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Meet the Robin Hood of shooting lag
 When the Kyocera Finecam SL300R "twister" debuted last fall, it wasn't just another pretty pocket camera. Its speedy processing let you take shots as fast as you could fire until you'd stuffed the memory card full.
That same RTune (Rapid Tuning) technology now lurks in the more capable Finecam M410R, a "baby EVF" (electronic viewfinder) camera boasting a fast 10X optical zoom (37–370mm equivalent, f/2.8–3.1).
At 300,000 pixels, the EVF image is medium-fine-grained and sharp, with almost no "jump" when changing your view. Eye relief is sufficient for eyeglass wearers to see the full screen.
You can switch the view to the back LCD monitor, but at 1.5-inch, it looks awfully small by current standards.
Operation is straightforward. Right-handed controls put buttons within easy reach, and there is plenty of room for the left hand to grip securely. Set the mode dial to capture, and the camera operates in plain-vanilla point-and-shoot program, with no exposure variation possible.
Turn the dial to Ext. ("extended") for a wider range of controls: aperture- or shutter-priority auto, with all apertures and shutter speeds available. Exposure compensation? A push of a button brings up a live histogram on the screen with the exposure scale—a nice touch. No straight manual exposure, though.
Fast shooting? Yes! Set to single frame, it will fire as fast as you can lift lightly off the shutter button and fire again—if you turn off the instant review. In continuous run, you can fire at 3.3 fps, with focus and exposure set on the first shot, to the capacity of the card (exactly our test result with a high-speed SD card). Even more impressive: you can set the M410R to refocus and meter every shot at 2 fps, again confirmed in our tests.
But other factors slow down continuous shooting. EVF viewing freezes the image as you shoot (a problem with most EVF cameras), making accurate panning difficult. Subjects moving toward or away from the camera—such as an outfielder charging in—are easier prey. At 2 fps, you can keep 'em in focus.
AF is generally fast, although it has little sensitivity to horizontal detail and slows down in low contrast.
The M410R's resolution is in the high range of 4MP cameras; color accuracy, just short of excellent. Noise is well controlled up to ISO 400. At ISO 800, noise tested unacceptable.
Bottom line: Loooooonng zoom with accurate framing, fast shooting, sharp shots. We're sold.
What's Hot: Breakneck shooting speed. Pretty good EVF. No-fuss controls. Super zoom range, big apertures.
What's Not: No manual exposure. Rechargeable AAs not included. Small LCD monitor. Mystery quick delete.
Download our Certified Test Results: Kyocera Finecam M410R
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