I wanted a camera for all-round use, and this fits the bill perfectly. It's simple enough that I can just point-and-shoot holiday snaps, and the default 'automatic' setting produces good results in most situations. A powerful flash, self-timer and sport, low-light and landscape modes allow it to cope with just about all situations. The predominantly metal case means it's survived being thrown into a bag on several holidays with barely a scratch, and the AA batteries it requires are easily obtainable throughout the civilised world.
At the same time though this has more features than a standard compact, and I have used it for much more artistic work. Here, the 10x optical zoom lens, flash shoe, remote control, macro mode and particularly the option to take some control over the aperture and shutter settings come into their own.
The camera is not without its disadvantages, however. The powerful lens and solid build quality make it larger and heavier than a compact, and XD memory cards are more expensive per MB than other varieties. In addition, 4 Megapixels is about the bottom limit for anything beyond holiday snaps. The lack of a case as standard was disappointing, particularly as the camera is too large to fit a compact case.
Overall, I'd recommend this camera to someone who wants something beyond a standard compact but without the expense and difficulty of a more professional camera.
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Sep 1st, 2007
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