I got the camera right before my 2 week cycling trip. There are a few things I was looking for in a new camera, which would be useful on my cycling trips. One is for sure is AA batteries. While on a go and sleep in a tent, it is pretty often hard to deal with a built-in batteries. Another issue - the use of SD card. I have previously owned Sony camera, which uses Memory Sticks. They are more expensive, messier when you simply want to copy the content, and, once you are done with the Sony camera, pretty much a waste. Recording audio was another my wish. While traveling I try to record my day events every night. Writing it on a piece of paper is way longer. Using voice recorder in a device which is a must on every trip (a camera) is a huge benefit. Plus multiple other features which are pretty much these days on every camera, like video recording, etc.. So I found it all in this camera. And I love it for this. I am not sure about how long the camera itself will last, though. But I have bunch of friends which approved this choice, since in their experience Samsung products last. So, I hope to keep using it for long time.
In the "con" side - the battery charge. It tends to get wrong information about the charge left. And acts accordingly. I had a few situations when it was saying my battery charge is low (with the same batteries), and then after switching it off and on it would be okay again. I use rechargeable batteries and the pair lasted on average for about 200 pictures and a few minutes of video. This is approximately twice as less than my previous Sony camera, but still acceptable. Just make sure you have another set of batteries handy.
In April of this year we went on a cruise on the Oriana cruise ship part of the P&O group.
It was our second cruise but the first with P&O. We booked it via Gills cruises website last year. Correspondence from them was excellent. Payment was easy with a minimal deposit and final payment due 14 weeks before the cruise. Their emails and telephone conversations were always polite and very helpful. Well done Gills cruises.
Day One
Our cruise started on a Sunday and left from Southampton. The drive down was a little eventful due to our choice of route. The M25 around London was nose to tail traffic, very slow moving and frustrating. Once moving past the M25 the traffic cleared and it was a clear run down to Southampton docks.
P&O have a dedicated port at Southampton which was easy to find and get into. We pulled up out front of the terminal and were met by courteous staff who took all our bags from the car and delivered them straight to our cabin on-board. The car was then valet parked for us in a secure car park to wait for us until our return.
The book in was quick and due to my wheelchair we were guided up a dedicated ramp helped by staff onto the ship. The lifts from the entrance deck to our cabin platform was spacious clean and quick. The corridor on the deck of our cabin was a little narrow, which meant if anything such as luggage or cleaners trolley was there then getting passed in my wheelchair was difficult. Fortunately these where kept clear for most of the holiday.
There was a big 'Sail away' party as we pulled away from the dock which included a brass band on the dock to play us off.
Flags were handed out to everyone so we could celebrate our departure which went smoothly and on time. As we sailed out of Southampton we passed P&O's new liner the Azura accompanied by lots of cheering and horn blowing we left Southampton.
We had an inside cabin this cruise. It was spacious but the air conditioning unit was very noisy and took a little getting used to. As we spent very little time in the cabin this was not a problem to spoil the cruise.
Dinner that evening was in the smart Oriental restaurant situated at the rear or stern of the ship. It had huge panoramic windows all the way round giving good views.
Dress was smart casual which meant shirt and trousers for men and smart skirt/trousers and top for the ladies. Food was excellent and service was polite and very prompt.
The evenings big show in the theatre at the bow of the ship was changed due to one of the production companies stars had had to leave the ship for a family emergency. It was replaced by a show by a comedian. The comedian was good but used lots of the usual cruise material and one liners to pad out his repertoire but was still entertaining.
After the show we had a stroll around the Art gallery and library and then went for a drink, a couple of Mocktails non alcoholic cocktails, in the Tiffany bar accompanied by the resident pianist, who was excellent.
All in all it was a great first day. The ship was stunning the staff were polite well dressed and pleasant it looks like it will be a good cruise.
Keep watching for the rest of the review over the next few days.
Sony premiered the Cyber-shot DSC-T300 at PMA 2008 in Las Vegas. As the successor to the ultra-compact T200 point-and-shoot, the T300 maintains touch screen abilities and sleek design. The 10.1-megapixel Sony camera caters to repeat digital camera buyers looking for more advanced features in a super small camera. The T300 updates Sony�s face detection system with a new Child and Adult Priority mode, more picture effects, and new image management functions. The camera will retail for $399 when it ships in March. Read on for a first impressions review of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T300.Summary
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As the replacement to the T200, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T300 brings with it improvements on existing technologies. This evolutionary camera follows the T200 and the T100, which won the DigitalCameraInfo.com 2007 Select Award for Best Ultra-Thin Camera. The 10.1-megapixel camera has some impressive features that will win over advanced point-and-shooters who are upgrading from an existing, lackluster camera they already own. The camera carries over from its predecessors a 5x optical zoom lens with image stabilization and touch screen LCD. The camera improves autofocus, including face detection and post-capture editing. The camera looks beyond just the shooting process; the T300 makes advancements in what you do after you take the pictures with editing and sharing. Some of the tools like Happy Faces and Smile Shutter are gimmicky, but it will win over those who are willing to pay the near-$400 price.
As the headliner for the new FS-series, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS20 makes a daring entrance into an already packed point-and-shoot market. Panasonic launched the Lumix FS20 to service a broad audience of novice beginners to advanced point-and-shooters. The Panasonic FS camera sits above Panasonic�s budget LS and LZ line and just under the higher-end TZ series. What does the FS20 have to offer in an already crowded shelf of competing cameras? The 10.1-megapixel Panasonic FS20 has a 4x optical zoom Leica lens and 3-inch LCD, along with optical image stabilization, face detection, and a sleek body. The FS debutante will retail for $299.95 when it ships in February 2008. Read on for our First Impressions review of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS20 from the tradeshow floor of PMA 2008 in Las Vegas.Comparisons
The Panasonic Lumix FS20 will likely draw comparisons with other point-and-shoots announced at PMA 2008. New similarly-priced cameras include the Olympus Stylus 850 SW ($299.99), Nikon Coolpix S600 ($300), Sony Cyber-shot W170 ($299), and the Canon PowerShot SD1100 IS ($249.99).
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The Fujifilm FinePix F100fd is the newest in the company�s line of face detecting digital cameras. As the flagship, it comes with 12 megapixels and the third generation of Fuj's face detection system, which now recognize faces no matter where they�re looking, and does it faster than previous F-series cameras. The Fujifilm F100fd has a longer 5x optical zoom lens. It has the same dual image stabilization and IrSimple wireless transfer technology that is included on the F50fd, this camera�s predecessor. The F100fd will retail for $379 when it goes on sale in March.
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The Pentax K20D is a new digital SLR that follows the K10D with several dramatic changes. As Pentax�s flagship DSLR, the K20D has a 14.6-megapixel CMOS sensor with more than twice the resolution of its predecessor. The new model also has a live view on its larger LCD screen, increased dynamic range, an improved dust reduction system, and a battery that lasts much longer. Like its predecessor, the K20D has a lens mount that accepts old and new Pentax lenses. The Pentax K20D will retail for $1,299 for the body only when it goes on sale in April.
We checked out the Pentax K20D on the show floor at PMA in January 2008. This is a pre-production model, so not everything was working perfectly, but we�ve got a good idea of how this interesting new SLR handles, and how it might perform.Dislikes
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Jan. 30, 2008 � Sony has added an intriguing new feature to the a (alpha) digital SLRs announced at the PMA show in Las Vegas: live view. The 14.2-megapixel $900 DSLR-A350 and 10.2-megapixel $800 DSLR-A300 both allow the user to preview images in the LCD screen. The live view is made possible by a separate CCD imager built into the viewfinder prism. .jpg)
The Sony a DSLR-A350 has a slower burst rate of 2.5 frames-per-second (fps) in comparison to the A100, A200, and A300�s faster 3 fps burst rate. Other features of the new models include the dynamic range optimizer, which brings out details in highlights and shadows, high-definition output capability, and �creative style� settings that simulate different kinds of film..jpg)
Today Sony is announcing two more lenses. The first is the 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3 G SSM, set to debut this spring for $799. The second is the Vario-Sonnar T* 24-70mm f/2.8 ZA lens with its constant aperture. That high-end feature makes for a big price tag of $1,749; it will also hit store shelves in the spring. 
