Trust 770Z PowerC@m Optical Zoom

The rule of thumb when buying a digital camera used to be that each megapixel would cost around £100. But recent months haven't so much rewritten the rule as torn it up and thrown it in the bin. Trust's latest PowerC@m more than proves this by offering 3.3 megapixels for less than £200.

While you would expect the cost to come at the expense of quality, we are pleased to report that this isn't the case. Sporting a 3x optical zoom, the 770Z is on a par with many more expensive digital cameras. Digital zoom is also included but as we've said before, it does nothing for image quality and isn't worth using.

There's only 8Mb of internal memory but this can be increased by SD or MMC memory cards. The on-board memory provides space for 60 low-resolution or eight high-resolution photos. It can also store 23 seconds of video.

There's a built-in flash and red-eye reduction. For the more adventurous, other features include a self-timer, night exposure, portrait, macro and landscape settings. The automatic focus produces sharp pictures but using the flash drains battery life quickly.

The 4cm colour display can be used as a viewfinder or for reviewing shots. The video-out socket means you can view your snaps on a television and the 770Z also doubles as a webcam. The inclusion of a tripod is handy for this use.

The user manual is easy to understand and the generous software bundle includes four Ulead packages - Photo Express 4 SE, DVD PictureShow SE, Photo Explorer 7 SE and Cool 3D.

It also comes with 'long-life' batteries but you'll need to replace them quite regularly if the flash and screen are in constant use.

Although we're usually sceptical about cheap digital cameras, the 770Z isn't bad at all. It offers most of the features that the amateur snapper will look for and everything you need to get started is included in the box.

Contact: Trust 0845 609 0036
www.trust.com