Quick Picks continued If a long zoom is a priority: 4 Canon (6 MP) $290
5 Olympus (7 MP) $240
7 Fujifilm
22
Panasonic 9 Panasonic (7 MP) $350
All have an image sta bilizer. The Canon
has a l2x opti cal zoom, exce llent next-
shot delay, manual contro ls, and man ual
focus, and it can zoom while recording
video, but i t is fa
irly
heavy. (Also avail-
able: t he 8-me gapixel 55 IS, $50 0, wit h
face dete ctio n, 2.5-inch LCD, and com-
patib
ility
with 5DHC memory cards .)T he
9 Panasonic
24 Canon Olympus has a lO x optical zoom, excel-
lent next-s hot delay, man ual cont rols,
and manual fo cus, but only fair s
hutter
lag, and it is fairl y heavy. (Also available:
the 8-m egapixel SP-560 UZ,
$500,
with
an l8 x opti cal zoom with wide-angle
capability, and face detection.) The Pana-
sonic has a l OX optica l zoom wit h wide-
10 Canon
26 Samsung angle capabili ty and very good n ext-shot
Brand
&
model
11-
Specifications
delay but o nly fair sh utter la g.
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lowing brands of digital cameras bought
"" between
2004
and
2007
that have been
repaired or had a serious problem. Differ-
20
encesof less than 3 poin tsare not meaning -
21 ful. Models within a brand might vary, and
22 change s in design or manufacture might
23
affect reliability. Still , choosing a bra nd with
a good repair history can improve your odd s
24 6
3.
8x
2.4
1
3.1
of getting a reliable mode l.
25 I
10
3x
2.4
1
6.7
DIGITAL
CAMERAS
I3fm 26 I 7 6
7x
2.4
1
1.
5
Fewer
+-
.... More
repairs repairs
27 7 5 3x 2.8 12.8
" Panasonic
28
..
10
6
3x
2.4
14
.8 Sony
29
, 7 6
7x
2.4
7.2
Ol
ympus
Kodak
30
..
6 5 3x
2.4
11.5
Canon
31 8 6 3x 2.4 9.8
·
Sa
rn
suno
32
7 4
3x
2.4
1
3.1
·
Fuj
i!Fujifilm
33
10
6 3x 2.8
11.
8
HP
(
Hew
lett-
Pac
kard)
· Nikon
34 8 5 3x
2.4
16.4
Ca
sio
35
7 6
3x
2.4
1
1.
2
· Pentax
36
75
3x
3
19
.7
· Vivitar
37
· 7 5 3x 2.4 6.2
, 38
7 6
3x
2.4
12.5
39
~ 7 5
5x
2.4
12.5
and out. Models that shot at lea st513 were rated excellent; 256, very good; and 128,good. Shutter lag is
how quickly the cam eraca nta keits fir stsho t oncepowe red up. The fastest were virt ually instantaneou s; 0% 5%
10
%
15
%
20%
25%
the slowest took 1 second or longe r. Next-shot delay is how quickly the camer a can take its next
photo
.
PO
INT&SHOOT
CA
M
ERAS
_
SLR
CAM
ER
AS I
Models at lea st as quick a s1seco nd were rat ed excellent; 3, very good; 5, good; and 7, fair. Image stabi-
lizer shows which have that steadying featur e. AA batteries denotes cameras that u setha tsi ze;most of Data are based on more than 221,000 reader responses
those
don't
include a charger. Cameras with proprietary batterie s always inc lude a char ger. Wide angle about digital cameras to t he Annual Product Reliabili ty
Survey conducte dby the Consumer Reports Nation al
shows which have a lens that zooms as least as wi de as a 28-m m-eq uivalent film-camer a lens. Manual ResearchCenter. Data are adjusted to elim inated
iffer-
controls refers t osett ings
that
letyou adjust shu
tter
speed andlens ope ning. Price is approximate retail. ences linked solely t o the age and use of the product.
NOVEMB ER 20 07 0
www.ConsumerRepo
rts.org
41