Reviews

Sony’s new DSC-T7 model is even smaller than the earlier T-series models and will suit users with delicate fingers, especially left-handers due to the location of most key controls. All buttons are small and some lie almost flush with the camera body. The tiny zoom rocker sticks up just enough to be usable (though not with real precision) but the memory card hatch will challenge the less than dexterous.

Available in blue, gold or white Sony’s DSC-T33 Cyber-shot is an update to the T3 model and is slightly larger, but lighter than its predecessor. The front panel of the brushed aluminium shell is flat, with no grips or protrusions. The lens sits in the top right corner, where it may be obscured by the fingers of the left hand when the camera is in use.

An attractive, well-built slimline camera with built in album functions, excellent video capabilities and a large touch screen.A higher-resolution (10-megapixel) upgrade to the DSC-N1 model, Sony’s new Cyber-shot DSC-N2 boasts a slightly larger sensor than its predecessor but retains the same retracting Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar 3x optical zoom lens and 3-inch LCD display. The touch-sensitive screen is used for adjusting most controls and icons are large enough to be easily read. Like the N1 model, the new camera is designed both for picture taking and as a picture album and supports the same display functions.

Good imaging performance from a smart, ultra-slim digicam that will suit anyone who wants an easily pocketable camera.Sony’s new Cyber-shot DSC-T10 offers many of the same features as the DSC-T30, including a 7.2-megapixel CCD sensor and Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar 3x optical zoom lens, which remains within the camera body throughout the zoom range. It also boasts ‘Double Anti-Blur’ technology, which combines Super SteadyShot Optical Image Stabilisation and High ISO Sensitivity (up to ISO 1000 selectable) to counteract subject motion and camera shake.

An elegant-looking multimedia digicam that’s slim enough to fit in a jacket pocket or purse.Like the i85 model we reviewed recently, Samsung’s 7.2-megapixel i7 model is more than just a camera. It combines a point-and-shoot digicam with an MP3 player and Portable Multimedia Player (PMP) and throws in a built-in World Tour Guide as well. Although its multimedia capabilities are essentially the same as the i85, the i7 has a novel user interface that switches between modes by changing the angle of the LCD screen.

Visibly larger and thicker than its more expensive ‘cousin’ the Pentax Optio S55 has more user-adjustable settings than the S5z and is, therefore, more likely to appeal to keen photographers. With the same sensor, lens and LCD monitor as the S5z but a top-mounted mode dial with seven still photo settings plus movie and voice recording modes.

Boasting JIS Class-7 waterproofing, the Pentax Optio 33WR is a good choice for bushwalkers, boating enthusiasts and anybody who enjoys outdoor activities. Small and solidly built, with rubberised corners for impact protection, the Optio 33WR is designed mainly for point-and-shoot photography but offers plenty of adjustments, which are quick to access thanks to a well-designed control system. The 2.8x zoom range is covered by moving lens elements within the camera body. Pressing the mode switch on the four-way controller opens a ‘virtual mode dial’ containing 11 shooting modes.

A 12x optical zoom in a slimline digicam body with ‘intelligent’ auto controls and the ability to shoot HD-quality video.Panasonic has long been a leader in the ultra-zoom category, largely because it has produced cameras that are genuinely pocketable but are also easy to use, feature-rich and offer good performance. Unfortunately, it’s taken almost six months since we first experienced the Lumix DMC-TZ7 at Panasonic’s Asian Region launch in Singapore for a review camera to become available. That’s a pity because this camera has a lot to interest potential buyers.