CAMERA

Compact Camera Shootout (Part 3) : Canon IXUS125 HS, Fujifilm FinePix F660 EXR, Nikon Coolpix S8200, Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ1, Samsung WB150F

1/22/2013 4:47:47 PM

Canon IXUS125 HS

The IXUS 125 HS has the proprietary Canon user interface which is user friendly. The camera response is quick. The image quality is fine. The image exhibited a good level of contrast and sharpness, and its colour representation was quite accurate too. Images shot in day light were quite good. The ones shot at night were fine as well but when they were magnified to scale there was a visible loss in detail. The colour reproduction was excellent, though the auto white balance might not be accurate at all times.

Description: Canon IXUS125 HS

Canon IXUS125 HS

Specification

·         Effective Pixels: 16.1 million pixels

·         Image Processor: DIGIC 5

·         Lens: 4.3 (W) - 21.5 (Tmm) (35mm film equivalent), 24 (W) - 120 (Timm)

·         Aperture: f/2.7, f/8.0 (Wide), f/5.9, f/17(Tele)

·         Zoom (Optical/ Digital): 5 x/4x

·         AF mode: Face AiAF, Tracking AF, Center

·         ISO: Auto, ISO 100 / 200 / 400 / 800 / 1600 / 3200

·         Light Metering: Evaluative, Center-weighted average, Spot

·         Shutter Speed: 1 - 1/2000sec. 15 - 1/2000sec. (Total shutter speed range)

·         Movie Recording: ¡Frame Movie: 1280 x 720 (30fps)

·         Display: 3-inch TFT colour, Approx. 461,000 dots, Brightness adjustment (5 levels)

·         Memory: SD memory card, SDFIC memory card, SDXC memory card

·         Dimension/Weight: 93.2 x 57.0 x 20.0mm / Approx. 135g (Incl. the battery and memory card)

Fujifilm FinePix F660 EXR

The F660 EXR is a very responsive camera from the moment you power it on. The colour reproduction was close to the original scene, but while shooting in auto mode the camera tended to add a warm tone the image, which means the auto white balance was slightly off its target. The images produced by the camera were sharp and maintained detail even at 100% zoom. The user interface is easy to access and gives the user a lot of control while shooting.

Specification

·         Effective Pixels: 16 megapixels

·         Image Processor: 1/ 2-inch EXR CMOS with primary color filter

·         Lens: Fujinon zoom lens focal length 4.4 - 66mm, 24-360mm (35mm equivalent)

·         Aperture: f3.5 / f7.1 / F10(Wide) F5.3/F11 / F16(Tele)

·         Zoom (Optical/ Digital): 15x/ 2x

·         AF mode: Single AF / Continuous AF (EXR AUTO, Movie)

·         ISO: ISO 100/ 200 / 400 /800/ 1600 /3200 / 6400 / 12800

·         Light Metering: TTL 256-zones metering, Multi / Spot / Average

·         Shutter Speed: (Auto mode) 1/4 sec. to 1/2000 sec., (All other modes) 8 sec. to 1/2000 sec.

·         Movie Recording: 1920 x 1080 pixels (30 frames / sec.) with stereo sound & optical zoom function can be used.

·         Display: 3.0-inch, approx. 460,000 dots, TFT color LCD monitor

·         Memory: Internal memory: 25MB, External LSD / SDFIC / SDXC

·         Dimension/Weight: 103.5x 59.2x 32.6mm/217g (mcludmg battery and memory card)

Nikon Coolpix S8200

The Nikon Coolpix S8200 produced decent, quality images. The focusing mechanism in daylight was fast, though in low light took a few minutes to lock on to the subject. The camera seems to have a lag right from the time it is powered on. The colour reproduction is average and the images shot on auto white balance seemed to be inaccurate. However, the overall contrast on the image seemed good.

Description: Nikon Coolpix S8200

Nikon Coolpix S8200

Specification

·         Effective Pixels: 16.1 Megapixels

·         Image Processor: 1/2.3-in. type CMOS

·         Lens: NIKKOR; 4.5-63.0mm; 25-350 mm(35mm equivalent)

·         Aperture: f/3.3-5.9

·         Zoom (Optical/ Digital): 14x / 2x

·         AF mode: Auto (9-area automatic selection) /Center / Face priority/ Manual with 99 focus areas/ Subject tracking

·         ISO: Auto, ISO 160, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200

·         Light Metering: 224-segment matrix, center-weighted

·         Shutter Speed: 1/1600-1 sec. (on Auto ISO sensitivity) 4 sec. (on fireworks show mode)

·         Movie Recording: "Full HD: 1920x1080p / 30fps FID: 1280x720p / 30fps"

·         Display: 3-inch wide-viewing angle TFT LCD with anti-reflection coating

·         Memory: Internal memory (approx. 89 MB), SD/SDFIC/SDXC memory cards

·         Dimension/Weight: 103.7 x 59.3 x 32.7 mm / 213g with battery and SD memory card

Olympus SP-620 UZ

The SP-620 UZ has a quick start-up and a simple interface. It boasts of a 21 x ultra-zoom which is capable of maintaining decent amount of details and contrast, and produces a high quality image at 21 x. The focusing is quick while shooting in daylight, but it does track longer than usual while shooting at 21 x zoom. The colours reproduced by the SP-620 UZ were close to the actual scene. Like most cameras in this year's shootout, the white balance was slightly inaccurate and produced a warm tone on the resulting images.

Specification

·         Effective Pixels: 16 Megapixels

·         Image Processor: 1/2.3in, CCD

·         Lens: 4.5 - 94.5mm (35mm equivalent: 25-525mm)

·         Aperture: f3.1 - f5.8

·         Zoom (Optical/ Digital): 21 x / 4x

·         AF mode: ¡ESP Auto, Spot AF, Face Detection AF, AF Tracking

·         ISO: Auto, High Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200

·         Light Metering: Multi, Spot

·         Shutter Speed: 4sec - 1/1500 s

·         Movie Recording: 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 180 (30fps)

·         Display: 3inch TFT LCD screen

·         Memory: SD/SDHC/SDXC

·         Dimension/Weight: 110 x 74x 74mm / 435g (including battery and memory card)

Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ1

The user interface of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZI is intuitive and a user can easily get a hang of it after using it for a while. The Leica lens on the SZI helped produce decent and pleasing images. The image quality was average, though the overall contrast and colour tones on the images were good.

While shooting using the auto white balance on the SZI, there was a visible magenta tinge. The overall image quality was soft even at the I Ox zoom.

Specification

·         Effective Pixels: 16.1 Megapixels

·         Image Processor: 1/2.33-inch CCD sensor

·         Lens: LEICA DC VARIO-ELMAR LENS

·         Aperture: f3.1 - f5.9/2-Step (F3.1 / 9.0 (Wide), F5.9 / 16.0 (Tele))

·         Zoom (Optical/ Digital): 10x/ 4x

·         AF mode: Normal, AF Macro, Quick AF, Continuous AF, AF Tracking

·         ISO: 100 /200/ 400 / 800 / 1600/ 6400

·         Light Metering: Intelligent Multiple

·         Shutter Speed: approx. 8 - 1/1600 sec

·         Movie Recording: [HD Movie] 1280x 720 p 25fps

·         Display: 3inch TFT Screen LCD Display

·         Memory: Internal: 70MB, SD/SDHC/SDXC Memory Card

·         Dimension/Weight: 99 x 59.4 x 21 mm / 131 g with Battery & SD Memory Card

Samsung WB150F

The Samsung WBI 50F's user interface is very well designed for novice users. The camera is quick to power on but there was a slight lag in between the photos. The image quality produced by the WB I 50F is good with slightly high contrast levels. Though it still manages to make the photos look pleasing. The colours reproduced were true and vivid. When zoomed in to a 100% scale, we noticed an overall softness in the images. The white balance on the auto mode was accurate too.

Description: Samsung WB150F

Samsung WB150F

Specification

·         Effective Pixels: 14.2 Megapixel

·         Image Processor: 1/2.3 inch CCD Image sensor

·         Lens: Schneider-KREUZNACH f = 4.0~72mm

·         Aperture: f3.2(Wide) - f5.8(Tele)

·         Zoom (Optical/ Digital): 18x/5x

·         AF mode: TTL auto focus (Center AF, Multi AF, Tracking AF, Face Detection AF, Face Recognition AF, Selection AF), Manual

·         ISO: Auto, 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200

·         Light Metering: Multi,Spot,Center Weighted, Face Detection AE

·         Shutter Speed: 16 - 1/2,000sec

·         Movie Recording: 1280x720 (30fps, 15fps), 640x480 (30fps, 15fps), 320x240 (30fps, 15fps)

·         Display: 3.0 inch, 460KhVGA LCD

·         Memory: Internal memory:18MB External LSDSC/SDHC /SDXC

·         Dimension/Weight: 106.5 x 59.9 x 23.4mm / 188.2g (excl. battery and memory card)

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H100

The H 100 is able to shoot sharp images at wide angles. At higher zooms there was visible lose in image quality; the colours and details seem to have a faded look too. The camera did well in our indoor and outdoor tests, but we did notice the images shot in the outdoors being a tad overexposed. The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H 100 has a powerful 21x megazoom, which was impressive. The overall colour reproduction, white balance and contrast were quite close to the actual scene, though the camera takes some time to focus at 21 x zoom.

Specification

·         Effective Pixels: 16.1 Megapixels

·         Image Processor: 1/2.3 Super HAD CCD

·         Lens: Sony Lens Focal Length, f= 4.5 - 94.5mm(35mm conversion: 27-567mm)

·         Aperture: f3.1 - f5.8

·         Zoom (Optical/ Digital): 21 x / 21 x

·         AF mode: Multi-Point .Center-Weighted, Flexible-Spot,Flexible Spot,Flexible Spot AF (Face Tracking Focus)

·         ISO: Auto / 80 / 100 / 200 / 400 / 800 / 1600 / 3200

·         Light Metering: Multi-Pattern / Center Weighted / Spot

·         Shutter Speed: iAuto(2(5.08 cms) - 1/1500) / Program Auto( 1 (2.54 cms) - 1/1500)

·         Movie Recording: 1280 X 720p (30fps)

·         Display: 3.0 inch Clear Photo LCD

·         Memory: Memory Stick Duo / Memory Stick PRO Duo / Memory Stick PRO-FIG Duo / SD Memory Card / SDHC Memory Card / SDXC Memory Card

·         Dimension/Weight: 122.9 x 83.2 x 81.3mm / 515g (With Battery and media)

Verdict

Canon IXUS125 HS

The Canon IXUS I25HS churned out decent images during daylight and under low light conditions, but overall it seemed to lack quality as the images seemed to lack in detail.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ1

Priced at $182.7 - the Panasonic Lumix is an average performer. The images produced by this camera lacked resolution and depth, whereas the built-in Leica lens did help improving the overall image quality. The camera was not up to mark when it came to high ISO performance.

Nikon Coolpix S8200

The Nikon Coolpix S8200 is a decent performer. The overall design of the camera takes away from its competitive edge. It did manage to produce decent quality images, but again, seemed pale during low light.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H100

The overall structure gives the Sony Cyber-shot H 100 a bridge camera look, but much like the Olympus contender, this also seemed a bit out of place in a pocket friendly world today. The image quality of the camera seemed decent, but like most in the shootout the performance of the camera at night was below average.

Olympus SP-620 UZ

As compared to its predecessor, the Olympus SP-620 did not bring a lot to the table when talking about aesthetics and specifications. Though at a time when the consumers are looking for a compact, lightweight and pocket friendly camera, the SP-620 UZ seemed out of place. The overall performance was average and its Utilisation of AA batteries seemed disappointing.

Fujifilm FinePix F660 EXR

The Fujifilm FinePix F660 featured a unique design and produced accurate colours. Though again, the camera did not have an edge under low light conditions. However, shooting in manual mode on this one definitely helps get a better low light performance. The unique camera design, intuitive user interface and good image quality bags the second place for Fuji in our shootout.

Description: Fujifilm FinePix F660 EXR

Fujifilm FinePix F660 EXR

Samsung WB 150F

The Samsung WB I 50F was a class apart in this category making it a consumer camera in the true sense. The camera not only looks good, it delivers decent images as well. The colour reproduction, the clarity and the user interface were quite efficient. All that along with connectivity options packed into a camera for a price of ^ 12900 not only makes it affordable, but also a good value for money.

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