Other Cameras

An ultra-compact 7-megapixel digicam with a 7x optical zoom lens and CCD-shift anti-shake technology.Ricoh’s Caplio R5 is an update to the popular R4 model and offers a higher-resolution sensor, CCD-shift anti-shake technology and a new “Smooth Imaging Engine II processor and peripheral circuitry, which deliver better performance at high sensitivities. Available in silver, black and red, it also boasts a new Auto Resize Zoom that magnifies by cropping, reducing image sizes to minimise quality loss.

A purpose-built digicam for the construction and resource industries that can also be used by adventurous photographers.Although neither the smallest nor sleekest-looking 8-megapixel digicam on the market, Ricoh’s Caplio 500SE is nevertheless a very interesting camera. For starters, it has been designed to meet the needs of a very specific target market: outdoor photographers who need to keep track of where shots were taken and photographers who use map-based workflows. Design features that tailor this otherwise fairly standard digicam to meet these requirements include a robust camera body with all-weather usability and the addition of a Bluetooth radio module that can receive NMEA data streams from external GPS devices.

A well-built pocketable digicam with high resolution and a wide range of adjustable controls.Replacing the 15-month old GX100 model, Ricoh’s GX200 retains most of the best features of its predecessor, including its svelte body styling and 24-72mm 3x optical zoom lens. It also supports raw file capture, sensibly using Adobe’s DNG format instead or a proprietary format. Purchasers can also count on getting the same full creative control over exposure settings and top panel hot-shoe, which accepts an electronic viewfinder or an add-on flash.

Small enough to slip in a shirt pocket, yet capable of recording both printable stills and high-quality movie clips with sound, the Vivitar eek has a rotating lens barrel and a lightweight aluminium and plastic shell.

A low-priced, pocketable slimline camera with plenty of adjustments for snapshooters.Consumer electronics company, Uniden, has entered the digital camera market with two new models, offering 5- and 7-megapixel resolution. The features of both are similar so we elected to review the higher-resolution UDC-7M model, which costs $170 more than its 5-megapixel ‘sister’. Both come with 3x optical zoom lenses and 2.5-inch LCD monitors – but no viewfinder is provided.

A slim, credit-card-sized high-resolution digicam with touchscreen controls and 720p HD movie recording capabilities.Available in blue, pink, silver, black and brown, Sony’s Cyber-shot DSC-T90 is the latest in a series of slim, stylish digicams designed for snapshooters. Equipped with a 12.1-megapixel CCD sensor and Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar 4x optical zoom lens, its key features are its ultra-thin body, 3-inch LCD touchscreen and ability to record 1280×720 pixel 720p HD movie clips with stereo sound. Super SteadyShot optical image stabilisation is also provided.

A pocketable, ultra-slim, point-and-shoot digicam that is waterproof to three metres.Sony joins the list of waterproof camera manufacturers with a new model, the Cyber-shot DSC-TX5, which withstands immersion to up three metres but retains the slim and stylish appearance of the previous TX-series models. Featuring a 4x optical zoom lens and 10.2-megapixel resolution, the TX5 comes in four fashionable colours: black, silver, pink and red. (The pink is pale and the red is rather magenta-biased.)

An ultra-slim digicam with a 4GB internal memory that provides a portable photo album with storage for up to 40,000 pictures.The metal body of Sony’s DSC-T700 Cyber-shot comes in four fashionable colours: grey, gold, red or silver. This stylish digicam replaces the DSC-T300 but has the same 10.1-megapixel, 6.16 x 4.62mm Super HAD CCD sensor, 3.5-inch touch-screen display and Optical Steady Shot stabilisation. Designed to double as a portable photo album, the T700 has a far larger 4GB internal memory that can store up to 40,000 images at a suitable size for display on the LCD.

A pocketable 8-megapixel digicam with a touch-screen interface and 3x optical zoom lens.Sony’s 8.1-megapixel DSC-T70 cyber-shot is essentially a scaled-down version of the T200 model with a marginally smaller, lighter body, shorter zoom range and smaller LCD. Unlike previous T-series models, both are controlled via touch screens, which cover the rear panel and they are so similar in the functions they offer that they share the same user handbook. The T70 is $150 cheaper.

Sony’s new DSC-T7 model is even smaller than the earlier T-series models and will suit users with delicate fingers, especially left-handers due to the location of most key controls. All buttons are small and some lie almost flush with the camera body. The tiny zoom rocker sticks up just enough to be usable (though not with real precision) but the memory card hatch will challenge the less than dexterous.