GE E850 Digital Camera

The GE E850 may be an intermediate point-and-shoot camera, but it offers the type of features and megapixels that distinguish much more expensive models. The camera is equipped with a generous 8-megapixel rating and a 28mm-equivalent wide-angle lens, making it easy to take terrific indoor group pictures without making subjects squeeze uncomfortably close together. The E850's 5x optical zoom and 4.5x digital zoom, meanwhile, provide superior focal flexibility regardless of the subject. Perhaps the handiest feature, however, is the camera's large 3-inch LCD screen, which means you won't have to squint to see the images you're capturing.

Packed inside the E850's sleek and stylish body are several editing functions and shooting modes, including electronic image stabilization, which automatically overcomes shaking or blurring caused by accidental hand movements to produce clearer photos; in-camera panoramic stitching, which stitches three images into a single panoramic picture to produce an ultra-wide shot; face-detection technology, which detects faces in a scene and then automatically focuses and optimizes exposure for them; and red-eye removal, which removes the appearance of red eyes in shots taken with a flash. In addition, the camera offers multiple scene modes--such as sports, children, indoor, snow, sunset, etc.--and a continuous shooting option for sports and other fast-moving subjects. Finally, there's no shortage of playback options, ranging from single photo to slideshow to histogram display. Powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, the E850 even includes an SD/SDHC memory card slot that's expandable up to 4 GB. You'll be hard pressed to find a more feature-rich entry-level camera.

Technical Details

Color: Black
Effective pixels: 8 megapixels
Image sensor: 1/2.5-inch CCD, 8.5 megapixels
Lens focal length: 4.67mm (wide) to 23.35mm (tele)
35mm film equivalent: 28mm (wide) to 140mm (tele)
F number: F3.3 (wide) to F4.8 (tele)
Lens construction: 9 elements in 7 groups
Optical zoom: 5x
Digital zoom: 4.5x (combined zoom: 22.5x)
Focusing range: Normal: 60cm to infinity; macro: 6cm to infinity (wide); 40cm to infinity (tele)
Electronic image stabilization: Yes
Recording pixels (still): 8 megapixels: 3264 x 2448; 7 megapixels: 3264 x 2176; 6 megapixels: 3264 x 1836; 5 megapixels: 2560 x 1920; 3 megapixels: 2048 x 1536; 2 megapixels: 1600 x 1200; 1 megapixel: 1024 x 768; 0.3 megapixels: 640 x 480
Recording pixels (movie): 640 x 480 (30 fps/15 fps); 320 x 240 (30 fps/15 fps)
Image compression: Best, fine, normal
Still image format: Exif2.21 (JPEG)
Movie format: MPEG-4, audio: G.711 (monoaural)
Audio format: WAV (monoaural), max 60 seconds
Shooting modes: Auto, manual, image stabilization, movie scene (sport, children, indoor, leaf, snow, sunset, fireworks, glass, museum, landscape, night landscape, night portrait), panorama, portrait
Face detection: Yes
Red-eye removal: Yes
GPS support: No
Viewfinder: No
LCD display: 3-inch TFT color LCD
Resolution: 230,400 pixels
ISO sensitivity: Auto, ISO 80/100/200/400/800/1600
AF method: Single AF, multi-AF (TTL 9 point), face detection, AF assist beam (on/off)
Light metering method: Artificial intelligence AE (A1 AE), center-weighted average, spot (fixed to center of frame)
Exposure control method: Program AE (AE lock available)
Exposure compensation: +/- 2 EV in 1/3-step increments
Shutter speed: 4 to 1/2000 second (manual 30s)
Continuous shooting: Approximately 1.8 fps (large/fine mode)
Playback modes: Single photo, index (4/9/16 thumbnails), slide show, movie (slow motion possible), zoom (approximately 1x to 8x), audio, histogram display
White balance control: Auto (AWB), daylight, cloudy, fluorescent, fluorescent CWF, incandescent, manual
Internal flash: Auto, red-eye reduction, forced flash, no flash, slow synchro, red-eye reduction+slow synchro; shooting range: approximately 0.3 to 3.9 meters (wide), approximately 0.3 to 2.6 meters (tele)
Internal memory: 26 MB
Card slot: SD/SDHC slot (up to 4 GB)
Other features: PictBridge, ExifPrint support, multi-language support (11 languages)
Jacks: USB 2.0, AV out
Power: Rechargeable lithium-ion battery
Battery performance: Approximately 210 shots per charge
Item width: 3.89 inches
Item height: 2.36 inches
Item depth: 1.01 inches
Item weight: 0.34 pounds
Warranty: 1 year parts and labor
In the box: E850 camera, lithium-ion battery, battery charger, USB cable, A/V cable, wrist strap, CD-ROM, manual, quick-start guide, warranty card