Reviews

A stylish, high-resolution, slimline digicam with a good feature set for snapshooters.Packed inside the stylish black metal body of the Mju 1020 is a 10-megapixel CCD imager that is only marginally larger than the sensors in the 8-megapixel Mju 840 and Mju 850 SW models, although we don’t have its actual dimensions. While the difference in maximum output file sizes between the Mju 1020 and its ‘sisters’ is relatively small (3648 x 2736 pixels in the 1020 vs 3248 x 2436 pixels in the other models) Olympus is asking a lot from this tiny imaging chip.

A stylish and affordable, slimline digicam with features to appeal to point-and-press snapshooters.Offered in three contemporary colours – Mirror (silver), Phantom (black) and Hot Chilli (red) – the Olympus Mju 1040 is designed for snapshooters and comes with a 10.1-megapixel CCD image sensor and retracting 3x optical zoom lens. Features to suit its target market include a new ‘Intelligent Auto’ (iAuto) function for point-and-press picture-taking and Face Detect and Shadow Adjust technologies that aim to deliver sharp, correctly exposed pictures in most situations.

A high-resolution, pocketable digicam with some handy functions for point-and-shoot photographers.The 10-megapixel Olympus Mju 1000 offers some handy functions to make everyday picture-taking easier and more successful for novice photographers. Equipped with the company’s proprietary ‘Splashproof’, ‘Shakeproof’, ‘Nightproof’ and ‘Editproof’ technologies, it comes with 20 pre-set scene modes plus a built-in Guide Function that helps users to choose the correct camera settings. However, manual controls are limited and some settings reduce image resolution.

An affordably-priced slimline digicam for snapshooters and travellers.At $150 less than the Coolpix S8, Nikon’s Coolpix S9 looks like a good buy. Although its sensor resolution is lower, at 6-megapixels it is still high enough for snapshots, which will be the main application for this camera. Both cameras have 3x optical zoom lenses, although the S8 covers a slightly wider angle of view. Both sport 2.5-inch LCD monitors, although the S9’s resolution is lower than the S8’s – and it shows! Other specifications are similar and both models come in smart-looking, well-built metal cases.

A stylish and pocketable digicam for point-and-press snapshooters. The C-Lux 3 is the latest Leica-branded camera to emerge from the on-going partnership between Leica and Panasonic. Essentially a re-badged Panasonic FX37, it has the same image sensor and 5x optical zoom lens, the same monitor and identical controls. In the past, the main difference between the Leica- and Panasonic-badged models was the superior software package supplied with the former. But no software was included with the review model.

Konica Minolta’s latest ‘X’ series camera is similar to the X50 model, although slightly smaller and lighter. Price-wise the X60 competes with the Olympus ø‚ µ-mini S and Pentax Optio S5z models, and, like an increasing number of ultra-compact digicams, replaces the viewfinder with a large LCD, which is used for shot composition and image reviewing.

Konica Minolta’s DiMAGE X50 is the smallest of the X-series cameras and the only one with a 5-megapixel sensor. It’s available in three colours – silver, red and black. The camera’s small body size and comparatively large sensor restricts the zoom range to 2.8x but up to 12x magnification is provided via the 4.3x digital zoom.

[ia] Kodak’s EasyShare Z700 combines a medium-range Retinar all-glass zoom lens (35-175 mm equivalent) with a 4-megapixel CCD and 1.6-inch indoor/outdoor monitor. Straightforward to use, its body has the ‘boxy’ shape Kodak favours for its ‘high-zoom’ models, plus a built-in flash. A rotating mode dial switches the camera on and engages the main shooting modes.