BenQ LR100 – This Will Leave You Perfectly Happy

A simple camera with a few features that make this a bit better than anything else in its class

Price: $165

Website: www.benq.com

BenQ LR100

Entry-level compact cameras are usually underrated by anyone who has even a slight idea of what they’re doing, and reserved for the moments where your photos don’t really matter or you want to slip the camera into your back pocket. Yes, it’s sad that an entire type of camera is subjected to such step-motherly treatment, but once in a while there comes a decent entry-level that can do a bit more than its price would suggest. We take a look to see if the BenQ LR100 can be that camera.

Slimmed down

The LR100 comes in a small package that makes this camera very light and portable. It could easily slip into small spaces, while the simple, flat shape doesn’t have any large bumps that would make it awkward to store. The design feels like it was pretty much meant to be kept in a pocket when not in use. The power switch on top is pretty hard to trigger accidentally, which is a good thing. Finally, when switched on, the camera is ready to go in less than a second. Ideal for those short, once in a lifetime moments

The LR100 comes in a small package that makes this camera very light and portable.

Better than you expect

The standout features on the LR100 have to be its 14 megapixel CMOS sensor and Full HD video capability. Just as quick as its start-up time is its autofocus and shoot time, again practically instantaneous. Images don’t appear quite as good on the 2.7in LED screen, but that really is the screen’s fault for not being that good. Transfer images to a computer and you’ll see that they’re really quite good for a compact camera at this price. Full HD video too is impressive and clean, with a dedicated video button that keeps things simple on the control front. Everything here is simple and meant for the most basic users, making this a no-hassle, no-complications kind of camera. Essentially, this compact is a bit better than you would have initially thought.

The standout features on the LR100 have to be its 14 megapixel CMOS sensor and Full HD video capability.

Feature filled

The LR100 has an assortment of different scene modes that optimize the camera for shooting in certain settings. These work well, but if you want to avoid complicating things, it’s easier to just use the auto mode. There’s also a timer for delayed shots, a burst shooting mode and a panorama shot which stitches together two or three shots to make one long panoramic picture. While the burst shot and timer modes worked like they were supposed to, the panorama mode didn’t do a very good job with stitching together shots and ended up making a bit of a mess.

The BenQ LR100 is a simple camera for sure, but it does what it says it will do and it does it well. Don’t expect too much and this camera will leave you perfectly happy.

The BenQ LR100 is a simple camera for sure, but it does what it says it will do and it does it well.

Specifications §  Sensor: Panasonic 14 Mega Pixels, 1/2.3 inch CMOS §  Zoom  Optical: 5X. Digital: Up to 5X (Preview) / Up to 12X (Playback) §  Lens: f = 4.6 (W) ~ 23 (T) mm / F= 3.2 (W) ~ 6.4 (T) / (f = 26~130mm, 35mm equivalent） §  Focus Range: Normal: W= 5 cm ~ Infinity, T= 60 cm ~ Infinity / Super macro: W= 5 cm §  LCD: 2.7” LCD 230k pixels §  Aspect Ratio: 4:3 / 3:2 / 16:9 / 1:1 §  Image Resolution: 14M (4320X3240) / 8M (3264X2448) / 5M (2560x1920) / 3M (2048x1536) / VGA (640x480) §  Movie Mode: FHD 1080p (1920x1080) 30fps / HD 720p (1280 x 720) 60fps / HD 720p (1280 x 720) 30fps / VGA (640 x 480) 30fps / QVGA (320 x 240) 120fps / HD 720p (1280 x 720) with Watercolor Continuous recording with Stereo sound. §  Shutter Speed: Auto: 1/2000 ~ 1 sec；(Night scene: 1/2000 ~ 15 sec., Fireworks: 2 sec.) §  White Balance: Daylight / Cloudy / Tungsten / Fluorescent_H / Fluorescent_L / Manual §  Exposure: –2.0 ~ +2.0 EV (0.3EV / step) §  ISO: Auto / 100 / 200 / 400 / 800 / 1600 / 3200 (3M or lower) / 6400 (3M or lower) §  Flash: Auto, Red-eye Reduction, Slow Sync., Forced On/Off §  Drive Mode: Off / 10 sec. / 2 sec. / Double §  Continuous Shooting mode: Off / Burst / High-speed Burst / Speedy Burst 120 / Multi-shot 16 / AEB §  Power Source: CIPA approx 180 base on bundle Li-ion battery §  Storage Type: Built-in Approx. 42.9 MB (+-5%) 4GB SD / 32GB SDHC / SDXC(> 32GB) card compatible §  File Format: Still Image: JPEG (EXIF 2.3 compatible). Video: MOV；Audio: WAV §  Interface: Digital output: USB 2.0 compatible. Audio / Video output ( NTSC / PAL / HDMI ). PictBridge compatible §  Accessory: USB Cable / Software & UM CD / Quick Guide. Li-ion Battery / Pouch (optional)