compact

There are two ways to look at the Fujifilm FinePix X10. You can view it as a cynical attempt to capitalize on the fanboy frenzy of the X100 with a camera that looks a lot like it, but that lacks everything that made it desirable to the fans. Or you can look at it as Fujifilm's first serious entry into the enthusiast compact market, going up against stalwarts from Canon, Nikon, and Panasonic (and newcomers like Olympus), with a design and specs that don't look too shabby in that crowd. I'm taking the latter view.

Keep in mind, however, that Fujifilm hasn't released the price, which makes it close to impossible to say anything meaningful about the camera. So I'll frame it this way: unless it can deliver absolutely stellar, X100-class photo quality, which I doubt, then anything more than $599 is too much.

With that in mind, here's how I picture its competition:… Read more

All the money is in megazooms these days. While there are still plenty of people buying 3x-5x zoom pocket cameras, the more-popular models are the ones with 10x zooms or longer. And, of course, smaller is better.

In line with that, Nikon increased the zoom ranges on two of its S-series models--the 10x S8100 and 7x S6100--to get the 14x Coolpix S8200 and 10x S6200 for 2011. The S8200 seems to be just a shrunken-down version of the 18x Coolpix S9100, with most if not all of the same shooting features, including full HD movie capture. However, it uses a … Read more

With the Web abuzz with hopes that Nikon would announce its rumored mirrorless interchangeable-lens model today, the actual announcement of the Coolpix P7100--a camera ostensibly targeted at the same shooter--must have come as a big letdown.

And based on the specs, I suspect it would have been a letdown regardless. It has the same sensor and lens as its predecessor. Nikon does claim to have improved overall performance--the P7000's raw shooting was quite slow--so that would be welcome. Plus it finally has an articulated LCD. And as usual there are tweaks to the shooting features, including a couple more … Read more

Until recently, most point-and-shoots were too slow to capture active kids. I mean, you could get something, but probably not the shot you wanted. The switch to fast CMOS sensors, such as the one in the new PowerShot Elph 510 HS, has helped speed up capture. Add in the 510's wide, long lens with improved image stabilization, full HD, and slow-motion movie capture, and a large touch screen all in a body that's somehow less than an inch thick and you have what sounds like an ideal snapshot camera for families.

The 510 HS updates the SD4500 IS, … Read more

Canon does little with the PowerShot SX150 IS to entice SX130 IS owners to trade them in for the refresh. The SX130 IS is a regular recommendation for me due to its AA batteries for power, full manual to full auto shooting modes, and large comfortable design that still squeezes in a pocket. None of that changes with the SX150.

In fact, it seems to have all the same shooting modes (except for the addition of a Discreet mode that shuts off all noises and lights), the same 28mm wide-angle lens with 12x zoom, and the same 3-inch LCD. What'… Read more

The Nikon Coolpix L24 is nearly identical to the model it replaces, the Coolpix L22. The only difference is a resolution bump from 12 megapixels to 14 megapixels. The rest of the camera remains the same: easy to use with a 3-inch LCD and AA batteries for power. Pop in its batteries and the camera has a nice weight to it making it feel like a sturdy, well-built camera. And, like most in its class, the L24 is very much a fully automatic point-and-shoot with little to adjust except for maybe picking an appropriate scene mode.

However, like the L22, … Read more

Sony's 2011 Cyber-shot lineup has three compact megazooms in it: the high-end HX9V, the low-end H70, and, snuggled in between, the HX7V.

The HX7V is essentially a beefed-up version of the H70, featuring the same lens and body size, but backed by a high-speed, 16-megapixel Exmor R backside-illuminated (BSI) CMOS sensor instead of a slower CCD sensor. That sensor among other things gives the HX7V many more shooting options, such as a Background Defocus mode to simulate a shallow depth of field, and creating high-resolution panoramas. And it does most everything quickly.

Now, as for photo quality, it really … Read more

The Canon PowerShot A2200 is basically filler in Canon's A-series PowerShot lineup and, despite that, it's one of the most popular cameras on CNET. It's a step-down from the A3300 IS, getting a shorter lens, smaller LCD, and no optical image stabilization. (It's also lower resolution: 14 megapixels compared to the A3300's 16-megapixel resolution.) Below the A2200 is the A1200, which is basically a 12-megapixel version of the A2200. It has the same shooting options, LCD, and lens, but the A1200 has an optical viewfinder and AA batteries.

That's not to say the A2200 … Read more

It's not as nimble as the Kia Soul and its quirky looks have been outweirded by the Nissan Cube, but there's something about the 2011 Scion xB that merits a second look. Maybe it's the crazy paint on our Release Series 8.0 tester, maybe it's finally been around long enough to distance itself from the first-generation Scion xB in my mind, but the second-generation xB is starting to grow on me; I think that I'm starting to like it.

Where the xB wins hands down is in spaciousness. Where the Scion tC feels claustrophobic … Read more