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Review: No, not a lettuce, but a nearly ideal little camera. Pros: High resolution (6.3 megapixels), crisp lens, good screen (2.5 inches), fast start-up, but of course needs a big SSD card. GBP55 should get you a 1GB via eBay. Excellent battery life - should take you a few days before needing to recharge (I've managed a couple of weeks of heavy shooting). Resolution is excellent and low-light performance quite exceptional - it can cope with ASA 1600, which is near as dammit darkness - I don't think there's any other digital camera which can match this. A single movement of a lever on the top allows you to move from fully auto (including flash) to natural light ("SP" on the lever). Cons: You need to buy a big SSD card to take advantage of the battery life. As noted already, the menu is unnecessarily complicated - just try formatting the card! And the interface to power and PC is a confusing jumble of cables and plugs which never seem to fit where they should - why can't all this be incorporated into the camera? A tip for those who have difficulty (see previous posts) with focussing, exposure and the screen. First, focussing. Half-press the button and wait until the little square in the display locks onto the subject. Keep it half-pressed and you'll hold that focus. Exposure: Don't press the button, but move the camera about - you'll see on the screen what the photo will look like; when you're happy, half press again and it will hold that exposure until you take the photo. Tried this out a couple of weeks ago on the Grand Canyon at sunset and eventually (when I'd sussed this out) it worked a treat. The Screen: Don't think of it as a conventional camera viewfinder. Use it to compose the shot (remember, don't cut off heads or point it up into the sky), then hold that framing setady while looking *over* the camera. Wait until you have the shot you want, keeping half an eye on the screen to ensure that your framing is still right, then press the button at the right moment. The F10 is fast enough (particularly if you're not using the flash) that you'll get the shot. Hope these tips are helpful - I've been taking photos for over 50 years, including Rolleicords (for those who remember) and wet-film darkroom work - and I'm very happy now to let the F10 do its thing - just as long as you know how to get the best out of it! |