I want to get an ultra compact camera for travel/social photos(outdoor & lowlight) that takes great photos and has the highest possible optical zoom.
I have been torn between the Sony DSC-T100 and the Canon IXUS 950 (also known as SD850 IS). Their features on paper are very similar – the Sony has 5x optical zoom compared to Canons 4x, but how much difference will that make? On the other hand, the Canon apparently has much better image quality. Both have less zoom than what I really wanted. The Kodak V610 has 10x zoom, but the reviews are very disappointing – poor image quality.
Also, Fuji are due to release the FinePix Z100fd (ultra compact, 8mp, 5x zoom, I.S) in October which looks quite similar to the Sony on paper.
Which is the better camera? I’ve read many reviews and still can’t decide. Are there any other ultra compact cameras out there that have great image quality, but with high optical zoom, or do I have to expect a larger size camera to get more zoom?