Sony NEXVG10 Full HD Interchangeable Lens Camcorder

I read the other reviews and have to shake my head. Only one reviewer even mentioned, and only in passing, what makes this camera so remarkable. It has a huge sensor and creates fantastic images. If what matters to you is the arrangement of the shoulder strap or the layout of the menu, by all means stay away from this camera. If you want interchangeable lens, the ability to shoot shallow depth of field and to create great images, take a closer look. This camera is not for everyone, but it does shoot some amazing video.

Video cameras, because of their typically small image sensors, shoot footage that has a very deep depth of field and a limited color range. In recent years many videographers have taken to shooting on DSLRS which have much larger sensors and can produce footage which is far more "filmic" with shallow depth of field and richer colors. The problem is that DSLRs are much better still than video cameras. They are typically limited to shooting for about 12 minutes. They generally do not have auto-focus and sound can be problematical.

The NEX VG-10 is a DSLR that is designed to shoot video. It has the same sensor as the Sony NEX 5 DSLR. Unlike most DSLRs, it does have auto focus. The quad mike is quite good and it is much easier to shoot handheld than a DSLR rigged out for video. The steadyshot stabilization is really nice. The 18-200mm E-mount 11x Zoom is a very good lens that sells for around $800 on its own. I plan on buying the 16mm f/2.8 Wide-Angle lens as well.

The real magic in the camera is the 23.4 x 15.6mm Exmor APS HD CMOS Sensor. There is simply nothing like it in a video camera in this price range. The shallow depth of field is beautiful. If you are used to a camcorder which is always in focus because the small sensor gives you a very deep depth of field, the VG-10 might take some getting use to. If on the other hand you want to be able to keep the subject of your shot in sharp focus with the background softly blurred, this camera can do it, whereas all the older pro and prosumer video cameras can not. The only video cameras out there now (or soon) with this sort of large sensor are the Panasonic PMW-F3 and the soon to be released Sony FS100 NXCAM Super 35mm, both of which cost over $6,000, without lenses.

I agree that I would like zebra stripes and more audio control would be nice, though I still can use my shotgun mikes with or without a Beachtek adapter. The menu system takes a bit of getting use to but isn't bad. I would like built in ND filters but can live with external filters. The camera shoots a native 30P. 24P would be good but I can do that in post. I am not convinced most viewers can tell the differences in most settings.

The VG-10 can also be used as a 14MP still camera, though it does not have a RAW setting. I was looking to buy a video camera, so having one that can double as a DSLR is a bonus.

Overall the NEX VG10 is a remarkable camera that shoots great video. It is not perfect and it is not for everyone. That being said, I am very happy with the camera and video I can shoot with it.

Sony DCR-SX65 Handycam Camcorder

The good: The Sony Handycam DCR-SX45, SX65, SX85 and easy to use ultra-compact video camera with good image stabilization, active electronics and a built-in USB cable for faster downloads.

The bad: The DCR-SX45, SX65, SX85 and produce a very good video and noisy, with notable bands in individuals, even in small sizes. No microphone or headphones, and electronic image stabilization will not help, in order fully extended.

The Bottom Line: Sony Handycam DCR-SX45, SX65 and SX85 standard definition camcorders pack a long zoom lens at a reasonable price, look at standard definition video, however, and you might regret not spending a little more than a HD model.

The Handycam DCR-SX series flash-based Sony ultra-compact standard definition camcorder. It consists of three models that differ only by the amount of storage, the SX45 has no internal memory, the SX65 has 4 GB integrated, and the SX85 has 16 GB of internal storage. This review refers to the SX65, however, the SX85 is the best value. They have a 3-inch touchscreen LCD, a lens with 60x optical zoom, and some interesting features like a built-in USB connector to your computer quick and easy cargo loading. However, none of the features greatly improve the quality of the video.
No, unfortunately, there seems no reason to make a big video camera standard definition today, the film SX65 are mediocre at best - especially if you're watching TV full screen or used in a wide sharpness and clear details of the HD content.

To use the Web at small sizes, the results are good, however, and if you're not terribly concerned about the quality of video in the first place and want a video camera at a reasonable price, easy to use, has a lens long zoom, and can fit into a hand from his pocket, the Sony is worth watching.

Available in blue, black versions, silver and red SX65 is a video camera unattractive. Its controls are the physical design of textbooks with a camcorder start / stop button comfortably under the thumb on the back and a zoom rocker on top against a trigger for the shooting mode immediately. The whole package is the size of a soda can. The hand strap is comfortable if a little low. Interestingly, it also acts as a cover for a full size USB connector that is connected by a cable to the camera body. This allows you to connect directly to a computer to transfer photos and videos and charge the battery. Just above the belt a little hidden door with an input power / charging and AV output (composite cable included).

The battery protrudes from the back, and on it there is a button to switch between photo and video. Underneath the battery in the bottom of the video camera is a card slot that supports Memory Stick Pro Duo and SD / SDHC / SDXC.
Open the touch screen (no display) and find four buttons in the body cavity, the power to enter the Sony Intelligent Auto mode, the on and off an LED lamp below the lens, and switching to playback mode. The last port I / O is in the cavity, too: USB Mini-discovered. An optional cable can be used with this port to connect directly to a USB storage device for quick saves without a computer. You can also copy the contents of internal memory to a Memory Stick or SD cards.

The touch screen is good and strong compared to other models in its class, but it was very difficult to see in direct sunlight. Fortunately, the tour, so although you can not see you can change the angle. At the left edge of the screen are virtual buttons for zooming and record start and stop very useful if you are shooting at a low angle or on a tripod. The menu system is good for those who make a lot of changes. In other words, it is wise, but because all options are on a long line, you can feel the list is endless. At least Sony allows you to configure a boot menu screen with six elements that often the setting.

Canon EOS Rebel T3 12.2 MP CMOS Digital SLR

My concern is when people pick up this DSLR in the store and handle it and then handle the D3100, they will automatically assume the D3100 is a better DSLR simply on the body construction alone. The plastic body feels (and is) cheap. And that, unfortunatley, will be hard to overcome for a lot of people. No textured grip is an unfortunate omission. At the entry-level, you don't expect full weather-sealing or magnesium alloy body but most others (Pentax K-x, Nikon D3100) at least are constructed of somewhat better materials and have a textured hand grip. The one plus side to the glossy-plastic body is that it makes the DSLR very lightweight. In fact, it probably is the lightest DSLR I've shot with.

The controls are pretty straight-forward on this camera. And I always like Canon's menu system, very intuitive. It has plenty of auto controls for newbie photographers but of course has a full manual suite of controls so it's perfect for students or folks in general who want to learn photography and want a camera they can grow with. In terms of the performance, this DSLR impressed me. Overall operation is very quick, shot-to-shot times are decent, and the autofocus is very fast. I have worked the with D3100 as well... and can safely say that the Rebel T3 outperforms it on almost all fronts (I'm sure I'll catch hell from the Nikon folks for that).

The viewfinder is 95% coverage and isn't the greatest but I found it to be satisfactory. And despite the relatively low screen resolution of 230k, I found the screen somewhat viewable in direct sunlight and better than the one on the D3100. Again, it's not wonderful, but not as bad as some I've seen (the worst was the Pentax K-x). They've also upgraded the AF system from 7 points on the Rebel XS to 9 points.

One move that was very smart on Canon's part was to keep the megapixel count at a modest 12 megapixels. And interestingly enough, it seems to work better with the supplied kit lens than some of the higher-end siblings. The combination of the kit lens and the 12 MP sensor leads to some very impressive image quality (especially if you bump up the sharpness a little bit in the camera settings) - and this camera will happily shoot with Canon's low-end lenses with some very decent results. One complaint I do have is, because of the light-weight plastic construction of the body, it tends to be out of balance with the longer, heavier lenses. I noticed this when I attached the EF-S 55-250 lens on it. It may not be a dealbreaker for everybody, but some people might find this irritating. Colors are very punchy but not to the point of over-saturation. I won't confidently say it's better than D3100 for image quality, but it at least matches it. And for the most part you can get clean images from this DSLR up to ISO 1600, which is impressive.

As far as the movie mode goes, it's only 1280x720 HD but actually the video quality is excellent. However, the manual controls are very limited. If you're equal parts into photos and movies, I would consider the Rebel T3i or 60d over this one though, as those have far more extensive manual controls for video shooting.

So overall, if you're able to overlook the rather cheap plastic construction, this is a very formidable entry-level DSLR that is suitable for both newbie photographers, and even pros looking for a light-weight companion to their regular gear.

Canon PowerShot ELPH 300 HS 12 MP CMOS Digital Camera with Full 1080p HD Video (Red)

This is a point and shoot class camera, if you understand that going in, you are going to be more than impressed with it. I'm going from an SD630 and hands down, this beats it. I even had an SX210IS and these images are on par with it, if not better. I had to return my SX210IS as it had issues with dust on the image sensor and I've been waiting for a new P&S class to come out. I bit the bullet on this, well, the black version Canon PowerShot ELPH 300 HS 12 MP CMOS Digital Camera with Full 1080p HD Video (Black) and what can I say - I am happy!

300HS vs 500HS:
There is a 500HS version of the camera, which is approx $50 more. To this point, the only differences I can tell are the LCD on the back as well as aperture priority and shutter priority, while the 300hs does not. The touch screen on the 500hs can also be used to focus on a particular subject. The 500hs also has a wider aperture at 2.0, the 300hs has 2.7.

Form Factor/Display:
Small. Awesome. There is a texture on the camera, I really like this as it seems like it will help if you hands are wet (sweat, snow, etc). Easy to operate one hand and if using both hands, flash isn't in a horrible place. Display is very bright and button seem intuitive as with other Canon cameras. Battery and SD are on the bottom door, USB and HDMI are in a covered side port. Comes with a wrist strap if you desire a little extra security.

Boot Time/Software:
Camera is ready to take photos very fast. From the time you press the button, it's pretty much set to catch the action. Time between photos wasn't terrible (about 1.5 seconds) and if you need it, there is continuous shot mode. Had no problem with the Canon software on Windows 7. I've used the Canon Photo Window import for a while, does a good job of getting photos off the camera without duplicates. I use Picasa to then manage my photo library (I skip the Zoom Browser, but it's really not bad if you want to use it, I'm just a slave to Google/gmail)

Computer Connectivity:
I didn't find this anywhere in the specs, so if you're looking, the camera uses mini-USB, similar to all Canon's that have come out over the last few years.

Optical Zoom:
You're going to be impressed with the form factor of this camera and it's 5x OPTICAL zoom. I immediately disabled digital zoom as 12.1MP + 5x Optical will get you very close to the action. You're better off digitally enhancing the photos later on.

Battery + Memory Card:
This uses the NBL-4 (again, I found confusion on this and accessories) - so if you have some of those laying around keep them as they'll work just fine in this camera. This is nice as my SD630 uses the NBL-4 so now I have 2 chargers + 3 batteries. It took my 32GB SDHC without any issues and holds thousands of images. Images have tended to be between 2 and 3mb on the highest settings.

Image Quality:
Look, I'm no photo fanatic, I don't expect the people buying this camera are. I am looking for solid images and this camera delivers. There are a ton a feature you can delve into and I'm sure they are good. It has manual mode, so if you fancy that, you can go down that path. But I'm the type of person that knows when something looks good, OK or great. This camera consistently delivers GREAT photos. I'm happy with the low light and images aren't blurry or grainy (within reasonable expectations).

Video:
FINALLY! Optical zoom on a Canon during video! 1080p brings this camera up to par with others in its class and it does a decent job. I didn't notice any major noise when zooming in and out while recording video. I know this is the excuse Canon has used in the past as to why they never had this feature. It shoots nice clips for those quick moments. This will NOT replace a true DV cam, but hey, for a few minute clips here and there, you will simply not be dissapointed.

Canon PowerShot ELPH 300 HS 12.1 MP Digital Camera

I'm a DSLR photographer who shoots professionally and has managed a camera store in the past. I wanted something I can take with me everywhere but still produces good quality shots. I also wanted a camera that could shoot good looking videos. I researched several models and after much deliberation decided on the Canon 300 HS. I'm very happy I did.

Image Quality:

I tested cameras and lenses all the time while managing the camera store so whenever I purchase a new camera or lens I always test it. The Canon 300 HS doesn't produce the quality of images my Nikon D7000 does but I didn't expect it to. The edges get a little soft with the 300 HS when looking at the image at 100% whereas the D7000 images are almost tact sharp.

Comparing the 300 HS to the Canon Powershot SD1000 from a few years ago, the 300 HS blows it out of the water. The SD1000 is a 7 MP camera. Shooting the same shots on a tripod with the same focal length on the lens the 300 HS uses its extra MPs well. When looking at the images from each camera at 100%, at the wide angle zoom setting and normal zoom setting both cameras have about the same relative slight softness on the edges. However the 300 HS has more MP so it actually produces much more detail in the image. I think it was smart for Canon to keep the MP at 12 because last years models while being 14 MP (SD1400) didn't give any extra detail from what I could tell than the 12 MP version (SD1300). The SD1400 was basically just creating larger files. When zooming in the telephoto setting the 300 HS clearly produced a sharper image than the SD1000. Often cameras have sweet spots in the zoom range in which it will produce crisper images. The 300 HS has consistently good sharpness throughout it's zoom range.

HS system and ISO:

The image processing with the HS system truly works to reduce noise at higher ISOs enabling people to produce better quality images in low light. The improvement in image quality gets more and more visible the greater and greater the ISO. ISO 400 with the 300 HS was almost as good as ISO 200 on the SD1000. ISO 800 on the 300 HS was a tad better than ISO 400 on the SD1000. ISO 1600 on the 300 HS was between ISO 400 and 800 on the SD1000. ISO 3200 on the 300 HS produced the same quality of image (noise) as ISO 800 on the SD1000. A 2 stop in film speed improvement is big.

1080p video and slow motion:

With good light, the 300 HS produces wonderful smooth 1080 videos. If you look at a lot of HD videos from compact cameras the video often looks jumpy. From what I've seen it wasn't until you got to the Canon G12 or Panasonic LX5 that the video looked smooth. Both of those cameras only shoot 720p whereas this camera shoots 1080p. The video also very good detail. It truly looks HD.

If you are wanting zoom and continuous AF with your video this camera is the one you want compared to the 100 HS which doesn't allow you to zoom. The continuous AF with face recognition is stellar with this camera in video mode. I was videoing my wife while she was driving. It focused on her face. I switched to the scenery outside. It immediately focused on that. I then went back to my wife and it found her face and focused on it right away. I even videoed her reflection in the rear view mirror and it found her face in the mirror no problem and focused on it. AMAZING!!!!

Commenting on a complaint I've read about the zoom being slow in video mode. If you like getting motion sickness whenever someone rapidly zooms in or out during their video this is not your camera. As smooth looking as the video is, the zoom is also. The smooth zoom creates nice looking transitions instead of warp speed ahead looks.

The slow motion is a fun feature that works well. You need to have good lighting though. In low light even with high ISO's it produced very dark videos. In a review someone commented that it should have sound with the slow motion video. I honestly don't know how that could work unless you want to listen to everything at 1/5 it's normal speed. I think it's a good thing that it doesn't have sound with the slow motion videos.

AF:

I commented on AF partially in the video portion of the review. It does have several AF modes for various situations. The face detection works great. If you have a person in the picture but want something other than the person to be in focus you will need to change AF modes from face detection. The reviewer that had the problem with the 300 HS focusing on things he didn't want the camera to focus on likely didn't have the correct AF mode for the shooting situations. The 300 HS does have a center AF if you prefer that.

Areas for Canon to improve on with the 300 HS:

The camera is so well thought out that I'm surprised Canon let this slip. I love having a wide angle zoom go down to 24mm. It's great for scenery and photojournalist type shots. If you shoot at the widest angle zoom and use the flash, the lens on the 300 HS blocks the flash's exposure on the bottom right corner of the image. The corner is completely black. If you zoom in a bit so you aren't at the widest angle setting when using the flash you will be fine. Still all Canon had to do is not put the flash so close to the lens.

When shooting video in lower light situations the video does start to get noisy and grainy quicker than some other cameras.

Conclusion:

All in all this is a wonderfully thought out camera with great image quality and image processing and it shoots stellar videos for it's compact size.