Low-Cost Camera Takes High-Quality Pictures
Advanced features and high-megapixel CCDs tend to drive up digital camera prices. But Concord Camera Corp. makes an exception to that rule with a new camera that combines a 6-megapixel CCD with great features at a breakthrough price of $230.Advanced features and high-megapixel CCDs tend to drive up digital camera
prices. But Concord Camera Corp. makes an exception to that rule with a new
camera that combines a 6-megapixel CCD with great features at a breakthrough
price of $230.
Not long ago, 6-megapixel cameras were mostly expensive, prosumer digital SLRs
with big lenses, large camera bodies, and
high-end
features. Not so the Concord 6340z. It has most of the extra features you might expect
from higher priced cameras, like multiple scene modes that let you quickly
adjust for dark scenes, backlight, and other common lighting conditions; choice
of auto or manual exposure and focus; and multiple resolution settings.
I found the 3x optical zoom easy to control, and it produced crisp images. I
normally disparage digital zoom because it simply crops the image and increases
the size of the pixels, something better done on a computer. But with the
6340z's 6-megapixel resolution, the 4x digital zoom still makes decent pictures
even when shot at the maximum 12x magnification.
When the camera's lens is retracted into the body, it's protected by an
automatic lens cover. And when you want to take a picture quickly, the 6340z is
ready to go in about six seconds, though when I needed to use flash, I had to
wait for another three seconds. Even so, those are relatively short boot times.
The most common complaint among digital camera users is the delay between the
time the shutter button is pushed and when the picture is taken. The long delays
common in many digital cameras make taking action shots difficult, if not
impossible. The 6340z hasn't completely overcome this problem, but its delay is
similar to the wait imposed by any auto-focus film camera. This makes it much
easier to capture the shot you really want.
Features
The Concord 6340z comes with a removable, rechargeable battery and accepts SD
media. It has 16MB internal memory which will hold just eight shots at highest
resolution. You can select one of four levels of resolution.
Like many of the newer digital cameras, the Concord doubles as a video camera,
taking MPEG-4 movies at 15 frames per second. The length of the video is limited
only by the capacity of the SD memory card.
I found the quality of the videos to be acceptable, but no substitute for a real
video camera. One problem with the 6340z's video is that the camera sets its
focus and zoom at the start of a video shot and won't let you change it while
recording.
Trade-offs
The low price comes with a few minor trade-offs. For example, I would prefer
that the 1.5-inch LCD was bigger. And it would be nice if the optical view
showed if the digital zoom was in effect.
If you're looking for a digital camera that takes very high-quality photos at a
low price, the Concord 6340z is a good choice.
Sample Images

This image is already cropped to about 1/4 the total image and remains clear and
sharp.

This extreme crop shows the clear detail this low priced camera can product.
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