The Optio RZ18 does not boast of advanced features that you will only use from time to time. What this affordable camera offers are the essential features that one looks for in a compact camera. Among the best of its features is the 18x zoom wide-angle lens that has a 25-450mm equivalent focal length.

Another big selling point of the Optio RZ18 is its 16MP sensor that gives it an edge against its competitors. IT also has a 460K-dot, 3-inch LCD screen. This digital camera also has a Dual Shake Reduction technology in place and a good dose of artistic filters to make taking pictures more fun.

As you might expect, the Optio RZ18 also has a ton of scene modes that users can tap for most situations.

You can record HD videos at 720p and this is a bit behind other cameras in the same segment of the market. Also take note that you cannot use the 18x zoom capability of the camera when shooting videos.

The design of the camera makes use of minimalist lines. You might not have the usual control buttons that you can see in other cameras today but what the Optio RZ18 has are quite adequate. A lot may be turned off with its plastic body but the camera looks very stylish with a tinge of retro looks.

The camera feels robust but it does not have raised grips but rather a textured flat grip. You can still securely hold the camera and operate it with no fuzz. You also have a bunch of buttons and controls like Face detection, playback, macro mode, drive mode, flash, mode button, among others.

The menu and user interface are pretty simple. Unbox the camera and you are pretty much ready to click away.

Features

The Lumix DMC-SZ7 looks like a slimmer, shrunken version of its longer-zoom siblings, the ZS20 and the ZS19. It has a pretty good zoom range going between 25mm and 250mm. The layout of the controls is very user-friendly. It is an odd choice though to have a sliding switch for the camera-play functions. It just takes a while to adjust to this though.

At the back of the camera is a 3-inch high resolution LCD. It is bright for normal operation but it can present quite a challenge when under very bright light.

The shooting modes of the SZ7 is also very easy to use. You have the Automatic mode if you don’t want to tinker on the settings. Choose Normal if you want to adjust the white balance and the ISO settings. You can also turn off the Intelligent Technologies installed that automatically adjusts sharpness, settings, among others.

Users can also choose from fifteen scene modes from the usual presets like Scenery, Portrait, or Food. This digital camera also makes life easier for those who are suckers for panoramic shots. There is also a special function for night shots.

Performance

The shots produced by the camera will make you love it or hate it. Of course, it depends on how you plan to use images. Viewing the images at 100% will not be pleasing to the eye but if you only to print pictures on a regular 8.5×11 photo paper, you will be fine.

The video quality presents very limited ghosting when you try to capture fast moving obects. Judder is also quite minimal when panning.

The shutter lag is acceptable for its price tag. Panasonic claims the the Lumix SZ7 is also very good for burst shooting.

The Nikon Coolpix S01 also featueres 720p high definition movie recording, EXPEED C2 processor, and an Easy Auto Mode. This compact digital camera hits the stores this month with a tag price of around $180. It will be offered in silver, pink, red, and white.

Design

The Coolpix S01 revolves around a design that is meant for the camera to be an eye-candy. Its beautiful design lines combines with its very compact size, making it perfect to be brought anyywhere you go. Despite its small size, the buttons are well placed for easy use.

The camera tips the scale at 3.4 ounces and has a petite dimension of 3.1 x 2.1 x.0.7 inches. It is extremely small so you can use it for spontaneous and fun shooting. Once done, you can easily slip it into your pocket.

Performance

The SO1 is very small but Nikon made sure it will be able to meet the standards of users in terms of delivery great quality images.

The interface of the camera is very to use on its touch-screen. You can easily tap the screen to bring you through the home screens. Even non-tech savvy individuals can easily use this camera and explore its different functions without any glitch.

The camera also has an Easy Auto Mode to help users capture beautiful images . The user just needs to frame the subject and the camera does all the adjustments needed for various shooting conditions.

Despite the size, the camera has a nice setup of NIKKOR optics. It sports a 3X zoom lens. It also makes use of the manufacturer’s EXPEED C2 processor to make sure the camera can keep pace with all the actions. The camera also has a Xenon flash to allow a good shoot under low-light conditions.

The S100 gives you a longer zoom, the recycle time is a lot shorter, it has GPS, and the focal length is wider.

In terms of design and dimensions, the Powershot S100 is almost the same as its older sibling the S95. It comes at HWD 2.3×3.9×1.1 inches and tips the scale at just 7 ounces. It is a bit heavy for a compact camera but somehow this extra weight will help you steady the gadget when clicking away. The lay out of controls are basically the same as other point and shoots.

The lens of the camera has a field of view that ranges from 24 to 105 mm with a range of 5x zoom. The S100′s lens is also quite fast openng at f/2 and the apperture narrowing to f/5.9. This quality might cause some problems during long exposures in a bright environment but it has a density filter which can be toggled in the menu system. The filter will decrease the amount of light that goes thru the lens that might be helpful when needing long exposures while taking pictures of rivers or waterfalls.

The performance for the S100 is impressive. It takes about 2.3 seconds to be ready to click and you can shoot another picture in every 0.5 second while in continuous mode. Going thru the ISO range of 80 thru 6,400 the image noise goes up when the light sensitivity goes up. The S100 though does not produce pictures which you can consider as grainy. The video has a good resolution of 1080p24 or you can go 720p30 in HD.

In connclusion, the S100 by Canon took the best qualities of the S95 and enhanced them further. It has a well rounded set of features that you can enjoy for a very modest price.

The Olympus E-PM1 also uses the 12.3MP CMOS sensor that is also used for the E-PL3 and the flagship camera of the PEN range, the E-P3. This one has a 3-inch screen that displays 460k pixels and shoots 1080i60 video. It also has a built in image stabilization sensor that can work with any lens plus it has a very effective auto focus.

The E-PM1 also has user friendly features like the iAuto mode which allows easy manipulation of exposure and color. The camera though is not just built for the amateur or hobbyist, it has features like the PASM exposure which gives a ton of space for customization.

Design

it is called a Mini for some reason. It is a very compact ILC which has a similar styling with the E-PL3 but it does not have the flip-out screen. This camera does not have a front grip but it feels quite comfortable and pretty secure when your other hand is holding the lens. The rear portion of the camera has a rubber grip on the right side so that should help a lot.

The controls are quite small but the dial is very easy to manipulate. The menu, playback, and info buttons by the dial is also a nice touch. This camera is available in white, purple, silver-rose, brown, and black. You can also get some underwater stuff to work well with the E-PM1.

Lens

The E-PM1 comes with a good range of lenses like the Mzuiko 14-42 mm lens. The Micro Four Thirds lens system gives the camera a large range of ILC native lenses. The body of the camera also has a stabilization sensor which comes useful with any lens that you attach with it.

Shooting and Movie modes

You can access the different modes under the menu screen. You have a choice between the iAuto , PASM, panorama, and 3D mode.

The best movie mode is the 1080i60 with a bitrate of 17Mbps.There are also other settings for 13 Mbps and 720p at different bit rates. You can also use the PASM modes and have fun with the Art filters.

Controls

The designers of the FinePix F600 EXR thought well about the ergonomics of this digital camera. Knowing this camera has a wide array of functions, the buttons are well placed and unsurprisingly uncrowded. The front grip is positioned well and the camera as a whole is very comfortable on your hands.

Screen

This Fujifilm release comes with a 3-inch screen giving the user a clear and crisp view that can be attributed to its 460K-dot resolution. When you switch to video mode, you get a widescreen format as the view on the screen narrows.

Speed

The F600EXR FinePix is quite decent on startup, taking about two seconds to be ready for shoot. There are no issues with the zooming and using other modes. In general it is a very responsive camera.

Battery

On Auto mode, you can expect the battery to last you for 300 clicks.

Picture and Video

The camera delivers excellent quality of picture. The images are very clear, sharp, crisp, and no visible noise. Photo enthusiasts will also love its Motion Detection function which will help you capture clear images of moving objects. The video has a dedicated button so it makes it easy to switch to this mode. The quality of video as well as the sound is very impressive.

Verdict

The FinePix F600 EXR is perfect for those who are looking compact digicam with a nice set of functions and long zoom.

The first thing that you are going to notice about the Polaroid CAA-300TC is that it is a very small camera, even for the compact market. This is great if you are looking for a camera that you are going to carry around with you. On the downside because of the small size the screen on the back is also pretty small which can make it hard to see what you are taking a picture of.

One of our criticisms of this camera is that it is not the most intuitive that we have come across, it took some effort to figure out how to use some of the features that were included. That being said once we did figure them out they were fairly easy to use. We also really weren’t thrilled that the instruction manual comes on a CD rather than as a book, this really just meant that it took us longer to find the information that we were looking for. One of the things that we did like was that the camera came with quite a few extras like video editing software.

The big question then is how are the pictures that you get with the Polaroid CAA 300TC? We would have to say that we were really quite impressed. The quality of the pictures was a lot higher than we were expecting. Clearly they are not going to match what you would get from a top of the line professional camera but they are very good for one that costs less than forty dollars. That being said is really only good for taking photos of stationary objects, the quality goes down pretty dramatically for moving objects. It is also better at taking pictures out doors, the shutter speed is too slow to be really good at taking indoor pictures.

For what it is we found the Polaroid CAA-300TC to be a very good camera. It is a simple point and shoot that is aimed mainly at people looking for an entry level camera that will give them adequate picture quality at a reasonable price. That is exactly what this camera provides. Obviously if you are a serious photographer you will probably find fault but that being said this is not a camera that is aimed at you. Compared to other cameras in its price range we really like this one and highly recommend it.

The Kodak EasyShare C190 is a nice looking camera that is quite compact so that it is easy to carry around with you. Unfortunately when that is the best thing that you can say about the camera you know that you have a problem. In the case of this camera there are few other positives that we can offer about the camera.

The first problem that we have with the camera is that it is quite slow, it takes a long time for it to focus and you need to wait a fair length of time between shots. By the standards of modern cameras this is really at an unacceptable level even if we are talking about a camera that is at the lower end of the price range.

The bigger problem with the Kodak EasyShare C190 however is the picture quality which is very poor. The majority of the pictures that we took were either or blurry or too dark. Being too dark was actually the bigger problem in this case. This was just for photos taken in regular daylight, the camera was basically useless in the dark because the pictures were of such low quality.

The biggest reason for the problem with the pictures being too dark is that the flash only works some of the time. You don’t have the option to use the flash when you feel that you need it, you can only set it to off or auto. That means that it is up to the camera to determine when the flash is necessary. Unfortunately it seems to be unable to do this properly on a regular basis as the flash didn’t come on in situations where it was clearly necessary. We also don’t like the button for changing the settings on the flash, it is the same size as the on, off button and located right next to it, hardly a well thought out design.

As you can probably tell from the above our opinion of the Kodak EasyShare C190 is quite low and we would really not recommend it to anybody. It is a camera at the lower end of the price range we will admit but even here you have to expect that the camera will take pictures that are of a reasonable quality. The truth is that you can get better pictures out of a cheaper camera so we really wouldn’t recommend that you even consider this one.

The Zeikos ZE-DC26 is really at the bottom of the price range for cameras and quite frankly you do get what you pay for. The best thing that we can say about it is that it is fairly compact. It is convenient to have to carry around with you. The other nice feature that we like about this camera is that it comes with video editing software. This is probably not the big of a deal to most people who likely already have similar software on their computer and that software is likely better than you would get with this camera. Nevertheless it is useful for some people so it is nice to see it included. Unfortunately that is about all that we can say about it that is positive.

The first problem that we have is that the camera has no LCD screen, that means that you can’t see your pictures when you take them. You will have to wait until you get home and plug the camera in so that you can see your pictures. The camera is also very slow to focus so it takes a very long time to be able to take a picture with this camera.

The biggest problem that we have however is the picture quality which is quite frankly poor, even for a twenty five dollar camera. Even pictures that are taken standing still are of a very low quality, trying to take a picture of something that is moving is going to be nearly impossible. The less said about the movie camera the better other than to say that it is of a very low quality.

Clearly the saying that you get what you pay for applies to this camera, overall it is of a very low quality and it provides very little value. It is difficult to use and the end results are not good. We realize that this camera is aimed at people who are just looking for a cheap way to take pictures at family events or when they are out with friends. We also realize that you need to be realistic in your expectations of a camera at this price range. However we would say that even here there are much better cameras available for a similar price so we would not recommend this camera to anybody. It is a waste of money even if it does only cost you twenty five dollars.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH20 is one of the nicest looking cameras that we have come across in a long time. It has nice metallic look to it that we really like. It is also one of the smallest cameras that we have seen so it is really great for carrying around with you. Of course that small size means that that the LCD screen is on the small side but that is just the price that you are going to have to pay.

One thing that you need to be aware of when it comes to this camera is that it is a basic point and shoot camera. Given that it is near the top of the price range for a compact camera a lot of people expect that there will be a lot of extra features. That is not the case here. It is a camera that is designed to be easy to use and offer a flexible lens so that it can be used in most situations. In this respect the camera is very good.

We were really impressed with how easy this camera was to use, it really is a point and shoot. It is also very fast, taking only a short time to focus and allowing you to fire off shots in very rapid succession. Of course the biggest thing with a camera is the quality of the pictures and in this case they were excellent. The pictures that we took were certainly able to rival those of a much more expensive camera. That being said the Hi-speed burst mode that the camera offers is a little bit disappointing and the quality that you will get there is fairly mediocre.

If you haven’t guessed already we really like the Panasonic Lumix we think that it is probably the best point and shoot camera on the market right now. The picture quality is excellent and it can be used in almost any situation, indoors or outdoors, moving target or not. It really doesn’t matter this camera can handle it because of the very flexible lens that it has. We realize that this camera is near the top of the price range when it comes to compact point and shoot cameras but we still feel that it offers one of the best values for the money in its class, even though it doesn’t include some of the advanced features that many people expect.