Sophisticated, Compact Point-and-Shoot Cameras
Reviews backed by PC World Test Center findings reveal which ones have the best combination of fresh capabilities and solid basics.PC World Senior Writer Alan Stafford, PC World contributing editors Grace Aquino and Richard Baguley, and freelance writers Tracey Capen and Paul Jasper contributed digital camera reviews to this story.
Eric Butterfield
Advanced features (from top): The Casio Exilim EX-Z600 offers antishake, Nikon's Coolpix S6 has a big LCD, and Samsung's Digimax L85 can connect to an HDTV.
Models in the newest crop of point-and-shoot cameras offer plenty of fancy features, some of which were previously found only in pricey advanced models. Every camera we tested for this story has one (and often more) of the following: a big (3-inch) LCD, in-camera panorama stitching, antishake technology, built-in wireless, a ruggedized case, and ultralong battery life.
These features sound enticing, and they tend to work as promised, but none of them--by itself--can make a great camera. Before you buy, you'll need to consider which bells and whistles really matter and whether they outweigh other shortcomings a camera may have. Our test results can help you decide.
We evaluated ten models that have at least one of the exemplary features mentioned above. We also tested two simpler models in this class so you can see how they compare to the pricier cameras.
New Features
Prevent Blurry Shots
Sony's DSC-W100 has high ISO settings for use in low light.
Once found only in high-end cameras, antishake technology has become increasingly common in point-and-shoot models. This technology goes by different names depending on the camera maker, but in all cases it aims to prevent blurry photos due to shaky hands or low-light shooting conditions. Five of the cameras we tested offer this feature: the Canon PowerShot SD700 IS, Casio Exilim EX-Z600, Fujifilm FinePix F30, Nikon Coolpix P4, and Olympus Stylus 720 SW. In our informal tests, all of them did a very nice job of sharpening a potentially fuzzy image.
The Nikon P4 employs the most interesting technique: Its VR (vibration reduction) feature, which a dedicated button triggers, shifts elements in the camera's lens to compensate for movement; the other four models use electronic processing.
Another tactic for preventing too-fuzzy images is to increase the camera's sensitivity to light. With a higher ISO--or light sensitivity--setting, a camera can use a faster shutter speed in low ambient light, and thus can more easily capture a sharp image without having to use its flash.
Point-and-shoot cameras used to top out at ISO 400, but eight of the models here go beyond that. The Fujifilm FinePix F30 offers the highest rating, at ISO 3200. But the Olympus Stylus 720 SW is hardly a slouch, offering up to ISO 1600, and the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W100 can shoot at up to ISO 1250. However, digital noise gets worse at higher ISO settings. See "Shooting in Low Light Increases Digital Noise."
Bigger Screens
The 2.5-inch lcd on the Fujifilm FinePix F30 is very sharp and especially bright.
Two of the cameras here come with 3-inch LCDs: Nikon's Coolpix S6 and HP's Photosmart R927. The Nikon screen offers a very crisp picture, though it isn't as bright as the LCD on some other models. Two other cameras have almost as much screen real estate: The Kodak EasyShare V610 has a 2.8-inch LCD; and the Casio Exilim EX-Z600, a 2.7-inch screen. The Casio's LCD is particularly bright--helpful for shooting in bright sunlight.
One concern with a big LCD screen is that it may drain a camera's battery quickly--and three of the four models just mentioned seemed to bear this out, delivering below-par battery life times. The Nikon S6 took 245 shots on one charge, HP's R927 captured just 114 images, and the Kodak V610 quit at 148 shots. But the Casio EX-Z600 bucked the trend, reaching the ceiling of 500 shots that we use in our tests.
Use Wi-Fi to Send Photos
If you're tired of connecting cables in order to print your photos or to move them to a PC or laptop, you might consider a camera that has built-in Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. The Nikon Coolpix S6 offers the former, and our reviewer didn't hit any snags when sending photos wirelessly to a laptop 50 feet away. Similarly, the Kodak EasyShare V610 sent photos to a cell phone via Bluetooth without a hitch.
Panoramas and Wide Mode
Stitching multiple photos together into a panorama used to be the purview of software, but now some cameras can combine your photos before you offload them. Both the HP Photosmart R927 and the Kodak V610 offer this feature, though the HP can stitch together up to five photos versus the Kodak's three.
Another talent new to point-and-shoots is the ability to capture photographs in an aspect ratio appropriate for display on a wide-screen TV. But you may not always get the Hollywood treatment you expect. For example, the Samsung Digimax L85's wide mode is 16:8, not 16:9, so images we took didn't fit properly on an HDTV set.
Here is an up-close look at each camera's features and performance, starting from the highest-rated model. (Read more point-and-shoot digital camera reviews.)
Casio Exilim EX-Z600, Samsung Digimax L85, Nikon Coolpix S6
Casio Exilim EX-Z600
Most notable features: Antishake technology, excellent battery life, perspective correction, lowest-priced model here
The $299 Exilim EX-Z600 has stamina: It's one of only two cameras here that took 500 shots on one battery charge in our test (the other is the Fujifilm FinePix F30), far above the average of 297 shots.
One of the low-priced EX-Z600's more unusual features is its built-in perspective correction, which makes a rectangular object shot at an odd angle look as though you had taken the shot straight-on. Another novelty is the eBay scene mode, which recorded a test shot at 1600 by 1200 pixels--good for posting online. The EX-Z600 offers 33 scene modes, more than any other camera we tested.
The zoom selector ring that surrounds the shutter-release button is simple to operate. The four-way selector button, on the other hand, is uncomfortably small for largish fingers.
In our image quality tests, the Z-600 fared less well than the other cameras, earning an overall score of Fair. But battery life is excellent.
Samsung Digimax L85
Most notable features: Wide-screen mode, motion-capture mode, very good battery life, optional ($70) HDTV dock
The $338 Samsung Digimax L85 feels solid and is comfortable to grip. This 8.1-megapixel camera comes with a 5X zoom lens and has an extrasharp 2.5-inch LCD.
Samsung claims that the L85's ability to display HD-quality images on an HDTV is a first. However, we don't think this feature is quite ready for prime time. Not surprisingly, connecting the camera to an HDTV requires an optional $70 docking cradle and HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) cable. When displayed on a plasma HDTV, photos looked razor sharp, with splendid colors; but people looked too thin, and other shapes appeared distorted. Evidently the camera's wide-screen mode records images at an aspect ratio of 16:8, which the camera's software then stretches to the regular 16:9 HDTV ratio for display.
In our lab tests, the L85 produced well-exposed flash shots and earned high marks for sharpness. In less formal testing, we had difficulty capturing sharp photos in low light at the camera's maximum ISO setting of 400.
Another novel feature of the L85 is its motion-capture mode, which is intended for photographing fast-moving objects; the camera can record up to 30 continuous images. But you can't take the photos in TIFF format, and the manual warns that image quality may suffer when you operate the L85 in this mode.
The L85 includes options for full manual mode and for autoexposure bracketing, and it can record images as JPEGs or lossless TIFF files. In our tests, its lithium ion battery lasted a creditable 390 shots.
Nikon Coolpix S6
Most notable features: Wi-Fi connectivity; big, sharp LCD; pocketable design
The Nikon Coolpix S6's $350 price is seductive for a pocket-size, 6-megapixel camera with Wi-Fi. Plus, the attractive 3-inch LCD provides sharp resolution that makes sharing photos a joy. The display could be brighter, however: In bright sunlight, images can appear faint. The slick selector dial lets you skim quickly though menus or photos.
In an informal test, the Coolpix S6 took an average of 32 seconds to transfer five 6-megapixel photos to a laptop via the camera's built-in 802.11b/g Wi-Fi. Not bad.
Beyond that, the S6 comes with a modest collection of exposure controls and scene modes. Unfortunately, because the tiny zoom switch sits right next to the shutter-release button, you can inadvertently hit it when you trip the shutter.
The S6 lasted for 245 shots in our battery life test--a little short of average.
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W100, Fujifilm FinePix F30, HP Photosmart R927
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W100
Most notable features: High ISO setting, wide-screen mode, strong battery
The $350 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W100 is solidly built and has an optical viewfinder in addition to a 2.5-inch color LCD. It's not loaded with exotic features, but its high ISO setting of 1250 supports shooting in low light without a flash. This 8.1-megapixel camera has a simple 3X zoom and few scene modes.
The camera lacks aperture- and shutter-priority modes, but it does have a full manual mode. The display button gives access to a histogram display.
Shooting at the maximum ISO 1250 setting in a dimly lit room, we saw a lot of noise in the pictures; however, less demanding indoor photos looked better. In our lab tests, the W100's shots produced generally good image quality.
The W100 lets you take photos at a 16:9 aspect ratio, but it won't hook up directly to an HDTV set via cable or dock--you'll need to purchase an HDTV with a Memory Stick slot, most likely one from Sony.
Fujifilm FinePix F30
Most notable features: Very high ISO settings, sharp LCD, accurate exposures
The Fujifilm FinePix F30 excels at low-light photography. The sensitivity of most cameras this size tops out at ISO 400 or 800, but you can crank the F30's sensor all the way up to ISO 3200.
In our formal tests conducted at the PC World Test Center, the F30 scored well, producing accurate exposures in a variety of lighting situations. Jury members particularly praised the high color fidelity and low distortion in the F30's images.
At $399, the F30 seems expensive for a 6.3-megapixel camera with 3X zoom and no viewfinder. The 230,000-pixel resolution of the 2.5-inch LCD, however, is extremely high, and the screen is especially easy to view in bright light.
The F30 offers aperture- and shutter-priority modes, which you can combine with an exposure-compensation setting. A natural-light mode suppresses the F30's flash, as does a museum mode that also turns off button beeps. In antiblur mode the camera selects a fast shutter speed.
The F30's lithium ion battery reached the maximum of 500 shots in our battery test, as did the Casio Exilim EX-Z600's.
Regrettably, the included software is quite primitive. In addition, the F30 uses an xD-Picture Card instead of the more widely used SD media card, which works with devices such as mobile phones.
HP Photosmart R927
HP's R927 has a big LCD and can stitch panoramas.
Most notable features: Big LCD, high image quality, panorama stitching
Like the Nikon Coolpix S6, HP's 8.1-megapixel Photosmart R927 has a 3-inch LCD and a sturdy metal body.
The $399 R927 offers a lot of controls and earned the test group's highest overall score for image quality--Very Good. Among its many effects is a simulation of an aged photo print, though the initial thrill of such a novelty effect is likely to fade--the camera took 8 to 11 seconds to apply that effect to a 5-megapixel image. Subtler tweaks, such as adding a color tint, will no doubt get more use (and take less time to process--about 4 seconds).
The R927's most impressive feature is in-camera panorama stitching. You can combine up to five shots (compared to three shots with the Kodak EasyShare V610). However, the camera takes about 45 seconds to join five shots versus the roughly 7 seconds it takes using HP's Photosmart software on a PC. Considering that the R927's battery lasted for just 114 shots, you might prefer to conserve the camera's juice for shooting.
Nikon Coolpix P4, Canon PowerShot SD700 IS
Nikon Coolpix P4
Nikon's P4 offers antishake and noise reduction.
Most notable features: Optical antishake technology, sleek design, good image controls
The 8.1-megapixel Coolpix P4 is small and lightweight. The basic controls are well laid out, though changing the scene mode requires a lot of button pressing. The $400 P4 offers an aperture-priority mode--rare on a point-and-shoot camera--and controls for contrast, sharpening, and saturation. The VR (vibration reduction) mode is unusual and effective: An element of the lens moves to compensate for hand shakiness.
There was about half a second of shutter lag, which could translate into missed shots unless you prefocus by pressing the shutter button halfway down.
The P4's image quality was a little disappointing: Colors looked muted in our test shots. The amount of noise in the images was acceptable, however, even when shot in low light at the ISO 400 setting. The noise reduction mode worked well.
Canon PowerShot SD700 IS
Canon's SD700 is has antishake and focuses quickly.
Most notable features: Antishake technology, impressive imaging
The PowerShot SD700 IS offers image stabilization and other sophisticated features. At $500, though, it's pricey.
The playback mode is cleverly designed: A brief transitional fade appears between images; and when you view multiple images, the highlighted photo is slightly larger than the others. In addition, the SD700 IS automatically rotates images, depending on how you hold the camera.
This 6-megapixel model took impressive photos, and the red-eye reduction feature worked well. The image stabilization was effective, too--in low-light conditions, the camera tended to produce a sharp picture even while being shaken.
The SD700 IS starts up quickly, focuses swiftly, and takes pictures as fast as you can press the shutter release--no need to compensate for shutter lag. The camera's 4X zoom lens is more powerful than the zooms on most other models here.
The SD700's 2.5-inch LCD is sharp, bright, and fast; it easily keeps up with movies shot at 60 frames per second.
The metal case is well constructed, though it's a little bit heavy at 6.6 ounces.
Olympus Stylus 720 SW, Kodak EasyShare V610
Olympus Stylus 720 SW
The Olympus 720 SW keeps out water with rubber gaskets.
Most notable features: Antishake technology, shockproof and waterproof body, unusually high ISO settings
A camera for klutzes? If you tend to be hard on your cameras, Olympus may have your number. The $400 Stylus 720 SW is the first pocket-size digital camera we've seen that claims to be both shockproof and waterproof. According to Olympus, this camera can survive drops of up to 5 feet, and remain underwater to depths of 10 feet for up to an hour.
Outwardly, this camera doesn't look unusual. The only clue that it can survive a dunking is the tiny gasket behind the battery cover and USB port door.
The Stylus 720 SW offers a maximum ISO of 2500. However, noise was very apparent in the shadow areas of images shot in low light at the highest settings.
The buttons are a bit too small for large fingers. The useful function button pops up settings such as white balance, ISO, and metering modes. Missing, however, is white balance calibration, a feature that most models here offer.
The antishake feature worked well: When we shot in shade at full telephoto, turning on the feature produced a noticeably sharper photograph.
Unfortunately, the Stylus 720 SW's LCD looked somewhat dark and was difficult to see in bright sunlight.
Kodak EasyShare V610
The Kodak V610 has a powerful 10X zoom.
Most notable features: High zoom ratio, panorama stitching, Bluetooth wireless connectivity
Kodak's sleek EasyShare V610 offers a very powerful 10X optical zoom. The $449 camera also includes Bluetooth for transferring photos wirelessly. Unfortunately, this 6.1-megapixel model demonstrated a tendency to produce blurry photos at its highest zoom levels, and it took just 148 shots on a single charge before the battery conked out.
The V610 has two lenses: the 38mm-to-114mm standard zoom lens (35mm equivalent) and a 126mm-to-380mm telephoto lens, though you'll experience a slight pause when the camera switches over.
Outdoor shots looked attractive, as did photos taken in a dimly lit theater. But in low light the V610 sometimes had trouble focusing. The camera lacks image stabilization, and in our tests slight movements by the shooter often yielded blurry shots.
The V610 performs in-camera panorama stitching, though it limits you to three photos. Also, in panorama mode you're limited to 3-megapixel resolution.
Not So Simple: Basic Cameras Get Smarter Features (chart)
Click on the links below for the latest online digital camera rankings or a comprehensive list of all digital cameras we've tested.
Free Online Photo Sharing Sites Get Better
Uploading, organizing, and sharing your photos online--for free--is getting easier. Popular photo-sharing sites are beginning to add features that let your browser act more like a desktop app, and Yahoo Photos is at the forefront of this trend.
Uploading: The new beta of Yahoo Photos lets you drag and drop images into your photo library via a Web browser--similar to using Apple's iPhoto software. To drag and drop photos at Flickr, Kodak EasyShare Gallery or Shutterfly you must download a software application first.
Searching: Before you can share photos, you have to find them--and tags or keywords can help. Flickr lets you search tags as well as comments made about an image. Better still, some sites let you organize albums based on multiple criteria: In Yahoo Photos you can create a "smart album," selecting images based on their tags, creation date, rating (five stars max), and owner.
Community: Give the peanut gallery a voice--consider a site, such as Yahoo Photos, that lets your viewers add comments. Of course, you can share an album with the whole world. However, some albums demand different audiences--maybe Mom shouldn't see proof of that wild night in Cancun--so Flickr lets you create separate groups for friends and family. For special occasions that deserve an elegant look, consider using a site with more elaborate designs. Tabblo.com has attractive color schemes and layouts, and it makes uploading photos easier by integrating with Flickr and Google's Picasa software.
Downloading: Most sites downsize your images to save storage space, but that's changing now that Yahoo Photos allows users to store and retrieve full-resolution files. And Flickr lets you do the same thing with a free account, as long as you don't exceed 20MB a month. That makes these sites handy for backup storage But check the service contract carefully: Some sites require that you buy an occasional print.
Desktop apps are still the fastest way to access photos, but new features are making photo-sharing sites a close second.
Digital Noise and Antishake Examined
Shooting in Low Light Increases Digital Noise
The photos were shot with the Sony DSC-W100 (left) and the Olympus Stylus 720 SW, at each camera's top ISO setting.
The drawback of using a high ISO setting to compensate for low light is digital noise, visible in both of these photos. The left side of each frame shows a section of the picture at 100 percent--notice how colored dots and pixelation obscure the texture of the wall. The photos were shot with the Sony DSC-W100 (left) and the Olympus Stylus 720 SW, at each camera's top ISO setting.
Shooting Sharper Photos: Antishake at Work
A photo taken with vibration reduction turned off and then on; the VR feature appears to be effective.
The Nikon Coolpix P4 moves an optical element in its lens to compensate for camera movement. While shaking the camera gently in a room lit only by a 100-watt light bulb, I took a photo with vibration reduction turned off and then on--and the VR feature appeared to be effective. With the camera turned vertically, however, VR did not make my photo discernibly sharper. Similarly, the manual for the Canon PowerShot SD700 IS warns that the camera's antishake feature works only when the camera is held horizontally.
Bargain Performers
The low-priced Canon A540 ($280) and HP R717 ($270) lack fancy features--but deliver on performance.
You don't have to buy an expensive camera to get high image quality. If you can live without flashy features, consider a more basic model such as the Canon PowerShot A540 or the HP Photosmart R717.
Both cameras offer a fair number of features for a low price, and they match the image quality of pricier models. Both cameras have an optical viewfinder-which comes in handy when the LCD is difficult to see.
If you're unlikely to use manual controls, but want manual focus, the Photosmart R717 is a good choice. Also, it offers exposure bracketing. The PowerShot A540, on the other hand, lacks manual focus and exposure bracketing, but has other controls, such as shutter-priority mode and full manual control.
The number of manual controls you want will likely tip the balance toward the right model for you. The good news is that you don't have to sacrifice image quality.