Review: Acer CE-6430 digital camera

Acer's cameras offer generally good features but with uninspiring design and performance that doesn't quite match the better-known names. Does the 6.3-megapixel CD-6430 buck this trend?

While the front of this palm-sized camera is reasonably solid, the rear controls are plasticky and toy-like. Along with a 3x optical zoom, there’s an adequate 2.36in LCD screen with which to compose and review shots, six scene modes (optimised presets), plus a carry case thrown in.

The camera is powered by a pair of standard AA batteries, which share a compartment with a slot for an optional SD Card. There’s also a built-in memory of just 8MB.

Press the power button – conveniently encircled by the mode-selection dial on top of the camera – and the CD-640 is ready to shoot in two to three seconds. The buttons are quick to respond but there’s a three-second wait while a 6.3-megapixel image is committed to memory, with the screen momentarily blanking out.

With photography beginners in mind, as the mode dial is turned, explanations of what each setting does pops up onscreen – a nice touch.

The images that the Acer takes fall somewhere between the coolly naturalistic colours produced by the 6-megapixel Olympus FE-170 and the Pentax M10’s warmer tones. However, if we’re nit-picking there is some loss of sharpness towards the edges of the frame.

This article is part of a group test of digital cameras costing £100 or less.
See also:
Benq DC C540
Canon Powershot A430
Fujifilm Finepix A400
Olympus FE-170
Pentax Optimo M10

A table of features can be read via our pdf download above.