|
The KD-400Z and its 3.2-megapixel cousin the KD-310Z are also the first two digital camera to incorporate both MMC/SD and Memory Stick slots, and it can use both types of memory simultaneously.
The camera has fewer buttons on the back than most digital cameras in this price range, but that's only because it is designed to be so easy to use. Most menus that appear on the crisp, color LCD screen are navigated using a small four-way switch, and a button next to that switch is used to activate highlighted menu items. Other
buttons allow for the easy viewing and deleting of images and also to control the camera's 3x optical zoom. A digital zoom is also available, but we recommend against using it as it substantially reduces image quality.
Powering up the device is as easy as sliding back the protective lens cover on the front. The camera springs into action almost instantly, and zooming also works very quickly compared to most digital cameras. Pressing the shutter button down halfway activates the autofocus, and also causes a blue light on the front of the camera to
illuminate so subjects know a picture is about to be taken.
Although there are no manual controls for things like shutter speed and f-stop settings, the camera does offer enough control to take it one step beyond a basic point-and-shoot camera. The four-way switch can be pressed right or left to turn the flash on or off, change to macro or landscape shooting mode, set the self-timer, apply
red-eye reduction, or set up a combination of these things.
Image quality is excellent. The CCD captures details that lesser cameras simply can't resolve, and exhibits exceptionally accurate color reproduction. Outdoor shots look terrific with the exception of low-light and night shots, where the automatic-only shutter comes into play. Skin tones are accurate, and the camera takes good
portraits, but red-eye is a big problem even with reduction enabled. We can only presume it is caused because the camera's flash is so close to the lens.
Regardless, this is an excellent automatic digital camera for those who don't want to fuss with manual controls at all, but who also want to capture more detail than point-and-shoot 2-megapixel cameras can handle. The included 16 MB SD memory card is skimpy for a camera that generates images at a native resolution of 2,307 x 1,704
pixels, and you'll probably want another set of rechargeable batteries, but otherwise the KD-400Z's price and performance offer very little to complain about.
Pros:
Cons:
|
