Digital Trends

Digital cameras are a funny thing. Every year experts predict the market has peaked, that consumers are loaded up to their eyeballs with digicams. Then analysts look at the numbers as the year unfolds and realize—whoops!—sales keep growing. This year is no different as the “experts” have once again raised the final numbers (close to 30 million). Everyone’s an expert in hindsight but one of the key reasons for this never-ending flood is the fact repeat buyers keep coming back for better, more responsive cameras. And falling prices certainly don’t hurt. This brings us to the GE E850, an intermediate model from a new player in the game. Note this GE is not the one that makes jet engines and MRI machines; it’s a company called General Imaging that licenses the GE name. The company first introduced themselves in the spring, then began shipping affordable point-and-shoot digicams this summer like the E850, an 8-megapixel camera with a 5x optical zoom and a 3-inch LCD screen for less than 200 clams ($179 USD to be exact). Compare this to the recently review 8MP Canon PowerShot SD870 IS Digital ELPH  with a 3.8x zoom that goes for twice as much. DigitalTrends.com readers know I really like Canon point-and-shoot models even though they tend to be more expensive than the competition. It’s simple enough—they take good photos without a lot of the baggage of other brands. Also of note is the fact the E850 has a 28mm wide angle setting, one of my favorite features, and also found on the SD870 IS. Now can the new GE E850 win my affections? Let’s check it out.