Other Cameras

The first camera with a transparent ceramic lens, Casio’s Exilim EX-S100 is one of the slimmest and most compact digicams we’ve seen. Weighing less than 120 grams with its slender lithium-ion battery loaded in its smart stainless steel body, the S100 is a beautifully constructed unit for anyone who wants an ultra-portable camera.Some of the control buttons are very small, but;the controls are well designed and include functions that make the camera easy to use, such as Direct On buttons for capture and playback, 23 Best Shot settings, Icon Help and Business Shot.

The EX-Z50 is the cheaper of Casio’s new 5-megapixel Exilim models. It’s also slightly smaller and lighter and has a smaller LCD display but, otherwise the only differences between it and the EX-Z55 are slightly lower power efficiency and a different control layout. With so little between these two models, it’s difficult to see why you might choose the Z50 over the $50 dearer Z55, although the Z50 is slightly lighter. The viewfinder is tiny and poorly positioned – but it’s better than having none at all. The rear panel sports two handy Direct On buttons, which start the camera in either capture or playback mode. Users can customise the left/right keys on the four-way controller to access functions like the recording mode, EV shift, white balance, ISO or self-timer – but it’s easy to change settings inadvertently.

Ultra-high resolution presents technical challenges to a prestige point-and-shoot camera with some interesting and useful functions. We can’t understand why Casio put a 10-megapixel imager into its new slimline digicam, the EX-Z1000. By our calculations, each photosite on this chip has an area of just under two microns square. This will challenge the on-board image processor and is likely to produce a narrower dynamic range and more image noise than lower-resolution models. By comparison, the photosites on Sony’s DSC-R1 or Nikon’s D200 models are much larger at just over 6.8 microns square.

[ia] Rounded contours and a larger, 7.1 megapixel sensor characterise Canon’s new Digital Ixus 700. Featuring the latest DiG!C II image processor, it sports a generous control suite for a point-and-shoot camera. The rear panel mode dial has settings for playback, auto, manual, scene and movie capture. In auto, the only functions you can change are resolution and quality – plus settings accessed via the arrow buttons. Manual lets you set exposure compensation, white balance, ISO and photo effects. The scene mode calls up nine scene mode and the movie clips can be recorded at VGA or QVGA resolution with frame rates of 30 or 15 fps or QQVGA clips at 15 fps. A special ‘Fast Frame Rate’ setting records QVGA clips at 60 fps.

Canon’s Digital Ixus IIs is a minor update to the successful Ixus II but sports a slick ‘Silver White Finish’ to its stainless-steel body and a new Print/Share button and direct printing enablement. It’s a pity Canon didn’t put a 4-megapixel sensor in this model when they added the Print/Share button since, small size and attractive design notwithstanding, $549 for a 3.2-megapixel, 2x optical zoom camera is a big ask in the current marketplace!

A smart metal body and large LCD screen combine with a high-resolution sensor to make Sony’s DSCW1 Cyber-shot an attractive camera, and its competitive price and ease of use will contribute to its success. So, too, will the Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens, although its wide-angle coverage may not be ideal for all photographers. It’s hard to fault the W1’s overall design as all controls and fittings are well placed and easy to use. The W1 mixes point-and-shoot functions with controls to appeal to serious photographers.

Sony’s DSC-P93 Cyber-shot has the same 5-megapixel sensor as the DSC-P100 but a ‘Sony’ lens that only focuses to 10cm in macro mode. It also uses rechargeable AA batteries and is only available in one colour. Minor cosmetic differences include a slightly thicker body with the mode dial moved to the top panel, and a smaller LCD monitor. No remote control is supplied. The P93 has the same auto and pre-set scene modes plus Program AE and manual settings, and the same video options.

Ricoh’s neat little Caplio GX8 is based on the 5-megapixel Caplio GX model and sports the same 3x optical zoom lens. With its 8-megapixel sensor, flash hot shoe and suite of manual controls, it’s targeted more at the quality-conscious intermediate photographer than the novice and it comes with a classy suede-like carrying pouch.

A very compact, extended-zoom digicam that would be an excellent choice for travellers.Panasonic has released two updates to last year’s DMC-TZ1 model, which we reviewed in June 2006: the 6-megapixel DMC-TZ2 and the 7.2-megapixel DMC-TZ3 (which is reviewed here). Both have the same 10x optical zoom lens, which covers a focal length range equivalent to 28-280mm in 35mm format but the TZ1’s 2.5-inch LCD monitor has been replaced in the TZ3 by a 3.0-inch display that fills three quarters of the back panel. No viewfinder is provided.

Compact and 10x zoom makes the TZ1 a good choice for travellers.Claimed as the smallest 10x zoom digital camera on the market, Panasonic’s 5-megapixel DMC-TZ1 recently received the T.I.P.A. Award for the best ‘Superzoom’ digital camera in Europe. Among the reasons cited for the win are the camera’s Optical Image Stabiliser (which is found in all Panasonic digicams) and the new Venus Engine III processor. The ‘unlimited’ burst mode, which lets users fire off a burst of shots at half-second intervals until the memory is full, also got a Guernsey, as did the integrated retractable lens system with its folded optics technology.