Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ2

Panasonic’s 5-megapixel DMC-LZ2 – and its ‘sister’ the 4-megapixel LZ-1 (RRP $549) – are unusual in combining a moderately long zoom lens with a compact, point-and-shoot style body. The lens takes roughly two seconds to extend when the camera is switched on and packs away when it’s turned off. The Mega O.I.S. stabilisation has two modes – continuous and standby – and can be switched off to conserve power when the camera is tripod-mounted.

Olympus Mju 810

8.5 Rating

A well-built digicam that combines good point-and-shoot performance with an affordable price.A minor upgrade to the Mju 800, the Olympus Mju 810 is $100 cheaper, slightly smaller and lighter. The lens doesn’t focus quite as close but more resolution options are provided for still and video recording. The control layout has been redesigned and the shutter and on/off buttons are now smaller and rectangular. But buttons remain small and too much toggling is needed to access menu settings.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX8

Panasonic’s new DMC-FX8 Lumix camera is an upgrade to the FX7 model released a year ago. It has the same 3x optical/4x digital zoom lens, 2.5-inch LCD monitor and 5-megapixel CCD sensor and also features Panasonic’s Mega O.I.S image stabilisation system. Body dimensions and weight are also unchanged, although some minor cosmetic adjustments have been made to styling.

Olympus mju 410

Test shots were rather contrasty with above-average saturation and blocked out highlights in brightly-lit conditions. Low-light shots contained a scattering of stuck pixels but were otherwise relatively noise free. These shots had a more usable dynamic range than shots taken in bright sunlight. The white balance control was an above-average performer, particularly with the manual pre-sets. Average shutter lag was 0.85 seconds.

Nikon Coolpix S2

Essentially identical to the Coolpix S1 model, which was released mid-year, the slightly heavier, 5.1-megapixel Coolpix S2 features a splashproof aluminium alloy body that allows it to be used in challenging weather conditions – but is not actually waterproof. The camera should never be immersed in water, although a scattering of raindrops should do no harm and can be easily wiped off.