FACE DETECTION

Technology puts portraits in focus
More than the birth day cake, the vacat ion backdr op, even the fam- In our tests, the detection feature worked adequate lyon all
ily dog , thehu man faceis th e f ocal pointfor most photog raphs. So the camera s. However, in scenes where lig hting was uneven or
a growing numbe r of digital cameras, incl uding abou t a dozen of d istances varied between subjec ts, using face detecti on cau sed
our rat ed p
oint
-and-shoot s, include a r elativel y new fe
atur
e, other su bjects to app ear less sharp, too da rk, or too ligh t -
dubbed face detec tion, an unav oidable conse-
that
tr
ies to set th e quence.
focus,
exposur
~
and If you take lots of
color balance so
that
p
ictur
esof people, face
faces appear sharp, detection is a nice fea-
well e xposed, and th e t ure to have. Because
proper color. it's not yet available on
In some cameras, the majority of model s,
you must tur n the fea- , ) ')\ f or now you mig ht have
ture on before you can iF to decid e w hether an
use it. In o thers, it's otherwise-fine camera's
enabled at the f actory, price,performance, and
but you can turn it o ff. othe r
featur
es out -
All work pretty much weigh its lack of face
the same way: Software detecti on. Th e follow-
analyzes the image, ing cameras in th e Rat-
locates any faces in the ings offe r face detec -
frame, and places a li t- tion: Fujifilm (7,30
,40
);
tl e square icon aro und LOCKING IN The number of faces a camera can detect varies by brand; some Nikon (8,
13,
36); Canon
each in the LCD or elec- claim up to 15. Many models will also track faces as they move within the frame. (10, 12, 24, 25 ); Sony
tr onic viewfin der. The (21); and GE (37). Other
largest faceis usually selectedas the focal point.Face detection isdif - cameras wit hfa cedetec tion include th e5-m egapixel Nikon Coolpix
ferent from the portrait setting found on many point-and-sh oots,
L1
0, $120, w ith a 2-inch LCD; the 7-megapi xel Pentax Optio T30,
which tries to make a face stand out from the background but doesn't $300, with a 3-inch LCD; an d the 8-meg apixel Fujifilm Finepix
optimize its sharpness, exposure,or color balance. F
40fd
,$25 0, with a 2.5-inch LCD.

NI K

ON

OL

YMPUS SAMSUN G

SLR leader also offers Groundbreaklng 'technologies in niche markets. Budget FE . Up-and-comer In compacts and
innovative point-and- series compacts have built -in help guides and emphasize simple subcompacts. Has produ ced some very
shoots. Coolpix compacts operation.
Olympusre
cently offered some groundbreaking inexpensive compact digital cameras. Its
and subcompacts are technologies in both point-and-shoot lines and Evolt SLRs. High- pricier subcompact NV series includes an
divided into three
series-
end $P compacts have featured ver ylong zooms. Select Stylus innovat ive navigation interface.The GX
abudget L,ste p-up S,and subcompacts have been wat er-resist ant, waterproof, shockproof, series of SLRs are essentially rebranded
high-end P. Nikon has and crushpro of. All point-and-shoots use the slightly
mor
e Pentax K-series SLRs. Samsung offers a
introduced more of these expensive xD
memory
cards. Evolt SLRs wer e the first wit h Ii ve- limited selecti on of lenses.
models with wireless pre view LCDs. Olympus offers a reasonable range of lense s.
features than any
other
company. Like Canon's SLR
lineup, Nikon's D seri es

PANASON

IC

(L

UM

IX)

SO Y

offer
s cameras for every
SLR user and budget and a Premium style, premium price. Sony offers innova-
.On the move with image
stabilization.
Every Lumix,
wide range of lenses. from the top SLR-like FZ series cameras to the budget tions at relatively high prices . Cyber-shot compacts
Nikon's SLR bodies are and subcompact s
offer
distinctions such as tou ch
. LZ and LS series, haso ptical stabilization. FX-series
typically lessexp ensive than subcompacts feature several modes andauto features ; scr eens and sleek bodies; In re cent tests, Sonys have
Canon's. In August, Nikon beaten most brands in shut ter lag and next-shot delay, .
high-end LX can capture photos in 16:9
'asped
mode,
introduced two high -end while the TZ-series compactssport superzo oms. two common complaint s. All Sony point-and-shoots
models: the
$1,
800
,12- t.urnlxcameras
offer
greatvalue when they combine .use proprietary (and pri cey) Memory Stick storage.
optical image stabilization wlth .lnnovattons such as
megapixel D300 with a live The
Wand
Sseries are budget lines. High-end H-and
preview LCD and the intelligent ISO, which automatically ra isesthe camera G-series compacts and premium N- and T-series sub-
sensor's sens
itivity
when it detects mot ion, allowing
$5,00
0,12-megapixel D3. compactstend to be pricier than
other
brands. A new-
faster
shutter
speed. Panasonic has been among comer to SLRs, Sony offerson eser ies,Alpha, with two
.the more reliable point-and -
shoot
brands. Panasonic bodie s and a reasonable range of lenses.
offer
s two L-series SLR bodies and some lenses.
NOV EMBER
200
7 0
www
.ConsumerReports
.org
39