Advantages: Does pretty much everything a good SLR should do, but cheaper
Disadvantages: You can't change the lenses. Plus other little things. Read on...

...a very wide-angle lens camera. Most digital compacts have lenses around the 35-105mm range, in 35mm terms. Some expensive ‘pro-sumer’ cameras go out to about 28mm at the wide end. I, on the other hand, have got quite used to my excellent 22-55mm zoom wide-angle lens on my Canon 35mm SLR. It’s excellent for really panoramic landscape shots. BACKGROUND: So, having discovered the benefits of digital photography, I started seriously looking for a digital replacement for my Canon EOS50 35mm SLR. My initial thought was to buy an EOS300D, on the basis that it’s compatible with my current lenses and would be easy to use since I know how to work Canon SLRs. But, even my super-wide-angle 22-55mm lens would only translate into a 35-80mm lens on the 300D, so I’d be back to square one on that front. Unfortunately very wide angle lenses are very... Read review

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Advantages: Small and handy
Disadvantages: None

...it upward and exposure compensation becomes available. Press it downward and white balance options appear. The Lens The Pro1's lens is a 7.2 - 50.8mm f/2.2 - 3.5L optic. This is equivalent to 28-200mm in familiar 35mm terms. The big news here is that this is an "L" Series lens, the first time that Canon has applied this designation to any lens other than pro-level lenses for its SLR cameras The lens is provided with the usual petal-shaped lens shade. I'm not crazy about its design though. It doesn't fit firmly. When twisted into place it locks, but then a bit more firm pressure and it continues to rotate. Also, the front of the lens is not threaded for filters. Instead Canon provides a filter adaptor which bayonettes on and which then can take 58mm filters. But, the provided lens shade does not then fit. This is simply not an acceptable... Read review

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Advantages: Top-of-the-range, efficient and safe
Disadvantages: Dried-on grease needs a helping hand

...high pressure, so that you really are cleaning with steam! Less powerful makes tend to produce a lot of water thereby making the whole process a very wet and messy experience, but the Polti is extremely efficient and leaves very little water to mop up, no matter how much you steam. This model has a safety valve on the filling cap so that you can't unscrew it until the machine has cooled down completely (usually about 20 minutes or so; less if all of the steam has been used up). This safety device prevents you from being scalded. One complete fill of the machine in my experience generates enough steam for a good long session of cleaning, and there's a warning siren when it needs refilling. The Vaporetto 3000 Eco Pro Lux model comes with a bewildering array of tools, including a spongee for cleaning windows and mirrors; a steel brush... Read review

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Advantages: Cleans and regulates the power to your computer
Disadvantages: Instructions can be a little hard to follow

...I decided to get this piece of equipment after having a spate of power failures and power lags over a while. Most of these were momentary, which would cause my computer to lock up, but not to switch off completely. I was sure this was not doing it any good. Others were prolonged which caused my computer to just switch off. The BackUPS Pro protects your computer with a battery backup, so if the power fails, the battery will takeover and your computer will be shutdown safely automatically after a specified number of minutes. With a machine with quite a lot of cards, and a 3 year old 17 inch monitor, the battery will last for about 10 minutes, or up to 30 minutes if the monitor is switched off. Your equipment is also protected from power surges by the UPS which means that if such a thing happens your equipment should be safe.... Read review

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Advantages: A blending of traditionalist horror and new mythology.
Disadvantages: it would have been a fine full length novel - I almost wish it was...

...L.H. Maynard and M.P.N. Sims are familiar names to those who know. Not only have they set up and run the superlative Enigma Press, currently running at four imprints, but they have a very fine reputation for supernatural tale-telling of their own. 'Moths', the launch title of Enigmatic Novellas, is a very fine example of this duo's gift. Unpredictable, creepy and disturbing, the tale deals with the strangeness of David Alywin's old friend Simon Desborough, recently returned from Japan with a new fiancé. Visiting the Desborough estates deep in Wiltshire, David notices a strange tension in his friend. Something disturbs him also about bride in preparation Anna Otani, and her oriental family. When he discovers, to his horror, that the Otani's are now owners of the Desborough assets, he digs deep to find out just what is going on... Read review

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Advantages: Perfect combination of easy to use features and more advanced capabilities
Disadvantages: Takes four batteries, so fairly heavy... but has comparatively good battery life

...When I first was told that this camera came under the 'Pro-sumer' market category, I was confused; but the term explains the camera's functioning perfectly. It is at once an extremely easy camera to use for the complete novice, but it offers some great features for the budding 'serious' amateur photographer: aimed at that section of the market directly in the niche between 'average joe' consumer and amateur photographer! One of my favourite features is the many settings in which it is possible to control the camera manually, including aperture and shutter speed just as on a standard SLR. It does take a while studying the manual to understand how to acheive this, but once you've got the hang of it, it's easy going. The digital screen has a nice original format, as shown, I believe, in the picture for this product. It folds... Read review

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Advantages: Compact - lightweight - Flip/Turn screen - Manual Mode.
Disadvantages: No AF Illuminator - No Bulb setting - Cluttered buttons

...As an ex professional photographer I wanted a digital camera that gave me many of the benefits I use with my everyday 35mm and Medium format gear, but without the hassle of lugging a large amount of equipment around. I looked therefore at the Nikon Coolpix 5400 and the Canon Powershot Pro 1, both of which are aimed at the more advanced photographer or prosumer (A word I hate). As a long time Nikon user I was leaning toward the coolpix at 6 mega pixels purely because it had a Bulb facility enabling the shutter to remain open for a maximum of 10 minutes. Instead I purchased the Pro1 as I preferred its looks and feel and it also has a much larger LCD than the poultry one on the coolpix. In general use the Pro1 is a fabulous camera, it handles well, and feels good to hold. The buttons are laid out nicely but some are just a little too... Read review

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Advantages: Easy to use, robust
Disadvantages: Might not be easy to find on sale

...I love the Canon Power Shot G2 camera that I use in my working life as a journalist/photographer. It is robust and strong, and is ideal for the busy professional who needs to take quality images quickly. There are many features on this camera, macro feature and everything else you would expect from a camera of this type. However, there is something you will not find, a digital zoom. The zoom on the Canon is an optical zoom and this means that the quality of photographs is always sharp and always crisp. Many people have been severely disappointed when they have taken a new digital camera out of the box and found out that the so-called digital zoom returns sub-standard images. As I say, this is not the case with the Canon Power Shot G2. The image screen shows you exactly what the image will be and the screen can be put... Read review

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Advantages: It's Pro Evolution Soccer, in handheld format for crying out loud...
Disadvantages: Some long loading times and a lack of a Master League likely to put some fans off...

...So, the second best football game ever made gets a release on the PSP. For shame that few remember the gloriously addictive Sensible Soccer (from the halcyon days of the Amiga) as the title would be perfect for Sony's venture into the arena of handheld and portable gaming. Small, compact and simple, the endeavour would surely make the most out of the platform given the power of the PSP. Instead we have Pro Evolution Soccer, Konami's yearly updated monster for the Playstation 2, which in many ways is akin to playing virtual football. A fantastic game by all accounts, but, given the range and depth of the football on show - including numerous cup competitions, individual player data, the much loved Master League and barnstorming realism in the graphics department - its conversion to the PSP would seem as tricky as a FA Cup third round away... Read review

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Advantages: Excellent game play and works well on X box live
Disadvantages: Poor tutorial

...For the ultimate football simulation, the majority of gamers have always chosen the Pro Evolution series due to it's superb graphics, endless playability and the truly unmatched gameplay. You would probably say that it isn't possible to improve it further, but, somehow, Konami have done it with Pro Evolution Soccer 4. "Pro Evo 4" as the game is often referred to as, is a truly breathtaking translation of the real world of football. The graphics, to begin with, are truly stunning. The players really do look like their real-life counterparts, and the stadiums are truly fantastic - also looking like the real life venues. The movement of the players is spot on, and you can almost feel the net bulge as you score another stunner, it is that realistic. The commentary on the game has been improved since the last edition of the series... Read review

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