Some Intro:
In july, I came across someone at my local photography printing lab. This man was after a camera and he spotted me with a case full of lenses and a DSLR kit etc. He figured I may know a thing or two about cameras. Anyway, he was on a budget and wanted a point and shoot camera, small enough to fit in the pockets of his jeans and powerful enough to take high quality pictures.
Needless to say, this is a lot to ask all at once. I thought so anyway.
As a DSLR guy for over 2 years now, I'm not in sync with the developments being made in the point-and-shoot camera world. The gentleman pointed out he had seen the Nikon S3000 and that he had actually come to the shop to test it out.
That's when I asked myself wh and how exactly he needed my help but there.
The Review (in a nutshell):
At under £100, the Coolpix S3000 is aimed at the mass market and those on a budget. It offers really easy to use features such as automatic scene detection, face detection, a surprising "blink" detection and other anti-shake features. It's a
12.0 Megapixels compact camera featuring a 4X zoom lens with 27mm wide-angle coverage (35mm format equivalent), High ISO (up to 3200) capability at any image size up to its maximum of 4000 x 3000 pixels, 640 x 480 movies with sound at 30fps, and a 2.7-inch LCD screen.
Also packed in this small Nikon is a wide angle 4x optical zoom lens with a useful zoom range equivalent to 27-108mm. This is a great range, enabling you to shoot individuals and groups of people stood next to each other without having to ask them to take multiple step backwards. (
this may be dangerous especially if you're taking balcony pictures)
The Nikon Coolpix S3000 has four different anti-shake measures: electronic VR, high ISO settings, motion detection and Best Shot Selector function.
Its detection features come in very handy. As expected as they may be of cameras nowadays, they should not pass unappreciated. Notably is the "blink detection" which is useful whilst taking snapshots of more than one person. Unless you manage to get them to synchronise your subjects' blinking with each other, you'll find this feature saves you from taking those shots that would have been so much better if they didn't blink.
The image quality is top notch (for the price that is).
The misconception of a lot of people is that any amount of money they pay should provide magazine quality looking pictures. If you set your expectations low, you'll be reasonably satisfied with the S3000's middling image quality. It's superior to some other "cheaper" cameras out at the moment. The outdoor photo quality is one to be content with. It is "OK" You get some ghost-effect when you zoom however and there is some depth in the photos. The colours are accurate and the focus easily locks onto something, even if it is some random detail neither in the foreground nor the background of the photo.
It has a superb 2.7inch LCD screen at the back and this is probably one of the greatest selling points of this little camera. It's slick but it is not a finger-print magnet like most other cameras. The controls at the back could be a little simpler and more organised, which is a problem for those who wish to control the settings manually as they seem a little hidden, sort of like Nikon want you to stick to the automatic shooting modes.
The camera measures 94 x 56 x 19 mm (3.7 x 2.2 x 0.7 in) and weighs approx. 0.26 pounds and it's great for a guy's pocket or a lady's purse.
The Verdict:
For under £100 Nikon have made a slimline compact camera that is more than capable of producing great quality images. The 4x zoom and easy to use features are perfect for those looking for a simple, easy to use compact camera.
Overall I feel the camera represents good value for money, producing images that will please all but the most discerning photographers.
I may not have helped this person I met much as he seemed to have his mind well made up but I got the chance to be introduced and try out this slim and slick Coolpix S3000 moments later...and blog about it :-D
According to the press release, Canon are releasing an "upgrade" for the Canon EOS 7D Studio Version. With all the existing specs of the EOS 7D unchaged, Canon have added several “lock levels", a barcode scanning kit and a WFT-E5A wireless transfer unit. So for about $900 more, you get what appears to be some more mature parental control for your camera, which disables unwanted features and essentially prevents anyone with a different vision from changing the camera settings and disrupting your project and workflow thanks to its password protection. 
