Fixed Lens

A compact, lightweight digicams with an advanced set of functions, touch screen control and above-average performance.The 10.1-megapixel Lumix DMC-FX520 is Panasonic’s first digital camera with a 3-inch touch-screen LCD and a very compact camera for its advanced range of functions. While the touch screen may excite some buyers, photographers are more likely to be attracted by the P, A, S and M shooting modes and the wide-angle Leica DC lens, which supports 5x optical zoom and covers a focal length range of 25mm to 125mm (35mm equivalent).

An advanced digicam with a fast, 18x zoom lens plus support for raw file capture and AVCHD Lite HD video recording capability.Panasonic’s new DMC-FZ35 Lumix camera replaces the popular FZ28 at the top of the super-zoom line-up and offers P, A, S and M shooting modes to please photo enthusiasts, along with AVCHD Lite HD video recording. This ‘First Look’ is based upon a pre-production unit supplied by Panasonic Australia; it will be updated with Imatest results and sample images once a production unit has been supplied.

A compact, rangefinder-style digicam with a fast, wide-zoom lens and support for raw file capture.Successor to the popular DMC-LX2 model, the Panasonic DMC-LX3 represents a significant upgrade to its predecessor. Panasonic claims to have improved ‘every component’ to deliver a camera that will appeal to DSLR photographers who want a capable compact camera with all the necessary features and functions as a complement to their main camera.

A compact digicam with the longest optical zoom range currently available plus a special Bird Watching mode.Twenty-six times optical zoom is a big ask for a compact, small-sensor digicam, even with optical image stabilisation built-in. Yet that’s what Olympus is offering in its 12-megapixel SP590 UZ model. Equipped with P, A, S and M shooting modes, the SP590 UZ is designed to appeal to photographers who want an extended zoom range without the hassle of carrying extra lenses. Many compromises have been made to achieve these objectives.

A slim, high-resolution digicam with an advanced suite of manual controls.The S710 is the flagship model in Nikon’s S (for Stylish) range of Coolpix cameras. Featuring a 14.5-megapixel CCD sensor and 3.6x optical zoom lens with VR lens-shift stabilisation, it provides a useful range of user-adjustable controls in a compact, solidly-built body. Image processing is based on Nikon’s EXPEED chip, which promises fast response times and adds some potentially useful automated functions.

A stylish 18x zoom digicam with a 10-megapixel sensor and P, A, S and M shooting modes.Nikon’s Coolpix P80 combines a 10-megapixel sensor with an 18x ‘superzoom’ lens that offers wide-angle shooting at the equivalent of 27mm in 35mm format. The overall zoom range (which extends to the equivalent of 486mm) provides a useful span of focal lengths with relatively wide maximum apertures. The camera body is compact and well designed with a comfortable rubber-coated grip and thumb rest. Weighing just over 390 grams with battery and card, it provides a useful suite of manual controls.

A smart-looking digicam with a 36x zoom Nikkor lens, 12.1-megapixel, back-illuminated CMOS sensor and Full HD video recording. Nikon’s 12-megapixel Coolpix P500, which was announced in early February, is the higher-featured model of two that replace the Coolpix P100, which has been on sale for roughly a year. Featuring a back-illuminated CMOS sensor, it boasts a 36x zoom Nikkor lens, the longest so far in a Coolpix camera. It spans focal lengths from the equivalent of 22.5mm at the wide position to 810mm at full tele zoom.

A compact, travellers’ digicam with built-in GPS, raw file support, some useful shooting modes and Full HD video recording.Fujifilm’s FinePix F550 EXR steps into the competitive ‘travellers’ zoom’ sector of the digicam market, providing a few advantages over its main rivals. For photo enthusiasts, its most critical benefits are P, A, S and M shooting modes plus support for raw file capture. Add in a 15x zoom lens plus support for Full HD movie recording and you have a feature-rich, all-in-one imaging device with a very competitive price tag.