My wife and I are in the market for an ultra-compact digital camera. Actually, she’d probably tell you I’m in the market for one. That’s usually how any of our tech purchases go. 
Even if she won’t admit it, we’re looking to buy a camera that allows for the greatest portability, but also takes crisp pictures. Here’s a list of what we’d like to see in the perfect ultra-compact camera:
- Durable construction, intuitive design
- 4 or 5 megapixels
- Non-proprietary memory, larger standard memory capacity
- 2″ or larger LCD, that is still easily viewable outside in bright light
- Lasting battery life
- Reasonable price (including accessories)
- Includes the kitchen sink
Unfortunately, no one camera appears to meet all of the above requirements. I’ve been doing quite a bit of research on the ultra-compact line of cameras, and here are some of the cameras I’ve come across that seem to have received favorable reviews, and meet most of the requirements (in order from best to worst):
- Canon Powershot SD400 or SD500
- Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W5 or DSC-W1 (what’s the difference?)
- Casio Exilim EX-Z50
- Nikon Coolpix S1
- Pentax Optio S5i
I’m leaning heavily towards the Canon because the majority of reviews mention the high image quality and accurate colors of pictures taken with a Canon camera. The one flaw with the Canon SD400 that causes me to even consider another camera is the plastic door that is used to cover the battery/memory slots. Everything else about the camera appears to be built well, except for this one crucial piece. That puzzles me.
Because of this one particular design flaw, I’m also strongly considering the Sony cameras. Sony also has put together very nice ultra-compact digital cameras, but the problem with choosing Sony is that you have to purchase their proprietary memory format. These memory sticks are not inexpensive, which is a huge minus, along with the fact that we already own a camera that uses SD memory, and would prefer to purchase another camera using the same format.
The camera will be purchased in the coming weeks, but please sound off with any suggestions or comments to help us choose the best camera for our needs! (All 4 of my readers…)
June 6th, 2005 at 9:41 am
Hey! Back from the honeymoon, I see.
I hope you two had a wonderful time, and took plenty of pictures (which I’m sure will be on your gallery soon enough)! 
As for the sites you listed, it’s funny because those are the three main sites that I was consulting (I should have mentioned that above). I also used Digital Camera HQ to check out user’s opinions of the cameras. Though the reviewers do a great job of laying out the pros and cons of each camera, I’m also very interested in consumer opinion, especially amateurs, since that’s what I am and they’ll likely have run into the same or similar problems that I would encounter.
I’m leaning heavily towards the Canon SD-500 now, but with that price tag, my next search is going to be for a great deal.
June 6th, 2005 at 12:57 am
My suggestion is to check out:
www.steves-digicams.com
www.dpreview.com
www.dcresource.com
They’ll tell you more than you could ever want to know.