Dirt Cheap Cameras Reviews

Nikon D3100 Review

The 3.0-inch LCD on the back has been improved from the D3000, with the most significant difference being the inclusion of Live View.

This was sorely missing on the D3000, so we welcome it with open arms of the D3100. Included on the Live View is an AF-F mode and Scene Auto Selector, which means that the camera will best match the shooting conditions to a pre-determined mode if you want it to

The chassis of the D3100 is almost identical to the D3000. This is no bad thing. It’s actually pretty trim for a DSLR which means you can easily grip it, with your fingers and thumbs finding the right spots.

But it is the weight of the thing which is the most surprising aspect of the D3100 – it’s super light, with Nikon boasting that it is its lightest DSLR yet.

The display’s format of 3-inches has remained the same. The camera’s display is playing a more important role in the camera, and the Nikon D3100 SLR camera is equipped with special software with features of Nikon’s View NX. This makes it possible to edit photos and video clips in the camera itself, while maintaining user-friendliness. The Nikon D3100 will come with the latest Nikon ViewNX 2 software, just like all the Nikon DSLR cameras

Nikon D3100

Canon EF 8-15mm f/4L Fisheye Review

Canon today unveils the world’s first fisheye zoom lens offering both circular and full frame images, thanks to an extreme wide-angle focal range of 8-15mm. Replacing the EF 15mm f/2.8 fisheye, the new EF 8-15mm f/4L Fisheye USM is the latest addition to Canon’s L-series range of professional lenses, providing outstanding image quality, constant aperture throughout the zoom range and a robust design for reliable shooting in challenging weather conditions.

When paired with Canon’s full-frame DSLR bodies, such as the EOS 5D Mark II or the EOS-1Ds Mark III, professional photographers can choose to capture circular or full-frame fisheye images, allowing them to view a scene in a completely new and unique way. This new level of choice provides enhanced creative flexibility when shooting scenes such as the night sky, where the full 180º horizontal and vertical fields of view (FOV) allow every detail to be captured with incredible clarity in one single image.

When used with EOS bodies featuring APS-C or APS-H sensors, the EF 8-15mm f/4L Fisheye USM produces a more traditional, full frame fisheye view. A zoom-lock mechanism on the lens body allows the range to be limited to the focal length that ensures the best possible full-frame view without unsightly vignetting around the edge. ‘C’ and ‘H’ markings can be found next to the zoom operation ring, indicating the wide-angle zoom position where vignette-free shooting is possible with either sensor, allowing photographers to achieve optimum results with any EOS body.

Advanced optics for professional imaging
The EF 8-15mm f/4L Fisheye USM showcases over 70 years of Canon’s optical engineering heritage, boasting 14 lens elements in 11 different groups, including one aspherical and one Ultra-low Dispersion (UD) element to correct chromatic aberration and produce high-quality, high-contrast shots with excellent colour reproduction.

Ghosting and flare caused by strong light sources can be a particular challenge when shooting at such a wide angle, and, in order to counteract these artefacts, all lens elements have been covered with Canon’s Super Spectra Coating. The inner surface of the front element also features Canon’s SubWavelength Structure Coating (SWC), which uses tiny cone-like structures, shorter than the wavelength of visible light on the surface of the lens element, to gradually slow light down until it is at the same speed as it travels through glass, removing the risk of flare occurring before the light reaches the sensor.

To maintain optimum image quality, the front and rear lens elements also feature a Fluorine Coating which actively repels water, dust and dirt, making it easier to clean the lens and leaving it unobstructed by particles.

Fast, accurate focusing and low light performance
The ultra-wide angle zoom of the EF 8-15mm f/4L Fisheye USM offers a fresh take on sporting action or architecture shots, while the constant f/4.0 aperture allows faster shutter speeds to be employed for natural-looking images in low light.

A ring-type ultrasonic motor (USM), provides quick and accurate focusing when shooting and enables a full-time manual focus functionality allowing photographers to adjust the focus of any shot, even when the AF system is activated, for even greater control over image capture and improved creative flexibility.

Built for professional performance
The EF 8-15mm f/4L Fisheye USM features a high-grade physical design that reflects its elite performance. High resistance to both dust and water enables it to be used in a range of challenging situations, and, when used with a professional EOS body, it allows continued shooting in the harshest weather conditions. The external design also features the new exterior texture, for a high quality look and feel indicative of all new L-series models.

High quality accessories
The EF 8-15mm f/4L Fisheye USM is supplied with a dedicated lens cap, lens pouch and a felt-lined lens hood EW-77 for use when using the zoom at the 15mm setting, preventing lens flare.

Canon EF 8-15mm f/4L Fisheye

Canon EOS 60D Review

The upgrade to an 18-megapixel sensor brings the Canon EOS 60D up to date with the Rebel T2i and the 7D, and splits the difference between the two in frame rate, with the T2i shooting 3.7 fps, and the 7D ripping through 8 fps, while the Canon 60D can shoot at 5.3 frames per second. That’s down from the 50D’s 6.3 frames per second, one of the first downgrades on the list.

A major improvement is the addition of a 1.04-million pixel, 3-inch Vari-angle LCD screen on the Canon 60D, opening up more unique composition possibilities to the class of shooter that Canon is seeking with this new design.

Though it’s the fifth EOS SLR to support HD video capture, the Canon 60D is the first of its class to do so. Resolutions include 1,920 x 1,080p, 1280 x 720, and 640 x 480, saved in H.264 compression with linear PCM audio. Frame rates include 30, 25, and 24 fps for Full HD, and 60 fps and 50 fps for HD and VGA. Also included is a feature only recently added to the 5D Mark II’s video mode, the all-important audio-level adjustment; so in this sense, the Canon 60D is a more advanced video capture device than the 7D.

So what about Canon’s competitors? It’s fair to say that the EOS 60D aces anything that Nikon currently has to offer in the mid-range, with the Nikon D90 and the D300S looking rather old-school in comparison to this. Nikon has revealed an upgraded entry level DSLR in the shape of the D3100, and we fully expect an announcement of a D90 successor in the run up to the Photokina trade show in late September – watch this space…

Sony could threaten to rain on the EOS 60D’s parade, too, which isn’t something we would have said even last week. Sony’s intriguing new translucent-mirror cameras, the Sony Alpha a55 and a33, seem to offer outstanding AF performance (for Live View and video as well as stills) and a whopping great speed hit – 10 frames per second with autofocus must be causing a few jitters over at Canon HQ. The Sonys are keenly priced too, coming in at under £1000 each.

Of course, all this is speculation until we test all these new cameras side by side, but after a fairly light spring and summer release schedule, it’s great to see the big Japanese camera makers doing what they do best – bringing out genuinely innovative new kit.

Canon EOS 60D

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 Review

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5

Lensbaby The Composer

The Optic Swap System provides even more creative freedom by allowing users to pop-out the crisp multi-coated double glass optic and replace it with a softer, more dream-like single glass optic or with a plastic optic that provides a very ethereal look with strong chromatic aberration. There’s even a pin-hole/zone plate optic that can easily be swapped in or out.

All three Lensbabies now feature the ability to swap out the optics in order to change the overall look and feel of their images. As mentioned above there are three additional add-on optics that are currently available, each with their own special look and feel. The sample images below were shot with each of the optics that are available, starting with the included double-glass optic. The double glass, single glass, and plastic optics create the traditional Lensbaby look with a defined sweet spot of various clarity (depending on optic used). The Pinhole / Zone Plate optic creates images that are softer from edge-to-edge with no defined sweet spot.

The test images below were shot indoors under traditional incandescent lighting. The relatively low lighting created quite a challenge when trying to frame and focus the shot using the Pinhole / Zone Plate optic as the small f/177 (pinhole) and f/19 (Zone Plate) apertures made the scene look completely dark through the viewfinder. I ended up shooting blindly and hoped for the best and had to use long exposures to capture each of the scenes. When shooting through the pinhole lens I even had to bump the ISO to 1600 in order to keep the exposure to 30 seconds.

Lensbaby The Composer