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Compact digital cameras that get the big picture

Lori Grunin Lori Grunin, Senior Editor June 19, 2009

It's difficult--but not impossible--to find a snapshot camera with the chops to capture scenic vacation vistas or real-estate interiors. Putting a lens with a wide-angle view in a compact camera is a technological challenge for a variety of reasons, and digital camera manufacturers are slowly chipping away at the problem. All of these cameras provide the 35mm equivalent of 28mm lenses at their widest, and 28mm should suffice--wider lenses can introduce disconcerting distortion.

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Price $209.95 to $379.95 $219.95 to $349.00 $279.00 to $309.99 $212.49 to $279.95 $397.95 to $399.99 $245.95 to $329.95
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Review date October 28, 2008 February 06, 2009 May 22, 2009 May 19, 2009 April 16, 2009 June 19, 2009
The Bottom Line Simply put, the Canon PowerShot SD880 IS is an excellent point-and-shoot camera. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX150 is an excellent blend of usability, features, and photo quality. While its design is less than thrilling, the Canon PowerShot SD960 IS still has great photo quality to fall back on. The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290 is an excellent, well-balanced compact camera. As long as you don't want much in the way of manual features, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 is a very nice camera that can handle a variety of shooting situations. With a flexible lens in a pocketable package, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1 is a pleasing point-and-shoot megazoom--both in design and photo quality.
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Features
Lens apertureF/2.8-5.8
F/2.8-5.6
F/2.8-5.8
F/3.3-5.2
F/3.3-4.9
F/3.3-4.9
Equivalent 35mm focal length28 - 112 mm
28 - 100 mm
28 - 112 mm
28 - 140 mm
25 - 300 mm
25 - 300 mm
Optical zoom4 x
3.6 x
4 x
5 x
12 x
12 x
Light sensitivityISO 100
ISO 200
ISO 400
ISO 800
ISO 1600
ISO auto
ISO 3200 (2Mpix)
ISO 100
ISO 200
ISO 400
ISO 800
ISO 1600
ISO auto
ISO auto (1600-6400)
ISO 80
ISO 100
ISO 200
ISO 400
ISO 800
ISO 1600
ISO 3200
ISO auto
ISO 80
ISO 100
ISO 200
ISO 400
ISO 800
ISO 1600
ISO 3200
ISO auto
ISO 80
ISO 100
ISO 200
ISO 400
ISO 800
ISO 1600
ISO 3200
ISO auto
ISO auto (1600-6400)
ISO 100
ISO 200
ISO 400
ISO 800
ISO 1600
ISO auto
ISO auto (1600-6400)
Display (projector) technologyTFT active matrix
TFT active matrix
TFT active matrix
TFT active matrix
TFT active matrix
TFT active matrix
Video input typeDigital camera
Digital camera
Digital camera
Digital camera
Digital camera
Digital camera
Digital zoom4 x
4 x
4 x
2 x
4 x
4 x
Weight5.5 oz
5.3 oz
5.1 oz
5.1 oz
7.2 oz
7.3 oz
Effective sensor resolution10,000,000 pixels
14,700,000 pixels
12,100,000 pixels
12,100,000 pixels
10,100,000 pixels
10,100,000 pixels
Still image formatJPEG
RAW
JPEG
JPEG
JPEG
JPEG
JPEG
Display (projector) diagonal size3 in
2.7 in
2.8 in
3 in
3 in
2.7 in
Manual focusAutomatic
Automatic
Automatic
Manual
Automatic
Automatic
Automatic
Full specifications Full specifications Full specifications Full specifications Full specifications Full specifications Full specifications
Buying choices