More Ultra-compact Digital Camera Options

by Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger

07 Jan 2008 12:15 PM

Regular readers of this blog know I am not a huge fan of ultra-compact digital cameras. It's not because they lack the ability to capture frameworthy photos. The reason I don't own one is because ultra-compacts simply don't fit my shooting needs. Conversely, my swinging single brother who is not a snap happy parent like myself swears by his ultra-compact camera and never leaves home without it. (And why should he considering the camera is practically as small as his wad of credit cards.)

I've reviewed ultra-compacts in previous blogs, but I recently had a chance to experiment with a few more at various holiday parties and found two that really impressed me. The first was the Olympus Stylus 750.

Not only is this camera light as air (it weighs just 4 ounces), but it is also one of those cameras that rail-thin models can pull out of their super skinny jeans with no problem. The camera is four inches long, but Olympus has found a way to squeeze a 7.1 megapixel sensor and a 5x zoom into its body.

Some of the features on the Olympus that had me oohing and ahhing included its weather-resistant body and the built-in digital image stabilization mechanism. But, by far, the feature that impressed me the most was the camera's "GUIDE" feature. It's like having an instruction manual at your fingertips... actually the camera's directions are right there on the 2.5-inch LCD. All you need to do is turn the control dial to "GUIDE," and the camera posts the answers to the most frequently asked questions such as "How to shoot a backlit picture." The camera answers by adjusting the shot for you.

The cons are pretty obvious. The lens is too short and the shutter lag is too long to snap a shot of Madonna in concert if you aren't on stage with her. And like many ultra-compacts, this Olympus has no optical viewfinder -- you have to use the screen to frame your shots. Oh, and the buttons are so tiny you might consider bringing a ballpoint pen along to help if you have large hands. Finally, while the buttons may be small, the price isn't. The camera retails for about $300-$350.

Related Articles:

Choosing The Perfect Ultra Compact Camera

The Pros and Cons of Ultracompact Cameras

Picking The Perfect Camera

Learn more about Michele Cheplic

Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism.

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