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Big Shots - Hub looks at quartet of new 8 MP digital cameras
By Staff, posted 5/18/2004 11:12:29 AM

Despite the fact that digital cameras with a top resolution of 3 to 5 MP (megapixels) will more than meet the needs of most amateur photographers, there will always be the enthusiast who wants more, more, more! And, now that a new 8 MP sensor has been introduced, manufacturers are meeting that demand with 8 MP models that are friendlier to the pocketbook. If you're looking for high-quality images but don't have a professional photographer's hardware budget, these models are worth a look.

Canon PowerShot Pro1
http://www.canon.ca/
Estimated retail price: $1,850

Canon's PowerShot Pro1 is one of the more expensive 8 MP models and it's also a slightly quirky affair. As with other high-end Canon cameras, picture quality is excellent, and it offers a lot of manual control, but there are a few things worth mentioning.

First, the zoom is controlled by a ring around the lens itself. However, it's servo-controlled, which means that even though it's closer to the zoom on an analogue lens system, the control isn't as fine. When you move the ring, you can actually see the lens moving forward in blocky chunks instead of smoothly and there's still a tiny lag time between movement of the ring and the servo kicking in. The same ring is also used for manual focus; you hold down the MF button and spin the ring, and a magnification window pops up in the middle of the LCD to allow for more accurate focusing.

The exposure is controlled with a jog wheel just behind the shutter; you change the aperture by pressing down while spinning the same wheel, which is awkward and may result in changing the exposure at the same time. The angle of the jog wheel also makes it a bit awkward to use, especially if you need to change settings quickly while trying to hold the camera still.

The camera uses LCDs for both the rear viewfinder and the eyepiece. The eyepiece screen is high-resolution, which will make it easier to use it in conjunction with manual focus. The rear viewfinder flips out 180 degrees from the body and spins through 270 degrees for great flexibility while shooting, and protection of the screen against the body of the camera when it's not in use.

In the end, the PowerShot Pro1 is a bit of a head-scratcher. It gives you great control over your images and is in many ways a beautiful piece of technology, but its higher price really makes you wish Canon had put a bit more work into zoom and aperture controls.

Konica Minolta Dimage A2
http://www.konicaminolta.ca/
Estimated price: $1,599

Following a merger with Konica, Minolta's Dimage line of digital cameras continues to grow. The Dimage A2 is an update of the A1 model, sporting a near-identical design, but with better specs. The A2 features an astounding 8 MP resolution and Anti-Shake technology, giving you image stabilization at the touch of a button.

As with the A1, one of the nicest features with the A2 is the 7x optical zoom, operated manually by cranking the lens with your hand -- just as you would with an old zoom lens attachment. This means instant control over the zoom, instead of waiting for the servo, and it saves on battery power. Manual focus control is via a ring near the body of the camera, but it's not nearly as responsive. A macro tab locks your lens in place for closeups.

As with previous high-end Dimage models, the A2 has an LCD viewfinder that automatically switches to the high-res LCD screen in the eyepiece as your eye moves towards it. Both viewfinders can tilt 90 degrees upward. The camera ships in "aperture priority" mode by default, but you can also override it using the menu.

The Dimage A2 features a wide variety of settings, accessible through a number of buttons and wheels. It's a bit intimidating but it gives you fantastic control over your images.

Nikon Coolpix 8700
http://www.nikon.ca/
Estimated price: $1,400

Of all of the new 8 MP cameras, Nikon's Coolpix was, to our eyes, the most striking in appearance. It looked sleek, efficient, and... well, cool.

Some new high-resolution cameras have so many switches, dials, and buttons that you feel like you're piloting an aircraft. The Nikon, however, eliminates much of the complexity by putting most of the control into a single jog wheel that changes function based on the other buttons you're pressing. The tradeoff is spending some time getting a feel for the menu system.

One weird design issue: the on/off switch appears around the outside of the shutter button, which would be efficient if digital photographers weren't already so gosh-darned used to finding the zoom control in that same location. On the Coolpix 8700, the zoom is controlled by a tilting button on the rear of the camera. A bit of practice may be necessary to keep you from turning the camera off when you really wanted to zoom in.

As with most of the new high-resolution models, the Coolpix 8700 uses an LCD monitor for both the rear viewfinder and inside the eyepiece. Because the eyepiece resolution is comparatively low, you'll want to use the rear viewfinder when possible, even more so because it can flip out 180 degrees from the body and spins through 270 degrees; this allows great flexibility when shooting, and also gives you the option of protecting the viewscreen against the body when the camera is not in use.

Olympus C-8080 Wide Zoom
http://www.olympus.com/
Estimated price: $1,400

One of the biggest problems with any digital camera is that spontaneity can be hampered when you have to wait several seconds for your camera to power up before you can take a shot. Olympus' new 8 MP C-8080, though, can go from off to first capture in two to three seconds, depending on whether auto-focus is on. Pretty impressive!

Like other models in Olympus' C-series, the C-8080 has a mode dial on top with a customizable My Mode setting, a jog wheel that controls multiple settings (flash, aperture, shutter, more), and a fairly easy-to-use menu system. It also has a customizable button beside the mode dial, allowing you to choose one option that you use regularly, so you won't have to drill down through menus each time you want to use it. The camera features a wide-angle lens with a fairly responsive 5x optical zoom controlled by a lever behind the shutter. The C-8080 has slots for both xD and CompactFlash memory and allows you switch between the two with the touch of a button.

Of the 8 MP models we've had a chance to look at, the C-8080 is definitely the heaviest of the bunch and one of the largest. The grip is quite comfortable overall, though there are a few annoyances: the right-hand strap mount is in an awkward location that occasionally interferes with access to the mode dial, and the barrel of the lens has a notched ring that looks like it should be a zoom or focus ring but is actually strictly there for decoration.

Big shots: the specs

Canon Konica Minolta Nikon Olympus Wide Zoom

PowerShot Pro1 Dimage A2 Coolpix 8700 C-8080

Mexapixel rating 8.0 8.0 8.0 8.0

Max. resolution (pixels) 3,264x2,448 3,264x2,448 3,264x2,448 3,264x2,448

Optical zoom 7x 7x 8x 5x

35mm equivalent 28 - 200 mm 28 - 200 mm 35 - 280 mm 28 - 140 mm

LCD viewfinder 2.0-inch TFT 1.8-inch TFT 1.8-inch TFT 1.8-inch TFT

Eyepiece type LCD LCD LCD LCD

Shutter speed (sec.) 1/4,000 - 15 1/2,000 - 30 1/4,000 - 8 1/4,000 - 16

Aperture range F2.8 - F8.0 F2.8 - F11.0 F2.8 - F8.0 F2.4 - F8.0

PictBridge compatible yes yes yes yes

Memory types Type II CF Type II CF Type II CF Type II CF, xD

Card included 64 MB none none 32 MB xD

Rechargeable battery type Lithium Ion Lithium Ion Lithium Ion Lithium Ion

Ext. battery pack available no yes yes NA

Internal flash yes yes yes yes

Accessory shoe for ext. flash yes yes yes yes

Flash-sync terminal no yes no no

Dimensions* (cm) 11.8x7.8x10.2 12.2x8.5x13 11.3x10.5x7.8 12.4x8.5x11

Weight with battery (g) 640 660 535 750

Sidebar

Do I need 8 MP?
Whenever a new technology hits the shelves, a lot of people second-guess themselves when they start shopping. They may have been planning to buy a 3 MP camera, but worry they'll be left behind if they don't go for the brand new thing.

If you only want to share images on the Web and via email, a 2 or 3 MP camera is more than enough -- you'll need to shrink images down at that resolution unless you're regularly printing them out as 5x7-inch prints. If you plan to print high-quality 8x10-inch images, you'll want at least a 3 MP or even a 5 MP camera. You'll only need 8 MP if you want professional-quality images for prints larger than 8x10 inches.

If you don't plan to print 11x17-inch photos on a regular basis, chances are you don't need an 8 MP camera, especially at the current premium pricing.

Shopping tip
A recent trend to note is that many manufacturers no longer include memory cards with their higher-end digital cameras. It makes sense because in the past the standard cards were so small (16 MB, for example) as to be almost useless -- and would be even more so with a higher resolution camera. This does mean, however, that you'll want to leave room in your budget for a memory card when buying a high-res camera.