A new digital camera is 'Braun'

Chris Thomas

Pros A camera compact in shape and function - size of a packet of 20 cigarettes. Designed for simplicity in use and the ladies handbag with a neat case included 4MByte sensor - very respectable: and a three times optical zoom - a good lens. Simple to use and gives excellent results - prints of up to 10 x 8 inches are feasible on best settings.

Cons Only space for two AA batteries - but the case is small! - take some spares. Lacks an optical viewfinder, LCD display difficult to see on a sunny day. Flash is good up to 10 feet max - but then that is true of most on camera flashes.

The Braun D410 is a compact camera that comes compete with batteries and camera case - rare nowadays - and a set of leads for connection to your PC or to your TV. While this is a still picture and a movie camera, this review is more concerned about the still picture capability of the Braun D410.

I was able to operate the camera from the box - but then I am a photographer.

Reading the first few pages of the manual will get you going - and that will probably be all you require. As with all things electronic, there are many functions included, most of which you will never use. Indeed the camera manual - printed in 7 languages - is considerably larger and heavier than the camera - so leave it at home! Same applies to the CD Rom containing software for your PC.

Inserting a 256Mbyte SD Memory card allows the camera to store in excess of 100 images at its highest resolution - 4Mega Pixels. This card can be used to transfer images to your PC or can be taken to a photo lab to get the images printed. The camera will take either Secure Digital or Multimedia memory cards - they are physically identical. The only difference is that the SD card has a small switch in its side to lock the contents of its memory. Take care when inserting batteries or cards. This is a small and delicate piece of equipment! The cards can be inserted the wrong way around - but the battery cover will not fit back into place!

Switch on the Braun D410 camera by pressing the small button at the centre of the command dial at the top of the camera. The dial sets the mode of the camera - fully automatic or a range of options including landscapes, portraits, sport subjects (rapidly moving) and night photography.

The controls are intuitive to operate starting with the upper toggle switch on the rear of the camera switching between wide angle and telephoto. The image you are focussing on is displayed on a small screen on the rear of the camera - there is no eye piece as such.

Slight pressure on the picture taking button causes the camera to focus and calculate exposure - a full press causes the camera to take a picture - there is a small delay between pressing the button and taking the shot - so keep the camera still!

Most users will use the fully automatic mode which involves no thinking or playing. The built in flash gun switches itself on as and when needed for individual groups or small portraits. Do not expect it to fill a hall though - this is a compact camera!

The screen on the back of the camera is able to review images taken and stored in memory. Press the playback arrow button to go into review mode - press it again to go back to photograph mode. Use the lower toggle switch to step through the shots you have taken. Individual images can be deleted - and taken again - if required. I found the screen difficult to use on a very bright sunny day.

A drawback of any small camera is that there is little room for the batteries. The Braun D410 accepts 2 AA size batteries. So take some spares with you as they soon run down should you be making use of the camera over a period. The motors for the telephoto lens, flash and other circuits drain the cells.

I am not going to go through all of the options and control functions of the camera. The manual does that very well. So I would suggest that should you buy this camera you spend half an hour reading the manual and then put it to one side and take some photographs! The advantage of digital is that you are not exposing film - and you can delete the images you do not want to keep.

The camera can take short bursts of video as well, but I am not going to describe that!

In summary The Braun D410 is a very competent consumer camera which will delight the user in its simplicity and quality. Ideal for the ladies and their handbag!

For more information on this product visit http://www.view-link.com/contact.html
About the Author

Christopher Thomas is a keen photographer and company director at Viewlink Ltd based in Amersham, Uk. The company specialises in digital photo developing for both amateur and commercial [hotographers as well as supplying a range of photographic supplies. For more articles by Christopher Thomas please visit the company website at http://www.view-link.com