I asked a few months ago what camera would be good for low-light shooting and one of the cameras that kept getting mentioned was the F200EXR. When I asked it was about to be released, I was unable to get it back then, but now that I had the opportunity I went back and picked one up. I should have done this back when I meant to.

The F200EXR is not my only camera, I have a Nikon D80 but it has proven to be a on the bulky side for going to rock shows and just normally walking around aimlessly. This role was fulfilled by a Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-P200 which has since been passed on to my youngest brother since he helped me purchase it back in the day. With all this said, I went around and took random pictures with the camera trying to see what its range was and how it performed in each situation. I have created a set on Flickr with the images I took. Keep in mind, these were mostly random and have not been touched in any way.  (maybe I rotated them, but no Photoshop manipulations) Heres the link: Flickr Set

Shots like this one make me think that I will be taking way more pictures during the day but as I mentioned before, the main reason I got this camera was for night shooting, so a few of the shots that I liked had back-lighting and or were otherwise lit from various angles: Market Street Station and the Ross neon. While I like the colors, the pictures came out way too grainy using the EXR mode, something I was able to fix by using the manual controls (to set the shutter speed and aperture).

The Good

The EXR mode does a very good job of automatically selecting what the best settings for the camera are for the given lighting conditions and subjects. It does take a few seconds for it to get there though, which is not bad, but its not instant. There is a portrait mode that takes two pictures back to back, one with flash one without, this is not only good for picking between the two, but I am personally going to try and play around with it on some HDR modifications. The camera while it is not the lightest or slimest does not feel bulky to me and fits nicely in a pocket. Boot up takes about 2 seconds, which is not bad from pocket to shooting. The camera has enough presets and shooting modes to keep you entertained through the new-year. Oh and I guess I’ve been missing out but this image stabilization thing, its pretty damn sweet.

The Bad

Maybe it’s just me but I don’t like that the LCD does not have a cover. I may be too used to my D80 or something, but its something I ordered this week because it was really getting to me having such a big screen just uncovered in my pocket. While I was researching the camera I kept reading reviews that mentioned the menu system being too cumbersome. I found this to be silly, there’s a manual how complicated can the menu system really be? Well, they were right. The ‘menu’ button is contextual, which  means you get different options depending on the setting you have the camera on. This might confuse many which don’t have the patience to really understand their device. There are some things that are always the same however, like the ‘set-up’ option is always at the bottom of every menu, but its enough to either make my mom shoot on ‘EXR’ mode, or just recommend a different camera. While we’re on the subject, EXR mode is noisy. When I got the camera it was on EXR mode and once I was done talking about the camera and started to take some shots, I noticed the camera was making noises. I had to immediately go online to check if my camera was busted or something.

The Bottom Line

It could be easy for me to tell you that I am very happy with my purchase and that I have no doubt in my mind that I made the best possible decision. Sadly I can’t do that. While I like the F200EXR the Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-WX1 has me intrigued.  Sure, its a newer camera, and its a different sensor, but after reading David Pogue’s review I really wanted to give it a shot. Then I came to my senses and no matter how excellent the Sony camera may be, I was just not about to go back to Memory Stick. So I picked the FujiFilm.

For my uses this camera is perfect. I am okay learning new menu systems and fiddling with controls to get something to work the way I want it. I find that the FujiFilm gives me enough control like that. If I needed a perfect shot then I would most likely be using the D80 anyways, which leads me back to, would this work for my mother? I believe the answer is no.

The decision to hide the specialized presets just doesn’t sound like a very friendly decision for me on my old Sony camera I could just show her the icons and she can figure it out, a person and a moon, night portrait. This is available in the Fujifilm of course, but not on the wheel, you have to set the wheel to SP then click ‘menu’ and pick the option from there. The FinePix does help the situation by using the LCD to give you a clear explanation of what it is that every mode does however, for example ‘Sunset’ has a picture taken in that mode and then reads ‘For shooting sunsets, making colors more vivid’. I would like to point out that the DSC-WX1 seems to have a control system similar to the one of this camera, and not like my old DSC-P200, so if I were writing a DSC-WX1 review instead, I would most likely still complain about this.

I believe that if you want a solid point and shoot to tide you over between your uses of a DSLR the FujiFilm is a pretty solid alternative. If you just want to take pictures without having to think about it that much I don’t think this camera is for you. I must admit though, I do like that this camera is all camera and zero gimmick. It does not have a touch-screen on the back and it does not have a projector either. It just takes great shots, as it should!

Where To Buy

For more information about the FujiFilm FinePix F200EXR you can visit it’s official site. I purchased the camera for $284.95  from Amazon.com (referral link)

I am a few days late on this one but i have a very good excuse. Testing the headphones has been harder than originally anticipated. The guilty party here? Apple iPhone 3G.

However I do have some comments about the headphones and I would like to share them with all of you even though I think that it is a bit sad that my review didn’t go as well.

The Good

The headphones have a bit of weight to them in the earbuds but not too much and if you use the correct headphone plug they will fit very tightly and not fall off easily. The box also brought a clip so you can clip the cable to the back of your shirt just in case it does fall. The clip is a bit weak though so consider it a precaution more than a true solution.

The cable between the earbuds is quite sturdy and the jewel case is quite stylish.

Jogging with the headphones is very possible and I have not had any problems at all. Running should not be much of a problem but Im honestly not that much of a runner.

The battery life is adequate for its size but I have managed to get the low battery warning at least once every 2-3 days, and they have died on me once. I have a 1 hour commute to and from work, which makes for 2.5 hours of use guaranteed use every day and whatever else is during lunch or something. This is not exactly a problem but going a weekend without charging the device, is impossible.

The Possibly Bad

I have been having intermittent connection problems with the headphones. Also I have been having problems with the video/sound sync when watching podcasts. I say this is possibly bad because I am thinking that it might not be the complete fault of the headphones. Let me explain myself.

The breaking up normally happens when my phone is in my pocket and I am walking. It happens every few seconds but it is not a regular interval. Picking up the phone and just holding it in my hand fixes this as long as I am not swinging my hands that much. After searching around I found this which is exactly what I thought was happening :

My thinking is the CPU can barely handle the iPod and Bluetooth at the same time, so when you start moving the iPhone around it has to track the accelerometer movements and puts it over the top. (link)

I decided to take this and run with it. Since I have a jailbroken iPhone 3G I downloaded the Rotation Inhibitor. This has really made a significant impact on the breaking up problem. I have been using it for 2 days with it so I will most likely update this article when I get a bit more data.

The Audio/Video sync problem I have found that if i disconnect the headphones (turn them off) and then turn them back on they normally sync up well. They lose sync if they switch between stereo-bluetooth and normal headset bluetooth for phonecalls. It is kind of random and odd, I honestly think this is something that can be fixed through software soon. The sync has so far not happened when using the headphones with my MacBook Pro, so again I am blaming the iPhone 3G for this.

The Bad

Sony, in their infinite wisdom, decided that instead of using a standard Mini-USB plug so that you could charge through your computer and be able to charge them at any moment, people would enjoy a proprietary new plug. The plug is actually the standard Sony Ericsson phone plug cut in half. When I went to ask for this plug at the Sony Style at the local mall, the guy said were a small store we cant carry everything. So they make a proprietary plug and they dont even sell it. I am currently considering getting the full plug off of ebay for the office.

There is no way to plug the headphones in to charge while you are using them. This is not really much of a problem… but its just kind of lame.

The Bottom Line

I am not going to lie and say that I was not disappointed when the sound started breaking up or when the movies audio was not in sync. But honestly the liberty of not having to deal with large headphones make these the best form factor ever. They are light and small and they can be just stowed away in a pocket at a moments notice.

Considering I paid $110 for the V-Moda Vibe Duos and those lasted for about a year because of my very tough use of headphones I think that these will really last for a while just for the fact that I do not have to plug/unplug them and they wont be jerked around by the iPhone on my pocket. Im quite certain Ill get quite the mileage out of these.

I am happy with my purchase and I have been showing them off to everybody since not only are they awesome, they also dont look silly by having large pieces for no apparent reason or not being a large DJ style headset either. Both of these things are very important to me and the HBH-IS800Z delivers… Now if only I could get the iPhone to work nicely with them!

Where To Buy

If you go to the Sony Style store (sonystyle.com) you will end up paying $179.99. This is better than going to the Sony Style store at your local mall where they are asking for $199.99 for them. Amazon.com still wins though, they are currently listing them for $121.99 (link). I purchased them at Amazon.

Ive already started more traditional columns for movies and Ill probably mix in video games as time goes by. Today however Im starting a tech commentary/review column in which I spend 7 days with a particular device/service.

The first device is the Sony HBH-IS800Z A2DP headset.

See you in Seven Days!