For a long time, if you wanted a "big zoom" camera, you had to buy a bulky ultra zoom model. Things have started to change though, with ultra-compact, high zoom cameras from Canon, Casio, Pentax, and Sharp now available.

Very good photo quality (though see issues below) ; 7X zoom in a compact body -- wow ; CCD-shift image stabilization (though see issue below) ; Good build quality for the price ; memory card slot on the side ; High res 2.5" LCD display ; Snappy ...

A little too much noise reduction applied, especially at ISO 200 and above ; occasional blown highlights ; ISO locked at Auto in shutter priority mode ; only three aperture choices available at any time in A/M modes ; Weak flash ; Mechanical image ...

photos at the highest image quality setting (why do they even bother?). With that in mind, you'll want to buy a larger memory card, and fast. The camera supports SD, SDHC, MMC, and MMCplus memory cards, and I'd suggest starting with a 1GB card. While ...

The Casio Exilim EX-P505 ($499) isn't just another digital camera. Rather, it's Casio's attempt at making a convergence device, putting a camera and camcorder into one compact device. On the camera side there's a 5 Megapixel CCD, 5X optical zoom lens, ...

Nice combination of still + video recording features ; 5X zoom in a compact body ; Flip-out, rotating 2" LCD display ; Robust performance ; Full manual controls ; Excellent movie mode ; stereo sound, optical zoom can be used, numerous ways to record ; ...

Overpriced ; Cheap plastic body ; Images are too noisy/grainy ; some corner/edge softness ; Redeye a problem ; LCD doesn't "gain up" in low light ; Poor low light focusing / no AF-assist lamp ; Can't swap memory cards while camera is on a tripod ; ...

My usual complaints about proprietary batteries like the one used by the EX-P505 apply here. They're expensive ($45 a pop), and you can't put in a set of alkalines to get you through the rest of the day like you could with an AA-based camera

The Kodak EasyShare Z1085 IS ($249) is a fairly compact camera with a 10 Megapixel CCD, 5X optical zoom lens with image stabilization, 2.5" LCD display, and a high definition movie mode. And, like all Kodak cameras, it's very easy to use.

Photo quality is good enough for the 4 x 6 crowd ; Good value for the money ; 5X zoom in a relatively compact body ; Optical image stabilization ; Some manual controls ; Smart Capture mode works as advertised ; Easy to use, with help screens for menu ...

Noise reduction smudges fine details, mottles the sky, and gives images an overall soft look ; Redeye a big problem ; countermeasures did not work in my tests ; Vignetting was an issue, though it may be specific to my camera ; Poor low light focusing ...

As is the case with most cameras these days, the EasyShare Z1085 has built-in memory in lieu of a bundled memory card. The Z1085 has 32MB of built-in memory (of which only 21MB can be used for photo storage), which holds just five photos at the ...

The Fuji FinePix S100fs ($799) is one of the more unique fixed-lens cameras on the market today. It features a larger-than-normal (2/3"), 11.1 Megapixel SuperCCD HR sensor, which (at least in theory) should give it better low light and high ISO ...

Very good photo quality ; outperforms other super zooms at high ISOs by at least a full stop (though see issues below) ; Whopping 14.3X, 28 - 400 mm zoom lens ; Optical image stabilization ; SLR-like body has excellent build quality ; easy to hold ; ...

Lots of purple fringing ; SuperCCD tends to smudge fine details a bit ; Expensive for a fixed-lens camera ; Below average battery life ; Awkward manual focus system ; Full shutter speed range not available in shutter priority mode ; Very slow RAW ...

As is the case with many cameras these days, the FinePix S100fs had built-in memory, instead of a bundled memory card. The camera has 25MB of memory, which isn't a whole lot, considering its resolution (it holds just one RAW or five JPEGs). Thus, you ...

At first glance, the Olympus Stylus 1030SW ($399) looks like just another ultra-compact camera, albeit a very well constructed one. As it turns out, the 1030SW is anything but ordinary -- it's "everything-proof". That means waterproof (to 10 m), ...

Good exposure and color ; Ultra-rugged, "everything-proof" body ; Wide-angle, 28 - 102 mm lens ; Snappy performance ; Large, sharp 2.7" LCD display with good low light visibility ; Tons of scene modes ; Handy Shadow Adjustment and Perfect Shot Preview ...

Soft images with heavy noise reduction and substantial blurring around the edges of the frame ; Redeye a problem (but at least you can remove it later) ; Lens is on the "slow" side ; No manual controls ; Poor white balance performance in the studio ...

The Stylus 1030SW is known as the (mju) 1030SW in some countries

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W130 is a compact, 8.1 Megapixel camera. It features a 4X optical zoom lens, optical image stabilization, 2.5" LCD display, face and smile detection, a VGA movie mode, and more. The W130 is one of five models in Sony's W-series ...

Very good photo quality ; ISO 800 still usable ; 4X optical zoom lens with nice 32 - 128 mm zoom range ; Optical image stabilization ; Compact metal body comes in your choice of silver, black, or pink ; Good outdoor and low light visibility on the 2.5 ...

Noise reduction smudges fine details, even at ISO 100 (though it's not too bad) ; Redeye a big problem (but at least you can fix it) ; Low resolution LCD ; Weak flash ; Clunky user interface (I'm talking to you, Home menu) ; No manual controls ; 10 ...

. Secondly, if the BG1 or FG1 runs out of juice, you can't use an off-the-shelf battery like you could on a camera that uses AA batteries. This is one of the trade-offs that comes with owning a compact camera

At first glance, you may take a look at the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX35 ($350) and say, "oh good, another ultra-compact camera". And, in many respects, that's just what it is. What sets the FX35 apart from almost everything else is its super wide-angle ...

Good photo quality, less noise reduction than previous models (though see issues below) ; Super wide 25 - 100 mm lens ; Optical image stabilization ; Ultra-compact metal body ; comes in three colors ; Sharp 2.5" LCD with excellent outdoor and low ...

Images on the noisy side, especially in shadow areas ; still some NR artifacting ; Slightly soft photos ; corner blurriness can be an issue ; Lens is lacking in the telephoto department ; More manual controls would be nice ; No optical viewfinder ; ...

I included three different focal ranges in the example above, each representing common focal lengths on ultra-compact cameras. Most cameras in this class start at 35 mm or greater, though many have started to get closer to 28 mm. The FX35, along with ...

The Ricoh R8 ($399) is a stylish, midsize camera offering a 10 Megapixel CCD, impressive 28 - 200 mm zoom lens, image stabilization, and a super high resolution 2.7" LCD display. Other features include face detection, "skew correction", a 1:1 aspect ...

Good photo quality for smaller-sized prints ; Great 28 - 200 mm zoom range ; minimum barrel distortion ; Sensor-shift image stabilization ; Stylish, well built metal body ; Stunning, ultra high resolution LCD display ; Some manual controls ; Decent ...

Overprocessed images with noise, noise reduction / sharpening artifacts ; banding at higher ISOs ; Redeye a problem ; White balance struggles under unusual lighting conditions ; Low light focusing could be better ; Lens is slow at the wide-angle end ; ...

Like many of the cameras on the above list, the Ricoh R8 uses a proprietary battery. Those tend to be expensive (a spare is $40), and when they die, you can't use an "off-the-shelf" battery to get you through the day

Ahh, Ricoh, you've been missed. I haven't reviewed a Ricoh camera on this website since the year 2001. The good news is that I'll now be able to review their cameras as often I do those from other manufacturers.

Very good photo quality (though see issues below) ; Fast, 28 mm wide-angle lens ; Slim, very well constructed body ; good control layout ; 2.7" LCD display with good viewing angle and sharpness (though see issue below) ; Tons of manual controls ; ...

Very expensive ; Images on the soft side ; A bit too much noise reduction applied, especially at ISO 400 and above ; Focusing is sluggish at times, especially in dim light ; LCD nearly impossible to see in low light ; Poorly placed flash is easy to ...

As is the case with most cameras these days, Ricoh has built memory into the GR II, instead of bundling a memory card. The camera has 54MB of onboard memory, which is more than you'll get on most cameras, but I still strongly recommend buying a larger ...

The Nikon Coolpix S51 ($229) is an ultra-compact camera with a 3X optical zoom lens, image stabilization, large 3-inch LCD display, an easy-to-use interface, and more. Its sibling, the S51c, adds built-in wireless connectivity for $50 more.

Good photo quality ; better-than-average at ISO 400 and 800 ; Good value for the money ; Compact metal body ; Optical image stabilization ; Huge, fairly sharp 3-inch LCD display ; Plenty of scene modes to choose from ; Handy D-Lighting and Best Shot ...

Photos tend to be soft, with too much noise reduction ; Redeye a problem, despite countermeasures ; Poor battery life ; Very slow focusing speeds at telephoto end of lens, or in low light ; Sluggish in many other areas: user interface, continuous ...

). Also, you can't use off-the-shelf batteries in emergencies, as you could on a camera that uses AAs. That said, you won't find any ultra-slim cameras that use AAs