In technology, thinness usually shows us that "less is more." The slicker and more svelte something is, the more likely it is to create a giant gash in your wallet.
For several years, this principle was especially true of digital cameras. Those enviable ultra-thin wedges of shiny metal you would occasionally see someone remove from his or her back pocket at a party to snap a picture were outside most of our budgets. Olympus and Casio, however, recently introduced products that defy this traditional logic. Each company is now offering ultra-compact cameras that you may finally be able to afford.
From Olympus, there's the FE-190, a six megapixel beauty that's priced astonishingly low at $199. Don't be fooled by the low price, however. There's very little about this camera that feels cheap.
The FE-190 is housed in a metal case that measures a mere 0.7 inches thick and weighs a paltry 3.9 ounces. Even wearers of tight jeans will find this camera to be pocket friendly. Yet despite the FE-190's small size, it manages to sport ergonomically-sized controls that are easy to use. The device's menus are logical and clear, though you won't find much to customize. The camera automatically adjusts photography settings like aperture, focus and shutter speed.
Taking pictures with the FE-190 is a breeze, but there is no optical viewfinder (you must use the camera's 2.5-inch liquid crystal display to frame your shots). Performance is surprisingly speedy; you can take consecutive shots fairly quickly.
Image quality, of course, is the primary concern of most digital camera buyers, and it's the only area of the FE-190 that reminds you of its $199 price tag. Pictures don't look bad by any means - but they don't look great either. Consider, for instance, a picture of a plot of flowers I took to test the FE-190. The image was clean and smooth, but the brightness and details of the flowers failed to pop out.
On the other hand, most people who want an ultra-compact camera care primarily about the ability to spontaneously snap pictures and not about taking detailed scenery shots. And for this the FE-190 works extremely well. All pictures look clear, and at six megapixels, they can be enlarged to acceptable sizes.
Low-light performance is decent. The camera's ISO sensitivity, which is the general marker for determining such performance, is respectable at 1,000. You can't, however, manually adjust this setting like on some other cameras. Everything is automatic. For advanced customers this might be annoying, but for the most of us it represents appreciated simplicity.
The FE-190 can also capture short video clips at VGA resolution. Additionally, the camera packs digital image stabilization that helps to correct the shakiness of your hand. It doesn't work as magically as it sounds, but it does indeed help.
Overall, the FE-190 represents a fantastic value for Brown students. It may not be feature-packed or produce stunning images, but it's a camera that you can take and use anywhere. Its combination of simplicity and size makes it easy to recommend.
Olympus isn't alone in seeing the need for affordable pocket-friendly cameras. Casio is touting a slightly higher-end model that fills a similar niche as the FE-190.
It's the Exilim EX-Z70 and it's priced at $249, $50 more than the FE-190. For that extra money, however, you get a 7.2 megapixel camera as opposed to a six megapixel one.
The Exilim comes in either black or silver and looks more stylish than the FE-190. It's slightly thicker at 0.8 inches and heavier at 4.2 ounces, but you won't notice the difference. The Exilim still slips easily into most pockets.
The camera is very similar to the FE-190. There's digital image stabilization, no optical viewfinder and simple controls. Menus are also clear and easy to navigate.Performance-wise, the Exilim bests the FE-190 in both speed and image quality. You can take pictures slightly quicker and they look better. The same pot of flowers that looked dull with the FE-190 appeared brighter and sharper with the Exilim.
In low-light conditions, though, the Exilim struggles even more than the FE-190, perhaps due to its lower ISO sensitivity. You'll be using the flash often.
There are quirks on the Exilim that can be annoying. The record and playback buttons on the back of the device turn the camera on, so it's easy to accidentally hit them when the Exilim is in your pocket. There's also a meager amount of internal memory (8.3 mb) on the camera, so you'll need to buy a memory card to actually take more than five pictures with it.
Yet once again, all things considered, the Exilim is a very smart buy. You'll have a hard time believing the balance of style and substance you receive in return for your $250.
You might be wondering which company's camera is the better buy. That, unfortunately, is a difficult question to answer because it all depends on how much you're willing to spend. You can't go wrong with either, but if you have the extra $50, you should choose Casio. You get what you pay for and the Casio simply produces better images than the cheaper FE-190.
Olympus does, however, deserve credit for shaking up the market with its sub-$200 price point. Hopefully more of its competitors will begin to follow suit.
Technology questions? E-mail Bart Stein '09 at tech.browndailyherald@gmail.com.
