Affordable Digital Cameras Are All Business
CMP Media's TechWeb - PlanetIT
By Kim M. Bayne
September 6, 2000
Digital cameras are no longer quirky high-tech devices that only appeal to the early adopters in your office. Today, they are logical alternatives to 35mm cameras for the whole gamut of business applications: taking zoomed-in conference photos of executives on the podium, quick landscape snapshots to accompany that magazine article, or even close-up detail images of a crime scene. If you want extra features and high-quality images but don't want to spend an arm and a leg, these cameras are priced mid-range (around $600 to $800 each). I reviewed three such cameras with optical resolutions at or above 2 megapixels: the Fujifilm FinePix 4700 Zoom, the Kodak DC280 Zoom and the Nikon Coolpix 800.
For the budget-minded, both the Kodak and Nikon were less expensive and easier to use than the Fujifilm. I picked them out of the box and started shooting immediately. The Nikon was my first choice for traveling professionals since it was lighter than the Kodak. But at high resolution in automatic modes, the Fujifilm came in first with best image quality. And if you can ignore its extra cost, strange design and operational idiosyncrasies, the Fujifilm definitely has some added features that, with a little training, you could master in a day.
In summary, if you haven't the patience to learn how to use and hold a new digicam, skip the Fujifilm and go for one of the other two. On the other hand, if a gadget's clumsiness won't slow you down, the Fujifilm FinePix is very portable and offers more impressive features. At a price point higher by nearly $200, it had better.
Fuji: Fujifilm FinePix 4700 Zoom $799, 2400 x 1800
The Fujifilm has several advantages for the mobile professional who doesn't want to lug around a heavy camera. Its small footprint (3.1 x 3.8 x 1.3 inches; 78 x 97.5 x 32.9mm) and lightweight design (10.9 ounces including the batteries), makes it easy to carry in a pocket or waist pack. The FinePix came out ahead in the zoom category with a 3x optical plus a 3.75x digital zoom. And there's one big plus: its ability to take and make movies. It can record an 80-second movie complete with sound...a wonderful feature for recording the brief highlights of a ribbon-cutting ceremony or awards presentation.
But of the three, the FinePix 4700 Zoom is not the easiest to learn -- a fact to consider if you don't have time to read the manual. The Fujifilm has a lot of little buttons and a cryptic status display that takes time getting used to.
Another downside is the FinePix's peculiar design, particularly if you're accustomed to handling a traditional 35mm on the road. Although its sci-fi look is appealing, the Fujifilm lacks something the other two cameras have -- a comfortable way to grab and hold on. Granted, the two-fisted approach is the most intuitive choice for creating that tripod effect with your body and arms. But on the Fujifilm, the "fumble factor" sets in.
The camera body is too thin and my hands overlapped when I first picked the camera up. The owner's manual says to "be careful to ensure that the lens, microphone and flash control sensor are not obscured by your hands" -- nice advice, but more easily said than done.
While looking through the optical viewfinder, I found it difficult to zoom in and out, mainly because the camera's vertical design forced my right hand to share the same space as my right cheek. You can overcome this by taking all your pictures while viewing the 2-inch LCD color monitor screen. Remember, if you're into architectural photography and caught in the midday sun, you might want to tinker with the LCD monitor. Compared to the Kodak and Nikon, the Fujifilm had extra steps to adjust monitor brightness.
For capacity, the Fujifilm's 16-MB SmartMedia card can store from nine to 248 images. Regardless of the camera, plan to take along several extra cards so you don't have to upload images to a laptop each night.
Kodak: Kodak DC280 Zoom $599, 1760 x 1168
The controls on the DC280 Zoom are very simple to learn and use. Its menu-driven settings use both icons and labels, which means a short learning curve if you're headed out the door. Although the camera is the heaviest of the bunch (12 ounces excluding batteries), it has an easy-to-grip, comfortable design.
The DC280 has a 3x optical and 2x digital zoom, with pre-set modes for
Landscape, Close-up and Normal. If you need more pizzazz than the standard digital camera provides, you'll like the fact that the DC280 can add a border or your logo to pictures. Plus, you can take shots in black and white, sepia tone or document modes.
The Kodak comes with a 20-MB CompactFlash card that allows you to shoot from 32 to 245 images. If you don't have time or the money to buy more cards, this camera did the best in the storage category.
The Kodak supports both Universal Serial Bus and Serial RS232C. If you're far from the office and don't have access to your own computer, you do have an alternate option for file transfer.
Nikon: Nikon Coolpix 800 $599.95, 1600 x 1200
Like the Kodak, the Nikon has a traditional 35mm profile and fewer buttons when compared to the Fujifilm. It weighs a mere 9.2 ounces (without the battery) and is slightly smaller than the Kodak.
Both the Fujifilm and the Nikon have burst capture or continuous modes which allow them to capture multiple images very quickly. The Nikon has an added feature: it compares, selects and saves the best image of the group to memory.
If you plan to take dozens of photos, you won't get very far with the 8-MB CompactFlash card that comes packed with the Nikon. It can only handle eight to 32 images. If you need only low-quality photos for your Web site, you'll get up to 200 images by switching to VGA mode.
Both the Fujifilm and the Kodak include USB support, but the Nikon is serial port only, which will slow down camera-to-PC image transfer.
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