 

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