Reviews

Fujifilm’s FinePix A340 is targeted squarely at point-and-shoot photographers who want a camera that has high resolution but is simple to use. The 4-megapixel sensor is a regular CCD and it’s partnered with a standard 3x optical zoom lens with fairly average specifications. The default shooting mode is fully automatic. Manual mode settings cover resolution/quality, white balance and exposure compensation only.

[ia] Available with black, camel or indigo leather-coated front panels, Kyocera’s Contax U4R has the same CCD sensor as the Contax i4R we reviewed in the last issue of Photo Review but replaces the fixed focal length lens with a 3x zoom that ranges from 38-115mm equivalent in 35mm format. Like its smaller cousin, the U4R’s lens is made by Carl Zeiss and carries the T* tag to indicate superior anti-reflection coatings.

[ia] The first camera in Kyocera’s Contax ‘i’ range, the i4R, is small, slim and very stylish. Its aluminium shell, which is available in red, silver or black, will please all tastes and its bright LCD screen is easy to view. No viewfinder is provided. For the most part, the i4R is beautifully constructed, with an easy-to-use control layout and top panel buttons that lie flush with the camera body.

Canon’s new PowerShot A520 is smaller and roughly 70 grams lighter than the A85 model it replaces. Interestingly, it will sell for $499, the price at which the A85 was launched. Apart from some re-shuffling of control buttons on the back panel and two extra scene modes (Kids & Pets and Night Snapshot) their control suites are similar, although the A520 looks smarter and has better functionality.

A stylish slimline digicam with image stabilisation, automatic face detection and in-camera red-eye correction.Canon’s Ixus 860 IS replaces the Ixus 850 IS model but offers slightly higher resolution for a lower price. The 850 IS’s optical viewfinder has been dispensed with, in favour of the new model’s larger, 3.0-inch LCD monitor. Continuous shooting speeds are slightly slower in the 860 IS, which has a top burst rate of 1.3 Large/Fine JPEG frames/second. However, the new model can record longer video clips – up to 4GB per recording. It also offers time lapse recording at VGA resolution, with a limit of two hours.

A smart-looking ultra-slim digicam with a large LCD for framing and reviewing shots.The Digital Ixus 75 replaces the 6-megapixel Ixus 65 model and is one of several 7.1-megapixel, 3x optical zoom digicams Canon has released this year. Distinguished by a circular accent around the lens, the Ixus 75 has the same lens as its predecessor and, like its predecessor, lacks a viewfinder. However the new model sports a 3.0-inch PureColor LCD. The image processor has been upgraded to DiG!C III, which includes Face Detection AF/AE/FE and Noise Reduction Technology and red-eye correction is offered with image playback.

A slimline digicam with a large, high-resolution touch-screen, plenty of manual controls for still photography and support for Full HD video recording.Essentially an update to the Ixus 300 HS, Canon’s new 12.1-megapixel Ixus 310 HS provides a slightly higher-resolution sensor, a wider zoom range and a larger LCD monitor with higher resolution and a widescreen aspect ratio. Canon has also improved the new camera’s video capabilities by adding Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) recording at 24 fps to the previous model’s 720p capabilities.

The first Ixus with a high-sensitivity backlit CMOS sensor plus Av and Tv shooting modes.Just as Canon is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its Ixus range, a new model, the Ixus 300 HS is iintroduced as the flagship in the line-up. Coming in with an RRP $100 more than the previous top model, the 300 HS features a new 10-megapixel back-illuminated CMOS sensor, DiG!C 4 image processor and 3.8x optical zoom lens with optical image stabilisation. It’s also the first camera in the Ixus range to support separate aperture and shutter speed adjustment.