What we did say was that higher pixels alone do not necessarily produce higher quality pictures.

Second, with regard to the lack of a benchmark of quality for the reference of consumers, we are of the view that it is not appropriate to determine the quality of a product on the basis of any one single attribute or a combination of specifications as provided by the manufacturers.

That is precisely the object of our comprehensive comparative performance tests which assess, among other attributes, picture quality in automatic and manual modes, movie quality, flash performance, battery performance, versatility and ease of use.

Third, admittedly, consumers vary in the ways they base their purchasing decision: some go on the manufacturers' claims or specifications, while some go on their own experience or brand loyalty.

The council's role is to provide consumers with impartial and independent research-based information and guidance. For this particular test, it was an international joint test participated by 16 consumer organisations in different countries.

The actual test was conducted by technical experts in a German laboratory specialising in optical measurements and free from the influence of manufacturers.

Lastly, your reader said 'it is hard to believe' that some digital compact cameras could outperform some digital single-lens reflex models (SLRs).

Nowadays, some high-end digital compact cameras are of very sophisticated design and equipped with many manual controls for professional use.

In our latest test, it was found that a digital compact camera sample performed marginally better than an SLR in terms of picture quality.

CHAN WONG SHUI

Chief executive

Consumer Council

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