Benq DC C740 review

Verdict:

Review Date: 29 Nov 2006

Price when reviewed: inc VAT

Reviewed By: Ben Pitt

Our Rating 2 stars out of 5

Review
Specs

BenQ's C740 is a low-cost camera with some impressive specifications, including a 7-megapixel sensor and a 21/2" screen.

The screen's basic 150,000-pixel resolution and the use of AA batteries are telling signs of the limited budget, but the camera's design and build quality are better than we're used to seeing at this price.

Sadly, performance isn't too hot. There's a five-second gap between switching on and taking a picture. By default the camera displays pictures for three seconds after they're captured, but unlike most cameras you can't cut this short by pressing the shutter button again. As a result, you have to choose between having a four-second gap between shots or switching off the instant-review feature altogether, which reduces the gap to two seconds. Battery life is acceptable at 391 shots from a pair of high-capacity NiMH cells, but when these ran out the camera switched itself off without retracting its lens.

The C740 is capable of taking a decent picture. However, the autofocus often misjudged a scene, and in low light automatic settings used unnecessarily long shutter speeds. As a result, a high proportion of our test shots were blurred. Setting the ISO speed manually got around the latter problem and noise was reasonably controlled at ISO 400. However, even in bright light, pictures looked fuzzy when viewed up close. Colour accuracy was better but still erratic, with some shots over-exposed, others under-exposed, some with dull colours and others garish.

If you have a limited budget, don't be tempted by big specifications. More humbly specified cameras such as Canon's 4-megapixel Powershot A430, which we reviewed in our budget cameras Labs test, Shopper September 2006, are more enjoyable to use and take better pictures.

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