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WHAT'S HOT: The C-740 is not the first digital camera to have a 10X optical zoom, but it is the first we've reviewed that's priced under $500. At its maximum focal length, the zoom is the 35mm equivalent of a 380mm telephoto lens--sufficient for sports, nature, and other outdoor shooting. This camera takes the kitchen-sink approach to exposure controls: In addition to a full-automatic mode, you can switch between six scene modes, aperture priority, shutter priority, a program mode, and full manual. It also has manual focus, though you'd be hard-pressed to find it unless you read the Acrobat- based reference manual. (A hint: Hold down the "OK" button for a few seconds.) The useful My Mode option (a feature that's not new to this model) lets you save up to four customized groupings of control settings--typically, different combinations that you use frequently.
The C-740's images earned the highest scores we've recorded to date among 3-megapixel cameras. Although most of the shots were a shade underexposed (dark), they had nice detail and solid, accurate, well-saturated colors. Our outdoor photo, taken on a bright, sunny day, showed almost no noise (visible speckling) in the completely blue sky, although the blue appeared a bit flat. The C-740...