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PRODUCT TESTS / Digital Cameras

With more manual functions showing up, Consumer Choice explains what you need to know to get the best out of your digital camera

Digital Cameraswant. This is useful if the main subject is not immediately clear to the camera or you want to create special effects, such as shooting a street light out of focus.

White balanceLight appears white to the naked eye but is actually different colours depending on the source – slightly yellow from a household light bulb, for example. Our eyes compensate for these differences naturally but a digital camera does it by finding a white reference point in the picture. It may not always do a good job and custom white balance lets you alter the camera’s decision so you get more accurate colour. Alternatively, you can focus the camera on something white, such as a sheet of paper, just before taking the photo so the camera can use it as an accurate reference.

Shutter priorityShutter priority is ideal for Saturday morning football when you want to capture fast-moving action or deliberately blur an image to show movement. A fast shutter speed, such as 1/1,000 of a second, helps freeze action. A slower one, such as 1/25, can give some blur which is a nice technique for depicting movement. An even slower speed of several seconds can help

create interesting effects at night, such as traffic-light trails. Use a tripod for this.

Aperture priorityThe lens aperture is a hole through which light passes, affecting the depth of field. This is the distance in front of and behind the subject that is in focus. Large depth of field means more of a picture is in focus, while shallow depth can mean a blurred background, which is useful for people shots. Aperture priority mode gives you control over whether the background of your picture is in focus or not. If you were taking a photograph of an animal at the zoo, for example, you might want the background out of focus so the background is blurred and only the animal is in focus. You can change this manually by adjusting the camera’s focus value, stepping in closer to the subject and zooming in.

ISOThe ISO setting on a digital camera refers to the film speed. A higher ISO setting can make it easier to get a good shot without using flash and decreases the chance of blur. However, a higher ISO can mean more noise – coloured dots are more visible in even areas of colour on your photo. These dots can detract from image quality.

REPORT by Jenny Harrow

At a glance• Basic cameras • Manual functions• 12 Choice Buys

Megapixels used to be the holy grail of the digital camera, but now manufacturers are adding more manual features to tempt consumers. We explain how you can use the main features to improve your photographs. We also bring you the latest results from our lab tests, including twelve Choice Buys.

Manual focusMost cameras have autofocus (AF), where the camera decides what to focus on, whether that is simply the middle of the shot or some specific object, and tries to ensure the photo is clear. Manual focus allows you to focus on exactly what you

www.thecai.ie September 2011

1. Nikon Coolpix P300 €330

The Choice Buy Nikon Coolpix L120 looks like a large bridge camera, but it only has standard manual functions. It does however have an extended optical zoom range of 21x which means you can zoom right in on your subjects. An interesting feature of this camera is the second lens zoom lever at the side of the lens tube. As well as a large zoom this camera has a good 25mm wide angle, which means you can take very wide shots with ease. It has an image stabiliser, but only mechanical or electronic. For taking video clips there is a wind filter and video stabiliser.

2. Nikon Coolpix L120 €280

The Choice Buy Casio Exilim EX-H30 has some manual functions, and while it is slightly larger than the norm, it’s not bulky either. It’s suitable for everyday use, and for consumers who sometimes want to have more control over the exposure settings. It has a priority mode for shutter speed and aperture and has a manual focus. It has an optical zoom of 12.5x and a wide angle of 24mm. The zoom allows you to get really close to your subjects, while the wide angle allows you to fit a large scene into your photo when zoomed out.

3. Casio Exilim EX-H30 €300

The Choice Buy Nikon Coolpix P300 is a slightly larger compact camera with some advanced manual features, including priority mode for shutter speed and aperture. It has high-speed photo and video modes, with 3 speed selections. This camera is most suited for consumers who want a bit more control over their final photos. It has a wide angle of 24mm which means you can fit a lot of a scene into your photos. It has no viewfinder but comes with an optical image stabiliser. It also shoots in full HD video and has a video stabiliser.

4. Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ18 €300

The Choice Buy Canon Ixus310 HS is a neat compact camera with standard manual functions, includingpriority modes for shutter speed and aperture. It also has a touchscreenmonitor and is ideal for general use. It has a wide angle of 24mm, which willallow you to take nice wide shots, as well as a zoom range of 4.4x. If you areinterested in recording short video clips the camera has a video stabiliser andyou can record in Full HD. It also has a HDMI connection built-in and you canrecord movies in slow motion.

5. Canon Ixus 310 HS €350

The Choice Buy Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ18, while still quite a small camera, is somewhat larger than some compact cameras. It also comes with priority mode for shutter speed and aperture, as well as full manual exposure mode. It also has a large optical zoom range of 16x and a good wide angle of 24mm. There is no viewfinder, but the camera has optical image stabilisers to help reduce blurring from shaky hands. You can also take short video clips and for this the camera has a wind filter and video stabiliser, as well as continuous focusing to keep your clips sharp.

297September 2011 www.thecai.ie

6. Canon PowerShot SX230 HS €330The Choice Buy Canon PowerShot SX230 is a small, thin compact camera, but also has some advanced manual adjustment features, including shutter speed and aperture priority and full manual exposure mode. It has a large optical zoom range of 14x, as well as a built-in GPS receiver and slow motion recording function. It has a wide angle of 28mm and also has a manual focus to really help you take control of your photos. You can record slow motion videos and videos in Full HD. There is also a built-in HDMI connection for connecting the camera to your TV to view your photos and videos.

PRODUCT TESTS / Digital Cameras

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PRODUCT TESTS / Digital Cameras

The Choice Buy Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX77 is a thin compact camera with touchscreen monitor. It has the usual manual functions and is suited for general use. It can record 3D images but these can only be viewed on a 3D TV. It has a generous wide angle of 24mm and an optical zoom of 5x. It also has an optical image stabiliser to help reduce the effects of shaky hands. As with most compact cameras you can take short video clips. These are recorded in full HD and the camera has a wind filter, video stabiliser and continuous focusing in video mode. You can connect the camera to your TV using the built-in HDMI connection.

7. Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX77 €300

The Choice Buy Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS18 is the cheapest of our Choice Buy cameras. You won’t get a lot of extra features for your money, but the quality of the pictures it takes makes it a worthy Choice Buy. It’s a thin compact camera with standard manual functions. It’s mainly suited to everyday use. It has a 4x optical zoom and a wide lens of 28mm. It has no viewfinder, you use the LCD screen to compose your photos, but it has an optical image stabiliser for still images, as well as for video.

8. Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS18 €189

9. Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS37 €229

The Choice Buy Samsung WB210 is a larger compact camera with slightly increased optical zoom range of 12x and a special lens that gives an extra wide angle of 21mm, but you can’t zoom when using this function. Otherwise it has a wide angle of 24mm. It also has a touchscreen monitor and menu operation similar to a modern smartphone. Apart from that it’s a standard camera for everyday use with a standard set of manual functions.

10. Samsung WB210 €300

The Choice Buy Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS35 is a thin compact camera designed for everyday use. It has the basic manual controls and has a wide angle of 28mm, with an optical zoom of 8x. Like most other compact cameras it has no viewfinder, but comes with an optical image stabiliser and video stabiliser. The €200 price tag doesn’t buy you that many extra features, but if you are looking for a basic camera that takes great pictures this is a good option.

11. Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS35 €200

The Choice Buy Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS37 is at the lower end of the price scale for our Choice Buy cameras, and you won’t find many extra features, but you still get great image quality. It’s a standard size compact camera with a touchscreen monitor. It has the basic manual functions and is ideal for general use. It comes with a wide angle lens of 28mm and a good optical zoom of 8x, to help you get closer to your subjects. It also has an optical image stabiliser and a video stabiliser.

www.thecai.ie September 2011

The Choice Buy Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX7V isn’t the smallest compact camera we have tested, but it’s still quite compact and has a large optical zoom of 10x and a wide angle of 25mm. It’s designed as an everyday camera, but also comes with a built-in GPS receiver and 3D still image recording function that can be shown on a 3D monitor or TV. It comes with full manual exposure settings mode, which allows you to take more control over your photos. If you are interested in experimenting with HDR (High Dynamic Range) this camera has a HDR exposure shooting mode available.

12. Sony Cyber shot DSC-HX7V €406

299

1 Nikon Coolpix P300 330 12 10 10.5x6.5x3.5 202 60x45 x x 67

2 Nikon Coolpix L120 280 14 4 11x8x8.5 121 54x40 x x 66

3 Casio Exilim EX-H30 300 16 16 10.5x6.5x3 210 60x45 x x 65

4 Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ18 300 14 4 10.5x6.5x3.5 139 65x37 ✓ x 62

5 Canon Ixus 310 HS 350 12 4.4 10.5x6x3 188 60x45 x x 56

6 Canon PowerShot SX230 HS 350 12 16 11x6.5x3.5 223 60x45 ✓ x 58

7 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX77 300 12 5 10.5x6x2.1 597 60x45 x x 58

8 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS18 189 16 4 9.5x6x1.9 136 65x36 ✓ x 57

9 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS37 229 16 8 10.5x6x3 180 54x40 x x 57

10 Samsung WB210 300 14 5 10.5x6.5x3 132 54x40 x x 57

11 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS35 200 16 10 10.5x6x3 133 60x45 x x 57

12 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX7V 406 16 3.6 10.5x6.5x3 154 54x40 x x 56

13 Canon PowerShot A3200 IS 149 14 12.5 10x6x2.5 199 60x45 x x 54

14 Samsung PL210 200 14 5 10.5x6.5x3 140 54x40 x x 53

15 Samsung ST95 210 16 4 9.5x5.5x2.2 124 66x37 ✓ x 53

16 Sony Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX7 310 16 3 9.5x5.5x2.1 106 48x35 x x 52

17 Samsung SH100 250 14 5 9.5x6x2.2 222 61x45 x x 51

18 Samsung PL170 200 16 4 9.5x6x2.2 196 54x40 x ✓ 50

19 Nikon Coolpix L23 85 10 8 10.5x6.5x3 149 54x40 x x 49

20 Fujifilm FinePix S4000 389 14 5 12x8x12 146 77x43 ✓ x 48

21 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX10 430 16 5 9.5x6x1.9 151 65x36 ✓ x 46

22 Canon PowerShot A1200 160 12 21 10x6.5x3 488 60x45 x x 45

23 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H70 240 16 10 10x6.5x3 158 60x45 x x 45

24 Casio Exilim EX-ZS10 130 14 4.4 9.5x6x2 189 70x39 ✓ x 44

25 Olympus Tough TG-810 300 14 10 10.5x6.5x3 168 60x45 x x 43

26 Nikon Coolpix S3100 150 14 5 9.5x6x1.9 149 54x40 x x 42

27 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T110 308 16 3 9.5x6x1.8 99 50x37 x x 42

28 Fujifilm FinePix JX300 124 14 14 9.5x6x2.5 210 66x37 x x 40

29 Olympus VR-310 145 14 5 10.5x6.5x3 120 56x42 x x 37

30 Olympus TOUGH TG-310 200 14 5 10x6.5x2.4 129 66x37 ✓ x 36

31 Kodak EasyShare Mini M200 100 10 8 9x6x2.2 163 62x41 ✓ x 32

32 Fujifilm FinePix Z90 173 14 12 10x6x2.2 195 76x45 ✓ x 29

33 Samsung ST30 100 10 5 8.5x5.5x1.9 118 54x40 x x 27

price (€)

resolution (mp)

optical zoom (x)

size (cm)

(hxwxd)

weight (g)

lcd screen

(mm

) (wxh)

touchscreen

optical viewfinder

image quality

(40%)

flash (8%)

movie quality

(5%)

monitor

(10%)

viewfinder (5%

)

versatility (10%

)%

ease of use (25%

)

TEST PERFORMANCESPECIFICATION

The more stars the better. SPECIFICATION Price: Typical retailer’s price if you shop around.Resolution: Effective pixel count, stated in millions of pixelsWeight: The weight of the camera in grams, with the battery and memory card.

TEST PERFORMANCE Test results based on automatic mode.Image quality: Takes into account resolutionof the images and colour reproduction among other things.Ease of use: How easy the manual is to follow,inserting and removing the memory card andbattery, and setting camera modes.Versatility: Takes into account the typeof camera, resolution and zoom, memorycards, ISO ranges, shutter speed and camerasettings among other factors.Viewfinder/ monitor: accuracy and quality.Movie quality: on a TV and on a PC.

USING THE TABLE Useful contacts

CanonTel (01) 205 2400 www.canon.ie

CasioTel +44 20 8450 9131www.casio.co.uk

NikonTel +44 845 4500 0155www.nikon.ie

PanasonicTel (01) 295 0942www.panasonic.ie

SamsungTel 0818 717100www.samsung.ie

SonyTel (01) 413 1700www.sony.ie

Digital Cameras

September 2011 www.thecai.ie

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