Casio EXILIM EX-FS10

Steve’s Digicams has published their review of the Casio Exilim EX-FS10 [QuickPrice Check], "an outstanding performer" that can take high speed burst shots at up to a blazing 30fps, and features 9.1M resolution (on a 1/2.3-inch high-speed CMOS), 3x optical zoom (38-114mm equiv.), 2.5-in. LCD (230K dots), HD Movie 720p, Slow Motion View, and high speed videos at up to 1000fps, allowing the capture of some amazing slow-motion videos.

Digital SLRs are taking a turn for the better this year. As the cliche goes, these are not your fathers’ SLRs. Who would have thought that a DSLR would have Live View, or record movies, or even lose the mirror? Here are the top 10 trends to look for in a new DSLR:

1. HD Movie – It’s all the rage and being able to take advantage of the availability of interchangeable lenses as well as the narrow depth of field possible, HD movie making on a DSLR is one step closer to reality.
2. High Resolution LCD – Look for 460K dots as average. The best goes up to 920K dots resolution.


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Blue Heron - 676.4mm, 1/250s, F5.0, ISO 64

Birds, rabbits, raccoons, even ducks are best photographed from a distance, in their natural habitat and indulging in their typical behavior. Many of these animals do not really want you to get too close, shying away, flying off or even biting to keep you at a safe distance. There was a time when you needed a 35mm film SLR and an expensive long telephoto lens to take this kind of nature photography from far.

Fortunately, digital technology has made possible cameras that are compact and light, and costing a fraction of what you would have had to spend in 35mm equivalent equipment, opening up a whole new world of photography to budget conscious photographers. These long zoom (or ultra zoom) digital cameras typically feature 10x, 12x, or even 20x optical zoom. For our needs, what we are interested in is not so much the zoom power, but the telephoto focal length.

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