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Kyocera Finecam S4

The Kyocera Finecam S4 packs 4-megapixel resolution and a 3X optical zoom into a tiny case. At just $599, it's relatively inexpensive for its high resolution. And this pocket-size camera takes good-looking photos: It accurately captured the reds and blues in our mannequin's scarves, and it produced warm and rich flesh tones. The lighting in our flash shot washed out our mannequin's colors a bit, but colors remained well-lit and realistic. Our outdoor shot looked clear and rich, without the artifacts in the broad stretches of blue sky that we saw from many other cameras.
This camera had more difficulty capturing details than it did colors. Our still life was somewhat fuzzy and dropped out small details, and the words in our cropped shot were so out-of-focus that they were difficult to read. Appropriately for its small size, the Finecam S4 comes with a tiny rechargeable lithium ion battery. Unfortunately, the battery lasted just 150 shots in our tests before running out. And confusingly, the controls don't have a consistent navigation scheme: The four arrow keys and center button for selection, but the controls sometimes work differently, depending on the menu option. For instance, you use the up and down arrow keys to scroll through EV exposures, but you must press the center button to scroll through white balance settings. These discrepancies make getting to know the camera somewhat cumbersome, but ultimately, it's fairly easy to use.
The Finecam S4 doesn't offer much more manual control than a point-and-shoot model: You can adjust the white balance and EV exposure and choose either of two aperture settings, but that's about it. The camera has a couple of extra features, including a long exposure that you can set to 2, 4, or 8 seconds, as well as stepped manual focus. You must go into the menu to change all of the settings other than flash and macro mode. We would have liked some of the more common features (like the self-timer) to be accessible as buttons on the case. Kyocera provides a small but thick manual for the Finecam S4; it includes information on using the camera, transferring pictures to a PC, troubleshooting, and specifications. The basic image editor Pixela ImageMixer comes bundled with the camera: With it, you can save photos into albums, add text and sound clips to photos and movies, and clip and edit video.
The Finecam S4's small size and high resolution make it easy for travelers to take great photos wherever they go. Unfortunately, its short battery life means you'll have to pack a spare battery or the recharger.

Buying Information

Kyocera Finecam S4 4 megapixels, 2272 by 1704 maximum resolution, 35-105mm focal range (35mm equivalent), f2.8-f9.6 aperture range, shutter speeds from 8 seconds to 1/2000 second, optical and LCD viewfinders, USB and video connections, 16MB MultiMedia Card media, one lithium ion rechargeable battery, 7.2 ounces with battery, Pixela ImageMixer software. One-year parts and labor warranty, toll-free support for 10 hours on weekdays, plus Saturday. $ 599 4 megapixels, 2272 by 1704 maximum resolution, 35-105mm focal range (35mm equivalent), f2.8-f9.6 aperture range, shutter speeds from 8 seconds to 1/2000 second, optical and LCD viewfinders, USB and video connections, 16MB MultiMedia Card media, one lithium ion rechargeable battery, 7.2 ounces with battery, Pixela ImageMixer software. One-year parts and labor warranty, toll-free support for 10 hours on weekdays, plus Saturday. http://www.yashica.com 800/421-5735