Top 10 Ultracompact Digital Cameras
By Gary Hendricks, Fri Dec 9th

If you’re looking for an ultracompact digital camera, you’ll bepleasantly surprised that many of these models offer greatpicture quality and excellent optics. A good ultracompactdigital camera is not only lightweight and stylish to carryaround, it should also have the ability to take great pictures.

I’ve compiled a list of the top 10 ultracompact digital camerasthat are market favorites right now to help you do yourresearch. These offer the best combination of featuresand value in a small, lightweight package.

Sony CyberShot DSC-W1 The Sony CyberShot DSC-W1 is selling likehotcakes out there. It has a 5.1 megapixel resolution, 3xoptical zoom and a huge 2.5 inch LCD. Throw in support foroptional lenses and great manual options, and we have a winner.

Canon PowerShot A95 Oh no, not another Canon model! Well, thefact is, Canon does manufacture great ultracompact cameras. TheCanon PowerShot A95 is very new on the market and offers 5megapixel resolution, along with a 3x optical zoom. While it’s agreat choice for beginners, it also has good features formore-experienced users. Highly recommended.

Nikon Coolpix 4800 The Nikon Coolpix 4800 has 4 megapixelresolution and a whopping 8.3x optical zoom (the highest opticalzoom of any camera in this list). There’s also a huge array of15 scene modes, making it a great value camera.

Kodak EasyShare LS743 The Kodak EasyShare LS743 camera has avery nice and clean design. The 4 megapixel resolution and 2,8xoptical zoom, coupled with great battery life and a good burstmode, make this little wonder a hot seller.

Canon PowerShot S500 This amazing little camera has always beenone of my favorites. At 5 megapixels, this the S500 seriescamera captures very high quality images, yet is small enough toslip

into your pocket.

Casio Exilim EX-Z55 The Casio Exilim EX-Z55 is a very compact 5megapixel point-and-shoot camera. It comes with 3x optical zoomand has great battery life. I did find that the photo qualityoutdoors is a bit poor though.

Pentax Optio S5i The Pentax Optio S5i is a stylish ultra-compactcamera with a 5 megapixel resolution and 3x optical zoom. Thiscamera takes good pictures but its extremely small size may be aproblem for large hands. It also boasts a useful preset buttonfor accessing your most frequently used feature.

Canon PowerShot SD20 The Canon PowerShot SD20 series comes in avariety of funky color (including midnight blue, garnet, zengray and silver). Obviously targeted at the young and hip, itboasts a 5 megapixel resolution and a full set of interestingcamera options.

Kodak EasyShare DX7630 The Kodak EasyShare DX7630 boasts a 6.1megapixel resolution and 3x optical zoom. A generous 2.2 inchLCD screen and nice manual controls keep this high on the salescharts.

Konica Minolta DiMAGE G600 One of the highest resolutionultracompact in this list, the Konica Minolta DiMAGEG600 offers a 6.3 megapixel resolution and a 3x optical zoom.The start-up time is an amazing 1.3 seconds – very fast indeed,compared to other compact cameras. Interesting buy if you aren’tvery much of a Canon or Sony fan.

Conclusion We’ve covered a lot of ultracompact is theabove list. If you place me in a camera store, I’d probably pickthe Canon PowerShot S500 or Kodak EasyShare LS743 as myfavorites. Your own mileage may vary, of course. Remember to doyour homework before settling for a camera – understand yourneeds and expectations first, before shelling out cash. Happyshopping!

About the author:Gary Hendricks runs a hobby site atwww.basic-digital-photography.com. Read his tips on digitalphotography and learn to shoot better photos with your digicam.