"Picky Details" for the Kyocera Finecam S5 digital camera
(Timing, Power, and Storage Info)
Timing
I measure both cycle times and shutter delay times, using a test system I designed
and built for the purpose. (Crystal-controlled, with a resolution of 01 second.)
Here are the numbers I collected for the Kyocera Finecam S5:
NOTE: My qualitative characterizations of camera performance below (that is, "reasonably fast," "about average," etc.) are meant to be relative to other cameras of similar price and general capabilities. Thus, the same shutter lag that's "very fast" for a low-end consumer camera might be characterized as "quite slow" if I encountered it on a professional model. The comments are also intended as only a quick reference: If performance specs are critical for you, rely on the absolute numbers to compare cameras, rather than my purely qualitative comments.
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(secs) |
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| Power On -> First shot |
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Kyocera startup screen appears and lens extends forward. On the slow side.
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| Shutdown |
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Lens retracts. Average to slightly slow.
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| Play to Record, first shot |
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Time until first shot is captured. Reasonably quick.
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| Record to play |
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Time to display a large/fine file after capture. About average.
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| Shutter lag, full autofocus |
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First time is at full wide-angle, second is full telephoto. Somewhat slow. |
| Shutter lag, manual focus | 0.487 | About average. |
| Shutter lag, prefocus |
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Time to capture, after half-pressing shutter button. A bit faster than average.
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| Cycle Time, max/min resolution |
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First numbers are for large/fine files, second number is time for small/basic images. Times are averages. The camera displays an auto review of each shot, which cannot be canceled. The camera has a three-shot buffer, so the first three large/fine shots are this fast, then it takes a *really* long time to clear the buffer before the next shot can be snapped. (About 22 seconds!) |
| Cycle Time, continuous mode. |
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(The S5 has no continuous shooting mode.) |
Like many other subcompact digicams, the S5 is no speed demon. It's on the slow side of average in its shutter lag in full autofocus mode, although slightly faster than average when prefocused by half-pressing and holding down the shutter button before the shot itself. Thanks to a 3-shot buffer memory, cycle time is quite good for the first three shots, but buffer-clearing times are really long, at a bit over 22 seconds per frame. (!) Overall, not terrible, but definitely not your first choice for any kind of fast-breaking action.
Power
The Finecam S5 uses a custom Li-Ion rechargeable battery for power.
The table below shows the Finecam S5's power consumption in various modes, and approximate run times for each, based a single Li-Ion battery with a (true, not advertised) 1000 mAh capacity:
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(@3.6 volts on the external power terminal) |
(1 1,000 mAh Li-Ion cell) |
| Capture Mode, w/LCD |
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81 |
| Capture Mode, no LCD |
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101 |
| Half-pressed shutter w/LCD |
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82 |
| Half-pressed w/o LCD |
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103 |
| Memory Write (transient) |
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| Flash Recharge (transient) |
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| Image Playback |
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187 |
The S5's battery life is short, but a bit better than average for subcompact digicams. Its biggest limitation in this area is that its battery life doesn't improve all that much when the LCD is turned off. Still, not bad for a really small digicam. - As always though, I strongly recommend purchasing a second battery pack at the same time as the camera, and keeping it charged and ready to go when you take off on an outing.
Storage Capacity
The Finecam S5 stores its photos on CompactFlash memory cards, and a 16MB
card is included with the camera. (I strongly recommend buying at least
a 64MB card, preferably a 128MB one, to give yourself extra space for extended
outings.) The chart below shows how many images can be stored on the included
16MB card at each size/quality setting.
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Resolution/Quality 16MB Memory Card |
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| 2,590 x 1,920 | Images (Avg size) |
6 2,560 KB |
12 1,306 KB |
| Approx. Compression |
6:1 | 11:1 | |
| 1,600 x 1,200 | Images (Avg size) |
15 1,032 KB |
29 5470 KB |
| Approx. Compression |
6:1 | 11:1 | |
| 1,280 x 960 | Images (Avg size) |
681 KB |
372 KB |
| Approx. Compression |
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| 640 x 480 | Images (Avg size) |
219 KB |
142 KB |
| Approx. Compression |
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Download Speed
The Finecam S5 connects to a host computer via a USB interface. I clocked it at 258 KBytes/second on my 2.4 GHz Sony VAIO desktop running Windows XP. (Cameras with slow USB interfaces run as low as 300 KB/s, cameras with fast ones run as high as 600 KB/s.)
S5 Test Images
S5 Specifications
S5 "Picky Details"
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