Contax U4R
- Reviewer
- Charlie Brewer
- Review Date
- 24 January 2005
- Manufacturer
- Kyocera
- Price as reviewed
- £400
- Latest price
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Reader review
User: Jan A, Denmark
Date Posted: 10 August 2005
Review: This little thing takes some of the best pictures I've seen from a digital camera. First of all, you can take pictures with the camera held down, as you don't need to unfold it. You simply look down therefore you don't look as stupid as others photographers that are holding their cameras 20 cm from their eyes. Next is the more than excellent Carl Zeiss-lenses, which are second to none. Then there is the excellent video-function, and the superb 3,3 pic. pr. sec. motordrive. You should set the sharpness to +3, the gamma to +1 and the ISO to 50. This is the only 4 megapixel camera from which a 50x75 cm print could be made (in sunlight but don't shake, though). Honestly, there isn’t anything negative to say - it is light years in performance ahead of say Canon or Nikon - 4 megapixel or not.
Rating:
2 people have rated this review helpful
Reader review
User: Doug Greenberg, Berkeley, USA
Date Posted: 26 July 2005
Review: Yes I agree the ergonomics of this tiny camera are unusual, but it doesn't take all that long to understand the menus and how to navigate them. Getting stuck in the 'scene' menu is simply not a problem. You can ignore the various scene functions if they don't suit your needs. The bottom line is that with the fine Zeiss lens engineered into the U4R, the image quality is simply superb, and the photos can be enlarged up to 8 x 10 inches easily. The rapid-fire continuous mode is also extremely useful. Yes, it's not a camera for people who want total manual control and it lacks many functions built into more fully-loaded digicams. It's a boutique camera that is meant to be used when one wants a pocketable point-and-shoot handy. I agree that the joystick controller is a bit fussy at times, the lens can be smudged by a finger, and yes, there is a little noise when the settings are changed. And like all very small digicams, the noise levels in photos become significant, even at ISO 200. But once one accepts these limitations, this is a fine instrument and a fun one to use.
Rating:
4 people have rated this review helpful
Reader review
User: John T, Australia
Date Posted: 14 June 2005
Review: I found the camera to be the best around. Its extremely fast, looks great and takes consistently good pictures. Its unique design is also a talking point. The only downside, is that I found the camera a little noisy as it seems to make a mechanical noise – I wonder if anyone else is experiencing this problem?
Rating:
3 people have rated this review helpful
Reader review
User: Jean-Pierre, Antony (France)
Date Posted: 10 February 2005
Review: The image quality and display are excellent provided that you get used to the perfectible ergonomics. Don't hesitate to use advanced features such as spot measure. I would say this camera is a good one for photographers not for occasional users who need a second smaller camera. My main regret is it doesn't memorize exposure and flash settings after you power off.
Rating:
4 people have rated this review helpful
Reader review
User: Jan, Amsterdam
Date Posted: 31 January 2005
Review: I have been using the Contax U4R for the last 10 days and my experiences are totally opposite to that of the reviewer: the pictures are really sharp, even at exposure times that normally produce shaken images - up to 0,5 sec is no problem when pressing the camera against the stomach and then firing a small series of shots. There will always be one or more pictures of perfect quality and sharpness - no need for image stabilization... After shooting almost 1000 pictures, most of them of really satisfying quality, I think I'm going to keep this little camera.
Rating:
3 people have rated this review helpful
Reader review
User: Thirdman, Lancashire, England
Date Posted: 29 January 2005
Review: Fiddly poor results - no wide angle. Lens unprotected. My Canon S60 produces 100% better results. Good for posing though and perhaps the Japanese technology has sunk to a new low.
Rating:
3 people have rated this review helpful
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Contax U4R Digital Camera
(4.23 Megapixel, Compact Camera, 3x Optical Zoom, 6x Digital Zoom, CCD Sensor, Video Capability Included, 2 in. LCD Panel, Built-In...)
