Compact digital cameras that get the big picture
Lori Grunin,
Senior Editor
May 3, 2010
Just a year ago, finding a snapshot camera with the chops to capture scenic vacation vistas or real-estate interiors was a bit difficult. Putting a lens with a wide-angle view in a compact camera is a technological challenge for a variety of reasons, but it seems digital camera manufacturers have chipped away at the problems, making models readily available at several price points.
All of these cameras provide at least the 35mm equivalent of 28mm lenses at their widest, and 28mm should suffice. Ultrawide-angle lenses can introduce disconcerting distortion; however, most of the cameras correct for it with their in-camera JPEG processing.
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| Price | $199.00 | $399.99 | $134.99 | $424.98 | $134.99 to $213.42 | |
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| Review date | April 28, 2010 | April 02, 2010 | September 25, 2009 | March 09, 2010 | February 10, 2010 | |
| The Bottom Line | If you want a compact megazoom with manual controls and fine photo quality, the Canon PowerShot SX210 IS is a good place to start. | The Canon PowerShot SD3500 IS offers up decent photos, touch-screen controls, and an ultrawide-angle lens, but that's pretty much where the excitement ends. | With a wide-angle, megazoom lens, a quick AF system, and generally high-quality snapshot photos, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR1 is a standout compact megazoom. | A very good, fully loaded compact megazoom, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7 offers a lot of shooting flexibility and a built-in GPS. | A sweet little wide-angle compact, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W350 should make a lot of snapshooters happy. | |
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| Features | ||||||
| Type | LCD display - TFT active matrix - 3 in - Color | LCD display - TFT active matrix - 3.5 in - Color | LCD display - TFT active matrix - 2.7 in - Color | LCD display - TFT active matrix - 3 in - Color | LCD display - TFT active matrix - 2.7 in - Color | |
| Product Type | Digital camera - Compact | Digital camera - Compact | Digital camera - Compact | Digital camera - Compact | Digital camera - Compact | |
| Digital zoom | 4 x | 4 x | 4 x | 4 x | 2 x | |
| Light sensitivity | ISO 1600 ISO 800 ISO 100 ISO 200 ISO 80 ISO 400 ISO auto | ISO 1600 ISO 800 ISO 100 ISO 200 ISO 80 ISO 400 ISO auto | ISO auto (1600-6400) ISO 1600 ISO 800 ISO 100 ISO 200 ISO 80 ISO 400 ISO auto | ISO auto (1600-6400) ISO 1600 ISO 800 ISO 100 ISO 200 ISO 80 ISO 400 ISO auto | ISO 3200 ISO 1600 ISO 800 ISO 100 ISO 200 ISO 80 ISO 400 ISO auto | |
| Optical sensor type | CCD | CCD | CCD | CCD | Super HAD CCD | |
| Battery technology | Lithium ion | Lithium ion | Lithium ion | Lithium ion | Info unavailable | |
| Dimensions (W x D x H) | 4.2 in x 1.3 in x 2.3 in | 3.9 in x 8.7 in x 2.2 in | 3.9 in x 1 in x 2.2 in | 4.1 in x 1.3 in x 2.4 in | 3.6 in x 0.7 in x 2 in | |
| Weight | 7.8 oz | 5.6 oz | 4.9 oz | 6.9 oz | 3.5 oz | |
| Flash Memory | Flash | Flash | 40 MB Flash - Integrated | 15 MB Flash - Integrated | 45 MB Flash (soldered memory - 45 MB ) | |
| Lens System | 14 x x Zoom lens - 5 mm - 70 mm - F/3.1-5.9 | 5 x x Zoom lens - 4.3 mm - 21.5 mm - F/2.8-5.9 | 8 x x Zoom lens - 4.5 mm - 36 mm - F/3.3-5.9 | 12 x x Zoom lens - 4.1 mm - 49.2 mm - F/3.3-4.9 | 4 x x Zoom lens - 4.7 mm - 18.8 mm - F/2.7-5.7 | |
| Video capture | H.264 - 640 x 480 - H.264 - 320 x 240 - H.264 - 1280 x 720 - | H.264 - 1280 x 720 - H.264 - 640 x 480 - H.264 - 320 x 240 - | MPEG - 640 x 480 - MPEG - 320 x 240 - MPEG - 848 x 480 - MPEG - 1280 x 720 - | AVCHD Lite - 1280 x 720 - QuickTime - 848 x 480 - QuickTime - 640 x 480 - QuickTime - 320 x 240 - | MPEG-4 - 1280 x 720 - MPEG-4 - 640 x 480 - | |
| Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications | |
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