Support Camera Labs by price checking using the flags below



Follow us!
Camera Labs RSS Feed
Camera Labs on Facebook
Camera Labs on Twitter




Latest camera reviews

Panasonic Lumix TZ10/ZS7
Canon EOS 550D / T2i
Canon PowerShot A3100IS
Olympus 'PEN' E-P2
Nikon COOLPIX S570
Canon IXUS 200 / SD980IS
Canon IXUS 120 / SD940IS
Sony Alpha DSLR-A550
Nikon COOLPIX L20
Canon PowerShot A1100IS
Canon PowerShot S90
Sony Alpha DSLR-A230
Panasonic Lumix GF1
Canon PowerShot G11
Canon IXUS 95 / SD1200IS
Canon EOS 7D
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H20
Nikon D3000
Canon PowerShot SX120IS
Panasonic Lumix TS1 / FT1
Canon PowerShot D10
Canon PowerShot SX20 IS
Nikon D300s
Panasonic Lumix FZ38 / 35
Sony Alpha DSLR-A380
Sony Cyber-shot HX1
Nikon D5000
Nikon COOLPIX P90
Canon IXUS 100 / SD780IS
Panasonic Lumix TZ7 / ZS3
Canon PowerShot SX1 IS
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EOS 50D
Nikon D90
Canon EOS 1000D / XS

All reviews ....
   
 
  Best Buys: our top models
   
  Canon lenses
Nikkor lenses
Sony lenses
Budget DSLRs
Mid-range DSLRs
Semi-pro DSLRs
Point-and-shoot compacts
Superzoom / top compacts
Camera accessories
   
 



   
 



Camera Labs Forum

Any questions, comments or a great tip to share? Join our Forum and let everyone know.
   
 
  DSLR Tips



 
Compact digital camera group test Gordon Laing, December 2005


 



 




Outdoor
/ Resolution / Noise / Corner sharpness / Fringe and macro / Geometry / Vignetting

Compact digital camera purple fringing comparison

  To measure purple fringing caused by lens chromatic aberrations and sensor blooming, we photographed a custom test chart, left, with areas of very high contrast. We used the cameras at their widest and longest focal lengths with the aperture wide open. The crops are taken from the upper left corner of the chart and presented here at 100%.

A small amount of fringing is visible with all four cameras at both wide angle and telephoto settings. This is typical for most cameras, and none here are particularly better or worse than the others in this repsect.

Canon PowerShot A620
Fujifilm FinePix F11
Pentax Optio S6
Sony Cybershot DSC-N1
Canon PowerShot A620 at 35mm f2.8
Fujifilm FinePix F11 at 36mm f2.8
Pentax Optio S6 at 37mm f2.7
Sony Cybershot DSC-N1 at 38mm f2.8
35-140mm at 35mm f2.8
36-108mm at 36mm f2.8
37-112mm at 37mm f2.7
38-114mm at 38mm f2.8
Canon PowerShot A620 at 140mm f4.1
Fujifilm FinePix F11 at 108mm f4.9
Pentax Optio S6 at 112mm f5.2
Sony Cybershot DSC-N1 at 114mm f5.4
35-140mm at 140mm f4.1
36-108mm at 108mm f4.9
37-112mm at 112mm f5.2
38-114mm at 114mm f5.4


Compact digital camera macro comparison

To measure macro performance we photographed a custom chart using the bundled lenses at a distance and focal length which delivered the maximum possible reproduction. The dark lines are 10mm apart.

Here the Fujifilm and Sony models performed averagely, while the Pentax, unable to focus closer than 15cm, produced a below average result. The clear winner here is the Canon A620, which can focus as close as 1cm away from its subject, offering amazing potential for macro-photography.

Canon PowerShot A620
Fujifilm FinePix F11
Pentax Optio S6
Sony Cybershot DSC-N1
35-140mm at 35mm
Max area of 22x16mm
36-108mm at 36mm
Max area of 56x40mm
37-112mm at 37mm
Max area of 138x102mm
38-114mm at 38mm
Max area of 66x44mm

Results continued...

Outdoor / Resolution / Noise / Corner sharpness / Fringe and macro / Geometry / Vignetting


Support this site by checking prices below or shopping via our affiliate stores

Fujifilm FinePix F11

See FinePix F30 review and video tour
  Sony Cyber-shot DSC-N1

See Sony N2 review and video tour
     
Canon PowerShot A620

See Canon A640 review and video tour



 
Pentax Optio S6

Jessops discount voucher



All words, images, videos and layout, copyright 2005-2010 Gordon Laing. May not be used without permission.

About Us / How we test / Best Buys / Advertising / Home