Best Compact Cameras

Canon SD-series digital cameras top others

Even though they are not the thinnest, lightest or most stylish cameras on the market, it is tough to beat the Canon SD Elph series of compact digital cameras. Even when a reviewer downgrades a model for one feature or another, there are relatively few complaints about the image quality itself, which most say is often as good as or better than larger cameras. Additionally, almost every review agrees that the Canon Elph cameras have terrific build quality, sturdy buttons and excellent ergonomics.

Among the latest crop of Canon compact digital cameras, the Canon PowerShot SD990 IS (*Est. $300) earns the most favorable reviews. According to experts, the SD990 IS provides the best blend of image quality and manual features for the price. As PJ Jacobowitz of PCMag.com sums up, the SD990 IS "skips the hoopla in favor of three simple ideas: full manual operations, lightning fast operation, and top-notch image quality."

At nearly an inch thick and a hefty 6.47 ounces, the SD990 IS is admittedly not the most glamorous digital camera. Often, features present a series of trade-offs. For instance, the whopping 14.7-megapixel sensor enhances low-light conditions but can also increase image noise. In addition, the camera's sensor is the same size as its 12-megapixel predecessor, the SD950 IS, so the megapixel boost doesn't necessarily result in improved image quality. The 3.7x zoom lens has optical image stabilization to steady natural hand movement, albeit a short 36 mm to 133 mm range (many compact digital cameras have a 28 mm lens on the lower end for taking coveted wide-angle shots). The LCD packs a vibrant 230,000-pixel display, but at 2.5 inches, it's smaller than most. On the plus side, the SD990 IS digital camera has an energy-saving optical viewfinder, an increasingly rare feature in compact cameras. The downside is that reviewers find that viewfinders on smaller cameras tend to display only about 85 percent of your shot.

What the Canon PowerShot SD990 IS digital camera lacks in style, it makes up for in flexibility and image quality. Overall, critics say its manual modes set it apart from the competition. Independent aperture and shutter priority controls afford full creative mastery, while flash levels and manual focus can be adjusted as needed. This advanced functionality, however, "might scare the bejeezus out of inexperienced photographers," adds Mike Perlman of InfoSyncWorld.com.

For beginners, the DIGIC 4 processor included on the Canon digital camera doles out plenty of automatic features, including face- and motion-detection technology, red-eye and intelligent contrast correction, as well as 12 special scene modes. Image quality from the Canon PowerShot SD990 IS digital camera is top-notch and shooting speeds fly. The SD990 IS nabs "superior" scores in tests at PC World and PCMag.com. Perlman says the Canon digital camera "has the ability to capture magnificent images when the settings are dialed in correctly." Speed also nabs rave reviews. Jacobowitz's tests show the camera starts up and shoots in about 1.8 seconds; the shutter averages 0.3 seconds. "To find faster scores, you'd have to upgrade to a D-SLR," he contends.

Despite the high grades, CNET's Joshua Goldman finds the price-to-feature ratio to be "questionable." A worthy alternative in his view is the new Canon PowerShot SD780 IS (*Est. $225). As the tiniest ELPH digital camera, the Canon SD780 IS has stepped into the limelight with solid reviews. This digital camera is a mere 0.72 inches deep, barely tips the scale at 4.06 ounces and comes in four stylish colors: red, black, silver and gold.

The Canon PowerShot SD780 IS sports smaller hardware to accommodate its petite chassis, which has some drawbacks. For instance, most compact digital cameras have a 3-inch LCD, whereas the SD780's is just 2.5 inches. Likewise, the 4x zoom lens has a rather short 33 mm to 100 mm range. Goldman and other critics lament the "miniscule" optical viewfinder that's barely usable on the Canon SD780 IS digital camera. Small, flush control buttons are also an issue. The buttons "appear to have been designed for people with fingers as wide as toothpicks," laments Tim Barribeau of DigitalCameraInfo.com. He likens changing settings to a crapshoot, "because you're never quite sure which button you end up hitting."

Inside, however, the point-and-shoot Canon PowerShot SD780 IS is loaded with plenty of amenities that rival its larger siblings. In addition to a generous 12.4-megapixel sensor, Canon's DIGIC 4 processor has three shot modes plus automatic features like motion and face detection, blink detection, intelligent contrast and red-eye correction. The camera also includes 18 pre-defined shooting settings so you can match the automatic settings to your situation. The ability to capture HD video is the icing on the cake. An HDMI cable connects to a television for easy photo and video playback from the Canon PowerShot SD780 IS digital camera.

When it comes to video quality, the Canon PowerShot SD780 IS rates well, even though you can't use the optical zoom while shooting video. Barribeau says the HD video is generally sharp with good color, although the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T900 (*Est. $320) edges slightly ahead in that regard. Photo quality from the Canon SD780 IS digital camera also rates well, but noise appears at higher ISO settings, a common malady among cameras of this class. Shooting times are also a little flat. While the 1.5-second power-to-first-shot is respectable, flash recycle time balloons to 5 seconds.

Overall, critics consider the Canon PowerShot SD780 IS a worthy contender. "For its size, it's an impressive camera," says Goldman, who praises its simple operation. "You won't mistake its photo quality for that of a larger, more expensive camera, but it ranks in the top of its class."

Some cameras look nice, but fall short in performance

While the Canon PowerShot SD780 IS makes fashion inroads with its trimmer chassis, splashy colors and reliable shooting performance, experts agree that several svelte Sony cameras -- the Sony Cyber-shot T900 (*Est. $320) and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290 (*Est. $220) -- rule the runway. The Sony digital cameras share a bunch of features including optical image stabilization, plenty of automatic settings, HD video capabilities and fashionable colors. The T900, however, is the "obvious winner for aesthetics," Barribeau contends.

At a depth of just 0.6 inches, Goldman describes the sleek Sony Cyber-shot T900 as "barely there." A stunning 3.5-inch LCD fills most of the digital camera's chassis; with 920,000 pixels, it packs nearly four times the resolution of the LCD screens found on most compact digital cameras. On the other hand, Goldman points out that touch screens aren't for everyone. Fingerprint buildup can be a nuisance, and the touch screen is also marred by a sluggish, inaccurate menu interface, with settings that often mysteriously vanish. It is "an odd combination of very simple and slightly confusing," says Barribeau.

Nevertheless, the Sony Cyber-shot T900 digital camera offers a formidable feature set given its tiny stature. In addition to 12.1 megapixels, the 4x optical zoom lens is equipped with optical image stabilization that works in movie mode -- a rarity among compacts. The zoom doesn't extend, which is another way the Sony camera achieves its slender profile. The trade-off, as Barribeau discovered, is that the lens suffers from distortion, chromatic aberration and a limited aperture range.

Automatic features on the Sony Cyber-shot T900 camera include face detection with the option of placing a higher priority on adults or children, as well as smile detection. Intelligent scene recognition analyzes an image and automatically reshoots a photo if it thinks a different scene mode than the one selected by the user would produce better results. In addition there's exposure bracketing (three successive shots at different exposure levels) and an automatic macro for extreme close-ups. The combination of automatic features and smaller lens produces mixed shooting performance, although Barribeau places it slightly ahead of the Casio Exilim EX-FC100 (*Est. $290) compact digital camera. Goldman finds exposure to be very good, although graininess and noise appear above 400 ISO. Overall, the T900 rates well for color accuracy.

While not as svelte T-series cameras, Sony's W-series digital cameras are lookers in their own right and somewhat better performers. Among these cameras, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290 nabs the best recommendations. With nearly an identical feature set to the T900, Goldman considers the W290 a "compelling package."

The biggest departure from the Sony T900 lies in body size and the LCD display; the W290 digital camera is about a third of an inch thicker than the T900 -- "roughly the size of a deck of cards" -- as Goldman puts it. Whereas the T900 has a 3.5-inch, 920,000-pixel LCD display with touch-screen controls, the W290 has a 3-inch, 230,400-pixel resolution, non-touch display. The Sony W290 digital camera comes in four colors: black, blue, bronze and silver.

The standard controls that flank the back of the W290 receive lukewarm reviews. Goldman says the W290 camera's extra size makes for less cramped buttons and more accurate handling, but the textured body tends to capture finger grease and dirt. Brady, on the other hand, finds the controls fussy enough to require "deliberate and focused" attention.

Otherwise, the 12.1-megapixel W290 digital camera packs plenty of automatic features and can capture HD video. This cheaper camera also benefits from a longer 5x optical zoom (the lens extends out from the body) with a respectable 28 mm wide angle. However, unlike the T900, the zoom does not work in video mode. Image quality far surpasses Goldman's expectations, and he finds performance comparable to the pricier T900.

Everyone agrees that the Sony digital cameras are beautifully styled and easy to use. Overall, the choice comes down to a matter of what's most important to you -- style or performance. As Goldman says, with these models, you're paying for design versus photos, and if you want the extra style of the T900, you'll have to pay a bit more.