Product Details
- Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 6.7 x 3.9 inches ; 1 pounds
- Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
- Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
- ASIN: B004LB4SAM
- Item model number: X500-BK
- Batteries: 4 AA batteries required. (included)
By : General Imaging
Price :
$136.63You Save :
$13.36 (9%)
Product Description
Color: Black
From the Manufacturer
If you want it all, you'll want one of the GE Pro series of bridge cameras. The new X500 is as powerful as it is easy to use. All the latest digital camera technology is seamlessly built in to reflect your own powerful sense of style and capture those priceless memories that define our lives. Get closer to the action and take photos like a pro with the X500 from GE's Pro line of digital cameras.
16 Megapixels with 15x Optical Zoom
The X500's 16 MP lens means your images will be alive with detail, capturing every nuance. A 15x optical zoom (combined with a 6x digital zoom) lets you get close to the action without needing to get right in the middle of it. A vivid 2.7-inch LCD screen with Auto Adjust Brightness lets you frame every shot with ease, letting you see exactly what you're getting with each click.
Electronic View Finder
In addition to the 2.7-inch LCD screen, the X500 has an electronic view finder for more accurate shots in real time and better scene composition.
Shoot Video with Ease
Capture all of your videos with ease. The X500 takes MPEG-4 videos in .MOV format with G.711 monaural audio for simple, one-touch recording of those special moments. And they're easy to share using a USB connection or SD card reader.
High Dynamic Range (HDR) Adjustment
An in-camera HDR feature adjusts exposure for more detail in light and dark scenes. Get the right balance of detail no matter the lighting conditions. A 3200 ISO improves pictures in low lighting condition for optimal exposure.
Optical Image Stabilization with Auto Scene
Correct unintentional camera movements with automatic image stabilization, giving you crisp, clear photos. The Auto Scene feature automatically selects and sets the correct scene type for the sharpest, most vibrant pictures possible.
Face Auto Exposure and Smile Detection
Face Auto Exposure enhances facial features detected by the camera for true subject highlighting, making your friends and family jump out of your photos. Smile Detection lets you capture the right moment by allowing the shutter to automatically release when the subject’s smile appears.
Automatic Brightness Adjustment
An in-camera auto-brightness feature adjusts the camera's LCD viewing screen for more detail in light and dark scenes. Get the right balance of detail no matter the lighting conditions.
AA Batteries
Convenient, easy and no-hassle AA batteries keep you on the go. Get 300 shots from regular AA alkaline batteries, or up to 500 shots from AA NiMH batteries.
What's in the Box
GE X500 digital camera, 4xAA alkaline batteries, USB cable, shoulder strap, CD-ROM, manual, Quick Start Guide, Feature Guides, warranty card.
Technical Specifications
- Effective Image Sensor Pixels: 16 Megapixel
- Anti-Shake: Optical Image Stabilization
- Zoom: 15x Optical, 6x Digital
- ISO Sensitivity: Auto, ISO 80 / 100 / 200 / 400 / 800 / 1600/ 3200
- Recording: 640×480 pixels: 30 fps / 15 fps, 320×240 pixels: 30 fps / 15 fps
- Still Image: 16MP: 4608×3456, (16:9) 12MP: 4640×2608, 8MP: 3264×2448, 5MP: 2592×1944, 3MP: 2048×1536, 0.3MP: 640×480
- Image Compression: Best, Fine, Normal
- Movie Format: MPEG-4 AVC/H.264(MOV)
- Audio Format: G.711 Monaural
- Still Image Format: Exif 2.2 (JPEG)
- Detection Features: Face Detection, Smile Detection, Blink Detection
- High Dynamic Range: Yes
- Internal Flash: Auto, Red-Eye Reduction, Forced Flash, No Flash, Slow Synchro, Red-Eye Reduction + Slow Synchro
- Battery: AA alkaline or NiMH
- Dimensions (W x H x D): 4.06" × 2.92" × 2.68"
- Weight: 12.3oz
GE X500 Power Pro Series Bridge Camera with Electronic View Finder, Optical Image Stabilization, 16MP, 15X Optical Zoom, 2.7"LCD, 27mm Wide Angle Lens and advanced features including Shutter ; Aperture Priority mode, Program mode, ASCN, Pan-Capture Panorama, Smile ; Blink Detection, Face Detection, Face Auto Exposure, Red-Eye Removal, High Dynamic Range. Power by AA Battery.
Technical Details
- 16 MP Digital Camera with 15X Optical Zoom
- 2.7 Inch auto LCD screen
- Built-in 14MB internal memory with SD/SDHC support up to 16GB
- Optical image stabilization, face auto exposure, auto scene, and 3200 ISO
Customer Reviews
Like many other reviewers I am not a professional photographer, and this is my first digital camera. I do like taking pictures though and I've dealt with a few nice film cameras and some nice Fujifilm cameras (a P;S, 'bridge camera' and a DSLR) and I feel like this camera is most definitely worth the price. The X500 is a bridge camera, almost a SLR and almost a point and shoot. But it boasts some great specs and features that you cannot find anywhere in this price range.
Pros. The 16 megapixel sensor is great. Most entry level cameras of any type and brand start off at about 12 MP right now. GE has this model at 16. I think the other 16 MP cameras are over twice the price of this one. You can see the difference when you zoom in on your computer, the clarity is apparent.
The zoom on the X500 is awesome. This camera has 15X optical zoom and along with digital zoom (digital zoom takes away image quality as you zoom in so just keep that in mind when using it) it has a total of 60X zoom.
The X500 has a panoramic mode which I love because I wanted a panoramic film camera and now I don't have to buy one. This camera also has a setting for everything from fireworks to snow to fisheye. More than just night and outdoors.. there are 20 different presets and thats not including the different modes the camera has for shooting (it has manual, very important!)
So far I've taken 100+ pictures and the battery is still full on the display. The manual says it'll shoot 300+ pictures on a set of 4 batteries... thats pretty good.
Not a pro for some, but this camera is a bit hefty. I like it because its like you are actually holding onto something. But it is heavier than I thought it would be.
Viewfinders are sometimes left out of cameras now because they all have screens, but this one has an electronic viewfinder (for those sunny days) I think thats a nice perk.
The video quality is better than I expected, though its not HD. The sound is so-so but thats the case on everything with a recorder.
Cons. The screen resolution and quality isn't the greatest (I have a 3 year old Creative mp3 player that has a much nicer screen and it's smaller.) Like most cameras though you look at the screen and its grainy and the color doesn't look quite right but you snap the picture/ upload and it looks like it should when its on the computer screen (or printed out.) I think they had to cut corners somewhere.
The lens pops out when you turn it on and the lens cap pops off, even if you just want to look at the pictures on your SD. And I also do not like the lens cap. It just slides on. No clips.
The sound effects were annoying, but theres a setting to turn it off (saves your battery anyway.)
Not a biggie but the SD slot is in the battery compartment. Just out of the way I guess.
The camera is a bit noisy, you can hear the processor working and the internal stuff moving around at times. More of a side note than a con though.
Bottom line is I'm not sure how long the X500 will last (because I got it in the mail two days ago) but so far I'm very glad that I bought this camera. It's a lot like Fuji's bridge camera and if you know the menus and buttons from their cameras then this thing will be a snap because its pretty much a carbon copy. The layout is simple enough for a beginner or teen who's looking into photography and it wont break the bank like a nikon or canon with the same specs.
REVIEW: My last two digital cameras have been point ; shoot Kodak's and it took so long for the camera to reset in between pictures I was missing shot after shot. Plus, the Kodak's didn't have any kind of picture stabilization so half the pictures came out blurry. With that said, I was in the market for a different brand of camera.
I was considering the Nikon L120 but really didn't want to shell out that kind of money so I kept putting the purchase off. Then I came across this GE x500 with its list of equally good features, great reviews and incredible price. I didn't even know GE made cameras so I have to say I was a bit leery about how good it would be compared to SLR style cameras with name recognition but I went for it and it has ended up being the perfect camera for my picture taking needs (vacations, special occasions, holidays, parties, pets, occasional on line classified ad or auction).
TIPS: I haven't had the camera that long and with all the features, figuring it out can be a little intimidating but I've played around with it enough to discover the setting I found best and I wanted to pass it on. When you turn the camera on for the first time it will lead you through the language and date set. (Super easy to do.) Once that's set up if you turn the wheel on the top of the camera to SCN, 20 little icons will show up along the bottom of the LCD screen. As you scroll through the icons it gives you a description of what each one is for. Some of the icon modes include: Sport (for fast moving objects), Beach (for strong sunlight), Fireworks (bright images against night sky), Glass (for shooting images behind glass), Sunset, Snow, Indoor, Portraits, Landscape, plus several more including a few special affect modes. When you choose the icon/mode for your situation the camera automatically sets itself to take the best picture in that circumstance. Last night I took pictures in the house with the flash on and using the Indoor mode and I couldn't believe how crystal clear they came out. I was also able to take one picture right after the other (unlike my Kodak)! I'm very pleased and can't wait to discover what else can be done with this camera.
WHAT YOU'LL NEED: You should also know you will need an SDHC Card since the camera only has internal room for 3 images. I bought the Transcend 8GB, Class 10 for $13.00 here on Amazon and it works perfectly even without formatting. The Class 6 would probably work as well if you want to save a few bucks although they are currently the same price...go figure. (The Class determines the speed in between shots, the higher the class the faster.) I also recommend the SMALL Zeikos Camera Bag available on Amazon for $5.00. (The Medium would be too big.) It's padded and the perfect size for this camera plus a few essentials like extra batteries, cleaning cloth, cables, etc. I actually put my Flip Video Camera in the bag too.) Next, I recommend the Duracell Value Charger if you don't already have one. It comes with 4 pre charged Nimh batteries for around $13 on Amazon. You'll have all the accessories you need after these purchases. On a side note, I went ahead and paid the $10 extra to get this camera in white and it was worth it. Love the look over basic black.
CONS: I was disappointed that it came with a CD instead of a paper Users Manual but I printed out the pages I thought I'd refer to most. Lens Cap is cheap and doesn't stay on that well so I leave it off except while the camera's in the bag. It didn't come with the Photo Editing Software (ArcSoft) as indicated in the cd manual. I think it should have come with a screen/lens cleaning cloth (no biggie, just sayin).
SUMMARY: Well, that's it. If you're in the market for an SLR style camera I really don't think you can go wrong with this one if you're an amateur photographer who wants to take better than average pictures.
UPDATE: Even though the battery's charge is impressively long while in the camera, you might want to consider purchasing an extra set of (4) Nimh batteries so you always have a set of freshly charged batteries in the charger. That way you can just switch them out without having to wait 6 hours to recharge each time. I also learned with the Duracell Value Charger you must wait until your batteries are completely depleted before recharging them or you'll reduce the overall life of the batteries. (There are chargers out there where you don't have to concern yourself with this but they are 4 times the price.) Lastly, I found another handy feature using the camera wheel on top of the camera. If you set it on ASCN the picture taking conditions are detected and the most suitable settings will automatically be selected without any manual adjustments. This feature is similar to the other one I mentioned (SCN) but with this one the camera automatically selects for you. I've taken some great close ups using ASCN. (They actually came out better than when I manually set the camera on close up mode.)
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