Review : Olympus Evolt E510 10MP Digital SLR Camera with CCD Shift Image Stabilization and 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 and 40-150mm f/4.0-5.6 Zuiko Lenses

Price $650 with Free Super Saver Shipping

"I got this camera after reviewing & trying out several different brands at local stores. Compared with the others, the only one I liked better in the hand was the N80, which is considerably more expensive & lacks anti-dust & body-based image stabilization. The viewfinder on this camera is smaller than you're used to if you've shot 35mm SLRs for years, but it's not bad. Now that I've been using this for a couple of weeks, I like it even more. The body-based image stabilization works well, I can hand-hold the long lens of the set (150mm) for a 1/20 second shot, and it comes out very clear, no visible shake. I can't really comment on the usefulness of the anti-dust capabilities, but have switched out lenses several times, & no dust spots are apparent on my shots. Image quality is great, but the Oly software is worthless. Terrible UI, and the included software that can do decent post-processing of the raw files is trial only. Photoshop Elements w/ Adobe's raw processing & batch conversion from the camera's ORF files to DNG's works great for me. The kit lenses are good, very comparable to old Zuiko lenses from the manual focus 35mm days. Fewer lenses are available for this system than for e.g. Canon or Nikon, but most of the needed lenses are out there. Only thing I really miss is a good fast prime (25mm f/1.4 or f/1.8 would be very appreciated, Oly!) Overall, I'm totally pleased w/ this camera & would recommend it."

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Review : Nikon 50mm f/1.4D AF Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras

Price $289.95 with Free Super Saver Shipping

"I owned both the 50mm f/1.8 and 50mm f/1.4 lens. I also own a Nikon D70s and D200. I took test shots to compare the sharpness of these two lenses. The 50mm at f/1.4 is very very soft. The pictures at f/1.4 look like you are looking through a sheer veil. A dreamy look for sure, but not at all pleasing. At an aperture of f/1.8 the 50mm f/1.8 is still sharper than the 50mm f/1.4 at f/1.8. It isn't until the 50mm f/1.4 is at f/2.8 that the two lenses have similar sharpness. At no aperture was the 50mm f/1.4 better than the 50mm f/1.8. Why spend so much more money for the 50mm f/1.4, when it is so soft at f/1.4 as to be useless and does not match the sharpness of the 50mm f/1.8? Softness at f/1.4 will also affect the ability of your camera to autofocus correctly because the lens autofocuses with its widest aperture. If the autofocus sees a soft image, you'll have problems getting a focus lock. The 50mm f/1.8 works like magic on the D50/D70/D200 cameras. Trust me."

"I have had my 50mm Nikon AF 1.4 lens for 20 years. It worked on my Nikon N-4004 until I bought a Coolpix 5700, it slept for two years, and it woke up when I got my D-100 digital SLR six months ago. If you are a candid and available light photographer, and you can live with a very fast 75mm field of view, you will get a lot of shots that others will miss. The color rendition and sharpness of focus are perfect for digital use. With a good editing program you will work miracles. Zoom lenses are great, but the tried and true, fixed and fast 50 mm f-1.4 will outlast them all!"

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Review : Nikon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II AF-S DX Nikkor Zoom Lens

Price : $114.95 with Free Super Saver Shipping

"All the praise heaped on this little lens is well-deserved. It's sharp, has acceptable bokeh (aka out-of-focus blurring), is featherlight, cheap enough to not constantly worry about damaging it, can focus on objects reasonably close to the lens, focuses quickly with its entry-level hypersonic ("Silent Wave") focusing motor, and has wide enough apertures to support most daytime use. Of course, it's limited by its maximum aperture. A truly fast lens begins around f/2.8, and many amateurs wind up insisting on f/2.8 lenses eventually. Also, many photographers find it's easier on the brain to use a zoom with a consistent maximum aperture than one that can do different maximums at the two ends of its zoom range. So many upgrade to something like the Sigma f/2.8 18-50mm HSM Macro lens for four times the price of this Nikkor lens. But this is a terrific place to start. IMPORTANT: Nikon has just released this lens' upgrade, which adds a Vibration Reduction (VR) motor. This should be a big improvement, because it reduces risk of blurred images when hand-holding the camera. Of course, VR can have a downside. First, VR reduces battery life. Second, it sometimes adds a whirring or grumbling noise. Third, it may add weight. Fourth, the price will probably be approximately twice the non-VR version. Fifth, all else being equal, a truly fast lens (f/2.8 or wider) is more advantageous than VR. Nonetheless users tend to overwhelmingly prefer the VR version to the non-VR version of the same lens. It reduces the number of missed shots in dim light shots."

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Review : Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED-IF AF-S VR Zoom Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras

Price $464.94 with Free Super Saver Shipping

"I got this lens to replace my older Quantaray 70-300mm. I got tired to losing a lot of images to camera shake at the 300mm end. Plus the lens I had was old (almost 10 years) and optically it wasn't that great. The Nikkor 70-300mm w/VRII is perfect for me. I love the way the VR works. I've been able to get useable images taken at the 300mm end with a 1/6th shutter. Very impressive. No more camera shake issues at the long end. I'm also very impressed with how sharp it is (it is sharper than my 18-70mm) and also the focus is fast and quiet. It is on the big side, but not to much larger than any other 70-300mm lens. I'm very happy with the performance of this lens. I find the addition of the VR to be very much worth it. Granted its not a fast lens and I never intended it to take the place of or performe like an f/2.8 lens. Its not fair to compare it to any f/2.8 lens. Comparing to the previous 2 Nikkor 70-300mm models or any of the 3rd party 70-300mm's, this newest Nikkor addition is the best. For the average amerture hobbiest this is a great lens to compliment any of the kit lenses."

"I needed more reach than I have with my 18-200 VR, and was not able to obtain the 80-400VR, so I got this lens thinking I could get rid of it if I didn't like it. I am very happy that I did! I am extremely impressed with this lens. It appears to me that the VR is actually better than on my 18-200VR. The lens has superior balance, size and weight for handheld nature photography. Lens flare (when I could get it to appear) was acceptable, the contrast is tremendous, and the bokeh was quite pleasant. Auto-focus is very accurate and quick. In addition, the lens was extraordinarily sharp all the way to 300mm."

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Review : Nikon 50mm f/1.8D AF Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras

Price : $109.95 with Free Super Saver Shipping

"This is the lens to get for any Nikon SLR, from the simple N75 all the way to the Digital D70. It's faster than a zoom and much, much sharper. That's right, no zooming! If you want to make the image bigger, move closer. Want to make a wider view? Step back. This is the lens that all photographers should start with. Most of Henri Cartier Bresson's photos were taken with a 50mm lens. It forces you to think about perspective, composition, and arrangement. You can take more pictures without the intrusive light of a flash. It's cheap too. This lens is a classic and will make you a better photographer by enabling you to make creative choices. It works on almost every Nikon ever made. What more do you need to know? Get one."

"This lens is probably the sharpest lens that Nikon makes--see lens reviews/specs at www.photodo.com. I use this lens for low light situations outdoors and indoors so I don't need a flash. also, small dept-of-field. Using this at f/2.0 I will get at least four-six times as much light (which means four-six times faster shutter speed) as my zoom at around f/4.8 and also have a sharper image. For $99.00 this f/1.8 is a steal and a much better buy than the f/1.4 which is almost as sharp a lens and costs about $250.00--it's a no brainer."

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