1. Introduction

The history of digital photography is heavily marked by the "pixel race," the constant quest based on the 'more is better' axiom that has grown from one million to six million pixels in just a few years. There is no point in attempting to once again remind consumers that resolution is independent of pixel numbers, and that what is commonly known as "image quality" merely involves image size, i.e. the size of the resulting print on paper. But other factors at work are harder to quantify, such as the optical quality, color fidelity, dynamic contrast and the camera's digital treatment of the light signal. State-of-the art technology is thus required in order to achieve an easy-to-use, efficient device that is as good as it can be.

However, there is method in the madness of offering the general public a 6-megapixel resolution. Firstly because this is the same resolution you get in the most popular digital reflex cameras (such as the famous Canon 300D and Nikon D70), and secondly because the commercial justification is indisputable. Even if the potential customer base is aware that an excellent 3-megapixel is better than a lousy 6-megapixel, it is hard to overcome the advertising effect even without pointing out that the five- to six-million pixels are not exactly creating new standards of quality. In short, for an experienced photographer enthusiastic about the idea of switching to digital, the 6-megapixel compact solution is a distinct possibility, especially as many manufacturers are now moving into this sector.

We have chosen four brands of digital camera - the Kodak DX7630, the Fuji FinePix F710 and F610 and the Olympus C-60. As will be shown, all of them have something to offer a certain sector of the public, from the experienced amateur to the beginner, and those who simply like beautiful things. We won't detail point-by-point specs for each of these cameras, we just want to give you a general idea of their good and bad points, without forgetting the practical side of photography that begins by pressing a button before reading pages and pages of technical specifications.

In parallel to the comparison test, we'll deal with the problem that can be summarized briefly as "what's the point of six million?"