Bridge and All-weather Camera Test
by Dr. Klaus Peeck
This issue’s camera test covers everything from a 30x optical wide zoom bridge camera to a ruggedized all-weather ultra-compact. Sensor resolution continues to increase in these classes of camera and none of the models we tested has less than 14 megapixels under the hood.
The Tough TG-810 from Olympus is a weatherproof compact with relatively dark 5x zoom with an equivalent focal length range of 28-14 mm. The camera is waterproof to a depth of 10 meters and resistant to falls of up to two meters. The robust all-metal body is capable of withstanding pressure of up to 100 kilograms, which is handy if you like carrying your camera in your hip pocket. When switched off, the TG-810 covers the lens with a metal lens cover which, thanks to the periscope-type lens, is the camera’s only external moving part.
Our other two test candidates belong to the superzoom category and both offer DSLR-type bridge bodies with 30x, f/2.8-5.6 zoom lenses. The Fujifilm FinePix HS20 EXR offers a particularly impressive manually zoomable 24-720 mm (equivalent) lens, while the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX100V zooms “by wire” using the lens ring or the standard zoom lever. The Sony’s 27-810mm zoom range extends slightly further than the Fujifilm model, but has a slightly narrower widest-angle setting as a result.
Even More Megapixels
We were pleased to see Canon’s recent release of the Powershot SX230 with “only“ 12 megapixels of sensor resolution and commensurately improved high-ISO performance. Unfortunately, pixelmania continues to dominate the market and all of our current test candidates are equipped with sensors that capture 14 megapixels or more. Both bridge cameras have 16-megapixel back-illuminated CMOS sensors. With the exception of the Fujifilm, with its slightly larger 1/2" sensor, all of our test cameras have to make do with tiny 1/2.3” sensors. The combination of a large number of pixels with
such a tiny surface area reduces the light sensitivity of each individual receptor and delivers a relatively weak optical signal that is sometimes barely distinguishable from the sensor’sown background noise (see the Signal-to-noise ratio column in the table). The camera’s firmware therefore has to strongly amplify the signals produced by the sensor, and this inevitably produces more noise which then has to be digitally removed – again reducing overall image quality.
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