General Electric X600 Review

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General Electric X600

Table of Contents

MSRP $199.00

“If you want a long zoom without spending a fortune on an interchangeable-lens camera or a more expensive bridge model, the X600 is an attractive option.”

Avg

Long zoom with optical image stabilization
Manual recording modes
Video recording up to 1080p
Electronic viewfinder
Feature rich for the price

Against

Unintuitive settings adjustments, menu navigation
Noisy photos in low light
Stabilization stumbles at full zoom
Slow overall performance
Average video quality

Despite talk of digital camera obsolescence, there are many bright spots. One sector still seeing growth is the bridge camera, an advanced point-and-shoot that offers both the ease-of-use of a beginner shooter and the performance and zoom typically found in a DSLR. It’s a great camera to step into if you’re not ready for an interchangeable lens model, but it can be expensive. That’s why GE’s X600 seems so attractive: $199 gets you a 26x optical zoom lens with image stabilization, Full HD video recording, and manual shooting modes. With such a low price, can we really compare it to more expensive competing models?

Features and design

The X600 has that signature mega-zoom look commonly found in many bridge models: a chunky device with an accented grip that looks like a shrink-wrapped DSLR, but with a fixed lens instead of interchangeable. The highlight of this camera is the long lens, with 26x optical zoom with optical image stabilization (focal length from 26mm wide to 676mm telephoto; f/3.2-5.6). It’s not as long as the 50x zoom found in Canon’s PowerShot SX50 HS, but it should satisfy many users. The camera has a 14.4-megapixel CMOS sensor that allows it to shoot high-speed continuous shooting (7 frames per second), record videos in full HD resolution 1080p (30 fps) and take photos in high dynamic range (HDR), but the ISO sensitivity is maximum at 3,200. A few other notable features include an electronic viewfinder (EVF), various shooting modes (including manual), and autofocus with face detection and object tracking.

…Autofocus speed may not be the fastest we’ve seen, but it’s good in most shooting situations.

In terms of design, GE kept it pretty simple. On the back, you’ll find a somewhat tiny 2.7-inch LCD surrounded by an EVF, a small thumb grip, and a few function keys (including a four-way key used to navigate menus). On the front, you’ll find a tiny microphone under the lens barrel, an AF assist beam/timer indicator, and a large rubber grip for your right hand to grip easily. On the left side is the speaker and the button to open the flash, while the right side contains the USB and HDMI ports behind the cover. Underneath is a compartment for the battery and SD card (the X600 only supports SD and SDHC cards up to 32GB, although it does support Eye-Fi cards), and a tripod holder. At the top, you’ll find a mode dial to switch between a number of shooting options, an on/off switch, a shutter button flanked by a zoom switch, a dedicated video button, a continuous shooting selection button, and a pop-up flash.

The X600 isn’t heavy, nor is it light, but its bulky shape means you may have to carry it around in a bag; but we managed to stuff it into a large pocket of a man’s coat. We found the camera to be quite easy to operate – similar to a basic point-and-shoot in terms of button layout – and comfortable to hold, although our right palm did inadvertently press the display button while shooting. Otherwise, buttons and dials are easily within reach.

Image used with permission of the copyright holder

While the X600 is one of GE’s more advanced offerings, it’s still a budget camera, so there are trade-offs. When you compare it to mega-zoom cameras like Sony and Nikon, the plastic construction isn’t as sturdy. The 2.7-inch LCD isn’t touch-sensitive and only has 230K dots, so it’s not as bright and sharp as higher-resolution screens; you will notice weakness in certain situations such as shooting at night. The same can be said for the EVF, and while more expensive competing models usually include a sensor that automatically switches between the EVF and the LCD when you move your eye closer or further away from the camera, with the X600 you have to do it manually. There is also no RAW file recording.

The menu UI isn’t as intuitive as we’d like, and when it’s cluttered with various icon indicators all over the screen, it makes framing a photo difficult. We also don’t like how GE has assigned some of the function keys. For example, when you press the menu button, you only have a few options. To adjust the white balance, you actually have to press the “set” button, but the ISO, aperture, and shutter speed adjustments are hidden inside the exposure compensation button. Also, the camera doesn’t always respond well when you press the button to adjust the setting. The buttons and menus could have been better planned.

What’s in the box

Along with the X600, inside the box you’ll find a rechargeable Li-ion battery (rated at 240 shots on a full charge; we managed to get a bit more than that and didn’t need a charge on days of occasional use), a shoulder strap, an adapter AC power, lens cap and lens cap strap, USB cable, user manual, quick start guide, and a CD containing a more detailed user manual and Arcsoft Photo Impression software (Windows only).

GE does not include a battery charger. The battery is charged in-camera via a USB connected to your computer or an included AC adapter, which we find a bit inconvenient.

Performance and use

As you might expect from a budget camera, the X600 has some performance issues. It takes 3 seconds to start the camera and 2 seconds to turn it off. The zoom is also slow, taking 3 seconds to reach its 26x potential. If you’re hand-holding the camera, you’ll notice that the X600’s optical stabilization struggles when the zoom is extended all the way (a tripod is recommended). Shutter lag is also a problem, as it is not very fast.

Image used with permission of the copyright holder

On the plus side, the autofocus speed may not be the fastest we’ve seen, but it’s good in most shooting situations. Object tracking and facial recognition also worked well, as did continuous shooting.

For photos, we shot a bunch using the various modes available – from scene and automatic to programmed, shutter priority and manual. As an automatic camera, the X600 functions like any point-and-shoot. In shutter priority mode, you can adjust shutter speed and exposure compensation, but you can’t adjust ISO. You can manually adjust ISO, aperture and shutter speed, but the camera takes care of exposure compensation. Interestingly, the camera doesn’t offer an aperture priority mode, and the only setting you can set it to is manual; Granted, the X600 has a very small aperture range, so there isn’t much to play with. However, we thought the panorama mode did a good job of stitching the photos together.

Under ideal conditions, the X600 takes decent to good quality photos, but they aren’t always the sharpest. Colors are often soft and not consistently accurate. In one of our tests on an overcast day, the X600 seemed to struggle with white balance. When we set the white balance to auto, our photos looked a little blue, but when we set the white balance to “cloudy,” they skewed heavily toward orange. The X600 at least lets you play around with the white balance settings, but for the X600’s target user who is used to the camera doing the work, it would be nice if the setting worked correctly right out of the box. The X600 isn’t the best in low light. Our photos tend to look noisy even at ISO 400; they are fine in small sizes for sharing on the web, but we wouldn’t want to print them full size. For users who enjoy scenic modes and creative filters, there are several choices.

In terms of video, you can’t compare the X600 to the Canon. The video quality is not smooth and artifacts are clearly visible. While you can zoom while recording video, it’s hard to get a clear picture at full zoom, and the microphone picks up zoom sounds. You’ll also want to avoid zooming while shooting, as the autofocus isn’t fast enough to keep up.

Conclusion

If you’re looking to move up from a basic point-and-shoot to a more advanced model that gives you a long zoom, but are on an extremely tight budget, the X600 is one of the more affordable bridge cameras you can buy. Although it’s listed for $199, you can find it cheaper. Mega-zoom offerings from other manufacturers will cost more than twice as much, but keep in mind that you’re compromising quality and usability for the low price. Despite offering a manual mode, the X600 is actually an automatic camera with the ability to adjust some settings when needed. If you value capturing memories more than photo quality and want a long-zoom camera without spending a fortune on an interchangeable-lens camera or a more expensive bridge model, the X600 is an attractive option.