-Hi.
I'm Josh Goldman, Senior Editor for CNET, and this is a look at the GE X5.
Now, the X5 is one of those cameras that has a lot going for it for a very specific user group.
That group would include people looking for a larger compact megazoom with an electronic view finder, semi-manual and manual shooting modes, and power from AA batteries, and all for a price well below $200.
It's a big, heavy camera considering how small, compact megazooms have gotten, but a lot of that is because of the AA batteries stored in a large hand grip, and the 27 mm wide-angle lens with 15x zoom.
However, that means there's more room for controls, which are nice, and big, and easy to press, and the menu system is easy to navigate, too, though it could be a little more attractive.
For a budget camera, it has more features than you'd expect including an easy panorama shooting mode, mechanical
image stabilization, and smile and blink detection.
All is not perfect with the GE X5 though, which is true for most budget point-and-shoots.
For starters, the camera is slow.
It starts up reasonably fast, but the shutter lag and shot-to-shot times are long, pretty much making it too slow for shooting kids and pets, and photo quality is only really good when you're outdoors with plenty of light.
If you head indoors or in low lighting,
and you don't wanna use the flash, the results aren't impressive.
But again, if you have a lot of light, it can take some very nice photos.
I'm Josh Goldman and that's the GE X5.
