In The Field
Using primarily Auto mode, the mode likely to be used by purchasers of this camera, I shot a number of photos outdoors on a sunny day. The colors in the test photos were vibrant - perhaps a bit over saturated, but at least the blue sky didn't over expose and "blow out" to white as is common with some cameras. Examining the EXIF information, the sunny outdoors image was made using ISO 50, f/5.0 at 1/278th of a second. On a partly overcast day, however, I noted that images were consistently underexposed with midrange and shadows almost disappearing into black.
Outdoor scene shot in Auto mode
Image shot using Close-up mode
I also shot a poorly lit indoor photo using both automatic and the Steady Photo mode. In automatic mode, the camera used ISO 200 with a one-half second shutter speed. In Steady Photo mode, it cranked the ISO up to 800 with a shutter speed of 1/9 second. I must have a steady hand, as neither picture showed blurring, but the Steady Photo mode at ISO800 exhibited a significant amount of noise.
The M427 is targeted at the novice photographer who really only wants a point and shoot camera with virtually no manual controls. It would be a good choice for a kid's first camera. The Auto mode plus the eight additional shooting modes do an excellent job of producing acceptable results, but if you're looking to digital photography as a hobby you can grow with, you may quickly outgrow this camera.
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