Review: The Digital Dream L'Espion Xtra is an excellent next-step in miniature digital cameras. Having owned both the original L'Espion and the SiPix Blink I can say the L'Espion Xtra outshines both these cameras in every single respect. The L'Espion Xtra is easily the best of the in-your-palm under 1 megapixel camera's currently available for it's physical size, picture quality, picture resolution, ease of use and battery lifetime.
The Xtra can take a massive 800x600pixel pictures and store 170 of them at a time, beating both the SiPix and the original L'Espion for both photo size and storage. If this isn't enough, the Xtra's low-res mode can take and store 220 pictures at 352x288pixels. If you owned the orignal L'Espion you'll know that 352x288 was it's hi-res format and stored only 20 of these, so the L'Espion Xtra is an extremely well worthwhile upgrade. The images are of better quality to the original L'Espion and Blink cameras, and has the advantage that - unlike the original L'Espion and Blink - it does not suffer from rounding the picture at the edges as if it was taken through a slight fish-eye lense. Instead the L'Espion Xtra takes perfectly formed pictures with no such edge distortion.
You'll be pleased to hear that the L'espion Xtra can still create movie files by taking multiple pictures at high speed and sticking them together in AVI format with it's free software - but now at a much higher resolution than before. And just like it's predecessors, the L'Espion Xtra makes a perfectly servicable webcam, but this time it comes with a standard mini-tripod threaded hole (you can buy mini-tripods quite cheaply).
The Xtra is very similar in appearance to the original L'Espion, but more smartly engineered. Being only a few millimetres larger than the original, the Xtra is still tiny enough to hide in your closed fist and sits unnoticed in it's leather pouch when attached to your belt. Likewise attaching it to your keys via the keychain will not bulk out your pocket. The LCD screen has been moved to the back of the Xtra where it is much more useful, and enlarged in both size and information - the interface is very easy to use and no longer consists of two-digit codes - everything is presented in full-length words and obvious icons. The interface now uses two buttons on the back for easy navigation and selection, instead of using the shutter button.
The camera still beeps quietly (unlike the frighteningly loud SiPix Blink) to let you know when a picture has been taken but not alert people nearby that someone is taking pictures, but features a small green LED on the front so your subject can see that you're finished taking their picture. Less importantly, the L'espion Xtra still has it's cute pop-up viewfinder: it's usefulness and accuracy is still rather debatable, and it is much better to learn to shoot without it. Also the AAA battery access is better engineered, with a small hatch for inserting/removing instead of the whole bottom of the camera sliding off as in the original L'Espion.For anyone buying an in-your-palm under 1 megapixel camera, the L'espion Xtra is the one to buy. For anyone who already owns the original L'Espion or the SiPix Blink, it's time to upgrade. As an added bonus for owners of the original L'Espion, the L'Espion Xtra comes with the same format of mini-USB cable - so now you have a spare! |
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