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I have to be honest here. When I spotted Concord's press release about this new camera of theirs, it was also the first time I heard their name. This is quite surprising because the company is publicly traded (Nasdaq: LENS) and had net sales of $129.3 million last year. Concord employs over 4000 people in seven countries and market their products worldwide through direct sales offices in the United States, Canada, Germany, Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, and France and also through independent sales agents.
Product that we are about to review is their 5 Megapixel model, Concord Eye-Q 5330z. Sensor that gives true 2560x1920 resolution is really something if you have used to those ~2 Megapixel cameras. Now you are able to edit your digital photographs with more detail and print them out in high quality A4 printouts. High resolution sensor alone doesn't make a great camera so we have to take a deeper look inside the features and specifications and try to see if this camera is the best one for your purposes.
Technical data:
| Sensor: | 5.24 Megapixels (2560 x 1920 resolution), 1/1.8 CCD sensor |
| Image Resolution: | Full Size 2560 x 1920 Half Size 1600 x 1200 VGA size 640 x 480 |
| Lens: | 8 - 24mm (38 - 114mm, 35mm equivalent) Aperture range: Wide: f/3.4, Tele: f/3.6 (F/ open 3.4, 4.8, 7.7, 15) Shutter speed: 1/650 to 8 seconds |
| Zoom: | 3x Optical Zoom and 2x Digital Zoom |
| Focusing Range: | Auto Focus, 16 (40cm) to infinity, Macro: 8cm - 40cm |
| Exposure: | Auto exposure, auto or manual white balance |
| Storage: | CompactFlash Type I -card |
| Output File Format: | JPEG (DCF), DPOF |
| Viewfinder: | Optical real image zoom viewfinder |
| Self-Timer: | Approximately 10 seconds |
| Flash Unit: | Flash off, auto flash, fill-in flash, slow sync and red-eye reduction |
| Power Source: | 4x AA Alkaline Batteries or 6 V AC adapter |
| Connectivity: | USB connection direct to PC or Mac CompactFlash connection to CompactFlash card reader Video connection direct to TV (NTSC/PAL) |
| System Compatibility: | Windows® 98, 98SE, 2000, ME, XP and Mac OS 9.0 to 10.1 |
| Web Camera: | N/A |
| Video Clips: | QVGA resolution, 12 fps, AVI format (no sound) |
| Dimensions: | 116mm x 73mm x 62mm |
| Weight: | 280 g (without batteries) |
What does these numbers tell us? Well, the aperture range start from 3.4 for wide and 3.6 tele. Lower the number, larger the aperture thus allowing more light to enter the sensor. This reading matters the most in low light situations. 3.4 for wide is quite high but on the other hand 3.6 for tele promises good amount of light while zooming. While most users may use the camera only in fully automatic mode, Concord 5330z offers something for more advanced photographers too; Full manual control over the shutter speed and aperture. Shutter speed can be extended to 8 seconds and this helps in low light situations. This also means that you need to have a stable support for the camera so that the images stay sharp.
One thing about this camera that I absolutely fell in love with, is its macro mode. My previous camera limited me to minimum of 40 cm from target but this 5330z allowed me to go much closer with 8cm macro. You can see some pretty nice sample macro images at the end of this review.
Content
- Concord Eye-Q 5330z Digital Camera
- User's Guide + Quick start guide (in four languages)
- USB cable
- TV cable
- Wrist Strap
- Camera Pouch
- 4x AA Batteries
- 32 MB CompactFlash card
- Two driver & software CDs.
- Software titles included are:
- ArcSoft PhotoImpression 3.0
- ArcSoft VideoImpression 1.6
(Both titles for Windows® and Mac)
It is real nice to see this 32 MB card included with the camera. Manufacturers usually bundle 16 MB or even 8 MB cards with their cameras so you know that you have to go out and buy more storage space for the images really soon. While 32 MB may sound really small, after all there are these 1 GB cards available, it is still refreshing to see that Concord didn't go too cheap on this. This card can hold around 21 images with full resolution and best quality but increases to over 64 images with 1600x1200 resolution in economy mode.
Manuals are also very well written. Good examples for different photographing situations, thus allowing you to familiarize the camera really fast. Batteries included with the camera will last only for around 30-40 images and it is best to spend some money and buy a decent set of rechargeable batteries and a charger. These kits are reasonable cheap (~20-30 euros with 1700 mAh batteries) and will save you a lot of money in the long run.
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