Product Reviews

As digital cameras go, the Epson PhotoPC 600 demands a second look. It has a checklist-satisfying mix of features including 1024 x 768 pixel image resolution, built-in flash, traditional optical viewfinder and LCD screen, macro and zoom modes, and support for storage card media for expanding memory capacity.

There are now more than 100 digital cameras on the market, so in the gotta-have-a-gimmick tradition, the PhotoPC 600 can take 'multi-shot' photos. This is a combination of nine shots taken in a second and tiled into a normal image, allowing you to capture a quick movement sequence.

The zoom option allows up to 3x magnification in half-step increments. There is also a panorama mode, but the chief benefit of this is practical rather than aesthetic. Only the middle third of the normal picture area is used, so the shots take a third of the space in memory.

The zoom, macro, panorama and 'multi' features are certainly useful, but sadly they only work when using the LCD panel on the back of the camera. This would be fine, except

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that the LCD eats up batteries at an alarming rate. The camera can be powered via a mains adaptor, but this isn't supplied in the standard pack.

A standard serial connection links the camera to a Mac, and the supplied Epson Photo!2 software provides an easy way to get images onto the computer. A slideshow overview shows miniatures of all the pictures in the camera. Images can be saved to disk.

Epson Photo!2 Program Uploader allows a small application to be sent to the camera to enable it to print directly to an Epson Stylus Photo inkjet printer without needing a computer as an intermediary. This is a very convenient option for those with the right printer, although it bypasses the option of touching up the photos to remove red eye and so on.

The software also allows pictures created on your Mac to be sent to the camera. This is so simple slideshows can be stored on the camera and played back with the nearest TV or video projector. However, we had trouble getting the camera to display anything on a domestic TV, and the picture quality shown using an AV Mac left a lot to be desired.

When the video-out cable is connected, the built-in LCD screen is automatically switched off. This helps conserve battery power, but makes it harder to set up external devices, as you can't tell what should be showing on the external display until it appears.

The higher-than-average resolution, zoom and other features make this a camera worth considering, but the battery life wasn't impressive. If you need the convenience of digital 'snap' photography then this is a contender. Otherwise, wait for next year's crop.