Tracey Capen
Kyocera Finecam S3
There's no instant review when you're in shooting mode, so you have to switch to playback to delete unwanted shots. The Finecam S3's small, rechargeable lithium ion battery needed recharging after only 98 shots.
The Finecam S3's imaging is poorer than we had hoped, but it's not terrible, either. Our indoor flash shots seemed properly exposed and had good color detail. In shots taken with flash, our model's flesh tones looked a bit stark, though still acceptable; without flash, her features had a slightly yellow cast. Prints made from our outdoor shots showed solid blue skies with fine shading and just a hint of mottling. On the other hand, details in shadows dropped out. As we would expect from a 3-megapixel camera, the Finecam S3 produces pleasing 8-by-10 prints at its highest resolution. Surprisingly, you don't pay more for the Finecam S3's diminutive size; its $599 price is below the average for 3-megapixel cameras we've tested recently. This is also the first digital camera we've reviewed that comes equipped with a Secure Digital MultiMedia card--a 16MB wafer the size of a postage stamp. Unfortunately, because it's relatively new, this media format costs about twice as much as a SmartMedia card. That will undoubtedly change over time, but at the moment you'll pay a premium for being first. Small cameras can be awkward to use, especially if you have large hands. But the Finecam S3's nicely grouped controls and dedicated buttons made setting changes relatively quick and easy. When you hold the camera in your right hand, most of the controls fall under your thumb, permitting one-handed adjustments. One dedicated button handles the four flash modes, and another lets you switch to macro shots. It's easy to set other functions with the circular four-button thumb pad and the menus, including the manual focus and aperture-priority exposure control. One oddity: The control for turning on the QuickTime movie mode is in the menus, not on a dial, as with most cameras. The process for dowloading images from the Finecam S3 to a PC is unlike that for any other camera we've seen. There's no USB or serial port; instead, you pull the SD media card from the camera and insert it into a USB-based SD media reader that comes bundled with the Finecam. This arrangement is particularly handy with a notebook, because you can plug the card reader directly into the portable's USB port (an extension cable is included for desktops).
Small, light, and adaptable, the Finecam S3 is an attractive choice for people who want a sharp-shooting camera to match their highly mobile lifestyle.
| Buying Information |
| Kyocera Finecam S3 3.3 megapixels, 2048 by 1536 maximum resolution, 38mm-76mm focal range (35mm film equivalent), f2.8-f6.2 aperture range, shutter speeds from 8 seconds to 1/2000 second, optical and LCD viewfinders, USB and video connections, 16MB Secure Digital MultiMedia card, one rechargeable lithium ion battery, 6.8 ounces with batteries. One-year parts and labor warranty, 10-hour weekday toll-call support, plus Saturday. $ 599 3.3 megapixels, 2048 by 1536 maximum resolution, 38mm-76mm focal range (35mm film equivalent), f2.8-f6.2 aperture range, shutter speeds from 8 seconds to 1/2000 second, optical and LCD viewfinders, USB and video connections, 16MB Secure Digital MultiMedia card, one rechargeable lithium ion battery, 6.8 ounces with batteries. One-year parts and labor warranty, 10-hour weekday toll-call support, plus Saturday. http://www.yashica.com 800/421-5735 |