Both the D10 and the TS1 have flaws. For the D10 it's the not very compact dimensions, the not very wide zoom lens that extends only from 35mm to 105mm and the VGA-only video recording functionality. For the TS1 it is the soft images at the telephoto end of the zoom range, the sometimes very frustrating-to-use design and ergonomics decisions, the limited underwater ability (3m / 10ft vs 10m / 33ft of the D10), and the rather poor flash performance. Which of these flaws are deal breakers? Only you can decide this, and with the two cameras costing about the same price in most stores, the decision ultimately comes down to those differences. The Canon PowerShot D10 certainly put in an impressive performance both in and out of the water. It was one of the most responsive cameras to use, and at the same time it produced some of the sharpest and most detailed images of all the cameras in the group at lower ISO settings. On the downside the 3x zoom with no wide-angle capability might be a bit limiting in some situations. it is also the least compact camera in the group. variable sensitivity (film speed equivalent) settings, including a high sensitivity mode (ISO 1600) for low-light shooting The screen on this camera is relatively large, taking up most of the rear of the camera, so you get a good preview of any image you’ve taken with it. It has so many features that I’ll never make use of them all (You can read about some of them here – http://www.fujifilm.co.uk/consumer/digital/digital-cameras/slim-compact/finepix-z33wp/Features ), but suffice to say it has a timer and screw fitting for a tripod, making self-take photos relatively simple. It also has a good movie facility, which can be good fun if you want to share a moment with the world.

Red-eye removal ON : Red-eye Reduction Auto, Red-eye Reduction & Forced Flash, Suppressed Flash, Red-eye Reduction & Slow Synchro. Unfortunately you cannot control the ISO settings in Auto either, that being an option in the Manual mode. However, you can, at least, leave everything in Manual on auto and set the ISO to a lower value if this seems a persistent problem.Heavy, unsophisticated noise reduction also removes lots of detail from the image, but if the noise reduction is too low you'll get so much noise that it will appear even in the smallest print. Canon D10 The traditional 'reciprocal rule' suggests that you should aim to use a shutter speed equal to the reciprocal of the focal length to ensure sharp shooting - so a 100mm lens should really be used with shutter speeds faster than 1/100th of a second. The reciprocal rule is only a guide, of course, and one that becomes increasingly inaccurate with small-sensor cameras, but it should still be apparent that without image stabilization it'd be difficult to use a 100mm equivalent lens in light that would require 1/100 shutter speed. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS1 was not far behind the D10 in low ISO image quality, and produced the best image quality in the group in low light. It also features the widest zoom range with more telephoto reach, though this also meant that images produced at the telephoto end of the zoom were a lot softer than those on the wider end. The TS1 featured the most comprehensive video mode of all the cameras in this group test, and was the only one with AVCHD lite recording functionality. It also has the highest rated battery life of all cameras in this group (according to CIPA standard tests). Despite all these features there were operational annoyances and poor flash performance that dragged down its overall rating. The four other cameras in this group are not completely useless; certainly if you only need to produce small (5x7) prints or display images online, then all of these cameras will produce decent enough results. But considering that most of these lenses only extend to 100mm on the telephoto end, there may be situations where you might want to crop the image (and all these cameras allow you to do this in camera), or if there is that once-in-a-lifetime shot that you capture that you want to print really big it's nice to know you've got the best image quality available for your money. The specifications of the Tough 8000's movie mode are identical to those of the Tough 6000. The maximum resolution is VGA (640x480) at 30 fps, with a maximum bit rate of 13 Mbit/sec. With a fast (H type) xD card, movies can be recorded until the card is full. The movie timer counts down instead of up to show the amount of space left on the card, and the optical zoom is not available during movie recording.

Most of these cameras perform quite well in terms of chromatic aberration (a property of the lens design that produces colored fringes on high-contrast edges), no doubt helped by their relatively modest zoom ranges. Fringing will always be most pronounced towards the edge of the frame, particularly with the lenses at their widest-angle settings and if you look closely it's there in most of the images, but it is certainly acceptable given that these are all compact cameras. Telephoto (long end of zoom) Designed for those who love the great outdoors, the 10MP FinePix Z33WP is a camera that can withstand the elements. So whether you’re surfing the waves, cycling through alpine forests or swooshing down the ski slopes, the FinePix Z33WP won’t let you down.

The FinePix Z33WP will be available from April. Pricing will be announced nearer to the date of the launch. Fujifilm FinePix Z33WP specifications Sensor

The top sees the power and shutter buttons and overall we found the placement was convenient for all the controls, giving easy access to options. The buttons give you instant access to flash, macro and self-timer options, but a neat video button provides instant video recording. By using the lowest ISO setting in the group, the TS1 managed to produce the cleanest most noise free shot. There are few noise reduction artefacts and strands of hair are mostly clearly defined. The two Olympus cameras are next using lower ISO settings compared to the other cameras in this group test, producing similarly low-noise images. The Tough 6000 does a much better job than the Tough 8000, which has smeared away most of the fine low-contrast detail. Despite using a much higher ISO than the Olympus cameras, the Canon manages to put in a very good performance, and produces one of the sharpest and certainly the most pleasing result of the group, and while there is noise visible, it will still produce a very nice 8x10 print.

In this group of cameras four of the cameras feature image stabilization (the Canon D10, Panasonic TS1 and the Olympus models) while the other three (W60, W80 and Z33) use high ISO settings via scene modes to keep images sharp as light levels fall. Image stabilization is not a magic bullet that will make images sharp at all light levels at base ISO, as there are limits to how slow a shutter speed it can cope with; and as shutter speeds get low, subjects that move will be recorded as a blur anyway. None of these cameras perform fantastically at ISO 1600, as you would expect when there are so many pixels in such a small sensor. The Canon D10 takes a fairly heavy-handed approach, applying a lot of noise reduction, which not only destroys much of the detail, but makes the image seem quite desaturated. The D10 produces the softest image in the group tested here - a complete turnaround from the results at lower ISO settings. Of the other four cameras the Tough 6000 and W80 manage to retain just enough detail to be better than the Tough 8000 and Z33 - which both reduce the details in the image to not much more than watercolor-like smudges. The Tough 6000 offers movie recording at VGA resolution (640x480) at 30 fps. Movies are recorded in avi format, with a maximum bit rate of 13 Mbit/sec. If you have a fast xD card (H type) you can record movies until the card is full, but on slower xD cards videos are limited to a paltry 10 seconds. Usefully the Tough 6000 counts down instead of up, to show you how much recording time is left on the current card. Optical zoom is not available during movie recording. February 17, 2009 - If you’re an adrenaline junkie and you want a camera that’s as brave as you, then look no further than Fujifilm's ultra-stylish and equally adventurous FinePix Z33WP waterproof compact camera.