Waitec IXO 334
3. Design
Design
The IXO’s design is very simple and elegant: The long, slim body is covered with aluminum and silver metal tones, along with nickel plated details and buttons. Construction seems and feels sturdy, though the ergonomics are average, as with no defined handgrip its slim body makes it difficult to find a secure and comfortable grip. Nonetheless the large control buttons won’t make it any more difficult for people with big hands accessing the various settings. The overall built quality is good, though it cannot match the sturdiness of full metal construction cameras.
Side by side
Here you can see the IXO 334 next to a small compact, the BenQ DC C-50. Waitec’s design, though slimmer and narrower, is much longer, despite that it lacks an optical viewfinder and it uses a smaller in diameter lens. The camera can slip easily in and out of a large pocket but surely there is space for improvement it that area, as much smaller designs are available today.
In your hand
The slim design and the lack of a defined handgrip isn't the easier for people with big hands to get used to. The simple control layout however and the large, well spaced control buttons make the operation rather simple using both your hands.
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Body Elements
| LCD Monitor | |
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The 1.5" TFT monitor in the back is bright and provides adequate detail, though higher resolution units are used in many cameras in this category. This screen won't disappoint you easily, though an optical viewfinder would be a nice addition, as framing under bright sunlight is a problem even on the best monitors. |
| Lens | |
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The 2x optical zoom (38 - 76 mm equiv. in [135]) is rather noisy when zooming, and also of average brightness. We have seen zoom lenses featuring 10x optical zoom range with similar maximum apertures in the zoom ends. Surely these are found in cameras costing 3 times more than the IXO 334, but still its lens is rather slow. |
| Memory Compartment | |
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The memory compartment is located at the camera's base. It is protected by a plastic, spring loaded hatch and the memory slot itself is the standard push to lock / push to eject SD/MMC slot type found in most cameras using such modules. MMCs are not recommended by Waitec for the camera due to their slow writing performance. |
| Battery Compartment | |
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| The battery door is located to the right of the camera. The Li-Ion battery slides in the body and the plastic, spring loaded door pushes it against the power terminals inside the compartment. There is no other mean of holding the battery in place, so you should take care when opening the battery door as the battery could easily slide and fall off to the ground. The battery and its compartment should also be shaped in a way that wouldn't allow you to insert the battery in a wrong way. | |
| Flash and AF assist lamp | |
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The flash is adequately powered, though it charges slowly. While the flash's capacitor charges, the TFT monitor is blank and the appropriate red led flashes in the back of the camera. The AF assist lamp improves the camera's low light focus abilities, but has a very limited range. |
| Connections | |
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The connectors are spreader in the two camera sides. On the right side, below the battery door and behind a second spring loaded plastic hatch are the USB 1.1 B-type r and the power input connectors. On the left side of the camera you can find the TV-out socket behind a small rubber door. |
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| Camera base | |
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| The camera's base is simple in design and houses nothing but the memory's compartment. There is no tripod mount on the camera, something that makes nigh shots very difficult to achieve as a flat surface is always needed to place the camera on. | |
| Camera Pouch | |
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The included fleece camera pouch is soft and padded to protect the camera. Though oversimplified, this item is a nice addiction to the cameras included accessories. If it was for another brand you could be asked to pay for it as an expensive accessory. |
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| Box Contents | |
Included the in the camera's box:
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