Acer CU6530

Select from the thumbnails below:

Review was created by : Rosie Tanner

Review was created on : 13 Dec 2007

Acer CU6530

As a digital camera brand, the Acer name doesn’t exactly have the kudos enjoyed by the Canons and Nikons of this world, so the thought of reviewing the company’s latest model hardly stirred the senses. Yet preconceptions are often misguiding and the Acer CU-6530 is certainly no exception.

We were expecting a cheap, plastic-clad compact, but the CU-6530 emerged from the box like a film star, with a sleek and slender body, expensive-looking jacket and a sprinkling of shiny accessories. Despite the lack of ‘zing’ to its name, the CU-6530 gives an award-winning performance. Honestly.

Starting with appearance, the compact impresses from head to toe. Clad in a shot-metal stainless grey housing, the CU-6530 looks suave and sophisticated. Its ultra-slim body is just 18mm thin and, without the Acer stamp on the front, you would be forgiven for mistaking it for a top brand model. It sports a streamline silver grip on the front and on the flipside sits a 2.5-inch LCD.

It passes the test for Hollywood looks, but can it cut it when it comes to performance? The compact has generous vital stats, with 6.3 megapixels under its belt and a 3x optical zoom. Images appear sharp and well balanced, thanks to the substantial resolution. There is a little noise evident, though no more than expected in its class. Meanwhile, the lens is an ‘Acer own’ fixture and offers fantastic magnification. The digital zoom – normally a source of misery for DCB reviewers – is particularly impressive, providing surprisingly crisp shots even at its maximum reach, an unusual feat for most compact cameras. The lens operation is smooth and quiet and at full zoom it extends to just under an inch.

Features-wise, the camera doesn’t disappoint. It has an extensive range of scene modes – 18 in total. Particular favourites are the Splash Water and Flowing Water modes, allowing you to either freeze waves and splashes or capture the movement of flowing streams and rivers. The Natural Green mode is also a bonus, which maintains the tones and contrasts in predominantly green scenes. The white balance options are equally extensive, providing seven modes to choose from including a manual option. All these functions are located within the menu. The d-pad is the gateway to the macro, flash and exposure settings.

The macro capability of this camera is adequate, providing detailed and sharp images up to a distance of 6cm, although it would benefit from a closer range or Super Macro mode. There are three flash options: Red Eye Reduction, Forced Flash and Flash Off. Unfortunately there is no Slow Sync flash, which would have boosted the camera’s versatility further and been ideal for night-time shots. However, by way of consolation, there is a Night scene mode included which more or less makes up for its omission. The exposure compensation settings are a handy tool and can be set in 0.3 EV increments. This is particularly useful for photographing people with their backs to the sun, as well as general quick 

This camera gives a superstar performance across the board, offering ease of use, style and affordability in one tidy package.

This camera has an overall rating of 4 stars.