A romance turned orgy

After my post yesterday I had some people help me out and I am now even more confused. There are quite a few options and all of them have their pros and cons. And on top of that I must say that I still have a lot to learn about cameras to be able to make a proper informed decision. I think I have some studying and thinking to do. So far I have found six cameras that I still find more or less interesting:


Fujifilm FinePix F550EXR – 2538DKK (340.28 Euro)

16-megapixels

15x zoom

1080p video
GPS
Three-inch LCD

I have not been able to find a proper review of this camera.

Sony DSC-HX5 – 1812DKK (242.94 Euro)

            

10.2-megapixels            
10x zoom
1080i video
GPS
Three-inch LCD

Verdict (http://www.trustedreviews.com) 
The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5 once again demonstrates that when it comes to technical excellence Sony should never be underestimated. The camera is well made, handles and performs extremely well, and is capable of producing very good results under a wide range of circumstances. It is a technological tour-de-force loaded with more features than anything else on the market.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ10 – 1974DKK (264.66 Euro)

12-megapixels
12x zoom
720p video stereo
GPS
Poor battery

Verdict (http://www.trustedreviews.com) 
The Panasonic Lumic DMC-TZ10 is a well-designed, solidly built and extremely versatile camera with a lot of useful features. The 12x zoom, optical image stabilisation, HD video and excellent low light performance are the main benefits, and manual exposure is a nice bonus. The GPS feature is a bit of a gimmick, and drains the battery too fast to be much real use. 

Casio EXILIM Hi-Zoom EX-H20G – 2228DKK (298.72 Euro)

14.1-megapixels
10x zoom
720p no zoom during recording mini-HDMI             
Hybrid GPS
Three-inch LCD
Good battery life

Verdict (http://www.trustedreviews.com) 

The travel zoom market has been in growth of late, with even formerly humble pocket models now boasting a 15x reach to further distance themselves from the latest smartphones. But rather than trying to trump competitors when it comes to zoom power, Casio has here added the extra of GPS to a still versatile 10x optical reach. Though a bit of a gimmick surely for most amateur photographers, it works up to a point, and helps earmark the camera as a possible purchase for those who love their gadgets as much as their photography. 

On the down side, it is disappointing that the full extent of the zoom cannot be used for video as it can for stills, and that Casio insists on cramming information in several different languages on each page of its manuals, making them hard to decipher in a hurry. But, that aside, we actually have very few black marks to place against the EX-H20G, other than the aforementioned high price. Shop around however and less demanding photographers may well find this particular Exilim stacks up well as a possible travel companion. Though, we'd argue, if you don't need the GPS, not quite as well as a sharper compact system camera like an Olympus Pen, Panasonic GF or beginner's DSLR might.

Canon PowerShot SX230 HS – 2178DKK (292.01 Euro)

12-megapixels
14x zoom
1080p video
GPS
Three-inch LCD

Verdict (http://reviews.cnet.com) 
The good: The Canon PowerShot SX230 HS has good low-light photo quality for its class; excellent color; shooting options that encourage experimentation; and great-looking video quality.

The bad: Its shooting performance, though good, lags behind the competition as does its GPS functionality. The battery life is short and the overall design could use some help, too.

The bottom line: If you want a compact megazoom with manual controls, GPS, and excellent photo quality, the Canon PowerShot SX230 HS is a good place to start. 

Samsung WB650 – 1675DKK (224.57 Euro)

12-megapixel
15x zoom
720p video with stereo
GPS
Three-inch AMOLED
Poor Image Quality

Verdict (http://www.trustedreviews.com) 
In many ways the Samsung WB650 is a better camera than the Panasonic TZ10. It has a better zoom range, a more accurate GPS system, a sharper monitor and crucially longer battery life. Build quality, design and handling are all excellent, but it can't quite match its rival on low ISO image quality.