The 3x optical zoom lens has a focal length equivalent to 35 - 105mm in 35mm format. The zoom power of the DSC S650 can be increased by using a feature called smart zoom.

 

More and more smart zoom becomes available as you decrease the resolution you are shooting at. A maximum of 14x smart zoom is available at the lowest resolution. 6x digital zoom is another alternative. For lining up shots there is a 2" LCD screen. This is made up of 115,000 pixels. I must say I found the screen more or less impossible to see in bright sunlight. It was by far the worst camera in this area out of the ten I was testing at the time.

 

The flash works up to 3.5m. This falls to 2m when the zoom lens is in use. Flash modes are Auto, Forced Flash, Slow Syncro and No Flash. Red eye reduction is also available. There is the usual selection of scene modes. These are Twilight, Twilight portrait, Soft snap, Landscape, Beach, Snow and High Sensitivity. By selecting the type of scene you are about to photograph the camera is able to use what it considers to be the optimum settings for the shot.

 

Shutter speeds and aperture size are controlled automatically. The shutter speed works in the range 1 - 1/2000 seconds. The maximum aperture is f/2.8 - f/4.8. For close up work you can get to within 5cm of the subject. A number of more advanced functions give you access to Exposure Compensation (+/-2.0 EV, 1/ 3 EV step),White Balance (Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Fluorescent, Incandescent, Flash), Metering (Multi Pattern and Spot) and ISO (Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1000). You can also adjust levels of sharpness.

 

There is a burst mode. This allows you to take up to three shots at a maximum speed of 1.5 frames per second. You can also use the self timer when you would like to appear in the shot. The self timer offers a two or ten second delay.

 

The DSC S650 also comes with a couple of special resolutions. The first is for playing back photos on a widescreen television. The second takes photos the ideal size for making 6 x 4" prints. You can record movies at a maximum resolution of 320 x 240 pixels. The top speed is 30 frames per second. Sound can be recorded and although zoom cannot be used while the movie is in progress it can be applied before shooting starts. You can connect the camera to a compatible printer and computer. I could not find a way of connecting the camera to a television set.