Need Help Choosing A New Compact Camera.

[Smg-UK]

Me and my Fiancee are looking to buy a Compact camera we can share and take on holiday, We have a Pentax Optio W60 for taking photos in the sea etc but would like something with better image quality and features for our main camera.

Have been looking for a camera that would prefably be either a Sony / Nikon / Panasonic.

The features were looking for are.

* Easy to use and have a Intelligent Auto mode.

* Well built, prefably metal body not plastic.

* Good picture quality.

* Panoramic Mode.

* At least 4x Optical Zoom

* Must Take SD/SDHC Cards.

* Image stabiliser.

* A sports mode for fast moving animals etc.

* Macro mode

* And as slim as possible.

Looking to spend around £150 although cheaper the better but could stretch to £200 possibly.

A long list of want's lol so i realise might not get a camera that suits everything unless had a bigger budget but some general ideas would be helpfull :).

Thanks in Advance.

[Paul Nuttall]

Hi Smg-UK,

I've had a look through our testing records and a surf around the net for current prices, and you're right - it is difficult to pick a camera which meets all of your requirements!

The one camera that ticks all but one of your requirements is the Sony WX1 -

http://www.sony.co.uk/product/dsc-w-series/dsc-wx1#pageType=ProductBenefits

The camera features an intelligent auto mode, is very well built and offers 5x optical zoom, complete with image stabilisation and a 24mm wide angle.

The WX1 also feature a few of Sony's smart new imaging technologies; Sweep Panorama allow panorama capture in one simple movement of the camera, while handheld twilight and anti-motion blur shooting modes capture six images in one shot and blend them for sharp images in difficult conditions.

It's a pretty slim camera as well, at just 19.8mm thick. The only downfall being that it only take Sony's Memory Stick Duo / Memory Stick Pro Duo memory cards (ie. no SD / SDHC). It's also to the top end of your budget at around £200, but well worth considering for the amount of your requirements it meets.

Let me know how you get on.

[Paul Nuttall]

Also, check out our review here...

http://www.whatdigitalcamera.com/equipment/reviews/compactcameras/128173/1/sony-cybershot-wx1-review.html