10MP Digital Camera with 5x optical zoom and 5.7x digital zoom
2.5 Inch vibrant LCD with auto brightness
24 MB internal memory with SD/SDHC card support up to an additional 8 GB
Auto scene, blink, smile and face detection
Uses 2 AA batteries so you'll never be stranded waiting for your camera battery to charge
This review is from: GE A1050-RD 10MP Digital Camera with 5X Optical Zoom and 2.5 Inch LCD with Auto Brightness - RedI happened across this camera while searching for a small P&S camera that I could take anywhere. There are times a cell phone camera cannot do the job properly. Having used this camera for 4 months and taken several thousand pictures, here is what I have experienced:Good:* 2 AA battery power -- if they die, obtaining suitable replacements is very easy.* Using AA NiMH batteries -- I get about 300 pictures per set of 2,300 mAh batteries.* 10.1 MP sensor - 4:3 is default resolution ratio, but it has the capability of shooting 3:2 (at 9 MP size).* 1/2.33" CCD sensor - quite standard* 5X optical zoom - Equivalent to 35 MM to 175 MM.* Macro mode with focus down to 3"* Live histogram, but has to be turned on each time the camera is powered up* SD and SDHC card capacity - I've used up to a 4 GB SDHC card with no problems.* Mini-USB cable (nonstandard) connection for picture transfer.* Three light meter modes -- Spot, center weighted and AiAE (a complex full frame evaluation mode).The Bad:* Close distance flash shots wash out the subject -- in camera metering of the flash is bad.* Transferring more than 50 pictures at a time via USB cable will cause the camera to crash.* A rectangular shutter button that is a bit stiff to operate at times.* Spot metering tends to wash out pictures. The best mode is AiAE (complex metering)* The histogram cannot be programed to remain on all the time* EV setting is a bit tedious -- the effect takes once the EV choice has turned off. It must be restarted each time you want to make an exposure adjustment* The LCD lighting on auto mode tends to show the preview exposure too dark, when, in fact, the exposure is quite good.* Awkward placement of the zoom rocker switch* Framing grid lines are a mid-gray color and are hard to see in sunny conditions. No provision to change the color.I wrote Customer Service regarding the histogram and grid line issues. Within 24 hours, they responded. There is no provision to change the default programing of features on this camera. They suggested a firmware update, but for this model, GE posted Version 1.10 on the support website. I have Version 1.11 on my camera.My real test was on a cross-country trip this past April, where I took this camera, a Canon A590 and a Fujifilm S100FS. The pictures taken with the GE were sharp and clear, when they were outside and in AiAE metering mode. Taking pictures in landscape mode was a mixed bag - greens were overblown and reds were suppressed. Also, this is an economical P&S camera. Don't expect perfect live action shots, unless you crank up the ISO speed to the point the pictures are all grainy. I learned to keep this camera at ISO 100 for the vast majority of my pictures. There is an automatic scene detection mode that works, but it too is a mixed bag. I've shot outdoor pictures of plants in bright sunlight and had the camera turn on the flash as if it was in Sunset mode and backlit subject. Go figure.Facial recognition works good for this price camera. Two faces are easily recognized. When taking flash pictures of people, be careful. If you are too close, the flash will wash out the persons face. The metering system and the flash output appear to be separate, so there is no TTL metering of the flash to limit the flash output. Also. red eye reduction shooting fires 4 times before the image is captured. The subjects (especially small children) close their eyes and you get a blink picture. Children mode completely suppresses the flash altogether. The long and the short of it, I found the best mode to shoot in was pure manual mode, where I can set everything (with the aid of the histogram) in AiAE metering mode to capture the correct exposure. It worked just fine with good tonal reproduction in the final product. I'm posting some sample pictures with this review. They represent a cross section of my experiences.CS is responsive, unlike other companies out there. Build quality is good, but don't expect it to hold up to pure torture. Overall, for the price I paid, the features and the picture quality, I happened upon a good camera.*****11/19/2010 - UpdateI have used this camera now for just over 7 months and have taken about 3,000 pictures. If you work with this camera in manual mode with white balance and the histogram to set the exposure, you get some really good results. Battery life is great, even when using the flash. The NiMH "AA" batteries I have nets me about 300 pictures per set of two, more than enough for a dec...
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