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The Lumix DMC-FZ40 is the lower-priced linemate to Panasonic’s other full-size megazoom, the FZ100. The two are separated by about $100 and a whole lot of features. Many of those features probably aren’t deal-breakers for a lot of people, but one of them might be: the FZ100 has a MOS sensor and the FZ40 has a CCD sensor. The sensor change mainly means you lose all of the FZ100′s high-speed shooting capabilities.

Other key differences include a lower resolution, fixed LCD; 720p AVCHD Lite movie capture instead of full HD AVCHD movies; and there’s no accessory shoe for adding an external mic or flash. If you’re not shooting a lot of movies, though, these are for the most part acceptable losses for the price difference.

The main problem is that buyers tend to see the body style and think they’re getting dSLR-quality photos and performance, just without the interchangeable lens part. The FZ40 uses the image sensor of a point-and-shoot, though, so the photos are still those of high-quality pocket camera. Photos are very good up to ISO 200 with nice color and relatively low noise. But as soon as you jump up to ISO 400, noise and Panasonic’s JPEG processing result in soft smeary details and yellow blotching. ISO 800 is usable at small sizes, but with more of what happens at ISO 400 visible. Photos taken at ISO 1,600 are just plain bad with noise and color issues. This is unfortunate because you need those higher ISOs if you’re doing a lot of shooting indoors or in low light without a flash or you’re using the zoom in less than full sun.

However, if you don’t mind shooting in raw or raw plus JPEG, you can process the images yourself and get much better results than the JPEGs straight from the camera. This is the case with the FZ100, too, but its shooting speeds are faster than the FZ40′s. Raw capture drives the shot-to-shot time from the FZ40 up to 4.1 seconds.

Sample photos:
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ40

Color is very good from the FZ40 up to ISO 400. Subjects appear natural, bright, and reasonably accurate. Plus, there are a number of ways to tweak your color results. Exposure is very good, too. White-balance presets are OK for the most part; however, the auto white balance is not good indoors. Unfortunately, you’re stuck with that setting if you’re using Intelligent Auto or most of the other automatic shooting modes. Whenever possible, use the presets or take a manual reading, which is really easy to do and you can store two presets.

Panasonic controls the barrel distortion fairly well from the 25mm-equivalent wide-angle lens. There’s also little sign of pincushion distortion when the lens is extended. The lens is reasonably consistent edge to edge, though there is a slight bit of softness at the far right side and corners. Fringing is somewhat under control, but not completely. It’s clearly visible in very high-contrast areas of photos when they’re viewed at full resolution, but not really at smaller sizes.

As for movie quality, its AVCHD Lite clips are sharp with good exposure and color. Low-light recording suffers from the same noise problems as in photos. The zoom does operate while recording, but its movement is picked up by the stereo mic. If you are recording in a very quiet environment, you will hear it in your movies, but otherwise it’s difficult to hear.

Other than the loss of burst modes and full HD movies, there are no significant shooting mode differences. For automatic shooting there is the company’s Intelligent Auto that combines an ever-growing number of technologies to get the best results. Overall, it works very well, but photos can end up appearing overprocessed. On a side note, Panasonic sticks “Intelligent” in front of no fewer than eight features in this camera. Remembering what each of them does, where they are in the menus, and when you should and shouldn’t use them can cause a bit of a headache. They are helpful technologies, but the marketing is really starting to get in the way of using them effectively.

There are 21 scene modes for those times when you want to get specific with your auto shooting. Many of them are available for photos and movies. Five of the scene modes have spots on the Mode dial, and each of them has its own sets of scene modes. Portrait mode, for example, has Normal, Soft Skin, Outdoor, Indoor, and Creative settings. Creative is basically the Normal option with a slider for adjusting aperture, giving users a midway point between an automatic scene mode and aperture-priority mode.

Similarly, Panasonic includes several options for experimenting with color and style. On the Mode dial is a My Color mode with a bunch of filters brought over from the Lumix G series cameras. With names like Expressive, Retro, Pure, High Dynamic, Pin Hole, and Film Grain, they’re a lot like what you’d find in a smartphone app. There are color effects you can play with, too, that are for use when you’re in other shooting modes.

For those who like to take more control, the FZ40 does offer aperture-priority, shutter-priority, and manual shooting modes. Apertures are f2.8-8 wide and 5.2-8 telephoto. Shutter speeds go from 60 seconds to 1/2,000 second. There is also a manual mode for shooting movies. There’s a Program mode, too, should you want to adjust things like ISO, white balance, and exposure compensation, but not worry about shutter speed and aperture settings.

If you like to shoot close-ups, the FZ40′s macro function can focus as close as 0.4 inch to a subject. The results are fairly sharp below ISO 200 with plenty of fine detail, though a little sharpening with software improves things. A button to the right of the LCD lets you quickly switch to macro autofocus or manual focus. It will also enter macro in Intelligent Auto mode when you get closer to a subject.

Again, without the high-speed benefits of the FZ100′s MOS sensor, the FZ40′s shooting performance is nothing special. Shutter lag is relatively low at 0.5 second and 0.9 second in bright and dim lighting, respectively. From shot-to-shot without the flash you’re waiting 1.6 seconds; adding the flash drags that time to 4 seconds. It’s time from off to first shot is 1.5 seconds, which is above average for its class. Lastly, it’s capable of shooting continuously for up to five photos at 1.6 frames per second at its full 14-megapixel resolution. A 3-megapixel high-speed burst is available as well that shoots at up to 10fps.

The camera is well designed and generally nice to use. There’s an ample hand grip so you can comfortably handle its 1.1-pound weight. The grip houses a memory card and a large rechargeable battery CIPA rated for up to 580 shots. On top along with the shutter release/zoom lever, power switch, and Mode dial is a one-touch record button for movies and one for setting the variable autofocus area.

On back below the small, but serviceable electronic viewfinder is a decent 3-inch LCD. To its left are the main controls for menu navigation and shooting. They’re all well-spaced and easy to press, and there’s a jog dial for quickly changing things like aperture, shutter speed, and exposure compensation. However, because of the abundant feature set it’s all too easy to get lost trying to find a setting in Panasonic’s menu systems. It’s not insurmountable, but if you frequently make changes it can quickly become frustrating.

Without the accessory shoe on top and no mic input, you can’t add on a flash or a mic. But there are conversion lenses and filters available for it, and Panasonic includes a lens hood.

Having tested the FZ100 before the FZ40, it’s definitely a case of “you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone” for me. I really missed the fast shooting of the FZ100, especially since it meant I could capture in raw plus JPEG without slowing down. On the other hand, it is $100 more, so if you don’t need the fast shooting for sports, kids, or wildlife, or the movie capture features, the FZ40 is worth the investment.

Shooting speed (in seconds)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)

Time to first shot  

Typical shot-to-shot time  

Shutter lag (dim)  

Shutter lag (typical)  

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Taking on quests, killing monsters, and slowly advancing from a relative weakling into the greatest warrior the realm has ever seen. It’s the stuff of legends passed down from generation to generation, and when it’s done right, it’s the stuff of thrilling video games, too. But alas, though a journey from zero to hero is at the heart of Lord of Arcana, the thrills are absent. Instead, the road to becoming a well-equipped, powerful fighting machine in Lord of Arcana is paved with frustration and tedium.

6298461NoneEven the glorious reward of beast lard can’t make up for such tedious combat.

After you create your character by selecting from a modest assortment of faces, hairstyles, and the like, Lord of Arcana begins by giving you a small taste of life as a powerful warrior. Fighting your way through a dungeon, you cut through goblins with relative ease and summon the devastating magic of the massive beast Bahamut to aid you. This trek culminates in a battle against a “Dragon of Murderous Rampage.” But no sooner do you earn victory over this monster than you find yourself in a temple, stripped down to level one, without any of the powerful gear or magic you were just wielding. You have sacrificed all your strength and your memories to be transported here, to the seaside village of Porto Carillo, to test your fate and prove yourself to be the worthy successor to the ancient king of the land of Horodyn. A few early cutscenes set the stage for the tale, but for the most part, story takes a distant backseat to the business of embarking on quests, strengthening your character, and acquiring better gear.

To embark on a quest, you speak to the woman at the counter for the Slayers Guild in the village. Once you select a quest from the available options, you’re transported to the area where the quest takes place, be it Neumellow Woods, Ahbor Desert, Kamma Wind Cave, or some other region. Then, it’s up to you to complete the quest objective within a set time limit. Quests can involve killing a certain number of a specific type of enemy, gathering a certain item, or defeating a boss monster. No matter what the objective of your quest is, however, you can bet that completing it won’t be much fun.

Combat with the ordinary monsters who roam each area is dull for a number of reasons. For one, monsters behave according to obvious, repetitive patterns, making each encounter with a given type of monster feel the same as every other. The various types of goblins you encounter frequently on your adventures, for instance, always do a happy little dance that lasts a few seconds before they attack, giving you ample time to guard or dash out of the way. Skeletons have a habit of guarding constantly, so fights against them become a continuous attempt to get behind them and attack where they are vulnerable. The little plantlike creatures called mandrakes have the irritating ability to summon monsters to aid them that may be more powerful than you can handle, but no matter. You can just escape from battle and then attack the mandrake again, hoping that this time you kill it before it calls for help. There are a few stylistic flourishes that liven combat up a bit, like the brutal finishing moves (called coups de grace) that you perform with the push of a button and that result in your foes exploding in a bloody mess. But such moments of gory visual glee can’t stave off the boredom that quickly sets in. Lord of Arcana invites obvious comparisons to the Monster Hunter series, but fails to imbue the hunts with any sense of thrill whatsoever.

Welcome to Porto Carillo, land of fierce monsters and fiercer backhanded compliments.

This remains true when tackling boss monsters. Agni, a flaming rock giant, rolls up into a ball, speeds around the arena for a while, and then stands up, woozy and disoriented, giving you an obvious chance to strike. This repeats again and again and again, for far, far too long, until at last he falls to your blows. The storm god Takemikazuchi has the ability to shrink you down to a minuscule size, which makes your attacks ineffectual and tremendously slows the rate at which you can cover ground. As a result of your slow movement, trying to track down the floating keystone you need to strike to return to normal size becomes an exercise in frustration. This trick is doubly frustrating when you encounter it again as you fight the regal horselike creature Kirin, whose speedy charging attacks are just about impossible to avoid when you’re tiny. Boss battles culminate in flashy quick-time events called melee duels, but like the coups de grace, these can’t redeem the tedium that precedes them. And when a boss finally falls to your attacks, you don’t feel victorious so much as just relieved that it’s over.

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Photo gallery:
Nikon Coolpix P7000

Nikon allowed two years to lapse between the Coolpix P6000 and its successor, the Coolpix P7000, and, to its credit, the P7000 was a complete reworking of the P6000 rather than just an update. The most notable step is a welcome return to a lower-resolution sensor. Consumers will eat up those marketing-driven resolution boosts but the hobbyists always push back, and in this case Nikon gave the P7000 the same 10 megapixels as the rest of its class. Another redacted feature is the GPS, though I’d've thought Nikon would have replaced it with integrated Eye-Fi support–especially since Nikon incorporates such support into a lot of its other cameras. Other changes include a new sloping-top design with a completely new control layout eerily similar to the Canon G series, a longer zoom lens, a larger LCD, and HD movie capture. The camera also has a built-in neutral density filter, of which I’m a big fan.

As with the P6000, the P7000 uses “standard” OS-compatible NRW raw files rather than its proprietary NEF format, and the camera has some basic raw processing to create secondary JPEGs. It also ups the exposure bracketing to 5 shots and adds white balance and, more interestingly, ISO bracketing.

Nikon Coolpix P7000 photo samples

Typically for its class, the P7000′s JPEG noise profile looks okay at ISO 200 and below, but at ISO 400 you start to see color noise creep in, and by ISO 800 details simply look mushy. While the color noise and suppression artifacts are noticeable at ISO 800, depending upon the scene content the JPEGs can still be fairly usable. Processing the P7000′s files as raw doesn’t seem to buy you any exposure latitude, but does give you better control over contrast and the ability to pick your artifact tradeoffs.

Like a lot of competitors, the P7000 tends to produce somewhat crunchy-looking details in places that aren’t around the main focus area, especially at wide apertures. I also found the automatic white balance exceptionally cool, even taking into account the generally cool nature of February light. And it seems to clip highlights a little more frequently than comparable cameras.

The P7000′s lens can be very sharp, and displays surprisingly little fringing in general. Without distortion control enabled, the P7000′s lens isn’t bad; it looks about the same as most 28mm-equivalent competitors. With distortion control it’s pretty good. Interestingly, you don’t have image stabilization options–such as choosing between full time or prefocus–other than on or off. According to the documentation, it will automatically sense panning, whether vertical or horizontal, and behave appropriately.

This model also updates its movie-capture options, though the quality is just okay. With some smeary edge detail but decent exposure and little moiré, it’s fine for the occasional clip. It also can zoom during capture, and the lens is quieter than I expected, though not silent.

For the most part, the P7000′s shooting performance matches that of the Canon PowerShot G12, though in some ways it feels a little slower. Neither keeps up with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5, however. It takes about 2 seconds for the Nikon to power on, focus, and shoot, and it has decent single-shot focusing speed: 0.4 second in good light and 0.6 second in dim. But while its JPEG shot-to-shot time is a decent 1.9 seconds, that jumps almost a full second (to 2.8 seconds) for raw; shooting raw+JPEG feels very slow. In fact, shooting raw is slower than shooting with flash, which runs about 2 seconds from shot to shot. And if you shoot with review enabled, it seems to take a longer-than-usual amount of time to clear the display with a shutter half press, making it feel even slower. Burst speed is about 1.4 frames per second, but most of the burst modes on these cameras are too sluggish to use, anyway.

Slightly bigger and heavier than the G12, the P7000 has the same fundamental design as that model, albeit with a longer lens. It has a comfortable, rubberized grip and thumb rest that allow you to shoot one-handed.

The top mode dial offers the usual manual, semimanual, and automatic shooting modes, as well as three user-setting modes. I especially like the way you configure them, completely through the menus. So, for instance, in order to customize a setting based on shutter-priority mode, you can simply select that mode; you don’t have to be on it on the dial in advance as you do on most cameras. This makes it especially easy to update existing settings.

There’s also a programmable function button on the front next to the lens, to which you can assign direct access to raw/JPEG toggle, ISO sensitivity, white balance, picture control, Active D-Lighting, or metering. In conjunction with the Zoom Memory setting, which allows you to preset stops at a variety of focal lengths, you can create a custom stepped zoom. I have to admit, though, I always forget the button is there; it’s a bit too unobtrusive and awkward to reach.

A thumb-operated exposure compensation dial–three stops in either direction–sits just behind a button to toggle dial behavior between adjusting shutter and aperture. On the left, a Quick Menu dial selects among white balance, ISO sensitivity, image quality, bracketing, vertical histogram display, and a six-slot customizable MyMenu; the button in the middle lets you change the settings for the selected option. I really like the concept as well as the execution. However, when the flash is raised, that button is the only place to grip with your left hand if you hold the camera like a point-and-shoot rather than a dSLR.

And, speaking of the flash, it allows you to quickly dial in flash compensation in fractions of power–1/2 through 1/64 by halves–rather than in stops. Some people may find this a faster, more intuitive system.

I like the operation of the P7000′s back selector dial better than the G12′s; it’s far less prone to accidental selections. I also like the location of the adjustment dial better here than on the G12. It falls close enough to your thumb that it feels natural to operate.

Though shaped differently from the G12′s, the viewfinder on the P7000 is about the same size and quality. It’s especially useful on this camera, since its display doesn’t swivel or tilt, so you can’t get better visibility on it in direct sunlight.

If you’re a time-lapse fan, you actually lose some capabilities relative to the P6000. First, there’s no time-lapse movie feature anymore. And still-photo intervals have been cut back to 30 seconds and 1-, 5-, and 10-minute options. Further, while you used to be able to shoot up to 1,800 frames, now it’s capped at 300 minutes, such as 300 frames at a 1-minute interval or 30 frames at a 10-minute interval. (For a complete accounting of the P7000′s features and operation, you can download a PDF of the manual.)

For the most part, I think shooters in this class would prefer wider-angle, faster-aperture lenses like that of the LX5, and probably the more compact design as well. Nikon offers a 0.75x wide-angle adapter, but you usually lose some light with adapters. But the Coolpix P7000 is a fine camera that lots of enthusiasts will appreciate for its smart shooting design, interesting feature set, and worthy photo quality.

Shooting speed (in seconds)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)

Time to first shot  

Raw shot-to-shot time  

Typical shot-to-shot time  

Shutter lag (dim)  

Shutter lag (typical)  

Typical continuous-shooting speed (in fps)
(Longer bars indicate better performance)

Typical continuous-shooting speed  

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Looking at the 12-megapixel Nikon Coolpix L22, you can understand why someone would buy it. It’s a good-looking compact camera at a low price with three things people would be attracted to: a 3-inch LCD, AA batteries for power, and the Nikon brand. Pop in its batteries and the camera has a nice weight to it, making it feel like a sturdy, well-built camera. And like most in its class, the L22 is very much a fully automatic point-and-shoot with little to adjust except for maybe picking an appropriate scene mode.

The L22 is a little too limited in the feature department, though, which can make it difficult to get usable photos. Team that with mediocre lens quality and some performance concerns and you have an entry-level camera that’s really not good for much beyond taking snapshots of portraits and landscapes in full sunlight for use at small sizes or online.

Again, with the batteries in it, the L22 has a nice weight to it. The AA-size batteries are the main attraction here, and the L22 can be used with alkalines, long-life lithium-ion cells, and rechargeable NiMHs. The battery compartment is difficult to open, and more so to close. It has a latch to secure it, but according to several user reviews it’s fairly weak and breaks easily. I had no trouble with my review camera, but looking at the tiny latch, it’s not surprising; with the batteries out, the L22 feels considerably less sturdy.

It is comfortable to use, though, with simple controls that are big and easy to read. The screen is larger than usual for an entry-level camera and gets reasonably bright; I still had trouble using it in bright sun, but that can be said about a lot of LCDs. The lens, on the other hand, is a disappointment.

With Nikon’s name you might expect a certain level of quality from the lens. The L22′s is fairly inconsistent: it’s reasonably sharp in the center, but gets noticeably softer to the sides, top, bottom, and corners. The lower left side of the lens was particularly bad on my review camera, causing severe softness that was visible even at small sizes.

Also, while its 3.6x optical zoom is what I expect in this class, there’s no way to shut off the camera’s 4x digital zoom, which results in horrible photos if you use it. There is a marker where it changes over from optical to digital zoom on the zoom indicator and it changes color. However, it’s very easy to overshoot the optical zoom range if you’re not paying attention to the screen.

The lens actually has quite a bit of barrel distortion, too, but at least Nikon does an excellent job of correcting for it. The same goes for fringing in high-contrast areas of photos; it was only really visible when photos were viewed at 100 percent.

No camera manufacturer makes a sub-$120 camera with manual or semimanual shooting modes; it’s just basic point-and-shoots at this price point. Of the cameras I’ve tested at this price, the L22 has the least control. The Auto mode is as good as it gets–it’s basically the same as the program auto mode on other cameras, but it just lets you turn on continuous shooting, change the white balance, and select one of the four color filters. You can change the resolution, too, but that’s available in all modes.

The L22 has an ISO sensitivity range from 80 to 1,600. However, you have no control over ISO settings–it’s auto only. If your subject is in the center of the frame and you have plenty of light so that the sensitivity stays below ISO 400, you can get good photos from the camera. For most of my indoor low-light test shots, though, the camera went with ISO 800 and very slow shutter speeds. The results are predictably mediocre, soft and smeary with color shifting. The camera also struggles with focusing in dim lighting, doing a lot of hunting, and there’s a noticeable shutter lag. If you’re considering the L22 to use indoors at all, don’t. Should your subject move, you have shaky hands, or both, you’ll likely end up with blurry shots unless you use the flash. This camera is really only good for stills of stationary subjects under bright lighting, preferably outdoors.

I say preferably outdoors because while colors are pleasing from the L22 (and probably the best thing about this camera), the auto white balance is fairly yellow-green under fluorescent light and warm under incandescent. Oddly enough there is a manual white balance that works really well, but it’s only available in Auto mode.

For those who like to shoot close-ups, the L22 can focus on a subject as close as 2 inches. As long as your subject is in the middle of the lens, you’ll end up with decent shots considering the camera’s price. Although you’ll probably want to sharpen them a bit with software once they’re on a computer.

Video quality is good enough for Web use, but not much else. The zoom lens does not function while recording, but you do have a digital zoom; I suggest not using it, as the results are unpleasant.

Shooting performance is somewhat slow, but on par with other cameras in its class. However, if you’re shooting with the electronic image stabilization, the camera becomes sluggish between shots.

It’s cameras like the Nikon Coolpix L22 that have people reaching for their smartphones and camera phones instead of an actual camera. It’s true, you really shouldn’t expect much at this price, but I do expect something. For the same money you can pick up Canon’s PowerShot A495 and get more features and better photos.

Shooting speed (in seconds)
(Smaller bars indicate better performance)

Time to first shot  

Typical shot-to-shot time (flash)  

Typical shot-to-shot time  

Shutter lag (dim)  

Shutter lag (typical)  

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Looking at the 12-megapixel Nikon Coolpix L22, you can understand why someone would buy it. It’s a good-looking compact camera at a low price with three things people would be attracted to: a 3-inch LCD, AA batteries for power, and the Nikon brand. Pop in its batteries and the camera has a nice weight to it, making it feel like a sturdy, well-built camera. And like most in its class, the L22 is very much a fully automatic point-and-shoot with little to adjust except for maybe picking an appropriate scene mode.

The L22 is a little too limited in the feature department, though, which can make it difficult to get usable photos. Team that with mediocre lens quality and some performance concerns and you have an entry-level camera that’s really not good for much beyond taking snapshots of portraits and landscapes in full sunlight for use at small sizes or online.

Again, with the batteries in it, the L22 has a nice weight to it. The AA-size batteries are the main attraction here, and the L22 can be used with alkalines, long-life lithium-ion cells, and rechargeable NiMHs. The battery compartment is difficult to open, and more so to close. It has a latch to secure it, but according to several user reviews it’s fairly weak and breaks easily. I had no trouble with my review camera, but looking at the tiny latch, it’s not surprising; with the batteries out, the L22 feels considerably less sturdy.

It is comfortable to use, though, with simple controls that are big and easy to read. The screen is larger than usual for an entry-level camera and gets reasonably bright; I still had trouble using it in bright sun, but that can be said about a lot of LCDs. The lens, on the other hand, is a disappointment.

With Nikon’s name you might expect a certain level of quality from the lens. The L22′s is fairly inconsistent: it’s reasonably sharp in the center, but gets noticeably softer to the sides, top, bottom, and corners. The lower left side of the lens was particularly bad on my review camera, causing severe softness that was visible even at small sizes.

Also, while its 3.6x optical zoom is what I expect in this class, there’s no way to shut off the camera’s 4x digital zoom, which results in horrible photos if you use it. There is a marker where it changes over from optical to digital zoom on the zoom indicator and it changes color. However, it’s very easy to overshoot the optical zoom range if you’re not paying attention to the screen.

The lens actually has quite a bit of barrel distortion, too, but at least Nikon does an excellent job of correcting for it. The same goes for fringing in high-contrast areas of photos; it was only really visible when photos were viewed at 100 percent.

No camera manufacturer makes a sub-$120 camera with manual or semimanual shooting modes; it’s just basic point-and-shoots at this price point. Of the cameras I’ve tested at this price, the L22 has the least control. The Auto mode is as good as it gets–it’s basically the same as the program auto mode on other cameras, but it just lets you turn on continuous shooting, change the white balance, and select one of the four color filters. You can change the resolution, too, but that’s available in all modes.

The L22 has an ISO sensitivity range from 80 to 1,600. However, you have no control over ISO settings–it’s auto only. If your subject is in the center of the frame and you have plenty of light so that the sensitivity stays below ISO 400, you can get good photos from the camera. For most of my indoor low-light test shots, though, the camera went with ISO 800 and very slow shutter speeds. The results are predictably mediocre, soft and smeary with color shifting. The camera also struggles with focusing in dim lighting, doing a lot of hunting, and there’s a noticeable shutter lag. If you’re considering the L22 to use indoors at all, don’t. Should your subject move, you have shaky hands, or both, you’ll likely end up with blurry shots unless you use the flash. This camera is really only good for stills of stationary subjects under bright lighting, preferably outdoors.

I say preferably outdoors because while colors are pleasing from the L22 (and probably the best thing about this camera), the auto white balance is fairly yellow-green under fluorescent light and warm under incandescent. Oddly enough there is a manual white balance that works really well, but it’s only available in Auto mode.

For those who like to shoot close-ups, the L22 can focus on a subject as close as 2 inches. As long as your subject is in the middle of the lens, you’ll end up with decent shots considering the camera’s price. Although you’ll probably want to sharpen them a bit with software once they’re on a computer.

Video quality is good enough for Web use, but not much else. The zoom lens does not function while recording, but you do have a digital zoom; I suggest not using it, as the results are unpleasant.

Shooting performance is somewhat slow, but on par with other cameras in its class. However, if you’re shooting with the electronic image stabilization, the camera becomes sluggish between shots.

It’s cameras like the Nikon Coolpix L22 that have people reaching for their smartphones and camera phones instead of an actual camera. It’s true, you really shouldn’t expect much at this price, but I do expect something. For the same money you can pick up Canon’s PowerShot A495 and get more features and better photos.

Shooting speed (in seconds)
(Smaller bars indicate better performance)

Time to first shot  

Typical shot-to-shot time (flash)  

Typical shot-to-shot time  

Shutter lag (dim)  

Shutter lag (typical)  

Find out more about how we test digital cameras.

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The 65-inch Vizio XVT3D650SV is the first TV in the US to ship with “passive” 3D capability. Unlike the other mainstream 3D TVs of 2010, which use “active” glasses that cost around $100 each, this big Vizio comes with four pairs of cheap polarized glasses, the same kind used by most 3D theaters. We’ve already taken an in-depth look at how the XVT3D650SV’s 3D compares to an active 3D model, so we’ll keep it brief here: while the Vizio has its advantages, we still liked the picture quality of active better.

Our main issue with this big Vizio, however, lies in its reproduction of 2D content, especially its propensity for smearing in fast motion–something we didn’t expect from a 120Hz TV. Add to that a few other issues that separate it from Vizio’s excellent, albeit 2D-only, XVT553SV, as well as a hefty price tag, and you have a package that loses some its luster. Unless you must have the first, and biggest, passive 3D TV on the block, it’s worth waiting for other 2011 examples, like LG’s passive 65-inch 65LW6500.

Series information: This review will apply only to the 65-inch XVT3D650SV since it basically stands alone in Vizio’s lineup, with no other screen sizes that have identical features. Its closest relatives we reviewed in 2010 hail from the XVT3SV series, which lack 3D. Its closest 2011 relative is the XVT3D5 series, but those sets employ full-array LEDs, as opposed to edge-lit, and max out at 55 inches.

Design

Photo gallery:
Vizio XVT3D650SV

The XVT3D650SV’s exterior looks just like that of a smaller, 55-inch XVT3SV we tested last year, and while it’s an improvement over some past Vizios, it’s still pretty pedestrian by today’s standards. The look is all-black, and the only real accent is a little rounded mound between the speakers along the bottom. Unlike most TV makers, Vizio has yet to hide its speakers, so as a result the frame is relatively chunky.

Edge-lit LED backlighting allows a thin 2.2 inch depth, which also contributes to the relatively light weight (105 pounds) of this 65-inch TV. For that reason we’d expect a swivel stand, but the Vizio doesn’t have one.

The 65-incher gets the same remote as all of Vizio’s higher-end Apps-equipped TVs, and it’s one of the best-featured clickers you can buy. Its main appeal is a full slide-out keyboard with dedicated keys for letters, numbers, and symbols, just like on a smartphone. Best of all, it’s included with the TV for free, not as an expensive option like some other Internet-friendly remotes.

We found the thicker, heavier clicker reassuring in the hand. Its standard keys are easy to navigate and thoughtfully laid-out, although we’d appreciate more differentiation by feel. The lack of any kind of illumination didn’t help, and we missed having a dedicated key for aspect ratio.

The keyboard worked on all of the apps we tried, and although we found it more cramped and less responsive compared, say, to the keyboard on a typical smartphone, it’s perfectly usable. It makes Tweets, Facebook status updates, and username/password sign-ins so much easier than the standard remote/onscreen keyboard combo.

Bluetooth means the remote works without needing line-of-sight. Although we didn’t test it, Vizio says the TV can pair with other Bluetooth devices like a full-size keyboard or stereo headphones. Vizio sells the XVTBH100 headphones for $99.

The universal aspect of the remote was also well-thought-out. Onscreen prompts, as opposed to long lists in the instruction manual, guide you through programming control codes for your devices; the volume and mute keys can “punch through” to operate external gear like an AV receiver. It lacks the full task-based functionality of a Harmony, but this TV remote still goes further than any we’ve tested toward emulating a good universal remote in the first place.

Vizio’s menu system resembles another app in appearance and we liked that the picture settings section is actually integrated into the main app taskbar (see below). Responses were fast, explanations complete, and we had no problems finding our way around. In sum, the remote and menus were among the best we’ve used, and they surpass in many ways the efforts of more well-known brands.

Features

Here’s where the XVT3D650SV differs significantly from the Editors’ Choice-winning, albeit 2D-only, XVT3SV series. The 3D650SV’s main draw is passive 3D, allowing its 3D effect to be viewed through inexpensive, unpowered circular polarized lenses. How inexpensive? Vizio is currently charging $30 per pair on its Web site (although that should fall fast), and we found compatible eyewear online for $5/pair and less. We had a pair of RealD glasses from a theater and they worked fine on the Vizio.

Unlike most other high-end Vizios the 3D650SV has an edge-lit LED backlight, not the full-array variety we liked so much on the XVT3SV. It does allow local dimming, however, and Vizio claims the TV has 32 “zones” that can be independently dimmed (more info). Another difference between the two comes in the form of the 3D650SV’s glossy screen finish; we generally prefer matte LCD screens.

The XVT3D650SV’s built-in Wi-Fi performed better than that of its predecessor, but significantly worse than the wired connection. The main issue we found was that during Netflix streaming, the TV took way too long (up to 2 to 3 minutes) to begin playing a program via Wi-Fi, while a Sony KDL-52NX800 with built-in Wi-Fi, for example, took around 20 seconds or so. Video quality and stability on the Vizio’s Wi-Fi was fine once the program began, however. We performed the testing below via the wired Ethernet connection, and while your Wi-Fi experience may differ from ours, we recommend going with Ethernet if you can.

Although it still lacks YouTube, the selection of streaming audio and video on Vizio’s VIA platform is otherwise stellar.

The XVT3D650SV provided our first look at Vudu’s 3D streaming service and when we rented “Bolt” it worked as well as we expected. The Vizio’s lower-resolution 3D combined with Vudu’s half-res “side-by-side” format meant the image was much softer than the equivalent Vudu HDX 2D stream, but we were just happy to get another source of 3D content.

Netflix, Vudu, and Amazon VOD in 2D all exhibited the picture quality we expected, and we appreciated that many picture controls were available–including picture modes, backlight level and advanced controls like dejudder, but excluding contrast, brightness, color, etc. Vizio treats these streaming services as a separate input, and unlike other such TVs can run other Apps simultaneously, allowing you to Tweet or check Facebook while watching Netflix, for example. Think of it as TV multitasking, or just think of streaming services as another TV channel.

We reviewed the Rhapsody app in our XVT3SV write-up and were pretty impressed, so this time we decided to check out TuneIn Radio by RadioTime, the same company that provides broadcast radio stations to Sonos. Despite relatively long (30- to 40-second) load times on occasion, for example, while it listed our numerous NYC radio stations, the app was excellent (similar to the iPhone version), delivering live streams of our local stations complete with upcoming schedules and even icons for shows where available. It can access thousands of stations nationwide, local and nonlocal, incorporates a Twitter feed on some stations and even allows you to view the upcoming schedule. Streaming performance was mostly solid, although we did encounter occasional skipping on some stations.

None of the streaming audio services allow multitasking, however, so we were foiled in our attempt to tweet from the Vizio about RadioTime.

We detailed two of the “other” video streamers in the previous review as well. One app added since then, called Craze TV, promises streaming movies courtesy of onlinemoviesbox.com. If you care, you can check out their selection, but suffice it to say it’s lighter than basic cable and with worse picture quality.

Blockbuster and CinemaNow are still “coming soon,” for what it’s worth, as is the long-promised ability to stream music, photos, and video via a home network (DLNA) or a USB stick.

Our favorite Apps platform of 2010 was Vizio’s VIA interface, mainly because it delivered the most integrated experience. All of the applications, from Amazon VOD to Netflix to Yahoo Weather, can be found in the Widget Gallery, which conjures up a notification graphic when new apps are available. When downloaded they appear after a few seconds in the taskbar along the bottom of the screen. Load times were entirely tolerable, and navigation was snappy both within apps and between them on the bar itself, even when we filled it with apps.

Since our last review the selection has improved even further, adding new non-streaming apps like QVC home shopping, a CNBC stock ticker and Fandango. The latter showed upcoming showtimes for numerous theaters nearby and allowed us to buy tickets directly from many of them.

There are also a bunch of new games, although nothing along the lines of the OnLive functionality that will be included with Vizio’s next-generation VIA Plus platform. Like all other Vizio TVs with the standard VIA platform, the XVT3D650SV will not be upgradable to VIA Plus.

The selection here is fairly standard in 2D, aside from the ridiculous number of picture modes Vizio offers. All are adjustable per input, so viewers who like to create different settings for all kinds of material and sources will have a lot to like. We’d like to see gamma presets and especially the ability to adjust dejudder processing beyond the three presets, but neither is in the offing. Tweakers take note that the Ambient Light Sensor, which ships turned on by default, must be disabled before you can manually adjust the backlight setting.

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