Digital SLR Reviews Blog

Posts Tagged ‘Face Detection’

Canon EOS 50D 15 1MP Digital SLR Camera with EF S 18 200mm f 3 5 5 6 IS Standard Zoom Lens

Canon’s new EOS 50D bridges the gap between the novice and the seasoned pro with a perfect combination of high-speed and quality. It features an APS-C sized 15.1-megapixel CMOS sensor, DIGIC 4 Image Processor for fine detail and superior color reproduction, and improved ISO capabilities up to 12800 for uncompromised shooting even in the dimmest situations. It features a refined 3.0″ Clear View LCD monitor, Live View Function with optional Remote Live View Shooting, Face Detection Live mode, and a number of new automatic Image Correction settings. White Balance – Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten Light, White Fluorescent Light, Flash, Custom, and Color Temperature setting Updated EOS Integrated Cleaning System with a fluorine coating for better resistance to dust 9 cross-type high-precision sensors for accurate target subject acquisition and diagonal center cross-type AF point with f/2.8 and faster lenses EX-series Speedlites Compatible Flash Shutter Speeds – 1/8000 to 30 seconds ISO Speed – Automatically set, ISO 100-6400 (in 1/3-stop or 1-stop increments), Basic Zone modes ISO 100-3200 set automatically, Extension settable (with C.Fn.I-3-1) ISO 12800, and High Tone Priority settable ISO 200-1600 HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) output for displaying full high-resolution images on a High Definition TV Next generation DIGIC 4 Image Processor for faster processing – Maximum Bursts JPEG (Large/Fine) approximately 60 (Up to 90 with UDMA), RAW up to 16, and RAW + JPEG up to 11 Dimensions – Width 5.7 x Height 4.2 x Depth 2.9 (145.5×107.8×73.5mm) Weight – 25.7 ounces (730 grams) body

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars New Amazing Product for Best Available Price
Bought for my wife’s Birthday (professional photographer), she loves it over the overpriced, under performing, Nikon that she was using in her 1 year professional photography program. Camera, lens and all accessories are high quality and in perfect condition, never been out of box, packaged excellently and arrived almost 2 weeks before the beginning of the estimated shipping time frame. Amazing deal especially considering that I had to cancel my order from a mainstream photography equipment company who said it was out of stock for over 2 months, and is now charging almost $400 more than Amazon.com for the same exact thing, even though it still says out-of-stock.

5 Stars How to make your wife happy.
I don’t know much about photography so you may want to pan this review but my wife loves taking pictures. Her rebel was acting up so we bought this beauty. Although a little costly it was worth it to see how excited my wife was when she got it.

5 Stars Completely Satisfied
The Canon 50D is great. I added the Tamron AF18-270mmm F/3.5-6.3 Di II VC LD Aspherical [IF} Macro (Model Bo003) lens from Amazon to this camera and I am extremely satisfied with their performance together. The quality of my pictures with the new camera and len are significant. I was using a Canon Rebel Xt with a Tamron 18-200 lens.

2 Stars You get what you pay for
I have a Canon 1DIII, and was looking for a more compact second body. I was not happy with the prospect of either the 50D or 5DII but decided to give the 50D a try first. It’s not that it’s such a bad camera, it’s just leagues away from the 1 series, and in my opinion, leagues away from the Nikon D300. Why do I say this?

First, it’s not at all weatherized, which does matter to me as I do mostly outdoor shooting, and there are competing products from Nikon, Pentax, Sony, that are pretty well weatherproof.

Second, the viewfinder is small and dark, and there’s only 9 AF points, compared to 50 something in the Nikon D300, and at least 11 in most other cameras. I don’t need 50 points, but the little rhomboid pattern in the Canon amateur and prosumer lines is really sub-par for the industry.

Third, there’s more pixels, but then there’s also more noise, and fewer pixels would have been just fine, along with less noise. What good does ISO 12800 do, when the pic is unusable?

In summary, Canon has been resting on their laurels, made mainly cosmetic improvements in each iteration since their 20D came out, and I sold the camera a month after I bought it at a substantial loss on ebay. Good riddance, money can be recouped.

5 Stars I love this camera.
I had dreamt of buying a good digital camera for a long time. I had been shooting films until now since I could not afford a digital camera that produced the quality I desired.

In short, this camera is worth every penny (in my opinion of course). I totally fell in love with it the day I received it. The picture quality is awesome. The pictures are both sharp and the colors are spectacular. It has all kind of great features but what matters most for me is the picture quality. I already have one of my pictures taken on this camera displayed on a wall in the living room, it is 5.2 feet wide and even despite of the size, the picture quality is good.

Buy/More Info

Panasonic Lumix DMC G1 12 1MP Digital SLR Camera with Lumix G Vario 14 45 mm f 3 5 5 6 ASPH Mega OIS Lens Black

The Panasonic Lumix G1 is the world’s first camera to employ the new Micro Four Thirds System standard. Together with an innovative mirror-less structure that also dramatically downsizes the camera body, the LUMIX G Micro System achieves a dramatic portability and ease of use by an adoption of electronic Full-time Live View Finder instead of conventional optical viewfinder. Despite the G1’s ultra-compact design, it comes fully equipped with features that assure outstanding ease of use, made possible by the contrast AF system. The G1 also boasts iA (Intelligent Auto) mode, a feature that took the world by storm in Lumix digital compact cameras. iA mode brings together a full range of functions – led by AF Tracking , Face Detection, Intelligent ISO Control and Intelligent Exposure – that together let users take strikingly beautiful photos with maximum ease every time they shoot. The G1 breaks new ground in styling too, overturning SLR camera conventions by giving users a variety of body colors to choose from. For people who have been hesitant about moving up to an SLR camera, the G1 is a perfect fit. It is a small, sophisticated, easy-to-use camera that will greatly expand any user’s photographic capabilities.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Great travel camera
Before I go on I should mention I also have a Nikon d700 which is a pretty fancy camera costing about five times as much as the G1 if you include appropriate lenses. When compared to the d700 you can see the G1 doesnt have the same sort of brick like construction quality, it is much more plasticy and doesnt have as many controls to hand. The upside of this is that its about 1/2 of the weight of the d700 with lens and in fact a large part of my decision to buy the G1 was because of its small size.

When I compared it to cameras at the more compact end such as the “super zooms” I found the G1 had a physically larger sensor and better picture quality. There was also a real lens up front with ability to change lenses. Also, superior access to deeper parameters like ISO, white balance, focus and exposure modes easily. The downside here is the G1 costs a bit more than similar “super zoom”, though I am amazed at the differences in prices sellers are asking for it. I paid about 20% more than my girlfriends top of the range compact which I felt was worth it.

So I wanted something much lighter than my d700 but still with lots of ability to fiddle with parameters. I have not been disappointed in this camera, its great fun to use. Setting of most functions require only one or two button presses and scroll of the wheel. I love the small size and reduced weight. Although the electronic viewfinder sacrifices some naturalness you get used to it pretty quick and it has the ability to do things you cant with a SLR viewfinder. These include ability to preview the effects of changes to aperture and shutter speed which is great for lower light shooting. You can also see how much image blurring will occur with slower shutter speeds, and also preview depth of field. When travelling in dodgy places I also feel less self conscious pulling this camera out in public, and feel less likely to get mugged!

Ive noticed some reviewers have marked this camera down as being too complex and I feel this is not a fault of the camera. It would be different if the camera were poorly laid out but its not, one button press will give you access to a whole range of parameters, its hard to fault. Little things are annoying like when you want to delete a photo you have to press the delete button then press a scroll right button to choose ‘yes” and then press a “menu set” button to confirm. So thats 3 different buttons. On my d700 you just press the delete button, get asked OK? and then press again. Much less finger moving around. These little details are what distinguish higher end cameras but this is a minor quibble.

More obscure parameters need more button pressing but this camera is no worse than even the d700. If you are not interested in learning about what goes into a photograph then I would agree the ability to tweak settings will be unnecessary and intimidating and you would be better off with a more preset oriented camera. Then again, the G1 has about 8 scene presets, so at minimum you can just point and shoot. This is good when you want to hand your camera over to a non-camera friendly stranger or friend to use without baffling them.

To sum up, this camera was a compromise for me between the high end picture quality of my d700 and the need for something more lightweight, compact and less obtrusive, but still with enough sophistication to allow tweaking and user input into the photo.

5 Stars A near perfect mix of portability and image quality
I’ve had my G1 for three months, and there isn’t much I can add to the other 5-star reviews. It’s a very solid camera that is easy to carry and easy to use. It takes great pictures. It has three excellent kit lenses to choose from, and it can use hundreds of great lenses from the days of film that are now very inexpensive and easily available.

I have both kit zooms and 3 legacy primes. I’m particularly impressed by the performance of the zooms, which are both exceptionally good for such moderately priced lenses.

All in all, I highly recommend this camera (or its sibling, the GH1, if you need video) to anyone who is moving up from a fixed lens camera and to anyone who is tired of lugging the weight of a full frame dSLR around.

One note: I’ve noticed that several reviewers cited poor high-ISO performance as a drawback. While literally true – a less than full frame sensor is at a technical disadvantage with respect to noise – I’ve found that this is much less of a problem than I expected. Part of the reason is that Panasonic took a deliberately conservative approach to setting ISO levels, unlike Canon, Olympus, and others who have exaggerated their ISO numbers. For this reason, a G1 image shot at what Panny calls “ISO 800″ is essentially identical in exposure to what many dSLRs produce when set at what those other companies call “ISO 1600.” The amount of light hitting the sensor is the same in both cases, and therefore the amount of noise is quite similar.

Thus it is important to compare the noise in an ISO 800 shot from the G1 with the noise from most other popular cameras set at 1600, and so on at every other ISO increment. (Certain Nikons are an exception, as they are closer to the Panasonic definitions of ISO than the inflated Canon/Olympus definition.)

After all, it’s the actual exposure settings that matter, not the labels the camera makers put on the ISO. If two cameras shoot the same scene with the same aperture and the same shutter speed, the two exposures will be the same. It doesn’t matter that one camera is set at ISO 200 and the other is set at ISO 400, the amount of light reaching both sensors is the same.

What this means in practical terms is that the G-1’s TRUE low light performance is one full stop better than most people expect if they just go by the ISO settings.

5 Stars Panasonic Lumix G1 Review
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 12.1MP Digital Camera with Lumix G Vario 14-45 mm f/3.5-5.6 ASPH Mega OIS Lens (Blue) is certainly small. Its a very handy Camera to travel around with.

The picture quality is good..

Rarely are photos taken in ISO 800.. after which the noise starts creeping in.

The Live View Finder is superb. Though at low light.. it is almost unusable..

I am happy with the purchase.

5 Stars Lumix G1 a great camera for dads
I am a photography novice, my experience with cameras is mostly confined to chasing my two kids around with a point and shoot. I was accustomed to getting blurry, noisy, and dark pictures of my family with my Canon PowerShot. I made a list of the things I wanted in a new family camera.

1. Great image quality! Not good, not fair, but great image quality indoors as well as outdoors.

2. Relatively compact size. I was looking very seriously at the Canon PowerShot SX1IS, and the PowerShot G10

3. Ease of use. I don’t have time to fiddle with settings and take six exposures of the same scene to get a good shot.

4. Speed. My kids can’t hold still, its like an invisible gnome is following them around with a cattle prod.

5. Price. I can’t afford the moon. I needed to keep this purchase well under $1000.

I have had the Lumix G1 for about a month now, and I LOVE it. It fits all 5 of my requirements nicely.

1. The G1 takes great pictures. I have tried it outdoors and indoors, I am very happy with the results.

2. I was a little worried about its size at first, but in comparison with a full size SLR, the G1 is tiny.

3. I can hand this camera to my wife, leave the camera on iauto and she is fine using it.

4. I can actually focus on my kids now. I take this camera to the park all the time and get great shots.

5. The street price is about $650 for this camera. Well within my budget.

Particular features I like:

1. Grip. This camera is easy to hold for me and my giant hands. Its small for an SLR, but not so small that I might accidentally swallow it or something either. Its very easy to carry around. It also has a rubbery coating on the body which gives it a nice sheen, as well as added grip.

2. The swing-out LCD viewfinder. Makes taking shots from low angles really easy. I also like that the camera knows when I am looking through the eye piece and turns the LCD off.

3. The intelligent auto feature detects when a face is present, or when a subject is moving and adjusts settings for you–fast.

4. The interface is easy to get around in. I can actually switch settings on this camera without a degree in engineering.

5. My wife isn’t put off by it. She feels very comfortable picking it up and taking pictures with it.

In the end, this camera takes great shots. It is easy to learn, and very easy to carry around. I would recommend it to any dad who is looking for SLR quality pictures without the bulk and complication of use those kinds of cameras generally offer.

5 Stars excellent camera
Ijust can’t stop loving it. The functionalities and the look are just so facinating. If I were to buy a camera again, I will surely go for it.

Buy/More Info

Canon EOS 50D 15 1MP Digital SLR Camera Body Only

Canons new EOS 50D bridges the gap between the novice and the seasoned pro with a perfect combination of high-speed and quality. It features an APS-C sized 15.1-megapixel CMOS sensor for tremendous images, new DIGIC 4 Image Processor for fine detail and superior color reproduction, and improved ISO capabilities up to 12800 for uncompromised shooting even in the dimmest situations. It features a refined 3.0-inch Clear View LCD (920,000 dots) monitor, supercharged Live View Function with Face Detection Live mode, plus a number of new automatic Image Correction settings and HDMI output for viewing images on an HDTV. Pick up the EOS 50D and youll experience true digital inspiration!

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars How to make your wife happy.
I don’t know much about photography so you may want to pan this review but my wife loves taking pictures. Her rebel was acting up so we bought this beauty. Although a little costly it was worth it to see how excited my wife was when she got it.

5 Stars I love this camera.
I had dreamt of buying a good digital camera for a long time. I had been shooting films until now since I could not afford a digital camera that produced the quality I desired.

In short, this camera is worth every penny (in my opinion of course). I totally fell in love with it the day I received it. The picture quality is awesome. The pictures are both sharp and the colors are spectacular. It has all kind of great features but what matters most for me is the picture quality. I already have one of my pictures taken on this camera displayed on a wall in the living room, it is 5.2 feet wide and even despite of the size, the picture quality is good.

2 Stars You get what you pay for
I have a Canon 1DIII, and was looking for a more compact second body. I was not happy with the prospect of either the 50D or 5DII but decided to give the 50D a try first. It’s not that it’s such a bad camera, it’s just leagues away from the 1 series, and in my opinion, leagues away from the Nikon D300. Why do I say this?

First, it’s not at all weatherized, which does matter to me as I do mostly outdoor shooting, and there are competing products from Nikon, Pentax, Sony, that are pretty well weatherproof.

Second, the viewfinder is small and dark, and there’s only 9 AF points, compared to 50 something in the Nikon D300, and at least 11 in most other cameras. I don’t need 50 points, but the little rhomboid pattern in the Canon amateur and prosumer lines is really sub-par for the industry.

Third, there’s more pixels, but then there’s also more noise, and fewer pixels would have been just fine, along with less noise. What good does ISO 12800 do, when the pic is unusable?

In summary, Canon has been resting on their laurels, made mainly cosmetic improvements in each iteration since their 20D came out, and I sold the camera a month after I bought it at a substantial loss on ebay. Good riddance, money can be recouped.

5 Stars Completely Satisfied
The Canon 50D is great. I added the Tamron AF18-270mmm F/3.5-6.3 Di II VC LD Aspherical [IF} Macro (Model Bo003) lens from Amazon to this camera and I am extremely satisfied with their performance together. The quality of my pictures with the new camera and len are significant. I was using a Canon Rebel Xt with a Tamron 18-200 lens.

5 Stars New Amazing Product for Best Available Price
Bought for my wife’s Birthday (professional photographer), she loves it over the overpriced, under performing, Nikon that she was using in her 1 year professional photography program. Camera, lens and all accessories are high quality and in perfect condition, never been out of box, packaged excellently and arrived almost 2 weeks before the beginning of the estimated shipping time frame. Amazing deal especially considering that I had to cancel my order from a mainstream photography equipment company who said it was out of stock for over 2 months, and is now charging almost $400 more than Amazon.com for the same exact thing, even though it still says out-of-stock.

Buy/More Info

Pentax K 7 14 6 MP Digital SLR with Shake Reduction and 720p HD Video Body Only

The Pentax K-7 has been developed as a high-end model of the PENTAX K digital SLR camera series. True to its series concept, it was designed not only to assure outstanding image quality, but also to provide exceptional ease and comfort of operation and the utmost satisfaction to photo enthusiasts of all levels, including advanced amateurs. The new K-7 has arrived. Faster and more durable than ever before, the compact, 14.6 MP K-7 truly is the most powerful PENTAX ever. Protected by a durable, high-quality metallic body, but the K-7 is designed to be extremely compact and functional – just like all other K-series models – for enhanced portability and maneuverability. In addition, it has added several user-friendly features, including video recording, high dynamic range (HDR), and automatic horizon correction. All of these make the K-7 a tremendous photographic tool, perfect for all discerning digital SLR photographers. High shutter speed – top shutter speed of 1/8000 sec freezes even the fastest action and gives creative control over apertures in well-lit settings New 77-segment metering system quickly and accurately determines exposure in the most complex & dynamic situations Live View mode – With contrast AF, Face Detection, and optional histogram, grid, and bright/dark area display 100% field-of-view viewfinder (with 0.92X magnification) Widescreen HD Movie Capture – With adjustable quality, aperture control, Shake Reduction and external microphone terminal for recording stereo sound (up to 1280×720p30) High resolution playback – HDMI port with selectable output resolution (1080i, 720p, 480p, and auto) Faster, more responsive AF – 11-point autofocus system Shake Reduction system – Now compensates for rotational sensor movement Dust Reduction system – Dust-free image capture Dynamic Range function – With highlight and adjustable shadow correction HDR image capture mode – Blends three separate

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars A winner from Pentax
The things I like:

* The size is small, which I like, and it feels like a solid little brick in the hand.

* The build quality is superb

* Weather sealed and rugged

* IQ is excellent, especially if you use RAW and do your own post processing

* High ISO is very useable right up to and including ISO3200 especially if you shoot RAW and use post process noise reduction.

* Ergonomics are excellent, which makes you want to use the camera. Nothing worse than not enjoying using a camera as you won’t want to take it with you.

* 100% viewfinder

* SR is fabulous and works with every lens. I can easily get 3 stops extra handholdability, but have achieved 4 and 5 stops!

* Large high resolution rear LCD great for critical focus review

* Hugely customizable functions to make the camera suit your photo shooting style.

* AF adjustment for fine tuning AF lenses which may back or front focus.

* Live View works very well.

* fast AF even in low light. Has a AF assist light as well.

* Quiet shutter

* Horizon level indicator in viewfinder

* Refinement.

There is really anything I don’t like. The camera handles like a dream and is so very easy to use with all the controls and menus easy to operate and find.

The optional battery grip, D-BG4, is also excellent, giving an even more solid feel and an aid for portraiture and the longer lenses. The battery grip can use the propietry Pentax rechargeable battery, D-Li90, or use optional AA batteries.

4 Stars K-7 “Noisy” Improvement Over the K20
Starting with the impressive Pentax K10 a few years ago, I later welcomed the arrival of the K20 for improvements over a very capable camera. The K20`s 14.6mp CMOS sensor provided much improved high ISO performance so that shooting at ISO 2000 for concert photos was no problem. The individual lens adjustment for auto focus was also a huge plus since lenses that were barely usable on the K10 due to front or back focus problems functioned normally on the K20. I even found that the live view feature was pretty handy for such things as sunrise or sunset pictures where it would be impossible to look through the viewfinder without damaging your eyes. What remained a bit of a disappointment on the K20, however, was the often slow and inaccurate auto focus, the slow burst rate and the finicky white balance performance that much of the time needed constant fiddling to get close to accurate hues under various lighting conditions. There was also the anticipation that high ISO performance would be improved as well. Knowing the K20 limitations, I could usually work around them and still get impressive shots. But there’s always the expectation of improvement, especially when you start bumping into those limitations and seeing how the competition is moving ahead of what you’re shooting with.

So when the K-7 was suddenly announced, I had hopes for another measureable step forward to answer to the shortcomings of the K20. The first feature that caught my attention was not the HD video capability at 30fps, but rather the entirely new 14.6mp sensor “built from the ground up” with the intention of improving high ISO performance, especially in shadow details, as Pentax claimed. Additionally, there was the new 5.2 fps burst rate and improved autofocus performance. That was all I needed to buy the K-7. You can read about all the improvements this camera represents in the other reviews from those who also bought the K-7, so I’ll keep my comments to those things specific to my experience after a month shooting thousands of JPEG pictures (no, I haven’t played with RAW yet, and I understand that’s where the K-7 really does well).

Pros:

The new smaller size is not what I would have liked. I actually was hoping for a slight increase in the size of the K20 since I just like the feel of a larger camera. However, the solid construction and layout when combined with the optional battery grip made for a satisfying package for comfortable handling. I also like the battery option of standard Pentax K-7 battery or 6 AA batteries in the grip. Without the battery grip, the small size does have advantages for portability/storage, however.

The white balance improvement over the K20 is huge! Even under various artificial lighting conditions, the white balance is surprisingly accurate. This will save me many hours of post-edit work just to adjust the color balance as I did with my indoor K20 shots.

The new shutter is much quieter and smoother. I never really cared for the shutter sounds of the K10 and K20 compared to Canon, Nikon and others. Although still not as smooth and “precise” sounding as other cameras, I can live with the K-7 shutter noise. In fact, the quietness is a big plus for taking candid shots when you don’t want to draw attention to yourself.

The 5.2 fps burst rate is a substantial improvement from 3 fps for action shots and is still workable compared to the faster rate of other cameras in the 6 to 8 fps range.

The autofocus performance does seem to be improved, although the type of lens you use can make a big difference in focusing speed. I’ve found that in bright light the fastest focusing lenses are the ones not using the quiet SDM mechanism in the lens, but rather the noisy screw drive in the camera body, although these lenses tend to have less focus travel, helping with focusing speed. I’ve noticed less “back-and-forth” indecision in focusing with the K-7 in low light situations, but the overall speed is probably average amongst the various DSLR makes. The AF assist light is also a nice addition that helps in near-dark situations.

Cons:

I’m most disappointed with the performance of the new sensor. Throughout my picture-taking with this camera, I noticed an overall tendency for my shots to be just a bit “noisier” than the K20 at all ISO settings. After careful JPEG comparisons between my K20 and the K-7 at ISO 2000 using the same lens and same settings, I found that the K-7 had slightly more “grain” than the K20. This was especially noticeable in shadows – which is where the biggest improvement was supposed to be. The K20 sensor would best the K-7 at all comparable ISO noise reduction settings with the exception of the highest NR setting. Detail would certainly be reduced in both cameras at that setting, but the K-7 does show more detail despite the increased noise reduction. The only thing I noticed is that the increased detail, or resolution, is accompanied by harsher edge detail like over-sharpening or the way watercolors can bleed along an edge. These issues considered, I would have been no less disappointed if the K-7 had come with the K20 sensor so long as the white balance improvement came with it.

Despite the greatly improved white balance, I found that the K-7 still has a bit of a problem rendering red such as red lighting or red colors in stage performance situations. They end up looking a bit washed-out and pinkish.

I remain concerned about Pentax quality control. The first copy I did most of my shooting with turned out to have a “noisy” flexible back that squeaked and creaked near the buttons and thumb rest. Amazon was spectacular in getting me a replacement in a couple days. The new K-7 is solid, but I’ve noticed that pictures on this copy are slightly underexposed. I’ve been told that there have been other copies purchased with the same flexible rear body issue.

Overall:

The K-7 is still a worthy improvement over the K20 despite the disappointing “non-improvement” in ISO performance: for me the K20 now becomes a solid backup camera to the K-7. The multitude of features and improvement of the menu and controls and the overall quality of the pictures it can produce, hold up well to competitors in the same general class resulting in a really fine camera choice and better deal in the balance. Mounted with the best Pentax glass, I feel just as capable standing next to the pros shooting with high-end APS-C class Canons or Nikons – the resulting pictures speak for themselves. With the K-7, Pentax is a high-value option for serious enthusiasts.

Update 9/23: The 2nd copy I received turned out to have an apparent defective sensor/light metering system – or very odd normal behavior. At all ISO settings above 1250, the image (JPEG and RAW) is underexposed by about one full stop. A problem of underexposure with the K-7 is covered in more than one professional review but Pentax says that they are not aware of such issues. Looking back at pictures taken with my first copy, it also appears the problem existed with that one as well. As a result, I’m not confident in the integrity of the new sensor/metering system on the K-7 (and certainly not in the quality control) and will wait until next year before trying my luck with a third copy. Interestingly, Amazon insisted that I process this return as a refund rather than as another replacement which I had requested. For now I’ll continue to enjoy my still very capable K20.

5 Stars Superb little camera
This camera is like a BMW M3 in a world mostly populated by Minivans. The build quality is impeccable, the camera is fairly hefty for its size, and will take abuse well. It is weathersealed, something that Canon only offers in their professional series, and Nikon at the D300 level, all of which cost substantially more. And it has in-body image stabilization, making all your lenses potentially hand-holdable, where others need a tripod. The image quality is on par with every other offering in this sensor size, with some ups in one area, some downs in another.

Lenses are far fewer than with the Canon/Nikon families, but what is available is all good quality, not cheap leftovers from the film era. The only lack is very long telephoto lenses such as 500, 600mm, for those one has to buy either used, or third party, like Sigma. (Pentax actually may make a 600mm F4 on special order, at a price similar to Canikon)

Controls are good and thoughtful, menus are well arranged, again, there is not a whole lot of difference in quality among brands, but certainly in personal preference.

I do have dual systems, using a Canon 1DIII with long and/or fast lenses for sports and action, while taking the Pentax for everyday and travel photography, having been displeased with Canon’s prosumer offerings (50D, 5D Mark II) because of their lack of robustness primarily, their added weight and in the case of the 5DII, insufficient improvement of image quality to offset the slowness of the camera and above listed drawbacks.)

I have used the camera for some sports photography, and tested the AF system, and find it more than adequate. While the K7 has only 2 more AF points than the above mentioned Canons, the distribution is quite a bit better, going almost out to the thirds points

5 Stars K-7 a true Pentax
With the K-7 Pentax return to form and build a superb, fully featured, high quailty camera the likes of with they have not had since the LX era. I can’t think of any feature I would want to add.

5 Stars The Pentax You’ve Been Waiting For
This is my 3rd Pentax camera, having owned the K100D Super, and K20D, as well as a Samsung GX10. I still use the K100D and the GX10, but I sold the K20D to upgrade to the K7 as I Didnt believe the K20 was much improvement over my GX10. The K7 is the camera I was hoping the K20 was. It is much improved in every aspect, and is finally the pro quality Pentax I have been waiting for. The build quality is fantastic, and I love the size. It goes perfectly with the Limited lenses, and is a package that is small enough to take with you everywhere. The autofocus is in a different league compared to all other Pentax cameras I have owned in the past. This cannot be overstated, it is THE upgrade pentax needed to compete. The auto white balance is also much improved, and is very accurate now. The battery life is excellent so far, however I don’t use the Live View function or video, so I don’t know the effect that will have on battery life. This is the best camera I have ever owned, and I finally feel I have the camera to take advantage of all my nice Pentax glass. Just buy it, you will not be dissapointed.

Buy/More Info

Canon EOS 50D 15 1MP Digital SLR Camera with EF 28 135mm f 3 5 5 6 IS USM Standard Zoom Lens

Canons new EOS 50D bridges the gap between the novice and the seasoned pro with a perfect combination of high-speed and quality. It features an APS-C sized 15.1-megapixel CMOS sensor for tremendous images, new DIGIC 4 Image Processor for fine detail and superior color reproduction, and improved ISO capabilities up to 12800 for uncompromised shooting even in the dimmest situations. It features a refined 3.0-inch Clear View LCD (920,000 dots) monitor, supercharged Live View Function with Face Detection Live mode, plus a number of new automatic Image Correction settings and HDMI output for viewing images on an HDTV. Pick up the EOS 50D and youll experience true digital inspiration!

User Ratings and Reviews

2 Stars You get what you pay for
I have a Canon 1DIII, and was looking for a more compact second body. I was not happy with the prospect of either the 50D or 5DII but decided to give the 50D a try first. It’s not that it’s such a bad camera, it’s just leagues away from the 1 series, and in my opinion, leagues away from the Nikon D300. Why do I say this?

First, it’s not at all weatherized, which does matter to me as I do mostly outdoor shooting, and there are competing products from Nikon, Pentax, Sony, that are pretty well weatherproof.

Second, the viewfinder is small and dark, and there’s only 9 AF points, compared to 50 something in the Nikon D300, and at least 11 in most other cameras. I don’t need 50 points, but the little rhomboid pattern in the Canon amateur and prosumer lines is really sub-par for the industry.

Third, there’s more pixels, but then there’s also more noise, and fewer pixels would have been just fine, along with less noise. What good does ISO 12800 do, when the pic is unusable?

In summary, Canon has been resting on their laurels, made mainly cosmetic improvements in each iteration since their 20D came out, and I sold the camera a month after I bought it at a substantial loss on ebay. Good riddance, money can be recouped.

5 Stars Completely Satisfied
The Canon 50D is great. I added the Tamron AF18-270mmm F/3.5-6.3 Di II VC LD Aspherical [IF} Macro (Model Bo003) lens from Amazon to this camera and I am extremely satisfied with their performance together. The quality of my pictures with the new camera and len are significant. I was using a Canon Rebel Xt with a Tamron 18-200 lens.

5 Stars New Amazing Product for Best Available Price
Bought for my wife’s Birthday (professional photographer), she loves it over the overpriced, under performing, Nikon that she was using in her 1 year professional photography program. Camera, lens and all accessories are high quality and in perfect condition, never been out of box, packaged excellently and arrived almost 2 weeks before the beginning of the estimated shipping time frame. Amazing deal especially considering that I had to cancel my order from a mainstream photography equipment company who said it was out of stock for over 2 months, and is now charging almost $400 more than Amazon.com for the same exact thing, even though it still says out-of-stock.

5 Stars I love this camera.
I had dreamt of buying a good digital camera for a long time. I had been shooting films until now since I could not afford a digital camera that produced the quality I desired.

In short, this camera is worth every penny (in my opinion of course). I totally fell in love with it the day I received it. The picture quality is awesome. The pictures are both sharp and the colors are spectacular. It has all kind of great features but what matters most for me is the picture quality. I already have one of my pictures taken on this camera displayed on a wall in the living room, it is 5.2 feet wide and even despite of the size, the picture quality is good.

5 Stars How to make your wife happy.
I don’t know much about photography so you may want to pan this review but my wife loves taking pictures. Her rebel was acting up so we bought this beauty. Although a little costly it was worth it to see how excited my wife was when she got it.

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