The Fujifilm FinePix F50fd is a 12 Megapixel compact camera with a 3x optical zoom lens and built-in sensor-shift stabilisation. Announced in July 2007, it numerically follows the F40fd, but is the real successor to the legendary FinePix F30 and F31fd ...

Very high resolution images ; Good face detection and flash ; Manual control over exposure ; Cheaper than 12 Mpixel rivals ; Very high resolution images ; Good face detection and flash ; Manual control over exposure ; Cheaper than 12 Mpixel rivals

Pedestrian 35-105mm lens range ; Noise artefacts at 200 ISO and above ; Screen and IS bettered by rivals ; Not much grip to speak of ; Pedestrian 35-105mm lens range ; Noise artefacts at 200 ISO and above ; Screen and IS bettered by rivals ; Not much ...

The Fujifilm FinePix F50fd is the best value 12 Megapixel compact on the market. It comes in comfortably cheaper than rivals from Panasonic and Sony, while also delivering a thoughtful and effective approach to indoor flash photography - but do keep ...

The Fujifilm FinePix S8000fd is an 8 Megapixel super-zoom camera with a massive 18x optical zoom lens and built-in sensor-shift image stabilisation. Announced in July 2007, it follows a popular line of SLR-styled super-zooms from Fujifilm, although ...

Massive 18x optical range with wide angle ; Effective built-in image stabilisation ; Good build quality and ergonomics ; Closest focusing distance of just 1cm ; Massive 18x optical range with wide angle ; Effective built-in image stabilisation ; Good ...

Coloured fringing when zoomed-in ; No RAW mode ; Quite leisurely startup and shutdown speed ; Rivals more compelling overall ; Coloured fringing when zoomed-in ; No RAW mode ; Quite leisurely startup and shutdown speed ; Rivals more compelling overall

Viewed in isolation the Fujifilm FinePix S8000fd is a good super-zoom camera. The 18x optical zoom range is extremely flexible, the stabilisation really works and the image quality at lower sensitivities is more than acceptable. As such we can award ...

Canon's PowerShot G9 was announced in August 2007 alongside the EOS 40D and a raft of new compacts. There was no G8 - Canon skipped direct to the G9 which makes it the successor the last year's G7. It comes just 11 months later and like previous ...

6x optical zoom with IS and decent macro ; Flash hotshoe for Speedlites and wireless ; Dedicated ISO dial and control wheel ; Great manual exposure and RAW support ; 6x optical zoom with IS and decent macro ; Flash hotshoe for Speedlites and wireless ...

No flip-out screen, nor much grip to speak of ; Noise at 400 ISO and above ; Modest AF speed and slow continuous shooting ; A650 IS and EOS 400D compelling alternatives ; No flip-out screen, nor much grip to speak of ; Noise at 400 ISO and above ; ...

Ultimately the PowerShot G9 may not be without its faults, but there's simply few if any alternatives which offer this degree of control and flexibility in a pocketable form factor. There are certainly smaller compacts out there, but none have the G9 ...

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W200 is a 12.1 Megapixel compact with a 3x zoom lens and optical stabilisation. Launched in February 2007 as part of an update across Sony's W-series, it shares the title of highest resolution compact with Panasonic's Lumix FX100

Very high resolution images ; Optical viewfinder ; Manual control over exposure ; Huge range of accessories ; Very high resolution images ; Optical viewfinder ; Manual control over exposure ; Huge range of accessories

Softness and fringing in corners ; Pedestrian 35-105mm lens range ; Screen looks relatively coarse at 115k pixels ; Convoluted menu system and controls ; Softness and fringing in corners ; Pedestrian 35-105mm lens range ; Screen looks relatively ...

The model tested was a final production unit. Following our convention of using default factory and best quality JPEG settings to test camera bodies unless otherwise stated, the W200 was set to 12M mode and 4:3 aspect ratio with Auto White Balance, ...

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX30 is a slim 7.2 Megapixel compact digital camera with a 3.6 zoom sporting wide angle capabilities and optical stabilisation. It's the successor to the FX07 and at the time of writing, the world's slimmest compact with a 28mm ...

28mm wide angle and optical stabilisation ; Very slim body - only 22mm thick ; Excellent build quality with metal body ; Quick and easy access to settings ; 28mm wide angle and optical stabilisation ; Very slim body - only 22mm thick ; Excellent build ...

Visible noise at all ISOs, viewed at 100 ; Little or no manual control ; No control over noise reduction ; No face detection. Coming on FX33 ; Visible noise at all ISOs, viewed at 100 ; Little or no manual control ; No control over noise reduction ; ...

The model tested was a final production unit. Following our convention of using default factory and best quality JPEG settings to test camera bodies unless otherwise stated, the FX30 was set to 7M Fine JPEG mode with Auto White Balance, Multiple ...

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8 is a 7.2 Megapixel super-zoom camera with a 12x stabilised lens. Announced in January 2007, it's the successor to Panasonic's earlier Lumix FZ7

12x optical zoom with OIS ; Decent quality 2.5in screen ; Quick access to settings ; Good manual control and RAW mode ; 12x optical zoom with OIS ; Decent quality 2.5in screen ; Quick access to settings ; Good manual control and RAW mode

Noise becomes a problem above 200 ISO ; Wide angle coverage 'only' 36mm ; No flip-out screen ; May be too small and light for some ; Noise becomes a problem above 200 ISO ; Wide angle coverage 'only' 36mm ; No flip-out screen ; May be too small and ...

It's revealing three-quarters of the cameras we've compared the FZ8 against here all cost around 50% more. The simple fact is there's no real competition for the FZ8 at its price range other than Panasonic's own Lumix TZ3, which as discussed above is ...

It's hard to find cameras to compare the Lumix TZ3 against because it simply represents a unique proposition on the market. After all, while there's plenty of super-zooms with stabilisation, none can squeeze into a trouser or coat pocket like the TZ3.

The Canon PowerShot G7 is undoubtedly a very powerful and capable compact camera. It offers fine control over exposure and focusing and has a quality lens with a useful 6x optical range, along with effective image stabilisation and impressive macro ...

6x zoom with stabilisation and superb macro, Flash hotshoe for external Speedlites, Dedicated ISO dial and control wheel, Great creative control and neat on-screen graphics, 6x zoom with stabilisation and superb macro, Flash hotshoe for external ...

No flip-out screen ; no grip to speak of, Noise above 200 ISO, Loss of features from predecessors, eg RAW, A640 and EOS 400D compelling alternatives

Despite its highly respected heritage though, the G7's announcement still came as a bit of a shock as many presumed the range had been discontinued in favour of budget DSLRs. After all, while there's demand for higher-end compacts with decent creative ...

At Cameralabs we were very fond of the earlier Panasonic Lumix FZ30. Sporting a great quality 12x optical zoom lens with effective stabilisation along with SLR-styling and a decent level of manual control, there really wasn't much to complain about.

Great quality lens with massive 12x range, Optical Image Stabilisation, Flip-out and twistable screen, Great build quality and manual control, Great quality lens with massive 12x range, Optical Image Stabilisation, Flip-out and twistable screen, ...

Noise levels high even at low sensitivities, Smearing from noise reduction

The FZ50 also features an inevitable increase in resolution, from 8 to 10.1 Megapixels - indeed this is the headline new feature. We describe this increase as inevitable, because so much digital camera marketing is sadly based on Megapixels despite ...