back to article 2009's Top Mid-Range Compact Cameras

Time was when the all compact cameras were much of a muchness, all designed for consumers seeking point-and-click simplicity, but with various degrees of manual control thrown in for enthusiasts. Nowadays, the compact market is segmented, with kit costing £150 or less for the holiday snapper, and the likes of the Canon Powershot …

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  1. Steve 154

    Fuji

    The new Fujifilm FinePix F70EXR wipes the floor with all of them...

    1. Dapprman

      A rather sweeping statement

      Personally I'll wait to see what dpreview says over the F70EXR. There's not enough personal reviews there yet to use as a guide, but so far there are mixed reports - only one bad and that could be a duff unit. However none match the praise the Panasonic TZ7/ZS3 always seems to get, and that's from a model close to a year old.

  2. wub
    Thumb Up

    Durability

    I can't comment on Fuji or Canon offerings, but my Lumix ZS3 (North American TZ7) is incredibly solid.

    On vacation, a kind gentleman offered to take a pic of self and spouse, so I handed him the camera. Important safety tip: force good Samaritans to use the strap. He took a decent photo, then dropped the camera approx 5 feet onto solid asphalt. The impact was mostly absorbed by the still-extended lens.

    Initially, I was unable to get the lens to retract - the motor would grind, then an error code appeared on the screen. Being on vacation, I felt I had no option for proper repairs, so I applied gentle pressure to realign the lens until it would close. Two o-rings were partially extruded between lens sections, and I was afraid they would bind up in the mechanism, so I pulled them out. Surprisingly, the camera functions completely normally today. The LCD suffered no damage at all. Except for some minor warpage in the lens barrel and a small scuff mark on the top front of the body, there are no visible signs of the fall.

    Amazing. I love this camera. One positive consequence is that I carry it with me essentially all the time now, so I rarely miss a photo opportunity.

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