I am a schoolmaster at a major public school with 30 years experience. I have 3 delightful daughter...
I am a schoolmaster at a major public school with 30 years experience. I have 3 delightful daughters and my other interests include photography, gardening and cooking. I help with www.biologymad.com for A-level biologists.
Member since:22.01.2005
Reviews:22
I have had this camera for over 3 years now - I am a semi-pro film photogrpher and want to take a step into the digital world. This camera is an ideal replacement for a compact camera, PROVIDED the user is happy to fiddle with the buttons! Compared to most compact cameras, these are of reasonable size and are intuitive to use as the options menu is not too full.
The lens and, subsequently, the images are VERY good, and the zoom is smooth; the digital zoom is hard to use smoothly though - far better to use this in the software on your PC. Really, you would NOT want to use this feature - fortunately, it can be turned off in the menu system. The battery lasts for only about 60 shots -so it is always better to carry a spare and they are not easy to obtain - the Benq site failed to reply to my questions in any meaningful way - I suspect their back-up will be poor. UPDATE: Easy to obtain on eBay,once you have the battery code number (about £10) Continued: The camera can also take short video clips - the size limited by the memory card used. I bought a 512kb card for £15 or so and it gives 160+ top-quality images - more than enough! The on/off button is small and CANNOT be turned on by accident - a very good point! The instruction book is clear enough and it comes with the usual 'free' image-processing software (by Ulead - my advice - stick with Photoshop Elements,as this is utter rubbish!). This proved to be very simplistic in what it could do to the image and wanted to 'take over' all image work on my PC! Use Google 'picassa' instead - free and most efefctive, whilst Kodak's 'easyshre' is almost as good and also free. I paid £100 for mine and it was worth every penny! UPDATE (24/8/07): The zoom has the standard x3 (38-105mm) range found on virtually all compact digital cameras, but it is better than most at the economy end of the market. The imaging chip is also well thought of (this camera is actually made by Panasonic) and I have used it to take some highly-thought of pictures both on a cruise and in France. The colours are reasonably life-like and have decent depth and there is no sign of colour fringing. Distortions from the lens are few and it has a commendably close focussing distance (20cm), so it can be used to copy A4 documents easily. Compared to more modern designs, it has a small LCD screen, BUT it has an optical viewfinder, so this silly 'take a picture at (very wobbly) arm's length' nonsense is NOT needed - an excellent feature. The screen does not allow for image magnification to check for sharpness etc, which more modern designs do.
The current (Aug 2007) on-line price is £180 or so - quite absurd! I paid £100 for mine, and at that price it is good value and is 'strongly recommended'. At £180 or so, however, there are much better cameras around and I would rate it only as 'below average'. NOTE that as it is STILL available 3 years after it first came out, this must be a camera that was well ahead of its time! Ian
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This PowerPlanet Digital Camera/Camcorder Battery Charger features a UK 3 pin plug to ... more
charge from 100-240v 50/60Hz mains plus a car cigar lighter adapter, allowing you to charge on the move.The charger has a LED to indicate charging in process and changes colour to show the fully charged state. It will charge BenQ branded batteries as well as equivalent non-branded replacement batteries.
Postage & Packaging:Free! Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days......
Brought to you directly from the manufacturer this PREMIUM rechargeable battery pack is ... more
specifically designed as a replacement for the BenQ 024-910001-10 battery. It features the latest battery technology, the highest quality components that meet or exceed the original manufacturers specifications. This PREMIUM battery pack is designed to last longer and have no memory effect.
Postage & Packaging:Free! Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days......
This PowerPlanet rechargeable battery pack is specifically designed to replace the BenQ ... more
original battery. It can be charged in exactly the same way the original battery is charged i.e. using an original or 3rd party charger, or via the camera (if the device supports this feature).PowerPlanet rechargeable battery packs feature the latest battery technology, the highest quality components, and meet or exceed the manufacturers specifications. They are also designed to last longer and have no memory effect. All PowerPlanet products have a one-year limited warranty.Designed to operate in the following cameras:BenQ DC C50, DC C60BenQ DC 5330
Postage & Packaging:Free! Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days......
Brought to you directly from the manufacturer this PREMIUM rechargeable battery pack is ... more
specifically designed as a replacement for the BenQ 024-910001-10 battery. It features the latest battery technology, the highest quality components that meet or exceed the original manufacturers specifications. This PREMIUM battery pack is designed to last longer and have no memory effect.
Postage & Packaging:Free! Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
This PowerPlanet rechargeable battery pack is specifically designed to replace the BenQ ... more
original battery. It can be charged in exactly the same way the original battery is charged i.e. using an original or 3rd party charger, or via the camera (if the device supports this feature).PowerPlanet rechargeable battery packs feature the latest battery technology, the highest quality components, and meet or exceed the manufacturers specifications. They are also designed to last longer and have no memory effect. All PowerPlanet products have a one-year limited warranty.Designed to operate in the following cameras:BenQ DC C50, DC C60BenQ DC 5330
Postage & Packaging:Free! Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
This PowerPlanet Digital Camera/Camcorder Battery Charger features a UK 3 pin plug to ... more
charge from 100-240v 50/60Hz mains plus a car cigar lighter adapter, allowing you to charge on the move.The charger has a LED to indicate charging in process and changes colour to show the fully charged state. It will charge BenQ branded batteries as well as equivalent non-branded replacement batteries.
Postage & Packaging:Free! Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Ex-Pro Battery charger - Ultra Pro Travel Charger - Simple design including In-Car ... more
Adatper, European and UK Plug. Charges in an average of 2 hours ! Automatic Cut-Off on completion of charge, Charge indication lights. Works on 110-240v, Travel anywhere and use with ease ! 1 Year Warranty.
Postage & Packaging:Free! Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Ex-Pro replacement Li-ion Battery. Can be used as a replacement or additional battery. Our ... more
cell's are manufactured to the highest standard meeting or exceeding the orginal manufacturers specification and supplied with a 2 year RTB guarantee. Ex-Pro batteries are fully tested and built with lithium-Ion technology to ensure maximum power and battery life. 100% OEM Compatible with your original battery, save pounds on OEM manufactures replacement costs. Suitable for a wide range of Digital Camera's.
Postage & Packaging:Free! Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Ex-Pro Battery charger - Ultra Pro Travel Charger - Simple design including In-Car ... more
Adatper, European and UK Plug. Charges in an average of 2 hours ! Automatic Cut-Off on completion of charge, Charge indication lights. Works on 110-240v, Travel anywhere and use with ease ! 1 Year Warranty.
Postage & Packaging:Free! Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Ex-Pro replacement Li-ion Battery. Can be used as a replacement or additional battery. Our ... more
cell's are manufactured to the highest standard meeting or exceeding the orginal manufacturers specification and supplied with a 2 year RTB guarantee. Ex-Pro batteries are fully tested and built with lithium-Ion technology to ensure maximum power and battery life. 100% OEM Compatible with your original battery, save pounds on OEM manufactures replacement costs. Suitable for a wide range of Digital Camera's.
Postage & Packaging:Free! Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
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