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Kyocera FineCam S3 Zoom Kyocera packs 3 megapixels into the smallest zoom-equipped digicam yet. Too cool! Select a topic Reference: Datasheet S3 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 S3 Review --------------------------------- Digital Camera Comparometer (TM) --------------------------------- <-- Digital Cameras (Home) <-- Digital Camera Reviews Index <<Viewfinder :(Previous) | (Next): Exposure & Flash>> Page 5:Optics Review First Posted: 7/1/2001

Optics
A 2x, 7.8-15.6mm optical zoom lens is equivalent to a 38-76mm lens on a 35mm camera, with manually adjustable apertures of f/2.8 and f/6.2, and automatic aperture settings between. The maximum aperture setting varies with the lens' zoom position, equating to f/2.8 at wide angle and f/3.5 at full telephoto. The all-glass lens features three aspheric elements for capturing sharp images. Focus can be manually or automatically controlled (through the Record menu), and ranges from 90 centimeters to infinity, with a macro range of 10 to 90cm (at the wide-angle lens position). A Focus button on the camera's back panel places the S3 in Macro or Landscape modes. Macro focus changes the focus range to the macro setting, while Landscape focus fixes focus at infinity. When manual focus is enabled, a distance scale appears on the LCD monitor and focus is adjusted with the right and left buttons of the Four Way Arrow pad.

The S3's autofocus mechanism offers Single AF and Continuous AF settings, adjustable through the Setup menu. In Single AF mode, the camera determines focus only when the Shutter button is halfway pressed. Alternatively, Continuous AF mode sets focus whenever the subject or frame changes, which consumes considerably more battery power.

In addition to the S3’s 2x optical zoom, the camera also offers a maximum 2x digital zoom, effectively increasing the zoom range to 4x. Digital zoom is enabled through the Setup menu, and controlled with the Zoom buttons on the camera’s back panel (zooming past the optical zoom range activates digital zoom). The amount of digital zoom appears in the LCD monitor, with settings of 1.3x, 1.6x, and 2x. Remember that digital zoom only enlarges the central portion of the CCD image, thereby compromising image quality in the form of lower resolution or increased image noise.