Previously, we've rounded-up some budget compact cameras. Let's move on to the next level. Three stylish, compact yet bristling with clever feature digital cameras made it to our list.
1. Panasonic Lumix FX35
The 25mm wide lens on the Lumix FX35 ensures you'll easily squeeze all your extended family into the annual portrait. This metallic compact makes ease-of-use a high priority. It features Panasonic's Mega OIS stabilizer which can even out tricky exposures. It also has IA, which recognizes the subject accordingly. It also captures HD movies at 720p and can output them to your TV. With all this gallant help available it's a great shame that pictures are let down by some noise and softness.
The Lumix is undoubtedly easy to use and stylish, but the results just aren't good enough.
Price: $199
Love: Easy to use. Looks built to last despite lightweight design.
Hate: Occasional image softness and noise.
Specs at a glance:
3648 x 2736, 10 megapixel
4x optical zoom
2.5" lcd viewer
SD, SDHC, MMC
li ion battery
3.7x2.0x0.9, 4.4oz
2. Sony Cyber-Shot W300
The Sony Cyber-Shot W300 is beautiful yet tough. The titanium-coated compact is disarmingly attractive, sizing you up with its retractable Carl Zeiss optical zoom. It boasts impressive artificial intelligence, with Face Detection, Intelligent Scene Recognition, Smile Shutter and blur-banishing anti-shake all helping to make its 13.6 megapixel shots as pristine as possible.
The zoom is only 3x, and pictures can display an uncharacteristic hint of softness. That aside, the W300 is a stylish camera that refuses to compromise on photographic quality.
Price: $329
Love: High-resolution, detailed pictures. Stylish case.
Hate: Images can appear soft on occasions.
Specs at a glance:
4224 x 3168, 13.6 megapixel
3x optical zoom
2.7" lcd viewer
MSduo (pro) (HS)
NP-BG1 li-ion
3.7x2.2x1.1, 5.5oz
3. Ricoh R10
The Ricoh's retro styling wouldn't seem out of place in a James Bond Classic film, but despite its classic looks, its features could still summon up raised eyebrows.
The R10 has a versatile focus range, a large, clear, high-resolution LCD screen, plus other camera stalwarts such as face detection and anti-shake. The metal and plastic body is timeless rather than old-fashioned. Adding to the espionage theme, the camera also features a built-in electronic spirit level function, so you shouldn't end up with wonky horizons.
If you're a fan of refined glamour, the sophisticated yet modern R10 is a parfait.
Price: $299
Love: Intuitive menu system. Larger than average zoom lens.
Hate: Boxy, old-fashioned dimensions.
Specs at a glance:
3648 x 2736, 10 megapixel
7.1x optical zoom
3.0" lcd viewer
SD, SDHC
DB-70 rechargeable
4.0x2.3x1.0, 5.9oz
The Verdict: Despite a 25mm wide-angle lens and heaps of useful what-nots, the Panasonic FX35's lightly soft pictures let it down. With a 7x optical zoom, massively hi-res LCD and the unique electronic level function, the Ricoh R10 is excellent value and fun-packed, but just pipped to the winning post by the Sony Cyber-Shot W300. Stylish, effective, full of feature and not too expensive, the W300 is a colossally covetable compact.
