For many years now, the trend on this website has been to review the more expensive, cutting-edge cameras. Not only do those cameras capture my interest -- they are what the majority of DCRP readers are curious about, as well. Recently, I was reminded by a reader that I wasn't giving enough attention to entry-level cameras. These cameras may be boring to tech enthusiasts, but let's face it, millions of them are sold every year to regular folks who want something easy-to-use that takes decent photos.
Thus, I set out to find a group of cameras to test. I went to my local Target and BestBuy stores and wrote down what they were selling. I wanted compact cameras that had prices between $150 and $180, with 4X or 5X zoom lenses, 2.7" LCD displays, and lithium-ion batteries. Here's what I ended up with:
Canon PowerShot SD1300 IS Digital ELPH
Kodak EasyShare M550
Nikon Coolpix S3000
Olympus FE-4030
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH3
Pentax Optio H90
Samsung SL600
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W330
Two quick notes: I originally sought out the FE-4020, but Olympus only had this model. It's the same camera as the 4020, but it uses a different battery (why, I do not know). The FE-4030 also appears to be a BestBuy exclusive, and costs more than the FE-4020. Also, the Samsung SL600 appears to have been discontinued, and replaced with the SL605. They are very similar cameras, with the SL605 adding dustproofing on its rear controls.
And with that, here's a huge table comparing all of the cameras in this test, with standout features highlighted in bold. You may need to widen your browser window to accomodate it!
Canon PowerShot SD1300 IS
Kodak EasyShare M550
Nikon Coolpix S3000
Olympus FE-4030
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH3
Pentax Optio H90
Samsung SL600
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W330
Street price
$179
$129
$129
$149
$159
$123
$129
$164
Resolution
12 MP
12 MP
12 MP
14 MP
14 MP
12 MP
12 MP
14 MP
Zoom
4X
5X
4X
4X
5X
5X
5X
4X
Focal range
28 - 112 mm
28 - 140 mm
27 - 108 mm
26 - 105 mm
28 - 140 mm
28 - 140 mm
27 - 135 mm
26 - 105 mm
Max aperture
F2.8 - F5.9
F3.5 - F5.9
F3.2 - F5.9
F2.6 - F5.9
F2.8 - F6.9
F3.5 - F5.9
F3.5 - F5.9
F2.7 - F5.7
Image stabilization
Yes
No
No
No
Yes
No
No
No
LCD size
2.7"
2.7"
2.7"
2.7"
2.7"
2.7"
2.7"
3.0"
Macro distance
3 cm
10 cm
8 cm
4 cm
5 cm
8 cm
5 cm
4 cm
Manual controls
White balance
None
White balance
None
White balance
White balance, focus
White balance
None
Startup time
1.0 sec
1.9 sec
1.2 sec
1.3 sec
1.1 sec
1.4 sec
1.1 sec
1.7 sec
ISO range
80 - 1600
64 - 1000
80 - 3200
64 - 1600
80 - 1600
80 - 6400
80 - 3200
80 - 3200
Burst mode
(At full res)
Infinite @ 0.9 fps
3 shots @ 2.0fps
Infinite @ 1.0 fps
None
Infinite @ 1.5 fps
4 shots @ 0.8 fps
Infinite @ 0.5 fps
Infinite @ 1.0 fps
Flash strength (Auto ISO *)
0.3 - 4.0 m (W)
0.5 - 2.0 m (T)
0.3 - 3.5 m (W)
0.5 - 2.0 m (T)
0.5 - 4.5 m (W)
0.5 - 2.4 m (T)
0.2 - 5.5 m (W)
0.6 - 3.0 m (T)
0.6 - 6.8 m (W)
1.0 - 2.7 m (T)
0.2 - 4.0 m (W)
1.0 - 2.4 m (T)
0.2 - 2.7 m (W)
0.5 - 1.6 m (T)
0.3 - 3.5 m (W)
0.6 - 1.8 m (T)
AF-assist lamp
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
Max movie resolution
640 x 480
640 x 480
640 x 480
640 x 480
1280 x 720
1280 x 720
640 x 480
640 x 480
Zoom in movies?
No
No
No
Yes ***
No
No
Yes ***
No
Date stamp
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Battery life
240 shots
220 shots
220 shots
230 shots
310 shots
210 shots
250 shots
230 shots
Built-in memory
None
20 MB
47 MB
46 MB
40 MB
32.7 MB
9.9 MB
28MB
Supported memory cards
SD, SDHC, SDXC, MMC+
SD, SDHC
SD, SDHC
SD, SDHC
SD, SDHC, SDXC
SD, SDHC
SD, SDHC, MMC+
MS Duo, SD, SDHC
USB 2.0 High Speed support
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Dimensions
(WxHxD, in.)
3.6 x 2.2 x 0.8
3.9 x 2.3 x 0.9
3.8 x 2.2 x 0.8
3.6 x 2.2 x 0.9
3.9 x 2.2 x 0.9
3.7 x 2.2 x 1.0
3.8 x 2.3 x 0.8
3.9 x 2.3 x 0.7
Weight (empty)
117 g
125 g
99 g (**)
116 g
125 g
114 g
119 g
112 g
Available colors
Silver, blue, pink, green, brown
Grey, purple. blue, tan
Black, silver, plum, blue, green, orange
Silver, grey, pink, blue
Black, silver, pink, blue, red
Black, white, orange
Black, silver, red
Black, silver, red, blue
Street prices obtained from Newegg.com, who just happens to sell all eight of the cameras
* The flash range was measured at ISO 400 for the Kodak EasyShare M550 and ISO 1600 for the Olympus FE-4030
** Approximate
*** With sound recording turned off (temporarily in the case of the SL600)
So now you've seen which cameras I'm going to cover in this test. Each of them will get their own page in this article, which will be a "lite" version of what you'll normally find in a DCRP review. Following that we'll have photo quality comparisons and a conclusion where I'll hopefully pick the best cameras in the group.
Ready to begin? I'll work my way through the cameras in alphabetical order, beginning with the Canon PowerShot SD1300 IS Digital ELPH.
