General Electric has often been a company that is unrivalled with the types of appliances sold on the market. The new camera in their stores, the GE E1040 has often failed on many tests with other models in that range. The photographers are clear about the type of point and shoot range that will. Fit their needs, and sadly this particular model falls short.

At $250, the price is reasonable for a novice, but for anyone needing something more than that, the device simply will not be suitable. The device is not in keeping with the traditional compact cameras, as it appears bulky and large in comparison. Of course, this has the advantage in that while it still fits into your pocket, it is also easier to hold and shoot pictures. Again, for the novice, this device can work perfectly. The drawback is the shooting lag that occurs from start up, but again, for someone who simply wishes to utilize a basic camera this can be overlooked amidst the positive attributes.

The machine boasts a megapixel rate of 10.1, with a 4x optical zoom. At this rate, the images should be both crisp and clear, and even with the sheer bulk of the compact you would expect the machine to produce photos that could outrank some of the lower quality digital single lens machines. The E1040 however, falls short. As a holiday camera, the images are reasonably fine. In good lighting the images are acceptable, and in different environments there were fewer faults than originally imagined. Of course, there were some inconsistencies with the quality of different shots, but this didn’t seem to detract from the overall image.

Other features that improve the image are the scene modes that give a different outlook to the way the image turns out, and panoramic stitching options that allows for wide angled scene shots. Both of these, coupled with the face tracking, red eye removal functions and built in stabilization that clearly helps with those who have shaky hands enables pictures to be uploaded using compatible printers and the USB slots quickly and efficiently.

As well as this speed of transfer, the device has been improved greatly. While the quality of the device is of a substandard level, the controls are easy to navigate through, and the dial that sits on the back of the machine makes each option quick to scroll from each mode and adjustment that has to be made. Other buttons on the device mean that the zoom function, trash option and menu settings can be switched between, but some users have felt that this detracts from the overall feel of the way the model should work. It has been noted as an inconvenience when taking shots because the buttons are sometimes inaccessible, and you have to leave the shooting mode to view the pictures you have recently taken. For the novice or simple hobbyist, there are no reasons why this device should not be in lists of reasonable models.