| Cameras zoom in for less
This season, you'll see small digital cameras not only in sober black and silver but also in hues such as wasabi green and sunset orange. In a recent study, Consumer Reports found that even modestly priced models are offering more and more features, such as image stabilization, which can compensate for camera shake and minimize blurring and face detection, which aids in portrait shots. The touch-screen technology found on the iPhone and other smart phones is showing up on more digital cameras' LCD screens, and those screens are getting bigger. Prices have dropped, too, especially for compacts and SLRs. In recent ratings, CR rated two compacts priced at or near $200 among its Best Buys. And you now can find respectable compacts with familiar brand names for less than $200.
Digital cameras offering more for less
This season, you'll see small digital cameras not only in sober black and silver but also in hues such as wasabi green and sunset orange.
In a recent study, Consumer Reports found that even modestly priced models are offering more and more features, such as image stabilization, which can compensate for camera shake and minimize blurring and face detection, which aids in portrait shots. The touch-screen technology found on the iPhone and other smart phones is showing up on more digital cameras' LCD screens, and those screens are getting bigger.
Prices have dropped, too, especially for compacts and SLRs. In recent ratings, CR rated two compacts priced at or near $200 among its Best Buys. And you can now find respectable compacts with familiar brand names for less than $200.
Review: Olympus Mju 790 SW digital camera
Digital cameras are liable to fail when they attempt to be jacks-of-all-trades. Olympus’s new seven-megapixel 790 SW has a 3x zoom lens and is supposed to be drop-proof from 1.5m and waterproof to 3m. So could it be the camera to buck the trend? The first signs are good: there’s nothing about the shiny metal front of the camera, which feels reassuringly weighty in the palm, to suggest that compromises made to bring this camera to market for around £200. Sensitivity in low light (of up to ISO1600) is impressive and you get TV-quality video with sound. It’s also available in a range of colours, including the vibrant orange one that we looked at. However, the back of the Olympus Mju 790 SW contains a smallish 2.5in screen with which to compose and review photos, as well as small and obviously plastic controls, which are a disappointment.
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