BenQ GH700 is a compact digital camera that offers image output upto 16 Mega Pixel and 21x Zoom Lens. With awesome zoom quality you can get high quality images instantly. Along with this, it offers a Full HD Video Recording at 1080p resolutions. The settings section offers you a set of scene mode where you can choose from number of different scene mode. The camera is designed with simple UI. This is one of the prime features of BenQ GH700.With less complicated settings and adjustment you can instantly capture your favorite moments. The zoom is one of the prime features that give you a power of getting clear distant images. Talking about the cost I found the camera a bit reasonable where you get 16 Megapixel image quality at a price of Rs.15,000 /-.
The design features a nice grip to hold the camera with easy adjustment and all useful buttons on the backside. You can view the images and customize settings in large LCD screen which is enough bright. The camera comes with an easy carry pouch. You can check out the feature list below to get a short glimpse what BenQ GH700 offers along with camera specifications.
Features :
- Stylish Design
- High Performance Optical Zoom
- BSI CMOS Sensor
- High Speed DSP
- 21x Super Zoom
- 1cm Super Macro
- Handheld Night Shot Mode
- Continuous Shooting Mode
- HDR III
- 1080p Full HD Recording with Stereo Sound
- OnScreen Movie Editing
- Ergonomic Hand Grip
Specification:
- Sensor : Sony 16 Mega Pixels, 1/2.3 inch BSI CMOS
- Zoom – Optical : Optical: 21X / Digital: Up to 5X (Preview) / Up to 10X (Playback)
- Lens – Focal Length : f = 4.5 (W) ~ 94.5 (T) mm / F= 3.1 (W) ~ 5.8 (T) (f = 25~525mm, 35mm equivalent)
- Focus Range : Normal: W=50cm ~ Infinity ; T=500cm ~ Infinity / Macro: W=2cm ~ Infinity ; T=60 ~ Infinity / Super Macro: 1cm (M) ~ Infinity
- LCD size / resolution : 3.0” LCD 460k pixels
- Image Resolution : 16M / 3:2 / 8M / 5M / 3M / 16:9 / VGA
- Movie Mode : FHD 1080p (1920 x 1080) 60fps / HD 720p (1280 x 720) 60fps / VGA (640 x 480) 30fps / QVGA (320 x 240) 240fps, Continuous recording with sound
- Shutter Speed: Auto: 1/2000 ~ 1 sec;Manual Mode: 1/2000 ~15 sec. (Fireworks 2 sec.)
- White Balance : Auto / Daylight / Cloudy / Tungsten / Fluorescent H / Fluorescent L / Manual
- Exposure : –2.0 ~ +2.0 EV (0.3EV / step)
- ISO : Auto, 160, 200, 400, 800, 1600 ,3200 <3M or lower>, 6400 <3M or lower >
- Flash : Auto Flash, Auto Anti Red-eye, Force On, Slow Sync, Forced Off
- Drive Mode : 10 sec. / 2 sec. / Double / Off
- Power Source : CIPA approx 400 base on bundle AA Alkaline battery / 580 base on Ni-MH battery;1000 base on Li battery
- Storage : Built-in Approx. 85MB (+-5%) / 4GB SD / 32GB SDHC / SDXC(> 32GB) card compatible
- File Format : Still Image: JPEG (EXIF 2.3 compatible) / DCF compatible, Support DPOF;Video: MOV;Audio: WAV;Sound: Stereo sound
- Dimensions/Weight : 112.5x 75.9x 63.4 mm / 370g ( w/o battery & SD card)
- Interface : Digital output: USB 2.0 compatible / Audio / Video output ( NTSC / PAL / HDMI ) / PictBridge compatible
Design and Features:
One of the important features of this camera is it offers you a shooting speed of capturing 10 shots per second. That tells how fast the internal sensor and processing power of BenQ GH700 is. The light sensitivity can be manually adjusted from ISO 160 to ISO 1600 while you can extend that to 3200 and 6400 as well. The options available for photos start from 3 Megapixel to 16 Mega Pixel. The maximum resolution it delivers is 4608 x 3456. Another important aspect of BenQ GH700 is a stabilized lens. It is not removable but a single lens that offers you wide angle photography. You can capture photos easily in portrait or landscape as per your choice.
If we check out the features of a DSLR, then there are ample of things missing in it. The camera comes with only 85MB of internal memory. However you can add a Memory card to extend your storage. The camera operates on AA Alkaline battery. Depending on the brand you can expect a good battery out of it. The internal sensor of BenQ GH700 is quiet fast. We had tested some different photo modes at the highest resolution, which showed up awesome output just in seconds. The manual adjustment from ISO 160 to 1600 gives you option to deal with the photo output as per your need. Talking about the media formats it offers you the most common output.
The front part of BenQ GH700 has a full size lens with gold ring over that offers a look of excellent photography. The flash lies on the top which can be locked with the design. Just by press slightly you can close the flash lid and capture photo without it. There is a button on the left that allows you to pop out the flash. But still in the settings you can manually activate it if you want.
On the top side lie the zoom liver with shutter button, on/off switch and a Mode Dial. The mic is also on the front side. While the speaker is provided near the camera connectors. The LCD and other buttons are placed on the backside. There is a wide LCD screen, with recording and play back button. There is a 4 way multi-functional panel that allows you to manage set of different settings instantly. The menu button is placed on the end that allows you to modify the camera settings.
Mode Dial is a kind of quick accessible option where you can set from 8 different modes without going for manual adjustment. Which beings from Intelligent Scene, Manual Exposure, Program, HDR, Continuous Shot, Night Portrait, Handheld Night Shot and Scene Mode. Just by rotating the dial you can choose from different modes to get reasonable photo quality. The body mostly consists of plastic material. But still it has a durable grip. BenQ GH700 deliver good focus output and optimum zoom quality for capturing decent photos. From the settings you can modify the white balance and adjust exposure. The 4 way menu button offers you some quick modification depending on the photo mode you had selected.
No doubt that BenQ GH700 is capable of giving some of the best image quality. While in DSLR you have to spend on more lenses to get that output. At 16 Megapixel I do not think you should expect more. For professional photographer BenQ GH700 is a handy choice but for experts this might not be a complete product. The higher resolution you choose the more heavy will be the images. The size easily goes above 3 MB if you are clicking on high resolution. At this point having an internal memory is well recommended. We captured some photos in low and bright light. And on intelligent scene mode the camera is capable of managing the right color and light. With internal settings it s a bit fun to use this camera. Just rotate the dial on scene mode and you can choose from 17 different modes to get the right image. While in movie mode you can record upto 1080p @ 60fps maximum. The flash output is quiet good. It gives you enough vibrant light that is needed to get proper photo under low light.
Conclusion:
BenQ GH700 is a good quality budget camera. It lies at a mid range. Not too much costly and not much cheaper. The mix feature of DSLR and Digital Camera makes it extremely rich in features and useful to use. At a price range of Rs.15000 the camera is one of the best choices. With decent zoom quality and nice output range you can capture distant photos under any scenario. The camera body is enough durable and quiet good. In outdoor condition there is nothing to much worry about the photo quality. But in low light you will need to make some adjustment.
Pros
- Budget Camera
- Good Image and Video Quality
- Smart Scene Mode
- Easy Grip and Stylish Look
Cons
- Slow AF
- Images blurry on instant zoom
- Few Customization option
