Eight High-Quality, Pocket-Size Cameras for Fathers Day

by Nathan Eddy

Canon’s S Series gets a revitalized leader in the slimmer, lighter, 10 megapixel PowerShot S90, which offers a High Sensitivity System and higher ISO speeds, as well as a 28mm wide-angle lens, a 3-inch LCD color display and 25 shooting modes.

This slim digital combines 14.2 effective megapixels with a 10x optical Zoom-Nikkor ED glass lens for prints as large as 20×30 inches. The S8000 can also shoot up to 1.5 hours of HD movies (720p) with sound at 30fps. HDMI output is also available for playback on the TV or computer.

At just under 5/8-inch (15mm) thin, the T90 comes in five colors, has an iAuto mode that recognizes scenes, lighting conditions, faces and automatically adjusts camera settings, and a 3-inch LCD touch screen. The T90 also features HD Movie mode, recording in 720p.

If megapixels, zoom and an affordable price are your most important considerations when purchasing a digital camera, you might check out the Photosmart Mz67, which packs 8

The Lumix ZS3 features 10.1-megapixels, a 25mm ultra-wide-angle lens and 12x optical zoom, as well as a Leica DC Vario-Elmar lens and High Definition (HD) video recording ability, known as AVCHD Lite. There are 26 scene modes for still image and 17 for motion image, including a panorama assist scene mode which allows users to shoot a number of consistent photos, either vertically or horizontally, by aligning them according to a guide that overlaps the screen.

Not only is it waterproof, freezeproof and shockproof, this digital camera is packed with technology such as one-touch HD movie recording, 14 megapixels, 1GB of internal memory and dual-image stabilization. Users can also operate picture playback, shadow adjustment, flash mode and more just by tapping the top, back and sides of the camera.

The 11th-generation Pentax Optio W90 waterproof digital camera is built for rugged adventure, offering enhanced waterproof, shockproof, dust-proof and cold-proof performance, and features an inventive Digital Microscope mode with LED lighting. Designed with the look of mountaineering equipment, the Optio W90 kit includes a woven web fabric strap complete with a carabiner to attach the camera to a backpack.

The 1.5-inch front LCD screen lets users get out from behind the camera and get in the shot, while DIS technology reduces the effects of image blur in lower light conditions. A 3x optical zoom, smart auto feature with scene selection and 12.2-megapixel capability round out this affordable package.