- Author: Michael L. Poe
One of the lifeproof cameras, those seemingly indestructive pocket-sized cameras I reported on in Do you need a lifeproof camera? now lives in my house. I purchased it as a gift for my wife, but it is really for me about 30 days of the year.
Anyone who knows me knows I go backpacking in the high country every season of the year. I also kayak year-round. So whenever I'm "out there" I borrow my wife's camera. That's good, because I don't have to lug around my huge DSLR. It's bad because I break her camera one way or another.
My wife's cameras have all cost around $350 and lasted 2-3 years. I've returned from my adventures with cracked cases, malfunctioning lens covers, parts that won't open or close as they should, permanent dirt, and, of course, dings and scratches. She's been great about it, and the cameras have too. My wife knows I'll be getting a replacement for her sooner or later and the cameras have diligently continued to take pictures even after my accidental assaults.
In this recent go-round I needed to replace her Canon PowerShot A560. It now features a built-in lens cover that won't open unless you tap or rap it. There's been more rapping than tapping lately. It was time.
I read my blog again, went to the suggested websites, talked to friends who had a couple of them and picked the one no one I knew had, the Fuji FinePix XP10. It has 12MP (they have 14MP models, too), is waterproof to a depth of 10 feet (my kayak doesn't usually take on more than 6 inches of water), freezeproof down to 14 degrees F (my winter camping is usually in the 20's), dustproof (anything dustproof is a rarity in the wild), and dropproof from a height of 3 feet (I really need that).
I paid $105 online. The other Fuji models have more rugged specs like water depth of 33 feet and drop survival of 10 feet, and are 14MP, but they cost twice as much and I wanted to see if this amount of ruggedness would be enough.
There is one caution. When I took it out of the box to charge the battery and test it before gift wrapping it, I dropped it twice in the first minute. It is very small compared to what I'm used to so I have adopted the personal policy of putting the wrist strap on before I do anything else with it.
On top of all the right features, it has very good user reviews. My wife has had it for two weeks and loves it so there's another. My next adventure is in mid-April and that's when its lifeproof-ness will be tested fully. I'll let you know how it goes.
- Author: Michael L. Poe
Canon EOS Digital Rebel Xsi (450D)
It's almost here. A 12MP Digital SLR camera I can afford. Canon will release in mid-April '08 the latest in the Canon EOS Digital Rebel line, the 450D, also known as the Xsi. It replaces the XTi and its predessor the XT. Here is a comparison of the three models and their significant differences.
|
Model |
XT 350D |
XTi 400D |
Xsi 450D |
|
Effective Pixels |
8.0 million |
10.1 million |
12.2 million |
|
Max Resolution |
3456x2304 |
3888x2592 |
4272x2848 |
|
Continuous Drive |
2.8 fps |
3.0 fps |
3.5 fps |
|
Storage Type |
Compact Flash |
Compact Flash |
SD/SDHC/MMC |
|
LCD Size |
1.8” |
2.5” |
3.0” |
|
Body Dimensions |
5 x 3.7 x 2.5 in |
5 x 3.7 x 2.6 in |
5.1 x 3.9 x 2.4 in |
|
Exposure Comp. |
-2 to +2 EV in 1/3 EV or 1/2 EV steps |
-2 to +2 EV in 1/3 EV or 1/2 EV steps |
-3 to +3 EV in 1/3 EV or 1/2 EV steps |
|
3/15/08 price |
$575 with lens |
$650 with lens |
$899 with lens 4/15/08 |
The Xsi's introductory price is the same as the previous models when they were first released.
What the Xsi's larger sensor gets you is the ability to shoot a 9.5x14" print at 300ppi without having to upsample. That's a very good thing.
All three cameras have these features in common:
- CMOS Sensor
- RAW and JPEG formats
- ISO settings 100-1600
- 6 White Balance settings and manual
- 30 sec maximum shutter
- 1/4000 of a sec minimum shutter
- Pop up built-in flash
- E-TTL II external flash compatible
- 10 second self-timer
What is especially special about the Xsi is the "live view" feature, common to most pocket-size compact cameras, but new to the DSLR realm. This means the LCD display (50% brighter than the XTi) will show you what the lens sees while you are setting up and taking a photo, not common to professional photography equipment. This is especially helpful when using a copystand or other occasionally awkward setup when it may be physically difficult for the user to get their eye to the occular viewfinder to line up the shot. The occular viewfinder should still be used to check focus whenever possible. Keep in mind, however, that using this feature will require more power and that will affect battery life. The camera does come with a higher capacity battery than the previous models, no doubt to compensate for this added potential for battery drain.
More Improvements
The EOS 450D features an improved grip design that provides a natural, ergonomic fit with the user’s hands. There is also a user-defined My Menu tab for instant access to frequently used settings.
There are some new custom functions to optimise the quality of photos captured in a range of situations. Highlight Tone Priority boosts the dynamic range at the highlight end, providing better tonal detail from white shirts, cloudy skies and other bright objects. The new Auto Lighting Optimiser corrects brightness and contrast during image processing, while improving skin tones in portraits by ensuring correct exposure for faces. Photographers can also enable additional noise reduction for shots captured at high ISO speeds.
Two types of auto focus are available: Quick AF flips the camera mirror momentarily to engage the AF sensor; Live AF uses the image contrast data to focus - a method familiar to anyone upgrading from a compact digital camera.
The standard 450D kit will include a redesigned, image stabilized version of Canon's 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 lens which will help it compete with the increasing number of competitors offering in-body anti-shake systems.
The storage media has also changed. The smaller SD and SDHC (HC=high capacity and that means 4 to 32GB) cards replace the Compact Flash cards. My blog on SDHC has more information about this new SDHC storage card.
The Xti uses the same auto-cleaning sensor system introduced in in the XT to reduce, repel, and remove dust everytime you turn the camera on and off.
If you or your office is looking for a camera that will stop the madness of looking for a replacement camera every couple of years, this is probably the one. You can shoot cover photo with it and have the size, improved color, and reduced noise that may reduce the processing you are supposed to be doing with every digital photo you take now.
For more information, go to http://dpreview.com or ask me, mine will be ordered the first day they are available.
Mike
