Four New Tests: Compacts from Canon, Panasonic, Nikon and Ricoh

We've been busy in our photo lab today, and we've got four new digital cameras for you.  Always a popular gift, these four are all likely to be popular in the run-up to the holiday season.

Here's what we've been testing:

• Canon Ixus 980 IS -- a great camera with a manual mode for more dedicated amateurs

• Nikon Coolpix S710 -- this is a compact whose stats speak for themselves: 14.7 Megapixels and 12 800 ISO ...

• Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX150 -- supposedly an updated version of the popular FX37, the FX150 takes some steps forward but some steps back, too

• Ricoh Caplio R10 -- full of interesting innovations, this powerful compact has everything from a digital spirit level through to a 7x zoom

All four have joined our Product Survey: Compact Digital Cameras, which we'll be updating again to reflect the state of the market at the end of 2008.

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