Welcome back, Epson!

Prior to the introduction of the L-500V, Epson’s last digital-camera play occurred way back in 2001. We’re glad the self-imposed hiatus is over.

The L-500V’s 5MP image sensor and 3x optical zoom capabilities are standard fare, but we find this little bugger remarkable for a number of other reasons. For starters, its compact, all-metal body is unique, comfortable, and rugged. It houses one of the largest LCDs you’ll find in a camera this size (the screen is just a little bigger than a pack of cigarettes).

The 2.5-inch LCD incorporates Epson’s Photo Fine technology, which first appeared in Epson’s line of photo viewers. Essentially, Photo Fine gives the LCD a higher pixel-density than most competing displays. You also get three colors per pixel, compared with one color per pixel on most other displays. The result is crisp, colorful images with smoother gradations and fewer “jaggies.”

Epson’s stated goal is for the pictures you see on the LCD to match what you see on your computer monitor. Unfortunately, we found that the images on the 500V consistently looked better than they did on our PC—colors displayed on the PC were often more muted. But this discrepancy can be easily fixed with editing software.
The 500V’s LCD is awesome—and it needs to be. Because there’s no other viewfinder, you’re 100-percent dependent on the screen for composing and shooting pictures. And this works fine until you’re looking at the LCD in direct sunlight. Other downers include a laughable 16MB SD memory card (we recommend at least 256MB); the menu interface makes it tough to change resolutions quickly; and outdoor shots were often overexposed. Overall, image quality was not quite as good as with Fujifilm’s E550.

But these are forgivable sins, particularly when you consider the L-500V’s ability to continuously shoot up to three pictures per second (at the highest resolution, 2560x1920) until the SD memory card is full. We’ve yet to find a camera with a better burst mode at this price point.

A generous selection of automatic program modes and manual control options, and a Print Image Framer feature that lets you smack a digital frame onto your pics for direct-printing, round out the 500V’s solid resume.
—Steve Klett

+ MEGA-RIFFIC: Excellent burst mode and LCD display; simple to use; stylish, intuitive design.
- MEGA-IFFIC: Pics tend to look better on-camera than onscreen. No optical viewfinder.

Month Reviewed: May 2005
Verdict: 8
URL: www.epson.com