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Trying to find that special niche for their latest digital cameras, Canon, Kodak, Olympus, and Toshiba released new models that are specifically designed for point-and-shoot simplicity--digital variations on the Instamatic concept. Canon's PowerShot A20, Kodak's DX3500, Olympus's Camedia Brio D-100, and Toshiba's PDR-M61 all fall into that category, but their simplicity comes at a price: To make those cameras exceptionally easy to use, the manufacturers stripped them down to the basics--fewer menus, fewer buttons and dials, and fewer options.
If, like most camera users, you're just interested in taking quick snapshots, those cameras will probably give you just what you want-- nice shots without a lot of fussing with buttons, dials, and settings. Still, all four are missing some common controls that you may need from time to time. Creative types looking to capture unique images will find they lack the flexibility that more sophisticated models provide. So before you buy one, make sure you know what you are missing.
Going for as much automation as possible, Kodak left off exposure- value (EV) and manual white-balance settings. Both would be useful when the camera's automatic metering just can't get it right. The Kodak also took a hit for its rather primitive fixed-focus macro mode. What the DX3500 leaves out in features, however, it gives back in resolution and picture quality. It's one of the least expensive 2- megapixel cameras we've seen, and it received the highest image- quality scores of any camera under $500 we've tested.
Though the Olympus D-100 offers both EV and white-balance controls, plus a more functional macro mode, it sacrifices resolution. Although 1.3 megapixels is fine for that 4 by 6 print of the dog standing on its head, you may be disappointed with the image when you blow it up to 8 by 10. Nevertheless, the D-100 is inexpensive, small, and compact, making it a good camera to take along on trips--as long as you're packing lots of batteries. The D- 100 feasts on them.
Toshiba's $399 PDR-M61 is a clone of the $599 PDR-M65 we tested for last month's over-$500 chart. The M61 uses the same case and the same simple controls. The only differences: The M61 uses a 2.3- megapixel CCD instead of the M65's 3.34-megapixel unit,...