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CNET editors' review
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CNET editors' rating:
stars
Very good
Detailed editors' rating
- Reviewed on: 10/20/2004
- Released on: 04/15/2004
The Kyocera Finecam SL400R's pipelined processor uses direct memory access to hasten images through the buffer directly onto an SD memory card at an amazing rate. We shot full-resolution photos at better than 3fps for as long as our 256MB high-speed Lexar card held out. With a reduced resolution of 640x480 pixels, the camera held on for a finger-numbing 14 minutes, during which we managed more than 2,800 pictures, enough to analyze the most leisurely of golf swings.
To really love this camera, you'll need to overlook a few quirks and flaws. For example, there's neither a socket for a tripod or monopod, nor any optical viewfinder at all. You compose your shots on the 1.5-inch LCD, which is serviceable but not ideal in direct sunlight, even when you boost the optional backlight's brightness. The camera's tiny dimensions complicate the ergonomics, too. Normal-size fingers will still fumble over the control keys, particularly the four-way cursor pad. It's easy to press the wrong button when you're hurried, and working the shutter-release button and the zoom level simultaneously can be problematic. The lens, flush with the body surface, was a fingerprint magnet in this camera's predecessor, and the new lens hood reduces but does not eliminate the tendency to smudge the glass every time you pick up the camera.
On the plus side, the Finecam SL400R keeps control-button fiddling to a minimum. You change modes by using a pair of left/right keys to switch from setup to playback, shooting, burst, or movie mode. The LCD menus provide reasonably fast access to the self-timer, the quality and compression settings, the exposure compensation, the white-balance selections, the metering modes, and the ISO adjustments.
The 3X optical zoom provides a 38mm-to-115mm (35mm-camera equivalent) range. The only true manual control is manual focus, which you'll need only for special effects, since the Finecam SL400R's wide and spot autofocus systems (your choice) do a good job of providing sharp focus down to 8 inches. You can select single autofocus to lock in focus only when you partially depress the shutter release, or continuous autofocus--which is activated automatically when the Sports scene mode is selected--to follow fast-moving objects. Other scene modes include Portrait, Night, Night Portrait, and Landscape.
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