Praktica DCZ 6.3 Review

The Praktica DCZ 6.3 is an eyecatching (and reasonably attractive) two-tone body - a vivid red and silver combination. Inside lies a six megapixel camera coupled to a 2.8x optical zoom lens, as well as a 2.5" LCD with a fairly standard resolution of 115,000 pixels. Likely to help keep price and complexity down, this LCD is the sole method of framing images, as the Praktica 6.3 forgoes any form of optical viewfinder. As you might expect from a camera aimed at beginners, the DCZ 6.3 keeps things simple by retaining automatic control of most image parameters. Focus is controlled automatically, as is ISO sensitivity - although you can override this to select an ISO rating from 100 to 400 manually.

Exposures are determined with multi-pattern or spot metering, and shutter speeds range from 1/1000 to 8 seconds. White balance is also controlled automatically, with six manual presets also available. The DCZ 6.3 also includes a four mode internal flash, and can capture movies at VGA or lower resolution, at a rate of thirty frames per second. The Praktica 6.3 also has a two / ten second self-timer to let you get into your own pictures.

The Praktica DCZ 6.3 stores images on Secure Digital / MultiMedia cards, or 32MB of built-in memory. The camera also offers NTSC / PAL video and USB 1.1 computer connectivity, and compatibility with the PictBridge standard for printing photos on compatible printers without the need for a computer. Power comes from two AA batteries, either rechargeable or disposable. Mac users take note - Praktica lists the camera as compatible with only Windows operating systems (you'll be able to open images on your computer with a card reader as a worst case, but may find the USB connection unsupported, and the software bundle Windows-only).