BenQ, they of the superlative, announced the world’s slimmest 8-megapixel camera, the T850. It has a 3-inch screen and a “multi-touch” movements like tapping, circling, and swiping. It has a special “Smile Catch” mode (WTF?) and should never be available here, ever. Say “Europe only!”
BenQ Europe Press Release
BenQ’s New T850 8M Digital Camera Has Users Smiling
EUROPE, May 28, 2008 – BenQ announced the launch of the world’s slimmest 8-mega-pixel digital camera, the T850 with 1600 ISO, 3x optical zoom and smc PENTAX lens. Sleek and compact at 14.9mm thick, the T850’s chic stainless steel casing (available in black or red) reflects the minimalist operating ease of the camera. Exceptional efficiency and user-friendliness are made possible by the highly intuitive photo taking and photo editing functions, which center around smartly organized circular touch buttons on the 3” TFT LCD screen. Furthermore, almost all camera functions can be accessed and engaged by using one of three simple finger movements: tap, circle, swipe. In fact, the T850 standouts among touch screen cameras as the only one employing a natural “swipe” gesture for viewing photos and video. A comprehensive selection of options including “Smile Catch”, Auto Face Tracking, Z Lighting, advanced photo art, scribble & scrawl and Quick Bar make the T850 a fabulously fun companion for bringing enjoyment and quality to today’s digital life.
Photo Taking So Simple, It’s Second Nature!
Spontaneous, quick, spur-of-the-moment. Such is what defines that special moment so precious to capture in a photo. And that’s exactly what defines the T850: controls and menus so simple and second nature that capturing a spontaneous moment is a snap. No pressing button after button to navigate through multiple menus. The T850 has pared down complex camera operations to a minimalist, logical approach. Circular touch buttons (just the size of the fingertip), which can be pulled up instantly on the extra-large screen, get users to the right setting fast so the moment isn’t just a memory. Plus, the T850 features a Quick Bar that gives users even faster access to 80% of all photo taking needs. For customized convenience, users can add three of their favorite functions to the Quick Bar. Intelligently designed touch-screen icons that clearly represent their functions further eliminate the confusion typical of other complicated camera menus.Tap, Circle, Swipe for Easy Navigation and Photo Editing
Once pictures are taken, users can easily view and enhance photos via three types of finger motions on the screen. To reset the focal point, simply tap the preferred spot on the screen, and the T850 will re-center and automatically refocus the image. To enlarge a specific portion of the image, simply draw a circle around the location with your fingertip. The T850 will instantly perform a 12x zoom to the circled area. Plus, by using the picture cropping mode, users can save the enlarged image as a new image. Playback is no longer a pain with the T850’s ingenious functionality, which includes “swipe” recognizing ability – it’s the only camera currently available to perform functions with a simple finger swipe across the screen. While reviewing pictures, swipe a finger right to left across the screen to see the next picture; swipe left to right to see the previous image. When playing video or audio content, users can tap the playback bar forward (advance) thus eliminating the hassles of restarting the content from the beginning every time. The T850 is also equipped with advanced photo art functions. Touch screen capability lets users free-hand scribble and scrawl fun captions and drawings to photos. In addition, users can select from a numerous callout balloons and photo backgrounds/frames.User-Friendly Conveniences
Despite a minimalist approach for operational ease, the T850 is packed with an array of thoughtful features for picture-perfect results. A high ISO 1600 lets users take pictures in dim lighting without artificial flash. “Z Lighting” enables users to adjust the image’s lighting after the photo has already been taken. The T850’s brilliant “Smile Catch” mode captures every elusive smile by automatically shooting in rapid succession, stopping only when the shutter button is pressed again. Competitors’ similar function can only shoot up to six times in succession. And for capturing life in fractions of second – such as for action shots – a “12 Burst” feature snaps 12 pictures in one second! Crisp, clear, well-defined pictures are guaranteed with a Super Shake-Free setting and Auto Face Tracking, which can fine-tune up to nine faces in one frame – perfect for scenes with many people. The T850’s 30 preset modes range from standard auto and video to more exact settings such as “Museum,” “Party,” “Beach” and “Fireworks.”Specifications
Sensor CCD
Image 8.0 Megapixel
Picture Resolution 3264×2448 (8M) / 3264×2176 (3:2) /3264×1836 (16:9) / 2592×1944 (5M) / 2048×1536 (3M) / 1600×1200 (2M) / 640×480 (VGA)
Lens f = 6.2 (W) ~ 18.6 (T) mm ; F/2.7(W) ~ 5.2(T)
(35mm film equivalent: 37.5 ~112.5mm)
Zoom Optical 3x / Digital 5x (Preview) / Playback 12x
Focus Range Normal: 40cm ~ Infinity
Macro: 15cm ~ 50 cm (Wide)
Shutter Speed 1/2000 ~ 1 sec (scene mode 8 sec)
Display Size 3” LTPS LCD
Display Resolution 230,000 pixels
ISO Equivalent Auto / 100 / 200 / 400 / 800 / 1600 / 2000 (Shake Free mode) / 4000 (Movie mode)
White Balance Auto / Daylight / Cloudy / Tungsten Light / Fluorescent Light / Manual
Flash Auto / Force Off / Force On / Auto Anti Red-Eye / Anti Red-Eye / Slow Sync
Self-Timer 10 sec
Movie Mode
MPEG4 / 30fps / 15fps, 640 x 480 / 320 x 240 / 16:9
Continuous recording with sound
Storage 8G SD card compatible
SDHC 16G card supported
Interface Digital output: USB 2.0 (High Speed)
Audio / Video output ( NTSC/PAL)
PictBridge competitable / DPOF
Battery 720mAh Rechargeable Li-on Battery (CIPA 200 pcs)
Dimensions (W x H x D) 91mm x 59mm x 16.9mm (14.9 slimmest)
Weight 120 g (without battery & SD card)
Accessories (Standard) User Manual
Hand Strap
Touch pen
Li-ion battery
Battery charger set
AV Cable
USB cable
Software CD ROM
Adapter (5V,600mA)