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Buyer's Guide: The Best Monitors 
Compact Digital Cameras
Franck Mée
Updated: November 10, 2009
Updated: November 10, 2009
Product Surveys, Tests and Guides
If you can't find the right compact for you here, go ahead and check our full range of tests of compact digital cameras, bridge cameras or digital SLRs, or consult our earlier guide to our favourite digital cameras.
2009 has been a busy year for digital photography. Every area of the market has seen change, and in a lot of cases, this change has been more abrupt than in recent years. After years of banging on about how useless the race for ever more pixels was, it seems that manufacturers have finally seen sense and begun to concentrate on more interesting details like a camera's performance in difficult conditions, responsiveness, video quality and ease-of-use. Digital cameras have been improved across the board, so let's take a look at some current trends ...
The biggest news is without a doubt the arrival of more powerful zoom lenses. After a wave of 10x zooms, and then 12x zooms on 'big', 3.5 cm thick compact digital cameras, it's now smaller cameras that are joining the race. 5x is currently the standard, and Panasonic has managed to fit an 8x into the ZX1, which will fit easily into anybody's pocket. These developments have given a new magic number that manufacturers can use to wow consumers who are increasingly likely to realise that increasing resolution beyond 8 Megapixels doesn't do anything.
These aren't the only new developments we've seen this year though. Compact digital cameras are increasingly becoming imaging Swiss army knives that can give other dedicated equipment a run for its money. Their first target is camcorders: HD video is now becoming standard in high-end digital compact cameras, which now include silent zooming while filming. Audio quality, which was long neglected, has finally been improved by Panasonic, with mics that don't crackle and successfully record stereo sound from a sensible position where they are sheltered from external sound sources. These are replacing the rather weak mono mics that were the norm until recently.
Sensors: change on the way?
Another change which has so far had a very limited impact is the arrival of the new Exmor R sensor, which is finally allowing Sony to compete with Fujifilm's Super CCD sensors. This new generation of sensor are more both more responsive and more sensitive, two properties which were previously associated with SLRs. The latter are still the only option for sports photography, but we can see fast, powerful compacts that work well indoors, which will suit the vast majority of the general public.
Compact cameras have also traditionally struggled with producing high contrast photos, but there's progress there too. The principle is very simple: the camera takes two photos, one exposed for darker areas and the other for lighter areas, and then combines the two. Ricoh and Fujifilm broke new ground with this system, but we can't imagine they'll remain the only ones to offer this feature for very much longer.
As well as these technological improvements, manufacturers have also added plenty of little gadgets to try and stand out from the competition, whether it's Samsung's second screen on the front of the camera, Nikon's mini projector or GPS, which is becoming increasingly common everywhere.
Finally, the first 3D digital camera should also arrive before the end of 2009, producing the appearance of depth by producing two photos, one for each eye. Monitors are also going 3D, and Fuji has already produced a holographic photo frame: 3D photo and video could well be the next big revolution.
Green photography?
If there's one area where we remain disappointed, it's the environmental impact of digital cameras, which seems to be one of the few areas of the consumer electronics market where manufacturers aren't working hard to make their products greener. The battery life varies widely from one brand to the other, with only the Casio H10 standing out in this field, although it's weak in other respects. Manufacturers aren't keen to provide information about the emissions produced by their factories or to talk about what to do with cameras at the end of their working life, but seem happy to provide a range of batteries and chargers that are largely incompatible.
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Our Favourite
HD video with stereo sound, a quality zoom and powerful automatic features
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Panasonic TZ7
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This test is our most widely-read digital camera review of the year by a very long way. And it's easy to see why this is our favourite compact digital camera. It takes great photos, with a top quality very wide-angle 12x zoom lens, but is also a skilled filmmaker, shooting HD Ready video with stereo sound that is much better than what we're used to on other compact digital cameras. It changes from a camera to a camcorder on the fly, with separate controls for each mode, making it the ideal general-purpose tool--albeit a slightly bulky one.
| Best value Canon Ixus 100 IS |
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| For less than £175, the Ixus 100 IS is a solid little camera, with powerful performance and top quality photos. |
This is a compact camera with a 10x zoom for under £200, and it excels at low light levels. Video, though, lags three years behind the competition. |
The WX1 is your best bet for taking photos indoors. Even better, it's fast and comes with HD video. |
Some more specialist options:
| Maximum options Canon G11 |
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| It's not the very best performer, but the µ Tough 6000 currently represents the best value for money amongst cameras that are waterproof to depths of up to three metres. |
With an 18x zoom and plenty of manual modes, the FZ38 is perfect for just about any situation. It has the same video capabilities as the TZ7, but is much larger. |
We've not quite finished its test, but we already know how good it is: plenty of expert settings, a rotating screen and top quality photos are all on the agenda. |
Compact Digital Cameras at a glance:
| Responsiveness | Video | Low light levels |
Macro mode |
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| Panasonic TZ7 |
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| Canon Ixus 100 IS |
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| Fujifilm F70EXR |
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| Sony WX1 |
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| Olympus µ Tough 6000 |
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| Panasonic FZ38 |
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| Canon G11 |
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Watch out |
