Wednesday, October 15, 2003

Olympus Mju Digital

By Aditya Kuber
The Mju series of camera has now gone digital with the Mju 300 Digital. It features a 3.2-megapixel CCD, 3x lens, “all-weather” body design, and a compact size.
The camera itself is no bigger than a tiny cellphone, and features a sleek, curvy design that’s comfortable to hold and easy on the eyes. The camera’s trim, compact dimensions are perfectly suited for shirt pockets and small purses, and the all-weather body means you can take it just about anywhere.
Although the camera is quite small, it fits the hand snugly, and a sculpted ridge on the sliding lens cover makes a worthy fingergrip. Although the camera is protected from the elements, keep it in a soft case to protect its fashionable appearance. The front panel contains the 3x zoom lens, an optical viewfinder window, built-in flash, the self-timer lamp that counts down the 12-second delay before the shutter fires, and the remote control receiver (on the bottom edge). When opened, the cover provides a sculpted ridge near the camera’s right edge, which serves as a grip as your fingers wrap around the camera.
Priced at Rs 22,900 (MRP in India), it’s a rather expensive proposition. Other 3 mp options that can indeed do much more for much less are the Nikon Coolpix 3100 and the Kodak LS420. While the LS420 is a 4mp camera, it is only fractionally costlier than the Mju 300.
(c) The Economic Times, 2003. Article as published in 'ET-Personal'.

Posted by Scribbler at 10:21 PM

Sunday, October 05, 2003

If looks could shoot

By Aditya Kuber
There are two features that people consider while buying a product. One is the performance and features while the second is the looks and design. If we start with the second parameter, than the Espio 140V is one of the best-looking sleek compact cameras you would have ever seen.
A beautifully finished steel grey body with absolutely no frills offers a unique and hassle-free photo experience.
The camera has only the shutter button on the top panel with a small information window that interestingly, shows only the frame number and chosen mode (from spot AF, self timer, Flash ON/OFF, Night Flash, Landscape and Remote). On the flip side, the features as such are not much to speak about with a macro mode absent. The camera is perhaps one of the few that will not confuse users with a smattering of features that are mostly unused. The camera powers on with the slide of the lens cover and the more than adequate zoom range of 38-140mm means you can shoot anything right from group photos to clean portraits.
If we go on to the cost of the camera then the Espio 140V comes in at Rs 10,890. This is a little on the expensive side and you would expect a little more for your money.
However if you do indeed have a budget of this size, you also look at the Nikon Lite Touch Zoom 110 and also the slight more expensive new Olympus Mju-V.
(c) The Economic Times, 2003. Article as published in ET-Personal.

Posted by Scribbler at 10:29 PM