GE E840s mini-review | |
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We clicked with:
Bargain! (£110)
Rechargeable battery included
Slim and compact
Blink and Smile Face Detection
Shots in the dark:
Tendency to fall asleep in standby mode
Limited Manual mode
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Back in April, we tested the GE G2 compact camera, an eight megapixel compact that delivers excellent value for money. This time, we look at the GE E840s, an eight megapixel compact that delivers excellent value for money. So what's the difference?
Difference? What difference?
Actually, that's the key thing about the GE concept… there's almost no difference whatsoever between GE cameras. They share the same manual, same operating system, same layout, same menus, the same imaging sensor, even the same battery. Just one look at the two from the back side-by-side shows just how similar they really are (these are the review samples, hence the slighlly knocked-about look):
The two begin to diverge at the front, but even here not by much. The G2 has a non-extending lens to the top right of the camera's front panel, where the GE E840s has an extending lens in the style of many an Exlim camera. The two also have a slightly different layout, but not by any substantial amount. Both are intrinsically pocketable and equally easy to operate. The lens retracts in standby, but this does give the G2 a very slight advantage in waking up from standby; if you rouse both at the same time, the G2 takes will be ready to take pictures where the E840s is still busy extending its lens.
The zoom range of the two is very slightly different too; both having a 4.5x optical zoom, but the G2 being ever so slightly wider and the GE E840s being ever so slightly longer. Using the word 'slightly' three times in the same sentence should give you an idea how minimal the difference is in the real world. Here's an image of both taken at the widest setting from the same position, and you can see that neither engage IS at this point:
The similarities between the two cameras make it unnecessary to expose it (pun intended) to a lengthy review. Pretty much what applies to the G2 applies here. But there are some points that familiarity highlight. For example, the panorama option; it's easy to say how good it is, but it's also one of the quickest and easiest ways of making a panoramic image. Here's a nightmare case; a busy street with passing traffic and ambulatory people. This can only be done if you are very, very quick and - aside from some strange car squeezing to the right third of the image - it works well. The lining-up of the pano edges can get tough in strong lighting, though:
Face and Blink Detection work well, too. The face detector can be foxed quite easily (it will focus on a balloon with a smiley face drawn on it, and put your hand over your mouth makes it less confident in focus) and isn't whizzy fast, but is mostly seamless and natural in use. On the other hand, the GE E840s propensity to drop into standby and then need a healthy jolt to wake up can be annoying, and ideally we'd like more creative control over both flash and exposure. But these points apply to the GE G2 as much as they do here.
Conclusion:
What holds for the G2 holds precisely for the GE E840s. And both are very, very cheap… this model can be had for less than £110 if you look hard enough, and that's an excellent price for a camera with its own lithium ion battery. Sure, we'd like greater control over the camera in some modes and both shutter lag and the pauses that standby cause are a trifle annoying for the heavy camera user. But that's not the GE target market. Like its stable mate, those who want a good, easy to use inexpensive camera with an expensive feel will love the GE E840s.
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Megapixels
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8
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Screen
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2.7" TFT colour LCD
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Zoom
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4x Optical Zoom (4.5x Digital Zoom)
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Picture Modes
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Auto, Manual, Panorama, Portrait, Anti-shake, and 10 scene modes
AVI movie
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Stabilisation
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Yes (electronic image stabilisation)
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Sensitivity
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to ISO1600
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White balance
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Auto, 6 options
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Storage
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SD
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Battery
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Lithium ion rechargeable
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Other / Key features
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Face recognition (with Blink and Smile detection options)
*5 colours available
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