Good camera with a couple of quirks
Written: Jul 11 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Excellent photo quality, easy operation, advanced features
Cons: A focusing quirk you can work around and a shutter button quirk that can catch you off guard (but is not serious).
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| bev's Full Review: Epson PhotoPC 3000Z Digital Camera |
I am a big Epson digital camera fan - the Epson PhotoPC 3000Z is my fifth Epson model. Unfortunately, it is also the model I have been least satisfied with. Don't get me wrong, it takes beautiful photographs! But it does have a couple of little quirks that can be bothersome. I will describe those later.
This is a camera with a lot of features, one of which is a hot shoe for an external flash. Everyone from a new digital camera user to the advanced photographer will find the 3000Z easy to use. It has a fully automatic mode for those who like to just point and shoot. Or if you prefer a little more control, there is a program mode that allows you to adjust exposure and set your own white balance. Full manual controls allow the advanced photographer to set manual exposure, adjust aperture and shutter speed, and choose metering and focus methods.
The Epson PhotoPC 3000Z has a 3.3 megapixel CCD sensor which provides a resolution of 2048 x 1536 in three quality modes. An additional interpolated mode, called HyPict, creates images 2544 x 1904.
The 3X optical zoom is easy to use and operates smoothly. The built-in flash has five modes: off, auto, on, redeye reduction, and slow sync. I'm not going to try to give a rundown of all the features - you can go to any digital camera website or the Epson website and get that information.
The camera is fairly compact (but not pocket size) and fits very comfortably in my hand. All the controls are easy to use and the Epson menu system is, as always, easy to understand and operate.
In usual Epson style, the camera comes equipped with rechargeable batteries and a battery charger. The battery life is pretty good. As with all digital cameras, the less you use the LCD viewfinder, the longer the batteries last. I mostly use the optical viewfinder and the batteries last through hundreds of photos. It is always a good idea to buy an extra set of batteries so that you always have a spare, fully charged, set on hand.
Now to the quirks. There are only two that I've discovered.
First, because of the center-weighted spot focusing in some modes, what you intended to be the central focus of your photos may not always come out to be in focus! This is more a problem when there is a wide aperture and thus a shallower depth of field. The way to avoid this as best as possible is to center your subject in the viewfinder, focus (by pressing the shutter button down halfway), then re-frame your shot (reposition your subject in the frame to where you want them), and take the picture (press the shutter all the way down.)
Second, every once in a while I will press the shutter button to take a picture, then get a second picture that I did not intend to take. It is as though the shutter button is a little too sensitive and if you hold it down just a tad longer than it wants, it will take another picture. Usually when this happens, you are in the process of moving the camera back to your side or into the camera bag and you end up with a nice blurry photo of the ground. At least with a digital camera, you can immediately erase such goofs.
So there it is. I like the camera. I'm keeping it. But for the money - and it is expensive - you might also want to consider the Nikon Coolpix 990 or the Olympus C-3000Z or C-3030Z 3.3 megapixel cameras. I'm not familiar with the reputation or quirks of those specific models, so be sure to research those as well. But, as with Epson, they are in general, high quality digital cameras.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
bev
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Member: Beverly Parks
Location: Cochise County, Arizona
Reviews written: 3
Trusted by: 4 members
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