While both handle low light pretty darn well (you can check that out for yourself in his gallery), he concludes that the Sony did better than the Fuji more times than not, and it also adds some cool features like a sweep panorama mode and a burst function.

The best part of the review: the video segment where Pogue and his buds go visit a psychic (it is very Mallrats minus the nipple part) and take pictures of her creepy spirit doll in the dim light. Having appeared in my fair share of Pogue productions, I’ve got to say that psychic should get a Pogie. [New York Times]

Hopefully things are cloudiest before they clear up: Nobody buys real camcorders anymore, entry-level DSLRs are all about HD video, and NYT’s David Pogue picks Panasonic’s Lumix GH1 as the current 1080p shooting champ.

He’s probably right. The two cameras I am evaluating at this very moment—Canon’s $US900 Rebel T1i and Nikon’s $US850 D5000—are damn fine still cameras with particularly attractive prices, that draw from the competitive legacy of their two makers, and are compatible with hundreds of lenses in each company’s respective armory. But for shooting video, they’re not exactly easy. Or even good.

Pogue’s point is this: The “micro four thirds” standard is pimpin’ for this particular task. It has the larger sensor and the full controls of an SLR while allowing for quality 1080p video with active autofocus. The two cameras I’m reviewing can’t refocus without a lot of trouble during video shoots. The GH1 even comes—mind you, at its sky-high $US1500 price—with an amazing lens for camcorder work. And it bears stating that if you’re going to buy a still camera that you’ll use as much for video, then Panasonic is probably gonna do you a solid, since it’s a leader among the handful of pro video camera makers. (Alton Brown once told me he swears by ‘em.)

But where does this leave camera shoppers? The problem I have with Pogue’s piece is that I still don’t know what to buy. And it makes me even more concerned for my own recommendation on the Nikon and Canon. I’ve placed a lot of weight on that video capability, as a reason to upgrade, but in light of the potential video quality demonstrated by the GH1, wouldn’t it be worth buying a clearance DSLR and a frill-free Flip camcorder and wait until this while mess gets sorted out, and video quality the likes of which Pogue rhapsodises is available in SLR cameras we actually want to own?

Tune in tomorrow for my final thoughts on this subject, and my verdict in the Nikon vs. Canon entry-level DSLR battlemodo. [NYT]

It’s a decidedly critical take on Apple and the people who love the company, which many of you might argue includes Pogue himself. However, as my old personal saying goes, if you can’t laugh at yourself, then you suck. [YouTube via CrunchGear]

Just type in the magic words (up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, a, b, enter) on the front page, and you will be rewarded. But as Adam points out, an additional 30 seconds of Pogue hamming it up might not juice you the same way as unlimited lives in Contra did back in the day, but our hats are off to you David Pogue, as well as the NYT code monkeys that dreamed this up. [Pogue-O-Matic]

If you need more gritty and less nitty, check out Chen’s rundown of the reviews. Or, if you have some spare time, read the Three Amigos’ own unexpurgated scribblings. [USA Today, WSJ/AllThingsD, NYT]

Thanks to the dedicated second image sensor, it:

“focuses quickly as you aim the lens, without ever blacking out the screen…the screen doesn’t go on-off-on, there’s no loud clacking, and there’s no baffling exhibition of mirror calisthenics inside the camera.”

He also thinks that “the button layout and software design are a delight” and “it feels terrific in your hand.” The actual photos though are a bit of a mixed bag: “sensational” in good light, but it doesn’t pull enough when it’s dark. And high ISO settings are grainier than everclear. Oh, and don’t be suckered in by the a350—it’s the same camera, and the extra MP aren’t worth it. [NYT]

However, you can use it with one hand, and it has just about all the iPod features found on an actual iPod. But there’s no games, no lyrics support and you can’t output video to a TV, or use it in disk mode. There’s iffy compatibility with iPod accessories, no custom ringtones (we knew that) and no phone calls when you’re using EDGE.

Head over to NYT to get the full scoop.
OFten-Asked iPhone Questions [NYTimes]