WHAT'S HOT: The first 5-megapixel camera that we've seen priced at under $500, the FineCam S5 took above-average pictures. Both indoor and outdoor shots were well exposed and had strong, accurate colors, though shots taken with the flash looked a bit flat and lacked detail. The aluminum case feels as if it can stand up to rough treatment, and the lens has a 3X optical zoom.

WHAT'S NOT: The flash sits in a small, fragile-looking panel that pops up from the top of the camera body: This component looks as though it could easily catch on something and get damaged. The flash pops up whenever you turn the camera on, and it stays up even if you turn the flash off; if you hold it closed, the camera refuses to take a picture--even if the flash is turned off. Embedding or incorporating the flash into the camera's body would have made more sense. The controls are rather awkward: You can control the shutter and zoom while holding the camera in one hand, but the other buttons require two hands. And the lens makes an annoying buzzing noise while focusing, although the focusing mechanism is relatively fast. Because the image on the LCD screen is not updated while the camera is focusing, you may lose sight of something if it moves during the slight pause.

For a 5-megapixel camera, the included 16MB SD Card seems small: At the camera's highest resolution, the card can hold only hold four to six photos. Fortunately, the price of SD Card memory cards is dropping: You can get a 128MB card for about $50 and a 256MB card for $70.

WHAT ELSE: The FineCam S5 offers no scene modes, but it does have a basic aperture priority mode and a manual mode for setting the white balance and choosing other options such as the focusing and metering mode. Still, there is no way to set the shutter speed. The single rechargeable lithium ion battery lasted just under 1 hour and 15 minutes, and it can recharge within the camera.

UPSHOT: The FineCam S5 would work well for people who want high-resolution photos for a low price; but other, cheaper cameras have better designs and include more shot-crafting options.

SUMMARY

Kyocera FineCam S5 5 megapixels, 2560 by 1920 maximum resolution, 35mm to 105mm focal range (35mm equivalent), 2.8 to 4.8 aperture range, shutter speeds from 8 seconds to 1/2000 second, optical and LCD viewfinders, USB and video connections, 16MB Secure Digital Card media, 2 lithium ion batteries, 6.9 ounces with batteries. One-year parts and labor warranty, 10-our weekday and Saturday toll-call tech support. $499 800/421-5735 www.yashica.com