If you are interested in improving your off-camera flash lighting skills, Strobist is kicking off a new round of lighting assignments geared toward teaching people the basics. Lighting 102 kicks off on June 4th, and I’m thinking about playing along this time. Most of what I do is natural and continuous light, and my flash skills are sorely lacking. First step is the gear… and Midwest Photo has put together several great low-cost options of the Strobist lighting kits. If you are thinking about going through Lighting 102 (or looking back at the Lighting 101 archive), you might check out the kits soon, before they start to run out.

CNET has reviewed the 8 megapixel Sony Cybershot DSC-T100 and writes, “The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T100 demonstrates exactly what a good snapshot camera should be. Its slim form looks good and fits easily in the pocket, it includes some very useful features, and it shoots great photos at a fast clip. Its price may seem a bit steep, but you’ll get a lot of camera in a very small package.”

Sony Cybershot DSC-T100 Features Include:

• 3″ LCD
• 5x optical zoom
• Face detection technology
• T100 Bionz processing engine (first used in Sony’s Alpha digital SLR camera)
• In camera red-eye correction
• Optical image stabilization
• ISO 3200
• High-definition output for viewing on HDTV’s

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DigitalLifestyles has a 3 part review of the 7.1 megapixel Canon PowerShot SD800 IS Digital ELPH / IXUS 850 IS and they write, “There’s no denying that the Ixus 850 manages to pack an awful lot into its stylish, ultra-compact case, and the combination of optical image stabilisation, a 7.1 megapixel sensor and a wide 28-105 mm lens makes for a very attractive take-anywhere package.

The image quality may fall slightly behind the class leaders and the lack of manual controls will frustrate advanced users, but for point’n’shooters looking for an everyday camera, the Ixus 850 could be a camera to consider.

It’s a bit of a pricey number though at around £250, and the lack of durability might be of concern to those who don’t like to mollycoddle their cameras in cases all the time, but the spec sheet does make a compelling read.”

Canon PowerShot SD800 IS Features:

• 3x Optical Zoom
• Image stabilization
• 2.5 inch LCD screen
• Face detection technology
• Wide angle lens (28mm)
• ISO of up to 1600
• 30 frames per second movie mode

Read our Canon PowerShot SD800 IS Review Roundup and View Sample Photos

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Steve’s Digicams reviews the 9 megapixel Fujifilm Finepix S9100 / 9600 and writes, “High-end digicams and low-end dSLR’s have a great deal of overlap both in terms of price and functions. You’ll find many similarities, including standard zoom range, mechanical zoom ring, sensitivity range and extensive exposure and processing controls. But the dSLR’s tend to offer better image quality (especially at high sensitivity settings), the flexibility of interchangeable lenses, more robust continuous shooting, superior support for RAW images, faster AF, and the benefit of an eye-level optical viewfinder. The S9100 has its advantages, including high-quality VGA-sized movies, overhead and waist-level shooting courtesy of its tilting LCD, intensified viewfinder image in dim lighting, menu operation and image playback on its eye-level EVF, built-in macro/super macro modes and freedom from dust on the image sensor.”

Main Fujifilm Finepix S9100 Features:

• 10.7x Optical Zoom
• ISO 1600, Low sensitivity of ISO 80
• 0.01 second shutter lag
• 2.0 inch LCD and reduced noise.

Read our Fujifilm Finepix S9600 S9100 Review Roundup & View Sample Photos

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Cameras.co.uk has reviewed the 7.2 megapixel Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S650 and notes it was disappointed by its performance. They continue to write, “The Sony DSC S650 is a seven megapixel, easy to use, starter digital camera. Overall I was disappointed with the picture quality. There are also one or two further issues you need to be aware of as well.”

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S650 Features Include:

• Eye-level viewfinder
• 3x optical zoom
• 2.4″ LCD
• Metal body
• Carl Zeiss® Vario-Tessar lens

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DigitalTrends has reviewed the 7.1 megapixel Olympus Stylus 770 SW (Mju 700 SW) and writes, “There is no digital camera available like the Olympus Stylus 770SW. None can take the beating this camera can. If you’re an outdoorsy type and are looking for an easy-to-carry camera to take along on your treks, this is the one. Folks who expect to be at the beach and near the surf should consider this one too—the screen really takes the sunlight well and you can drop it in the water and it’ll be fine—as long as you grab it before it hits 33 feet below the surface. Yes, it has its shortcomings—especially the high price–but this 7.1-megapixel survivor is unique.”

Read our Olympus Stylus 770 SW Review Roundup & View Sample Photos

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TheOnlinePhotographer has reviewed the 10 megapixel digital rangefinder Leica M8 and writes, “I enjoyed my brief sortie with the M8. It’s straightforward to use, and like most Leicas (indeed, most rangefinders) encourages you to pay attention to what you’re looking at rather than what you’re looking through. Using the M8 felt like old home week, 21st-century style. A pleasure.”

Leica M8 Features:

• ISO 2500
• Microprocessor-controlled metal blade slot shutter with vertical action
• Shutter speed 4 to 1/8000
• 2.5 inch TFT LCD
• Continuous (2 frames per second up to 10 frames)

Read Our Leica M8 Review Roundup & View Sample Photos

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