NEW - Ken Gilbert

$499 & UNDER SPECIAL
shift stabilization to help keep your shots
steady at those massively long focal
lengths. It also includes face detection,
“smile shot” mode, a 2.7-inch LCD, and
a mini-HDMI output so you can view your
images on your high-defi nition TV.
PANASONIC
LUMIX DMC-
ZS3
10.1MP • $ 400, street
• www.panasonic.com
Sure, this Lumix has a 10MP sensor—
fewer pixels than the similar 12.1MP
Canon SX200 midsized long-zoom.
But, it has the Canon beat on the wide
end of its range, since its 12X optically
stabilized lens covers 25–300mm
(full-frame equivalent). The ZS3 also
lets you zoom while recording 720p
video, and it includes face recognition.
In contrast to generic face detection,
you can program this camera to
recognize up to six specifi c people,
ranked in importance, so the camera
can prioritize your favorite folks when
focusing and metering a group photo.
Can’t decide on a crop? This camera
captures images in up to three aspect
ratios simultaneously.
PENTAX X70
12MP • $ 400, street
• www.pentax
imaging.com
Pentax’s new X70 has a 12MP sensor,
but if you shoot in 5MP mode, which
can still yield decent-sized prints, it
has some nifty things to offer. For
example, at that lower resolution,
you can shoot at up to ISO 6400 and
capture bursts of up to 11 frames
per second for up to 21 consecutive
images. Aside from these feats of
low-res derring-do, the X70 boasts a
24X, 26–624mm (full-frame equivalent)
f/2.8–5 zoom lens, 2.7-inch LCD, and
sensor-shift image stabilization.
SAMSUNG
HZ10W
10.2MP
• $ 300, street
• www.samsung.com
Another entry in the midsized long-
zoom category, the HZ10W sports
the widest lens of all the cameras
featured here. Its 10X 24–240mm
(full-frame equivalent) f/3.3–5.8
optically stabilized zoom lens feeds
light to a 10.2MP sensor. Keeping
up with the competition, the HZ10W
has a 2.7-inch LCD, offers face
detection, and can record video
at up to 720p HD resolution. We
particularly like its sleek design,
which includes a curved strap lug
on the upper right of the camera
back that’s perfect as a thumb rest
when you hold the camera.
SONY
CYBER-
SHOT
DSC-HX1
9.1MP • $499,
estimated street
• www.sonystyle.com
Sony’s fi rst Cyber-shot to include
a CMOS sensor, this 9.1MP
electronic-viewfi nder camera raises
the imaging stakes. Its 20X optically
stabilized zoom, 3-inch LCD, and
10 fps burst are impressive, though
they’re not all at the front of this
pack. But, besides the sensor
design, its 1080p HD video capture
and a unique panorama mode that
lets you create sweepingly wide
or toweringly tall images—up to
1920x4912-pixels (horizontal) or
7152x1080-pixels (vertical)—set this
newcomer apart. p
76 WWW.POPPHOTO.COM POP PHOTO MAY 2009