Here
are a few images that accurately reflect the abilities of any given camera
model. The images are altered only in terms of size and sharpness after
reduction and by the JPEG compression used. Unless otherwise mentioned,
assume that any marbling or artefacts visible in the images are due to
the compression required to display them here. We feel however, that they
still faithfully represent the results we experienced.
STILL
LIFE PHOTO
The
subject is lit by an incandescent lamp and some natural light is coming
in from windows on the right. The camera's flash is forced on and provides
fill light. The beige wall in the background is approximately 2m (6.5
ft) away.
The Kyocera
Finecam S3 captures a good exposure, but one that required setting the
white balance to the "cloudy" setting for it to capture natural colours.
Although a 3.3 megapixel camera, it yields photos which have a definition
that is more in line with 2.1 megapixel cameras. This does not appear
to be a side effect of the compression, as the uncompressed images exhibit
a similar definition.
Photo
Information
Format:
JPEG
Aperture:
f
2.8
Exposure:
Auto
Shutter
Speed:
1/70
Resolution:
2048
x 1536
Flash:
On
Quality:
SuperFine
ISO:
100
File
Size:
1,797
KB
Focal
Length:
38
mm
(35mm Equiv.)
ZOOM
PHOTO
Now
we zoom in on a specific area. The intent is to test the sharpness of
the image at the zoom's maximum setting. The camera remains at the same
distance as with the preceding photo.
The 2X zoom is quite short, but does allow the framing to concentrate
more on a part of the subject. Here again, with the white balance set
to the cloud setting, the camera handles the three different sources of
light better than it could with the Auto setting. The image definition
remains the same as with the previous photo.
Photo
Information
Format:
JPEG
Aperture:
f
3.4
Exposure:
Auto
Shutter
Speed:
1/70
Resolution:
2048
x 1536
Flash:
On
Quality:
Superfine
ISO:
100
File
Size:
1,467
KB
Focal
Length:
76
mm
(35mm Equiv.)
Aperture:
f2.8, shutter speed: 1/10 sec, incandescent setting, and mini-tripod.
CLOSE-UP
PHOTO
The Kyocera
Finecam S3's macro mode lets the camera focus at about 6 cm (2.34")
from the subject out to about 90 cm (35 in.) while the lens is at the
wide end. This represents a field of view approximately 6.3 cm (2.45")
wide; sufficient to achieve some very good macro shots. In fact, the macro
mode of the Finecam S3 seems to be one area where it excels, and where
the autofocus is at its most precise. In addition, the lens has very little
barrel distortion in the macro mode.
BUILDING PHOTO
This
image is our "outdoor" test. The architecture of the building,
the paving stones and planters in the foreground create
a challenging scene. The angled girders immediately show
the presence of jaggies and the darkened entrance can
get too dark for any detail to show.
Used outdoors,
the Kyocera Finecam S3 manages quite well. In this image, the metering
avoids any overexposure of the brightest elements, such as the concrete
planter in the foreground and yet is able to image the shadowed area in
the entrance.
The colour range of the S3 seems a bit more limited though, as can be
seen by the very slight colour difference it produces between the metal
cap on top of the wall (below) and the colour of the sky.
Photo
Information
Format:
JPEG
Aperture:
f
6.1
Exposure:
Auto
Shutter
Speed:
1/160
Resolution:
2048
x 1536
Flash:
Off
Quality:
Superfine
ISO:
100
File
Size:
1,955
KB
Focal
Length:
38
mm
(35mm Equiv.)
ZOOM
PHOTO
With its
short 2X zoom the Finecam S3 still captures a fairly wide section of the
building from the same position as it was in the wide angle image above.
The metering's attempt at capturing more of the shadowed area causes a
slight overexposure of the surrounding zone, but the outlines of the paving
stones remain visible.
The section below is cropped from the central portion (the focus point)
of the original image.
