Face-Off: Pick the Products You Want to Compare
| STORES | £ |
|---|---|
| Amazon mark... | 173.89 |
| Amazon.co.uk | 174.30 |
| Amazon.co.uk | 174.30 |
| Compare prices |
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| STORES | £ |
|---|---|
| Very | 99.00 |
| Amazon mark... | 121.99 |
| Amazon mark... | 128.99 |
| Amazon mark... | 136.99 |
| Amazon mark... | 139.99 |
| Amazon mark... | 149.95 |
| Compare prices |
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| STORES | £ |
|---|---|
| Amazon mark... | 135.75 |
| Amazon.co.uk | 139.99 |
| Amazon mark... | 176.00 |
| Amazon.co.uk | 194.25 |
| Amazon mark... | 202.33 |
| Very | 219.00 |
| Compare prices |
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| STORES | £ |
|---|---|
| Amazon.co.uk | 108.70 |
| Amazon.co.uk | 122.99 |
| Amazon mark... | 131.64 |
| Very | 169.00 |
| Compare prices |
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| STORES | £ |
|---|---|
| Amazon mark... | 189.00 |
| Amazon.co.uk | 189.99 |
| Amazon mark... | 199.99 |
| Amazon mark... | 214.36 |
| Amazon.co.uk | 233.55 |
| Very | 259.00 |
| Compare prices |
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| Olympus SZ-31 MR | Olympus SH-21 | Olympus SZ-14 | Canon PowerShot SX260 HS | Panasonic Lumix TZ25 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Photo
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 Overview - Full review |
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 Overview - Full review |
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 Overview - Full review |
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Price
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Score
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User Score
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(3)
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(9)
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Specifications
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Conclusion
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The Olympus SZ-31 MR corrects the main flaw of last year's SZ-30 MR, as it's now much easier to see what's going on onscreen from various angles. A few nice new features have been added too, including a touchscreen interface and improved MR modes. So while Canon and Sony high-end superzooms handle noise more effectively, the SZ-31 MR is a surprisingly good value camera that's still a generally excellent choice. |
The Olympus SH-21 is a basic but nicely designed camera with a promising set of tech specs. Unfortunately, picture quality isn't quite up to scratch—mainly because lens quality is just too variable between models. Even if you do happen to get an SH-21 with a decent lens, the TN screen still makes it a three-star camera as far as we're concerned. |
While the Olympus SZ-30 MR was a pleasant camera with good performances, our tests merely confirmed our suspicions about this mid-range version with its scaled-down specs: it's not as good. You're therefore better off looking for a cut-price SZ-30 before it disappears off shelves, as you'll get a better-quality camera with interesting MR modes for a similar price. |
The Canon PowerShot SX260 HS is a very nice update of the SX230. The 4:3-format screen has returned, the zoom lens and electronics are great quality, and the flash now only pops out when you actually want to use it! However, battery life is too tight (especially if you have the GPS switched on) for this camera to get a fifth star. |
The Panasonic Lumix TZ25 has everything it takes to be a great compact camera, including a decent lens, a good sensor and an effective image processing system. But—honestly—a TN screen in a relatively high-end superzoom?!? Panasonic can't be serious ... |
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Pros
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+ Record-breaking zoom in a compact camera + Lens quality on par with competitors (or better in some cases) + Pleasant to use and handle + Original MR functions (shooting two 720p videos, taking a photo while filming video, etc.) + 1080p HD video with stereo sound and optical zoom |
+ Pleasant handling + 1080p HD video with zoom + Picture quality at wide-angle settings |
+ Good lens + Compact and light + Powerful zoom (24x) + Pleasant to handle |
+ Very good general picture quality, especially at long focal lengths + Good build quality, nice design and handling + Flash now only pops out when you actually want to use it + Full HD video with decent picture quality and stereo sound |
+ Good finish, nice design and handling, clear interface + Decent overall responsiveness + Picture quality is generally good + Manual modes |
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Cons
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- Sensitivity could be better: no match for Sony or Canon superzooms - Sound gets muffled when you zoom in video mode - Hard plastics aren't as pleasant as materials in some competitor models - No battery guide to make sure you get it in the right way round |
- Picture quality could be better from 800 ISO upwards - Lens quality at telephoto settings - TN screen (looks black when viewed from below) - Touchscreen interface is incomplete (not active in menus) |
- TN screen with tight viewing angles - Lens quality could be more consistent at wide-angle settings - Low-quality mono sound - Digital noise is controlled with heavy smoothing |
- Responsiveness could be better - Pop-up flash could put some users off - Battery life is quite low (230 photos with GPS off) - Limited video framerate: 24 fps |
- TN screen is unforgivable in this kind of camera (it's not exactly an entry-level snapper!) - Mono sound, no 1080p video - Lens could be more consistent at wide-angle settings |
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