Photography and Digital Camera

Review based on a production DMC-L1, firmware ver 1.1

On February 26th 2006, in a packed press conference on the first day of PMA 2006 Panasonic revealed their first digital SLR, the DMC-L1. The DMC-L1 represents another first, it’s the first non-Olympus Four Thirds digital SLR which has to be good news for the system which has up until now been an Olympus only affair. When it was announced many noted the resemblance to the E-330, this is no coincidence as the DMC-L1 shares its optical subsystem (lens mount, mirror box, viewfinder, auto focus and exposure sensors) with the Olympus E-330.

The L1 features the same 7.5 megapixel ‘LiveMOS’ sensor used in the E-330 (which we now know is manufactured by Panasonic), this provides the camera with TTL live view capability in a similar manner to the E-330. Unlike the E-330 however the DMC-L1 does not have a secondary Live View CCD and so provides only one Live View mode, this is known as ‘B mode’ on the E-330 and utilizes the main image sensor. The downside to this is that although the DMC-L1 provides auto focus in Live View it requires the mirror to be lowered and raised again during focusing.

Firmware ver 2.0 (March 2007)

As most of the first half of this review was written before Panasonic issued firmware 2.0 (here) hence it’s worth noting the following improvements included:

1. Added a multiple exposure function.
2. Added panning mode [MODE3] to the optical image stabilizer.
3. Added a low-angle viewing mode that makes it easier to view the LCD display when the camera is held below eye level.
4. Added feature that simplifies setting the aperture when using a lens without an aperture ring.
5. Added two manual white balance settings to GUI. GUI design uses navigational cursor to easily select, and set, white balance (WB) to change the color temperature, or set the ISO sensitivity or flash. Time restriction for making changes was removed.
6. Added “HOLD” option to Auto Review time, enabling continuous viewing.
7. Added feature to allow zoomed playback of photos. It’s now possible to move back to the preceding images or forward to the next images while the image is still zoomed.
8. Added [AUTO] for the ISO sensitivity in the aperture-priority AE mode [A] and shutter speed-priority AE mode [S].
9. Added GUI option to easily check the firmware version.

Panasonic DMC-L1 vs. Olympus E-330 Live View modes compared

In the fast-moving, ‘bigger better faster’ world of the digital compact the Fujifilm FinePix F30 will be one of the rare few that are remembered after they have gone (the nearest this throwaway business gets to a ‘classic’). The reason this unassuming, blocky little camera stands out from the scores of other cameras launched last year – and why it has a mantelpiece covered in industry awards – is simple; image quality, or more specifically, high ISO performance. The F30′s low light capabilities come from a combination of clever technology (Super CCD and Real Photo Processor) and a ‘swimming against the tide’ attitude to specification, which means a bigger sensor with fewer pixels. The F30 also, against all the odds, actually sold pretty well, going against the conventional wisdom that consumers buy on pixel counts alone. Although it has its share of faults the F30 became the benchmark by which all compact cameras in the 6-8 megapixel sector were judged. The excellent battery life and high speed performance certainly helped too.

Now we have the F30′s replacement, the F31fd – an upgrade so minor that we would not normally even bother to review it (the only spec changes are a Face Detection function and infra-red communication). But such is the continuing level of interest in the F30 that it would be remiss not to update the review for the new model, and that is what we have done – the majority of this review is taken word-for-word from the F30 review, but the image samples are all new, and all the tests have been re-done.

In 2007 the market has, inevitably, moved on again, with 8,10 and even 12 megapixels common in even fairly inexpensive compacts, so the F31fd will have an even tougher job competing for attention, and we were interested to see how it stacks up against the latest generation of high resolution compacts; all boasting ‘high ISO’ capabilities – on paper at least. We were also interested to see if the internal changes (the sensor is the same but the F31fd has a new version of the Real Photo Processor) had upset the fine balance of hardware and processing that made the F30 what it was. We’ll start, as ever, with the headline specification:

• Face Detection Technology built-in to the camera’s processor
• Real Photo Processor II and new Super CCD HR VI
• ISO 3200 sensitivity at full resolution
• 6.3 million pixels
• 3.0x optical zoom
• Long-life battery (up to 580 shots)
• IR Communication (IR simple™)
• VGA movie capture of 30 frames per second with sound
• PictBridge™ compatible for direct printing without a PC
• Quick response times (0.01 second shutter lag and 1.5 second start-up)
• Aperture and shutter priority modes

Changes over the F30

Where the F30 was quite a leap forward from the F10/F11, the F31fd, as mentioned above, is a pretty minor, incremental upgrade to the F30. The biggest change is the processor, which has been upgraded to the latest Real Photo Processor II. As well as minor image processing changes the RPP II processor also brings Fuji’s hardware-based Face Detection technology to the F31fd. Aside from a slight color change and a redesigned grip the only other difference is that the new camera – like most of Fuji’s new models – sports IrSimple – a fast infrared comms system that allows you to wirelessly share pictures with other F31fd users and use print kiosks without removing the card. Not exactly what we’d call a key feature.

FinePix F31fd specifications

Based on a production Casio Exilim EX-V7

Announced back in January at the CES show, the EX-V7 is the latest in a long – and generally successful – range of slim, feature-packed Exilim models from Casio. As well as an impressive set of specifications (CCD shift image stabilization, 7x / 38-266mm equiv. zoom, MPEG movies and a wealth of features) and a super-slim all-metal body (under 21mm thick at its thinnest point) the EX-V7 boasts a new version of Casio’s image processing engine. This brings several new technologies to the V7; motion analysis (to ensure a higher ISO and shutter speed are used if needed to freeze fast moving subjects), Auto Tracking AF and enhanced noise reduction and tonal control. As the world’s slimmest 7x zoom camera the EX-V7 is certainly an enticing product for anyone wanting a bit more lens reach without losing pocketability, but is it any good? Let’s find out, starting as ever with the headline features:

• 59.8 mm high, 95.5 mm wide, and 25.1 mm thin (20.8 mm at the thinnest part)
• Cutting-edge, non-protruding 7X internal optical zoom lens (38-266mm equiv.)
• New CCD shift system actually mechanically compensates for camera shake.
• Automatically analyzes the velocity and vector of a moving subject and sets the most appropriate ISO sensitivity and shutter speed.
• “Auto Tracking AF” function follows moving subjects
• Tonal control lets users keep bright areas of the scene bright by limiting the occurrence of dark pixels.
• Offers ability to selectively eliminate noise in designated color regions, such as the sky.
• Boasts faster image processing functions that enable instantaneous color correction or angle adjustment.
• High-quality movies using next-generation H.264 video encoding method
• Silent lens motion enables optical zooming while recording movies in stereo sound.
• Records 16:9 wide-aspect movies compatible with wide-screen TVs.

Casio Exilim EX-V7 specifications