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“The Exilim EX-V8 is a compact camera made mostly of metal. It’s not the thinnest camera out there, but it packs a lot more zoom than the competition. The camera’s build quality is very good, with the important controls in the right places (though the zoom controller is a bit unconventional). I’m not a fan of the sliding lens cover (which doubles as the power switch), which makes it too easily to accidentally turn the camera on (like when you’re putting it in a pocket or case). The V8 packs a whopping 7X zoom lens into a body that would normally house a 3X lens. The lens isn’t terribly fast (F3.4 - F5.3), which is one of the tradeoffs that comes from having a 38 - 266 mm lens in a 1” thick body. The V8 also has sensor-shift image stabilization, which lets you take photos at slower shutter speeds than you could otherwise. Do note that you cannot use mechanical IS in movie mode. On the back of the camera is a sharp 2.5” LCD with good (but not great) outdoor and low light visibility. The EX-V8 lacks an optical viewfinder.”

The PowerShot A720 IS was a pretty snappy performer, overall. The camera takes about 1.1 seconds to extend its big lens, which is above average. Focusing speeds were good, typically around 0.2 - 0.4 seconds, and rarely exceeding one second. Low light focusing was excellent, thanks to the camera’s AF-assist lamp. Shot-to-shot speeds were minimal, except when you’re using the flash, where they were around 3 to 4 seconds. While the PowerShot A720 won’t break any speed records for its continuous shooting mode, I do like the fact that you can keep shooting until your high speed memory card fills up. The camera’s battery life is more than 20% above average, and that’s on just two AA batteries. Like all Canon cameras, the A720 IS supports the USB 2.0 High Speed standard.

Panasonic has created a really nice ultra zoom camera in the FZ18, though once again, image quality needs improvement. It’s clear from shooting in RAW mode that the camera is capable of capturing a lot of detail, but unfortunately the Venus III engine removes a lot of it in the name of noise reduction. If you’re a typical point-and-shoot user who will be sticking to smaller-sized prints, then this really isn’t an issue, and you’ll be very satisfied with the FZ18. If you’re making large prints, viewing them at 100% on your computer screen, or shooting at high ISOs, then you can still love the camera, but be prepared to post-process to get the best results. While it’s not the ultra zoom image quality champion, the FZ18 has so much to offer that it easily earns my recommendation.

As long-time readers of this site may know, I’ve been a fan of Canon’s Digital ELPH series of cameras since their inception back in the year 2000. This latest model—the PowerShot SD1000—is a stylish, easy-to-use, and responsive ultra-compact camera that takes good quality photos. While not perfect (but what is?), the SD1000 easily earns my recommendation.

All things considered, the Pentax K10D is an excellent midrange digital SLR. It offers a solid, well-designed body, rocket-fast performance, and superb photo quality if you get away from the default settings. It may not be a great choice for those used to live-view and scene modes, but if you’re ready to dive into more serious photography, the K10D is a great choice. It earns my highest recommendation.

Despite having the dust cleaning system run at startup, the E-410 is still able to fire off its first shot in just over one second. Yes, some of the competition is faster, but most of them don’t have dust removal. Autofocus speeds will vary depending on what lens you have attached to the camera. Using the new 14 - 42 mm lens I found that the camera typically focused in less than 0.3 seconds, even if it had to use the flash as an AF-assist lamp. While I can’t quantify it, it sure feels like the E-410 focuses faster than the E-330 or E-500. Too bad there’s only three focus points, though.