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Epson PhotoPC 3100Z Epson updates their excellent 3 megapixel digicam with a new user interface, and support for PRINT Image Matching! Select a topic Reference: Datasheet E3100 Sample Images --------------------------------- 1. Intro and Highlights 2. Executive Overview 3. Design 4. Viewfinder 5. Optics 6. Exposure & Flash 7. Shutter Lag & Cycle Time Tests 8. Operation & User Interface 9. Camera Modes & Menus 10. Image Storage & Interface 11. Video, Power, Software 12. Test Results & Conclusion --------------------------------- Print-Friendly Review Version Additional Resources and Other Links Reader Comments on E3100 Review --------------------------------- Digital Camera Comparometer (TM) --------------------------------- <-- Digital Cameras (Home) <-- Digital Camera Reviews Index <<Viewfinder :(Previous) | (Next): Exposure & Flash>> Page 5:Optics Review First Posted: 7/10/2001

Optics
A 3x, 7 to 21mm lens (equivalent to a 34 to 102mm lens on a 35 mm camera) offers a focal range of 20 inches (50cm) to infinity in normal mode. Macro mode adjusts the focal range from 2.36 to 20 inches (6 to 50cm). Apertures can be manually or automatically adjusted from f/2.0 to f/8.0 in one-stop increments. There's also a Manual Focus option, with three distance settings to choose from: Three feet (0.9 meter), 10 feet (3 meters), and Infinity. When the camera is powered on, the telescoping lens extends from the body and retracts once the camera is turned off. A spring-loaded plastic lens cap protects the lens from smudges and scratches, and attaches to the camera body with a small strap (so you don't have to worry about losing it). Metal filter threads around the lens accommodate a lens adapter, which ships with the camera. This lens adapter fits a variety of Epson accessory lens kits, including wide-angle, telephoto and macro lenses, plus standard 49mm filters. (Big kudos to Epson for including the lens adapter with the camera: Most digicam manufacturers offer adapters of this sort only as optional items. The issue isn't so much the added cost, but that dealers rarely stock these accessories, making them hard to come by. Having the lens adapter packed in the box makes the camera immediately more useful.)

The 2x Digital Zoom function is enabled through the Setup menu. Once you turn the Digital Zoom on, it's added onto the Optical Zoom range bar, so when you zoom past the Optical Zoom limit (about halfway up the bar), the camera automatically switches to Digital Zoom. Remember, though, that image quality suffers in the form of softer resolution and increased noise when using Digital Zoom.

The 3100 Zoom's lens appears to be of pretty high quality: During our testing, we found a slightly lower than average barrel distortion at the wide angle end of its range, approximately 0.7 percent, almost no distortion at the telephoto end. We also noticed just a little chromatic aberration, with only about three pixels of coloration on each side of the black target lines. (This distortion is visible as a very slight colored fringe around objects at the edge of the field of view on the resolution target.) Overall, the lens performance looks very good.