First the sharpening in the corners. The review says that the lens
is less sharp in the corners. I tried everything. I took many many
test shot and I can't find a difference between center and corner
sharpness of the lens.
One example ( look at the Nikon box horizontal line and try to find
out if these are less visual in the corners):
The full size original look at:
A picture of the slow flash see below:
http://www.zing.com/album/?id=4292551605&p=4268409169&idx=1
Picture red eye ( I didn't use the red eye reductions).
Original see:
If you like to look at other pictures from the 995 go to my album:
http://www.zing.com/album/?id=4292551605
Concerning the LCD display. Today we had a decent sunny day in
Belgium. I can't see any problem to work in direct sunlight. I
took a lot of macro shot when the sun was right on and still could
judge if my subject was in focus. No reflection on the LCD screen.
So much better then my previous Sony S70 camera. I'm suprised, I
didn't expected this because the reviews were not that positive.
I only have 2 complains about the 995.
1) The batteries last about 114 pictures (with difficult macro
shots and 30% of time with "AF continues" ON). The problems is it
takes 6.5 hours to charge the battery, I can't believe this, soo
slow. My Sony S70 battery charge took about max 2 hours. Lucky I
have 2 batteries but if you finish shooting 114 shots within 6,5
hours you may need 3 batteries. You really have to make sure you
have both batteries charged before you start your day, if you
expect to take a lot of shots.
2) Slow lens: F2.6 is still OK but when you zoom in at x4, the
maximum opening is F5.0. My Sony S70 didn't have that problem, the
F values didn't change that much with zooming. So I take a lot of
shots at ISO 200 to be able to use the zoom without flash.
I hope this helps. If you have some other questions please let me
know.
Jan
It seems , by the few comments form new owners, that the 995 may be
better than the reviews we've seen on the 995.
I have a 995 since one day and a half. Phil review used version
1.1 my unit has version 1.5. I find it better then in the reviews.
I don't see this fuzzy pictures on the corners. I will put some
pics up as soon the zing web site is accessable.
What about red-eye reduction with the pop-up flash?
I did some flash shots from people with blue eyes (blue eyes are
more sensitive for red eye pictures). Some of my shots showed red
eyes but it is very reasonable. Remember I didn't turn the red eye
reduction on yet. Will try tomorrow.
What about LCD viewing in bright sunlight?
Can't tell it yet. It was cloudy so far, but I used to have a
Sony S70 and I think it is better. The LCD display itself is very
very nice and sharp, again much better then the S70.
Tried testing the auto-sharpening in-camera (+1 etc) against pix
without auto-sharpening and withPhotoshop?
Will try later.
Does microdrive work with it - really?
I use flash.
Any faster shot sequences?
Don't know.
Does any new owner have a 990 to compare the low-light focus & edge
focus?
I took a lot of shots in low light. If you can see the subject in
the LCD display the 995 focus without problem. If the subject is
not visible, you have a problem but since the 990/995 can choice
from 5 focus areas, I found it easy to get a focus lock. If you
find somewhere a little light reflection and you are OK. I tried it
on about 20 shots now in different conditions.
Other additional questions?
It sounds you have a 990 but if not read this:
In the beginning when I used the camera I thought, this device is
too complex (I went straight to manual mode), but now after many
many shots I start to get the feel for it. This unit gives so well
controls how you want to take a shot, it's unbelievable. When I use
the manual focus I can judge on the LCD display when a subject is
in focus. This is a great feeling.
If you like the camera controls YOU, buy another brand. If YOU
want to control the camera, buy an Nikon.
