The Program Flash 2800AF or Program Flash 4000AF seem to be what you need. http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/classics/maxxum7k/index4.htm http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000IJGJ6M?ie=UTF8&tag=photoxels-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000IJGJ6M http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EO676I?ie=UTF8&tag=photoxels-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000EO676I

Many people still insist in comparing larger aperture with image stabilization. Reminds me of the "Is more resolution (and cropping) as good as a longer zoom?" question. The short answer is: Do not compare. The longer answer is: If you like to take low light pictures, you want a larger aperture lens. The primary purpose of using a larger aperture is to let in more light to permit correct exposure. If you hand hold your pictures, especially in low light, then you might also need image stabilization (IS). The primary purpose of IS is to reduce or eliminate camera shake. Comparing the two is only sensical when the existing low light gives correct exposure but the shutter speed is too low for hand holding. If your lens has a larger aperture, you hope it will result in a fast enough shutter speed for hand holding. Or, if your lens has IS, you hope the IS will compensate for camera shake and permit you to still capture a sharp picture. What IS will not do is freeze subject motion. So, unless your subjects are static, IS will be of no help in good or low-light. To freeze subject motion, you need to use a fast enough shutter speed and this is only possible if you use a larger aperture and/or a higher ISO. If this all sounds too confusing to you, the I suggest that you switch to a dslr than has in-body sensor-shift image stabilization and low noise at high ISOs characteristic. This way, (almost) all lenses you buy from now on will automatically gain image stabilization. You won't then have any more confusion: if you like low light pictures, you'd just buy the lens with the larger aperture. If the light is still too low for correct exposure, you can then dial in a higher ISO so you can use a faster shutter speed. To summarize, for low-light pictures use 1) a dslr with image stabilization (either optical lens based or built-in sensor-shift) to eliminate camera shake, 2) with low noise high ISOs characteristic, and 3) equipped with a lens with a large aperture. Do not forget that using an external flash is also a great low-light option. You would want a flash with a bounce head so you can bounce the light off the ceiling or a wall to simulate soft, diffused daylight.

When you set a camera's lens at a focus distance, objects at that distance are in focus and all other objects in front of and behind that distance are either in accpetable focus or out of focus. Acceptable focus means that to the naked eye, an object, though technically out of focus, appears to be in sharp focus. The distance in front of and behind the focus distance that is in acceptable focus is called the depth of field (DOF). The DOF will vary depending on the aperture used and the focus distance. The name "Hyperfocal Distance" gives us a hint as to what it's all about: where (distance) best to focus (focal) a camera's lens so as to ensure the maximum amount (hyper) of depth of field (range of acceptable focus). In other words, it allows us to get the maximum objects in focus from near (about half of the hyperfocal distance) to infinity. It's most common use is for a photographer to find out where to manually set the focus of a lens for maximum depth of field. If you leave the lens set to that distance you can be reasonably certain that everything from the near distance to infinity will be in acceptably sharp focus. It's great for landscapes when you want most everything in sharp focus. Also a great way to focus the camera in the dark when the AF cannot lock. The links give a couple of calculators to determine this distance for a particular lens. Links: - http://www.dofmaster.com/hyperfocal.html - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperfocal_distance - http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/hyperfocal-distance.htm - http://www.nikonians.org/html/resources/guides/dof/hyperfocal2.html

The following shutter speed/aperture combinations are equivalent: 1/60s @ f/11 1/125s @ f/8 1/250s @ f/5.6 Notice that for each shutter speed stop increase (shutter stays open for less time, thus allowing less light), then the aperture has to be opened one stop correspondingly (aperture has to be larger, thus allowing more light). To freeze rapid movement, you want to use as fast a shutter speed as possible. In your example, the fastest shutter speed you can use while maintaining correct exposure is 1/250s. Depending on how fast the action is, this shutter speed may or may not be fast enough to freeze the action. For most sports photography, shutter speeds of up to 1/4,000 sec. may be required to freeze action.

At 5M Fine, the Fujifilm S5200 will capture a 2592 x 1944 pixels image and save it as a (approx.) 2.5MB size file, so verify this first. It should also display 5M on the LCD. Here are are a few things you could check... The image quality will degrade if you: - use digital zoom - use a high ISO (e.g. when using anti-blur or Natural Light mode) - trimming or cropping the image so that it is now smaller than 5M - print image from a movie capture (0.3M) At what size are you trying to print the images? You should be able to obtain good quality prints at 8 x 10 in., 11 x 14 in. and perhaps even 13 x 19 in., but 35 x 26 in. is beyond the capability of most consumer digital cameras. When printing, specify one of the above first 3 print sizes.

Thank you for your input. I will do as you advise and take the lenses along to a camera store to check it out on a KM/Sony DSLR camera body.

As long as the lens is an A-mount, it should be usable on any other Konica-Minolta DSLR and/or Sony DSLR also using the A-mount, though there's no guarantee the AF will still be compatible (i.e. you might have to use them in manual AF). To be absolutely sure, it's best to bring your lenses along and try them on the KM/Sony DSLR body you intend to purchase.

http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/support/supDetail.jsp?oid=23952&prodoid=36478880&BV_UseBVCookie=yes&infoType=Downloads&platform=All&x=19&y=11

In general, yes, though it depends on the Nikon DSLR in question and not all functions may be supported. For example, for the Nikon D40x, the following lenses are compatible (with some limitations): Nikon F mount with AF coupling and AF contacts Type G or D AF Nikkor: 1) AF-S, AF-I: All functions supported; 2) Other Type G or D AF Nikkor: All functions supported except autofocus; 3) PC Micro-Nikkor 85mm f/2.8D: Can only be used in mode M; all other functions supported except autofocus; 4) Other AF Nikkor*¹/AI-P Nikkor: All functions supported except autofocus and 3D Color Matrix Metering II; 5) Non-CPU: Can be used in mode M, but exposure meter does not function; electronic range finder can be used if maximum aperture is f/5.6 or faster; 6) IX Nikkor lenses cannot be used * Excluding lenses for F3AF For the new D300, compatible lenses are: 1) DX AF NIKKOR: All functions possible 2) D-/G-type AF NIKKOR (excluding IX NIKKORlenses): All functions possible (excluding PC Micro- NIKKOR) 3) AF NIKKOR other than D-/G-type (excluding lenses for F3AF): All functions except 3D-Color Matrix Metering II possible 4) AI-P NIKKOR: All functions except Autofocus, 3D-Color Matrix Metering II possible 5) Non-CPU AI NIKKOR: can be used in exposure modes A and M; electronic range finder can be used if maximum aperture is 5.6 or faster; Color Matrix Metering and aperture value display supported if user provides For the new D3, compatible lenses are*1: 1) Type G or D AF Nikkor: All functions supported 2) DX AF Nikkor: All functions supported except FX-format (36x24)/5:4 (30x24) image size 3) AF Nikkor other than type G or D*2: All functions supported except 3D Color Matrix Metering II 4) AI-P Nikkor: All functions supported except autofocus and 3D Color Matrix Metering II 5) Non-CPU AI Nikkor: Can be used in exposure modes A and M; electronic rangefinder can be used if maximum aperture is f/5.6 or faster; Color Matrix Metering and aperture value display supported if user provides lens data *1. IX Nikkor lenses cannot be used *2. Excluding lenses for F3AF. Please consult the Nikon web site for the latest updates on compatible lenses. http://www.nikonusa.com/template.php?cat=1&grp=2

I believe you are referring to this matrix: http://www.photoxels.com/ultrazoom-compared-2007.html This is just a template to allow you to plug in the specs of ultrazoom digicams you are interested in and compare with one another. Your question is hard to answer simply because there is no "ideal" ultrazoom digicam. But you may find one that fits your "most important" needs. Rarely will one digicam fits "all" of your needs perfectly. Though it may often seem so on paper, in practice it is a different matter. For example, a camera may list a feature on paper but when you try to use it, it is so difficult or inconvenient (e.g. buried deep down many menu levels) or very arkward to use in practice to be practically unusable. The cameras we list are some of the very best and very often are close to one another in specs. By highlighting the differences (as we did in the matrix), you can then concentrate in reading up on what these features are and whether they are important to you. Join a discussion forum and ask your questions to the owners of the cameras you are interested in. If they are honest, they'll tell you what they like and dislike about their cameras. Nothing replaces hands-on use. I know this may sound drastic, but sometimes after doing lots of research, reading and questioning, the only way to progress is to bite the bullet and make a purchase. Since there is no ideal camera, you will find things you like and things you dislike. As you develop your own style of photography you will come to know what features are really important to you in a camera, and therefore what specs are pertinent to you and to look for in a future purchase. As a start, here are some of the specs that may be important to you when deciding on an ultrazoom digicam: - Optical Zoom Power. 12x optical zoom is the standard. We are now starting to see 15x and even 18x optical zoom but my experience is that it is very difficult to handhold at those extreme long focal lengths, which kind of negate their "advantage." - Image Stabilization. When you use long focal lengths, any slight camera movement ("camera shake") is magnified and usually results in a blurred image when hand holding the camera. Image stabilization (optical or CCD-shift) compensates for the slight camera shake and helps eliminate or reduce blurred pictures. Of course, if you use a tripod, you won't need image stabilization. - Auto Focus. Some cameras have a hard time locking focus at the long focal lengths. The only way to find out about this is to read the reviews and ask the owners. - Zoom During Movie. Usually, when you are in Movie mode, optical zoom is disabled. One of the reason is because the zoom motor can be quite loud and the sound will be picked up by the sensitive microphone. Some digicams have very quiet motors and allow zooming during shooting of a movie. - Manual Zoom Ring. A manual zoom ring provides fast, accurate and stepless zooming. It also allows some special effects you cannot do with an electrically-controlled zoom. Hope this helps a bit more...

This is a common question and often misunderstood. ---------- Here is a parallel situation that may shed some light on it: If I say that my stocks have returned 10x their initial value (I wish!), it does not tell you how much I now have (and whether I am now rich and can retire) besides that it has increased 10x. If I started with $1,000 worth of stocks, I would now have (10 x $1000 =) $10,000. If I started with $100,000 worth of stocks, I would now have (10 x $100,000 =) $1,000,000. ---------- Similarly, with 10x zoom power, all you know is that you have 10x zoom to play with. Without knowing the starting focal length, you do not know what 10x mean exactly. If a camera has a starting focal length of 35mm, then 10x zoom takes it to an ending focal length of (10 x 35 =) 350mm. This is expressed as f=35-350mm. If a camera has a starting focal length of 28mm, then 10x zoom takes it to an ending focal length of (10 x 28 =) 280mm. This is expressed as f=28-280mm. These are typical focal lengths but you can buy lenses with all kinds of starting and ending focal lengths, e.g. f=100-300mm, f=55-200mm, etc. For each zoom lens, we calculate the zoom power by simply dividing the ending focal length by the starting focal length. So, f=100-300mm is a (300 / 100 = ) 3x zoom lens. f=55-200mm is a (200 / 55 =) 3.6x zoom lens.

I don't believe the LCD of the E510 automatically "gains up" (i.e. become brighter) in low light. However, you can adjust the brightness of the LCD: - Press the "MENU/OK" button to display the menu on the LCD monitor. - Press LEFT ARROW or RIGHT ARROW to select "SET" OPTION and then press UP ARROW or DOWN ARROW to select "* LCD". - Press the “MENU/OK” button. - Press LEFT ARROW or RIGHT ARROW to adjust the monitor brightness. - Press the "MENU/OK" button to confirm the new setting.

To reset a digital camera to its factory settings, go into SET-UP menu option and select Reset. For the Fujifilm E510, see page 70 of the Manual.

You are facing two different issues here: 1- not enough telephoto reach 2- dark and grainy photos The first issue is easily rectified by purchasing a digital camera with enough telephoto reach. Most "ultra zoom" digital camera nowadays have 12x optical zoom. The second issue is challenging even when using a professional level digital camera: 1) there's not enough light so you are forced to use a slow shutter speed, large aperture and/or high ISO. The high ISO causes noise -- the cause of your grainy pictures. Using a large aperture reduces depth of field which means that you need to be accurate in your focusing -- which is quite difficult to achieve when the light level is low. Using a slow shutter speed will not freeze motion -- and chances are the action is fast and furious on stage -- and causes blurred photos. Features to look for: - Availablity of high ISO with low noise characteristic. Anytime you take pictures in low light situations, you need to bump up the ISO. High ISO increases noise. - A large aperture at both wide-angle and tele focal length. The larger the aperture, the more light the camera can gather. - Image Stabilization (the real type, either optical or CCD-shift -- not the "digital" or "electronic" type). This allows you to handhold your digital camera at a slower shutter speed than generally needed to eliminate camera shake. Unfortunately, there's no one ultra zoom digital camera that currently has all these features, so you have to compromise. Here are a few things to do to maximize your chances of obtaining some good pictures: - Get in close if possible. The closer you are, the less telephoto reach you need, and the larger the aperture you can use. - Stabilize the camera. Use a table, lean on the wall, rest the camera vertically on a column. Remember that if you do put the camera down somewhere (e.g. on a tripod or level surface) you need to deactivate the image stabilizer (if your digital camera has this feature). - Take shots of "calm" periods on stage when the people are not moving around. - Take a few test shots before concert starts to get the feel of your best chances of obtaining good quality pics. - Try burst to increase your chances of capturing an interesting "moment." - Some digital cameras allow you to select one still shot from a video capture, so try this too. - Wait for times when the stage is the brightest. - Bring a couple of large capacity memory cards, take lots of pictures, and be prepared to throw away 90% of them. Sorry, it's difficult enough to take a handheld picture of a static object in low light situation, so getting good quality concert pics are hard. A digital SLR with a large image sensor that has high ISO-low noise characteristic, an appropriate zoom lens, either image stabilized or with CCD-shift stabilization will increase your chances of obtaining good quality pics -- but most concerts will not allow a DSLR in. Maybe one of the more compact DSLRs may get through? Another thing to consider is the type of photos: instead of close up of the action on stage, maybe try to capture the feel and the atmosphere (using wide-angle shots).

This green (and other color) hue is due to the presence of artificial lights. If you can determine the type of artificial light being used, then simply set the corresponding White Balance in your digital camera: flourescent, incandescent (tungsten), etc. If your camera allows custom WB, you can use a white sheet of paper (or a white balance filter such as those made by ExpoDisc, http://www.expodisc.com/) to set the WB properly in that incident light. See your camera's manual concerning White Balance. http://www.photoxels.com/tutorial_white-balance.html

You can download a new driver at Epson's site. Select the one for your operating system. http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/support/supDetail.jsp?BV_UseBVCookie=yes&oid=41661&prodoid=46048263&infoType=Downloads&platform=All

I was just looking into purchasing an ultra zoom digital camera for myself, so your question came at the right moment! You know we don't give out recommendations simply because each person's needs are so different. But here is the spreadsheet I used for my research to give you an idea of what I was looking for (the column marked "Ideal"). You can use this as a template, plug in the digital cameras that interest you, highlight your most important features and see which digital cameras match them the best. Of course, as we so often say here at Photoxels, do not just use the specifications to base your buying decision on -- or you will surely regret it. You also need to read some reviews, ideally handle the cameras and try them out. http://www.photoxels.com/ultrazoom-compared-2007.html

I've never seen this and not too sure what it is or how to fix it. From some of my research on the Internet, it seems this might be a problem with your computer's motherboard: it's just not able to support your USB devices. Here is a link from CNET with possible solutions: http://forums.cnet.com/5208-7590_102-0.html?forumID=67&threadID=52185&start=150 See especially Post 154 and 156. Good luck!

There are "35mm" cameras, "35mm" film, "35mm" lens -- and it can all get a bit confusing at first. A "35mm lens" refers to the focal length of that lens. A lens with a focal length of 50mm is considered "normal" and gives a field of view that is approximately that of human vision. A lens with a smaller focal length (e.g. 35mm, 27mm, 24mm) is considered a wide-angle lens; a lens with a longer focal length (e.g. 75mm, 135mm, 300mm, 432mm) is considered to be a telephoto. "35mm film" -- also called 135 format film -- measures 24mm (W) x 36mm (L). When the sprockets at both end are included in the measurement, the width is 35mm, and hence the reference to "35mm film." A "35mm camera" is simply a camera that uses "35mm film." Digital cameras typically use an image sensor that is not "full frame," i.e. which is smaller than 24mm x 36mm. Furthermore, different size image sensors are used, depending on your digital camera. The true focal length for each digital camera does not really tell us the field of view without us also knowing the size of the image sensor, which makes it very inconvenient to give us an idea whether the lens of our digital camera is a normal, wide-angle or telephoto. Focal lengths on digital cameras are therefore expressed as "35mm equivalent" to give us an indication what focal length the lens on a "35mm camera" would need to be so as to give the same field of view.

1- A small aperture increases depth of field (DOF), while a large aperture decreases it. Apertures are denoted as f/numbers and the smaller the f/number, the larger the aperture. So, f/2.8 is a larger aperture than f/16, and gives less DOF than f/16. 2- Distance from subject. When you focus on a subject close to the camera, the DOF is less than when you focus on the subject farther away from the camera. 3- Though this does not technically affect DOF, it nevertheless gives the appearance that it does: using a tele gives the appearance that there is less DOF than when using a wide-angle lens. Likewise, using a macro lens gives the impression that DOF is decreased.

You have touched on the main failing of review ratings. The number, rating and/or recommendation given to a product has to be considered in the proper context to be accurate and make sense. In your example, the digital camera rated "Highly Recommended" last year. This means that, compared to all its competitors at the time of the review last year, the camera rated at the highest and received a "Highly Recommended" rating. If you asked your friends then which was a good digital camera to buy, they would have pointed it out. But technology does not stand still. The "Recommended" digital camera is this year's new model. Compared to last year's model, it is "better" because it has more useful features, such as image stabilization and a few other improvements. Its image quality is also better. That is why your friends say it is better than last year's model. Competitors also do not stand still. This year, competitors have caught up and have introduced cameras that rate better than the camera you're considering. Taking into consideration the camera's ranking among its competitors and the technological improvements introduced since last year and how much of these improvements have been incorporated into this year's model, the reviewer rated this year's model as only "Recommended." If you ask your friends now which is a good digital camera to buy, they will probably point to a competitor's model.

There are a number of free photo sharing sites available of the Web and some of them will even allow you to create private albums. I'll let the owners of these sites answer you here. Photoxel's sister site, Cassepoze ( http://www.cassepoze.com/ ), is such a photo sharing site. You start with Bronze, which gives you 15MB of free disk space. Then, depending on the quality of your public albums, the administrators can increase your disk space allocation to Silver (50MB), Gold (100MB), and all the way to Platinum (200MB). It's free -- and yes, you can mark albums as private.

Back in the days of film, if we wanted to record the date a picture was taken, the only way to do that was to permanently record the date onto the negative. When the negative was printed, the date showed at the bottom of the print. With digital cameras, the date (and lots of other EXposure InFormation) is always recorded with every picture taken. By default the date will not print, but you can specify at the time of printing that you do want it to print. How this is done depends on your digital camera, so consult your User Manual for the details. Typically, with the pictures still on the memory card in your digital camera, you go into Playback mode to view your pictures. For each picture you want to print with date, go into DPOF Print and select to print the date. The picture will now be tagged and when you print the picture later, it will print with the date. Unfortunately, even though you may have tagged your picture with the DPOF date setting, your home printer and some commercial photo lab may still not be able to read that DPOF setting. You may need to shop around to find one that will. Also be aware that not all digital cameras subscribe to the DPOF format and may have their own proprietary print format. Some digital cameras do allow you to permanently record the date directly onto your pictures but they are few and usually record the picture in a lower 'postcard' resolution. Once the date is permanently recorded, you will not be able to remove it except by cropping off the portion of the picture it is printed on. [DPOF -- Digital Print Order Format -- allows you to select the image to print on the memory card and specify number of prints and other printing information, such as paper size, print orientation, date, etc.]

Most of us understand the need to use flash when there's not enough light for a correct exposure, for example, at night. But when there's lots of light, for example in the daytime, it can be puzzling to see some photographers still use their flash. Let's say your friend is standing against a bright scene and when you take a picture, your friend's face comes out too dark (but the rest of the scene is correctly exposed because the camera metered for the bright scene). You could dial in a positive exposure compensation to brighten your friend's face. However, the background scene will also be brightened and may now become overexposed. If the scene behind your subject is of no importance, you have your picture. But what if you do want the background scene to also come out nicely? To maintain correct exposure on both your friend's face and the background, the photographer decides to flip up the camera's on-board flash and force the flash to fire. The camera exposes for the bright scene and your friend's face would have been dark and underexposed except that the flash threw just enough light onto it and brightened it. Using 'fill-in flash' (or, 'forced flash'), the photographer has succeeded in correctly exposing both the subject and background for a most pleasant photograph.

DSLR stands for Digital Single Lens Reflex, and SLR (without the 'D') stands for Single Lens Reflex meaning a non-digital, 35mm film SLR. To understand how the name came about, we need to back up a few years to some of the first film cameras. The early film cameras outwardly looked like the consumer digital cameras of today, except that they used film and had an optical viewfinder to compose the picture. The focusing mechanism was typical a rangefinder, and hence the name 'Rangefinder cameras.' The problem with rangefinder cameras was the parallax introduced because the viewfinder was usually offset from the lens: the user did not quite see what the camera was going to record on film. The Twin Lens Reflex (TLR) cameras were then introduced and were so named because they had two lenses (one above the other) and a mirror was used to reflect the light from the top lens onto a focusing screen. The user held the camera at waist height and looked down onto the focusing screen. The shutter mechanism was behind the bottom lens and light passing through that bottom lens was used to record the picture. This reduced the parallax considerably but the user still did not quite see what the camera recorded. The Single Lens Reflex solved this problem. It was similar in construction to the TLR camera but had only one lens. The light passed though the lens and got reflected by the mirror onto a focusing screen. A pentaprism was added to allow eye-level viewing. When the user pressed the shutter release button, the mirror swung up and out of the way, allowing the light to pass through the shutter mechanism and expose the film behind it. Since the light passing through the single lens and reflected by the mirror to the focusing screen was the same light that would expose the film once the mirror was swung out of the way, the user could now see exactly what the camera would record. Today, the digital camera with its live view LCD ensures that the user sees exactly what the camera is going to record. As the quality and resolution of the LCD increase, this will become even more true -- eventually making the need for a mirror and pentaprism redundant. The term 'SLR' will then also fall into disuse. However, until that day arrives, the DSLR rules supreme in providing the clearest and brightest image on an optical viewfinder. There is more to DSLRs than just a lens and a mirror. The lens is also interchangeable, so lenses of different focal lengths can be attached to the camera for various specialized uses. DSLRs are also built for the professional photographers in mind: they use a bigger image sensor which allows for better image quality, and use better shutter and focus mechanisms, eliminating shutter lag and providing speedier performance. DSLRs are much more expensive than consumer digital cameras and used to be affordable only to professional photographers -- though there are now many excellent DSLR models targeted, and affordable, to amateur photographers.