Rollei DP 8300 Review

Good Points
8 Megapixel, several good features, settings and options with a large screen. On screen battery condition meter, good lens quality, compact. Purchase price. A night setting (though it needs a tripod). Rapid delete all pictures function.

Bad Points
Battery life is not as good as the 2004 Canon. Sometimes slow to respond. Often, the overall setting (video/manual/automatic etc) button moves when removing it from the pouch, there is no positive stop. Flash setting/macro button can easily be disturbed, so when shooting in a hurry, it is too easy to have the camera wrongly set and the shot is blurred or missed altogether. Unable to charge the battery in a remote charger - it has to be charged in the camera. Occasionally, the camera 'locks up', often when switching off too soon I suspect - my fault probably.

General Comments
This camera was bought from our local camera shop, and my first choice was another Canon (we already had a Canon compact but I had just about worn it out...) The dealer hadn't been too keen on Canon's attitude of late, and recommended the Rollei. With a larger card inserted (1Gb - extra cost) and set to fine, that is sufficient for 300 photographs. More than adequate for most high users.



Like all compact cameras, sometimes you need glasses to read small writing on the screen. I use the camera most days to log progress and details on a project and have to remember to check the settings before I shoot, as it is far too easy to have it on video by mistake. You can't 'feel' the auto setting either, as the button just continues to rotate. I don't think that the colour quality is quite as good as the Canon, but it is still pretty good. On really bright colours, it is almost too vivid.



I'm still coming to terms with the focus options and have just set it to 'spot' focus, as occasionally, particularly in poor light, even on red eye, the camera has produced an out of focus picture.



I can't comment on the software as I use the supplied Canon software (zoom browser and Photo Studio), which is excellent and easy to use.