|
Doug Harman is the author of the bestselling Digital Photography Handbook and one of Britain's leading reviewers of digital cameras. Here he picks five of the very best
Click to view Top 5 Digital Cameras.
|
World's Thinnest (Casio Exilim Card EX-S770) |
|
 If the ultimate in portable photography is your bag then you need look no further than this 7.2-megapixel Casio cracker. Just 13.7mm thin, the S770 has a tough, all-metal build, responsive handling and, despite it’s small size, a busload of simple-to-use features that make it an ideal choice. |
| |
When it comes to slimness, the S770 has no challengers, yet its waiflike all-metal proportions hold within a host of fantastic shooting features. Its all-metal build is enhanced with a range of three colours; so, it’s pretty small and pretty to look at too. But it’s not all just cosmetic. There are no less than 35 automated snapping modes (called Best Shot modes by Casio), from landscape to portrait, from snow to sunsets and fireworks to night scenes; there’s even a food mode.
Start up is fast, but the camera’s responsiveness does not end there, shutter lag (or rather the lack of it) is just one-hundreth of a second so there’s no excuse in missing a shot an thanks to the camera’s high resolution 7.2-megapixel sensor it is capable of making prints up to and over A3 in size.
|
| |
 The 9-point auto focus (AF) is accurate, but just in case you need even faster response, a Pan Focus setting allows you to snap without waiting for the AF; the focusing is set to keep everything sharp from 3-feet to infinity. Sitting in front of the sensor is a nice 3x optical zoom lens providing a 38-114mm focal length range, ideal for most general shooting situations.
A very neat 2.8-inch widescreen LCD can be used for playback and menu settings, which themselves are extremely easy to use. An excellent movie-shooting mode allows you to take widescreen format TV quality MPEG-4 movies at 704x384-pixel resolution with the camera’s software image stabilisation system able to be used for movies and still shots.
Colour capture, white balance and exposure performance are excellent with the lens making the most of the detail that can be captured by that hi-res sensor, so the camera’s performance is well matched by its snapping prowess. |
And They Say… |
 Reviewers of the S770 all appreciate its ultra-compact design and its build. Will Greenwald of CNET.com writes: “It's colourful, completely metallic, and small enough to take anywhere. It delivered excellent performance in our lab tests.”
Personal Computer World’s reviewer, Gavin stoker writes: “Operationally the camera impresses with its ease of use; it powers up instantly, and there’s little shutter delay when taking a shot. Images write to memory in around two seconds.” |
Minor Niggles |
Fast, small and attractive it is, but there are a couple of minor issues. You get only a measly 6MB of internal storage, so an SD/MMC (Secure Digital/Multi-Media Card) external memory card – the camera’s storage of choice – is needed immediately. Sensitivity looks limited with a top setting of ISO 400 while noise creeps in above ISO 200. However, this camera is all about its pocketability, its ease of use and its fantastic looks; you cannot beat it for that.
|
| |
For an explanation of technical photographic terms click here
To buy this product try one of the following retailers. They are competitively priced and reliable:
Amazon.co.uk - The UK arm of the giant online retailer
Amazon.com - The US arm of the giant online retailer
For currency converter click here
|
|
Other great reviews in Gadgets:
|
|
RELATED PAGES
USEFUL LINKS
|
Could this