Anyone knows, the later in life you deal with a hangover, the worse they get, and Todd Phillips’ The Hangover Part III is no different. If you manage to sit through this one, you’ll be grateful this is the final one in the lucrative franchise.

I thought the first Hangover movie was hilarious and over the top outrageous and Part II was okay. It had gotten bigger but the laughs had gotten smaller. Part III is just such a huge letdown as you’d expect the final film to go out with a big bang and no holds barred, but you really begin to wonder if this is actually a comedy. This one decides to ditch the winning formula of backward structure resulting from, well a hangover, and goes for straight out  chase film. Yes, sometimes franchise films that stick to a formula get tired, but this one goes so far outside of their winning formula, it destroys any fond memories you’ll have of the original.

Phillips knows that one of the series big selling points was Zack Galifianakis’ (Alan) deadpan delivery, and they’ve decided to exploit it heavily in this film. Big big problem!

Whereas Alan used to be the loveable strange one, he’s gotten meaner and nastier over the course of the trilogy. You just don’t root for him anymore or really care why you liked him in the first place. The Wolfpack Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms), and Doug (Justin Bartha) decide to stage an intervention taking him to a rehab clinic in Arizona. While enroute, they’re stopped by mobster Marshall (John Goodman) who thinks they’ve stolen gold bars that were originally stolen by Mr. Chow (Ken Jeong). Doug is taken hostage and thus the fun begins to find Mr. Chow, the gold and whatever humor they can try to wring out of this film.

Animal lovers won’t be too happy with the giraffe scene at the beginning, but it sets the course of the plot. If you’re looking for a fun raunch film, you won’t find it here, and you might get a couple chuckles, but sadly, that’s about it.

I was more frustrated at how lazy and desperate this film felt and with only a couple years since the last film, this one should have had more time to simmer and stew. It almost felt like Phillips really didn’t care about the fans of the series and felt they didn’t deserve his best.

Best Movies Ever News Rating: D-

The Hangover Part III quickly wears out its welcome and will leave fans feeling deserted by the Wolfpack. As in real life, you’ll be reminded of that friend who you used to be close with but they’ve gotten older and no wiser leaving you to realize it’s time to end that friendship and move on.

The Hangover Part III Movie Trailer

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Curt Johnson

Editor-in-Chief at Best Movies Ever Entertainment News

Filmmaker and movie reviewer who loves giving the spotlight to some not so well known films ignored by the mainstream media. Also loves dark twisted comedy like House Of Yes while also enjoying Working Girl.

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The Fast and the Furious franchise is that rarity that was nearly killed off but then resurrected into something bigger, badder and better than anyone thought was possible. That last two films in the franchise kicked up everything and Fast Five developed an Ocean’s 11 type formula that carries on into Fast & Furious 6.

Credit is due to screenwriter Chris Morgan and director Justin Lin who’ve been in charge of the past four films and with each one, they have to top each other with bigger action and bigger sets. Cars are king and the duo have always delivered, but this time they also bring in a jet airplane and an army tank to amp up the action. It’s not wonder why Lin is stepping down after this one as anyone would be burned out! James Wan (Saw, Insidious) will helm Fast & Furious 7, and I will admit, I’m nervous about him bringing the goods the way Lin has.

Fast Five showed off the scenic views of Rio de Janeiro, and this time around it’s London’s skyline on display. Whereas James Bond Skyfall showed area of the city we weren’t so familiar with, Fast 6 takes on a speedy tourist trip through a city known for as much gridlock as New York City. This is where your suspension of disbelief kicks in and you just enjoy the ride. Don’t think about all those times you sat in traffic in Piccadilly Circus and wonder how Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Paul Walker and the gang are able to whisk through it all so easily. Once you just sit back and escape into the film, you will have a blast!

Dominic Toretto and Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker) have retired from all that money they got during the Rio caper have chosen the quiet life, especially now that there’s a baby courtesy of Jordana Brewster’s Mia. The baby takes up a lot of her time as they do in real life.

After we’re quickly caught up on what’s been happening with the gang, we are then whisked along to Moscow where federal agent Hobbs (Johnson) is looking over what’s left from a rather violent attack on a Russian military convoy. He lets his new partner (MMA Champion Gina Carano) know that Owen Shaw (Luke Evans who never met a snarl he didn’t like) is behind this.

This provides the plot to bring everyone together. Hobbs is able to make a deal that Dom and the gang can’t refuse. If they can stop Shaw, they all get immunity.

As we saw at the end of Fast Five, Michelle Rodriguez is back, but on the other team in another suspension of belief plot. She has no memory of her old friends and family, and I have to say it works pretty well for bringing back someone from the dead. Dom naturally works to get her memory back and you know how that will turn out with these films.

Remember at the end of Five when two Dodge Chargers were tearing through the streets of downtown Rio with a huge steel bank vault behind them? Well, this time Lin was able to top that with a very intense chase scene with a Chieftain Army tank. I’ m trying not to give away much, but with this franchise, you come for the mind numbing action scenes over storyline and there’s so much adrenaline pumping, you’ll be ready for the next one in the series.

Best Movies Ever News Rating: B+

Fast & Furious 6 just keeps on bringing out the amazing breathtaking stunts we’ve come to expect in the past couple films. It’s not about storyline so much as just having a great movie to escape with and enjoy the view. For any Fast fan, the view is pretty spectacular!

Fast & Furious 6 Movie Trailer

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Curt Johnson

Editor-in-Chief at Best Movies Ever Entertainment News

Filmmaker and movie reviewer who loves giving the spotlight to some not so well known films ignored by the mainstream media. Also loves dark twisted comedy like House Of Yes while also enjoying Working Girl.

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It is amazing how Sony packs so many features – many the same as what you find on DSLRs – into such a tiny package. With a footprint of only 4.00 x 2.29 x 1.41 inches and weighing in at 8.47 ounces with battery and media card, the Sony DSC-RX100 digital camera shoots both stills and full HD video.

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Key Specs For The Sony DSC-RX100

RRP: $649.99

Year of release: 2012

Display size (inches): 3

Image resolution (MP): 20.2

Zoom: Optical: 3.6x; Digital: 7.2x

Video Capture? 1080p HD

Sony DSC-RX100: The Pros

Price: While a great camera, it is overpriced at around over $600. There are many other cameras in this megapixel range that you can buy for less than $400. If you want to stay with a Sony point and shoot, you can get the 18.1MP DSC-WX150 B for less than $300 and it has a wider focal range. It also has an Exmor CMOS sensor and BIONZ image processor. However, if you want to jump up to a bridge camera, the 20MP Sony DSC-HX300 would be a good choice at around $500.

Image Quality: With an impressive maximum image size of 5,472 x 3,648 pixels at 20.2 MP resolution, the RX-100 is renowned for taking high definition stills. However, the RX100 also has ten other resolutions at various aspect ratios ranging in size from 4,864 x 3,648 pixels at 18MP down to 640 x 480 pixels at 0.3MP.

This camera is a low-light specialist. Users rave about the excellent low-light image quality they are getting from the f/1.8 Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T lens, 20.2MP CMOS low-light Exmor 1” sensor and refined BIONZ image processor, with focusing speeds that rival most DSLRs – 0.13 second.

Images can be recorded in the JPEG or RAW file format, or both simultaneously, and saved on Memory Stick Duo, PRO Duo or PRO HG-Duo, or Secure Digital (SD) media cards, including the SDHC and SDXC.

Full HD 1080p Video: Many point and shoot cameras today offer full HD 1080/60p video. So what is so special about this one? Well for one is the format it uses to capture video. The AVCHD™ (Advanced Video Coding High Definition) Version 2.0 digital recording file format is a progressive format that records 60 frames per second. Sony and Panasonic jointly developed this technology in 2006 for use in their camcorders.

When matched with the RX100’s large image sensor and high performance lens, you get video with amazing clarity in low-light conditions … even if the subject is moving. Now that is remarkable!

Shooting Modes: It is one of the few point and shoot cameras that offers five shooting modes in both video and stills:

• iAuto
• Program
• Aperture Priority
• Shutter Speed Priority
• Manual

iAuto is an intelligent setting where the camera does the thinking for you. In this mode, the camera analyzes the scene and then selects the best settings for the situation. So your resulting images are crisp and sharp, and if included people, their skin tones would be natural.

Another example is Auto HDR (High Dynamic Range). With this feature turned on, the camera takes one image at the metered exposure, one image over the recommended exposure and one under.

Then it combines the three images into one composite image. In high contrast situations (where there is a wide range of stops from the lightest to the darkest areas in a scene), this feature allows you to capture a wider range of detail that what would otherwise be possible. In the DSLR world, it is called Automatic Exposure Bracketing.

Sony DSC-RX100: The Cons

In-Camera Battery Charge: The RX100 does not come with a battery charger where you can charge a battery outside the camera. You have to plug the AC Adapter into the jack on the camera to charge the battery. Of course, you can buy an external charger for $25 and an additional battery for $15 to remedy this fault.

Limited Lens Focal Range: The lens focal range of this camera is only 29mm to 105mm (35mm equivalent). When compared to other point and shoot cameras, this range is moderate at best. The range of most other point and shoots go down to a wide-angle setting of around 24mm and a telephoto range of 120mm or more, of course excluding the super-zooms which go as high as 1,200mm.

It does have a 3.6x optical zoom and 7.2x digital zoom which is odd in itself as usually the optical zoom is more powerful than the digital zoom. Images normally shot using digital zoom in other cameras suffer from quality degradation. However in its defense, Sony uses a technology called Clear Image Digital Zoom which uses a process that compares patterns in adjacent pixels to create new pixels that match selected patterns, thus creating a higher-quality, more realistic and sharper images.

Is The Sony DSC-RX100 Worth Buying?

In a word – definitely. What this camera can do far outweighs what it can’t. It probably produces the best quality images of any point and shoot on the market today and definitely produces the best images taken under low-light conditions.

However, all that quality does come at a price … literally. The RX100 is about twice as expensive as most other point and shoot cameras and in line with some entry-level DSLRs. But then it has many of its larger cousins’ features also. Even though expensive, it would make a great first camera or a second camera when carrying around a DSLR is not practical, but image quality is foremost.  Check around for the best prices on this hot camera.

Sony DSC-RX100 Digital Camera Review

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If you are looking for the convenience of a point and shoot, but the control and performance of a DSLR, the Sony DSC-HX300/B bridge camera is a good choice. With its impressive 50X zoom, its Carl Zeiss Sonnar-Vario T* lens has a focal length ranging from a 24mm wide-angle to a 1,200mm telephoto (at 35mm equivalent). At the 24mm, the aperture is wide open at f/2.8. That minimum aperture increases to f/6.3 at the telephoto end.

Images at maximum resolution are 5,184 x 3,888 pixels in size and are stored either on Sony’s proprietary Memory Stick Duo, including the PRO and PRO HG series, or Class 4 or higher SD/SDHC/ SDXC Secure Digital cards. Other image sizes at various resolutions and aspect rations are also available. Don’t forget to check out our Holiday Shop which features product and gift reviews for any member of your family or extended family and friends with every gift idea possible.

Key Specs For The Sony DSC-HX300/B

RRP: $499.99

Year of release: 2013

Display size (inches): 3

Image resolution (MP): 20

Zoom: Optical: 50x; Digital: 100x

Video Capture? 1080p HD

Sony DSC-HX300/B: The Pros

Price: For just under $500, this is a great camera. It has one of the greatest focal lengths of any bridge camera – out to 1,200mm. However if you don’t need that much of a reach and you are willing to sacrifice two megapixel in resolution and about 400 mm in focal length, the Sony DCS-H200V is also a great camera and almost $200 cheaper.

Image Quality: With a 20MP Exmor R CMOS back-illuminated sensor and a BIONZ image processor, photos exhibit accurate color, extreme clarity with sharp detail, all with minimum noise, especially at the lower ISOs. The upper ISOs do impart some noise.

Tiltable LCD Rear Screen: This is a feature you will find yourself using more and more. With variable angle, you can position your camera high or low and tilt the LCD down or up respectively and still see your subject well in the screen. So whether you want to shoot over the heads of a crowd or take eye-level photos of a child or pet, the 3-inch Xtra Fine, 921,000 pixel screen has you covered. And of course if you do not like composing using a rear screen, you can always use the viewfinder for the “traditional photographic composing experience”.

3-Way Optical Image Stabilization: Most image stabilizing systems dampen movement in two directions – vertically and horizontally. Optical SteadyShot® adds a third dimension- digital rolling dampening which nullifies clock-wise or counter clock-wise camera movement when shooting videos.

Full HD 1080p Video: At 60 frames per second, you can record videos as long 29 minutes. See a still shot you would like while recording? No problem! With dual recording capability, you can simultaneously capture stills while recording video. With an HDMI micro cable (sold separately), you can playback your MPEG-4 videos directly on your TV.

Enhanced Creativity: With so many creative features at your fingertips, where do I start? If you shoot portraits, the HX300 has you covered with face, smile and blink detection. Go wild with 9 Picture Effects, including watercolor, HDR painting, high key, and monochrome, to name a few. Now add in 10 White Balance settings (3 of which are Fluorescent), 24 ISO settings – Auto and from 80 to 12,800, and 15 Scene modes – all available in 3 different metering modes – and there isn’t a situation where you would not have a feature that would allow you to best capture it. Oh … don’t forget the Panorama setting to create images at a horizontal 180 or 360 degrees.

Advanced Flash: Flash photography is easy with the HX30; just pop-up the flash and select the flash mode you need from the 6 flash modes available. You’ll find one will cover almost every flash shooting situation. Also this flash has a longer reach than most on-board camera flashes – out to 27.89 feet at the 24mm setting and 11.48 feet at the 1,200mm setting.

Sony DSC-HX300/B: The Cons

High ISO Noise: There is only one minor flaw with the HX-300/B that is even worth mentioning – excessive noise at the higher ISOs. From ISO 80 to 800, chroma and luma noise ranges from not noticeable to acceptable, respectively. And of course, excess noise when shooting at high ISOs can always be removed in post-processing – it is just another step that has to be taken.

However, how often do you shoot at an ISO above 800? In most cases, not often, unless you do a lot of low-light photography and then it can be an issue. But for most photographers, an ISO of 800 is about a high as you need.

Is The Sony DSC-HX300/B Worth Buying?

Yes! If you have $500 to spend and are looking for the convenience, control and performance, you can’t go wrong with the Sony HX300/B.  And weighing 1 pound 7 ounces, it won’t wear you out carrying it all day as would carrying a full-size DSLR and a couple lenses (at twice the weight and bulk) that you would need to get the same focal range. With the HX300/B, everything is in one light, easy to manage, but extremely powerful package.  Keep your eyes out for the best prices on the amazing camera.

Sony DSC-HX300B Digital Camera Review

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The Panasonic Lumix ZS20, with its Leica DC lens and 20x optical zoom, boasts a focal range from a wide angle of 24 mm out to a telephoto of 480 mm (at the 35mm equivalent). With the Intelligent Zoom feature turned on (which is basically digital zoom) the focal length is doubled out to 40X. Of course that comes with a price; you will notice some softening in images shot using Intelligent Zoom. But overall with that kind of zoom power, it is easy to draw subjects up close without actually being close. The lens is treated with a Nano Surface Coating resulting in great glass performance and adding to image clarity by minimizing flaring and ghosting that can occur when shooting into a light source.

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Key Specs For The Panasonic Lumix ZS20

RRP: $349.00

Year of release: 2012

Display size (inches): 3

Image resolution (MP): 14.1

Zoom: Optical: 20x

Video Capture? 1080p HD

Available Colors: Black, Red, Silver, White

Panasonic Lumix ZS20: The Pros

Price: This is a good buy at under $300. With its focal range, it is a great little camera that can be used in most shooting situations. Add to that its touch screen and GPS technology and you have a real winner at this price.

Image Quality: The 14.1 High-Sensitivity CMOS sensor is new developed for this model camera. With a better signal-to-noise ratio than the ZS15, image quality greatly improved. Coupled with its Venus Engine processor, and its Intelligent Noise Reduction, this camera can handle large amounts of data to produce super-fast processing time. Images at a maximum resolution of 4,320 x 3,240 pixels are saved and stored on either the 12MB onboard media or on a Secure Digital (SD) media card, including SDHC and SDXC. The ZS20 also has 23 other resolutions available at aspect ratios of 1:1, 3:2, 4:3, 16:9, and file sizes from 0.2 to 12.5MP.

Touch Screen: With the ZS 20’s Smart Touch 3” 460,000 pixel LCD Rear Screen, you can touch an object on the screen and the camera will lock onto that subject in 0.1 second and continuously track it until you press the shutter button. This feature virtually eliminates the old way of having to center the subject, pressing the shutter button halfway down to lock the focus and exposure, and then recompose by putting the subject off center. So to have continuous tracking via a touch screen LCD is state-of-the-art. This is a very nice feature and one most photographers will often use.

High Speed Burst Shooting: At 10 frames per second at full 14.1 MP resolution, it can fire off 10 shots to capture an action sequence or flighty birds shots. After one second of shooting, the camera will pause to write those shots to the storage media before it can continue shooting. And if you use the Intelligent Burst Mode, the camera will automatically determine the shooting rate based on the subject’s movement.

GPS: With this feature, the ZS20 was made for traveling. From geo-tagging your photos to displaying the location of your images, you will never forget where you took that shot. When the GPS is turned on, it records the name of the country, state, township or city that you are visiting. If you are trying to locate a particular landmark, GPS may help you get there as it has more than 1,000,000 landmark locales in 83 countries/regions that can quickly show you the route.

Full 1080 HD Video: With a 4GB SD media card, you can record up to 30 minutes of video in either MJPEG or MPEG-4 formats complete with stereo sound. Be sure to have the Power Optical Image Stabilizer turned on to nullify any camera movement.

Panasonic Lumix ZS20: The Cons

Short Battery Life: There is only one worth noting. As with most point and shoot cameras, battery life is a common complaint, but tests have verified that you can expect to get around 260 shots per battery charge, which for a point and shoot is good.

Of course if those that complained had the GPS turned on or used the flash a lot, then most likely those were reasons for a reduced number of shots per charge. Of course, the easy solution is to have a spare charged battery on hand. Extra batteries can be purchased for around $20.00 each.

Is The Panasonic Lumix ZS20 Worth Buying?

For the features available on the ZS20 at less than $250 for a Lumix point and shoot camera, you really can’t go wrong with this camera. The Lumix line of cameras, with their Leica lenses, has always been top-notch and this one appears to continue the tradition.

With its light weight at 6.49 ounces and small foot print (4.13 x 2.32 x 1.11”), this camera can fit in a shirt or jean pocket, beach bag or purse, and makes a great travel camera. Optical stabilization ensures your images will be crisp and clear whether shooting stills or video. Camera case colors are available in black, white, silver and red. Check around for the best prices as they’re always changing around the holidays.

Panasonic Lumix ZS20 Digital Camera Review

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The Panasonic LUMIX DMC-LX7K has a lot going for it (along with a couple of things that it doesn’t). In particular, its New Optical Image Stabilizer, built-in neutral density filter and light Speed Auto Focus Tracking. But is this the right camera for you? Let’s find out. Don’t forget to check out our Holiday Shop which features product and gift reviews for any member of your family or extended family and friends with every gift idea possible.

Key Specs For The Panasonic LUMIX DMC-LX7K

RRP: $449.99

Year of release: 2012

Display size (inches): 3

Image resolution (MP): 10.1

Zoom: Optical: 3.8x; Digital: 7.5x

Video Capture? HD 60p

Available Colors: Black, White

Panasonic LUMIX DMC-LX7K: The Pros

Image Quality: With a full redesigned Leica Vario-Summilux f/1.4 lens, improved signal-to-noise ratio at the sensor, and an improved Venus Engine image processor, images feature rich clarity and fine color graduation at the lower ISOs from about 400 on down. While its 10.1MP maximum resolution is not as great as many of its competitors, it is adequate to produce quality 8” x 10” prints from a home printer. At maximum resolution, image size is 3,648 x 2,736 pixels at a 4:3 aspect ratio. Other image sizes available range from a 2,736 x 2,736 pixel square format at 7.5 MP down to 640 x 360 pixels at 0.2MP.

Image Stabilization: The LX7K sports a new image stabilizer called POWER O.I.S and it has twice the movement suppression of its predecessor, the MEGA O.I.S., thereby giving it even greater image quality.

Auto Focus Tracking: If you take action images – shots of moving subjects – you’ll love Light Speed with AF Tracking. Once you lock onto a moving subject the LX7K continuously tracks and adjust focus and exposure until you press the shutter button. How cool is that!

Built in Neutral Density Filter: Not many point and shoot cameras have built-in usable filtration, but more should. Many times while in full sun, it is not possible to get a shutter speed slow enough to capture, for example, the cottony effect of moving water. And without threads on the front of the lens, it makes it difficult to hold a filter in front of the lens with one hand while trying capture an image with the other one. Internal ND (Neutral Density) filtration takes care of this problem.

Full HD 1080p video: It wasn’t too long ago that a point and shoot camera with video was an anomaly, however, now it is a standard feature on most compact cameras. While the LX7K does fail in a couple of areas, it does very well in this one. With the push of a button, it can record 60 frames per second in the AVCHD ™ (Advanced Video Coding High Definition) progressive MPEG-4/MP4 format. Video and Dolby Digital Stereo Sound are clear and sharp. Shutter speed and aperture can be changed while recording as well as capturing stills simultaneously.

Panasonic LUMIX DMC-LX7K: The Cons

Limited Zoom: I found it rather odd that a camera as prestigious as the LUMIX brand, has only a lens focal range of 24mm to 90mm at 3.8X optical zoom. While the lower wide-angle of 24mm is acceptable and in line with the wide-angle setting other point and shoot cameras, the telephoto end at 90mm is not. The limited zoom takes this camera out of play for landscape and wildlife type shooting conditions where more zoom is required.

Noise at the higher ISOs: Even though touted as producing great photos under low-light conditions, many users report unacceptable visual noise in their images when shot at ISOs above 400. The LX7K uses an Intelligent Noise Reduction feature in which it divides an image into sections and then applies noise reduction only to the sections needing it instead of to the whole image.

And while Intelligent NR seems to work well in high contrast well-lit situations (by removing noise from shadow details), it seems to fail when most of the image has much chroma and luma noise. And yes, some to most of the noise could be removed in post-processing, but the goal is to make the camera do most of the work and spend less time fixing issues created by it.

Of course, one way around this issue is to use either the on-board flash or attach an external flash onto the hot-shoe to add light to the scene. Then an ISO of 400 or less can be used and avert the noise issue at the higher ISOs.

Price: Taking into account the issues of high ISO noise, and a limited focal length range, this camera could be considered overpriced. Especially when you consider that you can get the Panasonic ZS20 with a focal reach out to 420mm (instead of 90mm) and at a resolution of 14.1MP (instead of 10.1) for around $250.

 The Panasonic LUMIX DMC-LX7K Worth Buying?

This might not be the best way to spend your money, for a few reasons:

1) Limited lens focal range – there are other point and shoot cameras that are just as good if not better that have a far greater focal range.

2) Noise at the higher ISOs – while this camera does have an ISO range that tops out at 12,800, if low-light noise is an issue at anything over 400, then what good is it. Many other P&S cameras (including its sister the LUMIX ZS20) exhibit low noise up through an ISO of 1,600 and higher.

3) Price – at almost $400, this camera is priced way too high, especially due to its limitations. If you want a Panasonic LUMIX, buy the ZS20 and save $150.00.

There are so many other point and shoot cameras that do much more at much less of a price. While LUMIX normally has been a good camera, I think Panasonic missed the mark with this model.  Check for the best prices for this camera.

Panasonic LUMIX DMC-LX7K Digital Camera Review

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By all accounts, except one, the Olympus Stylus TG-2 iHS a great little camera that can take the normal (and abnormal) bumps and bruises in stride that a camera will get when used in normal situations, let alone extreme ones. Images/videos are stored on either 22MB built-in memory or Secure Digital (SD) cards up to 128 GB capacity. Image/video write speeds are lightning fast thanks to its dual processor.

There’s only one real drawback to this camera, so keep reading to find out if it could be the right model for you. Don’t forget to check out our Holiday Shop which features product and gift reviews for any member of your family or extended family and friends with every gift idea possible.

Key Specs For The Olympus Stylus TG-2 his

RRP: $379.99

Year of release: 2013

Display size (inches): 3

Image resolution (MP): 12

Zoom: Optical: 4x

Video Capture? 1080p HD

Available Colors: Black, Red

Olympus Stylus TG-2 iHS: The Pros

Price: While a price of just under $400 is rather high, it is probably well worth paying due to the ruggedness factor, awesome macro feature and great image quality. Other point and shoot cameras have built-in ruggedness for less money, they lack the rest of the features that make this camera so great.

Image Quality: With its 12mp CMOS processor and TruePic VI Image processor, its 3,968 x 2,976 pixel images at maximum resolution are finely detailed and displayed in true color, even when photographing in low light. This is also one of few cameras that can record video while simultaneously capturing still images.

Rugged: As described by Olympus, this camera is “life-proof”. Along with being waterproof down to 50 feet, it is also:

• Shockproof – With two protective frames supporting internal components such as shutter, aperture, lens and autofocus, the TG-2 can take a 7-foot drop without sustaining any internal damage.
• Crushproof – It withstands up to 220 pounds of weight directly applied to the outside of the camera housing without any damage.
• Freezeproof – It has been tested down to 14 degrees F. Even at that temperature, the TG-2 lens remains clear of condensation and the autofocus functions normally.
• Dustproof – With its housing sealed, no dust or destructive dirt can get in can.  

Macro: Many point and shoot cameras are not good at recording images when shot close-up, but the TG-2 is different from the rest. When set to Microscopic Mode, it can shoot flowers, insects, or anything small for that matter, with stunning clarity from a distance as close as 1cm – yes you read that right, 1 cm or 0.39 inch. If you shoot close-ups, now there is a “WOW” factor for you!

Aperture Priority Mode: Sporting an aperture-priority exposure mode, with an f-stop as fast as f/2.0 at the 25mm wide angle setting or f/4.9 at the 100mm telephoto setting, image quality is unsurpassed. When coupled with the teleconverter lens (sold separately), the telephoto focal length is extended out to 170mm while still at 4X optical zoom.

GPS: Not only does this point and shoot have a GPS function, but with its e-compass and manometer functions, it can record the route you took while photographing, along with location, elevation and water depth; it even warns you when approaching it maximum rated depth of 50 feet.

Shutter Responsiveness: Unlike most point and shoot cameras, the shutter lag – the time it takes once you press the shutter button until the shutter actually trips – is not only unnoticeable, it is instantaneous.

OLED LCD Screen: At 610,000 pixels, it is one of the higher resolution screens of point and shoot cameras. Manufactured with several layers of protective coatings, scratching and condensation are adequately held at bay. The anti-glare technology used in this back screen make composing, shooting and playback much easier, even while in full sunlight.

Olympus Stylus TG-2 iHS: The Cons

Video Noise: This is the only drawback with this camera, however, it was also the major complaint with the TG-1 model; it did not get any better in the TG-2. There is still inherent noise that seem to come from the lens motor zooming in and out along with the noise associated with the autofocus function. However, the user should not be zooming in or out when recording video anyway. And of course, if you do not record video, then it will be a non-issue.

Is The Olympus Stylus TG-2 iHS Worth Buying?

While more expensive than many other rugged point and shoot cameras, this one is worth every penny due to it numerous useful features. Other point and shoot cameras boast several features, but many are rarely used (if at all) by most users. Besides those listed above, other useful TG-2 features include:

• dual image stabilization (thus eliminating camera shake).
• high speed continuous shooting (at 5 frames per second – great for action sequence shooting)
• iAuto (which automatically detects the subject, lighting and scene, and then decides which settings would be best to use).
• 21 Scene Modes (including four underwater modes).

Due to its ruggedness and versatility, the TG-2 is a great little camera for general travel and especially well-suited for winter or water sports. And with its optional teleconverter and fisheye lenses, its versatility expands even further. Check for the best prices on this keeper of a camera.

Olympus Stylus TG-2 iHS Digital Camera Review

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Nikon makes two point and shoot cameras in the S9000 series that look the same on the surface and may confuse you – the S9200 and S9300. The only difference between them is the S9300 has built-in GPS and is about $50 more expensive. If you do not plan on using the GPS feature, then the S9200 will perform just as well at a lower price.

Performance and portability is this camera’s mantra. From low-light nightlife, to details on a flower petal, to photographing underwater sea life (inside a waterproof housing of course), this is the little camera that can. Don’t forget to check out our Holiday Shop which features product and gift reviews for any member of your family or extended family and friends with every gift idea possible.

Key Specs For The Nikon COOLPIX S9200

RRP: $299.95

Year of release: 2012

Display size (inches): 3

Image resolution (MP): 16

Zoom: Optical:18x

Video Capture? 1080p HD

Available Colors: Black, Red, Silver

Nikon COOLPIX S9200 Digital Camera: The Pros

Price: This is an affordable point and shoot camera… need we say more? It is simple to use, yet still loaded with user-selectable features, so you can take your creativity to new levels should you desire.

Image Quality: With its 16 megapixel CMOS sensor, VR (Vibration Reduction) optical image stabilization, and Nikkor ED lens – the flagship lens of all Nikon cameras – the 4,608 x 3,456 pixel images are crisp, clean and clear. Because of the way the sensor is constructed – back illuminated – this camera has great low-light performance and reduced noise at the upper ISO levels. Images are stored either on the 26MB internal storage or on a Secure Digital (SD) Card, including the SDHC and SDXC.

Focal Lens Range: The S9200 features an 18x optical zoom and has a range (in 35mm equivalent) of 25mm to an impressive 450mm. This range lets you easily handle anything from wide-angle landscape shots to tight telephoto wildlife environmental portraits.

Low-light Shooting Modes: For a point and shoot, this little camera is a low-light master of images. Besides having a back-illuminated CMOS sensor, it also has Night Landscape, Night Portrait and Backlighting HDR (High Dynamic Resolution) shooting modes, adjustable ISO from 125 to 3,200, and shutter speeds down to 4 seconds, all of which when used properly, create stunning photos under low light conditions.

Impressive Burst Rate: Also known as High Speed Continuous Shooting Rate, the burst rate is the number of images a camera can rapidly shoot before it has to pause and write those images to a media card. This is a valuable feature if you shoot a lot of action sequences. With the S9200, its burst rate is 6.9 frames per second for up to 7 frames. So basically you can shoot 7 frames in one second, which adequately captures a sequence series of a fast sport.

Video: If you shoot video clips, you will appreciate this feature. Video, including stereo sound, can be recorded at 30 frames per second at a full HD resolution of 1080p. An unusual, but useful  feature with this video is that it continuously autofocuses throughout the video filming.

Easy Panoramic Shooting Mode: Easily create 180 or 360 degree panoramic images. Once this feature is turned on, just start moving the camera in the direction you want to film. The camera senses the movement and it will start taking images and stich them together inside the camera resulting in wide panoramic image. How easy is that!

Creative Scene Modes: The S9200 has creativity already built into it with its 17 creative scene modes, including:

• Selective Color
• High Key
• Low Key
• Soft Effect
• Skin Softening
• D-Lighting to name a few.

Its EXPEED C2 CMOS processor rapidly creates high quality images and quickly writes them to the storage media card or internal memory.

Nikon COOLPIX S9200 Digital Camera: The Cons

Short Battery Life: As with most point and shoot cameras, this is a common complaint, but one that is easily overcome … buy a second (or even third) battery so you always have at least one charged with you and ready to go. Extra batteries cost around $25, so they are not expensive at all. You can expect to get around 200 images on a single battery charge – less if you use the flash a lot.

Slow Start-up Time: Some users complain about how long it takes from “Off” until it was ready to shoot pictures when switched “On”. Start-up time is actually 2.1 seconds, which is in line with most other point and shoot cameras.

Is The Nikon COOLPIX S9200 Digital Camera Worth Buying?

The answer is “Yes”. For the money, the S9200 is loaded with features that bring picture-taking to a whole new and higher level, yet with the simplicity of a point and shoot camera. This camera is ideal to:

• accompany you when traveling – because of its multiple Scene Modes.
• record landscape/scenery/wildlife – due to its impressive 25mm to 450 mm lens focal range.
• shoot low light scenes – as noted above, it is specially built for low-light situations.
• record sports or action-type sequence photos – using its 7 frames per second burst rate.

And you can have it in a choice of colors black, silver or brown. Check out for the best prices on this camera as they’re always going on sale around holiday time.

Nikon COOLPIX S9200 Digital Camera Review

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