Other Cameras

“Twist-and-shoot” convenience, above-average picture quality and use of AA batteries make this long-zoom lens camera a good choice for travellers.Nikon has returned to ‘twist-and-shoot’ styling for its 6-megapixel Coolpix S4 camera, which is the first ‘slimline’ model with a long zoom lens. With a maximum aperture of f/3.5, the 38-380mm (equivalent) lens is relatively fast and it’s partnered with a 2.5-inch LCD monitor to allow easy shot composition. The lens isn’t stabilised, although electronic vibration reduction is available in Movie mode. No viewfinder is provided.

An affordable extended-zoom digicam for point-and-shoot photographers.In its Coolpix L100 model, Nikon has entered new territory with an extended zoom camera for snapshooters. Powered by four AA batteries, it provides four, highly-automated capture modes for still photography plus a movie mode that records VGA or QVGA clips at 30 frames/second. Don’t expect P, A, S and M shooting modes; you won’t find them. But you will find an interesting Sport continuous mode that records 3-megapixel shots at 13 frames/second for up to 30 frames.

Like all Konica Minolta G-series cameras, the DiMAGE G600 has a sliding lens cover/on-off switch, which unveils a line of flickering blue LEDs when the camera is powered up. This takes roughly 1.3 seconds. The LEDs double as the self-timer lamp and shine whenever the shutter button is half pressed. The G600 sports a new ‘A* Image Processing System’ (A*IPS), which converts the exposure, focus and white balance data from the sensor into image data. The camera is pre-set for ‘basic’ shooting, a point-and-shoot mode, but also has a ‘details’ menu, which is accessed via the set-up menu and contains lots of user-adjustable settings.

Kodak’s CX7530 combines ease of use with affordability and features, design and construction that equal or better most similarly priced cameras. The chunky plastic body has a 1.8-inch indoor/outdoor display and is equipped with 32MB of internal memory (which holds 17 high resolution images), plus an SD/MMC card slot.

[ia] On test, the F610 produced images that were sharp but rather saturated, fairly contrasty and slightly over-sharpened. Low light usage is only possible in the Night Scene mode. Shots taken at ISO 160 were noise-free but at ISO 400 noise was visible, and at ISO 800 quite obvious. High ISO settings tended to reduce image sharpness. The white balance was an average performer. Video capture was generally very good and the vertical camera body was easy to hold.

With its dedicated Auto setting, AF framing guides and 16 scene modes, the DX7440 is easy enough for a child to use, while its P, A, S, M and custom modes provide enough manual controls to encourage greater photographic involvement. The 4x optical zoom lens covers an appropriate range for family snapshots. The 4x digital zoom control, which is an extension of the optical zoom, also delivers good picture quality. A further extension of the zoom range is available through the 2x telephoto extender lens (RRP $129). Another big plus is its responsiveness. Capture lag was consistent at 0.7 seconds, while shutter lag averaged just over 0.1 seconds.

A high-resolution digicam that is small enough to slip into a shirt pocket and offers Full HD video recording.The Cyber-shot DSC-WX7 is one of five 16.2-megapixel cameras announced by Sony at the CES Show in January. Designed primarily for snapshooters, it’s the first to be available for review and also claims status as the first compact digicam with a 3D Still Image mode that can record stereo pairs with only one lens and sensor.

Casio’s EX-Z55 sports a lightweight aluminium body with a large 2.5-inch colour LCD and small optical viewfinder. It comes with 9.3MB of internal memory (enough for four high-resolution images) and an SD/MMC card slot. The retracting smc Pentax 3x zoom lens is reasonably fast and the camera is supplied with a docking cradle for downloading pictures and recharging the battery.

More adjustable controls than any other slimline digicam plus above average imaging performance.Casio has packed a surprising number of controls and functions into its Exilim EX-Z850 camera, which has an 8.1-megapixel CCD and 3x optical zoom lens. The sensor is larger than average, promising a wide dynamic range and low image noise. The camera’s well-designed, all-metal body sports a bright, 2.5-inch LCD, a very small optical viewfinder and a mode dial with eight positions.

An attractive, well-designed, slimline camera for novice photographers.Available in silver, blue, brown, black and red, Casio’s Exilim EX-Z600 is easily pocketable digicams and offers some handy features for snapshooters. Supplied with a USB cradle/battery charger, it boasts a 2.7-inch Super Bright LCD screen (but no viewfinder) and a fully-retracting, 3x optical zoom lens. Users can call up a rule-of-thirds grid on the LCD along with an intensity/RGB histogram. Multi-point and spot AF modes are provided, the former indicating areas used for focusing.