Camerafamily’s Weblog

 The PowerShot SX100 IS is the first model in Canon’s new SX series of budget super zoom compact cameras, and in the Powershot line-up slots in somewhere between the tried and tested A-Series and the more upmarket S5 IS. Canon’s engineers combined the materials and build quality of the former with the long lens, some features and design of the latter to merge them into a brand new camera that goes head to head with Panasonic’s popular TZ series (and the new Sony H3). The SX100 IS comes with a 8.0MP sensor, a 10x zoom, optical image stabilization and a comprehensive range of manual photographic controls, all nicely wrapped up in a compact silver or black plastic body. Canon says the SX series offers exceptional performance in the hands of any member of the family, so let’s find out how it performed in our capable hands, starting, as ever, with the headline features

Editorial Reviews
From the Manufacturer

PowerShot SX100IS will inspire you with its with phenomenal 10x optical zoom… and so much more. There’s the 8.0-megapixel CCD and Optical Image Stabilizer for shake-free shooting. Plus, the DIGIC III Image Processor with advanced Face Detection, Face Selector Button, and red-eye correction assure superb results every time. Auto ISO Shift and ISO 1600 make low-light shooting easy. The large Mode Dial lets you select Scene Modes or full manual control effortlessly. [...]

Announced just six months after the launch of the P5000, the Nikon P5100 is a gentle re-working of the existing model with a slightly larger, more pixel-dense sensor and hardware-based face-detection. Beyond that, the changes are predominantly cosmetic alterations to the existing model. The camera is Nikon’s flagship compact camera, with the ‘P’ denoting ‘performance.’ Although it may not visually leap out from a line-up of contemporary compacts, its magnesium alloy body and manual exposure controls belie the unassuming appearance. It aims to offer a greater degree of manual control than the majority of compact cameras and has a strong feature set to help it stand apart. We were actually very impressed with the P5000’s image quality and feature set, and only really complained about the sluggish performance. So has Nikon fixed the P5000’s Achilles’ heel in this update? Lets find out!

Differences compared with P5000

Unlike the names applied to image processors by many of Nikon’s rivals, Expeed doesn’t specifically refer to any particular technology or set of features. Rather, it is a “digital image-processing concept,” so shouldn’t be taken to imply any kinship to the D3 and D300 DSLR models that share the name, beyond the the use of similar Nikon algorithms and know how.

Key features

Nikon Coolpix P5100 specifications

The DMC-TZ3 has been given a more luxurious touch with its stylish design and metallic, stainless steel exterior. The DMC-TZ3 features a 28mm wide-angle 10x optical zoom Leica DC lens (equivalent to a 28mm-280mm zoom on a 35mm film camera) in an ultra-compact body. With the high-power 10x optical zoom, you can get clear and beautiful shots even when you can’t get close to your subject. The 28mm wide-angle lens lets you easily capture large groups of people indoor or expansive architectural structures and scenes. The 10x optical zoom lets you easily capture and magnify distant subjects. 3.0-inch Polycrystalline TFT LCD (230 K Pixels) Field of View – 100% Power LCD Mode, High Angle Mode ISO Sensitivity – Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800 and 1250 (High Sensitivity Mode – 3200) Li-ion Battery Life (3.7 V, 1,000 mAh) – 270 pictures Shutter Speed – 8 – 1/2000 seconds Starry Sky Mode – 15, 30 & 60 seconds Wide Aperture – F3.3 / F8.0 (2 steps) Tele Aperture – F4.9 / F11 (2 steps) Self-Timer – 2 & 10 seconds Scene Mode – Portrait, Soft Skin, Scenery, Sports, Night Portrait, Night Scenery, Self-portrait, Food, Party, Candle, Fireworks, Starry Sky, Beach, Aerial Photo, Snow, High Sensitivity, Baby1, Baby2, Underwater, Sunset and Pet Dimensions – Width 4.20 x Height 2.37 x Depth 1.47 inch (105.0 x 59.2 x 36.7 mm) Weight – 257 grams with Battery and SD Memory Card (0.57 pounds)

TZ3 (and TZ2) vs TZ1: Key changes

As is the case with most of Panasonic’s Lumix models the TZ1 is available in either silver or black (though this may not be the case for every country and / or every retailer).

DMC-TZ3 specifications