Joy can be spontaneous, disappointment has to be planned
Joy can be spontaneous, disappointment has to be planned
Member since:31.08.2009
Reviews:32
Members who trust:3
When you are accustomed to using cameras that run into thousands of pounds, it is very difficult to review a camera like this without instantly looking for negatives and pointing out what it doesn’t have. Rather than doing that, let’s try and concentrate on what it does have – and for such an inexpensive camera, I was quite surprised with some of the features.
Physically, the camera looks good finished in black and silver, and at 91.5mm x 60.5mm x 21.7mm (3.6in x 2.4in x 0.9in) and 124g (4.4oz), it is around the size of an iPod (albeit a bit thicker) and will easily slip into a shirt pocket or small handbag for ease of convenience. The body and controls do feel a little flimsy but this has to be considered within the context of the price. The controls are simplistic, well laid out and not too fiddly – although I am used to the zoom control being around the shutter-release button whereas this one is on the back.
The A100 has a 10 megapixel CCD sensor and a 3 x Optical Zoom (with an additional 5.7 x Digital Zoom) with a nice big 2.7inch LCD screen on the back. All menus appear on the screen and are easy to read, use and navigate. There is no optical viewfinder – which may be a consideration for some people.
The features include Face-Detection (up to 6 faces), which optimizes focus and exposure for the areas of the image that it recognises as a human face, a digital Anti-Blur mode (not to be confused with a true Image Stabilizer) and manual control over sensitivity (ISO), exposure compensation and white balance if required.
There are six available resolutions for capturing still images, ranging from 3648 x 2736 (10mp) to 640 x 480 (0.3mp) and, with one 3:2 exception, all are 4:3 format. The highest resolution has a “Normal” or “Fine” option, the latter being less compressed than the former. What does this mean for storing images? Well the internal memory of around 20MB can store around 3 images at the highest resolution and around 90 at the lowest. SD and SDHC memory cards can be used but neither are supplied with the camera.
Apart from Full Auto, Manual and Anti-Blur, there are 14 other Scene modes to choose from to help get the settings right for a given set of conditions. Continuous Shooting is available at 3fps and there is a Silent Mode, in which the speaker, flash and self-timer lamp are not activated.
Movie capture is in 640 x 480 or 320 x 240 format with mono sound. As with many cameras, the zoom is disabled once video recording has commenced.
The A100 is powered by 2 x AA batteries. I personally prefer a proprietary battery but I do understand the need to keep costs down on a model like this – which also explains the lack of an AV cable for viewing your pictures on your TV (this can be purchased separately). The USB cable for transferring pictures to a PC/Printer is included.
In summary, this is an ideal beginners camera for its ease of use and price. I wouldn’t buy one for myself but I would consider it a possibility if shopping for a gift for my mum.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Hmm... I am thinking of buying a new camera. I can get this one for like £65 I found on pixmania.com, but now looking on ebay for refurbished cyber-shot... not sure what to get... so confusing!
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