Kyocera Finecam S4 Review

Click on the S4 camera for a QTVR tour

In 2001 Kyocera introduced the Finecam S3 which was approximately the same height and width as a credit card and billed as "the world's smallest 3-megapixel digital camera with a 2X optical zoom lens."  For 2002 they have taken the same compact, stylish and durable stainless steel case and integrated a high resolution 4-megapixel CCD imager, "state of the art" digital image processing hardware and an all-glass, 3X optical (35-105mm 35mm equivalent) zoom lens.

The sleek and black Finecam S4 captures up to 2272 x 1704 pixel still images that rival conventional 35mm film pictures. It also records up to 15 seconds of 320x240 motion video that can be displayed on the camera's 1.5" color LCD or a television set. Still images and movie clips are stored on postage-stamp sized MultiMedia Card (MMC) or Secure Digital (SD) flash memory cards. Still images are saved in JPEG compressed format with one of three quality levels for the highest possible quality for printing, screen display, web pages or email attachments. Movies are stored in Windows AVI format. Included is the popular ArcSoft PhotoImpression 3.0 software, for easy-to-use photo editing and creative design on your PC.

The Finecam S4 is compatible with Epson's PRINT Image Matching technology, enabling it to work perfectly with the newest generation of EPSON Stylus Photo printers.  With PRINT Image Matching, critical image specific parameters for printing are recorded by the Finecam S4 and saved in each image data file.  PRINT Image Matching-enabled Epson Stylus Photo printers use this information to ensure that they accurately reproduce the image created by the camera.

Finecam S4 Features:

• Four megapixel imager for up to 2272 x 1704 still images
• 3X optical zoom, F/2.8 (35-105mm 35mm equivalent)
• 1.5-inch color LCD monitor w/110,000 pixels
• Macro focus as close as 3.5" from the lens
• Aperture Priority (F/2.8 or F/9.6)
• Program AE w/automatic shutter (1 - 1/2000 sec.)
• Long shutter speeds of 2, 4, or 8 sec
• Manual focusing possible
• Metering modes: Evaluation, Center-weighted or Spot
• Selectable ISO sensitivity; Standard (ISO 64), 2X or 4X
• Automatic popup flash with 4 modes (Auto, Red-eye reduction, Fill-in or Flash Off)
• Color modes (Color, Sepia or Black & White)
• White Balance (Auto, Daylight, Tungsten, Cloudy, Fluorescent, or Manual Pre-set)
• Exposure compensation (+/- 2EV in 1/3EV steps)
• Ultra compact and durable steel body design
• Rechargeable lithium battery pack and charger included
• Builtin USB for robust image downloads to the host computer
• Epson PRINT Image Matching compatible

Physical Views

The 4-megapixel Finecam S4 is about the same size as the
2-megapixel Canon Powershot S200 ELPH.

The Finecam S4 compared in size to a standard CD disc.

Finecam S4 Specifications