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There are loads of Taiwanese brands in the budget section of the digital camera market; these are basically based on CMOS sensors, which play an important role in getting the price down. The implementation of the CMOS sensor and the speed of image processing are the finer areas, which decide on the performance of these cameras. The potential for budget offerings in the digital camera segment is certainly there for the taking, provided there is no real compromise on the quality. The Digicam ES6216 is a compact digital camera from Ennyah delivering a 4 MP image file. The censor resolution is actually 2.1 MP, the image captured is interpolated to 4 MP and that explains the 4 MP tag that's been flashed on the box. Since the image sensor is what we consider while reviewing the digital cameras, we shall continue on the same line, evaluating the ES6216 as a 2 MP camera. 
Design and Features The ES6216 is super compact, giving a sleek and stylish expression similar to the slim series by Minolta and Casio. With dimensions of 89 x 58 x 30 mm (W x H x D) and a weight of 100g (without batteries) to match, the ES6216 is a truly pocketable camera. The silver, hard plastic body is fairly strong and well finished, ensuring a secure feel. The front is neatly designed with a protruding lens accompanied by the optical viewfinder at the top and a flash strobe to its left. Right below the lens is a MIC for audio capture. At the back is the 1.5" LCD screen, the control buttons and an optical viewfinder. The control set is made up of the power, menu, up and down, flash and the review mode button. To the right are the USB and TV out connectors. The SD card slot is at the bottom, while next to it is a tripod mount. The left side contains the battery hatch for a couple of AAA batteries. 
Moving on to the technical specifications, the camera has a ½-inch 2.1 MP CMOS sensor with a fixed lens having a 2.8 aperture and a focus range of 60 cm to infinity. Exposure and white balance settings are all automatically adjusted as per the light conditions. A 3x digital zoom is integrated for the finer captures. The camera's integrated 8 MB memory holds approximately 8 pictures in the 4 MP mode (2272 x 1712 pixels), while in the 2 MP mode (1600 x 1200 pixels) one can squeeze in approximately 13 images. The images are saved in JPEG format. The 1.5" TFT LCD can be used to preview the captures as well as to review them for future reference. There is also a 10 second self-timer, which is quite a handy feature for a digicam. Video capture is done at a resolution of 320 x 240 pixels at 15 fps in the AVI format. The videos are well complimented by sound, thanks to the integrated microphone. One can also use the camera for sole audio capture as well and then play back later using the headphones provided. The TV-out also doubles up as an audio-out for playback of the audio clip. The ES6216 is a versatile performer, with Webcam facility, capturing real time video at 20 fps. Additional memory can be added through the SD card option; the camera by default comes with a dummy plastic card, which should not be mistaken for a memory card. The Camera is powered through 2 AAA batteries, which is fair enough, considering its size and weight. The ES6216 comes with the normal USB cable, TV out cable, headphones, Manual, Driver CD and a camera pouch. The package is pretty decent especially with the pouch and headphones, which are normally missing in other offers. Now that we are very much aware of what to expect from the ES 6216, let's check the performance. Performance The 2 MP CMOS sensor does fairly well in daylight conditions; the sample image shows the colour reproduction and clarity. The camera cannot capture much detail as the image shows, the distant objects seem to get blurred. In lowlight conditions, the performance degrades, the images are grainy and blurred, and there is a dominant purple fringing on some images, making the Digicam almost unusable. The flash is very bright for close captures, it works fine if the subject is at a reasonable distance. The zoom, being a digital one does enlarge and blur the images and hence should be avoided unless absolutely necessary. The interpolation is not a very smart thing to have; I would prefer to keep the image quality at 2 MP, which is as clear as the 4 MP image but a smaller size, allowing more storage. The interface and software is simple but slow compared to other cameras, the navigation is also very cumbersome, taking too long to move from one action to another. A four-way control pad would have been ideal for a much quicker navigation. The optical viewfinder is pretty accurate and clear enough to be used for most occasions, hence giving a healthy option to save power in case one is low on batteries. Previewing and playback through the LCD screen is good enough until subjected to bright sunlight, where most of LCDs are hard to view. Video quality is strictly OK, again the camera performs well in daylight, but in lowlight conditions, it is practically unusable. The Webcam feature is no different. With adequate light conditions the Webcam performs very well, otherwise in lowlight areas the grainy video quality is disappointing. The battery life is pretty good, one set of normal AAA batteries lasted for about 50 images with the LCD on. Conclusion The ES6216 is a mixed bag, performing well in daylight, giving acceptable image quality for a budget camera. The features are a major plus point, coupled with a good package consisting of all the accessories. The build quality is superb, with good ergonomics and good quality materials used. The sad part is the performance in the lowlight areas. The flash gives strictly ok results, at times the images appear too bright and hence it's not a permanent solution for lowlight situations. What works for the ES6216 is the size, weight and build quality, making it an ideal companion on treks where one basically needs to capture images in broad daylight, it cannot be used for capturing details though, so do not mistake it as an ideal solution for nature photography. The battery life is also a big plus, saving on the overheads, which is a perfect compliment for a budget camera. The pricing needs to be worked upon though, at the price tag of Rs. 6,900, the ES 6216 might still pinch the budget buyer, especially when there are significantly better cameras (Kodak CX 6200) available for just a bit more. It would be apt to quote that the ES6216 is a good camera provided the sun is shining bright, make hay while the sun shines! Test Unit Sourced From: GreatWorld Tech Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai.
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